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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tom Burke Of “Ours”, Volume II (of II), by
+Charles James Lever
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Tom Burke Of “Ours”, Volume II (of II)
+
+Author: Charles James Lever
+
+Illustrator: Phiz.
+
+Release Date: April 6, 2010 [EBook #31902]
+Last Updated: February 27, 2018
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM BURKE II ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+TOM BURKE OF “OURS.”
+
+By Charles Lever
+
+With Illustrations By Phiz.
+
+In Two Volumes, Vol. II.
+
+
+Transcriber's Note: Two print editions have been used for this Project
+Gutenberg Edition of “Tom Burke of 'Ours'”: The Little Brown edition
+(Boston) of 1913 with illustrations by Phiz; and the Chapman and Hall
+editon (London) of 1853 with illustrations by Browne. Illegible and
+missing pages were found in both print editions.
+
+DW
+
+
+
+
+TOM BURKE OF “OURS”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I. THE SICK LEAVE.
+
+“What is it, Minette?” said I, for the third time, as I saw her lean her
+head from out the narrow casement, and look down into the valley beside
+the river; “what do you see there?”
+
+“I see a regiment of infantry coming along the road from Ulm,” said she,
+after a pause; “and now I perceive the lancers are following them, and
+the artillery too. Ah! and farther again, I see a great cloud of dust.
+_Mère de Ciél!_ how tired and weary they all look! It surely cannot be a
+march in retreat; and, now that I think of it, they have no baggage, nor
+any wagons with them.”
+
+“That was a bugle call, Minette! Did you not hear it?”
+
+“Yes, it's a halt for a few minutes. Poor fellows! they are sadly
+exhausted; they cannot even reach the side of the way, but are lying
+down on the very road. I can bear it no longer. I must find out what
+it all means.” So saying, she threw round her a mantle which, Spanish
+fashion, she wore over her head, and hurried from the room.
+
+For some time I waited patiently for her return; but when half an
+hour elapsed, I arose and crept to the window. A succession of rocky
+precipices descended from the terrace on which the house stood, down
+to the very edge of the Danube, and from the point where I sat the view
+extended for miles in every direction. What, then, was my astonishment
+to see the wide plain, not marked by regular columns in marching array,
+but covered with straggling detachments, hurrying onward as if without
+order or discipline. Here was an infantry battalion mixed up with a
+cavalry corps, the foot-soldiers endeavoring to keep up with the ambling
+trot of the dragoons; there, the ammunition wagons were covered with
+weary soldiers, too tired to march. Most of the men were without their
+firelocks, which were piled in a confused heap on the limbers of the
+guns. No merry chant, no burst of warlike music, cheered them on. They
+seemed like the scattered fragments of a routed army hurrying onward in
+search of some place of refuge,-sad and spiritless.
+
+“Can he have been beaten?” was the fearful thought that flashed across
+me as I gazed. “Have the bold legions that were never vanquished
+succumbed at last? Oh, no, no! I'll not believe it.” And while a glow of
+fever warmed my whole blood, I buckled on my sabre, and taking my shako,
+prepared to issue forth. Scarcely had I reached the door, with tottering
+limbs, when I saw Minette dashing up the steep street at the top speed
+of her pony, while she flourished above her head a great placard, and
+waved it to and fro.
+
+“The news! the news!” cried I, bursting with anxiety. “Are they
+advancing; or is it a retreat?”
+
+“Read that!” said she, throwing me a large sheet of paper, headed with
+the words, “Proclamation! la Grande Armée!” in huge letters,-“read that!
+for I've no breath left to tell you.”
+
+Soldiers!--The campaign so gloriously begun will soon be completed.
+
+One victory, and the Austrian empire, so great but a week since, will be
+humbled in the dust. Hasten on, then! Forced marches, by day and night,
+will attest your eagerness to meet the enemy; and let the endeavor of
+each regiment be to arrive soonest on the field of battle.
+
+“Minette! dearest Minette!” said I, as I threw my arms around her
+neck, “this is indeed good news.” “Gently, gently, Monsieur!” said she,
+smiling, while she disengaged herself from my sudden embrace. “Very good
+news, without doubt; but I don't think that there is any mention in the
+bulletin about embracing the vivandières of the army.”
+
+“At a moment like this, Minette--”
+
+“The best thing to do is, to make up one's baggage and join the march,”
+ said she, very steadily, proceeding at the same time to put her plan
+into execution.
+
+While I gave her all assistance in my power, the doctor entered to
+inform us that all the wounded who were then not sufficiently restored
+to return to duty were to be conveyed to Munich, where general military
+hospitals had been established; and that he himself had received
+orders to repair thither with his sick detachment, in which my name was
+enrolled.
+
+“You'll keep your old friend, François, company, Lieutenant Burke; he is
+able to move at last.”
+
+“François!” said I, in ecstasy; “and will he indeed recover?”
+
+“I have little doubt of it; though certainly he's not likely to
+practise as maître d'armes again. You 've spoiled his tierce, though not
+before it cost the army some of the prettiest fellows I ever saw. But as
+to yourself--”
+
+“As for me, I 'll march with the army. I feel perfectly recovered; my
+arm--”
+
+“Oh! as for monsieur's arms,” said mademoiselle, “I'll answer for it,
+they are quite at his Majesty's service.”
+
+“Indeed!” said the doctor, knowingly; “I thought it would come to that.
+Well, well, Mademoiselle, don't look saucy; let us part good friends for
+once in our lives.”
+
+“I hate being reconciled to a surgeon,” said she, pettishly.
+
+“Why so, I pray?”
+
+“Oh, you know, when one quarrels with an officer, the poor fellow may be
+killed before one sees him again; and it's always a sad thought, that.
+But your doctor, nothing ever happens to him; you're sure to see him,
+with his white apron and his horrid weapons, a hundred times after, and
+one is always sorry for having forgiven such a cruel wretch.”
+
+“Come, come, Mademoiselle, you bear us all an ill-will for the fault
+of one, and that's not fair. It was the hospital aide of the Sixth,
+Monsieur, (a handsome fellow, too), who did not fall in love with her
+after her wound,--a slight scratch.”
+
+“A slight scratch, do you call it?” said I, indignantly, as I perceived
+the poor girl's eyes fill at the raillery of her tormentor.
+
+“Ah! monsieur has seen it, then?” said he, maliciously. “A thousand
+pardons. I have the honor to wish you both adieu.” And with that, and a
+smile of the most impertinent meaning, he took his leave.
+
+“How silly to be vexed for so little, Minette!” said I, approaching and
+endeavoring to console her.
+
+“Well, but to call my wound a scratch!” said she. “Was it not too bad?
+and I the only vivandière of the army that ever felt a bullet.”
+
+And with that she turned away her head; but I could see, as she wiped
+her eyes, that she cared less for the sarcasm on her wounded shoulder
+than the insult to her wounded heart. Poor girl! she looked sick and
+pale the whole day after.
+
+We learned in the course of the day that some cavalry detachments would
+pass early on the morrow, thus allowing us sufficient time to provide
+ourselves with horses, and make our other arrangements for the march.
+These we succeeded in doing to our satisfaction; I being fortunate
+enough to secure the charger of an Austrian prisoner, mademoiselle being
+already admirably mounted with her palfrey. Occupied with these details,
+the day passed rapidly over, and the hour for supper drew near without
+my feeling how the time slipped past.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneMuratAndMinettePage003]
+
+At last the welcome meal made its appearance, and with it mademoiselle
+herself. I could not help remarking that her toilette displayed a more
+than common attention: her neat Parisian cap; her collar, with its deep
+Valenciennes lace; and her _tablier_, so coquettishly embroidered,--were
+all signs of an unusual degree of care; and though she was pale and in
+low spirits, I never saw her look so pretty. All my efforts to make her
+converse were, however, in vain. Some secret weight lay heavily on her
+spirits, and not even the stirring topics of the coming campaign could
+awaken one spark of her enthusiasm. She evaded, too, every allusion
+to the following day's march, or answered my questions about it with
+evident constraint. Tired at last with endeavoring to overcome her
+silent mood, I affected an air of chagrin, thinking to pique her by it;
+but she merely remarked that I appeared weary, and that, as I had a long
+journey before me, it were as well I should retire early.
+
+The marked coolness of her manner at this moment struck me so forcibly
+that I began really to feel some portion of the ill-temper I affected,
+and with the crossness of an over-petted child, I arose to withdraw at
+once.
+
+“Good-by, Monsieur; good-night, I mean,” said she, blushing slightly.
+
+“Good-night, Mademoiselle,” said I, taking her hand coldly as I spoke.
+“I trust I may find you in better spirits to-morrow.”
+
+“Good-night,--adieu!” said she, hastily; and before I could add a word
+she was gone.
+
+“She is a strange girl,” thought I, as I found myself alone, and
+tortured my mind to think whether anything I could have dropped had
+offended her. But no: we had parted a few hours before the best friends
+in the world; nothing had then occurred to which I could attribute
+this sudden change. I had often remarked the variable character of her
+disposition,--the flashes of gayety mingled with outbursts of sorrow;
+the playful moods of fancy alternating with moments of deep melancholy;
+and, after all, this might be one of them.
+
+With these thoughts I threw myself on my bed, but could not sleep. At
+one minute my brain went on puzzling about Minette and her sorrow; at
+the next I reproached myself for my own harsh, unfeeling manner to the
+poor girl, and was actually on the eve of arising to seek her and ask
+her pardon. At last sleep came, and dreams too; but, strange enough,
+they were of the distant land of my boyhood and the hours of my youth;
+of the old house in which I was born, and its well-remembered rooms. I
+thought I was standing before my father, while he scolded me for some
+youthful transgression; I heard his words as though they were really
+spoken, as he told me that I should be an outcast and a wanderer,
+without a friend, a house, or home; that while others reaped wealth and
+honors, I was destined to be a castaway: and in the torrent of my grief
+I awoke.
+
+It was night,--dark, silent night. A few stars were shining in the sky,
+but the earth was wrapped in shadow; and as I opened my window to let
+the fresh breeze calm my fevered forehead, the deep precipice beneath me
+seemed a vast gulf of yawning blackness. At a great distance off I could
+see the watchfires of some soldiers bivouacking in the plain; and even
+that much comforted my saddened heart, as it aroused me to the thoughts
+of the campaign before me. But again my thoughts recurred to my dream,
+which I could not help feeling as a sort of prediction.
+
+When our sleep leaves its strong track in our waking moments, we dread
+to sleep again for fear the whole vision should come back; and thus I
+sat down beside the window, and fell into a long train of thought. The
+images of my dream were uppermost in my mind; and every little incident
+of childhood, long lost to memory, came now fresh before me,--the
+sorrows of my schoolboy years, unrelieved by the sense of love awaiting
+me at home; the clinging to all who seemed to feel or care for me;
+and the heart-sickening sorrow when I found that what I mistook for
+affection was merely pity: all save one,--my mother! Her mild, sad
+looks, so seldom cheered by a ray of pleasure,--I remember well how they
+fell on me! with such a thrilling sensation at my heart, and such a gush
+of thankfulness, as I felt then! Oh! if they who live with children knew
+how needful it is to open their hearts to all the little sorrows and
+woes of infant life; to teach confidence and to feed hope; to train up
+the creeping tendrils of young desire, and not to suffer them to lie
+straggling and tangled on the earth,--what a happier destiny would fall
+to the lot of many whose misfortunes in late life date from the crushed
+spirit of childhood!
+
+My mother I--I thought of her as she would bend oyer me at night, her
+last kiss pressed on my brow,--the healing balm of some sorrow for which
+my sobs were still breaking,--her pale, worn cheek, her white dress, her
+hand so bloodless and transparent, the very emblem of her malady. The
+tears started to my eyes and rolled heavily along my cheek, my chest
+heaved, and my heart beat till I could hear it. At this moment a slight
+rustle stirred the leaves: I listened, for the night was calm and still;
+not a breeze moved. Again I heard it close beside the window, on the
+little terrace which ran along the building, and occupied the narrow
+space beside the edge of the rock. Before I could imagine what it meant,
+a figure in white glided from the shade of the trees and approached
+the window. So excited was my mind, so wrought up my imagination by the
+circumstances of my dream and the thoughts that followed, that I cried
+out, in a voice of ecstasy, “My mother!” Suddenly the apparition stood
+still, and then as rapidly retreated, and was lost to view in the dark
+foliage. Maddened with intense excitement, I sprang from the window, and
+leaped out on the terrace. I called aloud; I ran about wildly, unmindful
+of the fearful precipice that yawned beside me. I searched every bush,
+I crept beneath each tree, but nothing could I detect. The cold
+perspiration poured down my face; my limbs trembled with a strange dread
+of I knew not what. I felt as if madness was creeping over me, and I
+struggled with the thought and tried to calm my troubled brain. Wearied
+and faint, I gave up the pursuit at last, and, throwing myself on my
+bed, I sank exhausted into the heavy slumber which only tired nature
+knows.
+
+“The Sous-Lieutenant Burke,” said a gruff voice, awakening me suddenly
+from my sleep, while by the light of a lantern he held in his hand I
+recognized the figure of an orderly sergeant in full equipment.
+
+“Yes. What then?” said I, in some amazement at the summons.
+
+“This is the order of march, sir, for the invalid detachment under your
+command.”
+
+“How so? I have no orders.”
+
+“They are here, sir.”
+
+So saying, he presented me with a letter from the assistant-adjutant
+of the corps, with instructions for the conduct of forty men, invalided
+from different regiments, and now on their way to Lintz. The paper was
+perfectly regular, setting forth the names of the soldiers and
+their several corps, together with the daily marches, the halts, and
+distances. My only surprise was how this service so suddenly devolved on
+me, whose recovery could only have been reported a few hours before.
+
+“When shall I muster the detachment, sir?” said the sergeant,
+interrupting me in the midst of my speculations.
+
+“Now,--at once. It is past five o'clock. I see Langenau is mentioned as
+the first halting-place; we can reach it by eight.”
+
+The moment the sergeant withdrew, I arose and dressed for the road,
+anxious to inform mademoiselle as early as possible of this sudden order
+of march. When I entered the _salon_, I found to my surprise that the
+breakfast table was all laid and everything ready. “What can this mean?”
+ said I; “has she heard it already?” At the same instant I caught sight
+of the door of her chamber lying wide open. I approached, and looked in.
+The room was empty; the various trunks and boxes, the little relics
+of military glory I remembered to have seen with her, were all gone.
+Minette had departed; when or whither, I knew not. I hurried through the
+building, from room to room, without meeting any one. The door was open,
+and I passed out into the dark street, where all was still and silent
+as the grave. I hastened to the stable: my horse, ready equipped and
+saddled, was feeding; but the stall beside him was empty,--the pony of
+the vivandière was gone. While many a thought flashed on my brain as to
+her fate, I tortured my mind to remember each circumstance of our last
+meeting,--every word and every look; and as I called to my memory the
+pettish anger of my manner towards her, I grew sick at heart, and hated
+myself for my own cold ingratitude. All her little acts of kindness, her
+tender care, her unwearying good-nature, were before me. I thought of
+her as I had seen her often in the silence of the night, when, waking
+from some sleep of pain, she sat beside my bed, her hand pressed on
+my heated forehead; her low, clear voice was in my ear; her soft,
+mild look, beaming with hope and tender pity. Poor Minette! had I then
+offended you? was such the return I made for all your kindness?
+
+“The men are ready, sir,” said the sergeant, entering at the moment.
+
+“She is gone,” said I, following out my own sad train of thought, and
+pointing to the vacant stall where her pony used to stand.
+
+“Mademoiselle Minette--”
+
+“Yes, what of her--where is she?”
+
+“Marched with the cuirassier brigade that passed here last night at
+twelve o'clock. She seemed very ill, sir, and the officer made her sit
+on one of the wagons.”
+
+“Which road did they take? »
+
+“They crossed the river, and moved away towards the forest. I think I
+heard the troop-sergeant say something about Salzburg and the Tyrol.”
+
+I made no answer, but stood mute and stupefied; when I was again
+recalled to thought by his asking if my baggage was ready for the
+wagons.
+
+With a sullen apathy I pointed out my trunks in silence, and throwing
+one last look on the room, the scene of my former suffering, and of much
+pleasure too, I mounted my horse, and gave the word to move forward.
+
+As we passed from the gate, I stopped to question the sous-officier as
+to the route of the cuirassier division. But he could only repeat
+what the sergeant had already told me; adding, there were several men
+slightly wounded in the squadrons, for they had been engaged twice
+within the week. The gates closed! and we were on the highroad.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II. LINTZ
+
+As day was breaking, we came up with a strong detachment of the cavalry
+of the Guard proceeding to join Bessiere's division at Lintz. From them
+we learned that the main body of the army was already far in advance,
+several entire corps having marched from Lintz with the supposed
+intention of occupying Vienna. Ney's division, it was said, was also
+bearing down from the Tyrol; Davoust and Mortier were advancing by the
+left bank of the Danube; whilst Lannes and Murat, with an overwhelming
+force of light troops, had pushed forward two days' march in advance on
+their way to the capital. The fate of Ulm was already predicted for the
+Austrian city, and each day's intelligence seemed to make it only
+the more inevitable. Meanwhile the Emperor Francis had abandoned the
+capital, and retreated on Brunn, a fortified town in Moravia, there to
+await the arrival of his ally, Alexander, hourly expected from Berlin.
+
+As day after day we pressed forward, our numbers continued to increase.
+A motley force, indeed, did we present: cavalry of every sort, from the
+steel-clad cuirassier to the gay hussar, dragoons, chasseurs, guides,
+and light cavalry, all mixed up together, and all eagerly recounting
+the several experiences of the campaign as it fell under their eyes in
+different quarters. From none, however, could I learn any tidings of
+Minette; for though known to many there, the detachment she had joined
+had taken a southerly direction, and was not crossed by any of the
+others on their march. The General d'Auvergne, I heard, was with the
+headquarters of the Emperor, then established at the monastery of Molk,
+on the Danube.
+
+On the evening of the 13th of November we arrived at Lintz, the
+capital of Upper Austria, but at the time I speak of one vast barrack.
+Thirty-eight thousand troops of all arms were within its walls; not
+subject to the rigid discipline and regular command of a garrison town,
+but bivouacking in the open streets and squares. Tables were spread in
+the thoroughfares, at which the divisions as they arrived took their
+places, and after refreshing themselves, moved on to make way for
+others. The great churches were strewn with forage, and filled with the
+horses of the cavalry; there might be seen the lumbering steeds of
+the cuirassier, eating their corn from the richly-carved box of a
+confessional; here lay the travel-stained figure of a dragoon, stretched
+asleep across the steps of the altar. The little chapelries, where
+the foot of the penitent awoke no echo as it passed, now rung with the
+coarse jest and reckless ribaldry of the soldiers; parties caroused
+in the little sacristies; and the rude chorus of a drinking song now
+vibrated through the groined roof where only the sacred notes of
+the organ had been heard to peal. The Hôtel de Ville was the
+quartier-général, where the generals of divisions were assembled, and
+from which the orderlies rode forth at every moment with despatches. The
+one cry, “Forward!” was heard everywhere. They who before had claimed
+leave for slight wounds or illness, were now seen among their comrades
+with bandaged arms and patched faces, eager to press on. Many whose
+regiments were in advance became incorporated for the time with other
+corps; and dismounted dragoons were often to be met with, marching with
+the infantry and mounting guard in turn. Everything bespoke haste. The
+regiments which arrived at night frequently moved off before day broke.
+The cavalry often were provided with fresh horses to press forward,
+leaving their own for the corps that were to follow. A great flotilla,
+provided with all the necessaries for an army on the march, moved
+along the Danube, and accompanied the troops each day. In a word, every
+expedient was practised which could hasten the movement of the army;
+justifying the remark so often repeated among the soldiers at the time,
+“Le Petit Caporal makes more use of our legs than our bayonets in this
+campaign.”
+
+On the same evening we arrived came the news of the surprise of Vienna
+by Murat. Never was there such joy as this announcement spread through
+the army. The act itself was one of those daring feats which only such
+as he could venture on, and indeed at first seemed so miraculous that
+many refused to credit it. Prince Auersberg, to whom the great bridge of
+the Danube was intrusted, had prepared everything for its destruction
+in the event of attack. The whole line of woodwork was laid with
+combustibles; trains were set, the matches burning; a strong battery of
+twelve guns, posted to command the bridge, occupied the height on the
+right bank, and the Austrian gunners lay, match in hand, beside their
+pieces: but a word was needed, and the whole work was in a blaze.
+
+Such was the state of matters when Sebastiani pushed through the
+faubourg of the Leopoldstadt at the head of a strong cavalry detachment,
+supported by some grenadiers of the Guard, and by Murat's orders,
+concealed his force among the narrow streets which lead to the bridge
+from the left bank of the Danube. This done, Lannes and Murat advanced
+carelessly along the bridge, which, from the frequent passage of
+couriers between the two headquarters, had become a species of
+promenade, where the officers of either side met to converse on the
+fortunes of the campaign. Dressed simply as officers of the staff, they
+strolled along till they came actually beneath the Austrian battery; and
+then entered into conversation with the Austrian officers, assuring them
+that the armistice was signed, and peace already proclaimed between the
+two countries.
+
+The Austrians, trusting to their story, and much interested by what they
+heard, descended from the mound, and joining them, proceeded to walk
+backwards and forwards along the bridge, conversing on the probable
+consequences of the treaty; when suddenly turning round by chance, as
+they walked towards the right bank, they saw the head of a grenadier
+column approaching at the quick step. The thought of treachery crossed
+their minds; and one of them, rushing to the side of the bridge, called
+out to the artillerymen to fire. A movement was seen in the battery,
+the matches were uplifted, when Murat, dashing forward, cried aloud,
+“Reserve your fire; there is nothing to fear!”
+
+The same instant the Austrian officers were surrounded; the sappers
+rushing on the bridge cleared away the combustibles, and cut off the
+trains; and the cavalry, till now in concealment, pushing forward at a
+gallop, crossed the bridge, followed by the grenadiers in a run,--before
+the Austrians, who saw their own officers mingled with the French, could
+decide on what was to be done,--while Murat, springing on his horse,
+dashed forward at the head of the dragoons; and before five minutes
+elapsed the battery was stormed, the gunners captured, and Vienna won.
+
+Never was there a _coup de main_ more hardy than this, whether we look
+to the danger of the deed itself, or the insignificant force by which it
+was accomplished. A few horsemen and some companies of foot, led on
+by an heroic chief, thus turned the whole fortune of Europe; for, by
+securing this bridge, Napoleon enabled himself, as circumstances might
+warrant, to unite the different corps of his army on the right or
+left banks of the Danube, and either direct his operations against the
+Russians, or the Austrians under the Archduke Charles, as he pleased.
+
+The treachery by which the bold deed was made successful, was, alas!
+deemed no stain on the achievement. But one rule of judgment existed in
+the Imperial army: Was the advantage on the side of France, and to the
+honor of her arms? That covered every flaw, no matter whether inflicted
+by duplicity or breach of faith. The habit of healing all wounds of
+conscience by a bulletin had become so general, that men would not trust
+to the guidance of their own reason till confirmed by some Imperial
+proclamation; and when the Emperor declared a battle gained and glory
+achieved, who would gainsay him? If this blind, headlong confidence
+tended to lower the _morale_ of the nation, in an equal degree did it
+make them conquerors in the field; and thus--by a strange decree of
+Providence, would it seem--were they preparing for themselves the
+terrible reverse of fortune which, when the destinies of their leader
+became clouded and their confidence in him shaken, was to fall on a
+people who lived only in the mad intoxication of victory, and knew not
+the sterner virtues that can combat with defeat.
+
+But so was it. Napoleon commanded the legions and described their
+achievements; he led them to the charge and he apportioned their glory;
+the heroism of the soldier had no existence until acknowledged by
+the proclamation after the battle; the valor of the general wanted
+confirmation till sealed by his approval. To fight beneath his eyes was
+the greatest glory a regiment could wish for; to win one word from him
+was fame itself forever.
+
+If I dwell on these thoughts here, it is because I now felt for the
+first time the sad deception I had practised on myself; and how little
+could I hope to realize in my soldier's life the treasured aspirations
+of my boyhood Î Was this, then, indeed the career I had pictured to
+my mind,--the chivalrous path of honor? Was this the bold assertion of
+freedom I so often dreamed of? How few of that armed host knew anything
+of the causes of the war,--how much fewer still cared for them! No
+sentiment of patriotism, no devotion to the interests of liberty or
+humanity, prompted us on. Yet these were the thoughts first led me to
+the career of arms; such ambitious promptings first made my heart glow
+with the enthusiasm of a soldier.
+
+This gloomy disappointment made me low-spirited and sad. Nor can I say
+where such reflections might not have led me, when suddenly a change
+came over my thoughts by seeing a wounded soldier, who had just arrived
+from Mortier's division, with news of a fierce encounter they had
+sustained against Kutusof's Russians. The poor fellow was carried
+past in a litter,--his arm had been amputated that same morning, and a
+frightful shot-wound had carried away part of his cheek; still, amid all
+his suffering, his eye was brilliant, and a smile of proud meaning was
+on his lips.
+
+“Lift it up, Guillaume; let me see it again,” said he, as they bore him
+along the crowded street.
+
+“What is it he wishes?” said I. “The poor fellow is asking for
+something.”
+
+“Yes, mon lieutenant. It is the _sabre d'honneur_ the Emperor gave him
+this morning. He likes to look at it every now and then; he says he
+doesn't mind the pain when he sees that before him. _And it is natural,
+too._”
+
+“Such is glory!” said I to myself; “and he who feels this in his heart
+has no room for other thoughts.”
+
+“Oh, give to me the trumpet's blast, And the champ of the charger
+prancing; Or the whiz of the grape-shot flying past, That 'a music meet
+for dancing.
+
+“Tralararalal” sang a wild-looking voltigeur, as he capered along the
+street, keeping time to his rude song with the tramp of his feet.
+
+“Ha! there goes a fellow from the Faubourg!” said an officer near me.
+
+“The Faubourg?” repeated I, asking for explanation.
+
+“Yes, to be sure. The Faubourg St. Antoine supplies all the reckless
+devils of the army; one of them would corrupt a regiment, and so, the
+best thing to do is to keep them as much together as possible. The
+voltigeurs have little else; and proof is, they are the cleverest corps
+in the service, and if they could be kept from picking and stealing,
+lying, drinking, and gambling, there's not a man might not be a general
+of division in time. There goes another!”
+
+As he spoke, a fellow passed by with a goose under his arm, followed by
+a woman most vociferously demanding restitution; while he only amused
+himself by replying with a mock courtesy, deploring in sad terms the
+unhappy necessities of war and the cruel hardships of a campaign.
+
+“It's no use punishing those fellows,” said the officer. “They desert in
+whole companies if you send one to the _salle de police_; and so we have
+only one resource, which is, to throw them pretty much in advance, and
+leave their chastisement to the enemy. And, sooth to say, they ask for
+nothing better themselves.”
+
+Thus, even these fellows seemed to have their own sentiment of glory,--a
+problem which the more I reasoned over the more puzzled did I become.
+
+While a hundred conjectures were hourly in circulation, none save those
+immediately about the person of Napoleon could possibly divine the
+quarter where the great blow was to be struck, although all were in
+expectation of the orders to prepare for battle. News would reach us of
+marchings and counter-marchings; of smart skirmishes here, and prisoners
+taken there; yet could we not form the slightest conception of where the
+chief force of the enemy lay, nor what the direction to which our own
+army was pointed. Indeed, our troops seemed to scatter on every side.
+Marmont, with a strong force, was despatched towards Gratz, where it
+was said the Archduke Charles was at the head of a considerable army;
+Davoust moved on Hungary, and occupied Presburg; Bernadotte retraced his
+steps towards the Upper Danube, to hold the Archduke Frederick in check,
+who had escaped from Ulm with ten thousand men; Mortiers corps, harassed
+and broken by the engagement with Kutusof, were barely sufficient to
+garrison Vienna; while Soult, Lannes, and Murat pushed forward towards
+Moravia, with a strong cavalry force and some battalions of the Guard.
+In fact, the whole army was scattered like an exploded shell; nor could
+we see the means by which its wide extended fragments were to be united
+at a moment, much less divine the spot to which their combined force was
+to be directed.
+
+Had these Russians been fabulous creatures of a legend, instead of
+men of mortal mould, they could scarcely have been endowed with more
+attributes of ubiquity than we conferred on them. Sometimes we believed
+them at one side of the Danube, sometimes at the other; now we heard of
+them as retreating by forced marches into their native fastnesses, now
+as encamped in the mountain regions of Moravia. Yesterday came the news
+that they laid down their arms and surrendered as prisoners of war;
+to-day we heard of them as having forced back our advanced posts and
+carried off several squadrons as prisoners.
+
+At length came the positive information that the allied armies were in
+cantonments around Olmutz; while Napoleon had pushed forward to Brunn,
+a place of considerable strength, communicating by the highroad with the
+Russian headquarters. It was no longer doubtful, then, where the great
+game was to be decided, and thither the various battalions were now
+directed by marches day and night.
+
+On the 29th of November our united detachments, now numbering
+several hundred men, arrived at Brunn. I lost no time in repairing to
+headquarters, where I found General d'Auvergne deeply engaged with the
+details of the force under his command: his brigade had been placed
+under the orders of Murat; and it was well known the prince gave little
+rest or respite to those under his command. From him I learned that
+three days of unsuccessful negotiation had just passed over, and that
+the Emperor had now resolved on a great battle. Indeed, every moment was
+critical. Russia had assumed a decidedly hostile aspect; the Swedes were
+moving to the south; the Archduke Charles, by a circuitous route, was
+on the march to join the Russian army, to whose aid fresh reinforcements
+were daily arriving, and Benningsen was hourly expected with more. Under
+these circumstances a battle was inevitable; and such a one, as, by its
+result, must conclude the war.
+
+This much did I learn from the old general as we rode over the field
+together; examining with caution the nature of the ground, and where it
+offered facilities, and where it presented obstacles, to the movement
+of cavalry. Such were the orders issued that morning by Napoleon to the
+generals of brigade, who might now be seen with their staffs traversing
+the plain in every direction. As we moved along we could discover in the
+distance the dark columns of the enemy marching, not towards us, but in
+a southerly direction towards our extreme right. This movement attracted
+the attention of several others, and more than one aide-de-camp was
+despatched to Brunn to carry the intelligence to the Emperor.
+
+The same evening couriers departed in every direction to Bernadotte
+and Davoust to hasten forward at once; even Mortier, with his mangled
+division, was ordered to abandon Vienna to a division of Marmont's army,
+and move on to Brunn. And now the great work of concentration began.
+
+Meanwhile the Russians advanced, and on the 30th drove in an advanced
+post, and compelled our cavalry to fall back behind our position. The
+following morning the allies resumed their flank movement. And now no
+doubt could be entertained of their plan; which was, by turning our
+right, to cut us off from our supporting columns resting at Vienna, and
+throw our retreat back upon the mountainous districts of Bohemia. In
+this way five massive columns moved past us scarce half a league distant
+from our advanced posts, numbering eighty thousand men, of which fifteen
+were cavalry in the most perfect condition.
+
+Our position was in advance of the fortress of Brunn; the headquarters
+of the Emperor occupied a rising piece of ground, at the base of which
+flowed a small stream, a tributary to some of the numerous ponds by
+which the field was intersected. The entire ground in our front was
+indeed a succession of these small lakes, with villages interspersed,
+and occasionally some stunted woods; great morasses extended around
+these ponds, through which led the highroads or such bypaths as
+conducted from one village to another. Here and there were plains where
+cavalry might act with safety, but rarely in large bodies.
+
+Our right rested on the lake of Moeritz, where Soult's division was
+stationed; behind which, thrown back in such a manner as to escape the
+observation of the enemy, was Davoust's corps, the reserve occupying a
+cliff of ground beside the convent of Eeygern. Our left, under Lannes,
+occupied the hill of Santon,--a wooded eminence, the last of a long
+chain of mountains running east and west. Above, and on the crest of the
+height, a powerful park of artillery was posted, and defended by strong
+intrenchments. A powerful cavalry corps was placed at the bottom of
+the mountain. Next came Bernadotte's division, separated by the highroad
+from Brunn to Olmutz from the division under Murat, which, besides his
+own cavalry, contained Oudinot's grenadiers and Bessière's battalions
+of the Imperial Guard; the centre and right being formed of Soult's
+division, the strongest of all; the reserve, consisting of several
+battalions of the Guard and a strong force of artillery, being under
+the immediate orders of Napoleon, to be employed wherever circumstances
+demanded.
+
+These were the dispositions for the coming battle, made with all the
+precision of troops moving on parade; and such was the discipline of the
+army at Boulogne, and so perfectly arranged the plans of the Emperor,
+that the ground of every regiment was marked out, and each corps moved
+into its allotted space with the regularity of some piece of mechanism.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III. AUSTERLITZ
+
+The dispositions for the battle of Austerlitz occupied the entire day.
+From sunrise Napoleon was on horse-back, visiting every position; he
+examined each battery with the skill of an old officer of artillery;
+and frequently dismounting from his horse, carefully noted the slightest
+peculiarities of the ground,--remarking to his staff, with an accuracy
+which the event showed to be prophetic, the nature of the struggle, as
+the various circumstances of the field indicated them to his practised
+mind.
+
+It was already late when he turned his horse's head towards the bivouac
+hut,--a rude shelter of straw,--and rode slowly through the midst of
+that great army. The _ordre du jour_, written at his own dictation, had
+just been distributed among the soldiers; and now around every watchfire
+the groups were kneeling to read the spirit-stirring lines by which he
+so well knew how to excite the enthusiasm of his followers. They were
+told that “the enemy were the same Russian battalions they had already
+beaten at Hollabrunn, and on whose flying traces they had been marching
+ever since.” “They will endeavor,” said the proclamation, “to turn our
+right, but in doing so they must open their flank to us: need I say what
+will be the result? Soldiers, so long as with your accustomed valor you
+deal death and destruction in their ranks, so long shall I remain
+beyond the reach of fire; but let the victory prove, even for a moment,
+doubtful, your Emperor shall be in the midst of you. This day must
+decide forever the honor of the infantry of France. Let no man leave his
+ranks to succor the wounded,--they shall be cared for by one who never
+forgets his soldiers,--and with this victory the campaign is ended!”
+
+Never were lines better calculated to stimulate the energy and flatter
+the pride of those to whom they were addressed. It was a novel thing in
+a general to communicate to his army the plan of his intended battle,
+and perhaps to any other than a French army the disclosure would not
+have been rated as such a favor; but their warlike spirit and military
+intelligence have ever been most remarkably united, and the men were
+delighted with such a proof of confidence and esteem.
+
+A dull roar, like the sound of the distant sea, swelled along the lines
+from the far right, where the Convent of Reygern stood, and growing
+louder by degrees, proclaimed that the Emperor was coming. It was
+already dark, but he was quickly recognized by the troops, and with one
+burst of enthusiasm they seized upon the straw of their bivouacs, and
+setting fire to it, held the blazing masses above their heads, waving
+them wildly to and fro, amid the cries of “Vive l'Empereur!” For above
+a league along the plain the red light flashed and glowed, marking out
+beneath it the dense squares and squadrons of armed warriors. It was
+the anniversary of Napoleon's coronation; and such was the fête by which
+they celebrated the day.
+
+The Emperor rode through the ranks uncovered. Never did a prouder smile
+light up his features, while thronging around him the veterans of the
+Guard struggled to catch even a passing glance at him. “Do but look
+at us tomorrow, and keep beyond the reach of shot,” said a _grognard_,
+stepping forward; “we'll bring their cannon and their colors, and lay
+them at thy feet.” The marshals themselves, the hardened veterans of
+so many fights, could not restrain their enthusiasm; and proffers of
+devotion unto death accompanied him as he went.
+
+At last all was silent in the encampment; the soldiers slept beside
+their watchfires, and save the tramp of a patrol or the _qui vive_? of
+the sentinels, all was still. The night was cold and sharp; a cutting
+wind blew across the plain, which gave way to a thick mist,--so thick,
+the sentries could scarcely see a dozen paces off.
+
+I sat in my little hovel of straw,--my mind far too much excited for
+sleep,--watching the stars as they peeped out one by one, piercing the
+gray mist, until at last the air became thin and clear, and a frosty
+atmosphere succeeded to the weighty fog; and now I could trace out
+the vast columns, as they lay thickly strewn along the plain. The old
+general, wrapped in his cloak, slept soundly on his straw couch; his
+deep-drawn breathing showed that his rest was unbroken. How slowly did
+the time seem to creep along! I thought it must be nigh morning, and it
+was only a little more than midnight.
+
+Our position was a small rising ground about a mile in front of the left
+centre, and communicating with the enemy's line by a narrow road between
+the marshes. This had been defended by a battery of four guns, with
+a stockade in front; and along it now, for a considerable distance, a
+chain of sentinels were placed, who should communicate any movement that
+they observed in the Russian lines, of which I was charged to convey
+the earliest intelligence to the quartier-général. This duty alone would
+have kept me in a state of anxiety, had not the frame of my mind already
+so disposed me; and I could not avoid creeping out from time to time, to
+peer through the gloom in the direction of the enemy's camp, and listen
+with an eager ear for any sounds from that quarter. At last I heard the
+sound of a voice at some distance off; then, a few minutes after, the
+hurried step of feet, and a voltigeur came up, breathless with haste:
+“The Russians were in motion towards the right. Our advanced posts could
+hear the roll of guns and tumbrels moving along the plain, and it was
+evident their columns were in march.” I knelt down and placed my ear to
+the ground, and almost started at the distinctness with which I could
+hear the dull sound of the large guns as they were dragged along; the
+earth seemed to tremble beneath them.
+
+I awoke the general at once, who, resting on his arm, coolly heard my
+report; and having directed me to hasten to headquarters with the news,
+lay back again, and was asleep before I was in my saddle. At the top
+speed of my horse I galloped to the rear, winding my way between the
+battalions, till I came to a gentle rising ground, where, by the
+light of several large fires that blazed in a circle I could see the
+dismounted troopers of the _chasseurs à cheval_, who always formed the
+Imperial Bodyguard. Having given the word, I was desired by the officer
+of the watch to dismount, and following him, I passed forward to a space
+in the middle of the circle, where, under shelter of some sheaves of
+straw piled over each other, sat three officers, smoking beside a fire.
+
+“Ha! here comes news of some sort,” said a voice I knew at once to be
+Murat's. “Well, sir, what is't?”
+
+“The Russian columns are in motion, Monsieur le Maréchal; the artillery
+moving rapidly towards our right.”
+
+“_Diantre!_ it's not much more than midnight! Davoust, shall we awake
+the Emperor?”
+
+“No, no,” said a harsh voice, as a shrivelled, hard-featured man turned
+round from the blaze, and showing a head covered by a coarse woollen
+cap, looked far more like a pirate than a marshal of France; “they 'll
+not attack before day breaks. Go back,” said he, addressing me; “observe
+the position well, and if there be any general movement towards the
+southward, you may report it.”
+
+By the time I regained my post, all was in silence once more; either the
+Russians had arrested their march, or already their columns were out
+of hearing,--not a gleam of light could I perceive along their entire
+position. And now, worn out with watching, I threw myself down among the
+straw, and slept soundly.
+
+“There! there! that's the third!” said General d'Auvergne, shaking me by
+the shoulder; “there again! Don't you hear the guns?”
+
+I listened, and could just distinguish the faint booming sound of
+far-off artillery coming up from the extreme right of our position. It
+was still but three o'clock, and although the sky was thick with stars,
+perfectly dark in the valley. Meanwhile we could bear the galloping of
+cavalry quite distinctly in the same direction.
+
+“Mount, Burke, and back to the quartier-général! But you need not; here
+comes some of the staff.”
+
+“So, D'Auvergne,” cried a voice whose tones were strange to me, “they
+meditate a night attack, it would seem; or is it only trying the range
+of their guns?”
+
+“I think the latter, Monsieur le Maréchal, for I heard no small arms;
+and, even now, all is quiet again.”
+
+“I believe you are right,” said he, moving slowly forward, while a
+number of officers followed at a little distance. “You see, D'Auvergne,
+how correctly the Emperor judged their intentions. The brunt of the
+battle will be about Reygern. But there! don't you hear bugles in the
+valley?”
+
+As he spoke, the music of our tirailleurs' bugles arose from the glen
+in front of our centre, where, in a thick beech-wood, the light infantry
+regiments were posted.
+
+“What is it, D'Esterre?” said he to an officer who galloped up at the
+moment.
+
+“They say the Russian Guard, sir, is moving to the front; our
+skirmishers have orders to fall back without firing.”
+
+As he heard this, the Marshal Bernadotte--for it was he--turned his
+horse suddenly round, and rode back, followed by his staff. And now the
+drums beat to quarters along the line, and the hoarse trumpets of the
+cavalry might be heard summoning the squadrons throughout the field;
+while between the squares, and in the intervals of the battalions,
+single horsemen galloped past with orders. Soult's division, which
+extended for nearly a league to our right, was the first to move, and it
+seemed like one vast shadow creeping along the earth, as column beside
+column marched steadily onward. Our brigade had not as yet received
+orders, but the men were in readiness beside the horses, and only
+waiting for the word to mount.
+
+The suspense of the moment was fearful. All that I had ever dreamed
+or pictured to myself of a soldier's enthusiasm was faint and weak,
+compared to the rush of sensations I now experienced. There must be a
+magic power of ecstasy in the approach of danger,--some secret sense of
+bounding delight, mingled with the chances of a battle,--that renders
+one intoxicated with excitement. Each booming gun I heard sent a wild
+throb through me, and I panted for the word “Forward!”
+
+Column after column moved past us, and disappeared in the dip of ground
+beneath; and as we saw the close battalions filling the wide plain in
+front, we sighed to think that it was destined to be the day of glory
+peculiarly to the infantry. Wherever the nature of the field permitted
+shelter or the woods afforded cover, our troops were sent immediately
+to occupy. The great manoeuvre of the day was to be the piercing of the
+enemy's centre whenever he should weaken that point by the endeavor to
+turn our right flank.
+
+A faint streak of gray light was marking the horizon when the single
+guns which we had heard at intervals ceased; and then, after a short
+pause, a long, loud roll of artillery issued from the distant right,
+followed by the crackling din of small-arms, which increased at every
+moment, and now swelled into an uninterrupted noise, through which the
+large guns pealed from time to time. A red glare, obscured now and then
+by means of black smoke, lit up the sky in that quarter, where already
+the battle was raging fiercely.
+
+The narrow causeway between the two small lakes in our front conducted
+to an open space of ground, about a cannon-shot from the Russian line;
+and this we were now ordered to occupy, to be prepared to act as support
+to the infantry of Soult's left, whenever the attack began. As we
+debouched into the plain, I beheld a group of horsemen, who, wrapped up
+in their cloaks, sat motionless in their saddles, calmly regarding the
+squadrons as they issued from the wood: these were Murat and his staff,
+to whom was committed the attack on the Russian Guard. His division
+consisted of the hussars and chasseurs under Kellermann, the cuirassiers
+of D'Auvergne, and the heavy dragoons of Nansouty,--making a force of
+eight thousand sabres, supported by twenty pieces of field artillery.
+Again were we ordered to dismount, for although the battle continued
+to rage on the right, the whole of the centre and left were unengaged.
+
+Thus stood we as the sun arose,--that “Sun of Austerlitz!” so often
+appealed to and apostrophized by Napoleon as gilding the greatest of his
+glories. The mist from the lakes shut out the prospect of the enemy's
+lines at first; but gradually this moved away, and we could perceive the
+dark columns of the Russians, as they moved rapidly along the side of
+the Pratzen, and continued to pour their thousands towards Reygern.
+
+At last the roar of musketry swelled louder and nearer, and an officer
+galloping past told us that Soult's right had been called up to support
+Davoust's division. This did not look well; it proved the Russians had
+pressed our lines closely, and we waited impatiently to hear further
+intelligence. It was evident, too, that our right was suffering
+severely, otherwise the attack on the centre would not have been
+delayed. Just then a wild cheer to the front drew our attention
+thither, and we saw the heads of three immense columns--Soult's
+division--advancing at a run towards the enemy.
+
+“_Par Saint Louis_,” cried General d'Auvergne, as he directed his
+telescope on the Russian line, “those fellows have lost their senses!
+See if they have not moved their artillery away from the Pratzen, and
+weakened their centre more and more! Soult sees it: mark how he presses
+his columns on! There they go, faster and faster! But look! there's a
+movement yonder,--the Russians perceive their mistake.”
+
+“Mount!” was now heard from squadron to squadron; while dashing along
+the line like a thunderbolt, Murat rode far in advance of his staff, the
+men cheering him as he went.
+
+“There!” cried D'Auvergne, as he pointed with his finger, “that column
+with the yellow shoulder-knots,--that's Vandamme's brigade of light
+infantry; see how they rush on, eager to be first up with the enemy. But
+St. Hilaire's grenadiers have got the start of them, and are already at
+the foot of the hill. It is a race between them!”
+
+And so had it become. The two columns advanced, cheering wildly; while
+the officers, waving their caps, led them on, and others rode along the
+flanks urging the men forward.
+
+The order now came for our squadrons to form in charging sections,
+leaving spaces for the light artillery between. This done, we moved
+slowly forward at a walk, the guns keeping step by step beside us. A few
+minutes after, we lost sight of the attacking columns; but the crashing
+fire told us they were engaged, and that already the great struggle had
+begun.
+
+For above an hour we remained thus; every stir, every word loud spoken,
+seeming to our impatience like the order to move. At last, the squadrons
+to our right were seen to advance; and then a tremulous motion of
+the whole line showed that the horses themselves participated in the
+eagerness of the moment; and, at last, the word came for the cuirassiers
+to move up. In less than a hundred yards we were halted again; and
+I heard an aide-de-camp telling General d'Auvergne that Davoust had
+suffered immensely on the right; that his division, although reinforced,
+had fallen back behind Reygern, and all now depended on the attack of
+Soult's columns.
+
+I heard no more, for now the whole line advanced in trot, and as our
+formation showed an unbroken front, the word came,--“Faster!” and
+“Faster!” As we emerged from the low ground we saw Soult's column
+already half way up the ascent; they seemed like a great wedge driven
+into the enemy's centre, which, opening as they advanced, presented two
+surfaces of fire to their attack.
+
+“The battery yonder has opened its fire on our line,” said D'Auvergne;
+“we cannot remain where we are.”
+
+“Forward!--charge!” came the word from front to rear, and squadron after
+squadron dashed madly up the ascent. The one word only, “Charge!” kept
+ringing through my head; all else was drowned in the terrible din of the
+advance. An Austrian brigade of light cavalry issued forth as we came
+up, but soon fell back under the overwhelming pressure of our force.
+And now we came down upon the squares of the red-brown Russian infantry.
+Volley after volley sent back our leading squadrons, wounded and
+repulsed, when, unlimbering with the speed of lightning, the horse
+artillery poured in a discharge of grapeshot. The ranks wavered, and
+through their cleft spaces of dead and dying our cuirassiers dashed
+in, sabring all before them. In vain the infantry tried to form again:
+successive discharges of grape, followed by cavalry attacks, broke
+through their firmest ranks; and at last retreating, they fell back
+under cover of a tremendous battery of field-guns, which, opening their
+fire, compelled us to retire into the wood.
+
+Nor were we long inactive. Bernadotte's division was now engaged on our
+left, and a pressing demand came for cavalry to support them. Again we
+mounted the hill, and came in sight of the Russian Guard, led on by the
+Grand-Duke Constantino himself,--a splendid body of men, conspicuous for
+their size and the splendor of their equipment. Such, however, was the
+impetuous torrent of our attack that they were broken in an instant; and
+notwithstanding their courage and devotion, fresh masses of our dragoons
+kept pouring down upon them, and they were sabred, almost to a man.
+
+While we were thus engaged, the battle became general from left to
+right, and the earth shook beneath the thundering sounds of two hundred
+great guns. Our position, for a moment victorious, soon changed; for
+having followed the retreating squadrons too far, the waves closed
+behind us, and we now saw that a dense cloud of Austrian and Russian
+cavalry were forming in our rear. An instant of hesitation would have
+been fatal. It was then that a tall and splendidly-dressed horseman
+broke from the line, and with a cry to “Follow!” rode straight at
+the enemy. It was Murat himself, sabre in hand, who, clearing his way
+through the Russians, opened a path for us. A few minutes after we had
+gained the wood; but one third of our force had fallen.
+
+“Cavalry! cavalry!” cried a field-officer, riding down at headlong
+speed, his face covered with blood from a sabre-cut, “to the front!”
+
+The order was given to advance at a gallop; and we found ourselves next
+instant hand to hand with the Russian dragoons, who having swept along
+the flank of Bernadotte's division, were sabring them on all sides.
+On we went, reinforced by Nansouty and his carabineers, a body of nigh
+seven thousand men. It was a torrent no force could stem. The tide of
+victory was with us; and we swept along, wave after wave, the infantry
+advancing in line for miles at either side, while whole brigades of
+artillery kept up a murderous fire without ceasing. Entire columns of
+the enemy surrendered as prisoners; guns were captured at each instant;
+and only by a miracle did the Grand-Duke escape our hussars, who
+followed him till he was lost to view in the flying ranks of the allies.
+
+As we gained the crest of the hill, we were in time to see Soult's
+victorious columns driving the enemy before them; while the Imperial
+Guard, up to that moment unengaged, reinforced the grenadiers on the
+right, and broke through the Russians on every side.
+
+The attempt to outflank us on the right we had perfectly retorted on the
+left; where Lannes's division, overlapping the line, pressed them on two
+sides, and drove them back, still fighting, into the plain, which, with
+a lake, separated the allied armies from the village of Austerlitz. And
+here took place the most dreadful occurrence of the day.
+
+The two roads which led through the lake were soon so encumbered and
+blocked up by ammunition wagons and carts that they became impassable;
+and as the masses of the fugitives thickened, they spread over the lake,
+which happened to be frozen. It was at this time that the Emperor came
+up, and seeing the cavalry halted, and no longer in pursuit of the
+flying columns, ordered up twelve pieces of the artillery of the
+Imperial Guard, which, from the crest of the hill, opened a murderous
+fire on them. The slaughter was fearful as the discharges of grape and
+round shot cut channels through the jammed-up mass, and tore the dense
+columns, as it were, into fragments.
+
+Dreadful as the scene was, what followed far exceeded it in horror;
+for soon the shells began to explode beneath the ice, which now, with a
+succession of reports louder than thunder, gave way. In an instant
+whole regiments were ingulfed, and amid the wildest cries of despair,
+thousands sank never to appear again, while the deafening artillery
+mercilessly played upon them, till over that broad surface no living
+thing was seen to move, while beneath was the sepulchre of five thousand
+men. About seven thousand reached Austerlitz by another road to the
+northward; but even these had not escaped, save for a mistake of
+Bernadotte, who most unaccountably, as it was said, halted his division
+on the heights. Had it not been for this, not a soldier of the Russian
+right wing had been saved.
+
+The reserve cavalry and the dragoons of the Guard were now called up
+from the pursuit, and I saw my own regiment pass close by me, as I stood
+amid the staff round Murat. The men were fresh and eager for the fray;
+yet how many fell in that pursuit, even after the victory! The Russian
+batteries continued their fire to the last. The cannoneers were cut
+down beside their guns, and the cavalry made repeated charges on our
+advancing squadrons; nor was it till late in the day they fell back,
+leaving two thirds of their force dead or wounded on the field of
+battle.
+
+On every side now were to be seen the flying columns of the allies,
+hotly followed by the victorious French. The guns still thundered at
+intervals; but the loud roar of battle was subdued to the crashing din
+of charging squadrons, and the distant cries of the vanquishers and
+the vanquished. Around and about lay the wounded in all the fearful
+attitudes of suffering; and as we were fully a league in advance of our
+original position, no succor had yet arrived for the poor fellows whose
+courage had carried them into the very squares of the enemy.
+
+Most of the staff--myself among the number--were despatched to the rear
+for assistance. I remember, as I rode along at my fastest speed, between
+the columns of infantry and the fragments of artillery which covered
+the grounds, that a _peloton_ of dragoons came thundering past, while a
+voice shouted out “Place! place!” Supposing it was the Emperor himself,
+I drew up to one side, and uncovering my head, sat in patience till he
+had passed, when, with the speed of four horses urged to their utmost,
+a calèche flew by, two men dressed like couriers seated on the box.
+They made for the highroad towards Vienna, and soon disappeared in the
+distance.
+
+“What can it mean?” said I, to an officer beside me; “not his Majesty,
+surely?”
+
+“No, no,” replied he, smiling: “it is General Lebrun on his way to Paris
+with the news of the victory. The Emperor is down at Reygern yonder,
+where he has just written the bulletin. I warrant you he follows that
+calèche with his eye; he'd rather see a battery of guns carried off by
+the enemy than an axle break there this moment.”
+
+Thus closed the great day of Austerlitz--a hundred cannons, forty-three
+thousand prisoners, and thirty-two colors being the spoils of this the
+greatest of even Napoleon's victories.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV. THE FIELD AT MIDNIGHT.
+
+We passed the night on the field of battle,--a night dark and starless.
+The heavens were, indeed, clothed with black, and a heavy atmosphere,
+lowering and gloomy, spread like a pall over the dead and the dying. Not
+a breath of air moved; and the groans of the wounded sighed through the
+stillness with a melancholy cadence no words can convey. Far away in the
+distance the moving lights marked where fatigue parties went in search
+of their comrades. The Emperor himself did not leave the saddle till
+nigh morning; he went, followed by an ambulance, hither and thither over
+the plain, recalling the names of the several regiments, enumerating
+their deeds of prowess, and even asking for many of the soldiers by
+name. He ordered large fires to be lighted throughout the field, and
+where medical assistance could not be procured, the officers of the
+staff might be seen covering the wounded with greatcoats and cloaks, and
+rendering them such aid as lay in their power.
+
+Dreadful as the picture was,--fearful reverse to the gorgeous splendor
+of the vast army the morning sun had shone upon, and in the pride of
+strength and spirit,--yet even here was there much to make one feel that
+war is not bereft of its humanizing influences. How many a soldier did I
+see that night, blackened with powder, his clothes torn and ragged with
+shot, sitting beside a wounded comrade--now wetting his lips with a
+cool draught, now cheering his heart with words of comfort! Many, though
+wounded, were tending others less able to assist themselves. Acts of
+kindness and self-devotion--not less in number than those of heroism and
+courage--were met with at every step; while among the sufferers there
+lived a spirit of enthusiasm that seemed to lighten the worst pang of
+their agony. Many would cry out, as I passed, to know the fate of the
+day, and what became of this regiment or of that battalion. Others could
+but articulate a faint “Vive l'Empereur!” which in the intervals of pain
+they kept repeating, as though it were a charm against suffering; while
+one question met me every instant,--“What says the Petit Caporal? Is he
+content with us?” None were insensible to the glorious issue of
+that day; nor amid all the agony of death, dealt out in every shape of
+horror and misery, did I hear one word of anger or rebuke to him for
+whose ambition they had shed their heart's blood.
+
+[Illustration: 050]
+
+Having secured a fresh horse, I rode forward in the direction of
+Austerlitz, where our cavalry, met by the chevaliers of the Russian
+Imperial Guard, sustained the greatest check and the most considerable
+loss of the day. The old dragoon who accompanied me warned me I should
+find few, if any, of our comrades living there.
+
+“_Ventrebleu!_ lieutenant, you can't expect it. The first four squadrons
+went down like one man; for when our fellows fell wounded from their
+horses, they always sabred or shot them as they lay.”
+
+I found this information but too correct. Lines of dead men lay beside
+their horses, ranged as they stood in battle, while before them lay the
+bodies of the Russian Guard, their gorgeous uniform all slashed with
+gold, marking them out amid the dull russet costumes of their comrades.
+In many places were they intermingled, and showed where a hand-to-hand
+combat had been fought; and I saw two clasped rigidly in each other's
+grasp, who had evidently been shot by others while struggling for the
+mastery.
+
+“I told you, mon lieutenant, it was useless to come here; this was _à la
+mort_ while it lasted; and if it had continued much longer in the same
+fashion, it's hard to say which of us had been going over the field now
+with lanterns.”
+
+Too true, indeed! Not one wounded man did we meet with, nor did one
+human voice break the silence around us. “Perhaps,” said I, “they may
+have already carried up the wounded to the village yonder; I see a great
+blaze of light there. Bide forward, and learn if it be so.”
+
+When I had dismissed the orderly, I dismounted from my horse, and walked
+carefully along the ridge of ground, anxious to ascertain if any poor
+fellow still remained alive amid that dreadful heap of dead. A low
+brushwood covered the ground in certain places; and here I perceived
+but few of the cavalry had penetrated, while the infantry were all
+tirailleurs of the Russian Guard, bayoneted by our advancing columns.
+As I approached the lake the ground became more rugged and uneven; and
+I was about to turn back, when my eye caught the faint glimmering of
+a light reflected in the water. Picketing my horse where he stood, I
+advanced alone towards the light, which I saw now was at the foot of a
+little rocky crag beside the lake. As I drew near, I stopped to listen,
+and could distinctly hear the deep tones of a man's voice, as if broken
+at intervals by pain, while in his accents I thought I could trace a
+tone of indignant passion rather than of bodily suffering.
+
+“Leave me, leave me where I am,” cried he, peevishly. “I thought I might
+have had my last few moments tranquil, when I staggered thus far.”
+
+“Come, come, Comrade!” said another, in a voice of comforting; “come,
+thou wert never faint-hearted before. Thou hast had thy share of
+bruises, and cared little about them too. Art dry?”
+
+“Yes; give me another drink. Ah!” cried he, in an excited tone, “they
+can't stand before the cuirassiers of the Guard. _Sacrebleu!_ how proud
+the Petit Caporal will be of this day!” Then, dropping his voice,
+he muttered, “What care I who's proud? I have my billet, and must be
+going.”
+
+“Not so, _mon enfant_; thou'lt have the cross for thy day's work. He
+knows thee well; I saw him smile to-day when thou madest the salute in
+passing.”
+
+“Didst thou that?” said the wounded man, with eagerness; “did he smile?
+Ah, villain! how you can allure men to shed their heart's blood by a
+smile! He knows me! That he ought, and, if he but knew how I lay here
+now, he 'd send the best surgeon of his staff to look after me.”
+
+“That he would, and that he will; courage, and cheer up.”
+
+“No, no; I don't care for it now. I'll never go back to the regiment
+again; I could n't do it!”
+
+As he spoke the last words his voice became fainter and fainter, and
+at last was lost in a hiccup; partly, as it seemed, from emotion, and
+partly from bodily suffering.
+
+“_Qui vive?_” cried his companion, as the clash of my sabre announced my
+approach.
+
+“An officer of the Eighth Hussars,” said I, in a low voice, fearing to
+disturb the wounded man, as he lay with his head sunk on his knees.
+
+“Too late, Comrade! too late,” said he, in a stifled tone; “the order of
+route has come. I must away.”
+
+“A brave cuirassier of the Guard should never say so while he has a
+chance left to serve his Emperor in another field of battle.”
+
+“Vive l'Empereur! vive l'Empereur!” shouted he, madly, as he lifted his
+helmet and tried to wave it above his head. But the exertion brought on
+a violent fit of coughing, which choked his utterance, while a torrent
+of red blood gushed from his mouth, and deluged his neck and chest.
+
+“Ah, _mon Dieu!_ that cry has been his death,” said the other, wringing
+his hands in utter misery.
+
+“Where is he wounded?” said I, kneeling down beside the sick man, who
+now lay, half on his face, upon the grass.
+
+“In the chest, through the lung,” whispered the other. “He doesn't know
+the doctor saw him; it was he told me there was no hope. 'You may leave
+him,' said he; 'an hour or two more are all that 's left him;' as if I
+could leave a comrade we all loved. My poor fellow, it is a sad day for
+the old Fourth when thou art taken from them!”
+
+“Ha! was he of the Fourth, then?” said I, remembering the regiment.
+
+“Yes, _parbleu!_ and though but a corporal, he was well known throughout
+the army. Pioche--”
+
+“Pioche!” cried I, in agony; “is this Pioche?”
+
+“Here,” said the wounded man, hearing the name, and answering as if on
+parade,--“here, mon commandant! but too faint, I 'm afraid, for duty.
+I feel weak to-day,” said he, as he pressed his hand upon his side, and
+then slowly sank back against the rock, and dropped his arms at either
+side.
+
+“Come,” said I, “we must lose no time. Let us carry him to the rear. If
+nothing else can be done, he 'll meet with care--”
+
+“Hush! mon lieutenant! don't let him hear you speak of that. He stormed
+and swore so much when the ambulance passed, and they wanted to bring
+him along, that it brought on a coughing fit, just like what you saw,
+and he lay in a faint for half an hour after. He vows he 'll never stir
+from where he is. Truth is, Commandant,” said he, in the lowest whisper,
+“he is determined to die. When his squadron fell back from the Russian
+square, he rode on their bayonets, and cut at the men while the
+artillery was playing all about him. He told me this morning he 'd never
+leave the field.”
+
+“Poor fellow! what was the meaning of this sad resolution?”
+
+“_Ma foi!_ a mere trifle, after all,” said the other, shrugging his
+shoulders, and making a true French grimace of contempt. “You 'll smile
+when I tell you; but he takes it to heart, poor fellow. His mistress has
+been false to him,--no great matter that, you 'd say,--but so it is, and
+nothing more. See how still he lies now! is he sleeping?”
+
+“I fear not; he looks exhausted from loss of blood. Come, we must have
+him out of this; here comes my orderly to assist us. If we carry him to
+the road I 'll find a carriage of some sort.”
+
+I said this in a tone of command, to silence any scruples he might
+still have about obeying his comrade in preference to the orders of an
+officer. He obeyed with the instinct of discipline, and proceeded to
+fold his cloak in such a manner that we could carry the wounded man
+between us.
+
+The poor corporal, too weak to resist us, faint from bleeding and
+semi-stupid, suffered himself to be lifted upon the cloak, and never
+uttered a word or a cry as we bore him along between us.
+
+We had not proceeded far when we came up with a convoy, conducting
+several carts with the wounded to the convent of Reygern, which had now
+been fitted up as an hospital. On one of these we secured a place for
+our poor friend, and walked along beside him towards the convent. As we
+went along I questioned his comrade closely on the point; and he told
+me that Pioche had resolved never to survive the battle, and had taken
+leave of his friends the evening before.
+
+“Ah, _parbleu!_” added he, with energy, “mademoiselle is pretty
+enough,--there 's no denying that; but her head is turned by flattery
+and soft speeches. All the gay young fellows of the hussar regiment,
+the aides-de-camp,--ay, and some of the generals, too,--have paid her
+so much attention that it could not be expected she'd care for a poor
+corporal. Not but that Pioche is a brave fellow and a fine soldier.
+_Sapristi!_ he 'd be no discredit to any girl's choice. But Minette--”
+
+“Minette, the vivandière?”
+
+“Ay, to be sure, mon lieutenant; I'd warrant you must have known her.”
+
+“What of her? where is she?” said I, burning with impatience.
+
+“She's with the wounded, up at Reygern yonder. They sent for her to
+Heilbrunn yesterday, where she was with the reserve battalions. _Ma
+foi!_ you don't think our fellows would do without Minette at the
+ambulance, where there was a battle to be fought. They say they'd hard
+work enough to make her come up. After all, she's a strange girl; that
+she is.”
+
+“How was that? Has she taken offence with the Fourth?”
+
+“No, that is not it; she likes the old regiment in her heart. I'd never
+believe she didn't; but” (here he dropped his voice to a low whisper,
+as if dreading to be overheard by the wounded man), “but they say--who
+knows if it's true?--that when she was left behind at Ulm or Elchingen,
+or somewhere up there on the Danube, that there was a young fellow--I
+heard his name, too, but I forget it--who was brought in badly wounded,
+and that mademoiselle was left to watch and nurse him. He got well in
+time, for the thing was not so serious as they thought. And what do you
+think was the return he made the poor girl? He seduced her!”
+
+“It's false! false as hell!” cried I, bursting with passion. “Who has
+dared to spread such a calumny?”
+
+“Don't be angry, mon lieutenant; there are plenty to answer for the
+report. And if it was yourself--”
+
+“Yes; it was by _my_ bedside she watched; it was to _me_ she gave that
+care and kindness by which I recovered from a dangerous wound. But so
+far from this base requital--”
+
+“Why did she leave you, then, and march night and day with the chasseur
+brigade into the Tyrol? Why did she tell her friends that she'd never
+see the old Fourth again? Why did she fret herself into an illness--”
+
+“Did she do this, poor girl?”
+
+“Ay, that she did. But, mayhap, you never heard of all this. I can only
+say, mon lieutenant, that you'd be safer in a broken square, charged by
+a heavy squadron, than among the Fourth, after what you 've done.”
+
+I turned indignantly from him without a reply; for while my pride
+revolted at answering an accusation from such a quarter, my mind was
+harassed by the sad fate of poor Minette, and perplexed how to account
+for her sudden departure. My silence at once arrested my companion's
+speech, and we walked along the remainder of the way without a word on
+either side.
+
+The day was just breaking when the first wagon of the convoy entered the
+gates of the convent. It was an enormous mass of building, originally
+destined for the reception of about three thousand persons; for, in
+addition to the priestly inhabitants, there were two great hospitals and
+several schools included within the walls. This, before the battle, had
+been tenanted by the staffs of many general officers and the corps of
+engineers and sappers, but now was entirely devoted to the wounded of
+either army; for Austrians and Russians were everywhere to be met with,
+receiving equal care and attention with our own troops.
+
+It was the first time I had witnessed a military hospital after a
+battle, and the impression was too fearful to be ever forgotten by me.
+
+The great chambers and spacious rooms of the convent were soon found
+inadequate for the numbers who arrived; and already the long corridors
+and passages of the building were crowded with beds, between which a
+narrow path scarcely permitted one person to pass. Here, promiscuously,
+without regard to rank, officers in command lay side by side with the
+meanest privates, awaiting the turn of medical aid, as no other order
+was observed than the necessities of each case demanded. A black
+mark above the bed, indicating that the patient's state was hopeless,
+proclaimed that no further attention need be bestowed; while the
+same mark, with a white bar across it, implied that it was a case for
+operation. In this way the surgeons who arrived at each moment from
+different corps of the army discovered, at a glance, where their
+services were required, and not a minute's time was lost.
+
+The dreadful operations of surgery--for which, in the events of
+every-day life, every provision of delicate secrecy, and every minute
+detail which can alleviate dread, are so rigidly studied,--were here
+going forward on every side; the horrible preparations moved from bed to
+bed with a rapidity which showed that where suffering so abounded
+there was no time for sympathy; and the surgeons, with arms bare to the
+shoulder and bedaubed with blood, toiled away as though life no longer
+moved in the creeping flesh beneath the knife, and human agony spoke not
+aloud with every motion of their hand.
+
+“Place there! move forward!” said an hospital surgeon, as they carried
+up the litter on which Pioche lay stretched and senseless.
+
+“What's this?” cried a surgeon, leaning forward, and placing his hand on
+the sick man's pulse. “Ah! take him back again; it 's all over there!”
+
+“Oh, no!” cried I, in agony, “it can scarcely be; they lifted him alive
+from the wagon.”
+
+“He's not dead, sir,” replied the surgeon, in a whisper, “but he will
+soon be; there's internal bleeding going on from that wound, and a few
+hours, or less perhaps must close the scene.”
+
+“Can nothing be done? nothing?”
+
+“I fear not.” He opened the jacket of the wounded man as he spoke, and
+slitting the inner clothes asunder with a quick stroke of his scissors,
+disclosed a tremendous sabre-wound in the side. “That is not the worst,”
+ said he. “Look here,” pointing to a small bluish mark of a bullet hole
+above it; “here lies the mischief.”
+
+An hospital aid whispered something at the instant in the surgeon's ear,
+to which he quickly replied, “When?”
+
+“This instant, sir; the ligature slipped, and--”
+
+“Remove him,” was the reply. “Now, sir, I have a bed for your poor
+fellow here; but I have little hope to give you. His pulse is stronger,
+otherwise the endeavor would be lost time.”
+
+While they carried the litter forward, I perceived that another party
+were lifting from a bed near a figure, over whose face the sheet was
+carelessly thrown. I guessed from the gestures that the form they lifted
+was lifeless; the heavy sumph of the body upon the ground showed it
+beyond a doubt. The bearers replaced the dead man by the dying body of
+poor Pioche; and from a vague feeling of curiosity, I stooped down and
+drew back the sheet from the face of the corpse. As I did so, my limbs
+trembled, and I leaned back almost fainting against the wall. Pale with
+the pallor of death, but scarcely altered from life, I beheld the dead
+features of Amédée Pichot, the captain whose insolence had left an
+unsettled quarrel between us. The man for whose coming I waited to
+expiate an open insult, now lay cold and lifeless at my feet. What a
+rush of sensations passed through my mind as I gazed on that motionless
+mass! and oh, what gratitude my heart gushed to think that he did not
+fall by _my_ hand!
+
+“A brave soldier, but a quarrelsome friend,” said the surgeon, stooping
+down to examine the wound, with all the indifference of a man who
+regarded life as a mere problem. “It was a cannon-shot carried it off.”
+ As he said this, he disclosed the mangled remains of a limb, torn from
+the trunk too high to permit of amputation. “Poor Amédée! it was the
+death he always wished for. It was a strange horror he had of falling
+by the hand of an adversary, rather than being carried off thus. And now
+for the cuirassier.”
+
+So saying, he turned towards the bed on which Pioche lav, still as death
+itself. A few minutes' careful investigation of the case enabled him to
+pronounce that although the chances were many against recovery, yet it
+was not altogether hopeless.
+
+“All will depend on the care of whoever watches him,” said the surgeon.
+“Symptoms will arise, requiring prompt attention and a change in
+treatment; and this is one of those cases where a nurse is worth a
+hundred doctors. Who takes charge of this bed?” he called aloud.
+
+“Minette, Monsieur,” said a sergeant. “She has lain down to take a
+little rest, for she was quite worn out with fatigue.”
+
+“Me voici!” said a silvery voice I knew at once to be hers. And the
+same instant she pierced the crowd around the bed, and approached the
+patient. No sooner had she beheld the features of the sick man than she
+reeled back, and grasped the arms of the persons on either side. For a
+few seconds she stood, with her hands pressed upon her face, and when
+she withdrew them, her features were almost ghastly in their hue, while,
+with a great effort over her emotion, she said, in a low voice, “Can he
+recover?”
+
+“Yes, Minette!” replied the surgeon, “and will, if care avail anything.
+Just hear me for a moment.”
+
+With that he drew her to one side, and commenced to explain the
+treatment he proposed to adopt. As he spoke, her cloak, which up to this
+instant she wore, dropped from her shoulders, and she stood there in the
+dress of the vivandière: a short frock coat, of light blue, with a thin
+gold braid upon the collar and the sleeve; loose trousers of white jean,
+strapped beneath her boots; a silk sash of scarlet and gold entwined was
+fastened round her waist, and fell in a long fringe at her side; while
+a cap of blue cloth, with a gold band and tassel, hung by a hook at her
+girdle. Simple as was the dress, it displayed to perfection the symmetry
+of her figure and her carriage, and suited the character of her air and
+gesture, which, abrupt and impatient at times, was almost boyish in the
+wayward freedom of her action.
+
+The surgeon soon finished his directions, the crowd separated, and
+Minette alone remained by the sick man's bed. For some minutes her cares
+did not permit her to look up; but when she did, a slight cry broke from
+her, and she sank down upon the seat at the bedside.
+
+“Minette, dear Minette, you are not angry with me?” said I, in a low and
+trembling tone. “I have not done aught to displease you,--have I so?”
+
+She answered not a word, but a blush of the deepest scarlet suffused her
+face and temples, and her bosom heaved almost convulsively.
+
+“To you I owe my life,” continued I, with earnestness; “nay more, I owe
+the kindness which made of a sick-bed a place of pleasant thoughts and
+happy memories. Can I, then, have offended you, while my whole heart was
+bursting with gratitude?”
+
+A paleness, more striking than the blush that preceded it, now stole
+over her features, but she uttered not a word. Her eyes turned from
+me and fell upon her own figure, and I saw the tears till up and roll
+slowly along her cheeks.
+
+“Why did you leave me, Minette?” said I, wound up by her obstinate
+silence beyond further endurance. “Did the few words of impatience--”
+
+“No, no, no!” broke she in, “not that! not that!”
+
+“What then? Tell me, for Heaven's sake, how have I earned your
+displeasure? Believe me, I have met with too little kindness in my way
+through life, not to feel poignantly the loss of a friend. What was it,
+I beseech you?”
+
+“Oh, do not ask me!” cried she, with streaming eyes; “do not, I beg of
+you. Enough that you know--and this I swear to you,--that no fault of
+yours was in question. You were always good and always kind to me,--too
+kind, too good,--but not even your teaching could alter the waywardness
+of my nature. Speak of this no more, I ask you, as the greatest favor
+you can bestow on me. See here,” cried she, while her lips trembled with
+emotion; “I have need of all my courage to be of use to him; and you
+will not, I am sure, render me unequal to my task.”
+
+“But we are friends, Minette; friends as before,” said I, taking her
+hand, and pressing it within mine.
+
+“Yes, friends!” muttered she, in a broken voice, while she turned her
+head from me. “Adieu! Monsieur, adieu!”
+
+“Adieu, then, since you wish it so, Minette! But whatever your secret
+reason for this change towards me, you never can alter the deep-rooted
+feeling of my heart, which makes me know myself your friend forever.”
+
+The more I thought of Minette's conduct, the more puzzled I was. No
+jealousy on the part of Pioche could explain her abrupt departure from
+Elchingen, and her resolve never to rejoin the Fourth. She was, indeed,
+a strange girl, wayward and self-willed; but her impulses all had their
+source in high feelings of honor and exalted pride. It might have been
+that some chance expression had given her offence; yet she denied this.
+But still, her former frankness was gone, and a sense of coldness, if
+not distrust, had usurped its place. I could make nothing of it. One
+thing alone did I feel convinced of,--she did not love Pioche. Poor
+fellow! with all the fine traits of his honest nature, the manly
+simplicity and openness of his character, he had not those arts of
+pleasing which win their way with a woman's mind. Besides that, Minette,
+from habit and tone of voice, had imbibed feelings and ideas of a very
+different class in society, and with a feminine tact, had contrived to
+form acquaintance with, and a relish for, the tastes and pleasures of
+the cultivated World. The total subversion of all social order effected
+by the Revolution had opened the path of ambition in life equally to
+women as to men; and all the endeavors of the Consulate and the Empire
+had not sobered down the minds of France to their former condition.
+The sergeant to-day saw no reason why he might not wear his epaulettes
+to-morrow, and in time exchange his shako even for a crown; and so the
+vivandière, whose life was passed in the intoxicating atmosphere of
+glory, might well dream of greatness which should be hers hereafter,
+and of the time when, as the wife of a marshal or a peer of France, she
+would walk the _salons_ of the Tuileries as proudly as the daughter of a
+Rohan or a Tavanne.
+
+There was, then, nothing vain or presumptuous in the boldest flight of
+ambition. However glittering the goal, it was beyond the reach of none;
+and the hopes which, in better-ordered communities, had been deemed
+absurd, seemed here but fair and reasonable. And from this element alone
+proceeded some of the greatest actions, and by far the greatest portion
+of the unhappiness, of the period. The mind of the nation was unfixed;
+men had not as yet resolved themselves into those grades and classes,
+by the means of which public opinion is brought to bear upon individuals
+from those of his own condition. Each was a law unto himself, suggesting
+his own means of advancement and estimating his own powers of success;
+and the result was, a general scramble for rank, dignity, and honors,
+the unfitness of the possessor for which, when attained, brought neither
+contempt nor derision. The epaulette was noblesse; the shako, a coronet.
+What wonder, then, if she, whose personal attractions were so great, and
+whose manners and tone of thought were so much above her condition, had
+felt the stirrings of that ambition within her heart which now appeared
+to be the moving spirit of the nation!
+
+Lost in such thoughts, I turned homewards towards my quarters, and was
+already some distance from the convent when a dragoon galloped up to my
+side, and asked eagerly if I were the surgeon of the Sixth Grenadiers.
+As I replied in the negative, he muttered something between his teeth,
+and added louder, “The poor general; it will be too late after all.”
+
+So saying, and before I could question him further, he set spurs to
+his horse, and dashing onwards, soon disappeared in the darkness of the
+night. A few minutes afterwards I beheld a number of lanterns straight
+before me on the narrow road, and as I came nearer, a sentinel called
+out,--
+
+“Halt there! stand!”
+
+I gave my name and rank, when the man, advancing towards me, said in a
+half whisper,--
+
+“It is our general, sir; they say he cannot be brought any farther, and
+they must perform the operation here.”
+
+The soldier's voice trembled at every word, and he could scarcely falter
+out, in reply to my question, the name of the wounded officer.
+
+“General St. Hilaire, sir, who led the grenadiers on the Pratzen,” said
+the poor fellow, his sorrow struggling with his pride.
+
+I pressed forward; and there on a litter lay the figure of a large and
+singularly fine-looking man. His coat, which was covered with orders,
+lay open, and discovered a shirt stained and clotted with blood; but his
+most dangerous wound was from a grapeshot in the thigh, which shattered
+the bone, and necessitated amputation. A young staff surgeon, the
+only medical man present, was kneeling at his side, and occupied in
+compressing some wounded vessels to arrest the bleeding, which, at the
+slightest stir of the patient, broke out anew. The remainder of
+the group were grenadiers of his own regiment, in whose sad and
+sorrow-struck faces one might read the affection his men invariably bore
+him.
+
+“Is he coming? can you hear any one coming?” said the young surgeon, in
+an anxious whisper to the soldier beside him.
+
+“No, sir; but he cannot be far off now,” replied the man.
+
+“Shall I ride back to Reygern for assistance?” said I, in a low voice,
+to the surgeon.
+
+“I thank you, sir,” said the wounded man, in a low, calm tone,--for with
+the quick ear of suffering he had overheard my question,--“I thank you,
+but my orderly has already been sent thither. If you could relieve my
+young friend here from his fatiguing duty for a little, you would render
+us both a service. I am truly grieved to see him so much exhausted.”
+
+“No, no, sir!” stammered the youth, as the tears ran fast down his
+cheeks; “this is my place. I will not leave it.”
+
+“Kind fellow!” muttered the general, as he pressed his hand gently on
+the young man's arm; “I can bear this better than you can.”
+
+“Ah, here he comes now,” said the sentinel; and the same moment a man
+dismounted from his horse, and came forward towards us.
+
+It was Louis, the surgeon of the Emperor himself, despatched by Napoleon
+the moment he heard of the event. At any other moment, perhaps, the
+abrupt demeanor of this celebrated surgeon would have savored little
+of delicacy or feeling; nor even then could I forgive the sudden
+announcement in which he conveyed to the sufferer that immediate
+amputation must be performed.
+
+“No chance left but this, Louis?” said the general.
+
+“None, sir,” replied the doctor, while he unlocked an instrument case,
+and busied himself in preparation for the operation.
+
+“Can you defer it a little; an hour or two, I mean?”
+
+“An hour, perhaps; not more, certainly.”
+
+“But am I certain of your services then, Louis?” said the general,
+trying to smile. “You know I always promised myself your aid when this
+hour came.”
+
+“I shall return in an hour,” replied the doctor, pulling out his watch;
+“I am going to Rapp's quarters.”
+
+“Poor Rapp! is he wounded?”
+
+“A mere sabre-cut; but Sebastiani has suffered more severely. Now then,
+Lanusse,” said he, addressing the young surgeon, “you remain here.
+Continue as you are doing, and in an hour--”
+
+“In an hour,” echoed the wounded man, with a shudder, as though the
+anticipation of the dreadful event had thrilled through his very heart.
+Nor was it till the retiring sounds of the surgeon's horse had died
+away in the distance that his features recovered their former calm and
+tranquil expression.
+
+“A prompt fellow is Louis,” said he, after a pause; “and though one
+might like somewhat more courtesy in the Faubourg, yet on the field
+of battle it is all for the best; this is no place nor time for
+compliments.”
+
+The young man answered not a word, either not daring to criticise too
+harshly his superior, or perhaps his emotion at the moment was too
+strong for utterance. In reply to my offer to remain with him, however,
+he thanked me heartily, and seemed gratified that he was not to be left
+alone in such a trying emergency.
+
+“Come,” said St. Hilaire, after a pause, “I have asked for time, and
+am already forgetting how to employ it. Who can write here? Can you,
+Guilbert?”
+
+“Alas, no, sir!” said a dark grenadier, blushing to the very eyes.
+
+“If you will permit a stranger, sir,” said I, “I will be but too proud
+and too happy to render you any assistance in my power. I am on the
+staff of General d'Auvergne, and--”
+
+“A French officer, sir,” interrupted he; “quite enough. I ask for no
+other guerdon of your honor. Sit down here, then, and--But first try if
+you can discover a pocket-book in my sabretache; I hope it has not been
+lost.”
+
+“Here it is, General,” said a soldier, coming forward with it; “I found
+it on the ground beside you.”
+
+“Well, then, I will ask you to write down from my dictation a few lines,
+which, should this affair,”--he faltered slightly here,--“this affair
+prove unfortunate, you will undertake to convey, by some means or other,
+to the address I shall give you in Paris. It is not a will, I assure
+you,” continued he with a faint smile. “I have no wealth to leave; but
+I know his Majesty too well to fear anything on that score. But my
+children, I wish to give some few directions--” Here he stopped for
+several minutes, and then, in a calm voice, added, “Whenever you are
+ready.”
+
+It was with a suffering spirit and a faltering hand I wrote down, from
+his dictation, some short sentences addressed to each member of his
+family. Of these it is not my intention to speak, save in one instance,
+where St. Hilaire himself evinced a wish that his sentiments should not
+be a matter of secrecy.
+
+“I desire,” said he, in a firm tone of voice, as he turned round and
+addressed the soldiers on either side of him,--“I desire that my son,
+now at the Polytechnique, should serve the Emperor better than, and as
+faithfully as, his father has done, if his Majesty will graciously
+permit him to do so, in the grenadier battalion, which I have long
+commanded; it will be the greatest favor I can ask of him.” A low murmur
+of grief, no longer repressible, ran through the little group around the
+litter. “The grenadiers of the Sixth,” continued he, proudly, while for
+an instant his pale features flushed up, “will not love him the less for
+the name he bears. Come, come, men! do not give way thus; what will my
+kind young friend here say of us, when he joins the hussar brigade? This
+is not their ordinary mood, believe me,” said he, addressing me. “The
+Russian Guard would give a very different account of them; they are
+stouter fellows at the _pas dé charge_ than around the litter of a
+wounded comrade.”
+
+While he was yet speaking, Louis returned, followed by two officers, one
+of whom, notwithstanding his efforts at concealment, I recognized to be
+Marshal Murat.
+
+“We must remove him, if it be possible,” said the surgeon, in a whisper.
+“And yet the slightest motion is to be dreaded.”
+
+“May I speak to him?” said Murat, in a low voice.
+
+“Yes, that you may,” replied Louis, who now pushed his way forward and
+approached the litter.
+
+“Ah, so soon!” said the wounded man, looking up; “a man of your word,
+Louis. And how is Rapp? Nothing in this fashion, I hope,” added he,
+pointing to his fractured limb with a sickly smile.
+
+“No, no,” replied the surgeon. “But here is Marshal Murat come to
+inquire after you, from the Emperor.”
+
+A flush of pride lit up St. Hilaire's features as he heard this, and he
+asked eagerly, “Where, where?”
+
+“We must remove you, St. Hilaire,” said Murat, endeavoring to speak
+calmly, when it was evident his feelings were highly excited; “Louis
+says you must not remain here.”
+
+“As you like, Marshal. What says his Majesty? Is the affair as decisive
+as he looked for?”
+
+“Far more so. The allied army is destroyed; the campaign is ended.”
+
+“Come, then, this is not so bad as I deemed it,” rejoined St. Hilaire,
+with a tone of almost gayety; “I can afford to be invalided if the
+Emperor has no further occasion for me.”
+
+While these few words were interchanging, Louis had applied a tourniquet
+around the wounded limb, and having given the soldiers directions how
+they were to step, so as not to disturb or displace the shattered bones,
+he took his place beside the litter, and said,--
+
+“We are ready now, General.”
+
+They lifted the litter as he spoke, and moved slowly forward. Murat
+pressed the hand St. Hilaire extended to him without a word; and then,
+turning his head away, suffered the party to pass on.
+
+Before we reached Beygern, the wounded general had fallen into a heavy
+sleep, from which he did not awake as they laid him on the bed in the
+hospital.
+
+“Good-night, sir,--or rather, good-morning,” said Louis to me, as I
+turned to leave the spot. “We may chance to have better news for you
+than we anticipated, when you visit us here again.”
+
+And so we parted.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V. A MAÎTRE D'ARMES.
+
+The day after the battle of Austerlitz the Prince of Lichtenstein
+arrived in our camp, with, as it was rumored, proposals for a peace.
+The negotiations, whatever they were, were strictly secret, not even
+the marshals themselves being admitted to Napoleon's confidence on this
+occasion. Soon after mid-day, a great body of the Guard who had been in
+reserve the previous day were drawn up in order of battle, presenting an
+array of several thousand men, whose dress, look, and equipment, fresh
+as if on parade before the Tuileries, could not fail to strike the
+Austrian envoy with amazement. Everything that could indicate the
+appearance of suffering, or even fatigue, among the troops, was
+sedulously kept out of view. Such of the cavalry regiments as suffered
+least in the battle were under arms; while the generals of division
+received orders to have their respective staffs fully equipped and
+mounted, as if on a day of review.
+
+It was late in the afternoon when the word was passed along the lines
+to stand to arms; and the moment after a _calèche_, drawn by six horses,
+passed in full gallop, and took the road towards Austerlitz. The return
+of the Austrian envoy set a thousand conjectures in motion, and all were
+eager to find out what had been the result of his mission.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneBivwacAfterBattle027]
+
+“We must soon learn it all,” said an old colonel of artillery near me.
+“If the game be war, we shall be called up to assist Davoust's movement
+on Göding. The Russians have but one line of retreat, and that is
+already in our possession.”
+
+“I cannot for the life of me understand the Emperor's inaction,” said a
+younger officer; “here we remain just as if nothing had been done. One
+would suppose that a Russian army stood in full force before us, and
+that we had not gained a tremendous battle.”
+
+“Depend on it, Auguste,” said the old officer, smiling, “his Majesty is
+not the man to let slip his golden opportunities. If we don't advance,
+it is because it is safer to remain where we are.”
+
+“Safer than pursue a flying enemy?”
+
+“Even so. It is not Russia, nor Austria, we have in the field against
+us; but Europe,--the world.”
+
+“With all my heart,” retorted the other, boldly; “nor do I think the
+odds unfair. All I would ask is, the General Bonaparte of Cairo or
+Marengo, and not the purple-clad Emperor of the Tuileries.”
+
+“It is not while the plain is yet reeking with the blood of Austerlitz
+that such a reproach should be spoken,” said I, indignantly. “Never was
+Bonaparte greater than Napoleon.”
+
+“Monsieur has served in Egypt?” said the young man, contemptuously,
+while he measured me from head to foot.
+
+“Would that I had! Would that I could give whatever years I may have
+before me, for those whose every day shall live in history!”
+
+“You are right, young man,” said the old colonel; “they were glorious
+times, and a worthy prelude to the greatness that followed them.”
+
+“A bright promise of the future,--never to come,” rejoined the younger,
+with a flash of anger on his cheek.
+
+“_Parbleu_, sir, you speak boldly!” said a harsh, low voice from behind.
+We turned: it was Napoleon, dressed in a gray coat, all covered with
+fur, and looking like one of the couriers of the army. “I did not know
+my measures were so freely canvassed as I find them. Who are you, sir?”
+
+“Legrange, Sire, chef d'escadron of the Second Voltigeurs,” said the
+young man, trembling from head to foot while he uncovered his head, and
+stood, cap in hand, before him.
+
+“Since when, sir, have I called you into my counsels and asked your
+advice? or what is it in your position which entitles you to question
+one in mine? Duroc, come here. Your sword, sir!”
+
+The young man let fall his shako from his hand, and laid it on his
+sword-hilt.
+
+“Ah!” cried the Emperor, suddenly; “what became of your right arm?”
+
+“I left it at Aboukir, Sire.”
+
+Napoleon muttered something between his teeth; then added, aloud,--
+
+“Come, sir, you are not the first whose hand has saved his head. Return
+to your duty, and, mark me! be satisfied with doing yours, and leave me
+to mine. And you, sir,” said he, turning towards me, and using the same
+harsh tone of voice, “I should know your face.”
+
+“Lieutenant Burke, of the Eighth Hussars.”
+
+“Ah! I remember,--the Chouanist. So, sir, it seems that I stand somewhat
+higher in your esteem than when you kept company with Messieurs Georges
+and Pichegru, eh?”
+
+“No, Sire; your Majesty ever occupied the first place in my admiration
+and devotion.”
+
+“_Sacristi!_ then you took a strange way to show it when first I had the
+pleasure of your acquaintance. You are on General St. Hilaire's staff?”
+
+“General d'Auvergne's, Sire.”
+
+“True. D'Auvergne, a word with you.”
+
+He turned and whispered something to the old general, who during the
+whole colloquy stood at his back, anxious but not daring to interpose a
+word.
+
+“Well, well,” said Napoleon, in a voice of much kinder accent, “I
+am satisfied. Your general, sir, reports favorably of your zeal and
+capacity. I do not desire to let your former conduct prove any bar to
+your advancement; and on his recommendation, of which I trust you may
+prove yourself worthy, I name you to a troop in your own regiment.”
+
+“And still to serve on my staff?” said the general, half questioning the
+Emperor.
+
+“As you wish it, D'Auvergne.”
+
+With that he moved forward ere I could do more than express my gratitude
+by a respectful bow.
+
+“I told you, Burke, the time would come for this,” said D'Auvergne, as
+he pressed my hand warmly, and followed the cortege of the Emperor.
+
+Hitherto I had lived an almost isolated life. My staff duties had so
+separated me from my brother officers that I only knew them by name;
+while the other aides-de-camp of the general were men much older than
+myself, and with none of them had I formed any intimacy whatever. It
+was not without a sense of this loneliness that I now thought over my
+promotion. The absence of those who sympathize with our moments of joy
+and sorrow reduces our enjoyment to a narrow limit indeed. The only one
+of all I knew who would really have felt happy in my advancement was
+poor Pioche. He was beyond every thought of pleasure or grief.
+
+Thus reflecting, I turned towards my quarters at Brunn. It was evening:
+the watchfires were lighted, and round them sat groups of soldiers at
+their supper, chatting away pleasantly, and recounting the events of the
+battle. Many had been slightly wounded, and by their bandaged foreheads
+and disabled arms claimed a marked pre-eminence above the rest. A
+straw bivouac, with its great blazing fire in front, would denote some
+officer's quarters; and here were generally some eight or ten assembled,
+while the savory odor of some smoking dish, and the merry laughter,
+proclaimed that feasting was not excluded from the life of a campaign.
+
+As I passed one of these I heard the tones of a voice which, well known,
+had somehow not been heard by me for many a day before. Who could it be?
+I listened, but in vain. I asked myself whose was it. I dismounted, and
+leading my horse by the bridle, passed before the hut. The strong light
+of the blazing wood lit up the interior, and showed me a party of
+about a dozen officers, seated and lying on a heap of straw, occupied
+in discussing a supper, which, however wanting in all the elegancies of
+table equipment, even where I stood had a most appetizing odor. Various
+drinking vessels, some of them silver, passed from hand to hand
+rapidly; and the clinking of cups proclaimed that, although of different
+regiments,--as I saw they were,--a kindly feeling united them.
+
+“Well, François,” said the same voice, whose accents were so familiar to
+me without my being able to say why,--“well, Francois, you have not told
+us how it happened.”
+
+“Easily enough,” said another; “he broke my blade in his back, and
+gave point afterwards and ran me through the chest.” It was the maître
+d'armes of the Fourth, my old antagonist, who said this, and I drew near
+to hear the remainder. “You could not call the thing unfair,” continued
+he; “but, after all, no one ever heard of such a _passe_.”
+
+“I could have told you of it, though,” rejoined the other; “for I
+remember once, in the fencing school at the Polytechnique, I saw him
+catch his antagonist's blade in his sleeve, and when he had it secure,
+snap it across, and then thrust home with his own. _Parbleu!_ he lost a
+coat by it; and I believe, at the time, poor fellow, he could ill spare
+it.”
+
+This story, which was told of myself, was an incident which occurred in
+a school duel, and was only known to two or three others; and again was
+I puzzled to think which of my former companions the speaker could be.
+My curiosity was now stronger than aught else; and so, affecting to seek
+a light for my cigar, I approached the blaze.
+
+“Halloo, Comrade! a cup of wine with you,” cried out a voice from
+within; “Melniker is no bad drinking--”
+
+“When Chambertin can't be had,” said another, handing me a goblet of red
+wine.
+
+“_Par Saint Denis!_ it's the very man himself,” shouted a third. “Why,
+Burke, my old comrade, do you forget Tascher?”
+
+“What!” said I, in amazement, turning from one to the other of the
+mustached faces, and unable to discover my former friend, while they
+laughed loud and long at my embarrassment.
+
+“Make way for him there; make way, lads! Come, Burke, here's your
+place,” said he, stretching out his hand and pressing me down beside him
+on the straw. “So you did not remember me?”
+
+In truth, there was enough of change in his appearance since last I saw
+him to warrant my forgetfulness. A dark, bushy beard, worn cuirassier
+fashion, around the mouth and high on the cheeks, almost concealed his
+face, while in figure he had grown both taller and stouter.
+
+“Art colonel of the Eighth Regiment?” said he, laughing; “you know I
+promised you were to be, when we were to meet again.”
+
+“No; but, if I mistake not,” said a hussar officer opposite, “monsieur
+is in the way to become so. Were you not named to a troop, about half an
+hour ago, by the Emperor himself?”
+
+“Yes!” said I, with an effort to suppress my pride.
+
+“_Diantre bleu!_” exclaimed Tascher, “what good fortune you always have
+I I wish you joy of it, with all my heart. I say, Comrades, let us drown
+his commission for him.”
+
+“Agreed! agreed!” cried they all in a breath. “Francois will make us a
+bowl of punch for the occasion.”
+
+“Most willingly,” said the little maître d'armes. “Monsieur le
+Capitaine, I am sure, bears me no ill-will for our little affair. I
+thought not,” added he, seizing my hand in both his. “_Ma foi!_ you
+spoiled my tierce for me; I shall never be the same man again. Now,
+gentlemen, pass down the brandy, and let the man with most credit go
+seek for sugar at the canteen.”
+
+While François commenced his operations, Tascher proceeded to recount to
+me the miserable life he had spent in garrison towns, till the outbreak
+of the campaign had called him on active service.
+
+“It was no use that I asked the Empress to intercede for me, and get me
+appointed to another regiment; being the nephew of Napoleon seemed to
+set a complete bar to my advancement. Even now,” said he, “my name has
+been sent forward by my colonel for promotion, and I wager you fifty
+Naps I shall be passed over.”
+
+“And what if you be?” said a huge, heavy-browed major beside him; “what
+great hardship is it to be a lieutenant in the cuirassiers at two and
+twenty? I was a sergeant ten years later.”
+
+“Ay, _parbleu!_” cried another, “I won my epaulettes at Cairo, when
+three officers were reported living, in a whole regiment.”
+
+“To be sure,” said François, looking up from his operation of
+lemon-squeezing; “here am I, a maître d'armes, after twenty-six years'
+service; and there's Davoust, who never could stand before me, he's a
+general of brigade.”
+
+The whole party laughed aloud at the grievances of Maître Francois,
+whose seriousness on the subject was perfectly real.
+
+“Ah; you may laugh,” said he, half in pique; “but what a mere
+accident can determine a man's fortune in life! Would Junot there be a
+major-general to-day if he did not measure six feet without his boots?
+We were at school together, and, _ma foi!_ he was always at the bottom
+of the class.”
+
+“And so, Francois, it was your size, then, that stopped your promotion?”
+
+“Of course it was. When a man is but five feet--with high heels, too--he
+can only be advanced as a maître d'armes. _Parbleu!_ what should I be
+now if I had only grown a little taller?”
+
+“It is all better as it is,” growled out an old captain, between the
+puffs of his meerschaum. “If thou wert an inch bigger, there would be'
+no living in the same brigade with thee.”
+
+“For all that,” rejoined Maître François, “I have put many a pretty
+fellow his full length on the grass.”
+
+“How many duels, François, did you tell us, the other evening, that you
+fought in the Twenty-second?”
+
+“Seventy-eight!” said the little man; “not to speak of two affairs
+which, I am ashamed to confess, were with the broadsword; but they were
+fellows from Alsace, and they knew no better.”
+
+“_Tonnerre de ciel!_” cried the major, “a little devil like that is
+a perfect plague in a regiment. I remember we had a fellow called
+Piccotin--”
+
+“Ah! Piccotin; poor Piccotin! We were foster-brothers,” interrupted
+Francois; “we were both from Châlons-sur-Marne.”
+
+“Egad! I 'd have sworn you were,” rejoined the major. “One might have
+thought ye were twins.”
+
+“People often said so,” responded François, with as much composure as
+though a compliment had been intended. “We both had the same colored
+hair and eyes, the same military air, and gave the _passe en tierce_
+always outside the guard exactly in the same way.”
+
+“What became of Piccotin?” asked the major. “He left us at Lyons.”
+ “You never heard, then, what became of him?” “No. We knew he joined
+the _chasseurs à pied_.” “I can tell you, then,” said Francois; “no one
+knows better. I parted from Piccotin when we were ordered to Egypt. We
+did our best to obtain service in the same brigade, for we were like
+brothers, but we could not manage it; and so, with sad hearts, we
+separated,--he to return to France, I to sail for Alexandria. This
+was in the spring of 1798, or, as we called it, the year Six of the
+Republic. For three years we never met; but when the eighth demi-brigade
+returned from Egypt, we went into garrison at Bayonne, and the first man
+I saw on the ramparts was Piccotin himself. There was no mistaking him;
+you know the way he had of walking with a long stride, rising on his
+instep at every step, squaring his elbows, and turning his head from
+side to side, just to see if any one was pleased to smile, or even so
+much as to look closely at him. Ah, _ma foi!_ little Piccotin knew how
+to treat such as well as any one. Methinks I see him approaching his man
+with a slide and a bow, and then, taking off his cap, I hear him say, in
+his mildest tone, 'Monsieur assuredly did not intend that stare and that
+grimace for me. I know I must have deceived myself. Monsieur is only a
+fool; he never meant to be impertinent.' Then, _parbleu!_ what a
+storm would come on, and how cool was Piccotin the whole time! How
+scrupulously timid he would be of misspelling the gentleman's name,
+or misplacing an accent over it! How delicately he would inquire his
+address, as if the curiosity was only pardonable I And then with what
+courtesy he would take his leave, retiring half a dozen paces before
+he ventured to turn his back on the man he was determined to kill next
+morning!”
+
+“Quite true; perfectly true, Francois,” said the major; “Piccotin did
+the thing with the most admirable temper and good-breeding.”
+
+“That was the tone of Chalons when we were both boys,” said François,
+proudly; “he and I were reared together.”
+
+He finished a bumper of wine as he made this satisfactory explanation,
+and looked round at the company with the air of a conqueror.
+
+“Piccotin saw me as quickly as I perceived him, and the minute after we
+were in each other's arms. 'Ah! _mon cher!_ how many?' said he to me, as
+soon as the first burst of enthusiasm had subsided.
+
+“'Only eighteen,' said I, sadly; 'but two were Mamelukes of the Guard.'
+
+“'Thou wert ever fortunate, François,' he replied, wiping his eyes with
+emotion; 'I have never pinked any but Christians.'
+
+“'Come, come,' said I, 'don't be down-hearted; good times are coming.
+They say Le Petit Caporal will have us in England soon.'
+
+“'Mayhap,' said he, sorrowfully, for he could not get over my Turks.
+Well, in order to cheer him up a little, I proposed that we should go
+and sup together at the 'Grenadier Rouge;' and away we went accordingly.
+
+“It would amuse you, perhaps,” said Maître François, “were I to tell
+some of the stories we related to each other at night. We both had
+had our share of adventure since we met, and some droll ones among the
+number. However, that is not the question at present. We sat late; so
+late that they came to close the café at last, and we were obliged to
+depart. You know the 'Grenadier Rouge,' don't you?”
+
+“Yes, I know it well,” replied the major; “it's over the glacis, about a
+mile outside the barrier.”
+
+“Just so; and there's a pleasant walk across the glacis to the gate. As
+Piccotin and I set out together on our way to the town, the night was
+calm and mild; a soft moonlight shed a silvery tint over every object,
+and left the stately poplars to throw a still longer shadow on the
+smooth grass. For some time we walked along without speaking; the
+silence of the night, the fragrant air, the mellow light, were all
+soft and tranquillizing influences, and we sank each into his own
+reflections.
+
+“When we reached the middle of the plain,--you know the spot, I'm sure;
+there's a little bronze fountain, with four cedars round it,” (the major
+nodded, and he resumed),--“Piccotin came to a sudden halt, and seizing
+my hand in both of his, said, 'François, canst thou guess what I 'm
+thinking of?'
+
+“I looked at him, and I looked around me, and after a few seconds' pause
+I answered, 'Yes, Piccotin, I know it; it is a lovely spot.'
+
+“'Never was anything like it!' cried he, in a rapture; 'look at the
+turf, smooth as velvet, and yet soft to the foot; see the trees, how
+they fall back to give the light admittance; and there, that little
+fountain, if one felt thirsty, eh! What say you?'
+
+“'Agreed,' said I, grasping him by both hands; 'for this once; once
+only, Piccotin.'
+
+“'Only once, François; a few passes, and no more.'
+
+“'Just so; the first touch.'
+
+“'Exactly; the first touch,' said he, as, taking off his cloak, and
+folding it neatly, he laid it on the grass.
+
+“It was a strange thing, but in all our lives, from earliest boyhood up,
+we never had measured swords together; and though we were both maîtres
+d'armes, we never crossed blades, even in jest. Often and often had our
+comrades pitted us against each other, and laid wagers on the result,
+but we never would consent to meet; I cannot say why. It was not fear; I
+know not how to account for it, but such was the fact.
+
+“'What blade do you wear, François?' said he, approaching me, as I
+arranged my jacket and vest, with my cap, on the ground.
+
+“'A Rouen steel,' said I; 'too limber for most men, but I am so
+accustomed to it, I prefer it.'
+
+“'Ah! a pretty weapon indeed,' said he, drawing it from the scabbard,
+and making one or two passes with it against an elder trunk. 'Was this
+the blade you had with you in Egypt?'
+
+“'Yes; I have worn none other for eight years.'
+
+“'Ah, _ma foi!_ those Mamelukes. How I envy you those Mamelukes!' he
+muttered to himself, as he walked back to his place.
+
+“'Move a little, a very little, to the left; there's a shadow from that
+tree. Can you see me well?' said I.
+
+“'Perfectly; are you ready? Well; _en garde!_'
+
+“Piccotin's forte, I soon saw, lay in the long meditated attack, where
+each movement was part of an artfully devised series; and I perceived
+that he suffered his adversary to gain several trifling advantages, by
+way of giving him a false confidence, biding his own time to play off
+the scores. In this description of fence he was more than my equal.
+_My_ strength was in the skirmishing passages, where most men lunge at
+random; then, no matter how confused the rally, I was as cool as in the
+salute.
+
+“For some time I permitted him to play his game out; and certainly
+nothing could be more beautiful than his passes over the hilt. Twice he
+planted his point within an inch of my bosom; and nothing but a spring
+backwards would have saved me.
+
+“At length, after a long-contested struggle, he made a feint within, and
+then without, the guard, and succeeded in touching my sword-arm, above
+the wrist.
+
+“'A touch, I believe,' said he.
+
+“'A mere nothing,' said I; for although I felt the blood running down
+my sleeve, and oozing between my fingers, I was annoyed to think he had
+made the first hit.
+
+“'Ah, François, these Mamelukes were not of the première
+force, after all. I have only been jesting all this time; see here.'
+With that he closed on me, in a very different style from his former
+attack. Pushing and parrying with the rapidity of lightning, he evinced
+a skill in 'skirmish' I did not believe him possessed of. In this,
+however, I was his master; and in a few seconds gave him my point
+sharply, but not deeply, in the shoulder. Instead of dropping his
+weapon when he received mine, he returned the thrust. I parried it,
+and touched him again, a little lower down. He winced this time, and
+muttered something I could not catch. 'You shall have it now,' said he,
+aloud; 'I owe you this,--and this.' True to his word, he twice pierced
+me in the back, outside the guard. Encouraged by success, he again
+closed on me; while I, piqued by his last assault, advanced to meet him.
+
+“Our tempers were both excited; but his far more than mine. The struggle
+was a severe one. Three several times his blade passed between my arm
+and my body; and at last after a desperate rally, he dropped on one
+knee, and gave me the point here, beneath the chest. Before he could
+extricate his blade, I plunged mine into his chest, and pushed till I
+heard the hilt come clink against his ribs. The blood spurted upwards,
+over my face and breast, as he fell backwards. I wiped it hurriedly from
+my eyes, and bent over him. He gave a shudder and a little faint moan,
+and all was still.”
+
+“You killed him?” cried out three or four of us together.
+
+“_Ma foi!_ yes. The 'coup' was mortal; he never stirred after. As for
+me,” continued Francois, “I surrendered myself a prisoner to the
+officer on guard at the gate. I was tried ten days after by a military
+commission, and acquitted. My own evidence was my accusation
+and my defence.”
+
+“_Ventrebleu!_ had I been on the court-martial, you had not been here
+to tell the story,” said the old major, as his face became almost purple
+with passion.
+
+“Nonsense!” said Tascher, jeeringly. “What signifies a maître d'armes
+the more or the less?”
+
+“Monsieur will probably explain himself,” said François, with one of his
+cold smiles of excessive deference.
+
+“It is exactly what I mean to do, François.”
+
+“Come, sirs, none of this,” broke in the major. “Lieutenant Tascher,
+you may not fancy being placed under an arrest when the enemy is in the
+field. Master Francois, do you forget the sentence of a court-martial is
+hanging over your head for an affair at Elchingen, where you insulted a
+young officer of the hussars?”
+
+“In that case I must be permitted to say that Maître François conducted
+himself like a man of honor,” said I.
+
+“_Parbleu!_ and got the worst of it besides,” cried he, placing his hand
+on his hip. The tone of his voice as he said this, and the grimace he
+made, restored the party once more to good-humor, and we chatted away
+pleasantly till day was breaking.
+
+As Tascher strolled along with me towards my quarters, I was rejoiced
+to discover that he had never heard of my name as being mixed up in the
+Chouan conspiracy; nor was he aware with how little reason he believed
+me to be favored by fortune.
+
+I received, however, all his congratulations without any desire to
+undeceive him. Already had I learned the worldly lesson, that while
+friends cling closer in adversity, your mere acquaintance deems your
+popularity your greatest merit; and I at length perceived that, however
+ungenial in many respects the companionship, the life of isolation I
+led had rendered me suspected by others, and in a career, too, where
+frankness was considered the first of virtues.
+
+I assented at once with pleasure to the prospect of our meeting
+frequently while in camp. My own regiment had joined Davoust's corps,
+and I was glad to have the society of some others of my own age, if only
+to wean myself from my habits of solitude. While I formed these plans
+for the future, I little anticipated what events were in store for
+me, nor how soon I should be thrown among scenes and people totally
+different from those with which I had ever mixed before.
+
+“You mess with us, then, Burke,--that's agreed,” said Tascher. “They 're
+excellent fellows, these cuirassiers of ours, and I know you 'll like
+them.”
+
+With this promise we parted, hoping to meet on the morrow.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI. THE MILL ON THE HOLITSCH ROAD
+
+At an early hour on the morning of the 4th came orders for the “Garde
+à Cheval” to hold themselves in readiness, with two squadrons of the
+carabineers, on the road to Holitsch; part of this force being under the
+command of General d'Auvergne. We found ourselves fully equipped and in
+waiting soon after eight o'clock. From the “tenue” and appearance of
+the troops, it was evident that no measure of active service was
+contemplated; yet, if a review were intended, we could not guess why
+so small a force had been selected. As usual on such occasions,
+many conjectures were hazarded, and a hundred explanations passed
+current,--one scarcely a whit better than the other, when at last we
+perceived a peloton of dragoons advancing towards us at a brisk trot.
+
+The word was passed to close up and draw swords; and scarcely was it
+obeyed when the staff of the Emperor came up. They were all in the full
+blaze of their gala uniforms, brilliant with crosses and decorations.
+Napoleon alone wore the simple costume of the “Chasseurs of the Garde,”
+ with the decoration of the Legion; but his proud look and his flashing
+eye made him conspicuous above them all. He was mounted on his favorite
+charger “Marengo,” and seemed to enjoy the high spirit of the mettled
+animal, as he tossed his long mane about, and lashed his sides with his
+great silken tail.
+
+As the cortége passed we closed up the rear, and followed at a sharp
+pace, more than ever puzzled to divine what was going forward. After
+about two hours' riding, during which we never drew bridle, we saw a
+party of staff-officers in front, who, saluting the Emperor, joined the
+cortége. At the same instant General d'Auvergne passed close beside me,
+and whispered in my ear. “Bernadotte has just come up, and been most
+coldly received.” I wished to ask him what was the object of the whole
+movement, but he was gone before I could do so. In less than a quarter
+of an hour afterwards we left the highroad, and entered upon a large
+plain, where the only object I could perceive was an old mill, ruined
+and dilapidated. Towards this the imperial staff rode forward, while the
+peloton in front wheeled about, and rode to the rear of our squadrons.
+The next moment we were halted, and drawn up in order of battle.
+
+While these movements were going forward, I remarked that the Emperor
+had dismounted from his horse and dismissed his staff, all save Marshal
+Berthier, who stood at a little distance from him. Several dismounted
+dragoons were employed in lighting two immense fires,--a process which
+Napoleon appeared to watch with great interest for a second or two; and
+then, taking out his glass, he remained for several minutes intently
+surveying the great road to Holitsch.
+
+In this direction at once every eye was turned; but nothing could we
+see. The road led through a wide open country for some miles, and at
+last disappeared in the recesses of a dark pine wood, that covered the
+horizon for miles on either side. Meanwhile Napoleon, with his hands
+clasped behind his back, walked hurriedly backwards and forwards beside
+the blazing fires, stopping at intervals to look along the road, and
+then resuming his walk as before. He was not more than two hundred paces
+from where we stood, and I could mark well his gesture of impatience, as
+he closed his glass each time, after looking in vain towards Holitsch.
+
+“I say, Burke,” whispered one of my brother officers beside me, “I
+should not fancy being the man who keeps him waiting in that fashion.
+Look at Berthier, how he keeps aloof; he knows that something is
+brewing.”
+
+“What can it all mean?” said I. “Who can he be expecting here?”
+
+“They say now,” whispered my companion, “that Davoust cannot hold the
+bridge of Goding, and must fall back before the Russian column; and
+that Napoleon has invited Alexander to a conference here to gain time to
+reinforce Davoust.”
+
+“Exactly; but the Czar is too wily an enemy for that to succeed; and
+probably hence the delay, which appears to irritate him now.”
+
+The supposition, more plausible than most of those I heard before, was
+still contradicted by the account of the Emperor Alexander's retreat;
+and again was I at a loss to reconcile these discrepancies, when I
+beheld Napoleon, with his glass to his eye, motion with his hand for
+Berthier to come forward. I turned towards the road, and now could
+distinguish in the distance a dark object moving towards us. A few
+minutes after the sun shone out, and I remarked the glitter of arms,
+stretching in a long line; while my companion, with the aid of a glass,
+called out,--
+
+“I see them plainly; they are lancers. The escort are Hungarians, and
+there's a _calèche_, with four horses in front.”
+
+The Emperor stood motionless, his arms folded on his breast, and his
+head a little leaned forward, exactly as I have seen him represented in
+so many pictures and statues. His eyes were thrown downwards; and as he
+stirred the blazing wood with his foot, one could easily perceive how
+intensely his mind was occupied with deep thought.
+
+The clattering sound of cavalry now turned my attention to another
+quarter; and I saw, exactly in front of us, and about five hundred paces
+off, a regiment of Hungarian Hussars, and some squadrons of Hulans drawn
+up. I had little time to mark their gorgeous equipment and splendid
+uniform, for already the _calèche_ had drawn up at the roadside, and
+Prince John of Lichtenstein, descending, took off his chapeau, and
+offered his arm to assist another to alight. Slowly, and, as it seemed,
+with effort, a tall thin figure, in the white uniform of the Austrian
+Guard, stepped from the carriage to the ground. The same instant the
+officers of the staff fell back, and I saw Napoleon advance with
+open arms to embrace him. The Austrian emperor--for it was Francis
+himself--seemed scarcely able to control the emotion he felt at this
+moment; and we could see that his head rested for several seconds on
+Napoleon's shoulder. And what a moment must that have been! How deeply
+must the pride of the descendant of the Cæsars have felt the humiliation
+which made him thus a suppliant before one he deemed a mere Corsican
+adventurer! What a pang it must have cost his haughty spirit as he
+uttered the words, _Mon frère!_
+
+As they walked side by side towards the plateau, where the fires were
+lighted, it was easy to mark that Napoleon was the speaker, while
+Francis merely bowed from time to time, or made a gesture of seeming
+assent.
+
+As the Emperor arrived at the place of conference, we fell back some
+fifty yards; and although the air was still and frosty, and the silence
+was perfect around, we could not catch a word on either side. After
+about an hour the conversation appeared to assume a tone of gayety and
+good-humor, and we could hear the sovereigns laughing repeatedly.
+
+The conference lasted for above two hours, when once more the emperors
+embraced, and, as we thought, with more cordiality, and separated; the
+Emperor of Austria returning, accompanied by Prince Lichtenstein; while
+Napoleon stood for some minutes beside the fire as if musing, and then,
+beckoning his staff to follow, he walked towards the highroad.
+
+Scarcely had the Austrian emperor reached his carriage, when Savary,
+bareheaded and breathless, stood beside the door of it. He was the
+bearer of a message from Napoleon. The next moment the _calèche_
+started, accompanied by Savary, who, with a single aide-de-camp, took
+the road towards the Austrian headquarters.
+
+As Napoleon was about to mount his horse, I saw General d'Auvergne
+move forward towards him. A few words passed between them; and then the
+general, riding up to where I stood, said,--
+
+“Burke, you are to remain here, and if any orders arrive from General
+Savary, hasten with them to the headquarters of his Majesty. In twelve
+hours you will be relieved.”
+
+So saying, he galloped back to the imperial staff; and soon after the
+squadrons defiled into the road, the cortége dashed forward, and all
+that remained of that memorable scene was the dying embers of the fires
+beside which the fate of Europe was decided.
+
+The old mill of Holitsch had been deserted when the Austrian and Russian
+columns took up their position before Austerlitz. The miller and his
+household fled at the first news of the advance, and had not dared to
+return. It was a solitary spot at best: a wild heath, without shelter of
+any kind, stretched away for miles on all sides; but now, in its
+utter loneliness, it was the most miserable-looking place that can be
+conceived. While, therefore, I contented myself with the hope that my
+stay there might not be long, I resolved to do what I could to render my
+quarters more comfortable.
+
+My first care was my horse, which I picketed in the kitchen, where I was
+happy to find an abundant supply of firewood; my next, was to explore
+the remainder of the concern, in which I discovered traces of its having
+been already occupied by the allied troops,--rude caricatures of the
+French army in full _déroute_, before terrible-looking dragoons in
+Austrian and Russian uniforms, ornamented the walls in many parts; whole
+columns of French prisoners were depicted begging their lives from a
+single Austrian grenadier; and one figure, which it could be easily
+discovered was intended for Napoleon himself, was about to be hanged
+upon a tree, to the very marked satisfaction, as it would seem, of a
+group of Russian officers, who stood by, laughing. It is easy to smile
+at the ridicule of which fortune has thwarted the application and so I
+amused myself a good while by contemplating these grotesque frescos.
+
+But a more welcome sight still awaited me, in a small chamber at the
+top of the building, where, in large letters, written with chalk on
+the door, I read, “Rittmeister von Oxenhausen's quarters.” Here, to my
+exceeding delight, I discovered a neatly-furnished chamber, with a
+bed, sofa, and, better still, a table, on which the remains of the
+Rittmeister's sapper yet stood,--a goodly ham, the greater part of a
+capon, a loaf of wheaten bread, and an earthenware crock, with a lid
+of brass, containing about two bottles of Austrian red wine. This was a
+most agreeable surprise to me,--a pleasant exchange from the meagre
+meal of bread and cheese I had but time to procure from a sergeant of
+my troop at parting. It need not be supposed that I hesitated long about
+becoming the Rittmeister's successor; and so I drew the chair to the
+table, and the table nearer to the fire,--for, singularly enough, the
+embers of a wood fire still slumbered on the hearth. Having taken the
+keen edge off an appetite the cold air had whetted to the sharpest, I
+began an inspection of my quarters, first having replenished the fire
+with some logs of wood.
+
+The chamber was an octagon, with five windows in as many of the faces,
+a fireplace and two doors occupying the other three. One of the
+doors--that by which I entered,--opened from the stairs; the other
+led into a granary, or something of that nature,--at least, so I
+conjectured, from a heap of sacks which littered the floor, and filled
+one corner completely. As I could not discover any corn, I resolved on
+sharing my loaf with my horse,--a meal every campaigning steed is well
+accustomed to make. And now, returning to my little chamber, I resumed
+my supper with all the satisfaction of one who felt he had made his
+rounds of duty, and might enjoy repose.
+
+As I knew the Château de Holitsch, where the Emperor Francis held his
+quarters, was some six leagues distant, I guessed that General Savary
+was not likely to return from his mission before morning at very
+soonest; and so it behooved me to make my arrangements for passing the
+night where I was. Having, then, looked to my horse, for whose bedding I
+made free with some dozen of the corn-sacks in the granary, I brought up
+to my own quarters a supply of wood; and having fastened the door, and
+secured the windows as well as I was able, I lit my meerschaum, and lay
+down before the fire in as happy a frame of mind as need be.
+
+Indeed, I began to fancy that fortune had done tormenting, and was now
+about to treat me more kindly. The notice of the Emperor had relieved my
+heart of a load which never ceased to press on it, and I could not help
+feeling that a fairer prospect was opening before me. It is true, time
+and misfortune had both blunted the ardor of enthusiasm with which I
+started in life; the daring aspirations after liberty, the high-souled
+desire for personal distinction, had subsided into calmer hopes and less
+ambitious yearnings. Young as I yet was, I experienced in myself that
+change of sentiment and feeling which comes upon other men later on in
+life; and I was gradually reconciling myself to that sense of duty
+which teaches a man well to play his part, in whatever station he may
+be called to act, rather than indulge in those overweening wishes for
+pre-eminence, which in their accomplishment are so often disappointing,
+and in their failure a source of regret and unhappiness. These feelings
+were impressed on me more by the force of events than by any process of
+my own reasoning. The career in which I first started as a boy had led
+to nothing but misfortune. The affection I conceived for one,--the only
+one I ever loved,--was destined equally to end unhappily. The passion
+for liberty, in which all my first aspirations were centred, had met the
+rude shocks which my own convictions suggested; and now I perceived
+that I must begin life anew, endeavoring to forget the influences whose
+shadows darkened my early days, and carve out my destiny in a very
+different path from what I once intended.
+
+These were my last waking thoughts, as my head sank on my arm, and I
+fell into a deep sleep. The falling of a log from the fire awoke me
+suddenly. I rubbed my eyes, and for a second or two could not remember
+where I was. At length I became clearer in mind, and looking at my
+watch, perceived it was but two o'clock. As the flame of the replenished
+fire threw its light through the room, I remarked that the door into
+the granary stood ajar. This struck me as strange. I thought I could
+remember shutting it before I went to sleep. Yes,--I recollected
+perfectly placing a chair against it, as the latch was bad, and a
+draught of cold air came in that way; and now the chair was pushed back
+into the room, and the door lay open. A vague feeling, half suspicion,
+half curiosity, kept me thinking of the circumstance, when by
+chance--the merest chance--my eyes fell upon the table where I had left
+my sabre and my pistols. What was my amazement to find that one of the
+latter--that which lay nearest the door--was missing!
+
+In an instant I was on my feet. Nothing can combat drowsiness like the
+sense of fear; and I became perfectly awake in a moment. Examining the
+room with caution, I found everything in the same state as I had left
+it, save the door and the missing pistol. The granary alone, then, could
+be the shelter of the invader, whoever he might be. What was to be done?
+I was totally unprovided with light, save what the fire afforded; and
+even were it otherwise, I should expose myself by carrying one, long
+before I could hope to detect a concealed enemy. The best plan I could
+hit upon seemed to secure the door once more; and then, placing myself
+in such a position as not to be commanded by it again, to wait for
+morning patiently. This then, I did at once; and having examined my
+remaining pistol, and found the charge and priming all safe, I drew
+my sabre, and sat down between the door and the window, but so that it
+should open against me.
+
+Few sensations are more acutely painful than the exercise of the hearing
+when pushed to intensity. The unceasing effort to catch the slightest
+sound soon becomes fatigue, and as the organ grows weary, the mental
+anxiety grows more acute; and then begins a struggle between the failing
+sense and the excited brain. The spectral images of the eye in fever are
+not one half so terrible as the strange discordant tones that jar
+upon the tympanum in such a state as this. Each inanimate object seems
+endowed with its own power of voice, and whispering noises come stealing
+through the dead silence of midnight.
+
+In this state of almost frenzied anxiety I sat long,--my eyes turned
+towards the door, which oftentimes I fancied I could perceive to move.
+At length the thought occurred to me, that by affecting sleep, if any
+one lay concealed within whose object was to enter the room, this would
+probably induce him.
+
+[Illustration: 089]
+
+[Illustration: BrowneLocomotiveChair055]
+
+I had not long to wait for the success of my scheme. The long-drawn
+breathing of my seeming slumber was not continued for more than a few
+minutes, when I saw the door slowly, almost imperceptibly, move. At
+first it stirred inch by inch; then gradually it opened wider and wider
+till it met the obstacle of the chair. There now came a pause of several
+seconds, during which it demanded all my efforts to sustain my
+part,--the throbbing at my throat and temples increasing almost beyond
+endurance, and the impulse to dash forward, and flinging wide the door,
+confront my enemy, being nearly too much for my resistance. Again it
+moved noiselessly as before; and then a hand stole out, and, laying hold
+of the chair, pushed it slowly backwards. The gray light of the breaking
+day fell upon the spot, and I could see that the cuff of the coat was
+laced with gold.
+
+This time my anxiety became intense. Another second or two and I should
+be engaged in the conflict,--I knew not against how many. I clutched my
+sabre more fairly in my grasp, as my breathing grew thicker and shorter.
+The chair still continued to slide silently into the room, and already
+the arm of the man within protruded. Now was the moment, or never; and
+with a spring, I threw myself on it, and, pinioning the wrist in my
+hands, held it down upon the floor while I opposed my weight against the
+door.
+
+[Illustration: 090]
+
+Quick as lightning the other hand appeared, armed with a pistol; and I
+had but a moment to crouch my head nearly to the ground when a bullet
+whizzed past and smashed through the window behind me, while with
+a crash the frail door gave way to a strong push, and a man sprang
+fiercely forward to seize me by the throat. Jumping backward, I
+recovered my feet; but before I could raise my pistol he made a spring
+at me, and we both rolled together on the floor. On the pistol both our
+hands met, and the struggle was for the weapon.
+
+Twice was it pointed at my heart; but my hand held the lock, and not
+all his efforts could unclasp it. At last I freed my right hand from the
+sword-knot of my sabre, and striking him with my clenched knuckles on
+the forehead, threw him back. His grasp relaxed at the instant, and I
+wrenched the pistol from his fingers, and placed the muzzle against his
+chest.
+
+Another second and he would have rolled a corpse before me, when, to my
+horror and amazement, I saw in my antagonist my once friend, _Henri de
+Beauvais_. I flung the weapon from me, as I cried out, “De Beauvais,
+forgive me! forgive me!”
+
+A deathly paleness came over his features; his eyes grew glazed and
+filmy, and with a low groan he fell fainting on the floor. I bathed
+his temples with water; I moistened his pale lips; I rubbed his clammy
+fingers. But it was long before he rallied; and when he did come to
+himself and looked up, he closed his eyes again, as though the sight of
+me was worse than death itself.
+
+“Come, Henri!” said I, “a cup of wine, my friend, and you will be better
+presently. Thank God, this has not ended as it might.”
+
+He raised his eyes towards me, but with a look of proud and unforgiving
+sternness, while he uttered not a word.
+
+“It is unfair to blame me, De Beauvais, for this,” said I. “Once more I
+say, forgive me!”
+
+His lips moved, and some sounds came forth, but I could not hear the
+words.
+
+“There, there,” cried I; “it's past and over now. Here is my hand.”
+
+“You struck me with that hand,” said he, in a deep, distinct voice, as
+though every word came from the very bottom of his chest.
+
+“And if I did, Henri, my own life was on the blow.”
+
+“Oh that you had taken mine with it!” said he, with a bitterness I can
+never forget. “I am the first of my name that ever received a blow;
+would I were to be the last!”
+
+“You forget, De Beauvais--”
+
+“No, sir; I forget nothing. Be assured, too, I never shall forget
+this night. With any other than yourself I should not despair of that
+atonement for an injury which alone can wash out such a stain; but
+_you_,--I know you well,--_you_ will not give me this.”
+
+“You are right, De Beauvais; I will not,” said I, calmly. “Sorry am I
+that even an accident should have brought us into collision. It is a
+mischance I feel deeply, and shall for many a day.”
+
+“And I, sir,” cried he, as, starting up, his eyes flashed with passion
+and his cheek grew scarlet,--“and I, sir!--what are to be my feelings?
+Think you, that because I am an exile and an outcast,--forced
+by misfortune to wear the livery of one who is not my rightful
+sovereign,--that my sense of personal honor is the less, and that the
+mark of an insult is not as blood-stained on my conscience as ever it
+was?”
+
+“Nothing but passion could blind you to the fact that there can be no
+insult where no intention could exist.”
+
+“Spare me your casuistry, sir,” replied he, with an insolent wave of his
+hand, while he sank into a chair, and laid his head upon the table.
+
+For an instant my temper, provoked beyond endurance, was about to give
+way, when I perceived that a handkerchief was bound tightly around his
+leg above the knee, where a great stain of blood marked his trouser. The
+thought of his being wounded banished every particle of resentment, and
+laying my hand on his shoulder, I said,--
+
+“De Beauvais, I know not one but yourself to whom I would three times
+say, forgive me. But we were friends once, when we were both happier.
+For the sake of him who is no more,--poor Charles de Meudon--”
+
+“A traitor, sir,--a base traitor to the king of his fathers!”
+
+“This I will not endure!” said I, passionately. “No one shall dare--”
+
+“Dare!”
+
+“Ay, dare, sir!--such was the word. To asperse the memory of one like
+him is to dare that which no man can, with truth and honor.”
+
+“Come, sir, I'm ready,” said Be Beauvais, rising, and pointing to the
+door, “Sortons!”
+
+No one who has not heard that one word pronounced by the lips of a
+Frenchman can conceive how much of savage enmity and deadly purpose
+it implies. It is the challenge which, if unaccepted, stamps cowardice
+forever on the man who declines it: from that hour all equality ceases
+between those whom a combat had placed on the same footing.
+
+“Sortons!” The word rang in my ears, and tingled through my very heart,
+while a host of different impulses swayed me,--shame, sorrow, wounded
+pride, all struggling for the mastery: but above them all, a better
+and a higher spirit,--the firm resolve, come what would, to suffer no
+provocation De Beauvais could offer, to make me stand opposite to him as
+an enemy.
+
+“What am I to think, sir?” said he, with a voice scarcely articulate
+from passion,--“what am I to think of your hesitation? or why do you
+stand inactive here? Is it that you are meditating what new insult can
+be added to those you have heaped on me?”
+
+“No, sir,” I replied, firmly; “so far from thinking of offence, I am but
+too sorry for the words I have already spoken. I should have remembered,
+and remembering, should have made allowance for, the strength of
+partisan feelings, which have their origin in a noble, but, as I
+believe, a mistaken source.”
+
+“Indeed!” interrupted he, in mockery. “Is it, then, come to this? Am
+I, a Frenchman born, to be lectured on my loyalty and allegiance by a
+foreign mercenary?”
+
+“Not even that taunt, De Beauvais, shall avail you anything. I am firm
+in my resolve.”
+
+“_Pardieu!_ then,” cried he, with savage energy, “there remains but
+this!”
+
+As he spoke, he leaped from his chair, and sprang towards me. In so
+doing, however, his knee struck the table, and with a groan of agony,
+he reeled back and fell on the floor, while from his reopened wound a
+torrent of blood gushed out and deluged the room.
+
+For a second or two he motioned me away with his hand; but as his
+weakness increased, he lay passive and unresisting, and suffered me to
+arrest the bleeding by such means as I was able to practise.
+
+It was a long time ere I could stanch the gaping orifice, which had been
+inflicted by a sabre, and cut clean through the high boot and deep into
+the thigh. Fortunately for his recovery, he had himself succeeded in
+getting off the boot before, and the wound lay open to my surgical
+skill. Lifting him cautiously in my arms, I laid him on the bed, and
+moistened his lips with a little wine. Still the debility continued,--no
+signs of returning strength were there; but his features, pale and
+fallen, were glazed with a cold sweat that hung in heavy drops upon his
+brow and forehead.
+
+Never was agony like mine. I saw his life was ebbing fast; the
+respiration was growing fainter and more irregular; his pulse could
+scarce be felt; yet dare I not leave my post to seek for assistance. A
+hundred thoughts whirled through my puzzled brain, and among the rest,
+the self-accusing one that I was the cause of his death. “Yes,” thought
+I, “better far to have stood before his pistol, at all the hazard of my
+life, than see him thus.”
+
+In an instant all his angry speeches and his insulting gestures were
+forgotten. He looked so like what I once knew him, that my mind was
+wandering back again to former scenes and times, and all resentment was
+lost in the flood of memory. Poor fellow! what a sad destiny was his!
+fighting against the arms of his country,--a mourner over the triumphs
+of his native land! Alien that I was, this pang at least was spared me.
+
+As these thoughts crossed my mind, I felt him press my hand. Overjoyed,
+I knelt down and whispered some words in his ear.
+
+“No, no,” muttered he, in a low, plaintive tone; “not all lost,--not
+all! La Vendee yet remains!” He was dreaming.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII. THE ARMISTICE.
+
+As I sat thus watching with steadfast gaze the features of the sleeping
+man, I heard the clattering of a horse's hoofs on the pavement beneath,
+and the next moment the heavy step of some one ascending the stairs.
+Suddenly the door was flung wide open, and an officer in the handsome
+uniform of the Austrian Imperial Guard entered.
+
+“Excuse this scant ceremony, Monsieur,” said he, bowing with much
+courtesy, “but I almost despaired of finding you out. I come from
+Holitsch with despatches for your Emperor; they are most pressing, as I
+believe this note will inform you.”
+
+While I threw my eye over the few lines addressed by General Savary to
+the officer in waiting at Holitsch, and commanding the utmost speed in
+forwarding the despatch that accompanied them, the officer drew near the
+bed where De Beauvais was lying.
+
+“_Mère de ciel_, it is the count!” cried he, starting back with
+astonishment.
+
+“Yes,” said I, interrupting him; “I found him here on my arrival. He is
+badly wounded, and should be removed at once. How can this be done?”
+
+“Easily. I 'll despatch my orderly at once to Holitsch, and remain here
+till he return.”
+
+“But if our troops advance?”
+
+“No, no! we're all safe on that score; the armistice is signed. The very
+despatch in your hands, I believe, concludes the treaty.”
+
+This warned me that I was delaying too long the important duty intrusted
+to me, and with a hurried entreaty to the Austrian not to leave De
+Beauvais, I hastened down the stairs, and proceeded to saddle for the
+road.
+
+“One word, Monsieur,” said the officer, as I was in the act of mounting.
+“May I ask the name of him to whom my brother officers owe the life of a
+comrade much beloved?”
+
+“My name is Burke; and yours, Monsieur?”
+
+“Berghausen, _chef d'escadron_ of the Imperial Guard. If ever you should
+come to Vienna--” But I lost the words that followed, as, spurring my
+horse to a gallop, I set out towards the headquarters of the Emperor.
+
+As I rode forward, my eyes were ever anxiously bent in the direction of
+our camp, not knowing at what moment I might see the advance of a column
+along the road, and dreading lest, before the despatches should reach
+the Emperor's house, the advanced vedettes should capture the little
+party at Holitsch. At no period of his career was Napoleon more incensed
+against the adherents of the Bourbons; and if De Beauvais should fall
+into his hands, I was well aware that nothing could save him. The
+Emperor always connected in his mind--and with good reason, too--the
+machinations of the Royalists with the plans of the English Government.
+He knew that the land which afforded the asylum to their king was
+the refuge of the others also; and many of the heaviest denunciations
+against the “perfide Albion” had no other source than the dread, of
+which he could never divest himself, that the legitimate monarch would
+one day be restored to France.
+
+While such were Napoleon's feelings, the death of the Duc d'Enghien had
+heightened the hatred of the Bourbonists to a pitch little short of
+madness. My own unhappy experience made me more than ever fearful of
+being in any way implicated with the members of this party, and I
+rode on as though life itself depended on my reaching the imperial
+headquarters some few minutes earlier.
+
+As I approached the camp, I was overjoyed to find that no movement
+was in contemplation. The men were engaged in cleaning their arms
+and accoutrements, restoring the broken wagons and gun-carriages, and
+repairing, as far as might be, the disorders of the day of battle. The
+officers stood in groups here and there, chatting at their ease; while
+the only men under arms were the new conscript? just arrived from
+France,--a force of some thousands,--brought by forced marches from the
+banks of the Rhine.
+
+The crowd of officers near the headquarters of the Emperor pressed
+closely about me as I descended from my horse, eager to learn what
+information I brought from Holitsch; for they were not aware that I had
+been stationed nearly half-way on the road.
+
+“Well, Burke,” said General d'Auvergne, as he drew his arm within mine,
+“your coming has been anxiously looked for this morning. I trust the
+despatches you carry may, if not Contradict, at least explain what has
+occurred.”
+
+“Is this the officer from Holitsch?” said the aide-decamp of the
+Emperor, coming hurriedly forward. “The despatch, sir!” cried he; and
+the next moment hastened to the little hut which Napoleon occupied as
+his bivouac.
+
+The only other person in the open space where I stood was an officer of
+the lancers, whose splashed and travel-stained dress seemed to say he
+had been employed like myself.
+
+“I fancy, Monsieur,” said he, bowing, “that you have had a sharp ride
+also this morning. I have just arrived from Göding--four leagues--in
+less than an hour; and with all that, too late, I believe, to remedy
+what has occurred.”
+
+“What, then, has happened?”
+
+“Davoust has been tricked into an armistice, and suffered the Russians
+to pass the bridge. The Emperor Alexander has taken advantage of the
+negotiations with Austria, and got his army clear through; so, at least,
+it would seem. I saw Napoleon tear the despatch into fragments, and
+stamp his foot upon them. But here he comes.”
+
+The words were scarcely spoken when the Emperor came rapidly up,
+followed by his staff. He wore a gray surtout, trimmed with dark fur,
+and had his hands clasped within the cuffs of the coat. His face was
+pale as death, and save a slight contraction of his brows, there was
+nothing to show any appearance of displeasure.
+
+“Who brought the despatch from Göding?”
+
+“I did, Sire,” said the officer.
+
+“How are the roads, sir?”
+
+“Much cut up, and in one place a torrent has carried away part of a
+bridge.”
+
+“I knew it,--I knew it,” said he, bitterly; “it is too late. Duroc,”
+ cried he, while the words seemed to come forth with a hissing sound,
+“did I not tell you, 'Grattez le Russe, et vous trouverez le Tartare!'”
+
+The words were graven in my memory from that hour; even yet, I can
+recall the very accents as when I heard them.
+
+“And you, sir,” said he, turning suddenly towards me, “you came from
+General Savary. Return to him with this letter. Have you written, Duroc?
+Well, you'll deliver this to General Savary at Holitsch. He may require
+you to proceed to Göding. Are you well mounted?”
+
+“Yes, Sire.”
+
+“Come, then, sir. I made you a captain yesterday; let us see if you can
+win your spurs to-day.”
+
+From the time I received the despatch to that in which I was in the
+saddle not more than five minutes elapsed. The idea of being chosen by
+the Emperor himself for a service was a proud one, and I resolved to
+acquit myself with credit. With what concert does one's heart beat to
+the free stride of a mettled charger! how does each bold plunge warm
+the blood and stir up the spirits! and as, careering free over hill and
+valley, we pass in our flight the clouds that drift above, how does the
+sense of freedom, realized as it is, impart a feeling of ecstasy to
+our minds! Our thoughts, revelling on the wayward liberty our course
+suggests, rise free and untrammelled from the doubts and cares of
+every-day life.
+
+Onward I went, and soon the old mill came in sight, rearing its ruined
+head amid the black desolation of the plain. I could not resist the
+impulse to see what had become of De Beauvais; and leading my horse into
+the kitchen, I hastened up the stairs and through the rooms. But all
+were deserted; the little chamber lay open, the granary too; but no one
+was there.
+
+With a mind relieved, in a great measure, from anxiety, I remounted
+and continued my way; and soon entered the dark woods of Holitsch. The
+château and demesne were a private estate of the Emperor Francis,
+and once formed a favorite resort of Joseph the Second in his hunting
+excursions. The château itself was a large, irregular mass of building,
+but still, with all its incongruity of architecture, not devoid of
+picturesque effect,--and the older portion of it was even handsome.
+While I stood in front of a long terrace, on which several windows
+opened from a gallery that ran along one side of the château, I was
+somewhat surprised that no guard was to be seen, nor even a single
+sentinel on duty. I dismounted, and leading my horse, approached the
+avenue that led up between a double range of statues to the door. An
+old man, dressed in the slouched hat and light blue jacket of a Bohemian
+peasant, was busily engaged in wrapping matting around some shrubs,
+to protect them from the frost. A little boy--his second self in
+costume--stood beside him with his pruning-knife, and stared at me with
+a kind of stupid wonder as I approached. With some difficulty I made out
+from the old man that the Emperor occupied a smaller building called
+the Kaiser-Lust, about half a league distant in the forest, having given
+strict orders that no one was to approach the château nor its immediate
+grounds. It was his favorite retreat, and perhaps he did not wish it
+should be associated in his mind with a period of such misfortune. The
+old peasant continued his occupation while he spoke, never lifting his
+head from his work, and seeming all absorbed in the necessity of what he
+was engaged in. As I inquired the nearest road to the imperial quarters,
+he employed me to assist him for a moment in his task by holding one end
+of the matting, with which he was now about to envelop a marble statue
+of Maria Theresa.
+
+I could not refuse a request so naturally proffered; and while I did
+so, a little wicket opened at a short distance off, and a tall man, in a
+gray surtout and a plain cocked hat without a feather, came forward. He
+held a riding-whip in his hand, and seemed, from his splashed equipment,
+to have just descended from the saddle.
+
+“Well, Fritz,” said he, “I hope the frost has done us no mischief?”
+
+The old gardener turned round at the words, and, touching his hat
+respectfully, continued his work, while he replied,--
+
+“No, Mein Herr; it was but a white hoar, and everything has escaped
+well.”
+
+“And whom have you got here for an assistant, may I ask?” said he,
+pointing to me, whom he now saw for the first time.
+
+As the question was asked in German, although I understood it I left the
+reply to the gardener.
+
+“God knows!” said the old fellow, in a tone of easy indifference; “I
+think he must be a soldier of some sort.”
+
+The other smiled at the remark, and, turning towards me, said, in
+French,--
+
+“You are, perhaps, unaware, sir, being a stranger, that it is the
+Emperor of Austria's desire this château should not be intruded on.”
+
+“My offending, sir,” interrupted I, “was purely accidental. I am the
+bearer of despatches for General Savary; and having stopped to inquire
+from this honest man--”
+
+“The general has taken his departure for Göding,” he broke in, without
+paying further attention to my explanation.
+
+“For Goding! and may I ask what distance that may be?”
+
+“Scarcely a league, if you can hit upon the right path; the road lies
+yonder, where you see that dead fir-tree.”
+
+“I thank you, sir,” said I, touching my hat; “and must now ask my friend
+here to release me,--my orders are of moment.”
+
+“You may find some difficulty in the wood, after all,” said he; “I 'll
+send my groom part of the way with you.”
+
+Before I could proffer my thanks suitably for such an unexpected
+politeness, he had disappeared in the garden through which he entered a
+few minutes before.
+
+“I say, my worthy friend, tell me the name of that gentleman; he's one
+of the Emperor's staff, if I mistake not. I 'm certain I 've seen the
+face before.”
+
+“If you had,” said the old fellow, laughing, “you could scarcely forget
+him; old Frantzerl is just the same these twenty years.”
+
+“Whom did you say?”
+
+Before he could reply, the other was at my side.
+
+“Now, sir,” said he, “he will conduct you to the highroad. I wish you a
+good journey.”
+
+These words were uttered in a tone somewhat more haughty than his
+previous ones; and contenting myself with a civil acknowledgment of his
+attention, I bowed and returned to my horse, which the little peasant
+child had been holding.
+
+“This way, Monsieur,” said the groom, who, dressed in a plain dark brown
+livery, was mounted on a horse of great size and symmetry.
+
+As he spoke, he dashed forward at a gallop which all my efforts could
+not succeed in overtaking. In less than ten minutes the man halted,
+and, waiting till I came up, he pointed to a gentle acclivity before me,
+across which the highroad led.
+
+“There lies the road, sir; continue your speed, and in twenty minutes
+you reach Göding.”
+
+“One word,” said I, drawing forth my purse as I spoke,--“one word. Tell
+me, who is your master?”
+
+The groom smiled, slightly touched his hat, and without uttering a word,
+wheeled round his horse, and before I could repeat my question, was far
+on his road back to the château.
+
+Before me lay the river, and the little bridge of Göding, across which
+now the Russian columns were marching in rapid but compact order. Their
+cavalry had nearly all passed, and was drawn with some field-guns along
+the bank; while at half-cannon-shot distance, the corps of Davoust were
+drawn up in order of battle, and standing spectators of the scene. On an
+eminence of the field a splendid staff were assembled, accompanied by a
+troop of Tartar horsemen, whose gay colors and strange equipment were
+a remarkable feature of the picture; and here, I learned, the Emperor
+Alexander then was, accompanied by General Savary.
+
+As I drew near, my French uniform caught the eye of the latter, and he
+cantered forward to meet me. Tearing open the despatch with eagerness,
+he rapidly perused the few lines it contained; then, seizing me by the
+arm in his-strong grasp, he exclaimed,--
+
+“Look yonder, sir! You see their columns extending to Serritz. Go back
+and tell his Majesty. But no; my own mission here is ended. You may
+return to Austerlitz.”
+
+So saying, he rode back to the group around the Emperor, where I saw
+him a few minutes after addressing his Majesty; and then, after a formal
+leave-taking, turn his horse's head and set out towards Brunn.
+
+As I retraced my steps towards the camp, I began to muse over the events
+which had just occurred; and even by the imperfect glimpses I
+could catch of the negotiations, could perceive that the Czar had
+out-manoeuvred Napoleon. It is true, I was not aware by what means
+the success had been obtained; nor was it for many a year after that I
+became cognizant of the few autograph lines by which Alexander induced
+Davoust to suspend his operations, under the pretence that the Austrian
+armistice included the Russian army. It was an unworthy act and ill
+befitting one whose high personal courage and chivalrous bearing gave
+promise of better things.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII. THE COMPAGNIE D'ELITE
+
+With whatever triumphant feelings the Emperor Napoleon may have
+witnessed the glorious termination of this brief campaign, to the young
+officers of the army it brought anything rather than satisfaction,
+and the news of the armistice was received in the camp with gloom and
+discontent. The brilliant action at Elchingen, and the great victory at
+Austerlitz, were hailed as a glorious presage of future successes, for
+which the high-sounding phrases of a bulletin were deemed but a poor
+requital. A great proportion of the army were new levies, who had not
+seen service, and felt proportionably desirous for opportunities of
+distinction; and to them the promise of a triumphant return to France
+was a miserable exchange for those battlefields on which they dreamed
+they should win honor and fame, and from whence they hoped to date their
+rise of fortune. Little did we guess, that while words of peace and
+avowals of moderation were on his lips, Napoleon was at that very moment
+meditating on the opening of that great campaign, which, beginning at
+Jena, was to end in the most bloody and long sustained of all his wars.
+
+Nothing, however, was now talked of but the fêtes which awaited us on
+our return to Paris,--while liberal grants of money were made to all the
+wounded, and no effort was spared which should mark that feeling of the
+Emperor's, which so conspicuously opened his bulletin, in the emphatic
+words, “Soldiers, I am content with you!”
+
+Napoleon well understood, and indeed appeared to have anticipated, the
+disappointment the army would experience at this sudden cessation
+of hostilities; and endeavored now to divert the torrent of their
+enthusiasm into another and a safer channel. The bulk of the army were
+cantoned around Brunn and Olmutz; some picked regiments were recalled
+to Vienna, where the Emperor was soon expected to establish his
+headquarters; while many of those who had suffered most severely
+from forced marches and fatigues were formed into corps of escort to
+accompany the Russian prisoners--sixteen thousand in number--on their
+way to France; and lastly, a _compagnie d'élite_, as it was called,
+was selected to carry to the Senate the glorious spoils of
+victory,--forty-five standards taken on the field of Austerlitz, and now
+destined to grace the Palace of the Luxembourg.
+
+I had scarcely seated myself to the humble supper of my bivouac, when an
+orderly came to command me to General d'Auvergne's quarters. The little
+sitting-room he occupied, in a peasant hut, was so filled with officers
+that it was some time before I could approach him; and my impatience
+was not lessened by more than once hearing my name mentioned aloud,--a
+circumstance not a little trying to a young man in the presence of his
+superiors in station.
+
+“But here he is,” said the general, beckoning to me to come forward.
+“Burke, his Majesty has most graciously permitted me to include your
+name in the _compagnie d'élite_,--a testimony of his satisfaction you've
+every reason to be proud of. And just at the moment I was about to
+communicate the fact to you, I have received a message from Marshal
+Murat, requesting that I may permit you to serve on his own staff.”
+
+“Yes, Captain,” said an officer in the uniform of a colonel,--it was the
+first time I had been addressed by my new title, and I cannot express
+what a thrill of pleasure the word gave me,--“Marshal Murat witnessed
+with pleasure the alacrity and steadiness of your conduct on the 2d, and
+has sent me with an offer which I fancy few officers would not deem a
+flattering one.”
+
+“Unquestionably it is, Colonel,” said General d'Auvergne; “nay, more, I
+will say I regard it as the making of a young man's fortune, thus early
+in his career to have attracted such high notice. But I must be passive
+here; Captain Burke shall decide for himself.”
+
+“In that case, sir, I shall cause you but little delay, if you will
+still permit me to serve on your own staff.”
+
+“But stay, my boy, do not be rash in this affair. I will not insult your
+better feeling by dwelling on the little power I possess, and the very
+great enjoyed by Marshal Murat, of serving your interests; but I
+must say, that with him, and on his personal staff, opportunities of
+distinction--”
+
+“And here I must interpose,” said the colonel, smiling courteously:
+“with no officer in this army can a man expect to see service, in its
+boldest and most heroic colors, rather than with General d'Auvergne.”
+
+“I know it,--I feel it, too; and with him, if he will allow me--”
+
+“Enough, my dear boy,” said the old man, grasping my hand in his.
+“Colonel, you must explain to the marshal how stands this matter; and he
+is too kind of heart and too noble of soul to think the worse of any of
+us for our obstinacy. And now, my young friend, make your arrangements
+to join the _compagnie d'élite_; they march to-morrow afternoon,--and
+this is a service you cannot decline. Leave me to make your
+acknowledgments to the marshal, and lose no more time here.”
+
+Short as had been my absence from my quarters, when I re-entered, I
+descried Tascher seated at the table, and busily employed in discussing
+the last fragments of my supper.
+
+“You see, my dear friend,” said he, speaking with his mouth full,--“you
+see what it is to have a _salmi_ for supper. I sat eating a confounded
+mess of black bread, and blacker veal, for fifteen minutes, when the
+breeze brought me the odor of your delicious _plat_. It was in vain I
+summoned all my virtue to resist it; if there ever was a dish made to
+seduce a subaltern on service, it is this. But, I say, won't you eat
+something?”
+
+“I fear not,” said I, half angrily.
+
+“And why?” replied he. “See what a capital wing that is,--a little bare,
+to be sure; and there's the back of a pigeon. _Ma foi!_ you have no
+reason to complain. I say, is it true you are named among the _compagnie
+d'élite_?”
+
+I nodded, and ate on.
+
+“_Diable!_ there never was such fortune. What a glorious exchange
+for this confounded swamp, with its everlasting drill from morning to
+night,--shivering under arms for four hours, and shaking with the ague
+the rest of the day after,--marching, mid-leg in water, half frozen, and
+trying quick movements, when the very blood is in icicles! And then
+you 'll be enjoying Paris,--delightful Paris!--dining at the 'Rocher,'
+supping at the 'Cadran,' lounging into the _salons_, at the very time we
+shall be hiding ourselves amidst the straw of our bivouacs. I go mad to
+think of it. And, what's worse than all, there you sit, as little
+elated as if the whole thing were only the most natural in the world. I
+believe, on my word, you 'd not condescend to be surprised if you were
+gazetted Maréchal de France in to-morrow's gazette.”
+
+“When I can bear, without testifying too much astonishment, to see my
+supper eaten by the man who does nothing but rate me into the bargain,
+perhaps I may plume myself on some equanimity of temper.”
+
+“Confound your equanimity! It's very easy to be satisfied when one has
+everything his own way.”
+
+“And so, Tascher, you deem me such a fortunate fellow?”
+
+“That I do,” replied he, quickly. “You have had more good luck, and made
+less of it, than any one I ever knew. What a career you had before you
+when we met first! There was that pretty girl at the Tuileries quite
+ready to fall in love with you; I know it, because she rather took an
+air of coldness with me. Well, you let her be carried off by an old
+general, with a white head and a queue,--unquestionably a bit of pique
+on her part. Then, somehow or other, you contrived to pink the best
+swordsman of the army, little François there; and I never heard that the
+circumstance gained you a single conquest.”
+
+“Quite true, my friend,” said I, laughing; “I confess it all. And, what
+is far worse, I acknowledge that until this moment I did not even know
+the advantages I was wilfully wasting.”
+
+“And even now,” continued he, not minding my interruption,--“even now,
+you are about to return to Paris as one of the _élite_. Well, I 'll
+wager twenty Naps that the only civil speeches you 'll hear will be from
+some musty old senators at the Luxembourg. Oh dear! if my amiable aunt,
+the Empress, would only induce my most benevolent uncle, the Emperor,
+to put me on that same list, depend upon it you 'd hear of Lieutenant
+Tascher in the 'Faubourg St. Honoré.'”
+
+“But you seem to forget,” said I, half piqued at last by the
+impertinence of his tone, “that I have neither friends nor
+acquaintances; that, although a Frenchman by service, I am not so by
+birth.”
+
+“And I,--what am I?” interrupted he. “A Creole, come from Heaven knows
+what far-away place beyond seas; that there never was a man with
+more expensive tastes, and smaller means to supply them,--with worse
+prospects, and better connections; in short, a kind of live antithesis.
+And yet, with all that, exchange places with me now, and see if, before
+a fortnight elapse, I have not more dinner invitations than any officer
+of the same grade within the Boulevards; watch if the prettiest girl
+at Paris is not at my side in the Opera. But here comes your official
+appointment, I take it.”
+
+As he said this, an orderly of the “Garde” delivered a sealed packet
+into my hands, which, on opening, I discovered was a letter from General
+Duroc, wherein I read, that “it was the wish of his Majesty, Emperor and
+King, that I, his well-beloved Thomas Burke, in conformity with certain
+instructions to be afterwards made known to me, should proceed with the
+_compagnie d'élite_ to Paris, then and there--”
+
+As I read thus far aloud, Tascher interrupted me, snatching the paper
+from my hands, and continued thus:--
+
+“Then and there to mope, muse, and be _ennuyé_ until such time as active
+service may again recall him to the army. My dear Burke, I am really
+sorry for you. Wars and campaigning may be--indeed they are--very fine
+things; but as the means, not the end. His Majesty, my uncle,--whom may
+Heaven preserve and soften his heart to his relations!--loves them for
+their own sake; but we,--you and I, for instance,--what possible reason
+can we have for risking our bones, and getting our flesh mangled, save
+the hope of promotion? And to what end that same promotion, if not for
+a wider sphere of pleasure and enjoyment? Think what a career a colonel,
+at our age, would have in Paris!”
+
+“Come, Tascher, I will not believe you in all this. If there were
+not something higher to reward one for the fatigues and dangers of a
+campaign than the mere sensual delights you allude to, I, for one, would
+soon doff the epaulettes.”
+
+“You are impracticable,” said he, half angrily; “but it is as much from
+the isolation in which you have lived as any conviction on the subject.
+You must let me introduce you to some relatives of mine in Paris. They
+will be delighted to know you; for, as one of the _compagnie d'élite_,
+you might figure as a very respectable 'lion' for two, nay, three entire
+evenings. And you will have the _entrée_ to the pleasantest house in
+Paris; they receive every evening, and all the best people resort there.
+I only exact one condition.”
+
+“And that is--”
+
+“You must not make love to Pauline. That you will fall in love with her
+yourself is a fact I can't help,--nor you either. But no advance on your
+part; promise me that.”
+
+“In such case, Tascher, it were best for all parties I should not know
+the lady. I have no fancy, believe me, for being smitten whether I will
+or no.”
+
+“I see, Master Burke, there is a bit of impertinence in all this. You
+sneer at my warnings about _la belle cousine_; now, I am determined
+you shall see her at least. Besides, you must do me a service with the
+countess I have had the bad luck to be for some time out of favor with
+my aunt Josephine,--some trumpery debts of mine they make a work
+about at the Tuileries. Well, perhaps you could persuade Madame de
+Lacostellerie to take up my cause; she has great influence with the
+Empress, and can make her do what she pleases. And, if I must confess
+it, it was this brought me over to your quarters tonight; and I ate
+your supper just to pass away time till you came back again. You 'll not
+refuse me?”
+
+“Certainly not. But reflect for a moment, Tascher, and you will see that
+no man was ever less intended for a diplomate. It is only a few minutes
+since you laughed at my solitary habits and hermit propensities.”
+
+“I've thought of all that, Burke, and am not a whit discouraged. On the
+contrary, you are the more likely to think of my affairs because you
+have none of your own; and I don't know any one but yourself I should
+fancy to meet Pauline frequently and on terms of intimacy.”
+
+“This, at least, is not a compliment,” said I, laughing.
+
+He shrugged his shoulders, and threw up his eyebrows with a French
+expression, as though to say, it can't be helped; and then continued:--
+
+“And now remember, Burke, I count on you. Get me out of this confounded
+place; I 'd rather be back at Toulon again, if need be. And as I shall
+not see you again before you leave, farewell. I 'll send the letter for
+the countess early to-morrow.”
+
+We shook hands warmly and parted: he to return to his quarters; and I
+to sit down beside my fire, and muse over the events that had just
+occurred, and think of Tascher himself, whose character had never been
+so plainly exposed to me before.
+
+If De Beauvais, with his hot-headed impetuosity, his mad devotion to the
+cause of the Legitimists, was a type of the followers of the Bourbons;
+so, in all the easy indifference and quiet selfishness of his nature,
+was Tascher a specimen of another class of his countrymen,--a class
+which, wrapped up in its own circle of egotistical enjoyments, believed
+Paris the only habitable spot of the whole globe. Without any striking
+traits of character, or any very decided vices, they led a life of
+pleasure and amusement, rendering every one and everything around them,
+so far as they were able, subservient to their own plane and wishes;
+and perfectly unconscious the while how glaring their selfishness
+had become, and how palpable, even to the least observant, was the
+self-indulgence they practised on every occasion. Without cleverness
+or tact enough to conceal their failings, they believed they imposed
+on others because they imposed on themselves,--just as the child deems
+himself unseen when he closes his eyes.
+
+Josephine's followers were, many of them, like this, and formed a
+striking contrast to the young men of the Napoleonite party, who,
+infatuated by the glorious successes of their chief, deemed the
+career of arms alone honorable. St. Cyr and the Polytechnique were the
+nurseries of these,--the principles instilled there were perpetuated
+in after life; and however exaggerated their ideas of France and her
+destiny, their undoubted heroism and devotion might well have palliated
+even heavier errors.
+
+It was in ruminating thus over the different characters of the few I
+had ever known intimately, that I came to think seriously on my own
+condition, which, for many a day before, I had rather avoided than
+sought to reflect on. I felt,--as how many must have done!--that the
+bond of a common country, the inborn patriotism of the native of the
+soil, is the great resource on which men fall back when they devote
+themselves to the career of arms; that the alien's position, disguise it
+how he will, is that of the mere mercenary. How can he identify himself
+with interests on which he is but half-informed, or feel attachment to
+a land wherein he has neither hearth nor home? In the very glory he wins
+he can scarce participate. In a word, his is a false position, which no
+events nor accidents of fortune can turn to good account, and he must
+rest satisfied with a life of isolation and estrangement.
+
+I felt how readily, if I had been a Frenchman born, I could have excused
+and palliated to my conscience many things which now were matters of
+reproach. Aggressive war had lost its horrors in the glory of enlarged
+dominions; the greatness of France and the honor of her arms had made
+me readily forget the miseries entailed on other nations by her lust of
+conquest. But I--the stranger, the alien--had no part in the inheritance
+of glory; and personal ambition,--what means it, save to stand high
+amongst those we once looked up to as superiors? For me there were
+no traditions of a childhood passed amid great names, revered and
+worshipped; no early teachings of illustrious examples beside the
+paternal hearth. And yet there was one, although lost to me forever,
+before whose eyes I would gladly seem to hold a high place. Yes! could
+I but think that she had not forgotten me,--would hear my name with
+interest, or feel one throb of pleasure if I were spoken of with
+honor,--I asked no more!
+
+“A letter, Monsieur le Capitaine,” said my servant, as he deposited
+a package on my table. Supposing it was the epistle of which Tascher
+spoke, I paid but slight attention to it, when by chance I remarked it
+was in General d'Auvergne's handwriting. I opened it at once, and read
+as follows:--
+
+      Bivouac, 11 o'clock.
+
+      My dear Burke,--No one ever set off for Paris without being
+      troubled with commissions for his country friends, and you
+      must not escape the ills of common humanity. Happily for
+      you, however, the debt is easily acquitted; I have neither
+      undiscovered shades of silk to be matched, nor impossible
+      bargains to be effected. I shall simply beg of you to
+      deliver with your own hand the enclosed letter to its
+      address at the Tuileries; adding, if you think fit, the
+      civil attentions of a visit.
+
+      We shall both, in all likelihood, be much hurried when we
+      meet to-morrow,--for I also have received orders to march,--
+      so that I take the present opportunity to enclose you a
+      check on Paris for a trifle in advance of your pay;
+      remembering too well, in my own aide-de-camp days, the
+      dilatory habits of the War Office with new captains.
+
+      Yours ever, dear Burke,
+
+      D'Auvergne, Lieut-General.
+
+The letter of which he spoke had fallen on the table, where I now read
+the address,--“À Madame la Comtesse d'Auvergne, née Comtesse de Meudon,
+dame d'honneur de S. M. l'Impératrice.” As I read these lines, I felt my
+face grow burning hot, my cheeks flushed up, and I could scarcely have
+been more excited were I actually in her presence to whom the letter
+was destined. The poor general's kind note, his check for eight thousand
+francs, lay there: I forgot them both, and sat still, spelling over
+the letters of that name so woven in my destiny. I thought of the first
+night I had ever heard it, when, a mere boy, I wept over her sorrows,
+and grieved for her whose fate was so soon to throw its shadow over my
+own. But in a moment all gave way before the one thought,--I should see
+her again, speak to her and hear her voice. It is true, she was the wife
+of another: but as Marie de Meudon, our destinies were as wide apart;
+under no circumstances could she have been mine, nor did I ever dare
+to hope it. My love to her--for it was such, ardent and passionate--was
+more the devotion of some worshipper at a shrine than an affection that
+sought return. The friendless soldier of fortune, poor, unknown, uncared
+for,--how could he raise his thoughts to one for whose hand the noblest
+and the bravest were suitors in vain? Yet, with all this, how my heart
+throbbed to think that we should meet again! Nor was the thought less
+stirring that I felt, that even in the short interval of absence I had
+won praise from him for whom her admiration was equal to my own. With
+all the turmoil of my hopes and fears I felt a rush of pleasure at my
+heart; and when I slept, it was to dream of happy days to come, and a
+future far brighter than the past.
+
+My first thought when morning broke was to ride over to Beygern, to
+learn the fate of my wounded friends. On my way thither I fell in with
+several officers bound on a similar errand, for already the convent had
+become the great hospital to which the sufferers were brought from every
+part of the camp. As we went along, I was much struck by the depression
+of spirit so remarkable everywhere. The battle over, all the martial
+enthusiasm seemed to have evaporated: many grumbled at the tiresome
+prospect of a winter in country quarters, or cantoned in the field; some
+regretted the briefness of the campaign; while others again complained
+that to return to France after so little of active service would only
+expose them to ridicule from their companions who had seen Italy and
+Egypt.
+
+“Spare your sorrows on that score, my young friends,” said a colonel,
+who listened patiently to the complaints around him; “we shall not
+see the dome of the Invalides for some time yet. Except the _compagnie
+d'élite_, I fancy few of us will figure on the Boulevards.”
+
+“There, again,” cried another: “I never heard anything so unfair as that
+_compagnie d'élite_; they have been, with two solitary exceptions, taken
+from the cavalry. Austerlitz was to be the day of honor for the infantry
+of France, said the bulletin.”
+
+“And so it was,” interrupted a little dark-eyed major; “and I suppose
+his Majesty thought we had enough of it on the field, and did not wish
+to surfeit us with glory. But I ask pardon,” said he, turning towards
+me; “monsieur is, if I mistake not, named one of the _élite_?”
+
+As I replied in the affirmative, I observed all eyes turned towards me;
+but not with any kindly expression,--far from it. I saw that there was a
+deliberate canvass of me, as though to see by my outward man how I could
+possibly deserve such a favor.
+
+“Can you explain to us, Monsieur,” said the little major to me, “on what
+principle the _élite_ were chosen? For we have a thousand contradictory
+reports in the camp: some say by ballot; some, that it was only those
+who never soiled their jackets in the affair of the other day, and
+looked fresh and smart.”
+
+A burst of laughter from the rest interrupted the major's speech, for
+its impertinence was quite sufficient to secure it many admirers.
+
+“I believe, sir,” said I, angrily, “I can show you some reasons against
+the selection of certain persons.”
+
+As I got thus far, an officer whispered something into the major's ear,
+who, with a roar of laughing, exclaimed,--
+
+“A thousand pardons! ten thousand, _parbleu!_ I did n't know you. It was
+monsieur pinked François, the maître d'armes? Yes, yes; don't deny it,”
+ said he, as I made no reply whatever to a question I believed quite
+irrelevant to the occasion,--“don't deny it. That lunge over the guard
+was a thing to be proud of; and, by Jove! you shall not practise it at
+my expense.”
+
+This speech excited great amusement among the party, who seemed to
+coincide perfectly with the reasoning of the speaker; while I myself
+remained silent, unable to decide whether I ought to be annoyed or the
+reverse.
+
+“Come, Monsieur,” resumed the major, addressing me with courtesy, “I
+ask-pardon for the liberty of my speech. By Saint Denis! if all the
+_compagnie d'élite_ have the same skill of fence, I 'll not question
+their appointment.”
+
+The candor of the avowal was too much for my gravity, and I now joined
+in the mirth of his companions.
+
+If I have mentioned so trivial an incident as this here, it is because I
+wish to mark, even thus passingly, a trait of French military life. The
+singular confession of a man who regretted his impertinence because he
+discovered his adversary was a better swordsman, would, under any other
+code or in any other country, have argued poltroonery. Not so here;
+no one for a moment suspected his comrade's courage, nor could any
+circumstance arise to make it doubtful save an actual instance of
+cowardice. The inequality of the combat was reason enough for not
+engaging in it: the odds were unfair, because duelling was like a game
+where each party was to have an equal chance; and hence no shame was
+felt at declining a contest where this inequality existed.
+
+Such a system, it is obvious, could not have prevailed in communities
+where duelling was only resorted to in extreme cases; but here it was
+an every-day occurrence, and often formed but a brief interval, scarce
+interrupting the current of an old friendship. Any resentful spirit,
+any long-continued dislike to the party with whom you once fought, would
+have been denounced as unofficer-like and ungenerous; and every day saw
+men walking arm-inarm in closest intimacy, who but the morning before
+stood opposed to each other's weapons. I now perceived the truth of
+what Minette had once said, and which at the time I but imperfectly
+comprehended. “Maître François will be less troublesome in future; and
+you, Lieutenant, will have an easier life also.”
+
+“Halt there!” shouted a sentry, as we approached the narrow causeway
+that led up to the convent. We now discovered, that by a general order
+no one was permitted to approach the hospital save such as were provided
+with a leave from the medical staff. A bulletin of the deaths was daily
+published on the guard-house, except which no other information was
+afforded of the condition of the wounded; and to this we turned eagerly,
+and with anxious hearts, lest we might read the name of some friend
+lost forever. I ran over with a rapid glance the list, where neither St.
+Hilaire nor poor Pioche occurred; and then, setting spurs to my horse,
+hurried back to my quarters at the top of my speed. When I arrived, the
+preparations for the departure of the _élite_ were already in progress,
+and I had but time to make my few arrangements for the road when the
+order came to join my comrades.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX. PARIS IN 1800
+
+A portion of the Luxembourg was devoted to the reception of the
+_compagnie d'élite_ for whom a household on the most liberal scale was
+provided, a splendid table maintained, and all that wealth and the taste
+of a voluptuous age could suggest, procured, to make their life one of
+daily magnificence and pleasure. Daru himself, the especial favorite
+of the Emperor, took the head of the table each day, to which generally
+some of the ministers were invited; while the “Moniteur” of every
+morning chronicled the festivities, giving _éclat_ to the most minute
+circumstance, and making Paris re-echo to the glories of him of
+whose fame they were but the messengers. The most costly equipages,
+saddle-horses of great price, grooms in gorgeous liveries, all that
+could attract notice and admiration, were put in requisition; while
+ceremonies of pomp went forward day by day, and the deputation received
+in state the congratulatory visits of different departments of the
+Government.
+
+While thus this homage was paid to the semblance of Napoleon's glory,
+his progress through Germany was one grand triumphal procession. One day
+we read of his arrival at Munich, whither the Empress had gone to meet
+him. There he was welcomed with the most frantic enthusiasm: he had
+restored to them their army almost without loss, and covered with
+laurels; he had elevated their elector to a throne; while he cemented
+the friendship between the two nations by the marriage of Eugène
+Beauharnais with the Princess of Bavaria. Another account would tell
+us of sixteen thousand Russian prisoners on their way to France,
+accompanied by two thousand cannon taken from the Austrians. All
+that could excite national enthusiasm and gratify national vanity was
+detailed by the Government press, and popular excitement raised to a
+higher pitch than in the wildest periods of the Revolution.
+
+Hourly was his arrival looked forward to with anxiety and impatience.
+Fêtes on the most splendid scale of magnificence were in preparation,
+and the public bodies of Paris held meetings to concert measures for
+his triumphal reception. At last a telegraphic despatch announced his
+arrival at Strasburg. He crossed the Rhine at the very place where,
+exactly one hundred days before, he passed over on his march against
+the Austrians; one hundred days of such glory as not even his career had
+equalled,--Ulm and Austerlitz, vanquished Russia, and ruined Austria the
+trophies of this brief space! Never had his genius shone with greater
+splendor; never had Fortune shown herself 'more the companion of his
+destiny.
+
+Each hour was now counted, and every thought turned to the day when he
+might be expected to arrive; and on the 24th came the intelligence that
+the Emperor was approaching Paris. He had halted part of a day at Nancy
+to review some regiments of cavalry, and now might be expected in less
+than twenty-four hours. The next morning all Paris awoke at an early
+hour; when what was the surprise and disappointment to see the great
+flag floating from the pavilion of the Tuileries! His Majesty had
+arrived during the night, when, at once sending for the Minister of
+Finance, he proceeded, without taking a moment's repose, to examine into
+the dreadful crisis which threatened the Bank of France and the very
+existence of the Government.
+
+At eleven, the Council of State were assembled at the Tuileries; and
+at twelve, a proclamation, dispersed through Paris, announced that M.
+Molien was appointed minister, and M. Marbois was dismissed from his
+office. The rapidity of these changes, and the avoidance of all public
+homage by the Emperor, threw for several days a cast of gloom over the
+whole city; which was soon dissipated by the reappearance of Napoleon,
+and the publication of that celebrated report by M. Champagny in which
+the glories of France--her victories, her acquisitions in wealth,
+territory, and influence--were recited in terms whose adulation it would
+be now difficult to digest.
+
+From that moment the festivities of Paris commenced, and with a splendor
+unsurpassed by any period of the Empire. It was the Augustan era of
+Napoleon's life in all that concerned the fine arts; for literature,
+unhappily, did not flourish at any time beneath his reign. Gérard and
+Gros, David, Ingres, and Isabey committed to canvas the glories of the
+German campaigns; and the capitulation of Ulm, the taking of Vienna,
+the passage of the Danube, and the field of Austerlitz still live in the
+genius of these great painters.
+
+The Opera, too, under the direction of Gimerosa, had attained to an
+unwonted excellence; while Spontini and Boieldieu, in their separate
+walks, gave origin to the school so distinctly that of the Comic Opera.
+Still, the voluptuous tastes of the day prevailed above all; and the
+ballet, and the strange conceptions of Nicolo, a Maltese composer,--in
+which music, dancing, romance, and scenery all figured,--were the
+passion of the time.
+
+Dancing was, indeed, the great art of the era. Vestris and Trénis were
+the great names in every _salon_; and all the extravagant graces and
+voluptuous groupings of the ballet were introduced into the amusements
+of society: even the taste in dress was made subordinate to this
+passion,--the light and floating materials, which mark the figure and
+display symmetry, replacing the heavier and more costly robes of former
+times. The reaction to the stern puritanism of the Republican age had
+set in, and secretly was favored by Napoleon himself; who saw in all
+this extravagance and abandonment to pleasure the basis of that new
+social state on which he purposed to found his dynasty.
+
+Never were the entertainments at the Tuileries more costly; never was
+a greater magnificence displayed in all the ceremonial of state. The
+marshals of the Empire were enjoined to maintain a style corresponding
+to their exalted position; and the reports of the police were actually
+studied respecting such persons as lived in what was deemed a manner
+unbefitting their means of expense. Cambacérès and Fouché, Talleyrand
+and Murat, all maintained splendid establishments. Their dinners were
+given twice each week, and their receptions were almost every evening.
+If the Emperor conferred wealth with a liberal hand, so did he expect to
+see it freely expended. He knew well the importance of conciliating the
+affections of the _bourgeoisie_ of Paris; and that by no other means
+could such an end be accomplished more readily than by a lavish
+expenditure of money throughout all classes of society. This was alone
+wanting to efface every trace of the old Republican spirit. The simple
+habits and uncostly tastes of the Jacobins were at once regarded as
+meannesses; their frugal and unpretending modes of life pronounced low
+and vulgar; and many, who could have opposed a stout heart against
+the current of popular feeling on stronger grounds, yielded to the
+insinuations and mockeries of their own class, and conformed to tastes
+which eventually engendered opinions and even principles.
+
+I ask pardon of my reader for digressing from the immediate subject of
+my own career, to speak of topics which are rather the province of the
+historian than a mere story-teller like myself; still, I should not be
+able to present to his view the picture of manners I desired, without
+thus recalling some features of that time, so pregnant with the fate of
+Europe and the future destiny of France. And now to return.
+
+Immediately on the Emperor's arrival, the Empress and her suite took
+their departure for Versailles; from whence it was understood they were
+not to return before the end of the month, for which time a splendid
+ball was announced at the Tuileries. Unwilling to detain General
+d'Auvergne's letter so long, and unable from the position I occupied
+to obtain leave of absence from Paris, I forwarded the letter to the
+comtesse, and abandoned the only hope of meeting her once more. The
+disappointment from this source; the novelty of the circumstances in
+which I found myself; the fascinations of a world altogether strange
+to me,--all conspired to confuse and excite me, and I entered into the
+dissipation of those around me, if not with all their zest, at least
+with as headlong a resolution to drown all reflection in a life of
+voluptuous enjoyment.
+
+The only person of my own standing among the _compagnie d'élite_ was a
+captain of the Chasseurs of the Guard, who, although but a few years
+my senior, had seen service in the Italian campaign. By family a
+Bour-bonist, he joined the revolutionary armies when his relatives fled
+from France, and slowly won his steps to his present rank. A certain
+_hauteur_ in his manner with men--an air of distance he always wore--had
+made him as little liked by them as it usually succeeds in making a man
+popular with women, to whom the opposite seems at once a compliment.
+He was a man who had seen much of the world, and in the best society;
+gifted with the most fascinating address, whenever he pleased to exert
+it, and singularly good-looking, he was the _beau idéal_ of the French
+officer of the highest class.
+
+The Chevalier Duchesne and myself had travelled together for some
+days without exchanging more than the ordinary civilities of distant
+acquaintance, when some accident of the road threw us more closely
+together, and ended by forming an intimacy which, in our Paris life,
+brought us every hour into each other's society.
+
+Stranger as I was in the capital, to me the acquaintance was a boon of
+great price. He knew it thoroughly: in the gorgeous and stately _salons_
+of the Faubourg; in the _guingettes_ of the Rue St. Denis; in the costly
+mansion of the modern banker (the new aristocracy of the land); or in
+the homely _ménage_ of the shopkeeper of the Rue St. Honoré,--he was
+equally at home, and by some strange charm had the _entrée_ too.
+
+The same “sesame” opened to him the _coulisse_ of the Opera and the
+penetralia of the Français. In fact, he seemed one of those privileged
+people who are met with occasionally in life in places the most
+incongruous and with acquaintances the most opposite, yet never carrying
+the prestige of the one or the other an inch beyond the precincts it
+belongs to. Had he been wealthy I could have accounted for much of this,
+for never was there a period when riches more abounded nor when their
+power was more absolute: but he did not seem so; although in no want of
+money, his retinue and simple style of living betrayed nothing beyond
+fair competence. Neither, as far as I could perceive, did he incline to
+habits of extravagance; on the contrary, he was too apt to connect every
+display with vulgarity, and condemn in his fastidiousness the gorgeous
+splendor that characterized the period.
+
+Such, without going further, did Duchesne appear to be, as we took up
+our quarters at the Luxembourg, and commenced an intimacy which each day
+served to increase.
+
+“Well, thank Heaven, this vaudeville is over at last!” said he, as he
+threw himself into a large chair at my fire, and pitched his chapeau,
+all covered with gold and embroidery, into a far corner of the room.
+
+We had just returned from Notre Dame, where the grand ceremonial of
+receiving the standards was held by the Senate with all the solemnity of
+a high mass and the most imposing observances.
+
+“Vaudeville?” said I, turning round rapidly.
+
+“Yes; what else can you call it? What, I ask you, had those poor
+decrepit senators, those effeminate priests in the costumes of
+_béguines_, to do with the eagles of a brave but unfortunate army? In
+what way can you connect that incense and that organ with the smoke of
+artillery and the crash of mitraille? And, lastly, was it like old
+Daru himself to stand there, half crouching, beside some wretched
+half-palsied priest? But I feel heartily ashamed of myself, though I
+played but the smallest part in the whole drama.”
+
+“Is it thus you can speak of the triumph of our army? the glories--”
+
+“You mistake me much. I only speak of that miserable mockery which
+converts our hard-won laurels into chap-lets of artificial flowers.
+These displays are far beneath us, and would only become the victories
+of some national guard.”
+
+“So, then,” said I, half laughingly, “it is your Republican gorge that
+rises against all this useless ceremonial?”
+
+“You are the very first ever detected me in that guise,” said he,
+bursting into a hearty laugh. “But come, I'd wager you agree with me
+all this while. This was a very contemptible exhibition; and, for my own
+part, I 'd rather see the colors back again with those poor fellows we
+chased at Austerlitz, than fluttering in the imbecile hands of dotage
+and bigotry.”
+
+“Then I must say we differ totally. I like to think of the warlike
+spirit nourished in a nation by the contemplation of such glorious
+spoils. I am young enough to remember how the Invalides affected me--”
+
+“When you took your Sunday walk there from the Poly-technique, two and
+two, with a blue ribbon round your neck for being a good boy during the
+week. Oh, I know it all; delicious times they were, with their souvenirs
+of wooden legs and plum-pudding. Happy fellow you must be, if the
+delusion can last this while!”
+
+“You are determined it shall not continue much longer,” said I,
+laughing; “that is quite evident.”
+
+“No; on the contrary, I shall be but too happy to be your convert,
+instead of making you mine. But unfortunately, Sa Majesté, Empereur et
+Roi, has taught me some smart lessons since I gave up mathematics; and I
+have acquired a smattering of his own policy, which is to look after
+the substance, and leave the shadow--or the _drapeau_, if you like it
+better--to whoever pleases.”
+
+“I confess, however,” said I, “I don't well understand your enthusiasm
+about war and your indifference about its trophies. To me the
+associations they suggest are pleasurable beyond anything.”
+
+“I think I remember something of that kind in myself formerly,” said he,
+musing. “There was a time when the blast of a trumpet, or even the clank
+of a sabre, used to set my heart thumping. Happily, however, the organ
+has grown steeled against even more stirring sounds; and I listened to
+the salute to-day, fired as it was by that imposing body, the artillery
+of the 'Garde Nationale,' with an equanimity truly wonderful. Apropos,
+my dear Burke; talk of heroism and self-devotion as you will, but show
+me anything to compare with the gallantry of those fellows we saw to-day
+on the Quai Voltaire,--a set of grocers, periwig-makers, umbrella and
+sausage men, with portly paunches and spectacles,--ramming down charges,
+sponging, loading, and firing real cannon. On my word of honor, it was
+fearful.”
+
+“They say his Majesty is very proud indeed of the National Guard of
+Paris.”
+
+“Of course he is. Look at them, and just think what must be the
+enthusiasm of men who will adopt a career so repugnant, not only to
+their fancy, but their very formation. Remember that he who runs
+yonder with a twenty-four pounder never handled anything heavier than a
+wig-block, and that the only charges of the little man beside him have
+been made in his day-book. By Saint Denis! the dromedary guard we had
+in Egypt were more at home in their saddles than the squadron who rode
+beside the archbishop's carriage.”
+
+“It is scarcely fair, after all,” said I, half laughing, “to
+criticise them so severely; and the more, as I think you had some old
+acquaintances among them.”
+
+“Ha! you saw that, did you?” said he, smiling. “No, by Jove! I never met
+them before. But that _confrèrie_ of soldiers--you understand--soon made
+us acquainted; and I saw one old fellow speaking to a very pretty girl I
+guessed to be his daughter, and soon cemented a small friendship with
+him: here's his card.”
+
+“His card! Why, are you to visit him?”
+
+“Better again; I shall dine there on Monday next. Let us see how he
+calls himself: 'Hippolyte Pierrot, stay and corset-maker to her Majesty
+the Empress, No. 22 Rue du Bac,--third floor above the _entresol._'
+_Diable!_ we 're high up. Unfortunately, I am scarcely intimate enough
+to bring a friend.”
+
+“Oh, make no excuses on that head,” said I, laughing; “I really have no
+desire to see Monsieur Hippolyte Pierrot's _menage_. And now, what are
+your engagements for this evening? Are you for the Opera?”
+
+“I don't well know,” said he, pausing. “Madame Caulaincourt receives,
+and of course expects to see our gay jackets in her _salon_ any time
+before or after supper. Then there's the Comtesse de Nevers: I never go
+there without meeting my tailor; the fellow's a spy of the police, and
+a confectioner to boot, and he serves the ices, and reports the
+conversations in the Place Vendôme and that side of the Rue St.
+Honoré,--I couldn't take a glass of lemonade without being dunned. Then,
+in the Faubourg I must go in plain clothes,--they would not let the
+'livery of the Usurper' pass the porter's lodge; besides, they worry one
+with their enthusiastic joy or grief,--as the last letter from England
+mentions whether the Comte d'Artois has eaten too many oysters, or found
+London beer too strong for him.”
+
+“From all which I guess that you are indisposed to stir.”
+
+“I believe that is about the fact. Truth is, Burke, there is only one
+soirée in all Paris I 'd take the trouble to dress for this evening;
+and, strange enough, it's the only house where I don't know the people.
+He is a commissary-general, or a 'fournisseur' of some kind or other of
+the army; always from home, they say; with a wife who was once, and a
+daughter who is now, exceeding pretty; keeps a splendid house; and, like
+an honest man, makes restitution of all he can cheat in the campaign by
+giving good dinners in the capital. His Majesty, at the solicitation of
+the Empress, I believe, made him a count,--God's mercy it was not a
+king!--and as they come from Guadaloupe, or Otaheite, no one disputes
+their right. Besides, this is not a time for such punctilio. This is all
+I know of them, for unfortunately they settled here since I joined the
+army.”
+
+“And the name?”
+
+“Oh, a very plausible name, I assure you. Lacostellerie,--Madame la
+Comtesse de Lacostellerie.”
+
+“By Jove! you remind me I have letters for her,--a circumstance I had
+totally forgotten, though it was coupled with a commission.”
+
+“A letter! Why, nothing was ever so fortunate. Don't lose a moment; you
+have just time to leave it, with your card, before dinner. You'll have
+an invitation for this evening at once.”
+
+“But I have not the slightest wish.”
+
+“No matter, _I_ have; and you shall bring me.”
+
+“You forget,” said I, mimicking his own words, “I am unfortunately not
+intimate enough.”
+
+“As to that,” replied he, “there is a vast difference between the
+etiquette Rue du Bac, No. 22, three floors above the _entresol_, and the
+gorgeous _salons_ of the Hôtel Clichy, Rue Faubourg St. Honoré; ceremony
+has the advantage in the former by a height of three pair of stairs, not
+to speak of the _entresol_.”
+
+“But I don't know the people.”
+
+“Nor I.”
+
+“But how am I to present you?”
+
+“Easily enough,--'Captain Duchesne, Imperial Guard;' or, if you prefer
+it, I 'll do the honors for _you_.”
+
+“With all my heart, then,” said I, laughing; and pre-pared to pay the
+visit in question.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X. THE HÔTEL DE CLICHY
+
+Duchesne was correct in all his calculations. I had scarcely reached the
+Luxembourg when a valet brought me a card for the comtesse's soirée
+for that evening. It was accordingly agreed upon that we were to go
+together; I as the invited, he as my friend.
+
+“All your finery, Burke, remember that,” said he, as we separated to
+dress. “The uniform of the _compagnie d'élite_ is as much a decoration
+in a _salon_ as a camellia or a geranium.”
+
+When he re-entered my room half an hour later, I was struck by the blaze
+of orders and decorations with which his jacket was covered; while at
+his side there hung a magnificent _sabre d'honneur_, such as the Emperor
+was accustomed to confer on his most distinguished officers.
+
+“You smile at all this bravery,” said he, wilfully misinterpreting
+my look of admiration; “but remember where we are going.”
+
+“On the contrary,” interrupted I; “but it is the first time I knew you
+had the cross of the Legion.”
+
+“_Parbleu!_” said he, with an insolent shrug of his shoulders, “I had
+lent it to my hairdresser for a ball at the 'Cirque.' But here comes the
+carriage.”
+
+While we drove along towards the Faubourg I had time to learn some
+further particulars of the people to whose house we were proceeding;
+and for my reader's information may as well impart them here, with such
+other facts as I subsequently collected myself.
+
+Like most of the _salons_ of the new aristocracy, Madame Lacostellerie
+received people of every section of party and every class of political
+opinion. Standing equally aloof from the old régime and the members
+of the Jacobin party, her receptions were a kind of neutral territory,
+where each could come without compromise of dignity: for already, except
+among the most starched adherents of the Bourbons, few of whom remained
+in France, there was a growing spirit to side with the Napoleonists
+in preference to the revolutionary section; while the latter, with all
+their pretensions to simplicity and primitive tastes, felt no little
+pride in mixing with the very aristocracy they so loudly inveighed
+against. Besides all this, wealth had its prestige. Never, in the
+palmiest days of the royalty, were entertainments of greater splendor;
+and the Legitimists, however disposed to be critical on the company,
+could afford to be just regarding the cuisine,--the luxury of these
+modern dinners eclipsing the most costly displays of former times, where
+hereditary rank and ancient nobility contributed to adorn the scene.
+And, lastly, the admixture of every grade and class extended the field
+of conversational agreeability, throwing in new elements and eliciting
+new features in a society where peers, actors, poets, bankers, painters,
+soldiers, speculators, journalists, and adventurers were confusedly
+mixed together; making, as it were, a common fund of their principles
+and their prejudices, and starting anew in life with what they could
+seize in the scramble.
+
+After following the long line of carriages for above an hour, we at last
+turned into a large courtyard, lit up almost to the brightness of day.
+Here the equipages of many of the ministers were standing,--a privilege
+accorded to them above the other guests. I recognized among the number
+the splendid liveries of Decrès; and the stately carriage of Talleyrand,
+whose household always proclaimed itself as belonging to a “seigneur”
+ of the oldest blood of France,--the most perfect type of a highbred
+gentleman. Our progress from the vestibule to the stairs was a slow one.
+The double current of those pressing upwards and downwards delayed us
+long; and at last we reached a spacious antechamber, where even greater
+numbers stood awaiting their turn, if happily it should come, to move
+forward.
+
+While here, the names of those announced conveyed tous a fair impression
+of the whole company. Among the first was Le General Junot, Berthollet
+(the celebrated chemist), Lafayette, Monges, Daru, Comte de Mailles (a
+Legitimist noble), David (the regicide), the Ambassador of Prussia,
+M. Pasquier, Talma. Such were the names we heard following in quick
+succession; when suddenly an avenue was opened by a master of the
+ceremonies before me, who read from my card the words, “Le Capitaine
+Burke, officier d'élite; le Chevalier Duchesne, présenté par lui.” And
+advancing within the doorway, I found myself opposite a very handsome
+woman, whose brilliant dress and blaze of diamonds concealed any ravages
+time might have made upon her beauty.
+
+She was conversing with the Arch-Chancellor, Cambacérès, when my name
+was announced; and turning rapidly round, touched my arm with her
+bouquet, as she said, with a most gracious smile,--
+
+“I am but too much flattered to see you on so short an invitation; but
+M. de Tascher's note led me to hope I might presume so far. Your friend,
+I believe?”
+
+“I have taken the great liberty--”
+
+“Indeed, Madame la Comtesse,” said Duchesne, interrupting, “I must
+exculpate my friend here. This intrusion rests on my own head, and has
+no other apology than my long cherished wish to pay my homage to the
+most distinguished ornament of the Parisian world.”
+
+As he spoke, the quiet flow of his words, and the low deferential bow
+with which he accompanied them, completely divested his speech of its
+tone of gross flattery, and merely made it seem a very fitting and
+appropriate expression.
+
+“This would be a very high compliment, indeed,” replied Madame de
+Lacostellerie, with a flush of evident pleasure on her cheek, “had it
+even come from one less known than the Chevalier Duchesne. I hope the
+Duchesse de Montserrat is well,--your aunt, if I mistake not?” “Yes,
+Madame,” said he, “in excellent health; it will afford her great
+pleasure when I inform her of your polite inquiry.”
+
+Another announcement now compelled us to follow the current in front,
+which I was well content to do, and escape from an interchange of fine
+speeches, of whose sincerity, on one side at least, I had very strong
+misgivings.
+
+“So, then, the comtesse is acquainted with your family?” said I, in a
+whisper.
+
+“Who said so?” replied he, laughing.
+
+“Did she not ask after the Duchesse de Montserrat?”
+
+“And then?”
+
+“And didn't you promise to convey her very kind message?”
+
+“To be sure I did. But are you simple enough to think that either of us
+were serious in what we said? Why, my dear friend, she never saw my
+aunt in her life; nor, if I were to hint at her inquiry for her to
+the duchesse, am I certain it would not cost me something like a half
+million of francs the old lady has left me in her will,--on my word, I
+firmly believe she'd never forgive it. You know little what these people
+of the _vieille roche_, as they call themselves, are like. Do you see
+that handsome fellow yonder, with a star on a blue cordon?”
+
+“I don't know him; but I see he's a Marshal of France.”
+
+“Well, I saw that same aunt of mine rise up and leave the room because
+_he_ sat down in her presence!”
+
+“Oh! that was intolerable.”
+
+“So she deemed his insolence. Come, move on; they 're dancing in the
+next _salon_.” And without saying more, we pushed through the crowd in
+the direction of the music.
+
+It is only by referring to the sensations experienced by those who see
+a ballet at the Opera for the first time that I can at all convey my own
+on entering the _salle de danse_. My first feeling was that of absolute
+shame. Never before had I seen that affectation of stage costume which
+then was the rage in society. The short and floating jupe--formed of
+some light and gauzy texture, which, even where it covered the figure,
+betrayed the form and proportions of the wearer--was worn low on the
+bosom and shoulders, and attached at the waist by a ribbon, whose knot
+hung negligently down in seeming disorder. The hair fell in long and
+floating masses loose upon the neck, waving in free tresses with every
+motion of the figure, and adding to that air of abandon which seemed so
+studiously aimed at. But more than anything in mere costume was the
+look and expression, in which a character of languid voluptuousness
+was written, and made to harmonize with the easy grace of floating
+movements, and sympathize with gestures full of passionate fascination.
+
+[Illustration: The Dance 134]
+
+“Now, Burke,” said Duchesne, as he threw his eyes over the room, “shall
+I find a partner for you? for I believe I know most of the people here.
+That pretty blonde yonder, with the diamond buckles in her shoes, is
+Mademoiselle de Rancy, with a dowry of some millions of francs; what say
+you to pushing your fortune there? Don't forget the _officier d'élite_
+is a trump card just now; and there's no time to lose, for there will
+soon be a new deal.”
+
+“Not if she had the throne of France in reversion,” said I; turning away
+in disgust from a figure which, though perfectly beautiful, outraged at
+every movement that greatest charm of womanhood,--her inborn modesty.
+
+“Ah, then, you don't fancy a blonde!” said he, carelessly, whether
+wilfully misunderstanding me or not I could not say. “Nor I either,”
+ added he. “There, now, is something far more to my taste; is she not a
+lovely girl?”
+
+She to whom he now directed my attention was standing at the side of
+the room, and leaning on her partner's arm; her head slightly turned,
+so that we could not see her features, but her figure was actually
+faultless. Hers was not one of those gossamer shapes which flitted
+around and about us, balancing on tiptoe, or gracefully floating with
+extending arms. Rather strongly built than otherwise, she stood with
+the firm foot and the straight ankle of a marble statue; her arms, well
+rounded, hung easily from her full, wide shoulders; while her head,
+slightly thrown back, was balanced on her neck with an air at once
+dignified and easy. Her dress well suited the character of her figure:
+it was entirely of black, covered with a profusion of deep lace,--the
+jupe looped up in Andalusian fashion to display the leg, whose symmetry
+was perfect. Even her costume, however, had something about it too
+theatrical for my taste; but there was a stamp of firmness, _fierté_
+even, in her carriage and her attitude, that at once showed hers was
+no vulgar desire of being remarkable, but the womanly consciousness of
+being dressed as became her. She suddenly turned her head around, and
+we both exclaimed in the same breath, “How lovely!” Her features were of
+that brilliant character only seen in Southern blood: eyes large, black,
+and lustrous, fringed with lashes that threw their shadow on the very
+cheek; full lips, curled with an air of almost saucy expression; while
+the rich olive tint of her transparent skin was scarce colored with the
+pink flush of exercise, and harmonized perfectly with the proud repose
+of her countenance.
+
+“She must be Spanish,--that's certain,” said Duchesne. “No one ever saw
+such an instep come from this side the Pyrenees; and those eyes have got
+their look of sleepy wickedness from Moorish blood. But here comes one
+will tell us all about her.”
+
+This was the Baron de Trève,--a withered-looking, dried-up old man,
+rouged to the eyes, and dressed in the extravagance of the last fashion;
+the high collar of his coat rising nearly to the back of his head, as
+his deep cravat in front entirely concealed his mouth, and formed a kind
+of barrier around his features.
+
+As Duchesne addressed him, he stopped short, and assuming an attitude
+of great intended grace, raised his glass slowly to his eye, and looked
+towards the lady.
+
+“Ah! the señorina. Don't you know _her?_ Why, where have you been, my
+dear chevalier? Oh! I forgot. You've been in Austria, or Russia, or some
+barbarous place or other. She is the belle, _par excellence_; nothing
+else is talked of in Paris.”
+
+“But her name? Who is she?” said Duchesne, impatiently.
+
+“Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie, the daughter of the house,” said the
+baron, completely overcome with astonishment at our ignorance. “And you
+not to know this!--you, of all men living! Why,” he continued, dropping
+his voice to a lower key, “there never was such a fortune. Mines of
+rubies and emeralds; continents of coffee, rice, and sandal-wood; spice
+islands and sugar plantations, to make one's mouth water.”
+
+“By Jove, Baron! you seem somewhat susceptible yourself.”
+
+“I had my thoughts on the subject,” said he, with a half sigh. “But,
+_hélas!_ there are so many ties to be broken! so many tender chains one
+must snap asunder!”
+
+“I understand,” said Duchesne, with an air of well-assumed seriousness;
+“the thing was impossible. Now, then, what say you to assist a friend?”
+
+“You,--yourself, do you mean?”
+
+“Of course, Baron; no other.”
+
+“Come this way,” said the old man, taking him by the arm, and leading
+him along to another part of the room, while Duchesne, with a sly look
+at me, followed.
+
+While I stood awaiting his return, my thoughts became fixed on Duchesne
+himself, of whose character I never felt free from my misgivings. The
+cold indifference he manifested on ordinary occasions to everything and
+everybody, I now saw could give way to strong impetuosity; but even this
+might be assumed also. As I pondered thus, I had not remarked that the
+dance was concluded; and already the dancers were proceeding towards
+their seats, when I heard my name uttered beside me,--“Capitaine
+Burke.” I turned; it was the countess herself, leaning on the arm of her
+daughter.
+
+“I wish to present you to my daughter,” said she, with a courteous
+smile. “The college friend and brother officer of your cousin Tascher,
+Pauline.”
+
+The young lady courtesied with an air of cold reserve; I bowed deeply
+before her; while the countess continued,--
+
+“We hope to have the pleasure of seeing you frequently during your
+stay in Paris, when we shall have a better opportunity of making your
+acquaintance.”
+
+As I expressed my sense of this politeness, I turned to address a few
+words to mademoiselle; and requesting to have the honor of dancing
+with her, she looked at me with an air of surprise, as though not
+understanding my words, when suddenly the countess interposed,--
+
+“I fear that my daughter's engagements have been made long since; but
+another night--”
+
+“I will hope--”
+
+But before I could say more, the countess addressed another person near
+her, and mademoiselle, turning her head superciliously away, did not
+deign me any further attention; so that, abashed and awkward at so
+unfavorable a _début_ in the gay world, I fell back, and mixed with the
+crowd.
+
+As I did so, I found myself among a group of officers, one of whom was
+relating an anecdote just then current in Paris, and which I mention
+merely as illustrating in some measure the habits of the period.
+
+At the levée of the Emperor on the morning before, an old general of
+brigade advanced to pay his respects, when Napoleon observed some drops
+of rain glistening on the embroidery of his uniform. He immediately
+turned towards one of his suite, and gave orders to ascertain by what
+carriage the general had arrived. The answer was, that he had come in
+a _fiacre_,--a hired vehicle, which by the rules of the Court was not
+admitted within the court of the Tuileries, and thus he was obliged to
+walk above one hundred yards before he could obtain shelter. The old
+officer, who knew nothing of the tender solicitude of the Emperor, was
+confounded with astonishment to observe at his departure a handsome
+_calèche_ and two splendid horses at his service.
+
+“Whose carriage is this?” said he.
+
+“Yours, Monsieur le Général.”
+
+“And the servant, and the horses?”
+
+“Yours, also. His Majesty has graciously been pleased to order them for
+you; and desires you will remember that the sum of six thousand francs
+will be deducted from your pay to meet the cost of the equipage which
+the Emperor deems befitting your rank in the service.”
+
+“It is thus,” said the narrator, “the Emperor would enforce that
+liberality on others he so eminently displays himself. The spoils of
+Italy and Austria are destined, not to found a new _noblesse_, but to
+enrich the _bourgeoisie_ of this good city of Paris. I say, Edward,
+is not that Duchesne yonder? I thought he was above patronizing the
+_salons_ of a mere commissary-general.”
+
+“You don't know the chevalier,” replied the other; “no game flies
+too high or too low for his mark. Depend upon it, he's not here for
+nothing.”
+
+“If mademoiselle be the object,” said a third, “I'll swear he shall have
+no rivalry on my side. By Jove I I 'd rather face a charge of Hulans
+than speak to her.”
+
+“If thou wert a Marshal of France, Claude, thou wouldst think
+differently.”
+
+“If I were a Marshal of France,” repeated he, with energy, “I'd rather
+marry Minette, the vivandière of ours.”
+
+“And no bad choice either,” broke in a large! heavy-looking officer.
+“There is but one objection to such an arrangement.”
+
+“And that, if I might ask--”
+
+“Simple enough. She would n't have you.”
+
+The young man endeavored to join in the laugh this speech excited among
+the rest, though it was evident he felt ill at ease from the ridicule.
+
+“A thousand pardons, my dear Burke,” said Duchesne, at this moment, as
+he slipped his arm through mine; “but I thought I should have been in
+need of your services a few minutes ago.”
+
+“Ah! how?”
+
+“Move a little aside, and I 'll tell you. I wished to ask mademoiselle
+to dance, and approached her for the purpose. She was standing with
+a number of people, all strangers to me, at the doorway
+yonder,--Dobretski, that Russian prince, the only man I knew amongst
+them. A very chilling 'Engaged, sir,' was the answer of the lady to my
+first request. The same reply met my second and third; when the Russian,
+as if desirous to increase the awkwardness of my position, interposed
+with, 'And the fourth set mademoiselle dances with me.'
+
+“'In that case,' said I, 'I may fairly claim the fifth.'
+
+“'On what grounds, sir?' said she, with a look of easy impertinence.
+
+“'The Emperor's orders, Mademoiselle,' said I, proudly.
+
+“'Indeed, sir! May I ask how and when?'
+
+“'Austerlitz, December 2. The order of four o'clock, dated from Reygern,
+says, “The Imperial Guard will follow closely on the track of the
+Russians.” (Signed) “Napoleon.”'
+
+“'In that case, sir,' said she, 'I cannot dispute his Majesty's orders.
+I shall dance the fifth with you.'”
+
+“And the Russian,--what said he?”
+
+“_Ma foi!_ I paid no attention to him; for as mademoiselle moved off
+with her partner, I strolled away in search of you.”
+
+If I was amused at this recital of the chevalier, I could not avoid
+feeling piqued at the greater success he had than myself; for still the
+chilling reception I had met with was rankling in my mind.
+
+“Let us move away from this quarter,” said Duchesne. “Here we have got
+ourselves among a knot of old campaigners, with their stupid stories
+of Cairo and Acre, Alexandria and the Adige. By Jove! if anything would
+make me a Legitimist, it is my disgust at those confounded narratives
+about Kleber and Desaix; the Emperor himself does not despise the time
+of the Revolution more heartily than I do. Come, there's _bouillotte_
+yonder; let us go and win some pieces. I feel I'm in vein; and even
+to lose would be better than listen to these people. It was only a few
+minutes ago I was hunted, away from Madame de Muraire by old Berthollet,
+who is persuading her that her diamonds are but charcoal, and that a
+necklace is only fit to roast an ortolan. This comes of letting savants
+into society; decidedly, they had much better taste in the time of the
+Monarchy.”
+
+It was with some difficulty we succeeded in approaching the _bouillotte_
+table, where, to judge from the stakes, very high play was going
+forward. Duchesne was quickly recognized among the players, who made
+place for him among them. I soon saw that he was not mistaken in
+supposing he was in luck; every _coup_ was successful, and, while he
+continued to win time after time, the heap of gold grew greater, till it
+covered the part of the table before him.
+
+“Most certainly, Burke,” said he, in a whisper, “this is a strong turn
+of Fortune, who, being a woman, won't long be of the same mind. Five
+thousand francs,” cried he, throwing the _billet de banque_ carelessly
+before him, while he turned to resume what he was saying to me. “Were I
+in action now, I 'd win the _bâton de maréchal_. I feel it; there's an
+innate sense of luck when it means to be steady.”
+
+“The Chevalier Duchesne! the Chevalier Duchesne!” was repeated from
+voice to voice, outside the circle; “Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie is
+waiting to waltz with you.”
+
+“A thousand pardons,” said he, rising. “Burke, continue my game, while
+I try if I can't push fortune the whole way.” So saying, and without
+listening to my excuses about ignorance of play, he pressed me into his
+seat, and pushed his way through the crowd to join the dancers.
+
+It was only when the players asked me if I intended to go on that I was
+aware of the position in which I found myself. I knew little more of the
+game than I had learned in looking over the table; but I was aware of
+the strict etiquette in all the play of society, which enjoins a revenge
+to every loser, so that I continued to bet and stake for Duchesne as
+I had seen him do already,--not, however, with such fortune. He had
+scarcely left the table when luck changed; and now I saw his riches
+decreasing even more rapidly than they had been accumulated. At last,
+after a long run of ill fortune, when I had staked a very large sum on
+the board, just as the banker was about to begin, I changed my mind and
+withdrew half of it.
+
+“No, no,--let it stay,” whispered a voice in my ear; “the sooner this is
+over the better.”
+
+I turned. It was Duchesne himself, who for some time had been seated
+behind my chair and looking on at the game.
+
+Fleeting as was the glance I had of his features, I fancied they were
+somewhat paler than usual. Could this be from the turn of fortune? But
+no. I watched him now, and I perceived that he never even looked at the
+game. At last, I staked all that remained in one _coup_, and lost; when,
+drawing forth my own purse, I was about to make another bet,--
+
+“No, no, Burke,” whispered he in my ear; “I was only waiting for this
+moment. Let us come away now. I rise as I sat down, Messieurs,” he said,
+gayly; while he added, in a lower tone, “Sauf l'honneur.”
+
+“Have you had enough of gayety for one night?” said he, as he drew my
+arm within his. “Shall we turn home wards?”
+
+“Willingly,” said I; for somehow I felt chagrined and vexed at my
+ill-luck, and was angry with myself for playing.
+
+“Come along, then; this door will bring us to the stairs.”
+
+As we passed along hastily through the crowd, I saw that a young officer
+in a hussar uniform whispered something in Duchesne's ear; to which
+he quickly replied, “Certainly.” And as he spoke again in the same low
+tone, Duchesne answered, “Agreed, sir,” with a courteous smile, and a
+look of much pleasure.
+
+“Well, Burke,” said he, turning to me, “these are about the most
+splendid _salons_ in Paris; I think I never saw more perfect taste. I
+certainly must thank you for being my chaperon here.”
+
+“You forget, Duchesne, the Duchesse de Montserrat, it seems,” said I,
+laughing.
+
+“By Jove, and so I had!” said he. “Yet the initiative lay with you;
+how the termination may be is another matter,” added he, in a mumbling
+voice, not intended to be heard.
+
+“At all events,” said I, puzzled what to say, and feeling I should
+say something, “I am happy your Russian friend took no notice of your
+speech.”
+
+“And why?” said he, with a peculiar smile,--“and why?”
+
+“I abhor a duel, in the first place.”
+
+“But, my dear boy, that speech smacks much more of the École de Jésuites
+than of St. Cyr. Don't let any one less your friend than I am hear you
+say so.”
+
+“I care not who may hear it. Necessity may make me meet an adversary in
+single combat; but as to acting the cold-blooded part of a bystander--as
+to being the witness of my friend's crime, or his own death--”
+
+“Come, come; when you exchange the dolman for an alb I 'll listen to
+this from you, if I can listen to it from any one. But happily, now we
+have no time for more morality, for here comes the carriage.”
+
+Chatting pleasantly about the soirée and its company, we rolled along
+towards our quarters, and parted with a cordial shake of the hand for
+the night.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI. A SALLE DE POLICE
+
+When I entered the breakfast-room the following morning, I found
+Duchesne stretched before the fire in an easy-chair, busily engaged
+in reading the “Moniteur” of that day, where a long list of imperial
+_ordonnances_ filled nearly three columns.
+
+“Here have I been,” said he, “conning over this catalogue of princely
+favor these twenty minutes, and yet cannot discern one word of our
+well-beloved cousins Captains Burke and Duchesne. And yet there seems to
+be a hailstorm of promotions. Some of them have got grand duchies; some
+principalities; some have the cross of the Legion; and here, by
+Jove! are some endowed with wives. Now that his Majesty has taken to
+christening and marrying, I suppose we shall soon see him administering
+all the succors of Holy Church. Have you much interest in hearing
+that Talleyrand is to be called Prince of Benevente, and Murat is now
+Grand-Duke of Berg,--that Sebastiani is to be married to Mademoiselle de
+Coigny, and Monsieur Decazes, _fils de_ M. Decazes, has taken some one
+else to wife? Oh dear, oh dear! It's all very tiresome, and not even the
+fête of Saint Napoleon--”
+
+“Of whom?” said I, laughing.
+
+“Saint Napoleon, _parbleu!_ It's no joking matter, I assure you. Here
+is the letter of the cardinal legate to the arch-bishops and bishops
+of France, commanding that the first Sunday in the August of each year
+should be set apart to celebrate his saintship, with an account of the
+processions to take place, and various plenary indulgences to the pious
+who shall present themselves on the occasion. Fouché could tell you the
+names of some people who bled freely to get rid of all this trumpery;
+and, in good sooth, it's rather hard, if we could not endure Saint
+Louis, to be obliged to tolerate Saint Napoleon,--saints, like Bordeaux
+wine, being all the more palatable when they have age to mellow them. I
+could forgive anything, however, but this system of forced marriages;
+it smacks too much of old Frederick for my taste. And one cannot always
+have the luck of your friend General d'Auvergne.”
+
+I felt my cheek grow burning hot at the words. Duchesne did not notice
+my confusion, but continued,--
+
+“And yet, of all the ill-assorted unions for which his sainted Majesty
+will have to account hereafter, that was unquestionably the most
+extraordinary.”
+
+“But I have heard, and I believe too, that the marriage was not of the
+Emperor's making; it was purely a matter of liking.”
+
+“Come, come, Burke,” said he, laughing, “you will not tell me that the
+handsomest girl at the Court, with a large dowry, an ancient name, and
+every advantage of position, marries an old weather-beaten soldier--the
+senior officer of her own father once--of her own free will and choice.
+The thing is absurd. No, no; these are the Imperial recompenses, when
+grand duchies are scarce and confiscations few. The Emperor does not
+travel for nothing. He brought back with him from Egypt something
+besides his Mameluke Guard: that clever trick the pachas have of
+providing a favorite with an ex-sultana. There, there! don't look so
+angrily. We shall both be marshals of France one of these days, and that
+may reconcile one to a great deal.”
+
+“You are determined to owe nothing of your promotion to a blind devotion
+to Napoleon,--that's certain,” said I, annoyed at the tone of insolent
+disparagement in which he spoke.
+
+“You are right,--perfectly right there,” replied he, in a quiet tone of
+voice. “No man would rather hug himself up in an illusion, if he could
+but make it minister to his pleasure or his enjoyment; but when it does
+neither,--when the material is so flimsy as to be seen through at every
+minute,--I throw it from me as a worthless garment, unfit to wear.”
+
+“Can you, then, deem Napoleon's glory such?”
+
+“Of course, to me it is. How am I a sharer in his triumphs, save as the
+charger that marches in the cavalcade? You don't perceive that I, as the
+descendant of an old Loyalist family, would have fared far better with
+the Bourbons, from reasons of blood and kindred; and a hundred times
+better with the Jacobins, from very recklessness.”
+
+“How then came it--”
+
+“I will spare you the question. I liked neither emigration nor the
+guillotine, and preferred the slow suffering of ennui to the quick death
+of the scaffold. There has been but one career in France for many a day
+past. I adopted it as much from necessity as choice; I followed it more
+from habit than either.”
+
+“But you cannot be insensible to the greatness of your country, nor her
+success in arms.”
+
+“Nor am I; but these things are a small ingredient in patriotism. You,
+the stranger, share with us all our triumphs in the field. But the
+inherent features of a nation,--the distinctive traits of which every
+son of the soil feels proud,--where are they now? What is France to me
+more than to you? One half my kindred are exiled; of those who remain,
+many regard me as a renegade. Their properties confiscated, themselves
+suspected, what tie binds them to this country? You are not more an
+alien here than I am.”
+
+“And yet, Duchesne, you shed your blood freely for this same cause you
+condemn. You charged the Pratzen, some days ago, with four squadrons,
+against a whole column of Russian cavalry.”
+
+“Ay, and would again to-morrow, boy. Had you been a gambler, I need n't
+have told you that it is the game, not the stake, that interests the
+real gamester. But come, do not fancy I want to make you a convert to
+these tiresome theories of mine. What say you to the pretty Mademoiselle
+Pauline? Did you admire her much?”
+
+“She is unquestionably very handsome; but, if I must confess it, her
+manner towards me was too ungracious to make me loud in her praise.”
+
+“I like that, I vow,” said Duchesne; “that saucy air has an
+indescribable charm for me. I don't know if it is not the very thing
+which pleases me most about her. She has been spoiled by flattery and
+admiration; for her beauty and her fortune are prizes in the great
+wheel. And that she is aware of the fact is nothing wonderful,
+considering that she hears it repeated every evening of her life, by
+every-rank in the service, from a marshal of France down to--a captain
+in the _chasseurs à cheval_,” said he, laughing.
+
+“Who, probably, was one of the last to tell her so,” said I, looking at
+him slyly.
+
+“What have we here?” said he, suddenly, without paying any attention to
+my remark, as he again took up the “Moniteur.” “'It is rumored that the
+Russian Prince, Drobretski, was dangerously wounded this morning in an
+affair of honor. The names of the other party and the seconds are
+still unknown; but the efforts of the police, stimulated by the express
+command of the Emperor, will, it is to be hoped, succeed in discovering
+them ere long.'”
+
+“Is not that the name of your Russian friend of last night, Duchesne?”
+
+“Yes. And the same person, too, formerly Russian minister at Madrid, and
+latterly residing on his parole at Paris,” continued he, reading from
+the paper. “'The very decided part his Majesty has taken against the
+practice of duelling is strengthened on this occasion by a recent order
+of council respecting the prisoners on parole.' _Diable!_ Burke, what
+a scrupulous turn Napoleon seems to have taken in regard to these
+Cossacks! And here follows a long list of witnesses who have seen
+nothing, and suspicious circumstances that occur every morning in the
+week without remark. After all, I don't think the Empire has advanced
+us much on the score of police,--the same threadbare jests, the same
+old practical jokes, amused the _bourgeoisie_ in the time of Louis the
+Fourteenth.”
+
+“I don't clearly understand your meaning.”
+
+“It is simply this,--that every Government of France, from Pepin
+downwards, has understood the value of throwing public interest, from
+time to time, on a false scent, and to this end has maintained a police.
+Now, if for any cause his Majesty thought proper to incarcerate that
+Russian prince in the Temple or La Force, the affair would cause a
+tremendous sensation in Paris, and soon would ring over the whole of
+Germany and the rest of Europe, with every variation of despotism,
+tyranny, and all that, attached to it, long before any advantages to be
+derived from the step could be realized. Whereas see the effect of an
+opposite policy. By this report of a duel, for instance,--I don't
+mean to assert it false, here,--the whole object is attained, and
+an admirable subject of Imperial praise obtained into the bargain.
+Governments have learned wisdom from the cuttlefish, and can muddy
+the water on their enemies at the moment of danger. I should not be
+surprised if the affairs of the Bank looked badly this morning.”
+
+“It is evident, then, you disbelieve the whole statement about the
+duel.”
+
+“My dear friend,” said he, smiling, “who is there in all Paris, from
+Montmartre to St. Denis, believes, or disbelieves, any one thing in the
+times we live in? Have we not trusted so implicitly for years past to
+the light of our reason that we have actually injured our eyesight with
+ils brilliancy. Little reproach, indeed, to our minds, when our very
+senses seem to mislead us; when one sees the people who enter the
+Tuileries now with embroidered coats, who in our father's days never
+came nearer to it than the Place de Carrousel. _Hélas!_ it's no time for
+incredulity, that's certain. But to conclude,” said he, turning to the
+paper once more: “'The _commissaires de police_ throughout Paris have
+received orders to spare no effort to unravel the mystery and detect the
+other parties in this unhappy affair.' Military tribunal; prisoners
+on parole; rights of hospitality; honor of France; and the old
+peroration,--the usual compliment on the wisdom which presides over
+every department of state. How weary I do become of all this! Let your
+barber puff his dye for the whiskers, or your bootmaker the incomparable
+effulgence of his blacking,--the thing is in keeping, no one objects to
+it. I don't find fault with my old friend, Pigault Lebrun, if he now and
+then plays the critic on himself, and shows the world the beauties they
+neglectfully slurred over. But, Burke, have you ever seen a _bureau de
+police?_”
+
+“Never; and I have the greatest curiosity to do so.”
+
+“Come, then, I 'll be your guide. The _commissaire_ of this quarter
+has a very extended jurisdiction, stretching away towards the Bois de
+Boulogne, and if there be anything in this report, he is certain to
+know it; and assuredly, no other topic will be talked of till to-morrow
+evening, for it's not Opera night, and Talma does not play either.”
+
+I willingly accepted this proposition; and when our breakfast was over,
+we mounted our horses, and set out for the place in question.
+
+“If the forms of justice where we are now going,” said Duchesne,
+“be divested of much of their pomp and ceremony, be assured of one
+thing,--it is not at the expense of the more material essence. Of all
+the police tribunals about Paris, this obscure den in the Bue de Dix
+Sous is the most effective. Situated in a quarter where crime is as
+rife as fever in the Pontine Marshes, it has become acquainted with
+the haunts and habits of the lowest class in Paris,--the lowest class,
+probably, in any city of Europe. Watching with parental solicitude,
+it tracks the criminal from his first step in vice to his last deed in
+crime; from his petty theft to his murder. Knowing the necessities to
+which poverty impels men, and studying with attention the impulses
+that grow up amid despair and hunger, it sees motives through a mist of
+intervening circumstances that would baffle less subtle observers, and
+can trace the tortuous windings of crime where no other sight could
+find the clew. Is it not strange to think with what ingenuity men will
+investigate the minute anatomy of vice, and how little they will do to
+apply this knowledge to its remedy? Like the surgeon, enamored of
+his operating skill, he would rather exhibit his dexterity in the
+amputation, than his science in the saving, of the limb. Such is the
+bureau of the police in the poorer quarters. In the more fashionable
+ones it takes a higher flight; amusing the world with its scenes,
+alternately humorous and pathetic, it forms a kind of feature in the
+literature of the period, and is the only reading of thousands. In these
+places the _commissaire_ is usually a _bon vivant_ and a wit; despising
+the miserable function of administering the law, he takes his seat upon
+the bench to cap jokes with the witnesses, puzzle the complainant,
+and embarrass the prisoner. To the reporters alone is he civil; and in
+return, his poor witticisms appear in the morning papers, with the usual
+'loud laughter' that never existed save in type.”
+
+As we thus chatted, we entered a quarter of dirty and narrow streets,
+inhabited by a poor-looking, squalid population. The women, with little
+to mark their sex in their coarse, heavy countenances, wore colored
+kerchiefs on their heads in lieu of a cap, and were for the most part
+without shoes or stockings. The men, a brutalized, stupid race, sat
+smoking in the doorways, scarcely lifting their eyes as we passed; or
+some were eating a coarse morsel of black rye bread, which, by their
+eagerness in devouring it, seemed an unusual delicacy.
+
+“You scarcely believed there was such poverty in Paris,” said he; “but
+this is by no means the worst of the quarter. Though M. de Champagny, in
+his late report, makes no mention of these 'signs of prosperity,' we are
+now entering the region where, even in noonday, the passage is deemed
+perilous; but the number of police agents on duty to-day will make the
+journey a safe one.”
+
+The street we entered at the moment consisted of a mass of tall houses,
+almost falling from decay and neglect,--scarcely a window remained in
+many of them; while in front, a row of miserable booths, formed of rude
+planks, narrowed the passage to a mere path, scarce wide enough for
+three people abreast. There, vice of every description, and drunkenness,
+waited not for the dark hours to shroud them, but came forth in the
+sunlight,--the ruffian shouts of intoxication mingling with the almost
+maniacal laugh of misery or the reckless chorus of some degrading song.
+Half-naked wretches leaned from the windows as we passed along,--some
+staring in stupid wonderment at our appearance; others saluting us with
+mockery and grimace, or even calling out to us in the slang dialect of
+the place.
+
+“Yes,” said Duchesne, as he saw the expression of horror and disgust
+the scene impressed on me, “here are the rotting seeds of revolutions
+putrefying, to germinate at some future day. Starvation and vice,
+misery, even to despair, inhabit every den around you. The furious
+and bloodthirsty wretch of '92, the Chouan, the Jacobite, the escaped
+galley-slave, the untaken murderer, are here side by side,--crime their
+great bond of union. To this place men come for an assassin or a false
+witness, as to a market. Such are the wrecks the retiring waves of a
+Revolution have left us. So long as the trade of blood lasted, openly,
+like vultures, they fattened on it; but once the reign of order
+restored, they were driven to murder and outrage as a livelihood.”
+
+While he was speaking, we approached a narrow arched passage, within
+which a flight of stone steps arose. “We dismount here,” said he.
+
+At the same moment a group of ragged creatures, of every age, surrounded
+us to hold our horses, not noticing the orderly who rode at some
+distance behind us. I followed Duchesne up the steps, and along a gloomy
+corridor, to a little courtyard, where several dismounted gendarmes
+were standing in a circle, chatting. Passing through this, we entered a
+dirty, mean-looking house, around the door of which several people were
+collected, some of whom saluted the chevalier as he came up.
+
+“Who are these fellows?” said I. “They seem to know you.”
+
+“Oh! nothing but the common police spies,” said he, carelessly; “the
+fellows who lounge about the cabarets and the low gambling-houses. But
+here comes one of higher mark.”
+
+As he spoke, he laid his hand on the arm of a tall, powerful-looking
+man, in a blouse; he wore immense whiskers, and a great beard,
+descending far below his chin. “Ah! Bocquin, what have we got going
+forward to-day? I came to show a young friend here the interior of your
+_salle_.”
+
+“Monsieur le Capitaine, your most obedient,” said the man, in a deep
+voice, as he removed his casquette, and bowed ceremoniously to us; “and
+yours also, Monsieur,” added he, turning to me. “Why, there is nothing
+to speak of, save that duel, Capitaine.”
+
+“Come, come, Bocquin; no nonsense with me. What was that story got up
+for?”
+
+“Ah! you mistake there,” said Bocquin. “By Jove! there's a man badly
+wounded, shot through the neck, and no one to tell a word about it. No
+seconds present, the thing done quite privately; the wounded man left at
+his own door, and the other off,--Heaven knows where.”
+
+“And you believe this tale, Bocquin?” said Duchesne, superciliously.
+
+“Believe it!--that I do. I have been to see the place where the man lay;
+and by tracking the wheel marks, I have discovered they came from the
+Champs Élysées. The cabriolet, too, was a private one; no _fiacre_ has
+got so narrow a tire to the wheel.”
+
+“Closely followed up,--eh, Burke?” said the chevalier, turning towards
+me with a smile of admiration at his sagacity. “Go on, Bocquin.”
+
+“Well, I followed the scent to the Barrière de l'Étoile, where I learned
+that one cabriolet passed towards the Bois de Boulogne, and returned in
+about half an hour. As the pace was a sharp one, I guessed they could
+not have gone far, and so I turned into the wood at the first road to
+the right, where there is least recourse of people; and, by Jove! I was
+all correct. There, in a small open space between the trees, I saw the
+marks of recent footsteps, and a little farther on found the grass all
+covered with blood.”
+
+“Monsieur Bocquin! Monsieur Bocquin! the _commissaire_ wants you,” cried
+a voice from the landing of the stair; and with an apology for leaving
+thus suddenly, he turned away.
+
+We followed, however, curious to hear the remainder of this singular
+history; and, after some difficulty, succeeded in gaining admittance to
+a small room, now densely crowded with people, the most of whom were
+of the very lowest class. The _commissaire_ speedily made place for
+us beside him on the bench; for, like every one else in a conspicuous
+position, he also was an acquaintance of Duchesne.
+
+While the _commissaire_ conversed with Bocquin in a low tone, we had
+time to observe the _salle_ and its occupants. Except the witnesses,
+two or three of whom were respectable persons, they were the
+squalid-looking, ragged wretches of the quarter, listening with the
+greedy appetite of crime to any tale of bloodshed. The surgeon, who had
+just returned from visiting the wounded man, was waiting to be examined.
+To him now the _commissaire_ directed his attention. It appeared that
+the wound was by no means of the dangerous character described, being
+merely through the fleshy portion of the neck, without injuring any
+part of importance. Having described circumstantially the extent of
+the injury and its probable cause, he replied to a question of the
+_commissaire_, that no entreaty could persuade the wounded man to
+give any explanation of the occurrence, nor mention the name of his
+adversary. Duchesne paid little apparent attention to the evidence, and
+before it was concluded, asked me if I were satisfied with my police
+experience, and disposed to move away.
+
+Just at this moment there was a stir among the people round the door,
+and we heard the officers of the court cry out, “Room! make way
+there!” and the same moment General Duroc entered, accompanied by an
+aide-de-camp. He had been sent specially by the Emperor to ascertain
+what progress the investigation had made. His Majesty had determined to
+push the inquiry to its utmost limits. The general appeared dissatisfied
+with the little prospect there appeared of elucidation; and turning to
+Duchesne, remarked,--
+
+“This is peculiarly ill-timed just now, as negotiations are pending with
+Russia, and the prince's family are about the person of the Czar.”
+
+“But as the wound would seem of little consequence, in a few days
+perhaps the whole thing may blow over,” said Duchesne.
+
+“It is for that very reason,” replied Duroc, earnestly, “that we are
+pressed for time. The object is to mark the sentiments of his Majesty
+_now_. Should the prince be once pronounced out of danger, it will be
+too late for sympathy.”
+
+“Oh! I perceive,” said Duchesne, smiling; “your observation is most
+just. If my friend here, however, cannot put you on the track, I fear
+you have little to hope for elsewhere.”
+
+“I am aware of that; and Monsieur Cauchois knows the great reliance his
+Majesty reposes in his skill and activity.”
+
+Monsieur Cauchois, the _commissaire_, bowed with a most respectful air
+at the compliment, probably of all others the highest that could be paid
+him.
+
+“A brilliant soirée we had last evening, Duchesne,” said the general. “I
+hope this unhappy affair will not close that house at present; you are
+aware the prince is the suitor of mademoiselle?”
+
+“I only suspected as much,” said the chevalier, with a peculiar smile;
+“it was my first evening there.”
+
+As General Duroc addressed a few words in a low tone to the
+_commissaire_, the man called Bocquin approached the bench, and handed
+up a small slip of paper to Duchesne. The chevalier opened it, and
+having thrown his eyes over it, passed it into my hand. All I could see
+were two words, written coarsely with the pencil,--“How much?”
+
+The chevalier turned the back of the paper, and wrote, “Fifty
+napoleons.”
+
+On reading which the large man tore the scrap, and nodding slightly
+with his head, sauntered from the room. We rose a few moments after,
+and having taken a formal leave of the general and the _commissaire_,
+proceeded towards the street, where we had left our horses. As we passed
+along the corridor, however, we found Bocquin awaiting us. He opened
+a door into a small, mean-looking apartment, of which he appeared the
+owner. Having ushered us in, and cautiously closed it behind him, he
+drew from his pocket a piece of cloth, to which a button and a piece of
+gold embroidery were attached.
+
+“Your jacket would be spoiled without this morsel, Captain,” said he,
+laughing, in a low, dry laugh.
+
+“So it would, Bocquin,” said Duchesne, examining his coat, which I now
+perceived was torn on the shoulder, and a small piece--the exact one in
+his hand--wanting, but which had escaped my attention from the mass of
+gold lace and embroidery with which it was covered.
+
+“Do you know, Bocquin,” said Duchesne, in a tone much graver than he had
+used before, “I never noticed that?”
+
+“_Parbleu!_ I believe you,” said he, laughing; “nor did I, till you sat
+on the bench, when I was so pleased with your coolness, I could not for
+the life of me interrupt you.”
+
+“Have you got any money, Burke?” said the chevalier; “some twenty gold
+pieces--”
+
+“No, no, Captain,” said Bocquin, “not now; another time. I must call
+upon you one of these mornings about another affair, and it will be time
+enough then.”
+
+“As you please, Bocquin,” said the chevalier, putting up his purse
+again; “and so, till we meet.”
+
+“Till we meet, gentlemen,” replied the other, as he bowed us
+respectfully to the door.
+
+“You seem to have but a very faint comprehension of all this, Burke,”
+ said Duchesne, as he took my arm; “you look confoundedly puzzled, I must
+say.”
+
+“If I didn't, I should be an admirable actor, that's all,” said I.
+
+“Why, I think the thing is plain enough, in all conscience; Bocquin
+found that piece of my jacket on the ground, and, of course, the affair
+was in his hands.”
+
+“Why, do you mean to say--”
+
+“That I shot Monsieur le Prince this morning, at a quarter past seven
+o'clock, and felt devilish uncomfortable about it till the last ten
+minutes, my boy. If I did not confide the matter to you before, it
+was because that until all chance of detection was passed, I could not
+expose you to the risk of an examination before the _préfet de police_.
+Happily, now these dangers are all over. Bocquin is too clever a fellow
+not to throw all the other spies on a wrong scent, so that we need have
+no fear of the result.”
+
+I could scarcely credit the evidence of my senses at the coolness and
+duplicity of the chevalier throughout an affair of such imminent
+risk, nor was I less astonished at the account he gave of the whole
+proceeding.
+
+One word, on leaving the soirée, had decided there should be a meeting
+the following day; and as the Russian well knew the danger of his
+adventure, from the law which was recently passed regarding prisoners
+on parole, he proposed they should meet without seconds on either side.
+Duchesne acceded; and it was arranged that the chevalier should drive
+along the Bue de Rivoli at seven the next morning, where the Russian
+would join him, and they should drive together to the Bois de Boulogne.
+
+“To do my Cossack justice,” said Duchesne, “he behaved admirably
+throughout the whole affair; and on taking his place beside me in the
+cab, entered into conversation freely and easily on the topics of
+the day. We chatted of the campaign; of the cavalry; of the Russian
+service,--their size and equipment, only needing a higher organization
+to make them first-rate troops. We spoke of the Emperor Alexander, of
+whom he was evidently proud, and much pleased to hear the favorable
+opinion Napoleon entertained of his ability and capacity; and it was in
+the middle of an anecdote about Savary and the Czar we arrived at the
+Bois de Boulogne.
+
+“I need not tell you the details of the affair, save that we loaded
+our own pistols, and stepped the ground ourselves. They were like other
+things of the same sort,--the first shot concluded the matter. I aimed
+at his shoulder, but the pistol threw high. As to his bullet, it was
+only awhile ago I knew it went so near me. It was nervous work passing
+the _barrière_; for had he not made an effort to sit up straight in the
+cab, the sentry might have detained and examined us. All that you heard
+about his being left at his own door, covered with blood and fainting, I
+need not tell you has no truth. I never left the spot till the door was
+opened, and I saw him in the hands of a servant. Of course I concealed
+my face, and then drove off at full speed.”
+
+By this time we arrived at the Luxembourg, and Duchesne, with all the
+coolness in the world, joined a knot of persons engaged in discussing
+the duel, and endeavoring, by sundry clever and ingenious explanations,
+to account for the circumstance.
+
+As I sauntered along to my quarters, I pondered over the adventure and
+the character of the chevalier; and however I might turn the matter in
+my mind, one thought was ever uppermost,--a sincere wish that I had not
+been made his confidant in the secret.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII. THE RETURN OF THE WOUNDED
+
+A few mornings after this occurrence, when, as Duchesne himself
+prophesied, all memory of it was completely forgotten, the _ordre du
+jour_ from the Tuileries commanded all the troops then garrisoned in
+Paris to be under arms at an early hour in the Champs Élysées, when the
+Emperor would pass them in review. The spectacle had, however, another
+object, which was not generally known. The convoys of the wounded from
+Austerlitz were that same day to arrive at Paris, and the display of
+troops was intended at once to honor this _entrée_, and give to the sad
+procession of the maimed and dying the semblance of a triumph. Such were
+the artful devices which ever ministered to the deceit of the nation,
+and suffered them to look on but one side of their glory.
+
+As I anticipated, the chevalier was greatly out of temper at the
+whole of this proceeding. He detested nothing more than those military
+displays which are got up for the populace; he despised the exhibition
+of troops to the vulgar and unmeaning criticism of tailors and barbers;
+and, more than all, he shrank from the companionship of the National
+Guard of Paris,--those shop-keeping soldiers, with their umbrellas and
+spectacles, who figured with such pride on these occasions.
+
+“Another affair like this,” said he, passionately, “and I'd resign my
+commission. A procession at the Porte St. Martin,--the _boeuf gras_ on
+Easter Monday,--I'm your man for either: but to sit bolt upright on your
+saddle for three, maybe four hours; to be stared at by every _bourgeois_
+from the Rue du Bac; to be pointed at with pink parasols and compared
+with some ribbon-vender of the Boulevards,--_par Saint Louis!_ I can't
+even bear to think of it! Look yonder,” said he, pointing to the court
+of the Palace, where already a regiment was drawn up under arms,
+and passing in inspection before the colonel; “there begins the
+dress-rehearsal already. His Majesty says mid-day; the generals of
+division draw out their men at eleven o'clock; the colonels take a
+look at their corps at ten; the _chefs de bataillon_ at nine; and,
+_parbleu!_the corporals are at work by daybreak. Then, what confounded
+drilling and dressing up, as if Napoleon could detect the slightest
+waving of the line over two leagues of ground; while you see the
+luckless adjutants flying hither and thither, cursing, imprecating,
+and threatening, and hastily reiterating at the head of each company,
+'Remember, men, be sure to remember, that when the drums beat to arms,
+you shout “Vive l'Empereur!”' Rely upon it, Burke, if we had but one
+half of these preparations before a battle, we 'd not be the dangerous
+fellows those Russians and Austrians think us.”
+
+“Come, come,” said I, “you shall not persuade me that the soldiers feel
+no pride on these occasions. The same men who fight so valiantly for
+their Emperor--”
+
+“Stop there, I beg of you,” said he, bursting into a fit of laughter.
+“I must really cry halt now. So long as you live, my dear friend, let
+nothing induce you to repeat that worn cant, 'Fight for their Emperor!'
+Why, they fought as bravely for Turenne, and Villars, and Maréchal Saxe;
+they were as full of courage under Moreau, and Kleber, and Desaix, and
+Hoche; ay, and will be again when the Emperor is no more, and Heaven
+knows who stands in his place. The genius of a French army is fighting,
+not for gain, nor plunder, nor even for glory, so much as for fighting
+itself; and he is the best man who gives them most of it. What reduced
+the reckless hordes of the Revolution to habits of discipline and
+obedience but the warlike spirit of their leaders, whose bravery they
+respected? And think you Napoleon himself does not feel this in his
+heart, and know the necessity of continual war to feed the insatiable
+appetite of his followers? In a word, my friend,” added he, in a tone of
+mock solemnity, “we are a great people; and Nature intended us to be so
+by giving us a language in which _Gloire_ rhymes with _Victoire_. And
+now for the march, for I fancy we are late enough already.”
+
+There are few sources of annoyance more poignant than to discover any
+illusion we have long indulged in assailed by the sneers and sarcasms
+of another, who assumes a tone of superior wisdom on the faith of a
+difference of opinion. The mass of our likings and dislikings find their
+way into our heart more from impulse than reason, and when attacked are
+scarcely defensible by any effort of the understanding. This very fact
+renders us more painfully alive to their preservation, and we shrink
+instinctively from any discussion of them. While such is the case, we
+feel more bitterly the cruelty of him who, out of mere wantonness, can
+sport with the sources of our happiness, and assail the hidden stores
+of so many of our pleasures; for unhappily the mockery once listened to
+lies associated with the idea forever.
+
+Already had Duchesne stripped me of more than one delusion, and made me
+feel that I was but indulging in a deceptive happiness in my dream of
+life; and often did I regret that I ever knew him. It is not enough to
+feel the sophistry of one's adversary, you should be able to detect and
+expose it, otherwise the triumphant tone he assumes gives him an air
+of victory which ends by imposing on yourself. And of this I now felt
+convinced in my own case.
+
+These thoughts rendered me silent as we wended our way towards the
+Tuileries, where the various officers of the staff and the _corps
+d'élite_ were assembled. Here we found several of the marshals in
+waiting for the Emperor, while the Mameluke Guard, in all the splendor
+of its gay equipments, stood around the great entrance to the Palace.
+Many handsome equipages were also there; one, conspicuous above the
+rest for its livery of white and gold, with four outriders, belonged to
+Madame Murat, the Grand-Duchess of Berg, whose taste for splendor and
+show extended to every department of her household.
+
+At last there was a movement in those nearest the Palace; the drums
+beat to arms, the guard within the vestibule presented, and the Emperor
+appeared, followed by a brilliant staff. He stood for a few seconds on
+the steps, his hands clasped behind his back, and his head a little bent
+forwards as if in thought; then, drawing himself up, he looked with
+a gaze of proud composure on the crowd that filled the court of the
+Palace, and where now all was silent and still. Never before had I
+remarked the same imperious expression of his features; but as his
+eye ranged over the brilliant array, now I could read the innate
+consciousness of superiority in which he excelled. Ney, Murat, Victor,
+Bessières,--how little seemed they all before that mighty genius, whose
+glory they but reflected!
+
+Oh, how lightly then did I deem the mocking jests of Duchesne, or all
+that his sarcasm could invent! There stood the conqueror of Italy
+and Egypt, the victor of Marengo and Austerlitz, looking every inch a
+monarch and a soldier. Whether from thoughtless inattention or studied
+affectation I cannot say, but at that moment, when all stood in
+respectful silence before the Emperor, Duchesne had approached the
+grille of the Palace, next to the Place du Carrousel, and was busily
+chatting with a pretty-looking girl, who, with a number of others, sat
+in a hired calèche. A hearty burst of laughter at something he said rang
+through the court, and turned every eye in that direction. In an instant
+the Emperor's eagle glance pierced the distance, and fastened on the
+chevalier, who, seated carelessly on one side of his saddle, paid no
+attention to what was going forward; when suddenly an aide-de-camp
+touched him on the arm, and said,--
+
+“Monsieur le Capitaine Duchesne, his Majesty the Emperor would speak
+with you.”
+
+Duchesne turned; a faint, a very faint flush, covered his cheek, and
+putting spurs to his horse, he galloped up to the front of the terrace,
+where the Emperor was standing. From the distance at which I stood,
+to hear what passed was impossible; but I watched with a most painful
+interest the scene before me.
+
+The Emperor's attitude was unchanged as the chevalier rode up; and when
+Duchesne himself seemed to listen with a respectful manner to the words
+of his Majesty, I could see by his easy bearing that his self-possession
+had never deserted him. The interview lasted not many minutes, when the
+Emperor waved his hand haughtily; and the chevalier, saluting with his
+sabre, backed his horse some paces, and then, wheeling round, rapidly
+galloped towards the gate, through which he passed.
+
+“This evening, then, Mademoiselle,” said he, with a smile, “I hope to
+have the honor.” And, with a courteous bow, rode on towards the archway
+opening on the quay.
+
+“What has happened?” said I, eagerly, to the officer at my side.
+
+He shook his head as if doubtful, and half fearing even to whisper at
+the moment.
+
+“His privilege of the _élite_ is withdrawn, sir,” said an old general
+officer. “He must leave Paris to join his regiment in twenty-four
+hours.”
+
+“Poor fellow!” muttered I, half aloud, when a savage frown from the
+veteran officer corrected my words.
+
+“What, sir!” said he, in a low voice, where every word was thickened to
+a guttural sound--“what, sir! is the court of the Tuileries no more than
+a canteen or a bivouac? _Pardieu!_ if it was not for his laced jacket he
+had been degraded to the ranks; ay, and deserved it too!”
+
+The coarse accents and underbred tone of the speaker showed me at once
+that it was one of the old generals of the Republican army, who never
+could endure the descendants of aristocratic families in the service,
+and who were too willing always to attribute to insolence and
+premeditated affront even the slightest breaches of military etiquette.
+
+Meanwhile the Emperor mounted, and accompanied by the officers of his
+staff, rode forward towards the Champs Élysées, while all of lesser note
+followed at a distance. From the garden of the Tuileries to the Barrière
+de l'Étoile the troops were ranged in four lines, the cavalry of the
+Guard and the artillery forming the ranks along the road by which the
+convoy must pass. It was a bright day, with a clear, frosty atmosphere
+and a blue sky, and well suited the brilliant spectacle.
+
+Scarcely had the Emperor issued from the Tuileries, when ten thousand
+shouts of “Vive l'Empereur!” rent the air; the cannon of the Invalides
+thundered forth at the same moment; and the crash of the military bands
+added their clangor to the sounds of joy. He rode slowly along the
+line, stopping frequently to speak with some of the soldiers, and giving
+orders to his suite concerning them. Of the officers in his staff that
+day, the greater number had been wounded at Austerlitz, and still bore
+the traces of their injuries. Rapp displayed a tremendous scar from a
+sabre across his cheek; Sebastiani wore his sword-arm in a sling; and
+Friant, unable to mount his horse, followed the Emperor on foot, leaning
+on a stick, and walking with great difficulty. The sight of these brave
+men, whose devotion to Napoleon had been proved on so many battlefields,
+added to the interest of the scene, and tended to excite popular
+enthusiasm to its utmost. But on Napoleon still all eyes were bent. The
+general who led their armies to victory, the monarch who raised France
+to the proudest place among the nations, was there, within a few paces
+of them. Each word he spoke was sinking deeply into some heart, prouder
+of that moment than of rank or riches.
+
+So slow was the Emperor's progress along the ranks that it was near
+three o'clock before he had arrived at the extremity of the line. The
+cavalry were now ordered to form in squadrons, and move past in
+close order. While this movement was effecting, a cannon-shot at the
+_barrière_ announced the approach of the convoy. The cavalry were halted
+in line once more, and the same moment the first wagon of the train
+appeared above the summit of the hill. So secretly had the whole been
+managed that none, save the officers of the various staffs, knew what
+was coming. While each look was turned, then, towards the _barrière_
+in astonishment, gradually the wagon rolled on, another followed, and
+another: these were, however, but the ambulances of the hospitals. And
+now the wounded themselves came in sight,--a white flag, that well-known
+signal, waving in front of each wagon, while a guard of honor,
+consisting of picked men of the different regiments, rode at either
+side.
+
+One loud cheer--a shout echoed back from the Tuileries itself--rang out,
+as the soldiers saw their brave companions restored to them once more.
+With that impulse which, even in discipline, French soldiers never
+forget, the men rushed forward to the wagons, and in a moment officers
+and men were in the arms of their comrades. What a scene it was to
+see the poor and wasted forms, mangled by shot and maimed of limb,
+brightening up again as home and friends surrounded them,--to hear their
+faint voices mingle with the questions for this one or for that, while
+the fate of some brave fellow met but one word in elegy!
+
+On they passed,--a sad train, but full of glorious memories. There were
+the grenadiers of Oudinot, who carried the Russian centre; eleven
+wagons were filled with their wounded. Here come the voltigeurs of
+Bernadotte's brigade; see how the fellows preserve their ancient
+repute, cheering and laughing,--ever the same, whether roistering at
+midnight in the Faubourg St. Antoine or rushing madly upon the ranks of
+the enemy! There are the dragoons of Nansouty, who charged the Imperial
+Guard of Russia; see the proud line that floats on their banner, “All
+wounded by the sabre!” And here come the cuirassiers of the Guard, with
+a detachment of their own as escort; how splendidly they look in the
+bright sun, and how proudly they come!
+
+As I looked, the Emperor rode forward, bareheaded, his whole staff
+uncovered. “Chapeau bas, Messieurs!” said he, in a loud voice. “Honor to
+the brave in misfortune!”
+
+Just then the escort halted, and I heard a laugh in front, close to
+where the Emperor was standing; but from the crowded staff around him,
+could not see what was going forward.
+
+“What is it?” said I, curious to learn the least incident of the scene.
+
+“Advance a pace or two, Captain,” said the young officer I addressed;
+“you can see it all.”
+
+I did so, and then beheld--oh, with what delight and surprise!--my poor
+friend, Pioche, seated on the driving-seat of a gun, with his hand in
+salute as the Emperor spoke to him.
+
+“Thou wilt not have promotion, nor a pension. What, then, can I do for
+thee?” said Napoleon, smiling. “Hast any friend in the service whom I
+could advance for thy sake?»
+
+“Yes, _parbleu!_” said Pioche, scratching his forehead, with a sort of
+puzzle and confusion even the Emperor smiled at, “I have a friend. But
+mayhap those wouldn't like--”
+
+“Ask me for nothing thou thinkest I could not, ought not to grant,” said
+the Emperor, sternly. “What is't now?”
+
+The poor corporal seemed thoroughly nonplussed, and for a second or
+two could not reply. At last, as if summoning all his courage for the
+effort, he said,--
+
+“Well, thou canst but refuse, and then the fault will be all thine. She
+is a brave girl, and had she been a man--”
+
+“Whom can he mean?” said Napoleon. “Is the man's head wandering?”
+
+“No, _mon général!_ all right there; that shell has turned many a sabre's
+edge. I was talking of Minette, the vivandière of ours. If thou art so
+bent on doing me a service, why, promote _her_, and thou'lt make the
+whole regiment proud of it.”
+
+This speech was lost in the laugh which, beginning with the Emperor,
+extended to the staff, and at last to all the bystanders.
+
+“Dost wish I should make her one of my aides-de-camp?” said Napoleon,
+still laughing.
+
+“_Parbleu!_ thou hast more ill-favored ones among them,” said Pioche,
+with a significant look at the grim faces of Rapp and Dam, whose hard
+and weather-beaten features never deigned a smile, while every other
+face was moved in laughter.
+
+“But thou hast not said yet what I am to do,” rejoined the Emperor.
+
+“Thou used not to be so hard to understand,” grumbled out Pioche. “I
+have seen the time thou 'd have said, 'Is it Minette that was wounded at
+the Adige? Is that the girl stood in the square at Marengo? _Parbleu!_ I
+'ll give her the cross of the Legion!'”
+
+“And she shall have it, Corporal Pioche,” said Napoleon, as he detached
+the decoration he wore on the breast of his coat. “Give the order for
+the vivandière to advance.”
+
+Scarce were the words spoken, when the sound of a horse pressed to his
+speed was heard, and mounted upon a small but showy Arab, a present from
+the regiment, Minette rode up, in the bloom of health, and flushed
+by exercise and the excitement of the moment. I never saw her look
+so handsome. Reining in her horse short, as she came in front of the
+Emperor, the animal reared up, almost straight, and pawed the air with
+his forelegs; while she, with all the composure in life, raised her hand
+to her cap, and saluted the Emperor with an action the most easy and
+graceful.
+
+“Thou hast some yonder,” said Pioche, with a grim smile at the staff,
+“would be sore puzzled to keep their saddles as well.”
+
+[Illustration: Minnette 170]
+
+[Illustration: BrowneMinnette105]
+
+“Minette,” said the Emperor, while he gazed on her handsome features
+with evident pleasure, “your name is well known to me for many actions
+of kindness and self-devotion. Wear this cross of the Legion of Honor;
+you will not value it the less that until now it has been only worn by
+me. Whenever you find one worthy to be your husband, Minette, I will
+charge myself with the dowry.”
+
+“Oh, Sire!” said the trembling girl, as she pressed the Emperor's
+fingers to her lips,--“oh, Sire, is this real?”
+
+“Yes, _parbleu!_” said Pioche, wiping a large tear from his eye as he
+spoke; “he can make thee be a man, and make me feel like a girl.”
+
+As Duroc attached the cross to the buttonhole of the vivandière's frock,
+she sat pale as death, totally overcome by her sensations of pride, and
+unable to say more than “Oh, Sire!” which she repeated three or four
+times at intervals.
+
+Again the procession moved on; other wagons followed with their brave
+fellows; but all the interest of the scene was now, for me at least,
+wrapped up in that one incident, and I took but little notice of the
+rest.
+
+For full two hours the cortege continued to roll on,--wagon after
+wagon, filled with the shattered remnants of an army. Yet such was the
+indomitable spirit of the people, such the heartfelt passion for glory,
+all deemed that procession the proudest triumph of their arms. Nor was
+this feeling confined to the spectators; the wounded themselves leaned
+eagerly over the sides of the _charrettes_ to gaze into the crowds on
+either side, seeking some old familiar face, and looking through all
+their sufferings proudly on the dense mob beneath them. Some tried
+to cheer, and waved their powerless hands; but others, faint and
+heart-sick, turned their glazed eyes towards the “Invalides,” whose
+lofty dome appeared above the trees, as though to say, that was now
+their resting-place,--the only one before the grave.
+
+He who witnessed that day could have little doubt about the guiding
+spirit of the French nation; nor could he distrust their willingness to
+sacrifice anything--nay, all--to national glory. Suffering and misery,
+wounds, ghastly and dreadful, were on every side; and yet not one word
+of pity, not a look of compassion was there. These men were, in _their_
+eyes, far too highly placed for sympathy; theirs was that path to which
+all aspired, and their trophies were their own worn frames and mangled
+bodies. And then how they brightened up as the Emperor would draw near!
+how even the faintest would strive to catch his eye and gaze with parted
+lips on him as he spoke, as though drinking in his very words,--the balm
+to their bruised hearts,--and the faint cry of “l'Empereur! l'Empereur!”
+ passed like a murmur along the line.
+
+Not until the last wagon had defiled before him did the Emperor leave
+the ground. It was then nearly dark, and already the lamps were lighted
+along the quays, and the windows of the Palace displayed the brilliant
+lustre of the preparations for a grand dinner to the marshals.
+
+As we moved slowly along in close order, I found myself among a group
+of officers of the Emperor's staffs eagerly discussing the day and its
+events.
+
+“I am sorry for Duchesne,” said one; “with all his impertinences--and
+he had enough of them--he was a brave fellow, and a glorious leader at a
+moment of difficulty.”
+
+“Well, well, the Emperor has perhaps forgiven him by this time; and
+it is not likely he would mar the happiness of a day like this by
+disgracing an officer of the _élite_.”
+
+“You are wrong, my friend; his Majesty is not sorry for the occasion
+which can prove that he knows as well how to punish as to reward.
+Duchesne's fate is sealed. You are not old enough to remember, as I can,
+the morning at Lonado, where the same _ardre du jour_ conferred a mark
+of honor on one brother, and condemned another to be shot.”
+
+“And was this, indeed, the case?”
+
+“Ay, was it. Many can tell you of it, as well as myself. They were both
+in the same regiment--the fifteenth demi-brigade of light infantry. They
+held a château at Salo against the enemy for eight hours, when at length
+the elder, who commanded at the front, capitulated and laid down his
+arms; the younger refused to comply, and continued to fight. They were
+reinforced an hour afterwards, and the Austrians beaten off. The day
+after they were both tried, and the result was as I have told you; the
+utmost favor the younger could obtain was, not to witness the execution
+of his brother.”
+
+As I heard this story, my very blood curdled in my veins, and I looked
+with a kind of dread on him who now rode a few paces in front of
+me,--the stern and pitiless Napoleon.
+
+At last we entered the court of the Tuileries, when the Emperor,
+dismissing his staff, entered the Palace, and we separated, to follow
+our own plans for the evening. For a moment or two I remained uncertain
+which way to turn. I wished much to see Duchesne, yet scarcely hoped to
+meet with him by returning to the Luxembourg. It was not the time to be
+away from him, at a moment like this, and I resolved to seek him out.
+
+For above an hour I went from café to café, where he was in the habit of
+resorting, but to no purpose. He had not been seen in any of them during
+the day; so that at length I turned homeward with the faint hope that I
+should see him there on my arrival.
+
+Somehow I never had felt more sad and depressed; and the events of the
+day, so far from making me participate in the general joy, had left me
+gloomy and desponding. My spirit was little in harmony with the gay and
+merry groups that passed along the streets, chanting their campaigning
+songs, and usually having some old soldier of the “Guard” amongst
+them; for they felt it as a fête, and were hurrying to the cabarets to
+celebrate the day of Austerlitz.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII. THE CHEVALIER.
+
+When men of high courage and proud hearts meet with reverses in life,
+our anxiety is rather to learn what new channel their thoughts and
+exertions will take in future, than to hear how they have borne up under
+misfortune. I knew Duchesne too well to suppose that any turn of fate
+would find him wholly unprepared; but still, a public reprimand, and
+from the lips of the Emperor, too, was of a nature to wound him to the
+quick, and I could not guess, nor picture to myself in what way he would
+bear it. The loss of grade itself was a thing of consequence, as the
+service of the _élite_ was reckoned a certain promotion; not to speak
+of--what to him was far more important--the banishment from Paris and
+its _salons_ to some gloomy and distant encampment. In speculations like
+these I returned to my quarters, where I was surprised to discover that
+the chevalier had not been since morning. I learned from his servant
+that he had dismissed him, with his horses, soon after leaving the
+Tuileries, and had not returned home from that time.
+
+I dined alone that day, and sat moodily by myself, thinking over the
+events of the morning, and wondering what had become of my friend, and
+watching every sound that might tell of his coming. It is true there
+were many things I liked not in Duchesne: his cold, sardonic spirit, his
+_moqueur_ temperament, chilled and repelled me; but I recognized, even
+through his own efforts at concealment, a manly tone of independence,
+a vigorous reliance on self, that raised him in my esteem, and made me
+regard him with a certain species of admiration. With his unsettled or
+unstable political opinions, I greatly dreaded the excess to which a
+spirit of revenge might carry him.
+
+I knew that the Jacobin party, and the Bourbons themselves, lay in
+wait for every erring member of the Imperial side; and I felt no little
+anxiety at the temptations they might hold out to him, at a moment when
+his excitement might have the mastery over his cooler judgment.
+
+Late in the evening a Government messenger arrived with a large letter
+addressed to him from the Minister of War; and even this caused me fresh
+uneasiness, since I connected the despatch in my mind with some detail
+of duty which his absence might leave unperformed.
+
+It was long past midnight, as I sat, vainly endeavoring to occupy myself
+with a book, which each moment I laid down to listen, when suddenly
+I heard the roll of a _fiacre_ in the court beneath, the great doors
+banged and closed, and the next moment the chevalier entered the room.
+
+He was dressed in plain clothes, and looked somewhat paler than usual,
+but though evidently laboring under excitement, affected his wonted ease
+and carelessness of manner, as, taking a chair in front of me, he sat
+down.
+
+“What a day of worry and trouble this has been, my dear friend!” he
+began. “From the moment I last saw you to the present one, I have not
+rested, and with four invitations to dinner, I have not dined anywhere.”
+
+He paused as he said thus much, as if expecting me to say something;
+and I perceived that the embarrassment he felt rather increased than
+otherwise. I therefore endeavored to mumble out something about his
+hurried departure and the annoyance of such a sentence, when he stopped
+me suddenly.
+
+“Oh, as to _that_, I fancy the matter is arranged already; I should have
+had a letter from the War Office.”
+
+“Yes, there is one here; it came three hours ago.”
+
+He turned at once to the table, and breaking the seal, perused the
+packet in silence, then handed it to me, as he said,--
+
+“Bead that; it will save a world of explanation.”
+
+It was dated five o'clock, and merely contained the following few
+words:--
+
+      His Majesty I. and R. accepts the resignation of Senior
+      Captain Duchesne, late of the Imperial Guard; who, from the
+      date of the present, is no longer in the service of France.
+
+      (Signed)
+
+      BERTHIER, Marshal of France.
+
+A small sealed note dropped from the packet, which Duchesne took up, and
+broke open with eagerness.
+
+“Ha! _parbleu!_” cried he, with energy; “I thought not. See here, Burke;
+it is Duroc who writes:--”
+
+      My dear Duchesne,--I knew there was no use in making such a
+      proposition, and told you as much. The moment I said the
+      word 'England,' he shouted out 'No!' in such a tone you
+      might have heard it at the Luxembourg. You will perceive,
+      then, the thing is impracticable; and perhaps, after all,
+      for your own sake, it is better it should be so.
+
+      Yours ever,                                    D.
+
+“This is all mystery to me, Duchesne; I cannot fathom it in the least.”
+
+“Let me assist you; a few words will do it. I gave in my _démission_ as
+Captain of the Guard, which, as you see, his Majesty has accepted;
+we shall leave it to the 'Moniteur' of to-morrow to announce whether
+graciously or not. I also addressed a formal letter to Duroc, to ask the
+Emperor's permission to visit England, on private business of my own.”
+ His eyes sparkled with a malignant lustre as he said these last words,
+and his cheek grew deep scarlet. “This, however, his Majesty has not
+granted, doubtless from private reasons of his own; and thus we stand.
+Which of us, think you, has most spoiled the other's rest for this
+night?”
+
+“But still I do not comprehend. What can take you to England? You have
+no friends there; you've never been in that country.”
+
+“Do you know the very word is proscribed,--that the island is covered
+from his eyes in the map he looks upon, that _perfide_ Albion is the
+demon that haunts his dark hours, and menaces with threatening gesture
+the downfall of all his present glory? Ah, by Saint Denis, boy! had I
+been you, it is not such an epaulette as this I had worn.”
+
+“Enough, Duchesne; I will not hear more. Not to you, nor any one, am
+I answerable for the reasons that have guided my conduct; nor had I
+listened to so much, save that such excitement as yours may make that
+pardonable which in calmer moments is not so.”
+
+“You say right, Burke,” said he, quickly, and with more seriousness of
+manner; “it is seldom I have been betrayed into such a passionate warmth
+as this. I hope I have not offended you. This change of circumstance
+will make none in our friendship. I knew it, my dear boy. And now let us
+turn from such tiresome topics. Where, think you, have I been spending
+the evening? But how could you ever guess? Well, at the Odéon, attending
+Mademoiselle Pierrot, and a very pretty friend of hers,--one of our
+vivandières, who happens to be in the brigade with mademoiselle's
+brother, and dined there to-day. She only arrived in Paris this morning;
+and, by Jove! there are some handsome faces in our gay _salons_ would
+scarcely stand the rivalry with hers. I must show you the fair Minette.”
+
+“Minette!” stammered I, while a sickly sensation--a fear of some unknown
+misfortune to the poor girl--almost stopped my utterance. “I know her;
+she belongs to the Fourth Cuirassiers.”
+
+“Ah, you know her? Who would have suspected my quiet friend of such an
+acquaintance? And so, you never hinted this to me. _Ma foi!_ I 'd have
+thought twice about throwing up my commission if I had seen her half
+an hour earlier. Come, tell me all you know of her. Where does she come
+from?”
+
+“Of her history I am totally ignorant; I can only tell you that her
+character is without a stain or reproach, in circumstances where few, if
+any save herself, ever walked scathless; that on more than one occasion
+she has displayed heroism worthy of the best among us.”
+
+“Oh dear, oh dear, how disappointed I am! Indeed, I half feared as much:
+she is a regular vivandière of the mélodrame,--virtuous, high-minded,
+and intrepid. You, of course, believe all this,--don't be angry,
+Burke,--but I don't; and the reason is I can't,--the gods have left
+me incredulous from the cradle. I have a rooted obstinacy about me,
+perfectly irreclaimable. Thus, I fancy Napoleon to be a Corsican; a
+modern marshal to be a promoted sergeant; a judge of the upper court to
+be a public prosecutor; and a vivandière of the _grande armée_--But I'll
+not offend,--don't be afraid, my poor fellow,--even at the risk of the
+rivalry. Upon my life, I 'm glad to see you have a heart susceptible
+of any little tenderness. But you cannot blame me if I 'm weary of this
+eternal travesty of character which goes on amongst us. Why will our
+Republican and _sans culotte_ friends try courtly airs and graces, while
+our real aristocracy stoop to the affected coarseness of the _canaille?_
+Is it possible that they who wish to found a new order of things do not
+see that all these pantomime costumes and characters denote nothing
+but change,--that we are only performing a comedy after all? I scarcely
+expect it will be a five-act one. And, apropos of comedies,--when shall
+we pay our respects to Madame de Lacostellerie? It will require all my
+diplomacy to keep my ground there under my recent misfortune. Nothing
+short of a tender inquiry from the Duchesse de Montserrat will open the
+doors for me. Alas, and alas! I suppose I shall have to fall back on the
+Faubourg.”
+
+“But is the step irrevocable, Duchesne? Can you really bring yourself to
+forego a career which opened with such promise?”
+
+“And terminated with such disgrace,” added he, smiling placidly.
+
+“Nay, nay; don't affect to take it thus. Your services would have placed
+you high, and won for you honors and rank.”
+
+“And, _ma foi!_ have they not done so? Am I not a very interesting
+individual at this moment,--more so than any other of my life? Are not
+half the powdered heads of the Faubourg plotting over my downfall, and
+wondering how they are to secure me to the 'true cause'? Are not the hot
+heads of the Jacobites speculating on my admission, by a unanimous vote,
+into their order? And has not Fouché gone to the special expense of a
+new police spy, solely destined to dine at the same café, play at the
+same _salon_, and sit in the same box of the Opera with me? Is this
+nothing? Well, it will be good fun, after all, to set their wise brains
+on the wrong track; not to speak of the happiness of weeding one's
+acquaintance, which a little turn of fortune always effects so
+instantaneously.”
+
+“One would suppose from your manner, Duchesne, that some unlooked-for
+piece of good luck had befallen you; the event seems to have been the
+crowning one of your life.”
+
+“Am I not at liberty, boy? have I not thrown the slavery behind me? Is
+that nothing? You may fancy your collar, because there is some gold upon
+it; but, trust me, it galls the neck as cursedly as the veriest brass.
+Come, Burke, I must have a glass of champagne, and you must pledge me in
+a creaming bumper. If you don't join in the sentiment now, the time will
+come later on. We may be many a mile apart,--ay, perhaps a whole world
+will divide us; but you'll remember my toast,--'To him that is free!'
+I am sick of most things; women, wine, war, play,--the game of life
+itself, with all its dashing and existing interests,--I have had them
+to satiety. But liberty has its charm; even to the palsied arm and the
+withered hand freedom is dear; and why not to him who yet can strike?”
+
+His eyes flashed fire as he spoke, and he drained glass after glass of
+wine, without seeming aware of what he was doing.
+
+“If you felt thus, Duchesne, why have you remained so long a soldier?”
+
+“I 'll tell you. He who travels unwillingly along some dreary path stops
+often as he goes, and looks around to see if, in the sky above or the
+road beneath, some obstacle may not cross his way and bid him turn. The
+faintest sound of a brewing storm, the darkening shadow of a cloud,
+a swollen rivulet, is enough, and straightway he yields: so men seem
+swayed in life by trifles which never moved them, by accidents which
+came not near their hearts. These, which the world called their
+disappointments, were often but the pivots of their fortune. I have
+had enough, nay, more than enough, of all this. You must not ask the
+hackneyed actor of the melodrama to start at the blue lights, and feel
+real fear at burning forests and flaming châteaux. This mock passion of
+the Emperor--”
+
+“Come, my friend, that is indeed too much; unquestionably there was no
+feigning there.”
+
+Duchesne gave a bitter laugh, and laying his hand on my arm, said,--
+
+“My good boy, I know him well. The knowledge has cost me something; but
+I have it. A soldier's enthusiasm!” said he, in irony,--“bah! Shall I
+tell you a little incident of my boyhood? I detest story-telling, but
+this you must hear. Fill my glass! listen, and I promise you not to be
+lengthy.”
+
+It was the first time in our intimacy in which Duchesne referred
+distinctly to his past life; and I willingly accepted the offer he made,
+anticipating that any incident, no matter how trivial, might throw a
+light on the strange contrarieties of his character.
+
+He sat for several minutes silent, his eyes turned towards the ground. A
+faint smile, more of sadness than aught else, played about his lips, as
+he muttered to himself some words I could not catch. Then rallying, with
+a slight effort, he began thus--But, short as his tale was, we must give
+him a chapter to himself.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV. A BOYISH REMINISCENCE
+
+“I believe I have already told you, Burke, that my family were most of
+them Royalists. Such as were engaged in trade followed the fortunes
+of the day, and cried 'Vive la République!' like their neighbors. Some
+deemed it better to emigrate, and wait in a foreign land for the happy
+hour of returning to their own,--a circumstance, by the way, which must
+have tried their patience ere this; and a few, trusting to their obscure
+position, living in out-of-the-way, remote spots, supposed that in
+the general uproar they might escape undetected; and, with one or two
+exceptions, they were right. Among these latter was an unmarried brother
+of my mother, who having held a military command for a great many years
+in the Ile de Bourbon, retired to spend the remainder of his days in
+a small but beautiful château on the seaside, about three leagues
+from Marseilles. The old viscount (we continued to call him so among
+ourselves, though the use of titles was proscribed long before) had met
+with some disappointment in love in early life, which had prevented his
+ever marrying, and turned all his affections towards the children of his
+brothers and sisters, who invariably passed a couple of months of
+each summer with him, arriving from different parts of France for the
+purpose.
+
+“And truly it was a strange sight to see the mixture of look,
+expression, accent, and costume, that came to the rendezvous: the
+long-featured boy, with blue eyes and pointed chin,--cold, wary,
+and suspicious, brave but cautious,--that came from Normandy; the
+high-spirited, reckless youth from Brittany; the dark-eyed girl of
+Provence; the quick-tempered, warm-hearted Gascon and, stranger than
+all, from his contrast to the rest the little Parisian, with his airs
+of the capital and his contempt for his rustic brethren, nothing daunted
+that in all their boyish exercises he found himself so much their
+inferior. Our dear old uncle loved nothing so well as to have us around
+him; and even the little ones, of five and six years old, when not
+living too far off, were brought to these reunions, which were to us the
+great events of each year of our lives.
+
+“It was in the June of the year 1794--I shall not easily forget the
+date--that we were all assembled as usual at 'Le Luc.' Our party was
+reinforced by some three or four new visitors, among whom was a little
+girl of about twelve years old,--Annette de Noailles, the prettiest
+creature I ever beheld. Every land has its own trait of birth distinctly
+marked. I don't know whether you have observed that the brow and the
+forehead are more indicative of class in Frenchmen than any other
+portion of the face: hers was perfect, and though a mere child,
+conveyed an impression of tempered decision and mildness that was most
+fascinating; the character of her features was thoughtful, and were
+it not for a certain vivacity in the eyes, would have been even sad.
+Forgive me, if I dwell--when I need not--on these traits: she is no
+more. Her father carried her with him in his exile, and your lowering
+skies and gloomy air soon laid her low.
+
+“Annette was the child of Royalist parents. Both her father and mother
+had occupied places in the royal household; and she was accustomed from
+her earliest infancy to hear the praise of the Bourbons from lips which
+trembled when they spoke. Poor child! how well do I remember her
+little prayer for the martyred saint,--for so they styled the murdered
+king,--which she never missed saying each morning when the mass was over
+in the chapel of the château. It is a curious fact that the girls of a
+family were frequently attached to the fortunes of the Bourbons, while
+the boys declared for the Revolution; and these differences penetrated
+into the very core, and sapped the happiness of many whose affection had
+stood the test of every misfortune save the uprooting torrent of anarchy
+that poured in with the Revolution. These party differences entered
+into all the little quarrels of the schoolroom and the nursery; and the
+taunting epithets of either side were used in angry passion by those who
+neither guessed nor could understand their meaning. Need it be
+wondered at, if in after life these opinions took the tone of intense
+convictions, when even thus in infancy they were nurtured and fostered?
+Our little circle at Le Luc was, indeed, wonderfully free from such
+causes of contention; whatever paths in life fate had in store for us
+afterwards, then, at least, we were of one mind. A few of the boys,
+it is true, were struck by the successes of those great armies the
+Revolution poured over Europe; but even they were half ashamed to
+confess enthusiasm in a cause so constantly allied in their memory with
+everything mean and low-lived.
+
+“Such, in a few words, was the little party assembled around the
+supper-table of the château, on one lovely evening in June. The windows,
+opening to the ground, let in the perfumed air from many a sweet and
+flowery shrub without; while already the nightingale had begun her lay
+in the deep grove hard by. The evening was so calm we could hear the
+plash of the making tide upon the shore, and the minute peals of the
+waves smote on the ear with a soft and melancholy cadence that made
+us silent and thoughtful. As we sat for some minutes thus, we suddenly
+heard the sound of feet coming up the little gravel walk towards the
+château, and on going to the window, perceived three men in uniform
+leading their horses slowly along. The dusky light prevented our being
+able to distinguish their rank or condition; but my uncle, whose fears
+were easily excited by such visitors, at once hastened to the door to
+receive them.
+
+“His absence was not of many minutes' duration; but even now I can
+remember the strange sensations of dread that rendered us all speechless
+as we stood looking towards the door by which he was to enter. He came
+at last, and was followed by two officers; one, the elder, and the
+superior evidently, was a thin, slight man, of about thirty, with a
+pale but stern countenance, in which a certain haughty expression
+predominated; the other was a fine, soldierlike, frank-looking fellow,
+who saluted us all as he came in with a smile and a pleasant gesture of
+his hand.
+
+“'You may leave us, children,' said my uncle, as he proceeded towards
+the bell.
+
+“'You were at supper, if I mistake not?' said the elder of the two
+officers, with a degree of courtesy in his tone I scarcely expected.
+
+“'Yes, General. But my little friends--'
+
+“'Will, I hope, share with us,' said the general, interrupting; 'and I,
+at least, am determined, with your permission, that they shall remain.
+It is quite enough that we enjoy the hospitality of your château for the
+night, without interfering with the happiness of its inmates; and I beg
+that we may give you as little inconvenience as possible in providing
+for our accommodation.'
+
+“Though these words were spoken with an easy and a kindly tone, there
+was a cold, distant manner in the speaker that chilled us all, and
+while we drew over to the table again, it was in silence and constraint.
+Indeed, our poor uncle looked the very picture of dismay, endeavoring
+to do the honors to his guests and seem at ease, while it was clear his
+fears were ever uppermost in his mind.
+
+“The aide-de-camp--for such the young officer was--looked
+like one who could have been agreeable and amusing if the restraint of
+the general's presence was not over him. As it was, he spoke in a low,
+subdued voice, and seemed in great awe of his superior.
+
+“Unlike our usual ones, the meal was eaten in mournful stillness, the
+very youngest amongst us feeling the presence of the stranger as a thing
+of gloom and sadness.
+
+“Supper over, my uncle, perhaps hoping to relieve the embarrassment
+he labored under, asked permission of the general for us to remain,
+saying,--
+
+“'My little people, sir, are great novelists, and they usually amuse me
+of an evening by their stories. Will this be too great an endurance for
+you?'
+
+“'By no means,' said the general, gayly; 'there's nothing I like better,
+and I hope they will admit me as one of the party. I have something of a
+gift that way myself.'
+
+“The circle was soon formed, the general and his aide-de-camp making
+part of it; but though they both exerted themselves to the utmost to win
+our confidence, I know not why or wherefore, we could not shake off the
+gloom we had felt at first, but sat awkward and ill at ease, unable to
+utter a word, and even ashamed to look at each other.
+
+“'Come,' said the general, 'I see how it is. I have broken in upon a
+very happy party. I must make the only _amende_ in my power,--I shall be
+the story-teller for this evening.'
+
+“As he said this, he looked around the little circle, and by some
+seeming magic of his own, in an instant he had won us every one. We drew
+our chairs close towards him, and listened eagerly for his tale. Few
+people, save such as live much among children, or take the trouble to
+study their tone of feeling and thinking, are aware how far reality
+surpasses in interest the force of mere fiction. The fact is with them
+far more than all the art of the narrative; and if you cannot say 'this
+was true,' more than half of the pleasure your story confers is lost
+forever. Whether the general knew this, or that his memory supplied
+him more easily than his imagination, I cannot say; but his tale was
+a little incident of the siege of Toulon, where a drummer boy was
+killed,--having returned to the breach, after the attack was repulsed,
+to seek for a little cockade of ribbon his mother had fastened on his
+cap that morning. Simple as was the story, he told it with a subdued and
+tender pathos that made our hearts thrill and filled every eye around
+him.
+
+“'It was a poor thing, it's true,' said he, 'that knot of ribbon, but it
+was glory to him to rescue it from the enemy. His heart was on the time
+when he should show it, blood-stained and torn, and say, “I took it from
+the ground amid the grapeshot and the musketry. I was the only living
+thing there that moment; and see, I bore it away triumphantly.”' As the
+general spoke, he unbuttoned the breast of his uniform, and took forth
+a small piece of crumpled ribbon, fastened in the shape of a cockade.
+'Here it is,' said he, holding it up before on? eyes; 'it was for this
+he died.' We could scarce see it through our tears. Poor Annette held
+her hands upon her face, and sobbed violently. 'Keep it, my sweet
+child,' said the general, as he attached the cockade to her shoulder;'
+it is a glorious emblem, and well worthy to be worn by one so pure and
+so fair as you are.'
+
+“Annette looked up, and as she did, her eyes fell upon the tricolor that
+hung from her shoulder,--the hated, the despised tricolor, the badge
+of that party whose cruelty she had thought of by day and dreamed of
+by night. She turned deadly pale, and sat, with lips compressed and
+clenched hands, unable to speak or stir.
+
+“'What is it? Are you ill, child?' said the general, suddenly.
+
+“'Annette, love! Annette, dearest!' said my uncle, trembling with
+anxiety, 'speak; what is the matter?'
+
+“'It is that!' cried I, fiercely, pointing to the knot, on which her
+eyes were bent with a shrinking horror I well knew the meaning of,--' it
+is that!'
+
+“The general bent on me a look of passionate meaning, as with a hissing
+tone he said, 'Do you mean this?'
+
+“'Yes,' said I, tearing it away, and trampling it beneath my
+feet,--'yes! it is not a Noailles can wear the badge of infamy and
+crime; the blood-stained tricolor can find slight favor here.'
+
+“'Hush, boy! hush, for Heaven's sake!' cried my uncle, trembling with
+fear.
+
+“The caution came too late. The general, taking a note-book from his
+pocket, opened it leisurely, and then turning towards the viscount,
+said, 'This youth's name is--'
+
+“'Duchesne; Henri Duchesne.'
+
+“'And his age?'
+
+“'Fourteen in March,' replied my uncle, as his eyes filled up; while he
+added, in a half whisper, 'if you mean the conscription, General, he has
+already supplied a substitute.'
+
+“'No matter, sir, if he had sent twenty; such defect of education as his
+needs correction. He shall join the levies at Toulon in three days; in
+three days, mark me! Depend upon it, sir,' said he, turning to me, 'you
+shall learn a lesson beneath that tricolor you'll be somewhat long
+in forgetting. Dumolle, look to this.' With this direction to his
+aide-de-camp he arose, and before my poor unhappy uncle could recover
+his self-possession to reply, had left the room.
+
+“'He will not do this, sir; surely, he will not,' said the viscount to
+the young officer.
+
+“'General Bonaparte does not relent, sir; and if he did, he 'd never
+show it,' was the cold reply.
+
+“That day week I carried a musket on the ramparts of Toulon. Here began
+a career I have followed ever since; with how much of enthusiasm I leave
+you to judge for yourself.”
+
+As Duchesne concluded this little story he arose, and paced the room
+backwards and forwards with rapid steps, while his compressed lips and
+knitted brow showed he was lost in gloomy recollections of the past.
+
+“He was right, after all, Burke,” said he, at length. “Personal honor
+will make the soldier; conviction may make the patriot. I fought as
+stoutly for this same cause as though I did not loathe it: how many
+others may be in the same position? You yourself, perhaps.”
+
+“No, no; not I.”
+
+“Well, be it so,” rejoined he, carelessly. “Goodnight” And with that he
+strolled negligently from the room, and I heard him humming a tune as he
+mounted the stairs towards his bedroom.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV. A GOOD-BY
+
+“I have come to bring you a card for the Court ball, Capitaine,” said
+General Daru, as he opened the door of my dressing-room the following
+morning. “See what a number of them I have here; but except your own,
+the addresses are not filled up. You are in favor at the Tuileries, it
+would seem.”
+
+“I was not aware of my good fortune, General,” replied I.
+
+“Be assured, however, it is such,” said he. “These things are not, as so
+many deem them, mere matters of chance; every name is well weighed
+and conned over: the officers of the household serve one who does not
+forgive mistakes. And now that I think of it, you were intimate--very
+intimate, I believe--with Duchesne?”
+
+“Yes, sir; we were much together.”
+
+“Well, then, after what has occurred, I need scarcely say your
+acquaintance with him had better cease. There is no middle course in
+these matters. Circumstances will not bring you, as formerly, into each
+other's company; and to continue your intimacy would be offensive to his
+Majesty.”
+
+“But surely, sir, the friendship of persons so humble as we are can be
+a subject neither for the Emperor's satisfaction nor displeasure, if he
+even were to know of it?”
+
+“You must take my word for that,” replied the general, somewhat sternly.
+“The counsel I have given to-day may come as a command to-morrow. The
+Chevalier Duchesne has given his Majesty great and grave offence; see
+that you are not led to follow his example.” With a marked emphasis on
+the last few words, and with a cold bow, he left the room.
+
+“That I am not led to follow his example!” said I, repeating his words
+over slowly to myself. “Is that, then, the danger of which he would warn
+me?”
+
+The remembrance of the misfortunes which opened my career in life came
+full before me,--the unhappy acquaintance with De Beauvais, and the long
+train of suspicious circumstances that followed; and I shuddered at the
+bare thought of being again involved in apparent criminality. And yet,
+what a state of slavery was this! The thought flashed suddenly across my
+mind, and I exclaimed aloud, “And this is the liberty for which I have
+perilled life and limb,--this the cause for which I have become an alien
+and an exile!”
+
+“Most true, my dear friend,” said Duchesne, gayly, as he slipped into
+the room, and drew his Chair towards the fire. “A wise reflection, but
+most unwisely spoken. But there are men nothing can teach; not even the
+'Temple' nor the 'Palais de Justice.'”
+
+“How, then,--you know of my unhappy imprisonment?”
+
+“Know of it? To be sure I do. Bless your sweet innocence! I have been
+told, a hundred times over, to make overtures to you from the Faubourg.
+There are at least a dozen old ladies there who believe firmly you are a
+true Legitimist, and wear the white cockade next your heart. I have had,
+over and over, the most tempting offers to make you. Faith, I 'm
+not quite certain if we are not believed to be, at this very moment,
+concocting how to smuggle over the frontier a brass carronade and a
+royal livery, two pounds of gunpowder and a court periwig, to restore
+the Bourbons!”
+
+He burst into a fit of laughing as he concluded; and however little
+disposed to mirth at the moment, I could not refrain from joining in the
+emotion.
+
+“But now for a moment of serious consideration, Burke; for I can be
+serious at times, at least when my friends are concerned. You and I must
+part here; it is all the better for you it should be so. I am what the
+world is pleased to call a 'dangerous companion;' and there's more truth
+in the epithet than they wot of who employ it. It is not because I am a
+man of pleasure, and occasionally a man of expensive habits and costly
+tastes, nor that I now and then play deep, or drink deep, or follow up
+with passionate determination any ruling propensity of the moment; but
+because I am a discontented and unsettled man, who has a vague ambition
+of being something he knows not what, by means he knows not how,--ever
+willing to throw himself into an enterprise where the prize is great and
+the risk greater, and yet never able to warm his wishes into enthusiasm
+nor his belief into a conviction: in a word, a Frenchman, born a
+Legitimist, reared a Democrat, educated an Imperialist, and turned
+adrift upon the world a scoffer. Such men as I am are dangerous
+companions; and when they increase, as they are likely to do in our
+state of society, will be still more dangerous citizens. But come, my
+good friend, don't look dismayed, nor distend your nostrils as if you
+were on the scent for a smell of brimstone,--'Satan s'en va!'”
+
+With these words he arose and held out his hand to me. “Don't let your
+Napoleonite ardor ooze out too rapidly, Burke, and you 'll be a marshal
+of France yet. There are great prizes in the wheel, to be had by those
+who strive for them. Adieu!”
+
+“But we shall meet, Duchesne?”
+
+“I hope so. The time may come, perhaps, when we may be intimate without
+alarming the police of the department. But, for the present, I am about
+to leave Paris; some friends in the South have been kind enough to
+invite me to visit them, and I start this afternoon.”
+
+We shook hands once more, and Duchesne moved towards the door; then,
+turning suddenly about, he said, “Apropos of another matter,--this
+Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie.
+
+“What of her?” said I, with some curiosity in my tone.
+
+“Why, I have a kind of half suspicion, ripening into something like an
+assurance, that when we meet again she may be Madame Burke.”
+
+“What nonsense, my dear friend! the absurdity--”
+
+“There is none whatever. An acquaintance begun like yours is very
+suggestive of such a termination. When the lady is saucy and the
+gentleman shy, the game stands usually thus: the one needs control and
+the other lacks courage. Let them change the cards, and see what comes
+of it.”
+
+“You are wrong, Duchesne,--all wrong.”
+
+“Be it so. I have been so often right, I can afford a false prediction
+without losing all my character as prophet. Adieu!”
+
+No sooner was I alone than I sat down to think over what he had said.
+The improbability, nay, as it seemed to me, the all but impossibility,
+of such an event as he foretold, seemed not less now than when first I
+heard it; but somehow I felt a kind of internal satisfaction, a sense of
+gratified vanity, to think that to so acute an observer as Duchesne such
+a circumstance did not appear even unreasonable. How hard it is to call
+in reason against the assault of flattery! How difficult to resist
+the force of an illusion by any appeal to our good sense and calmer
+judgment!
+
+It must not be supposed from this that I seriously contemplated such a
+possible turn of fortune,--far less wished for it. No; my satisfaction
+had a different source. It lay in the thought that I, the humble captain
+of hussars, should ever be thought of as the suitor of the greatest
+beauty and the richest dowry of the day: here was the mainspring of
+my flattered pride. As to any other feeling, I had none. I admired
+Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie greatly; she was, perhaps, the very
+handsomest girl I ever saw; there was not one in the whole range
+of Parisian society so much sought after; and there was a degree of
+distinction in being accounted even among the number of her admirers.
+Besides this, there lay a lurking desire in my heart that Marie de
+Meudon (for as such only could I think of her) should hear me thus
+spoken of. It seemed to me like a weak revenge on her own indifference
+to me; and I longed to make anything a cause of connecting my fate with
+the idea of her who yet held my whole heart.
+
+Only men who live much to themselves and their own thoughts know the
+pleasure of thus linking their fortunes, by some imaginary chain, to
+that of those they love. They are the straws that drowning men catch at;
+but still, for the moment, they sustain the sinking courage, and nerve
+the heart where all is failing. I felt this acutely. I knew well that
+she was not, nor could be, anything to me; but I knew, also, that to
+divest my mind of her image was to live in darkness, and that the mere
+chance of being remembered by her was happiness itself. It was while
+hearing of her I first imbibed the soldier's ardor from her own brother.
+She herself had placed before me the glorious triumphs of that career in
+words that never ceased to ring in my ears. All my hopes of distinction,
+my aspirations for success, were associated with the half prediction
+she had uttered; and I burned for an occasion by which I could signalize
+myself,--that she might read my name, perchance might say, “And _he_
+loved me!”
+
+In such a world of dreamy thought I passed day after day. Duchesne was
+gone, and I had no intimate companion to share my hours with, nor with
+whom I could expand in social freedom. Meanwhile, the gay life of the
+capital continued its onward course; fêtes and balls succeeded
+each other; and each night I found myself a guest at some splendid
+entertainment, but where I neither knew nor was known to any one.
+
+It was on one morning, after a very magnificent fête at the
+Arch-Chancellor's, that I remembered, for the first time, I had not seen
+my poor friend Pioche since his arrival at Paris. A thrill of shame
+ran through me at the thought of having neglected to ask after my old
+comrade of the march, and I ordered my horse at once, to set out for
+the Hôtel-Dieu, which had now been in great part devoted to the wounded
+soldiers.
+
+The day was a fine one for the season; and as I entered the large
+courtyard I perceived numbers of the invalids moving about in groups, to
+enjoy the air and the sun of a budding spring. Poor fellows! they were
+but the mere remnants of humanity. Several had lost both legs, and few
+were there without an empty sleeve to their loose blue coats. In a large
+hall, where three long tables were being laid for dinner, many were
+seated around the ample fireplaces; and at one of these a larger
+group than ordinary attracted my attention. They were not chatting and
+laughing, like the rest, but apparently in deep silence. I approached,
+curious to know the reason; and then perceived that they were all
+listening attentively to some one reading aloud. The tones of the voice
+were familiar to me; I stopped to hear them more plainly.
+
+It was Minette herself--the vivandière--who sat there in the midst;
+beside her, half reclining in a deep, old-fashioned armchair, was “le
+gros Pioche,” his huge beard descending midway on his chest, and his
+great mustache curling below his upper lip. He had greatly rallied since
+I saw him last, but still showed signs of debility and feebleness by the
+very attitude in which he lay.
+
+[Illustration 194]
+
+Mingling unperceived with the crowd, who were far too highly interested
+in the recital to pay any attention to my approach, I listened
+patiently, and soon perceived that mademoiselle was reading some
+incident of the Egyptian campaign from one of those innumerable volumes
+which then formed the sole literature of the garrison.
+
+“The redoubt,” continued Minette, “was strongly defended in front by
+stockades and a ditch, while twelve pieces of artillery and a force of
+seven hundred Mamelukes were within the works. Suddenly an aide-de-camp
+arrived at full gallop, with orders for the Thirty-second to attack the
+redoubt with the bayonet, and carry it. The major of the regiment (the
+colonel had been killed that morning at the ford) cried out,--
+
+“'Grenadiers, you hear the order,--Forward!' But the same instant a
+terrible discharge of grape tore through the ranks, killing three and
+wounding eight others. 'Forward, men! forward!' shouted the major. But
+no one stirred.”
+
+“_Tête d'enfer_,” growled out Pioche, “where was the tambour?”
+
+“You shall hear,” said Minette, and resumed.
+
+“'Do you hear me?' cried the major, 'or am I to be disgraced forever?
+Advance--quick time--march!'
+
+“'But, Major,' said a sergeant, aloud, 'they are not roasted apples
+those fellows yonder are pelting.'
+
+“'Silence!' called out the major; 'not a word! Tambour, beat the
+charge!'
+
+“Suddenly a man sprang up to his knees from the ground where he had been
+lying, and began to beat the drum with all his might. Poor fellow! his
+leg was smashed with a shot, but he obeyed his orders in the midst of
+all his suffering.
+
+“'Forward, men! forward!' cried the major, waving his cap above his
+head. 'Fix bayonets--charge!' And on they dashed after him.
+
+“'Halloo, comrades!' shouted the tambour; 'don't leave me behind you.'
+And in an instant two grenadiers stooped down and hoisted him on their
+shoulders, and then rushed forward through the smoke and flame. Crashing
+and smashing went the shot through the leading files; but on they went,
+leaping over the dead and dying.”
+
+“With the tambour still?” asked Pioche.
+
+“To be sure,” said Minette; “there he was. But listen:--
+
+“Just as they reached the breach a shot above their heads came whizzing
+past, and a terrible bang rang out as it went.
+
+“'He is killed,' said one of the grenadiers, preparing to lower the
+body; 'I heard his cry.'
+
+[Illustration: BrowneDrummerBoy121]
+
+“'Not yet, Comrade,' cried the tambour; 'it is the drum-head they have
+carried away, that's all;' and he beat away on the wooden sides harder
+than ever. And thus they bore him over the glacis, and up the rampart,
+and never stopped till they placed him, sitting, on one of the guns on
+the wall.”
+
+“Hurrah! well done!” cried Pioche; while every throat around him
+re-echoed the cry, “Hurrah!”
+
+“What was his name, Mademoiselle?” cried several voices. “Tell us the
+name of the tambour!”
+
+“_Ma foi, Messieurs!_they have not given it.”
+
+“Not given his name,” growled they out. “_Ventrebleu!_ that is too bad!”
+
+“An he had been an officer of the Guard they would have told us his
+whole birth and parentage,” said a wrinkled, sour-looking old fellow,
+with one eye.
+
+“Or a lieutenant of hussars, Mademoiselle!” said Pioche, looking fixedly
+at the vivandière, who held the book close to her face to conceal a deep
+blush that covered it.
+
+“But, halloo, there! Qui vive?” The cuirassier had just caught a glimpse
+of me at the moment, and every eye was turned at once to where I was
+standing. “Ah, Lieutenant, you here! Not invalided, I hope?”
+
+“No, Pioche. My visit was intended for you; and I have had the good
+fortune to come in for the tale mademoiselle was reading.”
+
+Before I had concluded these few words, the wounded soldiers, or such of
+them as could, had risen from their seats, and stood respectfully around
+me; while Minette, retreating behind the great chair where Pioche lay,
+seemed to wish to avoid recognition.
+
+“Front rank, Mademoiselle! front rank!” said Pioche. “_Parbleu!_when one
+has the 'cross of the Legion' from the hands of the Emperor himself, one
+need not be ashamed of being seen. Besides,” added he, in a lower tone,
+but one I could well overhear, “thou art not dressed in thy uniform now;
+thou hast nothing to blush for!”
+
+Still she hung down her head, and her confusion seemed only to increase;
+so that, unwilling to prolong her embarrassment, which I saw my presence
+had caused, I merely made a few inquiries from Pioche regarding his own
+health, and took my leave of the party.
+
+As I rode homeward, I could not help turning over in my mind the words
+of Pioche, “Thou art not in thy uniform now; thou hast nothing to blush
+for!” Here, then, seemed the key to the changed manner of the poor girl
+when I met her at Austerlitz,--some feeling of womanly shame at being
+seen in the costume of the vivandière by one who had known her only in
+another guise. But could this be so? I asked myself,--a question a
+very little knowledge of a woman's heart might have spared me. And thus
+pondering, I returned to the Luxembourg.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI. AN OLD FRIEND UNCHANGED
+
+They who took their tone in politics from the public journals of France
+must have been somewhat puzzled at the new and unexpected turn of
+the papers in Government influence at the period I now speak of. The
+tremendous attacks against the “perfide Albion,” which constituted
+the staple of the leading articles in the “Moniteur,” were gradually
+discontinued; the great body of the people were separated from the
+“tyrannical domination of an insolent aristocracy;” an occasional eulogy
+would appear, too, upon the “native good sense and right feeling of John
+Bull” when not led captive by appeals to his passions and prejudices;
+and at last a wish more boldly expressed that the two countries, whose
+mission it should be to disseminate civilization over the earth, could
+so far understand their real interest as to become “fast friends,
+instead of dangerous enemies.”
+
+The accession of the Whigs to power in England was the cause of this
+sudden revolution. The Emperor, when First Consul, had learned to
+know and admire Charles Fox,--sentiments of mutual esteem had grown up
+between them,--and it seemed now as if his elevation to power were
+the only thing wanting to establish friendly relations between the two
+countries.
+
+How far the French Emperor presumed on Fox's liberalism,--and the strong
+bias to party inducing him to adopt such a line of policy as would run
+directly counter to that of his predecessors in office, and thus dispose
+the nation to more amicable views towards France,--certain it is that he
+miscalculated considerably when he built upon any want of true English
+feeling on the part of that minister, or any tendency to weaken, by
+unjust concessions, the proud attitude England had assumed at the
+commencement and maintained throughout the entire Continental war.
+
+A mere accident led to a renewal of negotiations between the two
+countries. A villain, calling himself Guillet de la Grevillière, had
+the audacity to propose to the English minister the assassination of
+Napoleon, and to offer himself for the deed. He had hired a house at
+Passy, and made every preparation for the execution of his foul scheme.
+To denounce this wretch to the French minister of foreign affairs,
+Talleyrand, was the first step of Fox. This led to a reply, in which
+Talleyrand reported, word for word, a conversation that passed between
+the Emperor and himself, and wherein expressions of the kindest nature
+were employed by Napoleon with regard to Fox, and many flattering
+allusions to the times of their former intimacy; the whole concluding
+with the expression of an ardent desire for a good understanding and
+a “lasting peace between two nations designed by nature to esteem each
+other.”
+
+Although the whole scheme of the assassination was a police stratagem
+devised by Fouché to test the honor and good faith of the English
+minister, the result was eagerly seized on as a basis for new
+negotiations; and from that hour the temperate language of the French
+papers evinced a new policy towards England. The insolent allusions of
+journalists, the satirical squibs of party writers, the caricatures of
+the English eccentricity, were suppressed at once; and by that magic
+influence which Napoleon wielded, the whole tone of public feeling
+seemed altered as regarded England and Englishmen. From the leaders
+in the “Moniteur” to the shop windows of the Palace an Anglomania
+prevailed; and the idea was thrown out that the two nations had divided
+the world between them,--the sea being the empire of the British, the
+land that of Frenchmen. Commissioners were appointed on both sides:
+at first Lord Yarmouth, and then Lord Lauderdale, by England; General
+Clarke and M. Champagny, on the part of France. Lord Yarmouth, at that
+time a _détenu_ at Verdun, was selected by Talleyrand to proceed to
+England, and learn the precise basis on which an amicable negotiation
+could be founded.
+
+Scarcely was the interchange of correspondence made public, when the
+new tone of feeling and acting towards England displayed itself in every
+circle and every _salon_. If a proof were wanting how thoroughly the
+despotism of Napoleon had penetrated into the very core of society, here
+was a striking one: not only were many of the _détenus_ liberated and
+sent back to England, but were fêted and entertained at the various
+towns they stopped at on their way, and every expedient practised to
+make them satisfied with the treatment they had received on the soil
+of France. An English guest was deemed an irresistible attraction at
+a dinner party, and the most absurd attempts at imitation of English
+habits, dress, and language were introduced into society as the last
+“mode,” and extolled as the very pinnacle of fashionable excellence.
+
+It would be easy for me here to cite some strange instances of this new
+taste; but I already feel that I have wandered from my own path, and owe
+an apology to my reader for invading precincts which scarce become me.
+Yet may I observe here,--and the explanation will serve once for all,--I
+have been more anxious in this “true history” to preserve some passing
+record of the changeful features of an eventful period in Europe, than
+merely to chronicle personal adventures, which, although not devoid of
+vicissitudes, are still so insignificant in the great events by which
+they were surrounded. The Consulate, the Empire, and the Restoration
+were three great tableaux, differing in their groupings and color, but
+each part of one mighty whole,--links in the great chain, and evidencing
+the changeful aspect of a nation crouching beneath tyranny, or dwindling
+under imbecility and dotage.
+
+I have said the English were the vogue in Paris; and so they were, but
+especially in those _salons_ which reflected the influence of the Court,
+and where the tone of the Tuileries was revered as law. Every member of
+the Government, or all who were even remotely connected with it, at once
+adopted the reigning mode; and to be _à l'Anglaise_ became now as much
+the type of fashion as ever it had been directly the opposite. Only such
+as were in the confidence of Fouché and his schemes knew how hollow all
+this display of friendly feeling was, or how ready the Government
+held themselves to assume their former attitude of defiance when
+circumstances should render it advisable.
+
+Among those who speedily took up the tone of the Imperial counsels,
+the _salons_ of the Hôtel Glichy were conspicuous. English habits, as
+regarded table equipage; English servants; even to English cookery did
+French politeness extend its complaisance; and many of the commonest
+habitudes and least cultivated tastes were imported as the daily
+observances of fashionable people _outremer_.
+
+In this headlong Anglomania, my English birth and family (I say English,
+because abroad the petty distinctions of Irishman or Scotchman are
+not attended to) marked me out for peculiar attention in society; and
+although my education and residence in France had well-nigh rubbed off
+all or the greater part of my national peculiarities, yet the flatterers
+of the day found abundant traits to admire in what they recognized as
+my John Bull characteristics. And in this way, a blunder in French, a
+mistake in grammar, or a false accentuation became actually a _succès
+de salon_. Though I could not help smiling at the absurdity of a vogue
+whose violence alone indicated its unlikeliness to last, yet I had
+sufficient of the spirit of my adopted country to benefit by it while it
+did exist, and never spent a single day out of company.
+
+At the Hôtel Clichy I was a constant guest; and while with Mademoiselle
+de Lacostellerie my acquaintance made little progress, with the countess
+I became a special favorite,--she honoring me so far as to take me into
+her secret counsels, and tell me all the little nothings which Fouché
+usually disseminated as state secrets, and circulated twice or thrice
+a week throughout Paris. From him, too, she learned the names of the
+various English who each day arrived in Paris from Verdun, and thus
+contrived to have a succession of those favored guests at her dinner and
+evening parties.
+
+During all this time, as I have said, my intimacy with mademoiselle
+advanced but slowly, and certainly showed slight prospect of verifying
+the prophecy of Duchesne at parting. Her manner had, indeed, lost its
+cold and haughty tone; but in lieu of it there was a flippant, half
+impertinent, _moqueur_ spirit, which, however easily turned to advantage
+by a man of the world like the chevalier, was terribly disconcerting to
+a less forward and less enterprising person like myself. Dobretski still
+continued an invalid; and although she never mentioned his name nor
+alluded to him in any instance, I could see that she suspected I knew
+something more of his illness and the cause of it than I had ever
+confessed. It matters little what the subject of it be, let a secret
+once exist between a young man and a young woman,--let there be the
+tacit understanding that they mutually know of something of which others
+are in ignorance,--and from that moment a species of intelligence is
+established between them of the most dangerous kind. They may not be
+disposed to like each other; there may be attachments elsewhere; there
+may be a hundred reasons why love should not enter into the case; yet
+will there be a conscious sense of this hidden link which binds them;
+strangely at variance with their ordinary regard for each other,
+eternally mingling in all their intercourse, and suggesting modes
+of acting and thinking at variance with the true tenor of the
+acquaintanceship.
+
+Such, then, was my position at the Hôtel Clichy, at which I was almost
+daily a visitor or a guest, in the morning, to hear the chit-chat of the
+day,--the changes talked of in the administration, the intended plans of
+the Emperor, or the last modes in dress introduced by the Empress, whose
+taste in costume and extravagant habits were much more popular with the
+tradespeople than with Napoleon.
+
+An illness of a few days' duration had confined me to the Luxembourg,
+and unhappily deprived me of the Court ball, for which I had received
+my invitation several weeks before. It seemed as if my fate forbade any
+chance of my ever seeing her once more whose presence in Paris was the
+great hope I held out to myself when coming. Already a rumor was afloat
+that several officers had received orders to join their regiments; and
+now I began to fear lest I should leave the capital without meeting her,
+and was thinking of some plan by which I could attain that object, when
+a note arrived from Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie, written with more
+than her usual cordiality, and inviting me to dinner on the following
+day with a very small party, but when I should meet one of my oldest
+friends.
+
+I thought of every one in turn who could be meant under the designation,
+but without ever satisfying my mind that I had hit upon the right one.
+Tascher it could not be, for the very last accounts I had seen from
+Germany spoke of him as with his regiment. My curiosity was sufficiently
+excited to make me accept the invitation; and, true to time, I found
+myself at the Hôtel Clichy at the hour appointed.
+
+On entering the _salon_, I discovered that I was alone. None of the
+guests had as yet arrived, nor had the ladies of the house made their
+appearance; and I lounged about the splendid drawing-room, where every
+appliance of luxury was multiplied: pictures, vases, statues, and
+bronzes abounded,--for the apartment had all the ample proportions of
+a gallery,--battle scenes from the great «vents of the Italian and
+Egyptian campaigns; busts of celebrated generals and portraits of
+several of the marshals, from the pencils of Gerard and David. But
+more than all was I struck by one picture: it was a likeness of Pauline
+herself, in the costume of a Spanish peasant. Never had artist caught
+more of the character of his subject than in that brilliant sketch,--for
+it was no more. The proud tone of the expression; the large, full eye,
+beaming a bright defiance; the haughty curl of the lip; the determined
+air of the figure, as she stood one foot in advance, and the arms
+hanging easily on either side,--all conveyed an impression of high
+resolve and proud determination quite her own.
+
+I was leaning over the back of a chair, my eye steadfastly fixed on the
+painting, when I heard a slight rustling of a dress near me. I turned
+about: it was mademoiselle herself. Although the light of the apartment
+was tempered by the closed jalousies, and scarcely more than a mere
+twilight admitted, I could perceive that she colored and seemed confused
+as she said,--
+
+“I hope you don't think that picture is a likeness?”
+
+“And yet,” said I, hesitatingly, “there is much that reminds me of you;
+I mean, I can discover--”
+
+“Say it frankly, sir; you think that saucy look is not from mere fancy.
+I deemed you a closer observer; but no matter. You have been ill; I
+trust you are recovered again.”
+
+“Oh, a mere passing indisposition, which unfortunately came at the
+moment of the Court ball. You were there, of course?”
+
+“Yes; it was there we had the pleasure to meet your friend, the general:
+but perhaps this is indiscreet on my part; I believe, indeed, I promised
+to say nothing of him.”
+
+“The general! Do you mean General d'Auvergne?”
+
+“That much I will answer you,--I do not. But ask me no more questions.
+Your patience will not be submitted to a long trial; he dines with us
+to-day.”
+
+I made no reply, but began to ponder over in my mind who the general in
+question could be.
+
+“There! pray do not worry yourself about what a few moments will reveal
+for you, without any guessing. How strange it is, the intense feeling of
+curiosity people are afflicted with who themselves have secrets.”
+
+“But I have none, Mademoiselle; at least, none worth the telling.”
+
+“Perhaps,” replied she, saucily. “But here come our guests.”
+
+Several persons entered the _salon_ at this moment, with each of whom I
+was slightly acquainted; they were either members of the Government
+or generals on the staff. The countess herself soon after made her
+appearance; and now we only waited for the individual so distinctively
+termed “my friend” to complete the party.
+
+“Pauline has kept our secret, I hope,” said the countess to me. “I shall
+be sadly disappointed if anything mars this surprise.”
+
+“Who can it be?” thought I. “Or is the whole thing some piece of
+badinage got up at my expense?”
+
+Scarcely had the notion struck me, when a servant flung wide the
+folding-doors, and announced “le Général” somebody, but so mumbled was
+the word, the nearest thing I could make of it was “Bulletin.” This
+time, however, my curiosity suffered no long delay; for quickly after
+the announcement a portly personage in an English uniform entered
+hastily, and approaching madame, kissed her hand with a most gallant
+air; then turning to mademoiselle, he performed a similar ceremony. All
+this time my eyes were riveted upon him, without my being able to make
+the most remote guess as to who he was.
+
+“Must I introduce you, gentlemen?” said the countess: “Captain Burke.”
+
+“Eh, what! my old friend, my boy Tom! This you, with all that mustache?
+Delighted to see you,” cried the large unknown, grasping me by the
+hands, and shaking them with a cordiality I had not known for many a
+year.
+
+“Really, sir,” said I, “I am but too happy to be recognized; but a most
+unfortunate memory--”
+
+“Memory, lad! I never forgot anything in life. I remember the doctor
+shaking the snow off his boots the night I was born; a devilish cold
+December. We lived at Benhungeramud, in the Himalaya.”
+
+“What!” cried I; “is this Captain Bubbleton, my old and kind friend?”
+
+“General, Tom,--Lieutenant-General Bubbleton, with your leave,” said he,
+correcting me. “How the boy has grown! I remember him when he was scarce
+so high.”
+
+“But, my dear captain--”
+
+“General, lieutenant-general--”
+
+“Well, Lieutenant-General,--to what happy chance do we owe the pleasure
+of seeing you here?”
+
+“War, boy,--the old story. But we shall have time enough to talk over
+these things; and I see we are detaining the countess.”
+
+So saying, the general gave his arm to madame, and led the way
+towards the dinner; whither we followed,--I in a state of surprise
+and astonishment that left me unable to collect my faculties for a
+considerable time after.
+
+Although the party, with the exception of Bubbleton, were French,
+he himself, as was his wont, supported nearly the whole of the
+conversation; and if his French was none of the most accurate, he amply
+made up in volubility for all accidents of grammar. It appeared that he
+had been three years at Verdun, a prisoner; though how he came there,
+whence, and at what exact period, there was no discovering. And now
+his arrival at Paris was an event equally shrouded in mystery, for no
+negotiations had been opened for his exchange whatsoever; but he had
+had the eloquence to persuade the préfet that the omission was a mere
+accident,--some blunder of the War-Office people, which he would rectify
+on his arrival at Paris. And there he was, though with what prospect
+of reaching England none but one of his inventive genius could possibly
+guess. He was brimful of politics, ministerial secrets, state news, and
+Government intentions, not only as regarded England, but Austria and
+Russia: and communicated in deep confidence a grand scheme by which the
+Fox ministry were to immortalize themselves,--which was by giving up
+Malta to the Bourbons, Louis the Eighteenth to be king, Goza to be a
+kind of dependency to be governed by a lieutenant-general whom “he would
+not name;” finishing his glass with an ominous look as he spoke.
+Thence he wandered on to his repugnance to state, and dislike to any
+government, function,--illustrating his quiet tastes and simple habits
+by recounting a career of Oriental luxury in which he described himself
+as living for years past; every word he spoke, whatever the impression
+on others, bringing me back most forcibly to my boyish days in the old
+barrack, where first I met him. Years had but cultivated his talents;
+his visions were bolder and more daring than ever; while he had
+chastened down his hurried and excited tone of narrative to a quiet flow
+of unexaggerated description, which, taking his age and appearance into
+account, it was difficult to discredit.
+
+Whether the Frenchmen really gave credit to his revelations, or only
+from politeness affected to do it at first, I cannot say, but assuredly
+he put all their courtesy to a rude test by a little anecdote before he
+left the dinner-room.
+
+While speaking of the memorable siege of Valenciennes in '93, at which
+one of the French officers was present and in a high command, Bubbleton
+at once launched forth into some very singular anecdotes of the
+campaign, where, as he alleged, he also had served.
+
+“We took an officer of one of your infantry regiments prisoner in a
+sortie one evening,” said the Frenchman. “I commanded the party, and
+shall never forget the daring intrepidity of his escape. He leaped from
+the wall into the fosse, a height of thirty feet and upwards. _Parbleu!_
+we had not the heart to fire after him, though we saw that after the
+shock he crawled out upon his hands and feet, and soon afterwards gained
+strength enough to run. He gave me his pocket-book with his name; I
+shall not forget it readily,--it was Stopford.”
+
+“Ah, poor Billy! He was my junior lieutenant,” said Bubbleton; “an
+active fellow, but he never could jump with me. Confound him! he has
+left me a souvenir also, though a very different kind from yours,--a
+cramp in the stomach I shall never get rid of.”
+
+As this seemed a somewhat curious legacy from one brother officer to
+another, we could not help calling on the general for an explanation,--a
+demand Bubbleton never refused to gratify.
+
+“It happened in this wise,” said he, pushing back his chair as he spoke,
+and seating himself with the easy attitude of your true story-teller.
+“The night before the assault--the 24th of July, if my memory serves
+me right--the sappers were pushing forward the mines with all despatch.
+Three immense globes were in readiness beneath the walls, and some minor
+details were only necessary to complete the preparations. The stormers
+consisted of four British and three German regiments,--my own, the Welsh
+Fusiliers, being one of the former. We occupied the lines stretching
+from L'Hérault to Damies.”
+
+The French officer nodded assent, and Bubbleton resumed.
+
+“The Fusiliers were on the right, and divided into two parties,--an
+assaulting column and a supporting one; the advanced companies at half
+cannon-shot from the walls, the others a little farther off. Thus we
+were, when, about half-past ten, or it might be even eleven o'clock (we
+were drinking some mulled claret in my quarters), a low, swooping
+kind of a noise came stealing along the ground. We listened,--it grew
+stronger and stronger; and then we could hear musket-shot and shouting,
+and the tramp of men as if running. Out we went; and, by Jove! there
+we saw the first battalion in full retreat towards the camp. It was a
+sortie in force from the garrison, which drove in our advanced posts,
+and took several prisoners. The drums now soon beat to quarters; the
+men fell in rapidly, and we advanced to meet them,--no pleasant affair,
+either, let me remark, for the night was pitch dark, and we could not
+even guess the strength of your force. It was just then that I was
+running with all my speed to come up with the flank companies, that my
+cover-sergeant, a cool, old Scotch fellow, shouted out,--
+
+“'Take care, sir! Stoop there, sir! stoop there!'
+
+“But the advice came too late. I could just discern through the gloom
+something black, hopping and bounding along towards me; now striking the
+ground, and then rebounding again several feet in the air.
+
+“'Stoop, sir! down!' cried he.
+
+“But before I could throw myself flat, plump it took me here. Over I
+went, breathless, and deeming all was finished; but, miraculous to say,
+in a few minutes after I found myself coming to, and except the shock,
+nothing the worse for the injury.
+
+“'Was that a shell, Sergeant?' said I; 'a spent shell?'
+
+“'Na, sir,' said he, in his own broad way, 'it was naething o' the kind;
+it was only Lieutenant Stopford's head that was snapped aff up there.'”
+
+“His head!” exclaimed we all of a breath,--“his head!»
+
+“Yes, poor fellow, so it was; a damned hard kind of a bullet-head, too!
+The blow has left a weakness of the stomach I suppose I shall never
+recover from; and the occurrence being so singular, I have actually
+never asked for a pension,--there are people, by Jove! would throw
+discredit on it.”
+
+This latter observation seemed so perfectly to sum up our own thoughts
+on the matter that we really had nothing to remark on it; and after a
+silence of a few seconds, politely relieved by the countess hinting at
+coffee in the drawing-room, we arose and followed her.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII. THE RUE DES CAPUCINES
+
+Before I parted with Bubbleton that evening be promised to breakfast
+with me on the following morning; and true to his word, entered my
+quarters soon after ten o'clock. I longed to have an opportunity of
+talking to him alone, and learning some intelligence of that country,
+which, young as I had left it, was still hallowed in memory as my own.
+
+“Eh, by Jupiter! this is something like a quarter,--gilded mouldings,
+frescos, silk hangings, and Persian rugs. I say, Tom, are you sure you
+haven't made a mistake, my boy, and just imagined that you were somebody
+else,--Murat or Bernadotte, for example? The thing is far easier than
+you may think; it happened to me before now.”
+
+“Be tranquil on that score,” said I, “we are both at home; though
+these quarters are, as you remark, far beyond the mark of a captain of
+hussars.”
+
+“A captain! Why, hang it, you're not captain already?”
+
+“Yes, to be sure. What signifies it? Only think of your own rapid rise
+since we parted; you were but a captain then, and to be now a
+lieutenant-general!”
+
+“Ah, true, very true,” said he, hurriedly, while he bustled about the
+room, examining the furniture, and inspecting the decorations most
+narrowly. “Capital service this must be,” muttered he, between his
+teeth; “not much pay, I fancy, but a deal of plunder and private
+robbery.”
+
+“I cannot say much on that head,” said I, laughing outright at what
+he intended for a soliloquy; “but I must confess I have no reason to
+complain of my lot.”
+
+“Egad! I should think not,” rejoined he; “better than Old George's
+Street. Well, well, I wish I were but back there,--that's all.”
+
+“Come, sit down to your breakfast; and perhaps when we talk it over some
+plan may present itself for your exchange.”
+
+How thoroughly had I forgotten my friend when I uttered the sentiment;
+for scarcely was he seated at table, when he launched out, as of old,
+into one of his visionary harangues,--throwing forth dark hints of his
+own political importance, and the keen watch the Emperor had set upon
+his movements.
+
+“No, my friend, the thing is impossible,” said he, ominously. “Nap.
+knows me; he knows my influence with the Tories. To let me escape would
+be to blow all his schemes to the winds. I am destined for the 'Temple,'
+if not for the guillotine.”
+
+The solemnity of his voice and manner at this moment was too much for
+me, and I laughed outright.
+
+“Ay, you may laugh; so does Anna Maria.”
+
+“And is Miss Bubbleton here, too?”
+
+“Yes; we are both here,” ejaculated he, with a deep sigh. “Rue Neuve
+des Capucines, No. 46, four flights above the entresol! Ay, and in
+that entresol they have two spies of Fouché's police; I know them well,
+though they pretend to be hairdressers. I'm too much for old Fouché yet;
+depend upon it, Tom.”
+
+It was in vain I endeavored to ascertain what circumstances led him
+to believe himself suspected by the Government; neither was I more
+fortunate in discovering how he first became a _détenu_. The mist of
+imaginary events, places, and people which he had conjured up around
+him, prevented his ever being able to see his way, or know clearly any
+one fact connected with his present position. Dark hints about spies,
+suspicious innuendoes of concealed enemies, plotting préfets and opened
+letters, had actually filled his brain to the exclusion of everything
+rational and reasonable, and I began seriously to fear for my poor
+friend's intellect.
+
+Hoping by a change of topic to induce a more equable tone of thinking, I
+asked about Ireland.
+
+“All right there! they've hanged 'em all,” said he. Then, as if suddenly
+remembering himself, he added, with a slight confusion, “You were well
+out of that scrape, Tom. Your old friend Barton had a warrant for you
+the morning you left, and there was a reward of five hundred pounds for
+your apprehension; and something, too, for a confounded old piper,--old
+Blast-the-Bellows, I think they called him.”
+
+“Darby! What of him, Bubbleton? they did not take him, I trust?”
+
+“No, by Jove! They hanged two fellows, each of whom they believed to
+be him, and he was in the crowd looking on, they say. But he's at large
+still; and the report goes, Barton does not stir out at night for fear
+of meeting him, as the fellow has an old score to settle with him.”
+
+“And so, all hopes of liberty would seem extinguished now,” said I,
+gloomily.
+
+“That is as you may take it, Tom. I'm a bad judge of these things; but I
+fancy that a man who can live here might contrive to eke out life under
+a British Government; though he might yearn now and then for a secret
+police, a cabinet noir, or perhaps a tight cravat in the Temple.”
+
+“Hush! my friend.”
+
+“Ay, there it is! Now, if we were in Dame Street, we might abuse the
+ministers and the army and the Lord-Lieutenant to our heart's content;
+and if Jemmy O'Brien was n't one of the company, I 'd not mind a hit at
+Barton himself.”
+
+“But does England still maintain her proud tone of ascendency towards
+Ireland? Is the Saxon the hereditary lord, and the Celt the slave,
+still?”
+
+“There again you puzzle me; for I never saw much of this same
+ascendency, or slavery either. Loyal people, some way or other, were
+usually in favor with the Government, and had what many thought a most
+unjust proportion of the good things to their share. But even the
+others got off in most cases easily too; a devilish deal better than you
+treated those luckless Austrians the other day. You killed some thirty
+thousand, and made bankrupts of the rest of the nation. But then, to be
+sure, it was the cause of liberty you were fighting for. And as for the
+Italians--”
+
+“Yes! but you forget these were wars not of our seeking; the treachery
+of false-hearted allies led to these sad results.”
+
+“I suppose so. But certain it is, nations, like individuals, that have a
+taste for fighting, usually have the good luck to find an adversary; and
+as your Emperor here seems to have learned the Donnybrook Fair trick of
+trailing his coat after him, it would be strange enough if nobody would
+gratify him by standing on it.”
+
+Without being able to say why, I felt piqued and annoyed at the tone of
+Bubbleton's remarks, which, coming from one of his narrow intelligence
+on ordinary topics, worried me only the more. I had long since seen that
+the liberty with which in boyhood I was infatuated had no existence save
+in the dreams of ardent patriotism; that the great and the mighty felt
+ambition a goal, and power a birthright; that the watchwords of freedom
+were inscribed on banners when the sentiments had died out of men's
+hearts, while as a passion the more dazzling one of glory made every
+other pale before it; and that the calm head and moderate judgment could
+scarce survive contact with the intoxicating triumphs of a nation's
+successes.
+
+Such was, indeed, the real change Napoleon had wrought in France. Their
+enthusiasm could not rest content with national liberty; glory alone
+could satisfy a nation drunk with victory. Against the stern followers
+of the Republican era--the soldiers of the Sambre and Meuse, the men
+of Jemmappes--he had arrayed the ardent, high-spirited youth of the
+Consulate and the Empire, the heroes of Areola, of Rivoli, of Cairo, and
+Austerlitz. How vain to discuss questions of social order or national
+freedom with the cordoned and glittering bands who saw monarchy and
+kingdoms among the prizes of their ambition! And even I, who had few
+ambitious hopes, how the ardor that once stimulated me and led me to the
+soldier's life,--how had it given way to the mere conventional aspirings
+of a class! The grade of colonel was far oftener in my thoughts than the
+cause of freedom; the cross of the Legion would have reconciled me to
+much that in my calmer judgment I might deem harsh and tyrannical.
+
+“Believe me, Tom,” said Bubbleton, who saw in my silence that his
+observations had their weight with me, “believe me, my philosophy is the
+true one,--never to meddle where you cannot serve yourself or some
+of your friends. The world will always consist of two parties,--one
+governing, the other governed. We belong to the latter category, and
+shall only get into a scrape by poking our heads where they have no
+business to be.”
+
+“Why, a few moments since you were full of state secrets, and plots, and
+secret treaties, and Heaven knows what besides!”
+
+“To be sure I was. And for whose interest, man,--for whose sake? George
+Frederick Augustus Bubbleton's. Ay, no doubt of it. Here am I, a
+_détenu_,--and have been these two years and a half--wasting away
+existence at Verdun, while my property is going to the devil from sheer
+neglect. My West India estates, who can say how I shall find them? my
+Calcutta property, the same; then there's that fee-simple thing in
+Norfolk. But I can't even think of it. Well, I verily believe no single
+step has been taken for my release or exchange. The Whigs, you know,
+will do nothing for me. I may tell you in confidence,”--here he dropped
+his voice to a low whisper,--“I may tell you, Charles Fox hates me. But
+more of this another time. What was I to do in all this mess of trouble
+and misfortune? Stand still and bear it? No, faith; that's not Bubbleton
+policy. You 'd never guess what I did.”
+
+“I fear not.”
+
+“Well, it chanced that some little literary labors of mine--you know I
+dally sometimes with the muse--became known to the préfet at Verdun.
+I saw that they watched me; and consequently I made great efforts at
+secrecy, concealing my papers in the chimney, under the floor, sewing
+them in the linings of my coat, and so on. The bait took: they made
+a regular search, seizing my manuscripts, put great seals on all
+the packages, and sent them up to Paris. The day after, I made
+submission,--offered to reveal all to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
+And accordingly they sent me up here with an escort. What would have
+come next I cannot tell you, if Anna Maria had not found out Lord
+Lauderdale, and trumped up some story to him, so that he interfered. And
+we are now living at the Rue Neuve des Capucines; but how long we shall
+be there, and where they may send us next, I wish I could only guess.”
+
+A few minutes' consideration satisfied me that the police were concerned
+in Bubbleton's movements, and, knowing at once that no danger was to
+be apprehended from such a source, were merely holding him up for some
+occasion when they could make use of him to found some charge against
+the British Government,--a manoeuvre constantly employed, and always
+successful with the Parisians, wherever an explanation became necessary
+in the public papers.
+
+It would have served no purpose to impart these suspicions of mine to
+Bubbleton himself; on the contrary, he would inevitably have destroyed
+all clew to their confirmation by some false move, had I done so. With
+this impression, then, I resolved to wait patiently, watch events, and
+when the time came, see what best could be done towards effecting his
+liberation.
+
+As I was disposed to place more reliance on Miss Bubbleton's statements
+than those of her imaginative brother, I agreed to his proposal to pay
+her a visit; and accordingly we set out together for the Rue Neuve des
+Capucines.
+
+Lieutenant-General Bubbleton's quarters were by no means of that
+imposing character which befitted his rank in the British army.
+Traversing a dirty courtyard strewed with firewood, we entered a little
+gloomy passage, from which a still gloomier stair ascended to the
+topmost regions of the house, where, unlocking a door, he pushed me
+before him into a small, meanly-furnished apartment, the centre of which
+was occupied by a little iron stove, whose funnel pierced the ceiling
+above, and gave the chamber somewhat the air of a ship's cabin.
+Bubbleton, however, either did not or would not perceive any want of
+comfort or propriety in the whole; on the contrary, he strode the floor
+with the step of an emperor, and placed the chair for me to sit on as
+though he were about to seat me on a throne. While exchanging his coat
+for a most ragged dressing-gown, he threw himself on an old sofa with
+such energy of ease that the venerable article of furniture creaked and
+groaned in every joint.
+
+“She's out,” said he, with a toss of his thumb to a half-open door;
+“gone to take a stroll in the Tuileries for half an hour, so that we
+shall have a little chat before she comes. And now, what will ye take? A
+little sherry and water? a glass of maraschino, eh? or what say you to a
+nip of real Nantz?”
+
+“Nothing, my dear friend; you forget the hour, not to speak of my French
+education.”
+
+“Oh, very true,” said he. “When I was in the Forty-fifth--” When he had
+uttered these words, he stopped suddenly, hesitated, and stammered,
+and at last, fairly overcome with confusion, he unfolded a huge
+pocket-handkerchief, and blew his nose with the sound of a cavalry
+trumpet, while he resumed: “We had a habit in the old Forty-fifth--a
+deuced bad one, I confess--of a mess breakfast, that began after parade
+and always ran into luncheon--But hush! here she comes,” cried he,
+in evident delight at the interruption so opportunely arriving. Then,
+springing up, he threw open the door, and called out, “I say, Anna
+Maria, you 'll not guess who's here?”
+
+Either the ascent of the steep stair called for all the lady's spare
+lungs, or the question had little interest for her, as she certainly
+made no reply whatever, but continued to mount, step by step, with
+that plodding, monosyllabic pace one falls into at the highest of six
+flights.
+
+“No,” cried he aloud, “no, you're wrong; it is not Lauderdale.” Then,
+turning towards me, with a finger to his nose, he added, with pantomimic
+action, “She thinks you are Yarmouth. Wrong again, by Jove! What do you
+say to Tom Burke,--Burke of 'Ours.' as I used to call him long ago?”
+
+By this time Miss Bubbleton had reached the door, and was holding the
+handle to recover her breath after the fatigue of the ascent. Even in
+that momentary glance, however, I recognized her. Nothing altered
+by time, she was the same crabbed, crossgrained-looking personage I
+remembered years before. She carried a little basket on her arm, of
+which her brother hastened to relieve her, and showed no little concern
+to remove out of sight. Being divested of this, she held out her hand,
+and saluted me with more cordiality than I looked for.
+
+Scarcely had our greetings been exchanged, when Bubbleton broke in, “I
+'ve told him everything, Anna Maria. He knows the whole affair; no use
+in boring him with any more. I say, isn't he grown prodigiously? And a
+captain already,--just think of that.”
+
+“And so, sir, you've heard of the sad predicament his folly has brought
+us into?”
+
+“Hush, hush, Anna Maria!” cried Bubbleton; “no nonsense, old girl. Burke
+will put all to rights; he's aide-de-camp to Murat, and dines with him
+every day,--eh, Tom?”
+
+“What if he be?” interrupted the lady, without permitting me time to
+disclaim the honor. “How can he ever--”
+
+“I tell you, it's all arranged between us; and don't make a fuss about
+nothing. You 'll only make bad worse, as you always do. Come, Tom; the
+secret is, I shall be ruined if I don't get back to England soon. Heaven
+knows who receives my dividends all this time. Then that confounded
+tin mine! they 've mismanaged the thing so much I haven't received five
+hundred pounds from Cornwall since this time twelve months.”
+
+“That you haven't,” said the lady, as with clasped hands and eyes fixed
+she sat staring at the little stove with the stern stoicism of a martyr.
+
+“She knows that,” said Bubbleton, with a nod, as if grateful for even so
+much testimony in his favor. “And as for that scoundrel, Thistlethwait,
+the West India agent, I've a notion he's broke; not a shilling from him
+either.”
+
+“Not sixpence,” echoed the lady.
+
+“You hear that,” cried he, overjoyed at the concurrence. “And the fact
+is,--you will smile when I tell you, but upon my honor it's true,--I am
+actually hard up for cash.”
+
+The idea tickled him so much, and seemed so ludicrous withal, that he
+fell back on the sofa, and laughed till the tears ran down his face. Not
+so Miss Bubbleton: her grim face grew more fixed, every feature hardened
+as if becoming stone, while gradually a sneer curled her thin lip; but
+she never spoke a word.
+
+“I'll not speak of the annoyance of being out of England, nor the loss
+of influence a man sustains after a long absence,” said Bubbleton, as he
+paced the room with his hands deep thrust in his dressing-gown pockets.
+“These are things one can feel; and as for me, they weigh more on my
+mind than mere money considerations.”
+
+“But, General,” said I--
+
+“General!” echoed the lady with a start round, and holding up both her
+hands,--“General! You have n't been such a fool,--it's not possible you
+could be such a fool--”
+
+“Will you please to be quiet, old damsel?” said Bubbleton, with more of
+harshness than he had yet used in his manner. “Can you persuade yourself
+to mind your own household concerns, and leave George Frederick Augustus
+Bubbleton to manage his own matters as he deems best?”
+
+Here he turned short round towards me, and throwing up his eyebrows to
+their full height, he touched his forehead knowingly with the tip of his
+forefinger, and uttered the words,--
+
+“You understand! Poor thing!” concluding the pantomime with a deep sigh
+from the bottom of his chest, while he added something in a low whisper
+about “a fall from an elephant when she was a child!”
+
+“Mr. Burke, will you listen to me?” said the lady, with an energy
+of voice and manner there was no gainsaying--“listen to me for five
+minutes; and probably, short as the time is, I may be able to put you in
+possession of a few plain facts concerning our position, and if you have
+the inclination and the power to serve us, you may then know how best it
+can be done.”
+
+Bubbleton made me a sign to gratify her desire of loquaciousness, while
+with a most expressive shrug he intimated that I should probably hear a
+very incoherent statement. This done, he lighted his meerschaum, wrapped
+his ragged _robe de chambre_ around him, and lay down full length on
+the sofa, with the air of a man who had fortified himself to undergo any
+sacrifices that might be demanded at his hands; taking care the while to
+assume his position in such a manner that he could exchange glances with
+me without his being observed by his sister.
+
+“We came over, Mr. Burke, only a few months before the war broke out,
+and like the rest of our countrymen and women were made _détenus_. This
+was bad enough; but my wise brother made it far worse, for instead of
+giving his name, with his real rank and position, he would call himself
+a lieutenant-general, affect to have immense wealth and great political
+influence. The consequence was, when others were exchanged and sent
+home, his name not being discoverable in any English list, was passed
+over; while his assumed fortune involved us in every expense and
+extravagance, and his mock importance made us the object of the secret
+police, who never ceased to watch and spy after us.”
+
+“Capital! excellent! by Jove!” cried Bubbleton, as he rolled forth a
+long curl of blue smoke from the angle of his mouth; “she 's admirable!”
+
+“I ought to have told you before,” said the lady, not paying the least
+attention to his interruption, “that he was obliged to sell out of
+the Forty-fifth; a certain Mr. Montague Crofts, whom you may remember,
+having won every shilling he possessed, even to the sale of his
+commission. This was the cause of our coming abroad; so that at the very
+moment that he was giving himself these airs of pretended greatness, we
+were ruined.”
+
+“Upon my life, she believes all that,” whispered Bubbleton, with a wink
+at me. “Poor old thing! I must get Larrey to look at her.”
+
+“Happily, or unhappily--who shall say which?--there was a greater fool
+even than himself in the village; and he was the _maire_. This
+wise functionary became alarmed at the piles of papers and rolls of
+manuscripts that were seen about our rooms, and equally suspicious about
+the dark hints and mysterious innuendoes he threw out from time to time.
+The préfet was informed of it; and the result was, an order for our
+removal to Paris. Here, then, we are; with what destiny before us who
+shall tell? For, as he still persists in his atrocious nonsense, and
+calls himself major-general--”
+
+“Lieutenant-general, my dear,” said Bubbleton, mildly; “I never was
+major-general.”
+
+“Is it not too bad?” said she. “Could any patience endure this?”
+
+“Don't be violent; take care, Anna Maria,” said he, rebukingly. “Potts
+said I should use restraint again, if you showed any return of the
+paroxysm. That's the way she takes it,” said he in a low whisper,
+“with a blinking about the eyes and a pattering of the feet. Bathe your
+temples, dear, and you'll be better presently.”
+
+Anna Maria sat still, not uttering a word, and actually fearing by a
+gesture to encourage a commentary on her manner.
+
+“Sometimes she 'll mope for hours,” muttered he in my ear; “at others,
+she's furious,--there's no saying how it will turn. You wouldn't like a
+pipe? I forgot to ask you.”
+
+“And worse than all, sir,” said the lady, as if no longer able to
+restrain her temper, “he is supposed to be a spy of the police. I heard
+it myself this morning.”
+
+“Eh, what!” exclaimed Bubbleton, jumping up in an ecstasy of delight. “A
+spy! By Jove! I knew it. Lord! what fellows they are, these French! not
+two days here yet, and they discovered I was no common man,--eh,
+Burke? Maybe I haven't frightened them, my boy. It's not every one would
+create such a sensation, let me tell you; I knew I'd do it.”
+
+Miss Bubbleton looked at him for an instant with a sneer of the most
+withering contempt, and then rising abruptly, left the room. But the
+general little cared for such evidences of her censure; he danced about
+the room, snapping his fingers, and chuckling with self-satisfaction,
+the thought of being believed to be a police spy giving him the most
+intense and heartfelt pleasure.
+
+“She has moments, Tom, when she's downright clear; you 'd not think it,
+but sometimes she's actually shrewd. You saw how she hit upon that.”
+
+“Would that her brother was favored with some of these lucid intervals!”
+ was the thought that ran through my head at the moment; for I knew
+better than he did how needful a clearer brain and sharper faculties
+than his would be to escape the snares his folly and vanity were
+spreading around him.
+
+“Shall we make a morning call at our friend the countess's,
+Tom?” said Bubbleton. “She told me she received every day about this
+hour.”
+
+I felt nowise disposed for the visit; and so, having engaged my friend
+to dine with me at the Luxembourg the next day, we parted.
+
+As I sauntered homewards, I was surprised how difficult I found it to
+disabuse my mind of the absurd insinuations Bubbleton had thrown out
+against his sister's sanity; for, though well knowing his fondness for
+romance, and his taste for embellishment on every occasion, I. yet could
+not get rid of the impression that her oddity of manner might only be
+another feature of eccentricity, just as extravagant, but differing in
+its tendencies, as his own.
+
+To assist him whose kindness to myself of old I never ceased to remember
+with gratitude, was my firm resolve; but to ascertain his exact position
+was all-essential for this purpose, and I could not help saying, half
+aloud, “If I had but Duchesne here now!”
+
+“Speak of the devil, _mon ami!_” said he, drawing his arm within mine,
+while I was scarcely able to avoid a cry of astonishment. “Where do you
+dine to-day, Burke?” said he, in his quiet, easy tone.
+
+“But where did you come from, Duchesne? Are you long here?”
+
+“Answer my question first. Can you dine with me?”
+
+“To be sure; with pleasure.”
+
+“Then meet me at the corner of the Rue des Trois Têtes, at six o'clock,
+and I 'll be your guide afterwards. This is _my_ way now. _Au revoir_.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII. THE MOISSON d'OR
+
+When I arrived at the rendezvous, I found Duchesne already awaiting me
+with a carriage, into which we stepped, and drove rapidly away.
+
+“A man of your word, Burke; and, what is scarcely less valuable in the
+times we live in, a man of prudence too.”
+
+“As how the latter, may I ask?”
+
+“You have not come in uniform, which is all the better where we are
+going; besides, it gives me the hope of presenting you to my respected
+aunt, the Duchesse de Montserrât, who will take your black coat as a
+compliment to the whole Bourbon dynasty. You must come with me there, if
+it only be for half an hour. And now tell me, have you ever dined at the
+'Moisson d'Or'?”
+
+“Never; not even heard of the house.”
+
+“Well, then, you shall to-day. And meanwhile I may tell you, that
+although in a remote and little-visited quarter of Paris, it stands
+unrivalled for the excellence of its fare and the rare delicacy of its
+wines,--a reputation not of yesterday, but of some years' standing.
+Nor is that the only thing remarkable about it, as I shall explain
+hereafter. But come! How are your friends at the Hôtel Clichy? and how
+fares your suit with mademoiselle?”
+
+“My suit? It never was such. You know, to the full as well as I do, my
+pretensions aspired not half so high.”
+
+“So much the better, and so much the worse. I mean the former for me,
+as I hate to have a friend for a rival; the latter for you, who ought to
+have learned by this time that a handsome girl and a million of
+francs are more easily won than a cross of the Legion or a colonel's
+epaulette.”
+
+“And are you serious, Duchesne? Have you really intentions in that
+quarter?”
+
+“_Morbleu!_ to be sure I have. It is for that I am here in Paris in
+the dog days; travelled one hundred and twenty leagues; ay, and
+more, too,--have brought with me my most aristocratic aunt, who never
+remembers in her life to have seen full-grown leaves in the Tuileries
+gardens. I knew what an ally she would be in the negotiation; and so I
+managed, through some friends in the bureau of the minister, to give her
+a rare fright about an estate of hers, which by some accident escaped
+confiscation in the Revolution, and which nothing but the greatest
+efforts on her part could now rescue from the fangs of the crown. You
+may be sure she is not particularly in love with the present Government
+on this score; but the trick secures her speaking more guardedly than
+she has the habit of doing, besides inducing her to make acquaintances
+nothing but such a threat would accomplish.”
+
+“You intend, then, she should know Madame de Lacostellerie?”
+
+“Of course. I have already persuaded her that the Hôtel Clichy is the
+pivot of all Paris, and that nothing but consummate tact and management
+on her part will succeed there.”
+
+“But I scarcely thought you cared for mademoiselle; and never dreamed of
+your proposing to marry her.”
+
+“Nor I, till about a week ago. However, my plans require money, and
+would not be encumbered by my having a wife. I see nothing better at
+the moment, and so my mind is soon made up. But here we are; this is our
+resting-place.”
+
+The “Moisson d'Or,” although not known to me, was then the most
+celebrated place for dining in Paris. The habits of the house--for there
+was no _table d'hôte_--required that everything should be ordered
+beforehand, and the parties all dined separately. The expensive habits
+and extravagant prices secured its frequenters from meeting the class
+who usually dined at restaurants; and this gave it a vogue among the
+wealthy and titled, whose equipages now thronged the street, and filled
+the _porte cochère_. I had but time to recognize the face of one of the
+marshals and a minister of state, as we pushed our way through the
+court, and entered a small pavilion beyond it.
+
+“I'll join you in an instant,” said Duchesne, as he left the room
+hastily after the waiter. In a couple of minutes he was back again.
+“Come along; it's all right,” said he. “I wish to show you a corner of
+the old house that only the privileged ever see, and we are fortunate in
+finding it unoccupied.”
+
+We recrossed the court, and mounted a large oak stair to a corridor,
+which conducted us, by three sides of a quadrangle, to a smaller stair,
+nearly perpendicular. At the top of this, a strong door, barred and
+padlocked, stood, which, being opened, led into a large and lofty
+_salon_, opening by three spacious windows on a terrace that formed
+the roof of the building. Some citron and orange trees were disposed
+tastefully along this, and filled the room with their fragrance.
+
+“Here, Antoine; let us be served here,” said Duchesne to the waiter;
+“I have already given orders about the dinner. And now, Burke, come out
+here. What think you of that view?”
+
+Scarcely had I set foot on the terrace, when I started back in mingled
+admiration and amazement. Beneath us lay the great city, in the mellow
+light of an evening in September. Close--so close as actually to
+startle--was the large dome of the Invalides shining like a ball of
+molten gold, the great courtyard in front dotted with figures; beyond,
+again, was the Seine, the surface flashing and flickering in the
+sunlight,--I traced it along to the Pont Neuf; and then my eye rested on
+Notre-Dame, whose tall, dark towers stood out against the pinkish sky,
+while the deep-toned bell boomed through the still air. I turned towards
+the Tuileries, and could see the guard of honor in waiting for
+the Emperor's appearing. In the gardens, hundreds were passing and
+repassing, or standing around the band which played in front of the
+pavilion. A tide of population poured across the bridges and down the
+streets, along which equipages and horsemen dashed impetuously onward.
+There was all the life and stir of a mighty city, its sounds dulled
+by distance, but blended into one hoarse din, like the far-off sea at
+night.
+
+“You don't know, Burke, that this was a favorite resort of the courtiers
+of the last reign. The gay young Gardes du Corps, the gallant youths of
+the royal household, constantly dined here. The terrace we now stand on
+once held a party who came at the invitation of no less a personage than
+him whom men call Louis the Eighteenth. It was a freak of the time to
+pronounce the Court dinners execrable: and they even go so far as to
+say that Marie Antoinette herself once planned a party here; but this I
+cannot vouch for.”
+
+At this moment Duchesne was interrupted by the entrance of the waiters
+who came to serve the dinner. I had not a moment left to admire the
+beauty and richness of the antique silver dishes which covered the
+table, when a gentle tap at the door attracted my attention.
+
+“Ha! Jacotot himself!” said Duchesne, as, rising hastily, he advanced
+to meet the new arrival. He was a tall, thin old man, much stooped by
+years, but with an air and carriage distinctly well bred; his white
+hair, brushed rigidly back, fastened into a queue behind, and his lace
+“jabot” and ruffles, bespoke him as the remnant of a date long past. His
+coat was blue, of a shade somewhat lighter than is usually worn. He also
+wore large buckles in his shoes, whose brilliancy left no doubt of their
+real value. Bowing with great ceremony, he advanced slowly into the
+room.
+
+“You are come to dine with us,--is it not so, Jacotot?” said Duchesne,
+as he still held his hand.
+
+“Excuse me, my dear chevalier; the Comte de Chambord and Edouard de
+Courcelles are below,--I have promised to join them.”
+
+“And is Courcelles here?”
+
+“Yes,” said the old man, with a timid glance towards where I sat, and a
+look as if imploring caution and reserve.
+
+“Oh, fear nothing. And that reminds me I have not presented my friend
+and brother officer: Captain Burke,--Monsieur Jacotot. You may feel
+assured, Jacotot, I make no mistake in the friends I introduce here.”
+
+The old man gave a smile of pleasure; while, turning to me, he said,--
+
+“He is discretion itself; and I am but too happy to make your
+acquaintance. And now, Chevalier, one word with you.”
+
+He retreated towards the door, holding Duchesne's arm, and whispering as
+he went. Duchesne's face, however, expressed his impatience as he spoke;
+and at last he said,--
+
+“As you please, my worthy friend; I always submit to your wiser
+counsels. So farewell for the present.”
+
+He looked after the old man as he slowly descended the stairs, and then
+closing the door and locking it, he exclaimed,--
+
+“_Parbleu!_I found it very hard to listen to his prosing with even a
+show of patience, and was half tempted to tell him that the Bourbons
+could wait, though the soup could not.”
+
+“Then Monsieur Jacotot is a Royalist, I presume?”
+
+“Ay, that he is; and so are all they who frequent this house. Don't
+start; the police know it well, and no one is more amused at their
+absurd plottings and conspirings than Fouché himself. Now and then, to
+be sure, some fool, more rash and brainless than the others, will come
+up from La Vendée and try to knock his head against the walls of the
+Temple,--like De Courcelles there, who has no other business in Paris
+except to be guillotined, if it were worth the trouble. Then the
+minister affects to stir himself and be on the alert, just to terrify
+them; but he well knows that danger lurks not in this quarter. Believe
+me, Burke, the present rulers of France have no greater security than
+in the contemptible character of all their opponents. There is no course
+for a man of energy and courage to adopt. But I ask your pardon, my dear
+friend, for this treasonable talk. What think you of the dinner? The
+Royalists would never have fallen if they had understood government as
+well as cuisine. Taste that _suprême_, and say if you don't regret the
+Capets,--a feeling you can indulge the more freely because you never
+knew them.”
+
+“I cannot comprehend, Duchesne, what are the grievances you charge
+against the present Government of France. Had you been an old courtier
+of the last reign,--a hanger-on of Versailles or the Tuileries,--the
+thing were intelligible; but you, a soldier, a man of daring and
+enterprise--”
+
+“Let me interrupt you. I am so only because it is the taste of the day;
+but I despise the parade of military glory we have got into the habit
+of. I prefer the period when a _mot_ did as much and more than a
+discharge of _mitraille_, and men's _esprit_ and talent succeeded better
+than a strong sword-arm or a seat on horseback. There were gentlemen
+in France once, my dear Burke. Ay, _parbleu!_ and ladies too,--not
+marchionesses of the drum-head nor countesses of the bivouac, but women
+in whom birth heightened beauty, whose loveliness had the added charm of
+high descent beaming from their bright eyes and sitting throned on their
+lofty brows; before whom our mustached marshals had stood trembling and
+ashamed,--these men who lounge so much at ease in the _salons_ of the
+Tuileries! Let me help you to this _salmi_; it is _à la Louis Quinze_,
+and worthy of the Regency itself. Well, then, a glass of Burgundy.”
+
+“Your friend Monsieur Jacotot seems somewhat of an original,” said I,
+half desirous to change a topic which I always felt an unpleasant one.
+
+“You are not wrong; he is so. Jacotot is a thorough Frenchman; at
+least, he has had the fortune to mix up in his destiny those extremes of
+elevated sentiment and absurdity which go very far to compose the life
+of my good countrymen. I must tell you a short anecdote--But
+shall we adjourn to the terrace? for, to prevent the interruption of
+servants, I have ordered our dessert there.”
+
+This was a most agreeable proposal; and so, having seated ourselves in
+a little arbor of orange-shrubs, with a view of the river and the Palace
+gardens beneath us, Duchesne thus began:--
+
+“I am going somewhat far back in history; but have no fears on that
+head, Burke,--my story is a very brief one. There was, once upon a time,
+in France, a monarch of some repute, called Louis the Fourteenth; a man,
+if fame be not unjust, who possessed the most kingly qualities of which
+we have any record in books. He was brave, munificent, high-minded,
+ardent, selfish, cruel, and ungrateful, beyond any other man in his own
+dominions; and, like people with such gifts, he had the good fortune to
+attach men to him just as firmly and devotedly as though he was not in
+his heart devoid of every principle of friendship and affection. I need
+not tell you what the ladies of his reign thought of him; my present
+business is with the ruder sex.
+
+“Among the courtiers of the day was a certain Vicomte Arnoud de Gency,
+a young man who, at the age of eighteen, won his grade of colonel at the
+siege of Besançon by an act of coolness and courage worthy recording. He
+deliberately advanced into one of the breaches, and made a sketch of the
+interior works of the fortification while the enemy's shot was tearing
+up the ground around him. When the deed was reported to the king, he
+interrupted the relation, saying, 'Don't tell me who did this, for I
+have made De Gency a colonel for it;' so rapidly did Louis guess the
+author of so daring a feat.
+
+“From that hour, the young colonel's fortune was made. He was appointed
+one of the gentlemen of the chamber to his Majesty, and distinguished by
+almost daily marks of royal intimacy. His qualities eminently fitted him
+for the tone of the society he lived in; he was a most witty converser,
+a good musician, and had, moreover, a very handsome person,--gifts not
+undervalued at Saint-Germain.
+
+“Such were his social qualities; and so thoroughly did he understand
+the king's humor, that even La Vallière herself saw the necessity of
+retaining him at the Court, and, in fact, made a confidant of him
+on several occasions of difficulty. Still, with all these favors
+of fortune, when the object of envy to almost all the rest of the
+household, Arnoud de Gency was suffering in his heart one of the most
+trying afflictions that can befall a proud man so placed; he was in
+actual poverty,--in want so pressing that all the efforts he could
+make, all the contrivances he could practise, were barely sufficient
+to prevent his misery being public. The taste for splendor in dress and
+equipage which characterized the period had greatly injured his private
+fortune, while the habit of high play, which Louis encouraged and liked
+to see about him, completed his ruin. The salary of his appointments was
+merely enough to maintain his daily expenditure; and thus was he, with
+a breaking heart, obliged not only to mix in all the reckless gayety and
+frivolity of that voluptuous Court, but, still more, tax his talents and
+his energies for new themes of pleasure, fresh sources of amusement.
+
+“Worn out at length by the long struggle between his secret sorrow and
+his pride, he resolved to appeal to the king, and in a few words
+tell his Majesty the straits to which he was reduced, and implore his
+protection. To this he was impelled not solely on his own account, but
+on that also of his only child, a boy of eight or nine years old, whose
+mother died in giving him birth.
+
+“An occasion soon presented itself. The king had given orders for a
+hunting-party at St. Cloud; and at an early hour of the morning De Gency
+in his hunting-dress took up his position in one of the ante-chambers
+through which the king must pass: not alone, however; at his side there
+stood a lovely boy, also dressed in the costume of the chase. He wore
+a velvet doublet of green, slashed with gold, and ornamented by a
+broad belt, from which hung his _couteau de chasse_; even to the falcon
+feather in his cap, nothing was forgotten.
+
+“He had not waited long when the folding-doors were thrown wide, and
+a moment after Louis appeared, accompanied by a single attendant,
+the Marquis de Verneuil, unhappily one of the very few enemies Arnoud
+possessed in the world.
+
+“'Ah, De Gency! you here?' said the king, gayly. 'They told me “brelan”
+ had been unfavorable lately, and that we should not see you.'
+
+“'It is true, Sire,' said he, with a sad effort at a smile; 'it is only
+on your Majesty fortune always smiles.'
+
+“'_Pardieu!_ you must not say so; I lost a rouleau last night. But whom
+have we here?'
+
+“'My son; so please you, Sire, my only son, who desires, at an earlier
+age than even his father did, to serve your Majesty.'
+
+[Illustration: 230]
+
+“'How like his mother!' said the king, pushing back the fair ringlets
+from the boy's forehead, and gazing almost fondly on his handsome
+features,--'how like her! She was a Courcelles?'
+
+“'She was, Sire,' said Arnoud, as the tears fell on his cheek and
+coursed slowly along his face.
+
+“'And you want something for him?' said the king, resuming his wonted
+tone, while he busied himself with his sword-knot; 'is it not so?'
+
+“'If I might dare to ask--'
+
+“'Assuredly you may. The thing is, what can we do? Eh, Verneuil, what
+say you? He is but an infant.'
+
+“'True, Sire,' replied the marquis, with a look of respect, in which
+the most subtle could not discover a trait of his sarcastic nature; 'but
+there is a place vacant.'
+
+“'Ah, indeed,' said the king, quickly. 'What is it? He shall have it.'
+
+“'Monsieur Jacotot, your Majesty's head cook, stands in need of a
+turnspit,' said he, in a low whisper, only audible to the king.
+
+“'A turnspit!' said the king. And scarcely was the word uttered when,
+as if the irony was his own, he burst into a most immoderate fit of
+laughter,--an emotion that seemed to increase as he endeavored to
+repress it; when at the instant the _cor de chasse_, then heard
+without, gave a new turn to his thoughts, and he hurried forward with
+De Yerneuil, leaving De Gency and his son rooted to the spot,--indignant
+passion in that heart which despair and sorrow had almost rendered
+callous.
+
+“His Majesty was still laughing as he mounted his barb in the courtyard;
+and the courtiers, like well-bred gentlemen, laughed as became them,
+with that low, quiet laugh which is the meet chorus of a sovereign's
+mirth, when suddenly two loud reports, so rapidly following on each
+other as almost to seem one, startled the glittering cortege, and even
+made the Arab courser of the king plunge madly in the air.
+
+“'_Par Saint Denis!_Messieurs,' said Louis, passionately, 'this
+pleasantry of yours is ill thought of. Who has dared to do this?'
+
+“But none spoke. A terrified look around the circle was the only reply
+to the king's question, when a page rushed forward, his dress spotted
+and blood-stained, his face pale with horror,--
+
+“'Your Majesty,--ah, Sire!' said he, kneeling. But sobs choked him, and
+he could not utter more.
+
+“'What is this? Will no one tell?' cried the king, as a frown of dark
+omen shadowed his angry features.
+
+“'Your Majesty has lost a brave, an honest, and a faithful follower,
+Sire,' said Monsieur de Coulanges. 'Arnoud de Gency is no more.'
+
+“'Why, I saw him this instant,' said the king. 'He asked me some favor
+for his boy.'
+
+“'True, Sire,' replied De Coulanges, mournfully. But he checked himself
+in time, for already the well-known and dreaded expression of passion
+had mounted to the king's face.
+
+“'Dismiss the _chasse_, gentlemen,' said he, in a low thick voice. 'And
+do you, Monsieur de Verneuil, attend me.'
+
+“The cortege was soon scattered; and the Marquis de Verneuil followed
+the king with an expression where fear and dread were not to be
+mistaken.
+
+“Monsieur de Verneuil did indeed seem an altered man when he appeared
+among his friends that evening. Whatever the king had said to him
+assuredly had worked its due effect; for all his raillery was gone, and
+even the veriest trifler of the party might have dared an encounter with
+wits which then were subdued and broken.
+
+“Next morning, however, the sun shone out brilliantly. The king was
+in high spirits; the game abounded; and his Majesty with his own hand
+brought down eight pheasants. The Marquis de Verneuil could hit nothing;
+for although the best marksman of the day, his hand shook and his sight
+failed him, and the king won fifty louis from him before they reached
+Saint-Germain.
+
+“Never was there a happier day nor followed by a pleasanter evening.
+The king supped in Madame de la Vallière's apartment; the private band
+played the most delicious airs during the repast; and when at length the
+party retired to rest, not one bright dream was clouded by the memory of
+Arnoud de Gency.
+
+“Here, now, were I merely recounting an anecdote, I should stop,”
+ said the chevalier; “but must continue a little longer, though all the
+romance of my story is over. The Marquis de Verneuil was a good hater:
+even poor De Gency's fate did not move him, and he actually did do what
+he had only threatened in mockery,--he sent the orphan child to be a
+turnspit in the royal kitchen. Of course he changed his name,--the title
+of an old and honored family would soon have betrayed the foul
+deed,--and the boy was called Jacotot, after the _chef_ himself. The
+king inquired no further on the subject; Arnoud's name recalled too
+unpleasant a topic for the lips of a courtier ever to mention; and the
+whole circumstance was soon entirely forgotten.
+
+“This same Jacotot was the grandfather of my old friend, whom you saw a
+few minutes since. Fate, that seems to jest with men's destinies, made
+them as successful at the fire of the kitchen as ever their ancestors
+were at that of a battery; and Monsieur Jacotot, our present host, has
+not his equal in Paris. Here for years the younger members of the royal
+family used to sup; this room was their favorite apartment; and one
+evening, when at a later sitting than usual the ruler of the feast was
+carried beyond himself in the praise of an admirable plat, he sent for
+Jacotot, and told him, whatever favor he should ask, he himself would
+seek for him at the hands of the king.
+
+“This was the long-wished-for moment of the poor fellow's life. He drew
+from his bosom the title-deeds of his ancient name and fortune, and
+placed them in the prince's hand without uttering a word.
+
+“'What! and are you a De Gency?' said the prince.
+
+“'Alas! I shame to say it, I am.'
+
+“'Come, gentlemen,' said the gay young prince, 'a bumper to our worthy
+friend, whom, with God's blessing, I shall see restored right soon to
+his fitting rank and station. Yes, De Gency! my word upon it, the next
+evening I sup here I shall bring with me his Majesty's own signature to
+these title-deeds. Make place, gentlemen, and let him sit down!'
+
+“But poor Jacotot was too much excited by his feelings of joy and
+gratitude, and he rushed from the room in a torrent of tears.
+
+“The evening the prince spoke of never came. Soon after that commenced
+the troubles to the royal family; the dreadful events of Versailles; the
+flight to Varennes; the 10th August,--a horrible catalogue I cannot bear
+to trace. There, yonder, where now the groups are loitering, or sitting
+around in happy knots, there died Louis the Sixteenth. The prince I
+spoke of is an exile: they call him Louis the Eighteenth; but he is a
+king without a kingdom.
+
+“But Jacotot lives on in hope. He has waded through all the terrors of
+the Revolution; he has seen the guillotine erected almost before his
+door and beheld his former friends led one by one to the slaughter.
+Twice was he himself brought forth, and twice was his life spared by
+some admirer of his cuisine. But perhaps all his trials were inferior
+to the heart-burning with which he saw the places once occupied by the
+blood of Saint Louis now occupied by the _canaille_ of the Revolution.
+Marat and Robespierre frequented his house; and Barras seldom passed
+a week without dining there. This, I verily believe, was a heavier
+affliction than any of his personal sufferings; and I have often heard
+him recount, with no feigned horror, the scenes which took place among
+the _incroyables_, as they called themselves, whose orgies he contrasted
+so unfavorably with the more polished excesses of his regal visitors.
+Through all the anarchy of that fearful period; through the scarce less
+sanguinary time of the Directory; through the long, dreary oppression of
+the consulate; and now, in the more grinding tyranny of the Empire, he
+hopes, ay, still hopes on, that the day will come when from the hands of
+the king himself he shall receive his long-buried rank, and stand forth
+a De Gency. Poor fellow! there is something noble and manly in the long
+struggle with fortune,--in that long-sustained contest in which he would
+never admit defeat.
+
+“Such are the followers of the Bourbons: their best traits, their
+highest daring, their most long-suffering endurance, only elicited in
+the pursuit of some paltry object of personal ambition. They have tasted
+the cup of adversity, ay, drained it to the very dregs; they have seen
+carnage and bloodshed such as no war ever surpassed: and all they
+have learned by experience is, to wish for the long past days of
+royal tyranny and frivolity back again; to see a glittering swarm
+of debauchees fluttering around a sensualist king; and to watch the
+famished faces of the multitude, without a thought that the tiger is
+only waiting for his spring. As to a thought of true liberty, one single
+high and noble aspiration after freedom, they never dreamed of it.
+
+“You see, my friend, I have no desire to win you over to the Bourbon
+cause; neither, if I could, would I make you a Jacobin. But how is
+this? Can it really be so late? Come, we have no time to lose: it is not
+accounted good breeding to be late in a visit at the Faubourg.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX. THE TWO SOIREES
+
+Duchesne's story had unfortunately driven all memory of Bubbleton out of
+my head; and it was only as we entered the street where the Duchesse de
+Montserrat lived that I remembered my friend, and thought of asking the
+chevalier's advice about him.
+
+In a few words I explained so much of his character and situation as was
+necessary, and was going on to express my fears lest a temperament so
+unstable and uncertain should involve its possessor in much trouble,
+when Duchesne interrupted me by saying,--
+
+“Be of courage on that head. Your friend, if the man you describe him,
+is the very person to baffle the police. They can see to any depth, if
+the water be only clear; muddy it, and it matters little how shallow it
+be. This Bubbleton might be of the greatest service just now; you must
+present me to him, Burke.”
+
+“Most willingly. But first promise that you will not involve my poor
+friend in the snares of any plot. Heaven knows, his own faculties are
+quite sufficient for his mystification.”
+
+“Plot! snares!--why, what are you thinking of? But come, this is our
+halting-place; and here we are, without my even having a moment to give
+you any account of my good aunt.”
+
+As he spoke he turned the handle of a large door, which led into a
+gloomy _porte cochère_, dimly illuminated by a single old-fashioned
+lantern. A fat, unwieldy-looking porter peeped at us from his den in the
+conciergerie; and then, having announced our approach by ringing a bell,
+he closed the shutter, and left us to find the way ourselves.
+
+Ascending the great spacious stair, the wall alongside which was covered
+with family portraits,--grim-looking heroes in mail, or prim dames with
+bouquets in their jewelled hands,--we reached a species of gallery, from
+which several doors led off. Here a servant, dressed in deep black, was
+standing to announce the visitors.
+
+As the servant preceded us along the corridor, I could not help feeling
+the contrast of this gloomy mansion, where every footstep had its own
+sad echo, with the gorgeous splendor of the Hôtel Clichy. Here, all was
+dark, cold, and dreary; there, everything was lightsome, cheerful, and
+elegant. What an emblem, to my thinking, were they both of the dynasties
+they represented! But the reflection was only made as one half of the
+folding-door was thrown open,--the double-door was the prerogative of
+the blood-royal,--and we were announced.
+
+The apartment--a large, sombre-looking one--was empty, however, and we
+traversed this, and a second similar to it, our names being repeated as
+before; when at length the low tones of voices indicated our approach to
+the _salon_ where the visitors were assembled.
+
+Dimly lighted by a few lamps, far apart from each other, the apartment
+as we entered seemed even larger than it really was. At one end, around
+a huge antique fireplace, sat a group of ladies, whom in a glance I
+recognized as of the class so distinctively called dowager. They were
+seated in deep-cushioned fauteuils, and were mostly employed in some
+embroidery work, which they laid down each time they spoke; and resumed,
+less to prosecute the labor, than, as it were, from mere habit.
+
+With all the insinuating gracefulness of a well-bred Frenchman, Duchesne
+approached the seat next the chimney, and respectfully kissed the hand
+extended towards him.
+
+“Permit me, my dear aunt, to present a very intimate friend,--Captain
+Burke,” said he, as he led me forward.
+
+At the mention of the word “captain,” I could perceive that every hand
+dropped its embroidery-frame, while the group stared at me with no
+feigned astonishment. But already the duchess had vouchsafed a very
+polite speech, and motioned me to a seat beside her; while the chevalier
+insinuated himself among the rest, evidently bent on relieving the stiff
+and constrained reserve which pervaded the party. Not even his tact and
+worldly cleverness was equal to the task. The conversation, if such
+it could be called, was conducted almost in monosyllables,--some stray
+question for an absent “marquise,” or a muttered reply concerning a late
+“countess,” was the burden; not an allusion even being made to any topic
+of the day, nor any phrase dropped which could show that the speakers
+were aware of the year or the nation in which they lived and breathed.
+
+It was an inexpressible relief to me when gradually some three or four
+other persons dropped in, some of them men, who, by their manner, seemed
+favorites of the party. And soon after the entrance of the servant
+with refreshments permitted a movement in the group, when I took the
+opportunity to stand up and approach Duchesne, as he bent over a table,
+listlessly turning over the leaves of a volume.
+
+“Just think of the contradictions of human nature, Burke,” said he, in a
+low whisper. “These are the receptions for which the new noblesse
+would give half their wealth. These melancholy visits of worn-out
+acquaintances, these sapless twigs of humanity, are the envy of
+such houses as the Hôtel Clichy; and to be admitted to these gloomy,
+moth-eaten _salons_, is a greater honor than an invitation to the
+Tuileries. So long as this exists, depend upon it, there is rottenness
+in the core of society. But come, let us take our leave; I see you
+are well wearied of all this. And now for an hour at Madame de
+Lacostellerie's,--_en revanche_.”
+
+As we came forward to make our adieux to the duchess, she rose from her
+seat, and in so doing her sleeve brushed against a small marble statue
+of Louis the Sixteenth, which, had I not opportunely caught it, would
+have fallen to the ground.
+
+“Thank you, sir,” said she, graciously. “You have prevented what I
+should have deemed a sad accident.”
+
+“Nay, more, Aunt,” said Duchesne, smiling; “he has shown his readiness
+to restore the Bourbon.”
+
+This speech, evidently spoken in jest, was repeated from lip to lip in
+the circle; and certainly I never felt my awkwardness more oppressive
+than when bowing to the party, whose elated looks and pleased
+countenances now were turned towards me.
+
+“My poor, bashful friend,” said Duchesne, as we descended the stair;
+“get rid of the habit of blushing with all convenient despatch. It has
+marred more fortunes than pharo or bouillotte.”
+
+“This, assuredly, is well done!” said the chevalier, as he looked
+around him, while we slowly ascended the stairs of the Hôtel Glichy:
+the brilliant light, almost rivalling day; the servants in gorgeous
+liveries; the air of wealth around on every side, so different from
+the sad-colored mansion of the Faubourg; while, as the opening doors
+permitted it to be heard, the sound of delicious music came wafted to
+the ear.
+
+“I say, Burke,” said he, stopping suddenly, and laying his hand on my
+arm, “this might content a man who has seen as much as I have. And the
+game is well worth the playing; so here goes!”
+
+The first person I saw as we entered the ante-chamber was Bubbleton. He
+was the centre of a knot of foreigners, who, whatever the topic, seemed
+highly amused at his discourse.
+
+“That is your friend, yonder,” said Duchesne. “He has the true type of
+John Bull about him; introduce me at once.”
+
+Duchesne scarcely permitted me to finish the introduction, when he
+extended his hand, and saluted Bubbleton with great cordiality; while
+the “general” did not suffer the ceremony to interrupt the flow of
+his eloquence, but continued to explain, in the most minute and
+circumstantial manner, the conditions of the new peace secretly
+concluded between France and England. The incredulity of the listeners
+was, I could perceive, considerably lessened by observing the
+deferential attention with which Duchesne listened, only interrupting
+the speaker by an occasional assent, or a passing question as to the
+political relations of some of the great Powers.
+
+“As to Prussia,” said Bubbleton, pompously--“as to Prussia--”
+
+“Well, what of Prussia, General?”
+
+“We have our doubts on that subject,” replied he, looking thoughtfully
+around him on the group, who, completely deceived by Duchesne's manner,
+now paid him marked attention.
+
+“You'll not deprive her of Genoa, I trust,” said the chevalier, with a
+gravity almost inconceivable.
+
+“That is done already,” said Bubbleton. “For my own part, I told
+Lauderdale we were nothing without the Bosphorus,--'the key of our
+house, as your Emperor called it.”
+
+“He spoke of Russia, if I don't err,” said Duchesne, with an insinuating
+air of correction.
+
+“Pardon me, you are wrong. I know Russia well. I travelled through the
+steppes of Metchezaromizce with Prince Drudeszitsch. We journeyed three
+hundred versts over his own estates, drawn on sledges by his serfs. You
+are aware they are always harnessed by the beard, which they wear long
+and plaited on purpose.”
+
+“That is towards the Crimea,” interrupted the chevalier.
+
+“Precisely. I remember a curious incident which occurred one night as
+we approached Chitepsk. (You know Chitepsk? It is where they confine the
+state prisoners,--a miserable, dreary tract, where the snow never melts,
+and the frost is so intense you often see a drove of wolves glued fast
+to the snow by the feet, and howling fearfully: a strange sight, to
+be sure!) Well, the night was falling, and a thin, cutting snowdrift
+beginning to drop, when Dru (I always call him so,--short) said to me,--
+
+“'Bub' (he did the same to me) 'Bub,' said he, 'do you remark that
+off-side leader?'
+
+“'I see him,' said I.
+
+“'I have been watching the fellow since the last stage, and confound me
+if he has ever tightened a trace; and you see he is a right active one,
+notwithstanding. He capers along gayly enough. I 'll touch him up a
+bit.' And with that he gave a flourish of his knouted whip, and came
+down on him with a smarting cut. Lord, how he jumped! Five feet off the
+ground at one spring! And, hang me, if he didn't tear off his beard!
+There it was, hanging to the pole! A very shocking sight, I must
+confess; though Dru did n't seem to mind it. However, we were obliged to
+pull up, and get out the team. Well, you would not believe what we saw
+when we got down. You 'd never guess who was the off-leader. It was the
+Princess Odoznovskoi! Poor thing! the last time I saw her, before that,
+she was dancing in the Amber Palace with Prince Alexander. She and her
+husband had been banished to Chitepsk, and as he was ill, she had put on
+a false beard and was taking a short stage in his place.”
+
+I did not venture to wait for more; but, leaving Duchesne to make the
+most of the general, passed onwards towards the _salon_, which already
+was rapidly filling with visitors.
+
+The countess received me with more than wonted kindness of manner, and
+mademoiselle assumed a tone of actual cordiality I had never perceived
+before; while, as she exchanged greetings with me, she said, in a low
+voice,--
+
+“Let me speak with you, in the picture-gallery, in half an hour.”
+
+Before I could utter my assent she had passed on, and was speaking to
+another.
+
+Somewhat curious to conceive what Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie might
+mean by her appointment in the gallery, I avoided the groups where I
+perceived my acquaintances were, and strolled negligently on towards the
+place of meeting. The gallery was but half lighted, as was customary on
+mere nights of visiting, and I found it quite deserted. I was sauntering
+slowly along, musing on the strange effects of the half-seen pictures,
+where all, save the most forcible and striking tints, were sombred down
+to blackness, when I heard a step behind me. I turned my head, and saw
+mademoiselle herself. She was alone, and, though she evidently had seen
+me, continued to walk onward, without speaking, towards a small boudoir,
+which occupied one angle of the gallery. I followed, and we entered it
+together.
+
+There was something in the secret interview which, while it excited my
+curiosity, served at once to convince me that had I indulged in any hope
+of succeeding to her affections, nothing could be less promising,--this
+very proof of her confidence was the strongest earnest of her
+indifference. But, indeed, I had never any such expectation. My pride
+might have been flattered by such a supposition; my heart could never
+have sympathized in the emotion.
+
+“We are alone here,” said she, hurriedly, “and we may be missed; so let
+me be brief. It will seem strange that I should ask you to meet me here,
+but I could not help it. You alone, of all who frequent this, have never
+paid me the least attention, nor seemed disposed to flatter me; this
+leads me to trust you. I have no other reason but that, and because I am
+friendless.” There was a tremulous sadness in the last word which
+went to my heart, and I could mark that her breathing was hurried
+and irregular for some few seconds after. “Will you promise me your
+friendship in what I ask? or, if that be too much, will you pledge
+yourself at least to secrecy? Enough, I am quite satisfied. Now, tell
+me, who is this Chevalier Duchesne?--what is he?”
+
+I ran over in a few words all I knew of him, dwelling on whatever might
+most redound to his credit; his distinguished military career, his
+undoubted talent, and, lastly, alluding to his family, to which I
+conceived the question might most probably apply.
+
+“Oh, it is not that,” said she, vehemently, “I wish to know. I care not
+for his bravery, nor his birth either. Tell me, what are the sources of
+his power? How is he admitted everywhere, intimate with every one, with
+influence over all? Why does Fouché fear, and Talleyrand admit him? I
+know they do this; and can you give me no clew, however faint, to
+guide me? The Comte de Lacostellerie was refused the Spanish contract;
+Duchesne interferes, and it is given him. There is a difficulty about a
+card for a private concert at St. Cloud; Duchesne sends it. Nor does it
+end here. _You_ know”--here her voice assumed a forced distinctness,
+as though it cost her an effort to speak calmly--“of his duel with the
+Prince Dobretski; but perhaps you may not know how he has obtained an
+imperial order for his recall to St. Petersburg?”
+
+“Of that I never heard. Can it be possible?”
+
+“Have you, then, never tasted of his arbitrary power,” said she, smiling
+half superciliously, “that these things seem strange to you? or does
+he work so secretly that even those most intimate with him are in
+ignorance? But this must be so.” She paused for a second or two, and
+then went on: “And now, brief as our acquaintance with him has been, see
+what influence he already possesses over my mother! Even to her I dare
+not whisper my suspicions; while to you, a stranger,” added she, with
+emotion, “I must speak my fears.”
+
+“But are they not groundless?” said I, endeavoring to calm the agitation
+she suffered from. “In all that you have mentioned, I can but trace the
+devotion of one seeking to serve, not injure; to be loved, not dreaded.”
+
+Scarce had I said these words, when I heard a noise behind me, and
+before I could turn round, Duchesne stood beside us.
+
+“I implore your pardon, Mademoiselle,” said he, in a voice of
+well-affected timidity, “nor should I venture to interrupt so
+interesting a conference, but that the Comtesse de Lacostellerie had
+sent me to look for you.”
+
+“You could scarcely have come more apropos, sir. The conversation was
+entirely of yourself,” said she, haughtily, as if in defiance of him.
+
+“How could I possibly have merited so great an honor, Mademoiselle?”
+ replied he, bowing with the deepest respect; “or is it to the kindness
+of a _friend_ I am indebted for such interest?”
+
+There was an evident sneer in the way he uttered the word “friend,”
+ while a sidelong glance he gave beneath his deep eyelashes was still
+more decisive of his feeling.
+
+“Few probably owe more to their friends than the Chevalier Duchesne,”
+ said mademoiselle, tauntingly, as she took my arm to return to the
+_salon_.
+
+“True, most true!” replied he, with a low and deferential bow; “and I
+hope I am not the man to forget my debts to either friends or enemies.”
+
+I turned round rapidly as he said this. Our eyes met, and we exchanged a
+short, brief glance of open defiance. His, however, as quickly changed;
+and an easy smile of careless indifference succeeded, as he lounged
+after us towards the _salon_, where now a considerable number of
+persons were assembled, and a more than usual excitement prevailed. Some
+generals of the imperial staff were also there; and the rumor ran that
+the negotiations with England had been suddenly interrupted, and that
+the negotiators had demanded their passports.
+
+“That is not all, Madame,” said an old officer to the countess. “The
+accounts from Mayence are threatening. Large bodies of Prussian troops
+are reported on the march from the eastward. The telegraph has been
+actively at work since noon, and several couriers have been sent off
+from the War Office.”
+
+“What is to come next?” said the countess, sighing, as she thought
+of Paris once more deserted by its gay Court and brilliant crowd of
+officers, the only society of the period.
+
+“What next, Madame?” said Duchesne, taking up the word. “_Parbleu!_ the
+thing is easily told. A conscription, a march, a bivouac, and a battle
+will form act the first. Then a victory; and a bulletin and an imperial
+edict, showing that Prussia, both by her language and geographical
+position, was intended by Providence to belong to France; that Prussians
+have no dearer wish than to be thrashed and taxed,--the honor of
+becoming a portion of the Grande Nation being an ample recompense for
+any misfortune.”
+
+“And so it is, Monsieur,” broke in a bluff, hard-featured veteran, whose
+coarse and weather-beaten traits bespoke one risen from the ranks; “he
+is no Frenchman who says otherwise.”
+
+“To your good health, Colonel,” said Duchesne, as he lifted a glass
+of champagne to his lips. “Such patriotism is really refreshing in our
+degenerate days. I wish you every success in your campaign; though what
+is to reward your valor in that miserable land of beer and Protestantism
+I cannot possibly conceive.”
+
+“To-morrow; let me see you to-morrow, in the afternoon.” said
+mademoiselle, in a whisper, as she passed close to me.
+
+As I nodded in acknowledgment, Duchesne turned slightly around, and I
+saw in his eyes he had overheard the words, though uttered in a mere
+whisper. Still he went on,--
+
+“As for us who remain ingloriously behind you, we have nothing to do but
+to read your exploits in the 'Moniteur.' And would to Heaven the worthy
+editor would print his battles in better fashion! The whole page usually
+looks more like a beaten than a conquering army; wounded vowels and
+broken consonants at every step, and the capital letters awkward,
+hard-featured fellows, as though risen from the ranks.”
+
+“_Tonnerre de Dieu_, sir! do you mean an insult to me?” said the old
+colonel, in a voice which, though intended for a whisper, was heard over
+the whole circle.
+
+“An insult, my dear colonel? nothing within a thousand leagues of
+such. I was only speaking of the 'type' of our army, which may be very
+efficient, but is scarcely too good-looking.”
+
+No words can convey the sarcastic tone in which the speech was
+delivered, nor the mortification of the indignant colonel, who felt, but
+knew not how to reply to, such a taunt. Happily Madame de Lacostellerie
+interposed, and by skilfully changing the topic of conversation, averted
+further unpleasantness.
+
+My desire to learn something accurately as to the state of events made
+me anxious to reach my quarters, and I took the first opportunity of
+quitting the _salon_. As I passed through the outer room, Duchesne
+was standing against a sideboard, holding a glass in his hand. It was
+necessary that I should pass him closely, and I was preparing to salute
+him with the distant courtesy of our present acquaintance, when he said,
+in his former tone of easy raillery,--
+
+“Going so early? Won't you have a glass of wine before you leave?”
+
+“No, I thank you,” said I, coldly, and going on towards the door.
+
+“Nor wait for the concert; Grassini will be here in half an hour?”
+
+I shook my head in negation; and as I passed out I heard him humming,
+with an emphasis which there was no mistaking, the couplet of a popular
+song of the day which concluded thus,--
+
+“To-day for me; To-morrow for thee,--But will that to-morrow ever be?”
+
+That Duchesne intended to challenge me seemed now almost certain; and I
+ran over in my mind the few names of those I could ask to be my friends
+on such an occasion, but without being able to satisfy myself on the
+subject. A moment's recollection might have taught me that it was a
+maxim with the chevalier never to send a message, but in every case
+to make the adversary the aggressor; he had told me so over and over
+himself. That, however, did not occur to me at the moment, and I walked
+onward, thinking of our meeting. Could I have known what was passing in
+_his_ mind, I should have spared many serious and some sad thoughts to
+my own.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX. A SUDDEN DEPARTURE
+
+So firmly had I persuaded myself, on my way homeward, that Duchesne
+intended a duel with me, that I dreamed of it all night, and awoke in
+the morning perfectly convinced that the event was prearranged between
+us. Now, although the habits of the service I lived in had, in a great
+measure, blunted the feelings I once entertained towards duelling, still
+enough of detestation of the practice remained to make my anticipations
+far from satisfactory; besides, I knew that Duchesne had in reality no
+cause of quarrel with me, but from misapprehension alone could demand
+a meeting, which our military code of honor always decided should be
+accepted first, and inquired into afterwards. I regretted also, and
+deeply too, that I should appear to his eyes in an unworthy part, as
+though betraying the interests he had confided to me.
+
+There were, as I have said, many things I liked not in the chevalier:
+the insatiable desire he felt for revenge where he had once been
+injured; the spirit of intrigue he cherished; and, perhaps more than
+either, I shunned the scoffing habit he had of depreciating what every
+one around him loved or respected,--of stripping off every illusion
+which made life valuable, and reducing to the miserable standard of
+mere selfish gratification all that was great, or noble, or venerable.
+Already had his evil influence done me injury in this way. Even now I
+felt, that of the few daydreams I once indulged in he had robbed me
+of the best, and reduced me to the sad reflection which haunted me
+throughout my whole career, and imbittered every passing enjoyment of my
+life: I mean, the sorrowful thought of being an alien, of having but the
+hireling's part in that career of glory which others followed; that
+I alone could have no thrill of patriotism, when all around me were
+exulting in its display; that I had neither home nor country! Oh! if
+they who feel, or fancy that they feel, the wrongs and oppressions of
+misgovernment at home,--who, with high aspirations after liberty and
+holy thoughts for the happiness of their fellow-men, war against the
+despotism which would repress the one or the cruelty which would despise
+the other; if they could only foresee, that in changing allegiance
+they did but shift the burden, not rid themselves of the load; that the
+service of a foreign land is no requital for the loss of every feeling
+which ties a man to kindred and to friends,--which links his manhood
+with his youth, his age with both,--which gives him, in the language of
+his forefathers, a sympathy with the land that bore them; if they could
+know and feel these things; if they could learn how, in surrendering
+them, they have made themselves such mere waifs and strays upon life's
+ocean that objects of purely selfish and personal advancement must be
+to them for evermore in place of the higher and more ennobling thoughts
+which mix with other men's ambitions: they might hesitate ere they left
+home and country to fight for the cause of the stranger.
+
+If such thoughts found entrance into _my_ heart, how must they have
+dwelt in many another's? I, who had neither family nor kindred,--who
+from earliest childhood had never tasted the sweets of affection nor
+known the blessings of a father's love; and yet scarce a day crept by
+without some thought of the far-away land of my birth,--some memory of
+its hills and valleys, of its green banks and changeful skies: and in
+my dreams, some long-forgotten air would bring me back in memory to the
+cottier's fireside, where around the red blazing turf were seated the
+poor but happy peasantry, beguiling the time with song or story,--now
+telling of the ancient greatness of their country, now breathing a hope
+of its one day prosperity.
+
+“Captain Burke's quarters?” said a voice without. At the same instant,
+the jingling of spurs and the clank of a sabre bespoke the questioner as
+a soldier. My door opened, and an officer in the full dress of the staff
+entered. As I requested him to be seated, I already anticipated
+the object of his visit, which he seemed determined to open in most
+diplomatic fashion; for, the first salutations over, he began coolly to
+ransack his sabretasche, and search among a heap of papers which crowded
+it.
+
+“Ah! here it is,” said he at length. “I ask your pardon for all this
+delay. But, of course, you guess the reason of my being here?”
+
+“I must confess I suspect it,” said I, with a smile.
+
+“Oh, that I am certain of. These things never are secrets very long;
+nor, for my part, do I think there is any need they should be. I
+conclude you are quite prepared?”
+
+“You shall find me so.”
+
+“So the minister said,” replied he; while, once more, his eyes were
+buried in the recesses of the sabretasche, leaving me in the most
+intense astonishment at the last few words. That the minister, whoever
+he might be, should know of, and, as it seemed, acquiesce in my fighting
+a duel, was a puzzle I could make nothing of.
+
+“Here is the note I looked for,” said he as he took forth a small slip
+of paper, written on both sides. “May I beg you will take down the
+details; they are brief, but important.”
+
+“You may trust my memory with them,” said I, rather surprised at the
+circumstantial style of his conduct.
+
+“As you please; so pay attention for one moment, while I read: 'Captain
+Burke of the Eighth, will proceed by extra post to Mayence, visiting
+the following garrisons _en route_ '(here come the names, which you can
+copy), where his attention will be specially directed to the points
+marked A. B. and--'”
+
+“Forgive my interrupting you; but really I am unaware of what you are
+alluding to. You are not here on the part of the Chevalier Duchesne?”
+
+“The Chevalier Duchesne? Duchesne? No; this is a war despatch from the
+minister. You must set out in two hours. I thought you said you were
+prepared.”
+
+“Hem! there has been a mistake here,” said I, endeavoring to remember
+how far I might have committed myself by any unguarded expression.
+
+“All my fault, Captain Burke,” said he, frankly. “I should have been
+more explicit at first. But I really thought from something--I forget
+precisely what now--that you knew of the movement on the frontier, and
+were, in fact, prepared for your orders. Heaven knows how far our
+mystification might have gone on; for when you spoke of Duchesne--the
+ex-captain of the Imperial Guard, I suppose--
+
+“Yes! what of him?”
+
+“Why, it so chanced that he was closeted with the minister this morning,
+and only left five minutes before your orders were made out. But come,
+neither of us can well spare more time. This is your despatch for the
+commandant of the troops at Mayence, to whom you will report verbally on
+the equipment of the smaller bodies of men visited _en route_. I shall
+give you my note, which, though hurriedly written, will assist your
+memory. Above all things, get speedily on the road, and reach Mayence
+by Wednesday. Half an hour's speed in times like these is worth a whole
+year in one's way to promotion. And so, now, good-by!”
+
+I stood for several minutes after he left the room so confused and
+astonished, that had not the huge envelope, with its great seal of
+office, confirmed the fact, I could have believed the whole a mere trick
+of my imagination.
+
+The jingle of the postilion's equipment in the court beneath now
+informed me that a Government _calèche_ stood awaiting me, and I
+speedily began my preparations for the road.
+
+One thought filled my mind to the exclusion of all others. It was
+Duchesne's influence on which my fortune now rested. The last few words
+he uttered as I left the _salon_ were ringing in my ears, and here was
+their explanation. This rapid journey was planned by him to remove me
+from Paris, where possibly he supposed my knowledge of him might be
+inconvenient, and where in my absence his designs might be prosecuted
+with more success. Happy as I felt to think that a personal _rencontre_
+was not to occur between us, my self-love was deeply wounded at the
+thought of how much I was in this man's power, and how arbitrarily he
+decided on the whole question of my destiny. If my pride were gratified
+on the one hand by my having excited the chevalier's vengeance, it was
+offended on the other by feeling how feeble would my efforts prove to
+oppose the will of an antagonist who worked with such secret and such
+powerful means. The same philosophy which so often stood my part in life
+here came to my aid,--to act well my own part, and leave the result to
+time. And so, with this patient resolve, I mentally bade defiance to my
+adversary, and set out from Paris.
+
+The ardent feeling which filled my heart on the approach of my first
+campaign was now changed into a soldierly sense of duty, which, if less
+enthusiastic, was a steadier and more sustaining motive. I felt whatever
+distinctions it should be my lot to win must be gained in the camp, not
+in the Court-, that my place was rather where squadrons were charging
+and squares were kneeling, than among the intrigues of the capital, its
+wiles and its plottings. In the one, I might win an honorable name; in
+the other, I should be but the dupe of more designing heads and less
+scrupulous hearts than my own.
+
+Early on the third morning from the time of my leaving Paris, I reached
+Mayence. The garrisons which I visited on the road seldom detained me
+above half an hour. The few questions which I had to ask respecting the
+troops were soon and easily answered; and in most instances the officers
+in command had been apprised that their reports would be required, and
+came ready at once to afford the information.
+
+The disposable force at that time was not above eighty thousand new
+levies,--the conscripts of the past year,--who, although well drilled
+and equipped, had never undergone the fatigues of a campaign nor met an
+enemy in the field. But beyond the frontier were the veteran legions of
+the Austrian campaign, who, while advancing on their return to France,
+were suddenly halted, and now only awaited the Emperor's orders whither
+they should carry their victorious standards.
+
+As at the outbreak of all Napoleon's wars, the greatest uncertainty
+prevailed regarding the direction of the army, and in what place and
+against what enemy the first blow was to be struck. The Russian army,
+defeated and routed at Austerlitz, was said to be once more in the
+field, reorganized and strengthened; Austria, it was rumored, was
+faltering in her fealty; but the military preparations of Prussia were
+no longer a secret, and to many it seemed as if, as in the days of the
+Republic, France was about to contend single-handed against the whole of
+Europe.
+
+In Prussia the warlike enthusiasm of the people was carried to the
+very highest pitch. The Court, the aristocracy, but more powerful than
+either, the press, stimulated national courage by recalling to their
+minds the famous deeds of the Great Frederick, and bidding them remember
+that Rossbach was won against an army of Frenchmen. The students--a
+powerful and an organized class--stood foremost in this patriotic
+movement. Their excited imaginations warmed by the spirit-stirring songs
+of Kërner and Uhland, and glowing with the instincts of that chivalry
+which is a German's birthright, they spread over the country, calling
+upon their fellow-subjects to arise and defend the “Vaterland” against
+the aggression of the tyrant. So unequivocally was this feeling
+expressed, that even before the negotiations had lost their pacific
+character, the youthful aristocracy of Berlin used to go and sharpen
+their swords at the door-sill of the French ambassador at Berlin.
+
+To the exalted tone of patriotic enthusiasm the beautiful Queen of
+Prussia most powerfully contributed. The crooked and tortuous windings
+of diplomatic intrigue found no sympathy in her frank and generous
+nature. Belying on the native energy of German character, she bade an
+open and a bold defiance to her country's enemy, and was content to
+stake all on the chances of a battle. The colder and less confident mind
+of the king was rather impelled by the current of popular opinion than
+induced by conviction to the adoption of this daring policy. But once
+engaged in it, he exhibited the rarest fortitude and the most unyielding
+courage.
+
+Such, in brief, was the condition of that people, such the warlike
+spirit they breathed, when in the autumn of 1806 the cry of war
+resounded from the shores of the Baltic to the frontiers of Bohemia.
+Never was the effective strength of the Prussian army more conspicuous.
+Their cavalry, in number and equipment, was confessedly among the first,
+if not the very first, in Europe; while the artillery maintained a
+reputation which, since the days of Frederick, had proclaimed it the
+most perfect arm of the service.
+
+The Emperor knew these things well, and did not undervalue them; and
+it was with a very different impression of his present enemy from that
+which filled his mind in the Austrian campaign, that he remarked to
+Soult, “We shall want the mattock in this war,”--thereby implying that,
+against such an adversary, fieldworks and intrenchments would be needed,
+as well as the dense array of squadrons and the bristling walls of
+infantry.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI. THE SUMMIT OF THE LANDGRAFENBERG
+
+After a brief delay at Mayence, it was with sincere pleasure I received
+my orders to push forward to the advanced posts at Wetzlar, where
+General d'Auvergne was with his division. Already the battalions were
+crossing the Rhine, and directing their steps to different rendezvous
+along the Prussian frontier; some pressing on eastwards, where the Saxon
+territory joins the Prussian; others directly to the north, and taking
+up positions distant by a short day's march from each other. The same
+urgent haste which characterized the opening of the Austrian campaign
+a year before, was here conspicuous; many of the corps being obliged to
+march seven and eight leagues in the day, and frequently whole companies
+being forwarded in wagons drawn by six or eight horses, in order to
+come up with the main body of their regiments. Every road eastward was
+covered with some fragment of the army. Now an infantry corps of young
+conscripts, glowing with enthusiasm and eager for the fray, would
+cheer the _calèche_ in which I travelled, and which, as indicating a
+staff-officer, was surmounted by a small flag with an eagle. Now it was
+the hoarse challenge of an outpost, some veteran of Bernadotte's army,
+which occupied the whole line of country from Dusseldorf to Nuremberg.
+Pickets of dragoons, with troops of led horses for remounts, hurried on,
+and long lines of wagons crammed the road.
+
+At last I joined General d'Auvergne, who, with all the ardor of the
+youngest soldier, was preparing for the march. The hardy veteran,
+disdaining the use of a carriage, rode each day at the head of his
+column, and went through the most minute detail of regimental duty with
+the colonels under his command. From whatever cause proceeding I knew
+not, but it struck me as strange that he never alluded to my visit to
+Paris, nor once spoke to me of the countess; and while this reserve on
+his part slightly wounded me, I felt relieved from the embarrassment
+the mere mention of her name would cause me, and was glad when our
+conversation turned on the events of the war. Nor was he, save in this
+respect, less cordial than ever, manifesting the greatest pleasure at
+the prospect the war would open to my advancement, and kindly presaging
+for me a success I scarcely dared to hope for.
+
+“Nor is the hour distant,” said he to me one morning in the latter end
+of September, as we rode side by side; “the grand movement is begun.”
+
+Augereau, with his powerful _corps d'armée_ of twenty thousand, pressed
+on from Frankfort and Mayence; Bernadotte moved up on his flank from
+Nuremberg and Bamberg; Davoust hastened by forced marches from the
+Danube; while Soult and Ney with a strong force remained in the south,
+and in observation on the Austrian frontier. Farther to the north,
+again, were the new levies and the whole Imperial Guard, strengthened
+by four thousand additional men, which, together with Murat's cavalry,
+formed a vast line embracing the Prussian frontier on the west and
+south, and converging with giant strides towards the very heart of the
+kingdom. Still, mid all the thunders of marching squadrons and the
+din of advancing legions, diplomatists interchanged their respective
+assurances of a peaceful issue to their differences, and politely
+conveyed the most satisfactory sentiments of mutual esteem.
+
+On the 1st of September the Emperor left Paris; but, even then, covering
+his designs by an affected hope of peace, he was accompanied by the
+Empress and her suite to Mayence, where all the splendor of a Court was
+suddenly displayed amid the pomp and preparation of war. On the 6th he
+started by daybreak; relays of horses were in waiting along the road
+to Wetzlar, and with all speed he hastened forward to Bamberg, where he
+issued his grand proclamation to the army.
+
+With all his accustomed eloquence he represented to the army the
+insulting demands of Prussia, and called on them, as at Austerlitz, to
+reply to such a menace by one tremendous blow of victory, which should
+close the campaign. “Soldiers!” said he, “you were about to return to
+France to enjoy the well-won repose after all your victories. But an
+enemy is in the field; the road to Paris is no longer open to you:
+neither you nor I can tread it save under an arch of triumph.”
+
+The day which succeeded the issue of this proclamation, a cavalry affair
+occurred at the advanced posts, in which the Prussians were somewhat the
+victors. Two days later, a courier arrived at the imperial headquarters
+with the account of another and more important action, between the
+grenadiers of Lannes and a part of Suchet's corps, against the advanced
+guard of Prince Hohenlohe, commanded by the most daring general in the
+Prussian service,--Prince Louis. A cavalry combat, which lasted for near
+an hour, closed this brief but bloody encounter with the death of the
+brave prince, who, refusing to surrender, was run through the body by
+the sabre of a quartermaster of the Tenth Hussars.
+
+General d'Auvergne's brigade had no share in this memorable action, for
+on the 9th we were marched to Rudolstadt, some miles to the left of the
+scene of the encounter; but having made a demonstration in that quarter,
+were speedily recalled, and ordered with all haste to cross the Saale,
+and move on to the eastward.
+
+It was now that Napoleon's manoeuvres became apparent. The same intrigue
+which succeeded at Ulm was again to be employed here: the enemy's flank
+was to be turned, the communication with his reinforcements cut off, and
+a battle engaged, in which defeat must prove annihilation. Such, then,
+was the complete success of the Emperor's movements, that on the 12th
+the French army was posted with the rear upon the Elbe, while the
+Prussians occupied a line between them and the Rhine. This masterly
+movement at once compelled the enemy to fall back and concentrate
+his troops around Jena and Weimar, which, from that instant, Napoleon
+pronounced must be the scene of a great battle.
+
+All this detail I have been obliged to force on my reader, and now again
+return to my story.
+
+On the morning of the 13th, Murat appeared for the first time at our
+headquarters, below Jena; and after a short consultation with the staff,
+our squadrons were formed and ordered to push on with haste towards
+Jena.
+
+Everything now showed that the decisive hour could not be distant:
+couriers passed and repassed; messengers and orderlies met us at every
+step; while, as is ever the case, the most contradictory rumors were
+circulated about the number and position of the enemy. As we neared
+Lausnitz, however, we learned that the whole Prussian army occupied the
+plateau of Jena, save a corps of twenty thousand men which were
+stationed at Auerstadt. From the elevated spot we occupied, the columns
+of Marshal Berna-dotte's division could be seen marching to the
+eastward. A halt was now commanded, and the troops prepared their
+bivouacs; when, as night was falling, a staff-officer rode up, with
+orders from the Emperor himself to push on without delay for Jena.
+
+The road was much cut up by the passage of cavalry and wagons, and as
+the night was dark, our pace was occasionally impeded. I was riding with
+one of the leading squadrons, when General d'Auvergne directed me to
+take an orderly with me, and proceed in advance to make arrangements for
+the quarters of the men at Jena. Selecting a German soldier as my guide,
+I dashed forwards, and soon left the squadron out of hearing. We had not
+gone far, when I remarked, from the tramp of the horses, that we were
+upon an earthen road, and not on the pavement. I questioned my orderly,
+but he was positive there had been no turning since we started. I paid
+no more attention to the circumstance, but rode on, hard as ever. At
+last the clay became deeper and heavier, the sides of the way closer,
+and all the appearance, as well as the gloom would allow us to guess,
+rather those of a byroad than the regular _chaussée_. To return would
+have been hopeless; the darkness gave no prospect of detecting at what
+precise spot we had left the main road, and so I determined to make my
+way straight onwards at all hazards.
+
+After about an hour's fast trotting, the orderly, who rode some paces
+in advance, called out, “A light!” and then, the moment after, he cried,
+“There are several lights yonder!”
+
+I reined in my horse at once, for the thought struck me that we had
+come down upon the Prussian lines. Giving my horse to the soldier, with
+orders to follow me noiselessly at a little distance, I walked on for
+above a mile, my eyes steadily fixed upon the lights, which moved from
+place to place, and showed, by their taper glare, that they were not
+watchfires. At length I gained a little ridge of the ground, and
+could distinctly see that it was a line of guns and artillery wagons,
+endeavoring to force their way through a narrow ravine; a few minutes
+after, I heard the sounds of French, and relieved of all apprehensions,
+I mounted my horse and soon came up with them.
+
+They were four troops of Lannes's artillery, which, by a mistake similar
+to my own, had left the highroad and entered one of the field-tracks,
+which thus led them astray; and here they were, jammed up in a narrow
+gorge, unable to get back or forward. The officer in command was a
+young colonel, who was completely overwhelmed by his misfortune; for he
+informed me that the whole artillery of the division was following him,
+and would inevitably be involved in the same mishap. The poor fellow,
+who doubtless would have faced the enemy without a particle of fear, was
+now so horrified by the event, that he ran wildly from place to place,
+ordering and counter-ordering every instant, and actually increasing
+the confusion by his own excitement. Some of the leading trains were
+unharnessed, and efforts made to withdraw the guns from their position;
+but the axles were, on both sides, embedded in the rock, and seemed to
+defy every effort to disengage them.
+
+At this moment, when the confusion had reached its height, and the
+horses were unharnessed from the guns, the men standing in groups around
+or shouting wildly to one another, a sullen silence spread itself over
+the whole, and a loud, stern voice called out,--
+
+“Who commands this division?”
+
+“General Latour,” was the answer.
+
+“Where is he?” said the first speaker, so close to my ear that I started
+round, and saw the short square figure of a man in a great coat, holding
+a heavy whip in his hand.
+
+“With the main body at the rear.”
+
+“Cannoneers, dismount!” said the other. “Bring the torches to the
+front.”
+
+Scarcely was the order obeyed, when the light of the firewood fell upon
+his features, and I saw it was the Emperor himself. In an instant the
+whole scene was changed. The park tools were taken out, working parties
+formed, and the ravine began to echo to the strong blows of the brawny
+arms; while Napoleon, with a blazing torch in his hand, stood by to
+light their labors. Giving directions to the under-officers and the men,
+he never deigned a word to the officers, who now stood trembling around
+him, and were gradually joined by several more, who came up with the
+remainder of the train.
+
+I think still I can see that pale, unmoved face, which, as the light
+flickered upon it, gazed steadily at the working party. Not a syllable
+escaped him, save once, when he muttered half to himself, “And this was
+the first battery to open its fire to-morrow!”
+
+General Savary stood at his side, but never dared to address him. Too
+well he knew that his deepest anger showed itself by silence. By degrees
+the granite wall gave way, the axles once more became free, and the
+horses were again harnessed; the gun-carriages moved slowly through the
+ravine. Nor did the Emperor quit the spot before the greater part of
+the train passed; then mounting his horse, he turned towards Jena, and
+notwithstanding the utter darkness of the night he rode at full speed.
+Following the clatter of the horse's hoofs, I rode on, and in less than
+an hour reached a small cluster of houses, where a cavalry picket was
+placed, and several large fires were lighted, beside which, at small
+tables, sat above a dozen staff-officers busily writing despatches. The
+Emperor halted but for a second or two, and then dashed forward again;
+and I soon perceived we were ascending a steep hill, covered with ferns
+and brushwood. We had not gone far, when a single aide-de-camp who
+accompanied him turned his horse's head and rode rapidly down the
+mountain again.
+
+Napoleon was now alone, some fifty paces in front. I could see the faint
+outline through the darkness, my sight guided by my hearing to the spot.
+His pace, wherever the ground permitted, was rapid; but constantly he
+was obliged to hold in, and pick his steps among the stones and dwarf
+wood that covered the mountain. Never shall I cease to remember the
+strange sensations I felt as I followed him up that steep ascent.
+There was he, the greatest monarch of the universe, alone, wending his
+solitary way in darkness, his thoughts bent on the great event before
+him,--the tremendous conflict in which thousands must fall. There was a
+sense of awe in the thought of being so near to one on whose slightest
+word the destiny of nations seemed to hang; and I could not look on the
+dark object before me without a superstitious feeling, deeper than fear
+itself, for that mightiest of men.
+
+My thoughts permitted my taking no note of time, and I know not how long
+it was before we reached the crest of the hill, over whose bleak surface
+a cold, cutting wind was blowing. It seemed as if a great tableland
+extended now for some distance on every side, over which the Emperor
+took his way, as though accustomed to the ground. While I was wondering
+at the certainty with which he appeared to determine on his road, I
+remarked the feeble flickering of a light far away towards the horizon,
+and by which it was evident he guided his steps. As we rode on, several
+watchfires could be seen towards the northwest, stretching away to a
+great distance, and throwing a yellowish glare in the dark sky above
+them. Suddenly I perceived the Emperor halt and dismount, and as
+speedily again he was in the saddle; but now his path took a different
+direction, and diverged considerably to the southward. Curious to learn
+what might have caused his change of direction, I rode up to the
+spot, and got off. It was the embers of a watchfire; they were almost
+extinguished, but still, as the horse's hoof struck the wood, a few
+sparks were emitted. It was this, then, which altered his course; and
+once more he pressed his horse to speed.
+
+A steep ascent of some hundred yards lay before us now. But on gaining
+the top, a brilliant spectacle of a thousand watchfires met the eye: so
+close did they seem, it looked like one great volcanic crater blazing
+on the mountain top; while above, the lurid glow reddened the black sky,
+and melted away into the darkness in clouds of faint yellowish hue. Far,
+very far away, and to the north, stretched another much longer line of
+fires, but at great intervals apart, and occupying, as well as I might
+guess, about two leagues in extent. Several smaller fires dotted the
+plain, marking the outpost positions; and it was not difficult to trace
+the different lines of either army even by these indications.
+
+While I yet looked, the Emperor had gained a short distance in advance
+of me; and suddenly I heard the hoarse challenge of a sentry, calling
+out, “Qui vive?” Buried in his own thoughts,--perhaps far too deeply
+lost in meditation to hear the cry,--Napoleon never replied nor
+slackened his speed. “Qui vive?” shouted the voice again: and before
+I could advance, the sharp bang of a musket-shot rang out; another and
+another followed; and then a roll of fire swept along the plain, happily
+not in the direction of the Emperor. But already he had thrown himself
+from his horse, and lay flat upon the ground.
+
+[Illustration: 264]
+
+Not a moment was now to be lost. I dashed my spurs into my jaded horse,
+and rode forwards, calling aloud, at the top of my voice, “The Emperor!
+the Emperor!” Still, the panic overbore my words, and another discharge
+was given: with one bullet I was struck in the shoulder, another killed
+my horse; but springing to my legs in an instant, I rushed on, repeating
+my cry. Before I could do more than point to the spot, Napoleon
+came forward, leading his horse by the bridle. His step was slow and
+measured, and his face--for many a torchlight was now gathered to the
+place--was calm and tranquil.
+
+“Ye are well upon the alert, _mes enfant!_” said he, with a smile; “see
+that ye be as ready with your fire to-morrow!” A wild cheer answered
+these words, while he continued: “These are the new levies, Lieutenant;
+the Guards would have had more patience. Where is the officer who
+followed me?”
+
+“Here, Sire,” said I, endeavoring to conceal the appearance of being
+wounded.
+
+“Mount, sir, and accompany me to headquarters.”
+
+“My horse is killed, Sire.”
+
+“Yes, _parbleu!_” said a young soldier, who had not learned much respect
+before his superiors; “and he has a ball in his neck himself.”
+
+“Are you wounded?” said the Emperor, with a quickness in his manner.
+
+“A mere flesh-wound in the arm,--of no consequence, Sire.”
+
+“Let the surgeon of the detachment see to this at once, Lieutenant,”
+ said he to the officer of the party; “and do you come to headquarters
+when you are able.”
+
+With this, the Emperor mounted again, and in a few seconds more was lost
+to our sight.
+
+“_Ventrebleu!_” said the old lieutenant, who had served without
+promotion from the first battles of the Republic, “you'll be a colonel
+for that scratch on your epaulette, if we only beat the Prussians
+to-morrow; and here am I, with eight wounds from lead and steel, and
+the Petit Caporal never bade me visit him at his bivouac. Come, come! I
+don't wish to be unfriendly; it's not _your_ fault, it's only _my_ bad
+fortune. And here comes the surgeon.”
+
+The lieutenant was right,--the epaulette had the worst of the adventure;
+and, in half an hour I proceeded on my way to headquarters.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII. L'HOMME ROUGE
+
+On my way to the imperial quarters, I fell in with some squadrons of our
+dragoons, from whom I learned that General d'Auvergne had just received
+orders to repair to the Emperor's bivouac, to which several officers in
+command were also summoned. As I saw, therefore, that I could have no
+prospect of meeting the Emperor, I resolved merely to hold myself in
+readiness, should he, which seemed little likely, think of me; and
+accordingly I took up my post with some young under-officers of
+our brigade, at a huge fire, where a species of canteen had been
+established, and coffee and corn-brandy were served out to all comers.
+
+The recent escape of Napoleon at the outposts was already known far and
+near, and formed the great topic of conversation, in which, I felt hurt
+to remark, no mention of the part I took was ever made, although there
+were at least a dozen different versions of the accident. In one, his
+Majesty was represented to have rode down upon and sabred the advanced
+picket; in another, it was the Prussians who fired, he having penetrated
+within their lines to reconnoitre,--each agreeing in the one great fact,
+that the feat was something which no one save himself could have done
+or thought of. As for me, I felt it was not my part to speak of the
+incident at all until his Majesty should first do so. I listened,
+therefore, with due patience and some amusement to the various
+narratives about me; which served to show me, by one slight instance,
+the measure of that exaggeration with which the Emperor's name was ever
+treated, and convinced me that it required not time nor distance to
+color every incident of his life with the strongest hues of romance. The
+topic was a fruitful and favorite one; and certainly few subjects could
+with more propriety season the hours around a bivouac fire than the
+exploits of the Emperor Napoleon.
+
+Among those whose reminiscences went farthest back was an old
+sergeant-major of infantry,--a seared and seamed and weather-beaten
+little fellow, who, from fatigues and privations, was dried up to a mass
+of tendons and fibres. This little man presented one of those strange
+mixtures with which the army abounded,--the shrewdest common sense on
+all ordinary topics, with a most credulous faith in any story where
+Napoleon's name occurred. It seemed, indeed, as though that one element,
+occurring in any tale, dispensed at once with the rules which govern
+belief in common cases.
+
+The invulnerability of the Emperor was with him a fruitful theme; and he
+teemed with anecdotes of the Egyptian and Italian campaigns, in which it
+was incontestably shown that neither shot nor shell had any effect
+upon him. But of all the superstitions regarding Napoleon, none had such
+complete hold on his imagination, nor was more implicitly believed by
+him, than the story of that little “Red Man,” who, it was asserted,
+visited the Emperor the night before each great battle, and arranged
+with him the manoeuvres of the succeeding day.
+
+“L'Homme Bouge,” as he was called, was an article of faith in the French
+army that few of the soldiers ever thought of disputing. Some from
+pure credulity, some from the force of example, and some again from
+indolence, believed in this famed personage; but even the veriest
+scoffer on more solemn subjects would have hesitated ere he ventured
+to assail the almost universal belief in this supernatural agency.
+The Emperor's well-known habit of going out alone to visit pickets and
+outposts on the eve of a battle was a circumstance too favorable to this
+superstition not to be employed in its defence. Besides, it was well
+known that he spent hours by himself, when none even of the marshals had
+access to him; and on these occasions it was said “L'Homme Bouge” was
+with him. Sentinels had been heard to declare that they could overhear
+angry words passing between the Emperor and his guest; that threats had
+been interchanged between them; and on one occasion it was said that the
+“Red Man” went so 'far as to declare, that if his advice were neglected
+Napoleon should lose the battle, see his artillery fall into the hands
+of the enemy, and behold the Guard capitulate.
+
+“_Mille tonnerres!_ what are you saying?” broke in the little man,
+to the grim old soldier who was relating this. “You know nothing of
+'L'Homme Rouge,'--not a word; how should you? But I served in the
+Twenty-second of the Line, old Mongoton's corps; the 'Faubourg Devils,'
+as they were called. _He_ knew him well; it was 'L'Homme Rouge' had
+him shot for treason at Cairo. I was one of the company drawn for his
+execution; and when he knelt down on the grass, he held up his hand this
+way, and cried out,--
+
+“'Voltigeurs of the Line, hear me! You have all known me many years; you
+have seen whether I could face the enemy like a man; and you can tell
+whether I cared for the heaviest charge that ever shook a square. You
+know, also, whether I was true to our general. Well, it is “L'Homme
+Rouge” who has brought me to this. And now: Carry arms!--all together!
+Come, _mes enfants!_ try it again: Carry arms! (ay, that's better)
+present arms! fire!'
+
+“_Morbleu!_ the word was not well out when he was dead; and there,
+through the smoke, as plain as I see you now, I saw the figure of a
+little fellow, dressed in scarlet,--feather and boots all the same! He
+was standing over the corpse, and threatening it with his hands. And
+that,” said he, in a solemn voice, “that was 'L'Homme Rouge!'”
+
+This anecdote was conclusive. There was no gainsaying the assertions
+of a man who had, with his own eyes, seen the celebrated “Red Man;”
+ and from that instant he enjoyed a decided monopoly of everything that
+concerned his private history.
+
+According to the sergeant-major's version,--and who could venture to
+contradict him?--“L'Homme Rouge” was not the confidential adviser and
+friendly counsellor of the Emperor; but, on the contrary, his evil
+genius, perpetually employed in thwarting his plans and opposing his
+views. Each seemed to have his hour of triumph alternately. Now it was
+the Bed Man, now Napoleon, who stood in the ascendant. Fortune for a
+long period had been constant to the Emperor, and victory crowned every
+battle. This had, it seemed, greatly chagrined “L'Homme Bouge,” who for
+years past had not been seen nor heard of. The last tradition of him was
+a story told by one of the sentinels on guard at the general's quarters
+at Mont Tabor.
+
+It was midnight: all was still and silent in the camp. The soldiers
+slept as men sleep before a battle, when the old grenadier who walked
+his short post before General Bonaparte's tent heard a quick tread
+approaching him. “Qui vive?” cried he; but there was no reply. “Qui
+vive?” called the sentry once more; but as he did so he leaped backwards
+and brought his musket to the charge, for just then something brushed
+close by him and entered the tent.
+
+For a moment or two he doubted what should be done. Should he turn out
+the guard? It was only to be laughed at; that would never do. But what
+if it really were somebody who had penetrated to the general's quarters?
+As this thought struck him, he crept up close to the tent; and there,
+true enough, he heard the voices of two persons speaking.
+
+“Ah! thou here?” said Bonaparte. “I scarce expected to see thee so far
+from France!”
+
+“Alas!” said the other, with a deep sigh, “what land is now open to me,
+or whither shall I fly to? I took refuge in Brussels; well, what should
+I see one morning, but the tall shakos of your grenadiers coming up the
+steep street. I fled to Holland; you were there the day after. 'Come,'
+thought I, 'he's moving northwards; I'll try the other extreme.' So I
+started for the Swiss. _Sacrebleu_! the roll of your confounded drums
+resounded through every valley. I reached the banks of the Po; your
+troops were there the same evening. I pushed for Rome; they were
+preparing your quarters, which you occupied that night. Away, then, I
+start once more; I cross mountains and rivers and seas, and gain the
+desert at last. I thank my fortune that there are a thousand leagues
+between us; and here you are now. For pity's sake, show me, on that map
+of the world, one little spot you don't want to conquer, and let me live
+there in peace, and be sure never to meet you more.”
+
+Bonaparte did not speak for some minutes, and it seemed as though he
+were intently considering the request of “L'Homme Rouge.”
+
+“There,” said he at length, “there! You see that island in the great
+sea, with nothing near it; thou mayest go there.”
+
+“How is it called?” said “L'Homme Rouge.”
+
+“St. Helena,” said the general. “It is not very large; but I promise
+thee to be undisturbed there.”
+
+“You 'll never come there, then? Is that a pledge?”
+
+“Never; I promise it. At least, if I do, thou shalt be the master, and I
+the slave.”
+
+“Enough! I go now. Adieu!” said the little man. And the same instant the
+sentinel felt his arm brushed by some one passing close beside him; and
+then all was silent in the tent once more.
+
+“Thus, you see,” said the sergeant-major, “from that hour it was agreed
+on the Emperor should conquer the whole world, and leave that one little
+spot for 'L'Homme Rouge.' _Parbleu!_ he might well spare him that much.”
+
+“How big might it be, that island?” said an old grenadier, who listened
+with the deepest attention to the tale.
+
+“Nothing to speak of; about the size of one battalion drawn up in
+square.”
+
+“_Pardieu!_ a small kingdom too!”
+
+“Ah! it would not do for the Emperor,” said the sergeant-major,
+laughing,--an emotion the others joined in at once; and many a jest went
+round at the absurdity of such a thought.
+
+I sat beside the watchfire, listening to the old campaigning stories,
+till one by one the speakers dropped off to sleep. The bronzed veteran
+and the boy conscript, the old soldier of the Sambre and the beardless
+youth, lay side by side: to some of these it was the last time they
+should slumber on earth. As the night wore on, the sounds became hushed
+in the camp, and through the thin frosty air I could hear from a long
+distance off the tramp of the patrols and the challenge of the reliefs
+as the outposts were visited. The Prussian sentries were quite close to
+our advanced posts, and when the wind came from that quarter, I often
+heard the voices as they exchanged their signals.
+
+Through the entire night, officers came and went to and from the tent of
+the Emperor. To him, at least, it seemed no season of repose. At length,
+when nigh morning, wearied with watching and tired out with expectancy,
+I leaned my head on my knees, and dropped into a half-sleep. Some vague
+sense of disappointment at being forgotten by the Emperor, was the
+last thought I had as I fell off, and in its sadness it colored all
+my dreams. I remembered, with all the freshness of a recent event, the
+curse of the old hag on the morning I had quitted my home forever,--her
+prayer that bad luck should track me every step through life; and in the
+shadowy uncertainty of my sleeping thoughts I believed I was predestined
+to misfortune.
+
+Almost every man has experienced the fact, that there are times in life
+when impressions, the slightest in their origin, will have an undue
+weight on the mind; when, as it were, the clay of our natures become
+softened, and we take the impress of passing events more easily. Some
+vague and shadowy conception--a doubt, a dream--is enough at moments
+like these to attain the whole force of a conviction; and it is
+wonderful with what ingenuity we wind to our purpose every circumstance
+around us, and what pains we take to increase the toils of our
+self-deception. It would be a curious thing to trace out how much of our
+good or evil fortune in life had its source in these superstitions; how
+far the frame of mind fashioned the events before it; and to what extent
+our hopes and fears were but the forerunners of destiny.
+
+My sleeping thoughts were of the saddest; and when I awoke, I could not
+shake them off. A heavy, dense fog clothed every object around, through
+which only the watchfires were visible, as they flared with a yellow,
+hazy light of unnatural size. The position of these signals was only
+to mark the inequality of the ground: and I now could perceive that we
+occupied the crest of a long and steep hill, down the sides and at the
+bottom of which fires were also burning; while in front another mountain
+arose, whose summit for a great distance was marked out by watchfires.
+This I conjectured, from its extent and position, to be the Prussian
+line.
+
+At the front of the Emperor's quarters several led horses were standing,
+whose caparison bespoke them as belonging to the staff; and although not
+yet five o'clock, there was an appearance of movement which indicated
+preparation. The troops, however, were motionless; the dense columns
+covered the ground like a garment, and stirred not. As I stood,
+uncertain what course to take, I heard the noise of voices and the heavy
+tramp of many feet near, and on turning perceived it was the Emperor,
+who came forth from his tent, followed by several of his staff. A large
+fire blazed in front of his bivouac, which threw its long light on the
+group; where, even in a fleeting glance, I recognized General Gazan, and
+Nansouty, the commander of the Cuirassiers of the Guard.
+
+“What hour is it?” said the Emperor to Duroc, who stood near him.
+
+“Almost five o'clock, Sire.”
+
+“It is darker than it was an hour ago. Maison, where is Bernadotte by
+this?--at Domberg, think you?”
+
+“Not yet, Sire; he is no laggard if he reach it in three hours hence.”
+
+“Ney would have been there now,” was the quick reply of Napoleon. “Come,
+gentlemen, into the saddle, and let us move towards the front. Gazan,
+put your division under arms.”
+
+The general waited not a second bidding, but wheeled his horse suddenly
+round, and followed by his aide-decamp, rode at full speed down the
+mountain.
+
+“There is the first streak of day,” said the Emperor, pointing to a
+faint gray light above the distant forest; “it breaks like Austerlitz.”
+
+“May it set as gloriously!” said old Nansouty, in his deep low voice.
+
+“And it will,” said Napoleon. “What sayest thou, _grognard?_” continued
+he, turning with an affected severity of manner to the grenadier who
+stood sentinel on the spot, and who, with a French soldier's easy
+indifference, leaned on the cross of his musket to listen to the
+conversation; “what sayest thou? Art eager to be made corporal?”
+
+“_Parbleu!_” growled out the rough soldier, “the grade is little to
+boast of; were I even a general of division, there might be something to
+hope for.”
+
+“What then?” said Napoleon, sharply, “what then?”
+
+“King of Prussia, to be sure; thou 'lt give away the title before this
+hour to-morrow.”
+
+The Emperor laughed aloud at the conceit. Its flattery had a charm for
+him no courtier's well-turned compliment could vie with; and I could
+hear him still continuing to enjoy it as he rode slowly forward and
+disappeared in the gloom.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII. JENA AND AUERSTÄDT.
+
+“He has forgotten me!” said I, half aloud, as I watched the retiring
+figures of the Emperor and his staff till they were concealed by the
+mist; “he has forgotten me! Now to find out my brigade. A great battle
+is before us, and there may still be a way to refresh his memory.” With
+such thoughts I set forward in the direction of the picket-fires, full
+sure that I should meet some skirmishers of our cavalry there.
+
+As I went, the drums were beating towards the distant left, and
+gradually the sounds crept nearer and nearer, as the infantry battalions
+began to form and collect their stragglers. A dense fog seemed to shut
+out the dawn, and with a thin and misty rain, the heavy vapor settled
+down upon the earth, wrapping all things in a darkness deep as night
+itself. From none could I learn any intelligence of the cavalry quarter,
+nor had any of those I questioned seen horsemen pass near them.
+
+“The voltigeurs in the valley yonder may perhaps tell you something,”
+ said an officer to me, pointing to some fires in a deep glen beneath us.
+And thither I now bent my steps.
+
+The dull rolling of the drums gradually swelled into one continued roar,
+through which the clank of steel and the tremulous tramp of marching
+columns could be heard. Spirit-stirring echoes were they, these
+awakening sounds of coming conflict! and how they nerved my heart, and
+set it bounding again with a soldier's ardor! As I descended the hill,
+the noise became gradually fainter, till at length I found myself in a
+narrow ravine, still and silent as the grave itself. The transition was
+so sudden and unexpected, that for a moment I felt a sense of loneliness
+and depression; and the thought struck me, “What if I have pushed on too
+far? Can it be that I have passed our lines? But the officer spoke of
+the voltigeurs in front; I had seen the fires myself; there could be no
+doubt about it.” I now increased my speed, and in less than half an hour
+gained a spot where the ground became more open and extended in front,
+and not more than a few hundred paces in advance were the watchfires;
+and as I looked I heard the swell of a number of voices singing in
+chorus on different sides of me. The effect was most singular, for the
+sounds came from various quarters at the same instant, and, as they
+all chanted the same air, the refrain rang out and filled the valley;
+beating time with their feet, they stepped to the tune, and formed
+themselves to the melody, as though it were the band of the regiment. I
+had often heard that this was a voltigeur habit, but never was witness
+to it before. The air was one well known in that suburb of Paris whence
+the wildest and most reckless of our soldiers came, and which they all
+joined in celebrating in this rude verse:--
+
+      “Picardy first, and then Champagne,--
+            France to the battle! on boys, on!
+            Anjou, Brittany, and Maine,--
+            Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine I
+
+     “How pleasant the life of a voltigeur!
+           In the van of the fight he must ever be;
+           Of roughing and rations he 's always sure,--
+           With a comrade's share he may well make free.
+
+     “Picardy first, and then Champagne,--
+           France to the battle I on boys, on!
+           Anjou, Brittany, and Maine,--
+           Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!
+
+     “The great guns thunder on yonder hill,--
+           Closer than that they durst not go;
+           But the voltigeur comes nearer still,--
+           With his bayonet fixed he meets the foe.
+
+    “The hussar's coat is slashed with gold;
+         He rides an Arab courser fleet:
+         But is the voltigeur less bold
+         Who meets his enemy on his feet?
+
+    “The cuirassier is clad in steel;
+         His massive sword is straight and strong:
+         But the voltigeur can charge and wheel
+         With a step,--his bayonet is just as long.
+
+    “The artillery-driver must halt his team
+         If the current be fast or the water deep:
+         But the voltigeur can swim the stream,
+         And climb the bank, be it e'er so steep.
+
+    “The voltigeur needs no trumpet sound,--
+         No bugle has he to cheer him on:
+         Where the fire is hottest, that 's his ground,--
+         Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!”
+
+
+As they came to the conclusion of this song, they kept up the air
+without words, imitating by their voices the roll of the drum in
+marching time. Joining the first party I came up with, I asked the
+officer in what direction of the field I should find the cuirassier
+brigade.
+
+“That I can't tell you, Comrade,” said he. “No cavalry have appeared in
+our neighborhood, nor are they likely; for all the ground is cut up and
+intersected so much they could not act. But our maître d'armes is the
+fellow to tell you. Halloo, François! come up here for a moment.”
+
+Before I could ask whether this was not my old antagonist at Elchingen,
+the individual himself appeared.
+
+“Eh, what?” cried he, as he lifted a piece of firewood from the ground,
+and stared me in the face by its light. “Not my friend Burke, eh? By
+Jove! so it is.”
+
+Our cordial greetings being over, I asked Maître François if he could
+give me any intelligence of D'Auvergne's division, or put me in the way
+to reach them.
+
+“They're some miles off by this time,” said he, coolly. “When I was
+below the Plateau de Jena last night, that brigade you speak of
+got their orders to push forward to Auerstadt, to support Davoust's
+infantry. I mind it well, for they were sorely tired, and had just
+picketed their horses, when the orderly came down with the despatch.”
+
+“And where does Auerstadt lie?”
+
+“About four leagues to the other side of that tall mountain yonder.”
+
+“What, then, shall I do? I am dismounted, to begin with.”
+
+“And if you were not, if you had the best horse in the whole brigade,
+what would it serve you now, except to pass the day riding between two
+battle-fields, and see nothing of either? for we shall have hot work
+here, depend upon it. No, no; stay with us. Be a voltigeur for to-day,
+and we 'll show you something you 'll not see from your bearskin
+saddle.”
+
+“But I shall be in a sad scrape on account of my absence.”
+
+“Never mind that; the man that takes his turn with the voltigeurs of the
+Twenty-second won't be suspected of skulking. And here comes the major;
+report yourself to him at once.”
+
+Without waiting for any reply, Maître Francois accosted the officer in
+question, and in a very few words explained my position.
+
+“Nothing could come better timed,” said the major. “One of ours has been
+sent with despatches to the rear, and we may not see him for some hours.
+Again, a light cavalryman must know how to skirmish, and we 'll try your
+skill that way. Come along with me.”
+
+“To our next meeting, then,” cried Francois, as I hurried on after the
+major; whilst once more the voltigeur ranks burst forth in full chorus,
+and the merry sounds filled the valley.
+
+I followed the major down a somewhat steep and rugged path, at the foot
+of which, and concealed by a low copse-wood, was a party consisting of
+two companies of the regiment, who formed the most advanced pickets, and
+were destined to exchange the first shots with the enemy.
+
+Before us lay a defile, partly overgrown with trees on either side,
+which ascended by a gradual slope to the foot of the hill on which the
+Prussian infantry was stationed, and whose lines were tracked out by a
+long train of watch-fires. A farmhouse and its out-buildings occupied
+the side of the hill about half-way up; and this was garrisoned by the
+enemy, and defended by two guns in position in the defile. To surprise
+the post and hold it until the main columns came up, was the object
+of the voltigeur attack; and for this purpose small bodies of men were
+assembling secretly and stealthily under cover of the brushwood, to
+burst forth on the word being given.
+
+There was something which surprised me not a little in the way all these
+movements were effected. Officers and men were mixed up, as it seemed,
+in perfect confusion; not approaching in regular order, or taking up
+a position like disciplined troops, they came in twos and threes,
+crouching and creeping, and suddenly concealing themselves at every
+opportunity of cover the ground afforded.
+
+Their noiseless and cautious gestures brought to my mind all that I
+had ever read of Indian warfare; and in their eager faces, and quick,
+piercing looks, I thought I could recognize the very traits of the red
+men. The commands were given by signals; and so rapidly interchanged
+were they from party to party, that the different groups seemed to move
+forward by one impulse, though the officer who led them was full a mile
+distant from where we were.
+
+“Can you use a firelock, comrade?” said the major, as he placed in my
+hand a short musket, such as the voltigeurs carried. “Sling it at your
+back; you may find it useful up yonder. And now I must leave you; keep
+to this party. But what is this? You mustn't wear that shako; you'd soon
+be picked off with that tower of black fur on your head. Corporal,
+have you no spare foraging-cap in your kit? Ah! that's something
+more becoming a tirailleur; and, by Jove! I think it improves you
+wonderfully.”
+
+The circumstance of becomingness was not exactly uppermost in my mind
+at the moment; but certainly I felt no small gratification at being
+provided with the equipment both of cap and firearms which placed me on
+an equality with those about me.
+
+Scarcely had the major left us, when the corporal crept closely to
+my side, and with that mingled respect and familiarity a French
+sous-officier assumes so naturally, said,--
+
+“You wished to see something of a skirmish, Captain, I suppose? Well,
+you're like enough to be gratified; we're closing up rapidly now.”
+
+“What may be the strength of your battalion, Corporal?”
+
+“Twelve hundred men, sir; and they're every one at this instant in the
+valley, though I'll wager you don't see a bough move nor a leaf stirring
+to show where they lie hid. You see that low copse yonder; well, there's
+a company of ours beneath its shelter. But there goes the word to move
+on.”
+
+A motion with his sword, the only command he gave, communicated the
+order; and the men, creeping stealthily on, obeyed the mandate, till at
+another signal they were halted.
+
+From the little copse of brushwood where we now lay, to the farmhouse,
+the ground was completely open,--not a shrub nor a bush grew; a slight
+ascent of the road led up to the gate, which could not be more than
+three hundred paces in front of us. We were stationed at some distance
+to the right of the road, but the field presented no obstacle or
+impediment to our attack; and thither now were our looks turned,--the
+short road which would lead to victory or the grave.
+
+From my ambush I could see the two fieldpieces which commanded the road,
+and beside which the artillerymen stood in patient attention. With what
+a strange thrill I watched one of the party, as from time to time
+he stooped down to blow the fuse beside the gun, and then seemed
+endeavoring to peer into the valley, where all was still and noiseless!
+As well as I could judge, our little party was nearest to the front; and
+although a small clump to the left of the road offered a safe shelter
+still nearer the enemy, I could not ascertain if it were occupied.
+
+Not a word was now spoken. All save the corporal looked eagerly towards
+the enemy; he was watching for the signal, and knelt down with his drawn
+sword at his side. The deathlike stillness of the moment, so unlike the
+prelude to every movement in cavalry combat; the painful expectation
+which made minutes like years themselves; the small number of the party,
+so dissimilar to the closely crowded squadrons I was used to; but,
+more than all, the want of a horse,--that most stirring of all the
+excitements to heroism and daring,--unnerved me; and if my heart were
+to have been interrogated, I sadly fear it would have brought little
+corroboration to the song of the voltigeurs, which attributed so many
+features of superiority to their arm of the service above the rest of
+the army.
+
+A thousand and thousand times did I wish to be at the head of a cavalry
+charge up that narrow road in face of those guns; ay, though the
+mitraille should sweep the earth, there was that in the onward torrent
+of the horseman's course that left no room for fear. But this cold and
+stealthy approach, this weary watching, I could not bear.
+
+“See, see,” whispered the corporal, as he pointed with his finger
+towards the clump to the left of the road, “how beautifully done! there
+goes another.”
+
+As he spoke, I could perceive the dark shadow of something moving close
+to the ground, and finally concealing itself in the brushwood, beneath
+which now above twenty men lay hid. At the same instant a deep rolling
+sound like far-off thunder was heard; and then louder still, but less
+deep in volume, the rattling crash of musketry. At first the discharges
+were more prolonged, and succeeded one another more rapidly; but
+gradually the firing became less regular; then after an interval swelled
+more fully again, and once more relaxed.
+
+“Listen!” said the corporal; “can't you hear the cheering? There again;
+the skirmishers are falling back,--the fire is too heavy for them.”
+
+“Which, the Prussians?”
+
+“To be sure, the Prussians. Hark! there was a volley; that was no
+tirailleur discharge; the columns are advancing. Down, men, down!”
+ whispered he, as, excited by the sounds of musketry, some three or four
+popped up their heads to listen. At the same instant a noise in front
+drew our attention to that quarter; and we now saw that a party of horse
+artillerymen were descending the road with a light eight-pounder gun,
+which they were proceeding to place in position on a small knoll of
+ground about eighty yards from the coppice I have mentioned.
+
+“How I could pick off that fellow on the gray horse,” whispered a
+soldier beside me to his comrade.
+
+“And bring the whole fire on us afterwards,” said the other.
+
+“What can we be waiting for?” said the corporal, impatiently. “They are
+making that place as strong as a fortress; and there, see if that is not
+a reinforcement!”
+
+While he spoke, the heavy tramp of men marching announced the approach
+of fresh troops; and by the bustle and noise within the farmhouse it was
+clear the preparations for its defence were making with all the activity
+the exigency demanded.
+
+It was past seven o'clock; but as the day broke more out, the heavy
+fog increased, and soon grew so dense as to shut out from our view
+the Prussian picket and the guns upon the road. Meanwhile the firing
+continued at a distance, but, as it seemed, fainter than before.
+
+“Ha! there it comes now,” said the corporal, as a shrill whistle was
+heard to our left. “Look to your pieces, men! steady.” There was a
+pause; every ear was bent to listen, every breath drawn short, when
+again he spoke. “That 's it. _En avant_, lads! _en avant!_”
+
+With the word he sprang forward, but still crouching, he went as if the
+thick mist were not enough to conceal him. The men followed their leader
+with cautious steps, their carbines in hand and bayonets fixed. For some
+minutes we ascended the hill, gradually nearing the road, along which a
+low bank offered a slight protection against fire.
+
+The corporal halted here for a second or two, when another whistle, so
+faint as to be scarcely audible, was borne on the air. With a motion of
+his hand forwards he gave the order to advance, and led the way along
+the roadside.
+
+As we followed in single file, I found myself next the corporal, whose
+every motion I watched with an intensity of interest I cannot convey. At
+last he stopped and wheeled round; then, kneeling down, he levelled his
+piece upon the low bank,--a movement quickly followed by all the rest
+who in silence obeyed his signal.
+
+Directly in front of us now, and as it seemed not above a dozen yards
+distant, the yellow glare of the artillery fuse could be dimly discerned
+through the mist; thither every eye was bent and every musket pointed.
+Thus we knelt with beating hearts, when suddenly several shots rang out
+from the valley and the opposite side of the road; as quickly replied to
+by the enemy, and a smart but irregular clattering of musketry followed.
+
+“Now,” cried the corporal, aloud, “now, and all together!”
+
+And then with one long, stunning report, every gun was discharged, and a
+wild cry of the wounded blended with the sounds as we cleared the fence
+and dashed at the guns.
+
+“Down, men, down!” called our leader, as we jumped into the road. The
+word was scarce uttered when a bright flash gleamed forth, a loud bang
+succeeded, and we heard the grapeshot crushing down the valley and
+tearing its way through the leaves and branches of the brushwood.
+
+“_En avant_, lads! now's your time!” cried the corporal, as he sprang to
+his feet and led towards the gun.
+
+With one vigorous dash we pushed up the height, just as the cannoneers
+were preparing to load. The gunners fell back, and a party of infantry
+as quickly presented themselves.
+
+The mist happily concealed the smallness of our force, otherwise the
+Prussians might have crushed us at once. For a second there was a pause;
+then both sides fired, an irregular volley was discharged, and the
+muskets were lowered to the charge. What must have been the fate of our
+little party now there could be no doubt; when suddenly, through the
+blue smoke which yet lingered near the guns, the bright gleaming of
+bayonets was seen to flash, while the loud _vivas_ of our own soldiers
+rent the air.
+
+So rapid was the rush, and so thronging did they come, it seemed as if
+the very ground had given them up. With a cry of “Forward!” on we went;
+the enemy retired and fell back behind the cover of the road, where they
+kept up a tremendous fire upon the gun, to which now all our efforts
+were directed, to turn against the walls of the farmhouse.
+
+The mist by this was cleared away, and we were exposed to the shattering
+fire which was maintained not only along the road, but from every window
+and crevice in the walls of the farmhouse. Our men fell fast,--several
+badly wounded; for the distance was less than half musket-range, even to
+the farthest.
+
+“The bayonet, men! the bayonet! Leave the gun, and sweep the road of
+those fellows yonder!” said the major, as, vaulting over the fence, he
+led the way himself.
+
+We were now reinforced, and numbered fully four companies; so that our
+attack soon drove in the enemy, who retreated, still firing, within the
+courtyard around the farmhouse.
+
+“Bring up the gun, lads, and we 'll soon breach them,” said the major.
+But, unhappily, the party to whom it was committed, being annoyed at the
+service which kept them back when their companions were advancing, had
+hurled the piece off its carriage, and rolled it down the mountain.
+
+With a muttered _sacré_ on their stupidity, the officer cried out to
+scale the walls. If honor and rank and wealth had lain on the opposite
+side, and not death and agony, they could not have obeyed with more
+alacrity. Raised on one another's shoulders, the brave fellows mounted
+the wall; but it was only to fall back again into their comrades' arms,
+dead or mortally wounded. Still they pressed on: a reckless defiance of
+danger had shut out every other thought; and their cheers grew wilder
+and fiercer as the fire told upon them, while the shouts of triumph from
+those within stimulated them to the verge of madness.
+
+“Stand back, men! stand back!” called the major; “down! I say.”
+
+As he spoke, a dead silence followed; the men retreated behind the cover
+of the fence, and lay down flat with their faces to the ground. A low,
+hissing noise was then heard; and then, with a clap like thunder, the
+strong gate was rent into fragments and scattered in blazing pieces
+about the field. The crash of the petard was answered by a cheer wild as
+a war-whoop, and onward the infuriated soldiers poured through the
+still burning timbers. And now began a scene of carnage which only a
+hand-to-hand encounter can ever produce. From every door and window the
+Prussians maintained a deadly fire: but the onward tide of victory was
+with us, and we poured down upon them with the bayonet; and as none
+gave, none asked for, quarter, the work of death was speedy. To the
+wild shouts of battle, the crash, the din, the tumult of the fight, a
+dropping irregular fire succeeded; and then came the low, wailing cries
+of the wounded, the groans of the dying, and all was over! We were the
+victors; but what a victory! The garden was strewn with our dead;
+the hall, the stairs, every room was covered with bodies of our brave
+fellows, their rugged faces even sterner than in life.
+
+For some minutes it seemed as though our emotions had unnerved us all,
+as we stood speechless, gazing on the fearful scene of bloodshed; when
+the low rolling of drums, heard from the mountain side, startled every
+listener.
+
+“The Prussians! the Prussians!” called out three or four voices
+together.
+
+“No, no!” shouted François; “I was too long a tambour not to know that
+beat; they 're our fellows.”
+
+The drums rolled fuller and louder; and soon the head of a column
+appeared peering over the ascent of the road. The sun shone brightly on
+their gay uniforms and glancing arms, and the tall and showily-dressed
+tambour-major stepped in advance with the proud bearing of a conqueror.
+
+“Form, men, and to the front!” said the major of the voltigeurs, who
+knew that his place was in the advance, and felt a noble pride that he
+had won it bravely.
+
+As the column came up the road, the voltigeurs, scattered along the road
+on either side, advanced at a run. But no longer was there any obstacle
+to their course; no enemy presented themselves in sight, and we mounted
+the ascent without a single shot being fired.
+
+As I stopped for time to recover breath, I could not help turning to
+behold the valley, which, now filled with armed men, was a grand and
+a gorgeous sight. In long columns of attack they came, the artillery
+filling the interspaces between them. A brilliant sunlight shone out;
+and I could distinguish the different brigades, with whose colors I was
+now familiar. Still my eye ranged over the field in search of cavalry,
+the arm I loved above all others,--that which, more than all the rest,
+revived the heroic spirit of the chivalrous ages, and made the horseman
+feel the ancient ardor of the belted knight. But none were within sight.
+Indeed, the very nature of the ground offered an obstacle to their
+movement, and I saw that here, as at Austerlitz, the day was for the
+infantry.
+
+Meanwhile we toiled up the height, and at length reached the crest of
+the ridge. And then burst forth a sight such as all the grandeur I
+had ever beheld of war had never presented the equal to. On a vast
+tableland, slightly undulating on the surface, was drawn up the whole
+Prussian army in battle array,--a splendid force of nigh thirty thousand
+infantry, flanked by ten thousand sabres, the finest cavalry in Europe.
+By some inconceivable error of tactics, they had offered no other
+resistance to the French ascent of the mountain than the skirmishing
+troops, which fell back as we came on; and even now they seemed to wait
+patiently for the enemy to form before the conflict should begin. As our
+columns crowned the hill they instantly deployed, to cover the advance
+of those who followed: but the precaution seemed needless; for, except
+at the extreme left, where we heard the firing before, the Prussian army
+never moved a man, nor showed any disposition to attack.
+
+It was now nine o'clock; the sky clear and cloudless, and a bright
+autumnal day permitted the eye to range for miles on every side. The
+Prussian army, but forty thousand strong, was drawn up in the form of
+an arch, presenting the convexity to our front; while our troops, ninety
+thousand in number, overlapped them on either flank, and extended far
+beyond them.
+
+The battle began by the advance of the French columns and the retreat
+of the enemy,--both movements being accomplished without a shot being
+fired, and the whole seeming the manoeuvres of a field-day.
+
+At length, as the Prussians took up the position they intended to
+hold, their guns were seen moving to the front; squadrons of cavalry
+disengaged themselves from behind the infantry masses; and then a
+tremendous tire opened from the whole line. Our troops advanced _en
+tirailleurs_,--that is, whole regiments thrown out in skirmishing
+order,--which, when pressed, fell back, and permitted the columns to
+appear.
+
+The division to which I found myself attached received orders to move
+obliquely across the plain, in the direction of some cottages, which I
+soon heard was the village of Vierzehn Heiligen, and the centre of the
+Prussian position. A galling fire of artillery played upon the column
+as it went; and before we accomplished half the distance, our loss was
+considerable. More than once, too, the cry of “cavalry!” was heard; and
+quick as the warning itself, we were thrown into square, to receive the
+impetuous horsemen, who came madly on to the charge. Ney himself stood
+in the squares, animating the men by his presence, and cheering them at
+every volley they poured in.
+
+“Yonder, men! yonder is the centre of their position,” said he, pointing
+to the village, which now bristled with armed men, several guns upon
+a height beyond it commanding the approach, and a cloud of cavalry
+hovering near, to pounce down upon those who might be daring enough to
+assail it. A wild cheer answered his words: both general and soldiers
+understood each other well.
+
+In two columns of attack the division was formed; and then the word
+“Forward!” was given. “Orderly time, men!” said General Dorsenne, who
+commanded that with which I was; and, obedient to the order, the ranks
+moved as if on parade.
+
+And now let me mention a circumstance, which, though trivial in
+itself, presents a feature of the peculiar character of courage which
+distinguished the French officer in battle. As the line advanced, the
+fire of the Prussian battery, which by this had found out our range most
+accurately, opened severely on us, but more particularly on the left;
+and as the men fell fast, and the grapeshot tore through the ranks, a
+wavering of the line took place, and in several places a broken front
+was presented. Dorsenne saw it at once, and placing himself in front of
+the advance, with his back towards the enemy, he called out, as if on
+parade, “Close order--close order! Move up there--left, right--left,
+right!” And so did he retire step by step, marking the time with
+his sword, while the shot flew past and about him, and the earth was
+scattered by the torrent of the grapeshot. Courage like this would seem
+to give a charmed life, for while death was dealing fast around him, he
+never received a wound.
+
+The village was attacked at the bayonet point, and at the charge the
+enemy received us. So long as their artillery could continue its fire,
+our loss was fearful; but once within shelter of the walls and close in
+with the Prussian ranks, the firing ceased, and the struggle was hand to
+hand. Twice did we win our way up the ascent; twice were we beaten back.
+Strong reinforcements were coming up to the enemy's aid; when a
+loud rolling of the drums and a hoarse cheer from behind revived our
+spirits,--it was Lannes's division advancing at a run. They opened to
+permit our retiring masses to re-form behind them, and then rushed on. A
+crash of musketry rang out, and through the smoke the glancing bayonets
+flashed and the red flame danced wildly.
+
+“En avant! en avant!” burst from every man, as, maddened with
+excitement, we plunged into the fray. Like a vast torrent tumbling
+from some mountain gorge, the column poured on, overwhelming all before
+it,--now struggling for a moment, as some obstacle delayed, but could
+not arrest, its march; now rushing headlong, it swept along. The village
+was won; the Prussians fell back. Their guns opened fiercely on us, and
+cavalry tore past, sabring all who sought not shelter within the walls:
+but the post was ours, the key of their position was in our hands; and
+Ney sent three messengers one after the other to the Emperor to let him
+know the result, and enable him to push forward and attack the Prussian
+centre.
+
+Suddenly a wild cry was heard from the little street of the village: the
+houses were in flames. The Prussians had thrown in heated shells, and
+the wooden roofs of the cottages caught up the fire. For an instant all
+became, as it were, panic-struck, and a confused movement of retreat was
+begun: but the next moment order was restored; the sappers scaled the
+walls of the burning houses, and with their axes severed the timbers,
+and suffered the blazing mass to fall within the buildings.
+
+But by this time the Prussians had re-formed their columns, and once
+more advanced to the attack. The moment was in their favor: the disorder
+of our ranks, and the sudden fear inspired by an unlooked-for danger
+still continued, when they came on. Then, indeed, began a scene of
+bloodshed the most horrible to witness: through the narrow streets,
+within the gardens, the houses themselves, the combatants fought hand
+to hand; neither would give way; neither knew on which side lay their
+supporting columns. It was the terrible carnage of deadly animosity on
+both sides.
+
+Meanwhile the flames burst forth anew, and amid the crackling of the
+burning timbers and the dense smoke of the lighted thatch, the fight
+went on.
+
+“Vandamme! Vandamme!” cried several voices, in ecstasy; “here come the
+grenadiers!” And, true enough, the tall shakos peered through the blue
+cloud.
+
+“Hurrah for the Faubourg!” shouted a wild voltigeur, as he waved his cap
+and sprang forward. “Let us not lose the glory now, boys!”
+
+The appeal was not made in vain. From every window and doorway the men
+leaped down into the street, and rushed at the Prussian column, which
+was advancing at the charge. Suddenly the column opened, a rushing
+sound was heard, and down with the speed of lightning rode a squadron
+of cuirassiers. Over us they tore, sabring as they went, nor halted till
+the head of Vandamme's column poured in a volley. Then wheeling, they
+galloped back, trampling on our wounded, and dealing death with their
+broadswords.
+
+As for me, a sabre-cut in the head had stunned me; and while I leaned
+for support against the wall of a house, a horseman tore past, and with
+one vigorous cut he cleft open my shoulder. I staggered back and fell,
+covered with bloody upon the door-sill. I saw our column pass on,
+cheering, and heard the wild cry, “En avant I en avant!” swelling from
+a thousand voices; and then, faint and exhausted, my senses reeled, and
+the rest was like an indistinct dream.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV. A FRAGMENT OF A MAÎTRE d'ARMES EXPERIENCES
+
+Stunned, and like one but half awake, I followed the tide of marching
+men which swept past like a mighty river, the roar of the artillery and
+the crash of battle increasing the confusion of my brain. All distinct
+memory of the remainder of the day is lost to me. I can recollect
+the explosion of several wagons of the ammunition train, and how the
+splinters wounded several of those around me; I also have a vague,
+dreamy sense of being hurried along at intervals, and then seeing masses
+of cavalry dash past. But the great prevailing thought above all others
+is, of leaning over the edge of a charrette, where I lay with some
+wounded soldiers, to watch the retreat of the Prussians, as they were
+pursued by Murat's cavalry. François was at my side, and described to
+me the great events of the battle; but though I seemed to listen, the
+sounds fell unregarded on my ear. Even now, it seems to me like a dream;
+and the only palpable idea before me is the heated air, the dark and
+lowering sky, And the deafening thunder of the guns.
+
+It is well known how the victory of Jena was crowned by the glorious
+issue of the battle of Auerstadt, where the main body of the Prussians,
+under the command of the king himself, was completely beaten by Davoust
+with a force not half their number. The two routed armies crossed in
+their flight, while the headlong fury of the French cavalry pressed down
+on them; nor did the terrible slaughter cease till night gave respite to
+the beaten.
+
+The victors and the vanquished entered Weimar together, a distance of
+full six leagues from the field of battle. All struggle had long ceased.
+An unresisting massacre it was; and such was the disappointment and
+anger of the people of the country, that the Prussian officers were
+frequently attacked and slain by the peasantry, whose passionate
+indignation made them suspect treachery in the result of the battle.
+
+All whose wounds were but slight, and whose health promised speedy
+restoration, were mounted into wagons taken from the enemy, and sent
+forward with the army. Among this number I found myself, and that same
+night slept soundly and peacefully in the straw of the charrette in
+which I travelled from Jena.
+
+The Emperor's headquarters were established at Weimar, and thither all
+the ambulances were conveyed; while the marshals, with their several
+divisions, were sent in pursuit of the enemy. As for myself, before the
+week elapsed, I was sufficiently recovered to move about; for happily
+the stunning effects which immediately followed the injury were its
+worst consequences, and my wound in the shoulder proved but trifling.
+
+“And so you are determined to join the cavalry again?” said François,
+as he sat by my side under a tree, where a cheerful fire of blazing
+wood had drawn several to enjoy its comfort. “That is what I cannot
+comprehend by any stretch of ingenuity,--how a man who has once seen
+something of voltigeur life can go back to the dull routine of dragoon
+service.”
+
+“Perhaps I have had enough of skirmishing, François,” said I, smiling.
+
+“Is it of that knock on the pate you speak?” said he, contemptuously.
+“Bah! the heavy shako you wear would give a worse headache. Come, come;
+think better on 't. I can tell you”--here he lowered his voice to a
+whisper--“I can tell you, Burke, the major noticed the manner you
+held your ground in the old farmhouse. I heard him refuse to send a
+reinforcement when the Prussians made their second attack. 'No, no,'
+said he; 'that hussar fellow yonder does his work so well, he wants no
+help from us.' When he said that, my friend, be assured your promotion
+is safe enough. You were made for a voltigeur.”
+
+“Come, François, it's no use; all your flattery won't make me desert.
+I 'll try and join my brigade to-morrow; that is, if I can find them.”
+
+“You never told me in what way you first became separated from your
+corps. How was it?”
+
+“There's something of a secret there, François; you mustn't ask me.”
+
+“Ah, I understand,” said he, with a knowing look, and a gesture of his
+hand, as if making a pass with his sword. “Did you kill him?”
+
+“No, not exactly,” said I, laughing.
+
+“Merely gave him that pretty lunge _en tierce_ you favored me with,”
+ said he, putting his hand on his side.
+
+“Nor even that.”
+
+“_Diable!_ then how was it?”
+
+“I have told you it was a secret.”
+
+“Secret! Confound it, man, there are no secrets in a campaign, except
+when the military chest is empty or the commissary falls short of grub;
+these are the only things one ever thinks of hushing up. Come, out with
+it!”
+
+“Well, if it must be, I may as well have the benefit of your advice. So
+draw closer, for I don't wish the rest to hear it.”
+
+In as few words as I was able, I explained to François the circumstances
+of the night march, and the manner of my meeting with the Emperor at the
+ravine, where the artillery train was stopped. But when I came to the
+incident of the picket, and mentioned how, in rescuing the Emperor, my
+horse had been killed under me, he could no longer restrain himself, but
+turned to the rest, who, to the number of fifteen or sixteen, sat around
+the fire, and burst forth,--
+
+“_Mille tonnerres!_ but the boy is a fool!” And then, before I could
+interpose a word, blurted out the whole adventure to the company.
+
+There was no use now to attempt any concealment at all; neither was
+there to feel anger at his conduct. One would have been as absurd as
+the other; and so I had to endure, as best I could, the various comments
+that were passed on my behavior, on the prudence of which certainly no
+second opinion existed.
+
+“You must be right certain of promotion, Captain,” said an old sergeant,
+with a gray beard and mustache, “or you wouldn't refuse such a chance as
+that.”
+
+“_Diable!_” cried François; “don't you see he wouldn't accept of it.
+He is too proud to wait on the Petit Caporal, though he asked him to do
+so.”
+
+“He 'd have given you the cross of the Legion anyhow,” said another.
+
+“Ay, by Jove!” exclaimed the riding-master of a dragoon regiment, “and
+sent him a remount from his own stud.”
+
+“And you think that modesty!” said Francois, whose indignation at my
+folly knew no bounds. “_Par Saint Joseph!_ if I'd been as modest, it's
+not maître d'armes of a voltigeur battalion I 'd be to-day; though I may
+say, without boasting, I'm not afraid to cross a rapier with any man in
+the army. No, no; that's not the way I managed.”
+
+“How was that, Maître Francois?” said a young officer, who felt curious
+to learn the circumstance to which he seemed to attach a story.
+
+“If the honorable society cares to hear it,” said François, uncovering,
+and bowing courteously to all around, “I shall have great pleasure in
+recounting a little incident of my life.”
+
+A general cry of acclamation and “bravo” met the polite proposal; while
+Francois, accepting a _goutte_ from a canteen presented to him, began
+thus:--
+
+“I began my soldier's life at the first step of the ladder. I was a
+drummer-boy at Jemappes; and, when I grew old enough to exchange the
+drumstick for the sword, I was attached to the _chasseurs à cheval_, and
+went with them to Egypt. I could tell you some strange stories of
+our doings there,--I don't mean with the Turks, mark you, but amongst
+ourselves,--for we had little affairs with the sword almost every
+day; and I soon showed them I was their master. But that is not to the
+purpose; what I am about to speak of happened in this wise.
+
+“At break of day, one morning, the picket to which I was joined received
+orders to mount, and accompany the general along the bank of the Nile
+to the village of Chebrheis, where we heard that a Mameluke force were
+assembling, whose strength and equipment it was important to ascertain.
+Our horses were far from fresh when we started; the day previous had
+been spent in a fatiguing march from Rhemanieh, crossing a dreary
+desert, with hot sands and no water. But General Bonaparte always
+expected us to turn out, as if we had got a general remount; and so we
+made the best of it, and set out in as good style as we could. We had
+not gone above a league and a half, however, when we found that the
+slapping pace of the general had left the greater part of the escort out
+of sight; and of a score of four squadrons, not above twenty horsemen
+were present.
+
+“The Emperor--you know he was only general then, but it 's all the
+same--laughed heartily when he found he had outridden the rest; indeed,
+for that matter, he laughed at our poor blown beasts, that shook on
+every limb, and seemed like to push their spare, gaunt bones through the
+trappings with which, for shame's sake, we endeavored to cover them. But
+his joke was but shortlived; for just then, from behind the wall of an
+old ruined temple--whiz!--there came a shattering volley of musketry in
+the midst of us; the only miracle is how one escaped. The next moment
+there was a wild hurrah, and we beheld some fifty Mameluke fellows,
+all glittering with gold, coming down full speed on us, on their Arab
+chargers. _Mille cadavres!_ what was to be done? Nothing, you'd say, but
+run for it. And so we should have done, if the beasts were able: but not
+a bit of it; they couldn't have raised a gallop if Mourad Bey had been
+there with his whole army. And so we put a good face on it, and drew up
+across the way, and looked as if going to charge. Egad! the Turks were
+amazed. They halted up short, and stared about them to see what infantry
+or artillery there might be coming up to our assistance, so boldly did
+we hold our ground.
+
+“'We'll keep them in check, General,' said the officer of the picket.
+'Lose no time now, but make a dash for it, and you'll get away.' And so,
+without more ado, Bonaparte turned his horse's head round, and, driving
+his spurs into him, set out at top speed.
+
+“This was the signal for the Mameluke charge; and down they came.
+_Sacristi!_ how the infidels rode us down! Over and over our fellows
+rolled, men and horses together, while they slashed with their keen
+cimeters on every side; few needed a second cut, I warrant you.
+
+[Illustration: 296]
+
+“By some good fortune, my beast kept his legs in the _mêlée_, and, with
+even better luck, got so frightened that he started off, and struck out
+in full gallop after the general, who, about two hundred paces in front
+of me, was dashing along, pursued by a Mameluke, with a cimeter held
+over his head. The Turk's horse, however, was wounded, and could not
+gain even on the tired animal before him, while mine was at every stride
+overtaking him.
+
+“The Mameluke, hearing the clatter behind, turned his head. I seized the
+moment, and discharged my only remaining pistol at him,--alas! without
+effect. With a wild war-cry the fellow swerved round and came down upon
+me, intending to take my horse in flank, and hurl me over. But the good
+beast plunged forward, and my enemy passed behind, and only grazed the
+haunches as he went; the moment after he was at my side. _Parbleu!_ I
+did n't like the companionship. I knew every turn of a broadsword or a
+rapier well; but a curved cimeter, keen as a razor, of Damascus steel,
+glittering and glistening over my head, was a different thing: the great
+dark eyes of the fellow, too, glared like balls of fire, and his white
+teeth were clenched. With a swing of his blade over his head, so loosely
+done I thought he had almost flung the weapon from his hand, he aimed
+a cut at my neck; but, quick as lightning, I dropped upon the mane,
+and the sharp blade shaved the red feather from my shako, and sent it
+floating in the air, while, with a straight point, I ran him through
+the body, and heard his death-shout as he fell bathed in blood upon the
+sands. The general saw him fall, and cried out something; but I could
+not hear the words, nor, to say truth, did I care much at the time: my
+happiest thought just then was to see the remainder of the escort, which
+we had left behind, coming up at a smart canter.
+
+“The Turks no sooner perceived them than they wheeled and fled; and so we
+returned to the camp, with a loss of some twenty brave fellows, and none
+the wiser for all our trouble.
+
+“'What shall I do for you, friend?' said the general to me, as I stood
+by his orders at the door of his tent, 'what shall I do for you?'
+
+“_Ma foi!_ said I, with a shrug of my shoulders, 'I can't well say at a
+moment; perhaps the best thing would be to promise you 'd never take
+me as one of your escort when you make such an expedition as this
+morning's.'
+
+“'No, no, I 'll not say that. Who are you? What's your grade?'
+
+“'François, maître d'armes of the Fourth Chasseurs of the Guard,' said
+I, proudly. And, indeed, I thought he might have known me without the
+question.
+
+“'Ah, indeed!' replied he, gravely. 'Promotion is then of no use here;
+a maître d'armes, like a general of division, is at the top of the tree.
+Come, I have it; a fellow of your sort is never out of scrapes,--always
+duelling and quarrelling, under arrest three days in every week; I know
+you well. Now, Maître François, I 'll forgive you the first time you ask
+me for any offence within my power to pardon. Go; you are satisfied with
+that promise,--is it not so?'
+
+“'Yes, General; and I'll soon jog your memory about it,' said I,
+saluting and retiring from the tent.
+
+“I see some old 'braves' of the Pyramids about me now,” continued
+François, “and so I need not dwell on the events of the campaign. You
+all know how General Bonaparte left the army to Kléber, and went back to
+France; and somehow we never had much luck after that. But so it was, I
+came back with the regiment, and was at the battle of Marengo when our
+brigade captured four guns of Skal's battery, and carried off eleven of
+their officers our prisoners. You'd wonder now, Comrades, how that piece
+of good fortune should turn out so ill for me; but such was the case.
+After the battle was gained, General Bonaparte retired to Gerofola with
+his staff, and I was ordered to proceed after him, with the Hauptmann
+Klingenswert of the Austrian army,--one of our prisoners who had served
+on Melas's staff, and knew everything about the effective strength of
+the army and all their plans.
+
+“We set off at daybreak. It was in June, and a lovely morning too; and
+as my prisoner was an officer and a man of honor, I took no escort, but
+rode along at his side. We halted at noon to dine in a little grove of
+cedars, where I opened my canteen and spread the contents on the grass:
+and after regaling ourselves pleasantly, we lighted our meerschaums
+and chatted away like old comrades over the war and its chances. A more
+agreeable fellow than the Austrian I never met. He told me his whole
+history, and I told him mine; and we drank Brüderschaft together, and
+swore I don't know how many eternal friendships. The devil was just
+amusing himself with us all this time though, as you 'll see presently;
+for we soon got into an argument about the charge in which our brigade
+captured the guns. He said that if the ammunition had not failed we
+never would have dared the attack; and I swore that the discharges were
+pouring in while we rode down on the battery.
+
+“We grew warm with the dispute, and drank deeper to cool us; and, what
+between the wine and our own passion, we became downright angry, and
+went so far as to interchange something not like Brüderschaft.
+
+“'Ah, how unfortunate I always am!' said I, sighing. 'If I had only the
+good luck to be the prisoner now, and you the escort--'
+
+“'What then?' said he.
+
+“'How easily, and how pleasantly too, could we settle this little
+affair. The ground is smooth as velvet; there is no sun; all still, and
+quiet, and peaceful.'
+
+“'No, no,' said the Austrian; 'I couldn't do what you propose,--I should
+be dishonored forever if I took such an advantage of you. You must
+know, François,' for he called me so, recurring at once to his tone of
+kindliness, 'I am the first swordsman of my brigade.'
+
+“I could scarcely avoid throwing myself into his arms as he spoke; never
+was there such a piece of fortune. 'And I,' cried I, in ecstasy, 'I the
+first of the whole French army!' You know, Comrades, I only said that
+_en gascon_, and to afford him the greater pleasure in our _rencontre_.
+
+“We soon measured our swords and threw off our jackets. 'François,' said
+he, 'I ought to mention to you that my lunge _en tierce_ is my famous
+stroke; I rarely miss running my adversary through the chest with it.'
+
+“'I know the trick well,' said I; 'take care of my “pass” outside the
+guard.'
+
+“'Oh! if that's your game,' said he, laughing, 'I'll make short work of
+it. Now, to begin.'
+
+“'All ready,' said I; 'en garde!' And we crossed our weapons. For
+a German he was a capital swordsman, and had a very pretty trick of
+putting in his point over the hilt, and wounding the sword-arm; but if
+it had not been for all the wine I drank the affair would have been over
+in a second or two. As it was, we both fenced loose, and without any
+judgment whatever.
+
+“'Ah! you got that,' said I, 'at last!' as I pierced him in the back,
+outside the guard.
+
+“'No, no!' cried he, passionately; for his temper was up, and he would
+not confess a touch.
+
+“'Well, then, that's home!' said I, thrusting beneath his hilt, till the
+blood spurted out along my blade and even in my eyes.
+
+“'Yes, that's home,' said he, staggering back, while one of his legs
+crossed over the other, and he fell heavily on the grass. I stooped down
+to feel his heart; and as I did so my senses failed, my limbs tottered,
+and I rolled headlong over him. Truth was, I was badly wounded, though I
+never knew when; for his sword had entered my chest, beneath a rib, and
+cut some large vessels in the lungs.
+
+“The end of it all was, the Austrian was buried, and I was broke the
+service without pay or pension, my wound being declared by the doctors
+an incapacity to serve in future.
+
+“Comrades, we often hear men talk of the happy day before them when they
+shall leave the army and throw off the knapsack, and give up the musket
+for the mattock. Well, trust me, it's no such pleasure as they deem it,
+after all. There was I, turned loose upon the world, with nothing but a
+suit of ragged clothes my comrades made up amongst them, my old rapier,
+and a bad asthma. Such was my stock-in-trade, to begin life anew, at the
+age of forty-seven. And so, I set out on my weary way back to Paris.”
+
+“Didn't you try your chance with the Petit Caporal first?” asked one of
+the listeners.
+
+“To be sure I did. I sent him a long petition, setting forth the whole
+circumstance, and detailing every minute particular of the duel; but I
+received it back, unopened,--with Duroc's name, and the word 'Rejected,'
+on the back.
+
+“It is strange-how unfit we old soldiers are for any occupation in a
+civil way, when we 've spent half a lifetime campaigning. When I reached
+Paris, I could almost have wedged myself into the scabbard of my
+sword. Long marches and short rations had told heavily on me; and the
+custom-house officer at the barrier told me to pass on, without ever
+stopping to see that I carried no contraband goods about me.
+
+“I had a miserable time enough of it for twelve or fourteen months.
+The only way of support I could find was teaching recruits the sword
+exercise; and you know they could n't be very liberal in their rewards
+for the service. But even this poor trade was soon interdicted, as the
+police reported that I encouraged the young soldiers to fight duels,--a
+great offence, truly! But you see everything went unluckily with me at
+that time.
+
+“What was to become of me now I couldn't tell; when an old comrade,
+pensioned off from Moreau's army, had interest to get me appointed
+supernumerary, as they call it, in the Grand Opera, where I used to
+perform as a Roman soldier, or a friar, or a peasant, or some such
+thing, for five francs a week. Not a sou more had I, and the duty was
+heavier than on active service.
+
+“After two years, the 'big drum' died of a rheumatic fever, from beating
+a great solo in a new German Opera, and I was promoted to his place;
+for by this time I was quite recovered from the effects of my wound, and
+could use my arms as well as ever.
+
+“Some of the honorable company may remember the first night that
+Napoleon visited the Grand Opera after he was named Emperor. It was a
+glorious sight, and one can never forget it. The whole house was filled
+with generals and field-marshals: it was a grand field-day, by the glare
+of ten thousand wax-lights. And the Empress was there, and her whole
+suite, and all the prettiest women in France. Little time had I to look
+at them, though; for there was I, in the corner of the orchestra, with
+my big drum before me, on which I was to play the confounded thing that
+killed the other fellow.
+
+“It was a strange performance, sure enough: for in the midst of a great
+din and crash, came a dead pause; and then I was to strike three solemn
+bangs on the drum,--to be followed by a succession of blows, fast
+as lightning, for five minutes. This was the composer's notion of a
+battle,--distant firing! Heaven bless his heart! I was wishing he 'd
+seen some of it. This was to come on in the second act, up to which time
+I had nothing to do.
+
+“Why do I say nothing? I had to gaze at the Petit Caporal, who sat there
+in the box over my head, looking as stern and as thoughtful as ever, and
+not minding much what the Empress said, though she kept prattling into
+his ear all the time, and trying to attract his attention. _Parbleu!_ he
+was not thinking of all the nonsense before him,--his mind was on real
+battles: he had seen real smoke,--that he had! He was fatter and paler
+than he used to be; and I thought, too, his frown was darker than when
+I saw him last: but, to be sure, that was at Marengo, and he ever looked
+pleased on the field of battle. I could n't take my eyes from him: his
+fine thoughtful face, so full of determination and energy, reminded me
+of my old days of campaigning. I thought of Areola and Rivoli, of Cairo
+and the Pyramids, and the great charge at Marengo when Desaix's division
+came up,--and my heart was nigh bursting when I remembered that I wore
+the epaulette no longer. I forgot, too, where I was; and expected every
+instant to hear him call for one of the marshals, or see him stretch out
+his hand to point to a distant part of the field. And so absorbed was I
+in my reveries, that I had neither eyes nor ears for anything around
+me; when suddenly all the din of the orchestra ceased,--not a sound was
+heard; and a hand rudely shook me by the arm, while a voice whispered,
+'Now! now!'
+
+[Illustration: 303]
+
+“Mechanically I seized the drumsticks. But my eyes still were riveted
+in the Emperor,--my whole heart and soul were centred in him. Again
+the voice called to me to begin; and a low murmur of angry meaning ran
+through the orchestra.
+
+“I sprang to my legs, and in the excitement of the moment, losing all
+memory of time and place, I rolled out the _pas de charge!_
+
+“Scarce had the first _roulade_ of the well-known sounds reverberated
+through the house, when one cry of 'Vive l'Empereur!' burst forth. It
+was not a cheer; it was the heart-given outbreak of ten thousand devoted
+followers. Marshals, generals, colonels, ambassadors, ministers, all
+joined; and the vast assembly rocked to and fro like the sea in a
+storm, while Napoleon himself, slowly rising, bent his proud head in
+acknowledgment, and then sat down again amid the thundering shouts of
+acclamation. It was full twenty minutes before the piece could proceed;
+and even then momentary outbreaks of enthusiasm would occur to interrupt
+it, and continued to burst forth till the curtain fell.
+
+“Just then an aide-de-camp appeared beside the orchestra, and ordered
+me to the Emperor's box. _Satristi!_how I trembled! I did n't know what
+might come of it.
+
+“'Ah, _coquin!_ said he, as I stood ready to drop with fear at the door
+of the box, 'this has been one of thy doings, eh?'
+
+“'Yes, Sire,' muttered I in a half whisper.
+
+“'And how hast thou dared to spoil an opera in this fashion?' said he,
+frowning fiercely. 'Answer me, sirrah!'
+
+“'It was your Majesty's fault,' said I, becoming reckless of all
+consequences. 'You did n't seem to care much for all their scraping and
+blowing, and so I thought the old _roulade_ might raise you a bit. You
+used to like it once; and might still, if the times be not altered.'
+
+“'And they are not,' said he, sternly. 'Who art thou, that seem'st to
+know me thus well?'
+
+“'Old François, that was maître d'armes of the Fourth in Egypt, and who
+saved you from the stroke of a Mameluke sabre at Chebrheis.'
+
+“'What! the fellow who killed an Austrian prisoner after Marengo? Why, I
+thought thee dead.'
+
+“'Better for me I had been!' said I. 'You would n't read my petition.
+['Yes, you may frown away, General,' said I to Duroc, who kept glowering
+at me like a tiger.) I began life at the tambour; I have come down to it
+again. You can't bring me lower, _parbleu!_
+
+“The Emperor whispered something to the Empress, who turned round
+towards me and laughed; and then he made a sign for me to withdraw.
+Before I had got a dozen paces from the box, an aide-de-camp overtook
+me.
+
+“'François,' said he, 'you are to appear before the medical commission
+to-morrow; and if their report be favorable, you are to have your old
+grade of maître d'armes.'
+
+“And so it was. Not only was I restored, but they even placed me in the
+same regiment I served in during the campaigns of Egypt and Italy. The
+corps, however, was greatly changed since I knew it before; and so
+I asked the Emperor to appoint me to a voltigeur battalion, where
+discipline is not so rigid, and pleasant comrades are somewhat more
+plentiful. I had my wish, gentlemen. And now, with your permission,
+we'll drink the 'Faubourg St. Antoine,' the cradle of our arm of the
+service.”
+
+In repeating Maître Francois's tale, I could only wish it might have
+one half the success with my reader it met with from his comrades of the
+bivouac. This, however, I cannot look for, and must leave it and him to
+their fortunes, and now turn to follow the course of my own.
+
+François was not the only one who felt surprised at my being able to
+resist the pleasures of a voltigeurs life; and my companion the corporal
+looked upon my determination to join the hussar brigade as one of those
+extraordinary instances of duty predominating over inclination. “Not,”
+ said he, “but there may be brave fellows and good soldiers among the
+dragoons; though having a horse to ride is a sore drawback on a man's
+courage. And when one has felt the confidence of standing face to face,
+and foot to foot, with the enemy, I cannot see how he can ever bring
+himself to fight in any other fashion.”
+
+“A man can accustom himself to anything, Corporal,” said an old,
+hardy-looking soldier, who sat smoking with the most profound air of
+thoughtful reflection. “I remember being in the 'dromedary brigade' at
+Cairo. Few of us could keep our seats at first; and when we fell off,
+it was often hard enough to resist the Mamelukes and hold the beasts
+besides; but even that we learned with time.”
+
+This explanation, little flattering as it was to the cavalry, seemed to
+convince the listeners that time, which smoothes so many difficulties,
+will even make a man content to be a dragoon.
+
+“Well, since you will not be 'of ours,'” said François, “let us drink a
+parting cup, and say good-by, for I hear the bugle sounding the call.”
+
+“A health to the 'Faubourg St. Antoine,' boys!” cried I, and a hearty
+cheer re-echoed the toast; and with many a shake-hands, and many a
+promise of welcome whenever I saw the error of my ways sufficiently to
+doff the dolman for the voltigeur's jacket, I took leave of the gallant
+Twenty-second, and set out towards Weimar.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV. BERLIN AFTER “JENA.”
+
+As the battle of Austerlitz was the deathblow to the empire of Austria,
+so with the defeat at Jena did Prussia fall, and that great kingdom
+became a prey to the conquering Napoleon. Were this a fitting place,
+it might be curious to inquire into the causes which involved a ruin so
+sudden and so complete; and how a vast and highly organized army seemed
+at one fell stroke annihilated and destroyed.
+
+The victories of Jena and Auerstadt, great and decisive as they were,
+were nevertheless inadequate to such results; and if the genius of the
+Emperor had not been as prompt to follow up as to gain a battle, they
+never would have occurred. But scarcely had the terrible contest ceased,
+when he sent for the Saxon officers who were taken prisoners, and
+addressing them in a tone of kindness, declared at once that they were
+at liberty and might return to their homes, first pledging their words
+not to carry arms against France or her allies. One hundred and twenty
+officers of different grades, from lieutenant-general downwards, gave
+this promise and retired to their own country, extolling the generosity
+of Napoleon. This first step was soon followed up by another and more
+important one; negotiations were opened with the Elector of Saxony,
+and the title of king offered to him on condition of his joining the
+Confederacy of the Rhine; and thus once more the artful policy already
+pursued with regard to Bavaria in the south, was here renewed in the
+north of Germany, and with equal success.
+
+This deep-laid scheme deprived the Prussian army of eighteen thousand
+men, and that on the very moment when defeat and disaster had spread
+their demoralizing influences through the entire army. Several of their
+greatest generals were killed, many more dreadfully or fatally wounded:
+Prince Louis, Ruchel, Schmettau, among the former; the Duke of Brunswick
+and Prince Henry both severely wounded. The Duke survived but a few
+days, and these in the greatest suffering; Marshal Möllendorf, the
+veteran of nigh eighty years, had his chest pierced by a lance. Here was
+misfortune enough to cause dismay and despair; for unhappily the nation
+itself was but an army in feeling and organization, and with defeat
+every hope died out and every arm was paralyzed. The patriotism of the
+people had taken its place beneath a standard, which when once lowered
+before a conqueror, nothing more remained. Such is the destiny of a
+military monarchy: its only vitality is victory; the hour of disaster is
+its deathblow.
+
+The system of a whole corps capitulating, which the Prussians had not
+scrupled to sneer at when occurring in Austria, now took place here with
+even greater rapidity. Scarcely a day passed that some regiment did not
+lay down their arms, and surrender _sur parole_. A panic spread through
+the whole length and breadth of the land; places of undoubted strength
+were surrendered as insecure and untenable. No rest nor respite was
+allowed the vanquished: the gay plumes of the lancers fluttered over the
+vast plains in pursuit; columns of infantry poured in every direction
+through the kingdom; and the eagles glittered in every town and every
+village of conquered Prussia.
+
+Never did the spirit of Napoleon display itself more pitiless than in
+this campaign; for while in his every act he evinced a determination to
+break down and destroy the nation, the “Moniteur” at Paris teemed with
+articles in derision of the army whose bravery he should never have
+questioned. Even the gallant leaders themselves--old and scarred
+warriors--were contemptuously described as blind and infatuated
+fanatics, undeserving of clemency or consideration. Not thus should he
+have spoken of the noble Prince Louis and the brave Duke of Brunswick;
+they fought in a good cause, and they met the death of gallant soldiers.
+“I will make their nobles beg their bread upon the highways!” was
+the dreadful sentence he uttered at Weimar. And the words were never
+forgotten.
+
+The conduct and bearing of the Emperor was the more insulting from its
+contrast with that of his marshals and generals, many of whom could not
+help acknowledging in their acts the devotion and patriotism of their
+vanquished foes. Murat lost no occasion to evince this feeling; and
+sent eight colonels of his own division to carry the pall at General
+Schmettau's funeral, who was interred with all the honors due to one who
+had been the companion of the Great Frederick himself.
+
+Soult, Bernadotte, Augereau, Ney, and Davoust, with the several corps
+under their command, pursued the routed forces with untiring hostility.
+In vain did the King of Prussia address a supplicating letter asking for
+a suspension of arms. Napoleon scarcely deigned a reply, and ordered the
+advanced guard to march on Berlin.
+
+But a year before and he had issued his royal mandates from the palace
+of the Caesars; and he burned now to date his bulletins from the palace
+of the Great Frederick. And on the tenth day after the battle of Jena
+the troops of Lannes's division bivouacked in the plain around Potsdam.
+I had joined my brigade the day previous, and entered Berlin with them
+on the morning of the 23d of October.
+
+The preparations for a triumphal entry were made on the day before; and
+by noon the troops approached the capital in all the splendor of full
+equipment. First came the grenadiers of Oudinot's brigade,--one of
+the finest corps in the French army; their bright yellow facings
+and shoulder-knots had given them the _sobriquet_ of the _Grenadiers
+jaunes_: they formed part of Davonst's force at Auerstadt, and were
+opposed to the Prussian guard in the greatest shock of the entire day.
+After them came two battalions of the _Chasseurs à pied_,--a splendid
+body of infantry, the remnant of four thousand who went into battle
+on the morning of the 15th. Then followed a brigade of artillery,
+each gun-carriage surmounted by a Prussian standard. These again were
+succeeded by the red lancers of Berg, with Murat himself at their
+head; for they were his own regiment, and he felt justly proud of such
+followers: the grand duke was in all the splendor of his full dress, and
+wore a Spanish hat, looped up, with an immense brilliant in front, and
+a plume of ostrich feathers floated over his neck and shoulders. Two
+hundred and forty chosen men of the Imperial Guard marched two and
+two after these, each carrying a color taken from the enemy in battle.
+Nansouty's cuirassiers came next; they had suffered severely at Jena,
+and were obliged to muster several of their wounded men to fill up the
+gaps in their squadrons. Then there were the horse artillery brigade,
+whose uniforms and equipments, notwithstanding every effort to
+conceal it, showed the terrible effects of the great battle. General
+d'Auvergne's division, with the hussars and the light cavalry attached,
+followed. These were succeeded by the voltigeurs, and eight battalions
+of the Imperial Guard,--whose ranks were closed up with the _Grenadiers
+à cheval_, and more artillery,--in all, a force of eighteen thousand,
+the _élite_ of the French army.
+
+Advancing in orderly time, they came,--no sound heard save the dull
+reverberation of the earth as it trembled beneath the columns, when
+the hoarse challenge to “halt” was called from rank to rank as often as
+those in the rear pressed on the leading files; but as they reached the
+Brandenburg gate, the band of each regiment burst forth, and the wide
+Platz resounded with the clang of martial music.
+
+In front of the palace stood the Emperor, surrounded by his staff, which
+was joined in succession by each general of brigade as his corps moved
+by. A simple acknowledgment of the military salute was all Napoleon gave
+as each battalion passed,--until the small party of the Imperial Guard
+appeared, bearing the captured colors. Then his proud features relaxed,
+his eye flashed and sparkled, and he lifted his chapeau straight above
+his head, and remained uncovered the whole time they were marching past.
+This was the moment when enthusiasm could no longer be restrained, and a
+cry of “Vive l'Empereur!” burst forth, that, caught up by those behind,
+rose in ten thousand echoes along the distant suburbs of Berlin.
+
+To look upon that glorious and glittering band, bronzed with battle,
+their proud faces lit up with all the pride of victory, was indeed a
+triumph; and one instinctively turned to see the looks of wondering
+and admiration such a sight must have inspired. But with what sense of
+sadness came the sudden thought: this is the proud exultation of the
+conqueror over the conquered; here come no happy faces and bright looks
+to welcome those who have rescued them from slavery; here are no voices
+calling welcome to the deliverer. No: it was a people crushed and
+trodden down; their hard-won laurels tarnished and dishonored; their
+country enslaved; their monarch a wanderer, no one knew where. Little
+thought they who raised the statue of brass to the memory of the Great
+Frederick, that the clank of French musketry would be heard around it.
+Rossbach was, indeed, avenged,--and cruelly avenged.
+
+Never did a people behave with more dignity under misfortune than the
+Prussians on the entrance of the French into their capital. The streets
+were deserted; the houses closed; the city was in mourning; and
+none stooped to the slavish adulation which might win favor with the
+conqueror. It was a triumph; but there were none to witness it. Of the
+nobles, scarce one remained in Berlin. They had fallen in battle, or
+followed the fortunes of their beaten army, now scattered and dispersed
+through the kingdom. Their wives and daughters, in deepest mourning,
+bewailed their ruined country as they would the death of a dearest
+friend. They cut off their blonde locks, and sorrowed like those without
+a hope. Their great country was to be reduced to the rank of a mere
+German province; their army disbanded; their king dethroned. Such
+was the contrast to our hour of triumph; such the sad reverse to the
+gorgeous display of our armed squadrons.
+
+Scarcely had the Emperor established his headquarters at Potsdam than
+the whole administration of the kingdom was begun to be placed under
+French rule. Prefects were appointed to different departments of the
+kingdom; a heavy contribution was imposed upon the nation; and all the
+offices of the state were subjected to the control of persons named by
+the Emperor.
+
+Among these, the first in importance was the post-office; for, while
+every precaution was taken that no interruption should occur in the
+transmission of the mails as usual, a _cabinet noir_ was established
+here, as at Paris, whose function it was to open the letters of
+suspected persons, and make copies of them; the latter, indeed, were
+often so skilfully executed as to be forwarded to the address, while the
+originals were preserved as “proofs” against parties, if it were found
+necessary to accuse them afterwards. (And here I might mention that the
+art of depositing metals in a mould by galvanic process was known and
+used in imitating and fabricating the seals of various writers, many
+years before the discovery became generally known in Europe.)
+
+The invasion of private right involved in this breach of trust gave, as
+might be supposed, the greatest offence throughout the kingdom. But the
+severity with which every case of suspicious meaning was followed up and
+punished converted the feelings of indignation and anger into those of
+fear and trepidation. For this was ever part of Napoleon's policy: the
+penalty of any offence was made to exclude the sense of ridicule its
+own littleness might have created, and men felt indisposed to jest where
+their mirth might end in melancholy.
+
+The most remarkable case, and that which more than any other impressed
+the public mind of the period, was that of the Prince de Hatzfeld, whose
+letter to the King of Prussia was opened at the post-office, and made
+the subject of a capital charge against him. Its contents were, as
+might be imagined from the channel of transmission, not such as could
+substantiate any treasonable intention on his part. A respectful homage
+to his dethroned sovereign; a detail of the mournful feeling experienced
+throughout his capital; and some few particulars of the localities
+occupied by the French troops, was the entire. And for this he was tried
+and condemned to death,--a sentence which the Emperor commanded to be
+executed before sunset that same day. Happily for the fate of the noble
+prince, as for the fair fame of Napoleon, both Duroc and Rapp were
+ardently attached to him, and at their earnest entreaties his life was
+spared. But the impression which the circumstances made upon the minds
+of the inhabitants was deep and lasting; and there was a day to come
+when all these insults were to be remembered and avenged. If I advert
+to the occurrence here, it is because I have but too good reason to bear
+memory of it, influencing, as it did, my own future fortunes.
+
+It chanced that one evening, when sitting in a café with some of my
+brother officers, the subject of the Prince de Hatzfeld's offence
+was mooted; and in the unguarded freedom with which one talks to his
+comrades, I expressed myself delighted at the clemency of the Emperor,
+and conceived that he could have no part in the breach of confidence
+which led to the accusation, nor countenance in any way his prosecution.
+My companions, who had little sympathy for Prussians, and none for
+aristocracy whatever, took a different view of the matter, and scrupled
+not to regret that the sentence of the court-martial had not been
+executed. The discussion grew warm between us; the more, as I was
+alone in my opinion, and assailed by several who overbore me with loud
+speaking. Once or twice, too, an obscure taunt was thrown out against
+aliens and foreigners, who, it was alleged, never could at heart forgive
+the ascendency of France and Frenchmen.
+
+To this I replied hotly, for while not taking to myself an insult which
+my conduct in the service palpably refuted, I was hurt and offended.
+Alas! I knew too well in my heart what sacrifices I had made in changing
+my country; how I had bartered all the hopes which attach to one's
+fatherland for a career of mere selfish ambition. Long since had I
+seen that the cause I fought in was not that of liberty, but despotism.
+Napoleon's glory was the dazzling light which blinded my true vision;
+and my following had something of infatuation, against which reason was
+powerless. I say that I answered these taunts with hasty temper; and
+carried away by a momentary excitement, I told them, that they it was,
+not I, who would detract from the fair renown of the Emperor.
+
+“The traits you would attribute to him,” said I, “are not those of
+strength, but weakness. Is it the conqueror of Egypt, of Austria, and
+now of Prussia, who need stoop to this? We cannot be judges of his
+policy, or the great events which agitate Europe. We would pronounce
+most ignorantly on the greatness of his plans regarding the destinies of
+nations; but, on a mere question of high and honorable feeling, of manly
+honesty, why should we not speak? And here I say this act was never
+his.”
+
+A smile of sardonic meaning was the only reply this speech met with; and
+one by one the officers rose and dropped off, leaving me to ponder over
+the discussion, in which I now remembered I had been betrayed into a
+warmth beyond discretion.
+
+This took place early in November; and as it was not referred to in any
+way afterwards by my comrades, I soon forgot it. My duties occupied me
+from morning till night; for General d'Auvergne, being in attendance on
+the Emperor, had handed me over for the time to the department of the
+adjutant-general of the army, where my knowledge of German was found
+useful.
+
+On the 17th of the month a general order was issued, containing the
+names of the various officers selected for promotion, as well as of
+those on whom the cross of the “Legion” was to be conferred. Need I say
+with what a thrill of exultation I read my own name among the latter,
+nor my delight at finding it followed by the words, “By order of his
+Majesty the Emperor, for a special service on the 13th October, 1806.”
+ This was the night before the battle; and now I saw that I had not been
+forgotten, as I feared,--here was proof of the Emperor's remembrance of
+me. Perhaps the delay was intended to test my prudence as to secrecy;
+and perhaps it was deemed fitting that my name should not appear except
+in the general list: in any case, the long-wished reward was mine,--the
+proud distinction I had desired for so many a day and night.
+
+The distribution of the “cordons” was always made the occasion of a
+grand military spectacle, and the Emperor determined that the present
+one should convey a powerful impression of the effective strength of his
+army, as well as of its perfect equipment; and accordingly orders
+were despatched to the different generals of division within twelve or
+fifteen leagues of Berlin, to march their corps to the capital. The 28th
+of November was the day fixed for this grand display, and all was bustle
+and preparation for the event.
+
+On the morning of the 22d, I received an official note from the bureau
+of the adjutant-general desiring me to wait on him before noon that same
+day. Concluding it referred to my promised promotion to the “Legion,” it
+was with somewhat of a fluttered and excited feeling I found myself, at
+some few minutes after eleven o'clock, in the antechamber, which already
+was crowded with officers, some seeking, some summoned to an interview.
+
+In the midst of the buzz of conversation, which, despite the reserve
+of the place, still prevailed, I heard my name called, and followed
+an aide-de-camp along a passage into a large room, which opened into
+a smaller apartment, where, standing with his back to the fire, I
+perceived Marshal Berthier, his only companion being an officer in a
+staff uniform, busily engaged writing at a table.
+
+“You are Captain Burke, of the Eighth Hussars, I believe, sir?” said the
+marshal, reading slowly from a slip of paper he held twisted round one
+finger.
+
+“Yes, sir.”
+
+“By birth an Irishman,” continued the marshal; “entered at the
+Polytechnique in August, 1801. Am I correct?” I bowed. “Subsequently
+accused of being concerned in the conspiracy of Georges and Pichegru,”
+ resumed he, as he raised his eyes slightly from the paper, and fixed
+them searchingly upon me.
+
+“Falsely so, sir,” was my only reply.
+
+“You were acquitted,--that's enough: a reprimand for imprudence, and
+a slight punishment of arrest, was all. Since that time, you have
+conducted yourself, as the report of your commanding officer attests,
+with zeal and steadiness.”
+
+He paused here, and seemed as if he expected me to say something; but
+as I thought the whole a most strange commencement to the ceremony of
+investing me with a cross of the Legion, I remained silent.
+
+“At Paris, when attached to the _élite_, you appear to have visited the
+Duchess of Montserrat, and frequented her soirées.”
+
+“Once, sir; but once I was in the house of the duchess. My visit
+could scarcely have occupied as many minutes as I have spent here this
+morning.”
+
+“Dined occasionally at the 'Moisson d'Or,” continued the marshal, not
+noticing in any way my reply. “Well, as I believe you are now aware that
+there are no secrets with his Majesty's Government, perhaps you will
+inform me what are your relations with the Chevalier Duchesne?”
+
+For some minutes previous my mind was dwelling on that personage; and
+I answered the question in a few words, by stating the origin of our
+acquaintance, and briefly adverting to its course.
+
+“You correspond with the chevalier?” said he, interrupting.
+
+“I have never done so; nor is it likely, from the manner in which we
+parted last, that I ever shall.”
+
+“This scarcely confirms that impression, sir,” said the marshal, taking
+an open letter from the table and holding it up before me. “You know his
+handwriting; is that it?”
+
+“Yes; I have no doubt it is.”
+
+“Well, sir, that letter belongs to you; you may take and read it.
+There is enough there, sir, to make your conduct the matter of a
+court-martial; but I am satisfied that a warning will be sufficient.
+Let this be such then. Learn, sir, that the plottings of a poor and
+mischievous party harmonize ill with the duties of a brave soldier; and
+that a captain of the Guards might choose more suitable associates than
+the dupes and double-dealers of the Faubourg St. Germain. There is your
+brevet to the 'Legion,' signed by the Emperor. I shall return it to
+his Majesty; mayhap at some future period your conduct may merit
+differently. I need hardly say that a gentleman so very little
+particular in the choice of his friends would be a most misplaced
+subject for the honor of the 'Legion.'”
+
+He waved his hand in sign for me to withdraw, and overwhelmed with
+confusion, I bowed and left the room. Nor was it till the door closed
+behind me that I felt how cruelly and unjustly I had been treated; then
+suddenly the blood rushed to my face and temples, my head seemed as
+if it would burst at either side, and forgetting every circumstance of
+place and condition, I seized the handle of the door and wrenched it
+open.
+
+“Marshal,” said I, with the fearlessness of one resolved at any risk to
+vindicate his character, “I know nothing of this letter; I have not
+read one line of it. I have no further intimacy with the writer than an
+officer has with his comrade; but if I am to be the subject of espionage
+to the police,--if my chance acquaintances in the world are to be matter
+of charges against my fealty and honor,--if I, who have nothing but my
+sword and my epaulette--”
+
+When I had got thus far I saw the marshal's face turn deadly pale, while
+the officer at the table made a hurried sign to me with his finger to be
+silent. The door closed nearly at the same instant, and I turned my head
+round, and there stood the Emperor. The figure is still before me;
+he was standing still, his hands behind his back, and his low chapeau
+deeply pressed upon his brows. His gray frock was open, and looked as if
+disordered from haste.
+
+“What is this?” said he, in that hissing tone he always assumed when in
+moments of passion,--“what is this? Are we in the bureau of a minister?
+or is it the _salle de police?_ Who are you, sir?”
+
+It was not until the question had been repeated that I found courage to
+reply. But he waited not for my answer, as, snatching the open letter
+from my fingers, he resumed,--
+
+“It is not thus, sir, you should come here. Your petition or memorial--
+Ha! _parbleu!_ what is this?”
+
+At the instant his eyes fell upon the writing, and as suddenly his face
+grew almost livid. With the rapidity of lightning he seemed to peruse
+the lines. Then waving his hand, he motioned towards the door, and
+muttered,--“Wait without!”
+
+Like one awaking from a dreadful dream, I stood, endeavoring to recall
+my faculties, and assure myself how much there might be of reality in
+my wandering fancies, when I perceived that a portion of the letter
+remained between my fingers as the Emperor snatched it from my hand.
+
+A half-finished sentence was all I could make out; but its tone made me
+tremble for what the rest of the epistle might contain:--
+
+“Surpassed themselves, of course, my dear Burke; and so has the Emperor
+too. It remained for the campaign in Prussia to prove that one hundred
+and eighty-five thousand prisoners can be taken from an army numbering
+one hundred and fifty-four thousand men. As to Davoust, who really had
+all the fighting, though he wrote no bulletin, all Paris feels--”
+
+Such was the morsel I had saved; such a specimen of the insolence of the
+entire.
+
+The dreadful fact then broke suddenly upon me that this letter had been
+written by Duchesne to effect my ruin; and as I stood stupefied with
+terror, the door was suddenly opened, and the Emperor passed, out.
+His eyes were turned on me as he went, and I shrank back from their
+expression of withering anger.
+
+“Captain Burke!” said a voice from within the room, for the door
+continued open.
+
+I entered slowly, but with a firm step. My mind was made up; and in the
+force of a resolute determination, I found strength for whatever might
+happen.
+
+“It would appear, sir,” said the marshal, addressing me with a stern and
+severe expression of features, “it would appear that you permit yourself
+the widest liberty in canvassing the acts of his Majesty the Emperor;
+for I find you here mentioned “--he took a paper from the table as he
+spoke--“as declaiming, in a public café, on the subject of the Prince de
+Hatzfeld, and expressing, in no measured terms, your disapproval of his
+imprisonment.”
+
+“All that I said upon the subject, sir, so far as I can recollect, was
+in praise of the Emperor for clemency so well bestowed.”
+
+“There was no high-flown sentiment on the breach of honorable confidence
+effected in opening private letters?” said the marshal, sarcastically.
+
+“Yes, sir; I do remember expressing myself strongly on that head.”
+
+“I am not surprised, sir,” interrupted he, “at your indignation; your
+own conscience must have prompted you on the occasion. When a gentleman
+has such correspondents as the Chevalier Duchesne, he may well feel on
+a point like this. But enough of this. I have his Majesty's orders
+regarding you, which are as follows--”
+
+“Forgive me, I beg you, sir, the liberty of interrupting you for one
+moment. I am an alien, and therefore little versed in the habits and
+usages of the land for whose service I have shed my blood; but I am sure
+a marshal of France will not refuse a kindness to an officer of the
+army, however humble his station. I merely ask the answer to one
+question.”
+
+“What is it?” said the marshal, quickly.
+
+“Am I, as an officer, at liberty to resign my grade, and quit the
+service?”
+
+“Yes, _parbleu!_” said he, reddening, “yes, that you are.”
+
+“Then here I do so,” rejoined I, drawing my sword from its scabbard.
+“The career I can no longer follow honorably and independently, I shall
+follow no more.”
+
+“Your corps, sir?” said the marshal.
+
+“The Eighth Hussars of the Guard.”
+
+“Take a note of that, Gardanne. I shall spare you all unnecessary delay
+in tendering a written resignation of your rank; I accept it now. You
+leave Berlin in twenty-four hours.”
+
+I bowed, and was silent.
+
+“Your passport shall be made out for Paris; you shall receive it
+to-morrow morning.” He motioned with his hand towards the door as he
+concluded, and I left the room.
+
+The moment I felt myself alone, the courage which had sustained me
+throughout at once gave way, and I leaned against the wall, and covered
+my face with my hands. Yes, I knew it in my heart,--the whole dream of
+life was over; the path of glory was closed to me forever; all the hopes
+on which, in sanguine hours, I used to feed my heart, were scattered.
+And to the miseries of my exiled lot were now added the sorrows of an
+unfriended, companionless existence. The thought that no career was open
+to me came last; for at first I only remembered all I was leaving, not
+the dark future before me. Yet, when I called to mind the injustice with
+which I had been treated,--the system of espionage to which, as an alien
+more particularly, I was exposed,--I felt I had done right, and that
+to have remained in the service at such a sacrifice of my personal
+independence would have been base and unworthy.
+
+With a half-broken heart and faltering step I regained my quarters,
+where again my grief burst forth with more violence than at first.
+Every object about recalled to me the career I was leaving forever; and
+wherever my eye rested, some emblem lay to open fresh stores of sorrow.
+The pistols I carried at Elchingen, a gift from General d'Auvergne;
+an Austrian sabre I had taken from its owner, still ornamented with a
+little knot of ribbon Minette had fastened to the hilt,--hung above the
+chimney; and I could scarce look on them without tears. On the table
+still lay open the _ordre du jour_ which named me to the Legion of
+Honor; and now the humblest soldier that carried his musket in the ranks
+was my superior. Not all the principle on which I founded my resolve was
+proof against this first outburst of my sorrow.
+
+The chivalrous ardor of a soldier's life had long supplied to me the
+place of those appliances to happiness which other men possess. Each day
+I followed it the path grew dearer to me. Every bold and daring feat,
+every deed of enterprise or danger, seemed to bring me, in thought at
+least, nearer to him whose greatness was my idolatry. And now, all this
+was to be as a mere dream,--a thing which had been, and was to be no
+more.
+
+While I revolved such sad reflections, a single knock came to my door.
+I opened it, and saw a soldier of my own regiment. His dress was
+travel-stained and splashed, and he looked like one off a long journey.
+He knew me at once, and accosted me by name, as he presented a letter
+from General d'Auvergne.
+
+“You've had a smart ride,” said I, as I surveyed his flushed face and
+disordered uniform.
+
+“Yes, Captain,--from the Oder. Our division is full twelve leagues from
+this. I left on yesterday morning; for the general was particular that
+the charger should not suffer on the way,--as if a beast like that would
+mind double the distance.”
+
+By this time I had opened the letter, which merely contained the
+following few lines:--
+
+      Encampment on the Oder, Nov. 21, 1806.
+
+      My dear Burke,--Every new arrival here has brought me some
+      fresh intelligence of you, and of your conduct at Jena; nor
+      can I say with what pride I have heard that the Emperor has
+      included you among the list of the _décorés_. This is the
+      day I often prophesied for you, and the true and only
+      refutation against the calumnies of the false-hearted and
+      the envious. I send you a Polish charger for your gala
+      review. Accept him from me; and believe that you have no
+      warmer friend, nor more affectionate, than yours,
+
+      D'Auvergne, Lieut-General.
+
+
+Before I had finished reading the letter, my eyes grew so dimmed I
+could scarcely trace the letters. Each word of kindness, every token of
+praise, now cut me to the heart. How agonizing are the congratulations
+of friends on those events in life where our own conscience bears
+reproach against us! how poignant the self-accusation that is elicited
+by undeserved eulogy! How would _he_ think of my conduct? By what means
+should I convince _him_ that no alternative remained to me? I turned
+away, lest the honest soldier should witness my trouble; and as I
+approached the window, I beheld in the courtyard beneath the beautiful
+charger which, with the full trappings of a hussar saddle, stood proudly
+flapping his deep flanks with his long silken tail. With what a thrill
+I surveyed him! How my heart leaped, as I fancied myself borne along on
+the full tide of battle, each plunge he gave responsive to the stroke of
+my sword-arm! For an instant I forgot all that had happened, and gazed
+on his magnificent crest and splendid shape with an ecstasy of delight.
+
+“Ay,” said the dragoon, whose eyes were riveted in the same quarter,
+“there's not a marshal of France so well mounted; and he knows the
+trumpet-call like the oldest soldier of the troop.”
+
+“You will return to-morrow,” said I, recovering myself suddenly, and
+endeavoring to appear composed and at ease. “Well, then, to-night I
+shall give you an answer for the general; be here at eight o'clock.”
+
+I saw that my troubled air and broken voice had not escaped the
+soldier's notice, and was glad when the door closed, and I was again
+alone.
+
+My first care was to write to the general; nor was it till after many
+efforts I succeeded to my satisfaction in conveying, in a few and simple
+words, the reasons of that step which must imbitter my future life. I
+explained how deeply continued mistrust had wounded me; how my spirit,
+as a soldier and a gentleman, revolted at the espionage established over
+my actions; that it was in weighing these insults against the wreck of
+all my hopes, I had chosen that path which had neither fame nor rank nor
+honor, but still left me an untrammelled spirit and a mind at peace with
+itself. “I have now,” said I, “to begin the world anew, without one clew
+to guide me. Every illusion with which I had invested life has left me;
+I must choose both a career and a country, and bear with me from this
+nothing but the heartfelt gratitude I shall ever retain for one who
+befriended me through weal and woe, and whose memory I shall bless while
+I live.”
+
+I felt relieved and more at ease when I finished this letter; the
+endeavor to set my conduct in its true light to another had also its
+effect upon my own convictions. I knew, besides, that I had sacrificed
+to my determination all my worldly prospects, and believed that where
+self-interest warred with principle, the right course could scarcely be
+doubtful.
+
+All this time, not one thought ever occurred to me of how I was to meet
+the future. It was strange; but so perfectly had the present crisis
+filled my mind, there was not room for even a glance at what was to
+come.
+
+My passport was made out for Paris, and thither I must go. So much was
+decided for me without intervention on my part; and now it only remained
+for me to dispose of the little trappings of my former estate, and take
+the road.
+
+The Jews who always accompanied the army, offered a speedy resource in
+this emergency. My anxiety to leave Berlin by daybreak, and thus avoid
+a meeting of any acquaintances there, made me accept of the sums they
+offered. To them such negotiations were of daily occurrence, and they
+well knew how to profit by them. My whole worldly wealth consisted of
+two hundred napoleons; and with this small pittance to begin life, I sat
+myself down to think whither I should turn, or what course adopt.
+
+The night passed over thus, and when day dawned, I had not closed my
+eyes. About four o'clock the diligence in which I had secured a place
+for Weimar drew up at my door. I hurried down, and mounting to a seat
+beside the _conducteur_, I buried my face in the folds of my cloak, nor
+dared to look up until we had passed beyond the precincts of the city,
+and were travelling along on the vast plain of sand which surrounds
+Berlin.
+
+The _conducteur_ was a Prussian, and divining my military capacity in my
+appearance, he maintained a cold and distant civility; never speaking,
+except when spoken to, and even then in as few words as possible. This
+was itself a relief to me; my heart was too full of its own sufferings
+to find pleasure in conversation, and I dreamed away the hours till
+nightfall.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI. A FOREST PATH.
+
+When I reached Wiemar I quitted the diligence, resolved to make the
+remainder of the journey on foot; for thus I should both economize
+the little means I possessed, and escape many of the questionings and
+inquiries to which as a traveller by public conveyance I was exposed.
+Knapsack on shoulder, then, and staff in hand, I plodded onward, and
+although frequently coming up with others on their way homeward, I
+avoided all companionship with those whom I could no longer think of as
+comrades.
+
+The two tides of population which met upon that great highway told the
+whole history of war. Here came the young soldiers, fresh enrolled
+in the conscription, glowing with ardor, and bounding with life and
+buoyancy, and mingling their village songs with warlike chants. There,
+footsore and weary, with tattered uniform and weather-beaten look,
+toiled along the tired veteran, turning as he went a glance of
+compassionate contempt on those whose wild _vivas_ burst forth in
+greeting. As for me, I could neither partake of the high hopes of
+the one, nor sympathize with the war-worn nature of the other.
+Disappointment, bitter disappointment, in every cherished expectation,
+had thrown a chill over me, and I wanted even the energy to become
+reckless. In this state, I did not dare to face the future, but in moody
+despondency reflected on the past. Was this the destiny Marie de Meudon
+predicted for me? was the ever-present thought of my mind. Is it thus I
+should appear before her?
+
+A hundred times came the thought to join the new levies as a soldier,
+to carry a musket in the ranks. But then came back in all its force
+the memory of the distrust and suspicion my services had met with: the
+conviction hourly became clearer to me, that I fought not for liberty,
+but despotism; that it was not freedom, but slavery, in whose cause I
+shed my blood.
+
+To avoid meeting with the detachments which each day occupied the road,
+I turned from the _chaussée_ on passing Eisenach, and took a forest
+path that led through Murbach to Fulda. My path led through the Creutz
+Mountains,--a wild and unfrequented tract of country, where few cottages
+were to be seen, and scarcely a village existed. Vast forests of dark
+pines, or bleak and barren mountains, stretched away on either side; a
+few patches of miserable tillage here and there met the view; but the
+scene was one of saddening influence, and harmonized but too nearly with
+my own despondency.
+
+To reach a place of shelter for the night, I was more than once obliged
+to walk twelve leagues during the day, and had thus to set out before
+daylight. This exertion, however, brought its own reward: the stimulant
+of labor, the necessity of a task, gradually allayed the mental
+irritation I suffered under; a healthier and more manly tone of thinking
+succeeded to my former regrets; and with a heart elevated, if not
+cheered, I continued my way.
+
+The third day of my toilsome journey was drawing to a close. A mass of
+heavy and lowering clouds, dark and thunder-charged, slowly moved along
+the sky; and a low, moaning sound, that seemed to sigh along the
+ground, boded the approach of a storm. I was still three leagues from my
+halting-place, and began to deliberate within myself whether the dense
+pine-wood, which came down to the side of the road, might not afford
+a safer refuge from the hurricane than the chances of reaching a house
+before it broke forth.
+
+The shepherds who frequented these dreary tracts often erected little
+huts of bark as a shelter against the cold and severity of the wintry
+days, and to find out one of these now was my great endeavor. Scarcely
+had I formed the resolve, when I perceived a small path opening into the
+wood, at the entrance to which a piece of board nailed against the
+trunk of a tree, gave tidings that such a place of security was not far
+distant. These signs of forest life I had learned in my wanderings, and
+now strode forward with renewed vigor.
+
+The path led gradually upwards, along the mountain-side, which soon
+became so encumbered with brushwood that I had much difficulty in
+pushing my way, and at last began to doubt whether I might not have
+wandered from the track. The darkness was now complete; night had
+fallen, and a heavy crashing rain poured down upon the tree-tops, but
+could not penetrate through their tangled shelter. The wind, too,
+swept in loud gusts above, and the long threatened storm began. A
+loud, deafening roar, like that of the sea itself, arose, as the leafy
+branches bent before the blast, or snapped with sudden shock beneath
+the hurricane; clap after clap of thunder resounded, and then the rain
+descended in torrents,--the heavy drops at last, trickling from leaf to
+leaf, reaching me as I stood. Once more I pushed forward, and had not
+gone many paces when the red glare of a fire caught my eye. Steadfastly
+fastening my gaze upon the flame, I hurried on, and at length perceived
+with ecstasy that the light issued from the window of a small hovel,
+such as I have already mentioned. To gain the entrance of the hut I was
+obliged to pass the window, and could not resist the temptation to give
+a glance at the interior, whose cheerful blaze betokened habitation.
+
+It was not without surprise that, instead of the figure of a shepherd
+reposing beside his fire, I beheld that of an old man, whose dress
+bespoke the priest, kneeling in deep devotion at the foot of a small
+crucifix attached to the wall. Not all the wild sounds of the raging
+storm seemed to turn his attention from the object of his worship;
+his eyes were closed, but the head thrown backwards showed his face
+upturned, when the lips moved rapidly in prayer. Never had I beheld
+so perfect a picture of intense devotional feeling; every line in his
+marked countenance indicated the tension of a mind filled with one
+engrossing thought, while his tremulous hands, clasped before him, shook
+with the tremor of strong emotion.
+
+What a contrast to the loud warring of the elements, that peaceful
+figure, raised above earth and its troubles, in the spirit of his holy
+communing! how deeply touching the calm serenity of his holy brow, with
+the rolling crash of falling branches, and the deep baying of the storm!
+I did not dare to interrupt him; and when I did approach the door it was
+with silent step and noiseless gesture. As I stood, the old priest--for
+now I saw that he was such--concluded his prayer, and detaching his
+crucifix from the wall, he kissed it reverently, and placed it in his
+bosom; then, rising slowly from his knees, he turned towards me. A
+slight start of surprise, as quickly followed by a smile of kindly
+greeting, escaped him, while he said in French,--
+
+“You are welcome, my son; come in and share with me the shelter, for it
+is a wild night.”
+
+“A wild night, indeed, Father,” said I, casting my eyes around the
+little hut, where nothing indicated the appearance of habitation.
+“I could have wished you a better home than this against the storms of
+winter.”
+
+“I am a traveller like yourself,” said he, smiling at my mistake; “and a
+countryman, too, if I mistake not.”
+
+The accents in which these words were spoken pronounced him a Frenchman,
+and a very little sufficed to ratify the terms of our companionship; and
+having thrown a fresh billet on the fire, we both seated ourselves
+before it My wallet was, fortunately, better stored than the good
+father's; and having produced its contents, we supped cheerfully, and
+like men who were not eating their first bivouac meal.
+
+“I perceive, Father,” said I, as I remarked the manner in which he
+disposed his viands, “I perceive you have campaigned ere now; the habits
+of the service are not easily mistaken.”
+
+“I did not need that observation of yours,” replied he, laughing
+slightly, “to convince me you were a soldier; for, as you truly say,
+the camp leaves its indelible traces behind it. You are hastening on to
+Berlin, I suppose?”
+
+I blushed deeply at the question; the shame of my changed condition had
+been hitherto confined to my own heart, but now it was to be confessed
+before a stranger.
+
+“I ask your pardon, my son, for a question I had no right to ask; and
+even there, again, I but showed my soldier education. I am returning to
+France; and in seeking a short path from Eisenach, found myself where
+you see; as night was falling, well content to be so well lodged,--all
+the more, if I am to have your companionship.”
+
+Few and simple as these words were, there was a tone of frankness in
+them, not less than the evidence of a certain good breeding, by which
+he apologized for his own curiosity in speaking thus freely of
+himself, that satisfied me at once; and I hastened to inform him that
+circumstances had induced me to leave the service, in which I had been a
+captain, and that I was now, like himself, returning to France.
+
+“You must not think, Father,” added I, with some eagerness, “you must
+not think that other reasons than my own free will have made me cease to
+be a soldier.”
+
+“It would ill become me to have borne such a suspicion,” interrupted he,
+quickly. “When one so young and full of life as you are leaves the
+path where lie honor and rank and fame, he must have cause to make the
+sacrifice; for I can scarce think, that at your age, these things seem
+nought to your eyes.”
+
+“You are right, Father, they are not so. They have been my guiding stars
+for many a day; alas, that they can be such no longer!”
+
+“There are higher hopes to cherish than these,” said he,
+solemnly,--“higher than the loftiest longings of ambition; but we all
+of us cling to the things of life, till in their perishable nature they
+wean us off with disappointment and sorrow. From such a trial am I now
+suffering,” added he, in a low voice, while the tears rose to his eyes
+and slowly coursed along his pale cheeks.
+
+There was a pause neither of us felt inclined to break, when at length
+the priest said,--
+
+“What was your corps in the service?”
+
+“The Eighth Hussars of the Guard,” said I, trembling at every word.
+
+“Ah, _he_ was in the Guides,” repeated he, mournfully, to himself; “you
+knew the regiment?”
+
+“Yes, they belonged to the Guard also; they wore no epaulettes, but a
+small gold arrow on the collar.”
+
+“Like this,” said he, unfastening the breast of his cassock, and
+taking out a small package, which, among other things, contained the
+designation of the _Corps des Guides_ in an arrow of gold embroidery.
+“Had he not beautiful hair, long and silky as a girl's?” said he, as he
+produced a lock of light and sunny brown. “Poor Alphonse! thou wouldst
+have been twenty hadst thou lived till yesterday. If I shed tears, young
+man, it is because I have lost the great earthly solace of my solitary
+life. Others have kindred and friends, have happy homes, which, even
+when bereavements come, with time will heal up the wound; I had but
+him!”
+
+“He was your nephew, perhaps?” said I, half fearing to interfere with
+his sorrow.
+
+The old man shook his head in token of dissent, while he muttered to
+himself,--
+
+“Auerstadt may be a proud memory to some; to me it is a word of sorrow
+and mourning. The story is but a short one; alas! it has but one color
+throughout:--
+
+“Count Louis de Meringues--of whom you have doubtless heard that he rode
+as postilion to the carriage of his sovereign in the celebrated flight
+to Varennes--fell by the guillotine the week after the king's trial;
+the countess was executed on the same scaffold as her husband. I was the
+priest who accompanied her at the moment; and in my arms she placed her
+only child,--an infant boy of two years. There was a cry among the crowd
+to have the child executed also, and many called out that the spawn
+would be a serpent one day, and it were better to crush it while it was
+time; but the little fellow was so handsome, and looked so winningly
+around him on the armed ranks and the glancing weapons, that even
+_their_ cruel hearts relented, and he was spared. It is to me like
+yesterday, as I remember every minute circumstance; I can recall even
+the very faces of that troubled and excited assemblage, that at one
+moment screamed aloud for blood, and at the next were convulsed with
+savage laughter.
+
+“As I forced my way through the dense array, a rude arm was stretched
+out from the mass, and a finger dripping with the gore of the scaffold
+was drawn across the boy's face, while a ruffian voice exclaimed, 'The
+Meringues were ever proud of their blood; let us see if it be redder
+than other people's.' The child laughed; and the mob, with horrid
+mockery, laughed too.
+
+“I took him home with me to my _presbytère_ at Sèvres,--for that was my
+parish,--and we lived together in peace until the terrible decree was
+issued which proclaimed all France atheist. Then we wandered southwards,
+towards that good land which, through every vicissitude, was true to its
+faith and its king,--La Vendée. At Lyons we were met by a party of the
+revolutionary soldiers, who, with a commissary of the Government, were
+engaged in raising young men for the conscription. Alphonse, who was
+twelve years old, felt all a boy's enthusiasm at the warlike display
+before him, and persuaded me to follow the crowd into the _Place des
+Terreaux_, where the numbers were read out.
+
+“'Paul Ducos,' cried a voice aloud, as we approached the stage on which
+the commissary and his staff were standing; 'where is this Paul Ducos?'
+
+“'I am here,' replied a fine, frank-looking youth, of some fifteen
+years; 'but my father is blind, and I cannot leave him.'
+
+“'We shall soon see that,' called out the commissary. 'Clerk, read out
+his _signalement_.'
+
+“'Paul Ducos, son of Eugène Ducos, formerly calling himself Count Ducos
+de la Brèche--'
+
+“'Down with the Royalists! _à bas_ the tyrants!' screamed the mob, not
+suffering the remainder to be heard.
+
+“'Approach, Paul Ducos!' said the commissary.
+
+“'Wait here, Father,' whispered the youth; 'I will come back presently.'
+
+“But the old man, a fine and venerable figure, the remnant of a noble
+race, held him fast, and, as his lips trembled, said, 'Do not leave me,
+Paul; my child, my comforter, stay near me.'
+
+“The boy looked round him for one face of kindly pity in this emergency,
+when, turning towards me, he said rapidly, 'Stand near him!' He broke
+from the old man's embrace, and rushing through the crowd, mounted the
+scaffold.
+
+“'You are drawn for the conscription, young man,' said the commissary;
+'but in consideration of your father's infirmity, a substitute will be
+accepted. Have you such?'
+
+“The boy shook his head mournfully and in silence.
+
+“'Have you any friend who would assist you here? Bethink you awhile,'
+rejoined the commissary, who, for his station and duties, was a kind and
+benevolent man.
+
+“'I have none. They have left us nothing, neither home nor friends,'
+said the youth, bitterly; 'and if it were not for his sake, I care not
+what they do with me.'
+
+“'Down with the tyrants!' yelled the mob, as they heard these haughty
+words.
+
+“'Then your fate is decreed,' resumed the commissary.
+
+“'No, not yet!' cried out Alphonse, as, breaking from my side, he gained
+the steps and mounted the platform; 'I will be his substitute!'
+
+“Oh! how shall I tell the bitter anguish of that moment, which at once
+dispelled the last remaining hope I cherished, and left me destitute
+forever. As I dashed the tears from my eyes and looked up, the two boys
+were locked in each other's arms. It was a sight to have melted any
+heart, save those around them; but bloodshed and crime had choked up
+every avenue of feeling, and left them, not men, but tigers.
+
+“'Alphonse de Meringues,' cried out the boy, in answer to a question
+regarding his name.
+
+“There is no such designation in France,' said a grim-looking,
+hard-featured man, who, wearing the tri-colored scarf, sat at the table
+beside the clerk.
+
+“'I was never called by any other,' rejoined the youth, proudly.
+
+“'Citizen Meringues,' interposed the commissary, mildly, 'what is your
+age?'
+
+“'I know not the years,' replied he; 'but I have heard that I was but an
+infant when they slew my father.'
+
+“A fierce roar of passion broke from the mob below the scaffold as they
+heard this; and again the cry broke forth, 'Down with the tyrants!'
+
+“'Art thou, then, the son of that base sycophant who rode courier to the
+Capet to Varennes?' said the hard-featured man at the table.
+
+“'Of the truest gentleman of France,' called out a loud voice from below
+the platform; 'Vive le roi!' It was the blind man who spoke, and waved
+his cap above his head.
+
+“'To the guillotine! to the guillotine!' screamed a hundred voices, in
+tones wilde than the cries of famished wolves, as, seizing the aged man,
+they tore his clothes to very rags.
+
+“In an instant all attention was turned from the platform to the scene
+below it, where, with shouts and screams of fury, the terrible mob
+yelled aloud for blood. In vain the guards endeavored to keep back the
+people, who twice rescued their victim from the hands of the soldiery;
+and already a confused murmur arose that the commissary himself was a
+traitor to the public, and favored the tyrants, when a dull, clanking
+sound rose above the tumult, and a cheer of triumph proclaimed the
+approach of the instrument of torture.
+
+“In their impetuous torrent of vengeance they had dragged the guillotine
+from the distant end of the 'Place,' where it usually stood; and there
+now still knelt the figure of a condemned man, lashed with his arms
+behind him, on the platform, awaiting the moment of his doom. Oh, that
+terrible face, whereon death had already set its seal! With glazed,
+lack-lustre eye, and cheek leaden and quivering, he gazed around on the
+fiendish countenances like one awakening from a dream, his lips parted
+as though to speak; but no sound came forth.
+
+“'Place! place for Monsieur le Marquis!' shouted a ruffian, as he
+assisted to raise the figure of the blind man up the steps; and a ribald
+yell of fiendish laughter followed the brutal jest.
+
+“'Thou art to make thy journey in most noble company,' said another to
+the culprit on the platform.
+
+“'An he see not his way in the next world better than in this, thou must
+lend him a hand, friend,' said a third. And with many a ruffian joke
+they taunted their victims, who stood on the last threshold of life.
+
+“Among the crowd upon the scaffold of the guillotine I could see the
+figure of the blind man as it leaned and fell on either side, as the
+movement of the mob bore it.
+
+“'_Parbleu!_ these Royalists would rather kneel than stand,” said a
+voice, as they in vain essayed to make the old man place his feet under
+him; and ere the laughter which this rude jest excited ceased, a cry
+broke forth of--'He is dead! he is dead!' And with a heavy sumph, the
+body fell from their hands; for when their power of cruelty ended, they
+cared not for the corpse.
+
+“It was true: life was extinct, none knew how,--whether from the
+violence of the mob in its first outbreak, or that a long-suffering
+heart had burst at last; but the chord was snapped, and he whose proud
+soul lately defied the countless thousands around, now slept with the
+dead.
+
+“In a few seconds it seemed as though they felt that a power stronger
+than their own had interposed between them and their vengeance, and
+they stood almost aghast before the corpse, where no trace of blood
+proclaimed it to be their own; then, rallying from this stupor, with
+one voice they demanded that the son should atone for the crimes of the
+father.
+
+“'I am ready,' cried the youth, in a voice above the tumult. 'I did not
+deem I could be grateful to ye for aught, but I am for this.'
+
+“To no purpose did the commissary propose a delay in the sentence; he
+was unsupported by his colleagues. The passions of the mob rose
+higher and higher; the thirst for blood, unslaked, became intense and
+maddening; and they danced in frantic glee around the guillotine, while
+they chanted one of the demoniac songs of the scaffold.
+
+“In this moment, when the torrent ran in one direction, Alphonse might
+have escaped all notice, but that the condemned youth turned to embrace
+him once more before he descended from the people.
+
+“'They are so sorry to separate, it is a shame to part them,' cried a
+ruffian in the crowd.
+
+“'You forget, Citizen, that this boy is his substitute,' said the
+commissary, mildly; 'the Republic most not be cheated of its defenders.'
+
+“'Vive la République!' cried the soldiers; and the cry was re-echoed by
+thousands, while amid their cheers there rose the last faint sigh of an
+expiring victim.
+
+“The scene was over; the crowd dispersed; and the soldiers marched back
+to quarters, accompanied by some hundred conscripts, among whom was
+Alphonse,--a vague, troubled expression betokening that he scarce knew
+what had happened around him.
+
+“The regiment to which he was appointed was at Toulon, and there I
+followed him. They were ordered to the north of Italy soon after,
+and thence to Egypt. Through the battlefields of Mount Tabor and the
+Pyramids I was ever beside him; on the heights of Austerlitz I stanched
+his wounds; and I laid him beneath the earth on the field of Auerstadt.”
+
+The old man's voice trembled and became feeble as he finished speaking,
+and a settled expression of grief clothed his features, which were pale
+as death.
+
+“I must see Sèvres once more,” said he, after a pause. “I must look on
+the old houses of the village, and the little gardens, and the venerable
+church; they will be the only things to greet me there now, but I must
+gaze on them ere I close my eyes to this world and its cares.”
+
+“Come, come, Father,” said I; “to one who has acted so noble a part as
+yours, life is never without its own means of happiness.”
+
+“I spoke not of death,” replied he, mildly; “but the holy calm of a
+convent will better suit my seared and worn heart than all that the
+world calls its joys and pleasures. You, who are young and full of
+hope--”
+
+“Alas! Father, speak not thus. One can better endure the lowering skies
+of misfortune as the evening of life draws near than when the morn
+of existence is breaking. To me, with youth and health, there is no
+future,--no hope.”
+
+“I will not hear you speak thus,” said the priest; “fatigue and
+weariness are on you now. Wait until to-morrow,--we shall be
+fellow-travellers together; and then, if you will reveal to me your
+story, mayhap my long experience of the world may suggest comfort and
+consolation where you can see neither.”
+
+The storm by this time had abated much of its violence, and across the
+moon the large clouds were wafted speedily, disclosing bright patches of
+light at every moment.
+
+“Such is our life here,” said the father,--“alternating with its days of
+happiness and sorrow. Let us learn, in the dark hour of our destiny, to
+bear the glare of our better fortunes; for, believe me, that when our
+joys are greatest, so are our trials also.”
+
+He ceased speaking, and I saw that soon afterwards his lips moved as if
+in prayer. I now laid myself down in my cloak beside the fire, and was
+soon buried in a sleep too sound even for a dream.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII. A CHANCE MEETING.
+
+With the good priest of Sèvres I journeyed along towards the frontier of
+France, ever selecting the least frequented paths, and such as were not
+likely to be taken by the troops of soldiery which daily moved towards
+Berlin. The frankness of my companion had made me soon at ease with
+him; and I told him, without reserve, the story of my life, down to the
+decisive moment of my leaving the army.
+
+“You see, Father,” said I, “how completely my career has failed; how,
+with all the ardor of a soldier, with all the devotion of a follower, I
+have adhered to the Emperor's fortunes; and yet--”
+
+“Your ambition, however great it was, could not stifle conscience. I
+can believe it well. They who go forth to the wars with high hopes and
+bounding hearts, who picture to their minds the glorious rewards of
+great achievements, should blind their eyes to the horrors and injustice
+of the cause they bleed for. Any sympathy with misfortune would sap the
+very principle of that heroism whose essence is success. Men cannot
+play the double game, even in matters of worldly ambition. Had you not
+listened to the promptings of your heart, you had been greater; had you
+not followed the dazzling glare of your hopes, you had been happier:
+both you could scarcely be. Be assured of this, my son, the triumphs
+of a country can only be enjoyed by the child of the soil; the brave
+soldier, who lends his arm to the cause, feels he has little part in the
+glory.”
+
+“True, indeed,--most true; I feel it.”
+
+“And were it otherwise, how unsatisfying is the thirst for that same
+glory! how endless the path that leads to it! how many regrets accompany
+it! how many ties broken! how many friendships forfeited! No, no; return
+to your own land,--to the country of your birth; some honorable career
+will always present itself to him who seeks but independence and the
+integrity of his own heart. Beneath the conquering eagles of the Emperor
+there are men of every shade of political opinion; for the conscription
+is pitiless. There are Royalists, who love their king and hate the
+usurper; there are Jacobins, who worship freedom and detest the tyrant;
+there are stern Republicans--Vendéens, and followers of Moreau: but yet
+all are Frenchmen. 'La belle France' is the watchword that speaks to
+every heart, and patriotism is the bond between thousands. _You_ have
+no share in this; the delusion of national glory can never throw its
+deception around you. Return, then, to your country; and be assured,
+that in _her_ cause your least efforts will be more ennobling to
+yourself than the boldest deeds the hand of a mercenary ever achieved.”
+
+The inborn desire to revisit my native land needed but the counsels
+of the priest to make it all-powerful; and as, day by day, I plodded
+onward, my whole thoughts turned to the chances of my escape, and
+the means by which I could accomplish my freedom; for the war still
+continued between France and England, and the blockade of the French
+ports was strictly maintained by a powerful fleet. The difficulty of the
+step only increased my desire to effect it; and a hundred projects did I
+revolve in my mind, without ever being able to fix on one where success
+seemed likely. The very resolve, however, had cheered my spirits, and
+given new courage to my heart; and an object suggested a hope,--and with
+a hope, life was no longer burdensome.
+
+Each morning now I set forward with a mind more at ease, and more open
+to receive pleasure from the varied objects which met me as I went. Not
+so my poor companion; the fatigue of the journey, added to great mental
+suffering, began to prey upon his health, and brought back an ague he
+had contracted in Egypt, from the effect of which his constitution had
+never perfectly recovered. At first the malady showed itself only in
+great depression of spirits, which made him silent for hours of the way.
+But soon it grew worse; he walked with much difficulty, took but little
+nourishment, and seemed impressed with a sad foreboding that the disease
+must be fatal.
+
+“I wanted to reach my village; my own quiet churchyard should have been
+my resting-place,” said he, as he sank wearied and exhausted on a
+little bank at the roadside. “But this was only a sick man's fancy. Poor
+Alphonse lies far away in the dreary plain of Auerstadt.”
+
+The sun was just setting of a clear day in December as we halted on a
+little eminence, which commanded a distant view on every side. Behind
+lay the dark forest of Germany, the tree-tops presenting their massive
+wavy surface, over which the passing clouds threw momentary shadows;
+before, but still some miles away, we could trace the Rhine, its bright
+silver current sparkling in the sun; beyond lay the great plains of
+France, and upon these the sick man's eyes rested with a steadfast gaze.
+
+“Yes!” said he, after a long silence on both sides, “the fields and the
+mountains, the sunshine and the shade, are like those of other lands;
+but the feeling which attaches the heart to country is an inborn
+sense, and the very word 'home' brings with it the whole history of our
+affections. Even to look thus at his native country is a blessing to an
+exile's heart.”
+
+I scarcely dared to interrupt the reverie which succeeded these few
+words; but when I perceived that he still remained seated, his head
+between his hands and lost in meditation, I ventured to remind him that
+we were still above a league from Heimbach, the little village where we
+should pass the night, and that on a road so wild and unfrequented there
+was little hope of finding shelter any nearer.
+
+“You must lean on me, Father; the night air is fresh and bracing, and
+after a little it will revive you.”
+
+The old man rose without speaking, and taking my arm, began the descent
+of the mountain. His steps, however, were tottering and uncertain, his
+breathing hurried and difficult, and his carriage indicated the very
+greatest debility.
+
+“I cannot do it, my son,” said he, sinking upon the grassy bench which
+skirted the way; “you must leave me. It matters little now where this
+frail body rests; a few hours more, and the rank grass will wave above
+it and the rain beat over it unfelt. Let us part here: an old man's
+blessing for all your kindness will follow you through life, and may
+cheer you to think on hereafter.”
+
+“Do you then suppose I could leave you thus?” said I, reproachfully. “Is
+it so you think of me?”
+
+“My minutes are few now, my child,” replied he, more solemnly, “and I
+would pass the last moments of my life alone. Well, then, if you will
+not,--leave me now for a little, and return to me; by that time my mind
+will be calmer, and mayhap, too, my strength greater, and I may be able
+to accompany you to the village.”
+
+I acceded to this proposal the more willingly, because it afforded me
+the hope of finding some means to convey him to Heimbach; and so, having
+wrapped him carefully in my cloak, I hastened down the mountain at the
+top of my speed.
+
+The zigzag path by which I went discovered to me from time to time the
+lights of the little hamlet, which twinkled star-like in the valley; and
+as I drew nearer, the confused hum of voices reached me. I listened,
+and to my amazement heard the deep, hoarse bray of a trumpet. How well
+I knew that sound! it was the night-call to gather in the stragglers.
+I stopped to listen; and now, in the stillness, could mark the tramp of
+horsemen and the clank of their equipments: again the trumpet sounded,
+and was answered by another at some distance. The road lay straight
+below me at some hundred yards off, and leaving the path, I dashed
+directly downwards just as the leading horsemen of a small detachment
+came slowly up. To their loud _Qui vive?_ I answered by giving an
+account of the sick man, and entreating the sergeant who commanded the
+party to lend assistance to convey him to the village.
+
+“Yes, _parbleu!_ that we will,” said the honest soldier; “a priest who
+has made the campaign of Egypt and Austria is worthy of all our care.
+Where is he?”
+
+“About a mile from this; but the road is not practicable for a
+horseman.”
+
+“Well, you shall have two of my men; they will soon bring him hither.”
+ And as he spoke, he ordered two troopers to dismount, who, quickly
+disencumbering themselves of their sabres, prepared to follow me.
+
+“We shall expect you at the bivouac,” cried the sergeant, as he resumed
+his way; while I, eager to return, breasted the mountain with renewed
+energy.
+
+“You belong to the Guard, my friends,” said I, as I paused for breath at
+a turn of the path.
+
+“The Fourth Cuirassiers of the Guard,” replied the soldier I addressed;
+“Milhaud's brigade.”
+
+How my heart leaped as he said these words! They were part of the
+division General d'Auvergne once commanded; it was the regiment of poor
+Pioche, too, before the dreadful day of Austerlitz.
+
+“You know the Fourth, then?” rejoined the man, as he witnessed the
+agitation of my manner.
+
+“Know the Fourth?” echoed his comrade, in a voice of half-indignant
+meaning. “_Sacrebleu!_who does not know them? Does not all the world
+know them by this time?”
+
+“It is the Fourth who wear the motto 'Dix contre un' on their caps,”
+ said I, desirous to flatter the natural vanity of my companions.
+
+“Yes, Monsieur; I see you have served also.”
+
+I answered by a nod, for already every word, every gesture, recalled to
+me the career I had quitted; and my regrets, so late subdued by reason
+and reflection, came thronging back, and filled ray heart to bursting.
+
+Hurrying onward now, I mounted the steep path, and soon regained the
+spot I sought. The poor father was sleeping; overcome by fatigue and
+weariness, he had fallen on the mossy bank, and lay in a deep, soft
+slumber. Lifting him gently, the strong troopers crossed their hands
+beneath, and bore him along between them. For an instant he looked up;
+but seeing me at his side, he merely pressed my hand, and closed his
+eyes again.
+
+“_Ma foi!_” said one of the dragoons, in a low voice, “I should not be
+surprised if this were the Père Arsène, who served with the army in
+Italy. We used to call him 'old Scapulaire'. He was the only priest I
+ever saw in the van of a brigade. You knew him too, Auguste.”
+
+“Yes, that I did,” replied the other soldier. “I saw him at Elkankah,
+where one of ours was unhorsed by a Mameluke, spring forward, and
+seizing a pistol at the holster, shoot the Turk through the head, and
+then kneel down beside the dying man he was with before, and go on with
+his prayers. _Ventrebleu!_ that's what I call discipline.”
+
+“Where was that, Comrade?”
+
+“At Elkankah.”
+
+“At Quoreyn, rather, my friend, two leagues to the southward,” whispered
+a low voice.
+
+“_Tonnerre de ciel!_” cried the two soldiers in a breath, “it is
+himself;” for the words were spoken by the priest, who was no other than
+the Père Arsène they spoke of.
+
+The effort of speech and memory was, however, a mere passing one; for
+to all their questions he was now deaf, and lay apparently unconscious
+between them. On me, therefore, they turned their inquiries, but with
+little more of success; and thus we descended the mountain, eager to
+reach some place of succor for the good father.
+
+As we approached the village, I was soon made aware of the objects of
+the party who occupied it. The little street was crowded with cattle,
+bullocks, and sheep, fast wedged up amid huge wagons of forage and carts
+of corn; mounted dragoons urging on the jaded animals, regardless of
+the angry menaces or the impatient appeals incessantly making by the
+peasantry, who in great numbers had followed their stock from their
+farms.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneForagingParty121]
+
+The soldiers, who were detachments of different corps, were also
+quarrelling among themselves for their share of the spoil; and these
+altercations, in which more than once I saw a sabre flash, added to
+the discord. It was, indeed, a scene of tumult and confusion almost
+inconceivable. Here were a party of cuirassiers, carbine in hand,
+protecting a drove of sheep; around which the country people were
+standing, seemingly irresolute whether they should essay an attack,--a
+movement often prompted by the other soldiers, who hoped in the _mêlée_
+to seize a part of the prey. Many of the oxen were bestrode by hussars
+or lancers, whose gay trappings formed a strange contrast with the
+beasts they rode on; while more than one stately horseman held a sheep
+before him on the saddle, for whose protection a cocked pistol seemed no
+ineffectual guarantee.
+
+The task of penetrating this dense and turbulent mob seemed to me almost
+impossible, and I expressed my fears to the soldiers. But they replied
+that there were too many _braves_ of Egypt there not to remember the
+Père Arsène; saying which, one of the soldiers, whispering a word to
+his companion, laid the priest gently upon the ground, and then mounting
+rapidly on a forage-cart, he shouted, in a voice heard above the din,--
+
+“Comrades of the Fourth, we have found an old companion; the Père
+Scapulaire is here. Place for the good father! place there!”
+
+A hundred loud _vivas_ welcomed this announcement; for the name was well
+known to many who never had seen the priest, and cheer after cheer for
+the _bon père_ now rang through this motley assemblage.
+
+To the wild confusion of a moment before the regularity of discipline
+at once succeeded, and a lane was quickly formed for the soldiers to
+advance with the priest between them, each horseman saluting as he
+passed as if to his general on parade.
+
+“To the Trauben,--the Trauben!” cried several voices, as we went
+along; and this I learned was the little inn of the village, where the
+non-commissioned officers in charge of the several parties were seated
+in council to arrange the subdivision of the booty.
+
+Had not a feeling stronger than mere personal consideration occupied me,
+I would have now left the good priest among his old comrades, with
+whom he was certain to meet kindness and protection. But I could not so
+readily part with one whom, even in the few hours of our intercourse, I
+had learned to like; and therefore, enduring as well as I was able
+the rugged insubordination of a soldiery free from the restraint of
+discipline, I followed on, and soon found myself at the door of the
+Trauben.
+
+A dismounted dragoon, with drawn sword, guarded the entrance, around
+which a group of angry peasants were gathered, loudly protesting against
+the robbery of their flocks and farmyards. It was with great difficulty
+I could persuade the sentry to suffer me to enter; and when I at last
+succeeded, I found none willing to pay any attention to my request
+regarding a billet for the priest, for unhappily his name and character
+were unknown to those to whom I addressed myself. In this dilemma I was
+deliberating what step to take, when one of the soldiers, who with such
+zealous devotion had never left us, came up to say that his corporal
+had just given up his own quarters for the good father's use; and this,
+happily, was a small summer-house in the garden at the back of the inn.
+
+“He cannot come with us himself,” said the soldier, “for he is engaged
+with the forage rations, but I have got his leave to take the quarters.”
+
+A small wicket beside the inn led us into a large, wildly-grown orchard,
+through which a broad path led to the summer-house in question; at
+least such we guessed to be the little building from whose windows there
+gleamed the bright glare of a cheerful fire.
+
+The door lay open into a little hall, from which two doors led
+into different chambers. Over one of these was marked in chalk
+“quartier-général,” in imitation of the title assigned to a general's
+quarters, and this the soldiers pronounced must belong to the corporal.
+I opened it accordingly and entered. The room was small and neatly
+furnished, and with the blazing wood upon the hearth, looked most
+comfortable and inviting.
+
+“Yes, we are all right here; I know his helmet,--this is it,” said the
+dragoon. “So here we must leave you. You'll tell the good father it was
+two troopers of the Fourth who carried him hither, won't ye? Ay, and say
+Auguste Prévôt was one of them; he 'll know the name,--he nursed me in a
+fever I had in Italy.”
+
+“I wish he were able to give me his blessing again,” said the other; “I
+had it before that affair at Brescia, and there were four of my comrades
+killed about me, and never a shot touched me. But good-night, Comrade;
+goodnight.” And so saying, having left the father at his length upon a
+couch, they made their military salute and departed.
+
+A rude-looking flagon of beer which stood on the table was the only
+thing I could discover in the chamber, save a canvas bag of tobacco
+and some pipes. I filled a goblet with the liquor and placed it to the
+priest's lips. He swallowed a little of it, and then opening his eyes,
+slowly looked around him, while he murmured to my question a faint sound
+of “Better,--much better.” I knew enough of such matters to be aware
+that perfect rest and repose were the greatest aids to his recovery;
+and so, replenishing the fire, I threw myself down on the large dragoon
+cloak which lay on the floor, and prepared to pass my night where I was.
+
+The long-drawn breathings of the sleeping man, the perfect quiet and
+stillness of all around,--for though not far distant from the village,
+the thick wood of trees intercepted every sound from that quarter,--and
+my fatigue combined, soon brought on drowsiness.
+
+I struggled, so long as I was able, against the tendency; but a humming
+sound filled my ears, the objects grew fainter before my vision, and I
+sank into that half-dreamy state when consciousness remains, but clouded
+and indistinct in all its perceptions. Twice the door was opened and
+some persons entered; but though they spoke loudly, I heard not their
+words, nor could I recognize their appearance. To this succeeded a deep,
+sound sleep, the recompense of great fatigue.
+
+The falling of a piece of firewood on the hearth awoke me. I opened my
+eyes and looked about. The room had no other light than from the embers
+of the wood fire and the piece of blazing pine which had just fallen;
+but even by that uncertain glare I could see enough to amaze and confuse
+me.
+
+On the couch where I had left the priest sleeping, the old man was now
+seated, his head uncovered, and a scarf of light blue silk across his
+shoulders and falling to his feet. Before him, and kneeling, was a
+figure, of which for some minutes I in vain endeavored to ascertain the
+traits; for while in the military air of the dress there was something
+to mark the soldier, a waving mass of hair loosely falling on the back
+bespoke another sex. While I yet doubted, the flickering flame burst
+forth and showed me the small and beautiful shaped foot which from
+beneath a loose trouser peeped forth, and in the neat boot and
+tastefully ornamented spur I recognized in an instant it was a
+vivandière of the army,--one of those who, amid all the reckless abandon
+of the life of camps and battlefields, can yet preserve some vestige of
+coquetry and feminine grace.
+
+So strange the sight, so complete the heavy stupor of my faculties, that
+again and again I doubted whether the whole might not be the creation of
+a dream; but the well-known tones of the old man's voice soon reassured
+me, as I heard him say,--
+
+“I know it too, my child; I have followed too long the fortunes of an
+army not to feel and to sorrow for these things. But be comforted.”
+
+A passionate burst of tears from her who knelt at his feet interrupted
+him here; nor did it seem that all he could speak of consolation was
+able to assuage the deep sorrow of the poor girl, whose trembling frame
+bespoke her agony.
+
+By degrees, however, she grew calmer. A deep sob or a long-drawn
+sigh alone would be heard, as the venerable father, with impassioned
+eloquence, depicted the happiness of those who sought the blessings of
+religion, and could tear themselves from the world and its ambitions.
+Warming with his theme, he descanted on the lives of those saints
+on earth whose every minute was an offering of heavenly love; and
+contrasted the holy calm of a convent with the wild revelry of the camp,
+or the more revolting carnage of the battlefield.
+
+“Speak not of these things, Father; your own voice trembles with proud
+emotion at the mention of glorious war. Tell me, oh! tell me that I may
+have hope, and yet leave not all that makes life endurable.”
+
+The old man spoke again; but his tones were low, and his words seemed a
+reproof, for she bowed her head between her hands and sobbed heavily.
+
+To the long and impassioned appeal of the priest there now succeeded a
+silence, only broken by the deep-drawn sighs of her who knelt in sadness
+and penitence before him.
+
+“And his name?” said the father; “you have not told his name.”
+
+A pause followed, in which not even a breathing was heard; then a low,
+murmuring sound came, and it seemed to meas though I heard my own name
+uttered. I started at the sound, and with the noise the vivandière
+sprang to her feet.
+
+“I heard a noise there,” said she, resolutely.
+
+“It is my companion of the journey,” said the priest. “Poor fellow! he
+is tired and weary; he sleeps soundly.”
+
+“I did not know you had a fellow-traveller, Father.”
+
+“Yes; we met in the Creutz Mountains, and since that» have wended our
+way together. A soldier--”
+
+“A soldier! Is he wounded, then?”
+
+“No, my child; he is leaving the army.”
+
+“Leaving the army, and not wounded! He is old and disabled, perhaps.”
+
+“Neither; he is both young and vigorous.”
+
+“Shame on him, then, that he turn his back on fame and fortune, and
+leave the path that brave men tread! He never was a soldier! No, Father;
+he in whose heart the noble passion once has lived can never forget it.”
+
+“Hush, child, hush!” said the priest, motioning with his hand to her to
+be silent.
+
+“Let me look on him!” said the vivandière, as she stooped down and took
+from the hearth a piece of lighted wood; “let me see this man, and learn
+the features of one who can be so craven of spirit, so poor of heart, as
+to fly the field, while thousands are flocking towards it.”
+
+Burning with shame and indignation, I arose, just as she approached me.
+The pine-branch threw its red gleam over her bright uniform, and then
+upon her face.
+
+“Minette! Minette!” I exclaimed. But with a wild shriek she let fall the
+burning wood, and fell senseless to the ground.
+
+It was some time before, with all our care, she recovered consciousness;
+and even then, in her wild, excited glance, one might read the struggles
+of her mind to credit what had occurred. A few broken, unconnected
+phrases would escape her at intervals; and she seemed laboring to regain
+the lost clew to her recollections, when again she turned her eyes
+towards me. At the same instant, the trumpet sounded without for the
+_réveil_, and was answered by many a call from other parties around.
+With a steadfast gaze of wonderment she fixed her look on me; and twice
+passed her hands across her eyes, as though she doubted the evidence of
+her senses.
+
+[Illustration: 346]
+
+“Minette, hear me! let me speak but one word.” “There it is again,”
+ cried she, as the blast rang out a second time, and the clatter of
+horsemen resounded from the street. “Adieu, sir; our roads lie not
+together. Father, your blessing; if your good counsel this night has
+not made its way to my heart, the lesson has come elsewhere. Good-by!
+good-by!” She pressed the old man's hand to her lips, and darted from
+the room.
+
+Stunned, and like one spell-bound, I could not move for a few seconds;
+and then, with a wild cry, I bounded after her through the garden.
+The wicket, however, was fastened on the outside, and it was some time
+before I could scale the wall and reach the street.
+
+The day was just breaking, but already the village was thronged with
+soldiers, who were preparing for the march, and arranging their parties
+to conduct the wagons. Hurrying on through the crowded and confused
+mass, I looked on every side for the vivandière; but in vain. Groups
+of different regiments passed and repassed me; but to my questions they
+returned either a jeering reply, or a mere laugh of derision. “But a few
+days ago,” thought I, “and these fellows had scarce dared to address me;
+and now--” Oh, the blighting misery of that thought! I was no longer a
+soldier; the meanest horseman of his troop was my superior.
+
+I passed through the village, and reached the highroad. Before me was a
+party of dragoons, escorting a drove of cattle; I hastened after them,
+but on coming near, discovered they were a light cavalry detachment.
+Sick at heart, I leaned against a tree at the wayside, when again
+I heard the tramp of horses approaching. I looked, and saw the tall
+helmets of the Fourth, who were coming slowly along, conducting some
+large wagons, drawn by eight or ten horses. In front of the detachment
+rode a man, whose enormous stature made him at once remarkable, as well
+as the air of soldierly bearing he displayed. Beside him was Minette;
+the reins had fallen on her horse's neck, and her face was buried in her
+hands.
+
+“Ah! if I had thought that priest would have made thee so sad,
+Mademoiselle, I'd have let him spend his night beneath a wagon rather
+than in my quarters,” said a deep, hollow voice I at once recognized
+as that of Pioche. “But the morning air will revive thee; so let us
+forward: by threes--open order--trot.”
+
+The word was obeyed; the heavy tramp of the horses, with the dull roll
+of the wagons, drowned all other sounds The cortège moved on, and I was
+alone.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneDeathOfMinette127]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII. THE PENSION DE LA RUE MI-CARÊME.
+
+When I returned to the garden, I found that the Père Arsène was seized
+by an access of that dreadful malady, whose intervals of comparative
+release are but periods of dread or despondence. The tertian of Egypt,
+so fatal among the French troops, now numbered him among its victims,
+and he looked worn and exhausted, like one after weeks of illness.
+
+My first care was to present myself to the official whose business it
+was to inspect the passports, and by explaining the condition of my poor
+friend, to entreat permission to delay my journey,--at least until
+he should be somewhat recovered. The gruff old sergeant, however,
+deliberately examined my passport, and as rigidly decided that I could
+not remain. The words of the minister were clear and definite,--“Day
+by day, without halt, to the nearest frontier of France,” was the
+direction; and with this I must comply. In vain I assured him that no
+personal convenience, no wish of my own, urged the request, but the duty
+of humanity towards a fellow-traveller, and one who had strong claims on
+every soldier of the Empire.
+
+“Leave him to me, Monsieur,” was the only reply I could obtain; and the
+utmost favor he would grant was the permission to take leave of my poor
+friend before I started.
+
+Amid all the sufferings of his malady, I found the good priest dwelling
+in his mind on the scene with the vivandière,--which, perhaps, from
+the impressionable character of a sick man's temperament, had entirely
+filled his thoughts; and thus he wandered from the subject of his
+sorrows to hers, with scarcely a transition between them.
+
+When I mentioned the necessity of our parting, he seemed to feel it more
+on my account than his own.
+
+“I wished to have reached Paris with you,” he repeated over and over.
+“It was not impossible I could have arranged your return home. But you
+must go down to Sèvres,--the priest there, whoever he may be, will know
+of me; tell him everything without reserve. I am too ill to write, but
+if I get better soon--Well, well; that poor girl is an orphan too; and
+Alphonse was an orphan. With what misery have we struggled in France
+since this man has ruled our destinies! how have the crimes of a people
+brought their retribution to every heart and every home!--none
+too low, none too humble, to feel them. Leave this land; no blessing can
+rest upon it now. Poor thing! how worthy of a better lot she is! If this
+same officer should know,--it is not impossible. But, why do I say this?
+No, no; you'll never meet him now.”
+
+He continued to mutter thus some broken and disjointed sentences,
+half-aloud, for some minutes, apparently unconscious of my presence.
+
+“He was in a regiment of the Guard. Alas! she told me which, but I
+forget it now; but his name, surely I remember his name! Well, well, it
+is a sad story. Adieu, my dear child! good-by! We have each a weary
+road before us; but my journey, although the longest, will be soonest
+accomplished. Do not forget my words to you. Your own country, and your
+country's cause, above every other; all else is the hireling's part. The
+sense of duty alone can sustain a man in the trials which fit him for
+this world, or that better one which is to follow. Adieu!” He threw his
+arm around me as he said this, and leaned exhausted and faint upon my
+shoulder.
+
+The few who journey through life with little sympathy or friendship from
+their fellow-men, may know how it rent my heart to part with one to whom
+I clung every hour closer; my throat swelled and throbbed, and I could
+only articulate a faint good-by as we parted. As the door was closing, I
+heard his voice again.
+
+“Yes, I have it now; I remember it well,--'Le Capitaine Burke.'”
+
+I started in amazement, for during all our intercourse he had never
+asked nor had I told my name, and I stood unable to speak; when he
+continued,--“You 'll think of the name,--she said, too, he was on the
+staff,--'Burke!' Poor girl!”
+
+I did not wait for more, but like one flying from some dreaded enemy I
+rushed through the garden, and gained the road, my heart torn with many
+a conflicting thought; the bitterest of all being the memory of Minette,
+the orphan girl, who alone of all the world cared for me. Oh! if strong,
+deep-rooted affection, the love of a whole heart, can raise the spirit
+above the every-day contentions of the world,--can ennoble thought,
+refine sentiments, and divest life of all its meaner traits, making a
+path of flowers among the rocks and briers of our worldly pilgrimage; so
+does the possession of affection for which we cannot give requital throw
+a gloom over the soul, for which there is no remedy. Better, a thousand
+times better, had I borne all the solitary condition of my lot,
+unrelieved by one token of regard, than think of her who had wrecked her
+fortunes on my own.
+
+With many a sad thought I plodded onward. The miles passed over seemed
+like the events in some troubled dream; and of my journey I have not a
+recollection remaining. It was late in the evening when I reached the
+Barrière de l'Étoile, and entered Paris. The long lines of lamps along
+the quays, the glittering reflection in the calm river, the subdued but
+continual hum of a great city, awoke me from my reverie, and I bethought
+me that my career of life must now begin anew, and all my energies must
+be called on to fashion out my destiny.
+
+On the morning after my arrival I presented myself, in compliance with
+the requisite form, before the minister of police. Little information
+of mine was necessary to explain the circumstances under which I was
+placed. He was already thoroughly acquainted with the whole, and seemed
+in nowise disposed to evince any undue lenity towards one who had
+voluntarily quitted the service of the Emperor.
+
+“Where do you purpose to remain, sir?” said the préfet, as he concluded
+a lengthened and searching scrutiny of my appearance.
+
+“In Paris,” I replied, briefly.
+
+“In Paris, I suppose,” said he, with a slight derisive curl of the
+lip,--“of that I should think there can be little doubt; but I wished to
+ascertain more accurately your address,--in what part of the city.”
+
+“As yet I cannot tell; I am almost a stranger here. A day or two will,
+however, enable me to choose, and then I shall return here with the
+intelligence.”
+
+“That is sufficient, sir; I shall expect to see you soon.”
+
+He waved his hand in sign to me to withdraw, and I was but too happy to
+follow the indication. As I hastened down the stairs, and forced my way
+through the crowd of persons who awaited an audience with the préfet,
+I heard a voice close to my ear whisper, “A word; one word with you,
+Monsieur.” Conceiving, however, it could not have been intended for me,
+to whom no face there was familiar, I passed on, and reached the court.
+
+The noise of footsteps rapidly moving on the grave behind me induced
+me to turn; and I beheld a small, miserably-dressed man, whose spare and
+wasted form bespoke the sorest trials of poverty, advancing towards me,
+hat in hand.
+
+“Will you deign me one word, Monsieur?” said he, in a voice whose tone,
+although that of entreaty, was yet remote from the habitual accent of
+one asking alms.
+
+“You must mistake me,” said I, desirous to pass on; “I am unknown to
+you.”
+
+“True, sir; but it is as a stranger I take the liberty of addressing
+you. I heard you say just now that you had not fixed on any place of
+abode in Paris; now, if I might venture to entreat your preference for
+this establishment, it would be too much honor for me, its poor master.”
+
+Here he placed in my hands a small card, inscribed with the words,
+“Pension Bourgeoise, Rue de Mi-Carême, Boulevard Mont Parnasse, No. 46,”
+ at top; and beneath was a paragraph, setting forth the economical fact
+that a man might eat, drink, and sleep for the sum of twelve francs a
+week, enjoying the delights of “agreeable society, pleasant environs,
+and all the advantages of a country residence.”
+
+It was with difficulty I could avoid a smile at the shivering figure
+who ventured to present himself as an inducement to try the fare of his
+house. Whether my eyes did wander from the card to his countenance, or
+any other gesture of mine betrayed my thoughts, the old man seemed to
+divine what was passing in my mind, and said,--
+
+“Monsieur will not pronounce on the 'pension' from the humble guise of
+its master. Let him but try it; and I promise that these poor rags, this
+miserable figure, has no type within the walls.”
+
+There was a tone of deep dejection, mingled with a sense of conscious
+pride, in which he said these few words, that at once decided me not to
+grieve him by a refusal.
+
+“You may count on me, then, Monsieur,” said I. “My stay here is so far
+uncertain, that it depends not altogether on myself; but for the present
+I am your guest.”
+
+I took my purse from my pocket as I spoke, knowing the custom in these
+humbler boarding-houses was to pay in advance; but the old man reddened
+slightly, and motioned with his hand a refusal.
+
+“Monsieur is a captain in the Guards,” said he, proudly; “no more is
+necessary.”
+
+“You mistake, friend, I am no longer so; I have left the army.”
+
+“Left it, _en retraite?_” said he, inquiringly.
+
+“Not so; left it at my own free will and choice. And now, perhaps, I
+had better tell you, that as I may not enjoy any considerable share of
+goodwill from the police authorities here, my presence might be less
+acceptable to your other guests, or to yourself.”
+
+The old man's eyes sparkled as I spoke, and his lips moved rapidly, as
+though he were speaking to himself; then, taking my hand, he pressed it
+to his lips, and said,--
+
+“Monsieur could not be more welcome than at present. Shall we expect you
+to-day at dinner?”
+
+“Be it so. Your hour?”
+
+“Four o'clock, to the moment. Do not forget the number, 46 Monsieur
+Rubichon; the house with a large garden in front.”
+
+“Till then,” said I, bowing to my host, whose ceremonious politeness
+made me feel my own salute an act of rudeness in comparison.
+
+As I parted from the old man, I was glad at the relief to my own
+thoughts which even thus much of speculation afforded, and sauntered on,
+fancying many a strange conceit about the “pension” and its inhabitants.
+At last the hour drew near; and having placed my few effects in a
+cabriolet, I set out for the distant boulevard of Mont Parnasse.
+
+I remarked with pleasure, that as we went along the streets and
+thoroughfares became gradually less and less crowded; scarcely a
+carriage of any kind was to be met with. The shops were, for the most
+part, the quiet, unpretending-looking places one sees in a provincial
+town; and an air of peacefulness and retirement prevailed, strongly at
+variance with the clamor and din of the heart of the capital. This was
+more than ever so as we emerged upon the boulevard itself: on one side
+of which houses, at long straggling intervals, alone were to be seen;
+at the other, the country lay open to the view, with its orchards and
+gardens, for miles away.
+
+“_Saprelotte!_” said the driver, who, like so many of his calling, was a
+blunt son of Alsace,--“_saprelotte!_ we have come to the end of the world
+here. How do you call the strange street you are looking for?”
+
+“The Rue de Mi-Carême.”
+
+“Mi-Carême? I 'd rather you lived there than me; that name does not
+promise much in regard to good feeding. Can this be it?”
+
+As he spoke he pointed with his whip to a narrow, deserted-looking
+street, which opened from the boulevard. The houses were old and
+dilapidated, but stood in small gardens, and seemed like the remains
+of the villa residences of the Parisians in times long past. A few more
+modern edifices, flaring with red brick fronts, were here and there
+scattered amongst them; but for all the decay and dismantlement of the
+others, they seemed like persons of rank and condition in the company of
+their inferiors.
+
+Few of the larger houses were inhabited. Large placards, “à louer,”
+ on the gateways or the broken railings of the garden, set forth the
+advantages of a handsome residence, situated between court and garden;
+but the falling roofs and broken windows were in sad discordance with
+the eulogy.
+
+The unaccustomed noise of wheels, as we went along, drew many to the
+doors to stare at us, and in the gathering groups I could mark the
+astonishment so rare a spectacle as a cabriolet afforded in these
+secluded parts.
+
+“Is this the Rue Mi-Carême?” said the driver to a boy, who stood gazing
+in perfect wonderment at our equipage.
+
+“Yes,” muttered the child,--“yes. Who are you come for now?”
+
+“Come for, my little man? Not for any one. What do you mean by that?”
+
+“I thought it was the commissary,” said the boy.
+
+“Ah, _sapperment!_ I knew we were in a droll neighborhood,” murmured the
+driver. “It would seem they never see a cabriolet here except when it
+brings the _commissaire de police_ to look after some one.”
+
+If this reflection did not tend to allay my previous doubts upon the
+nature of the locality, it certainly aided to excite my curiosity, and
+I was determined to persist in my resolution of at least seeing the
+interior of the “pension.”
+
+“Here we are at last,” cried the driver, throwing down his whip on the
+horse's back, as he sprang to the ground, and read aloud from a board
+fastened to a tree, “'Pension Bourgeoise. M. Rubichon, propriétaire.'
+Shall I wait for monsieur?”
+
+“No. Take out that portmanteau and cloak; I'm not going back now.”
+
+A stare of most undisguised astonishment was the only reply he made, as
+he took forth my baggage, and placed it at the little gate.
+
+“You 'll be coming home at night,” said he, at length; “shall I come
+to fetch you? Not to-night,” repeated he, in amazement. “Well, adieu,
+Monsieur,--you know best; but I 'd not come a-pleasuring up here, if I
+was a young fellow like you.”
+
+As he drove away, I turned to look at the building before me, which up
+to this time I had not sufficiently noted. It was a long, two-storied
+house, which evidently at an early period had been a mansion of no mean
+pretension. The pilasters which ornamented the windows, the balustrades
+of the parapet, and the pediment above the entrance, were still
+remaining, though in a dilapidated condition. The garden in front showed
+also some signs of that quaint taste originally borrowed from the Dutch,
+and the yew-trees still preserved some faint resemblance to the beasts
+and animals after which they had once been fashioned, though time and
+growth had altered the outlines, and given to many a goodly lion or stag
+the bristly coat of a porcupine. A little fountain, which spouted from
+a sea-monster's nostrils, was grass-grown and choked with weeds.
+Everything betokened neglect and ruin; even the sundial had fallen
+across the walk, and lay moss-grown and forgotten; as though to say that
+Time had no need of a record there. The _jalousies_, which were closed
+in every window, permitted no view of the interior; nor did anything,
+save a faint curl of light blue smoke from one chimney, give token of
+habitation.
+
+I could not help smiling to myself at the absurd fancy which had
+suffered me to feel that this deserted quarter, this lonesome dwelling,
+contained anything either adventurous or strange about it, or that
+I should find either in the “pension” or its guests wherewithal to
+interest or amuse me. With this thought I opened the wicket, and,
+crossing the garden, pulled the bell-rope that hung beside the door.
+
+The deep clanging echoed again and again to my summons, and ere it
+ceased the door was opened, and M. Rubichon himself stood before me: no
+longer, however, the M. Rubichon of the morning, in garments of worn
+and tattered poverty, but attired in a suit which, if threadbare, was
+at least clean and respectable-looking,--a white vest, and ruffles also,
+added to the air of neatness of his costume; and whether from his
+own deserts, or my surprise at the transformation, he seemed to me to
+possess the look and bearing of a true gentleman.
+
+Having welcomed me with the well-bred and easy politeness of one who
+knew the habits of society, he gave orders to a servant girl to conduct
+me to a room, adding, “May I beg of monsieur to make a rapid toilet, for
+the dinner will be served in less than ten minutes?”
+
+The M. Rubichon of the morning no more prepared me for that gentleman at
+evening than did the ruinous exterior of the dwelling for the neat and
+comely chamber into which I was now installed. The articles of furniture
+were few, but scrupulously clean; and the white curtains of the little
+bed, the cherry-wood chairs, the table, with its gray marble top,--all
+were the perfection of that propriety which gives even to humble things
+a look of elegance.
+
+I had but time to make a slight change in my dress when the bell sounded
+for dinner, and at the same instant a gentle knock came to my door. It
+was M. Rubichon, come to conduct me to the _salle_, and anxious to know
+if I were satisfied with my chamber.
+
+“In summer, Monsieur, if we shall have the happiness of possessing you
+here at that season, the view of the garden is delightful from this
+window; and,--you have not noticed it, of course, but there is a little
+stair, which descends from the window into the garden, which you will
+find a great convenience when you wish to walk. This way, now. We are a
+small party to-day, and indeed shall be for a few weeks. What name shall
+I have the honor to announce?”
+
+“Mr. Burke.”
+
+“Ah! an Irish name,” said he, smiling, as he threw open the door of a
+spacious but simply furnished apartment, in which about a dozen persons
+were standing or sitting around the stove.
+
+I could not help remarking, that as Monsieur Rubichon presented me to
+his other guests, my name seemed to meet a kind of recognition from each
+in turn. My host perceived this, and explained it at once by saying,--
+
+“We have a namesake of yours amongst us; not exactly at this moment,
+for he is in Normandy, but he will be back in a week or so. Madame de
+Langeac, let me present Mr. Burke.”
+
+Monsieur Rubichon's guests were all persons somewhat advanced in life;
+and though in their dress evincing a most unvarying simplicity and
+economy, had yet a look of habitual good tone and breeding which could
+not be mistaken. Among these, the lady to whom I was now introduced was
+conspicuous, and in her easy and graceful reception of me, showed the
+polished manners of one accustomed to the best society.
+
+After some half-jesting observations, expressive of surprise that a
+young man--and consequently, as she deemed, a gay one--should have
+selected as his residence an unvisited quarter and a very retired house,
+she took my arm, and proceeded to the dinner-room.
+
+The dinner itself, and the table equipage, were in keeping with the
+simplicity of the whole establishment; but if the fare was humble and
+the wine of the very cheapest, all the habitudes of the very highest
+society presided at the meal, and the polished ease and elegance, so
+eminently the gift of ancient French manners, were conspicuous.
+
+There prevailed among the guests all the intimacy of a large family;
+at the same time a most courteous deference was remarkable, which never
+approached familiarity. And thus they talked lightly and pleasantly
+together of mutual friends and places they had visited; no allusion ever
+being made to the popular topics of the day,--to me a most inexplicable
+circumstance, and one which I could not avoid slightly expressing my
+astonishment at to the lady beside me. She smiled significantly at my
+remark, and merely said,--
+
+“It is so agreeable to discuss matters where there can be no great
+difference of opinion,--at least, no more than sharpens the wit of the
+speakers,--that you will rarely hear other subjects talked of here.”
+
+“But have the great events which are yet passing no interest?”
+
+“Perhaps they interest too deeply to admit of much discussion,” said
+she, with some earnestness of manner.
+
+“But I am myself transgressing; and, what is still worse, losing you the
+observations of Monsieur de Saint George on Madame de Sévigné.”
+
+The remark was evidently made to change the current of our conversation;
+and so I accepted it,--listening to the chit-chat around me, which, from
+its novelty alone, possessed a most uncommon charm to my ears. It was
+so strange to hear the allusions to the courtiers and the beauties of
+bygone days made with all the freshness of yesterday acquaintance; and
+the stores of anecdotes about the court of Louis the Fifteenth and the
+Regency told with a piquancy that made the event seem like an occurrence
+of the morning.
+
+Before we retired to the drawing-room for coffee, I saw that the
+“pension” was a Royalist establishment, and wondered how it happened
+that I should have been selected by the host to make one of his guests.
+Yet unquestionably there seemed no reserve towards me; on the contrary,
+each evinced a tone of frankness and cordiality which made me perfectly
+at ease, and well satisfied at the fortune which led me to the Rue
+Mi-Carême.
+
+The little parties of dominoes and piquet scattered through the _salon_;
+some formed groups to converse; the ladies resumed their embroidery; and
+all the occupations of indoor life were assumed with a readiness that
+betokened habit, and gave to the “pension” the comfortable air of a
+home.
+
+Thus passed the first evening. The next morning the party assembled at
+an early hour to breakfast; after which the gentlemen went out, and did
+not appear until dinnertime,--day succeeding day in unvarying but to me
+not unpleasing monotony. I rarely wandered from the large wilderness of
+a garden near the house, and saw weeks pass over without a thought ever
+occurring to me that life must not thus be suffered to ebb.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX. MY NAMESAKE
+
+About a month after I came to live in the “pension,” I was sitting one
+evening at the window, watching, with the interest an idle man will ever
+attach to slight things,--the budding leaves of an early spring,--when I
+heard a step approach my chair, and on turning my head perceived Madame
+de Langeac. She carried her taboret in her hand, and came slowly towards
+me.
+
+“I am come to steal some of your sunshine, Monsieur Burke,” said the old
+lady, smiling good-naturedly, as I rose to present a chair, “but not to
+drive you away, if you will be generous enough to keep me company.”
+
+I stammered out some commonplace civility in reply, and was silent,
+for my thoughts were bent upon my future, and I was ill disposed to
+interruption.
+
+“You are fond of flowers, I have remarked,” continued she, as if
+perceiving my preoccupation, and willing to relieve it by taking the
+burden of the conversation. “And it is a taste I love to witness; it
+seems to me like the evidence of a homely habit. It is only in childhood
+we learn this love; we may cultivate it in after life as we will.”
+
+“My mother was passionately fond of them,” said I, calling up a
+long-buried memory of home and kindred.
+
+“I thought so. These simple tastes are the inheritance a mother gives
+her child; and happily they survive every change of fortune.”
+
+I sighed heavily as she spoke, for thus accidentally was touched the
+weakest chord of my heart.
+
+“And, better still,” resumed she, “they are the links that unite us to
+the past, that bind the heart of manhood to infancy, that can bring down
+pride and haughtiness, and call forth guileless affection and childlike
+faith.”
+
+“They are happy,”' said I, musing, “who can mingle such early memories
+with the present.”
+
+“And who cannot?” interrupted she, rapidly. “Who has not felt the love
+of parents,--the halo of a home? Old as I am, even I can recall the
+little walks I trod in infancy, and the hand that used to guide me. I
+can bring up the very tones of that voice which vibrated on my heart as
+they spoke my name. But how much happier they to whom these memories
+are linked with tokens of present affection, and who, in their manhood's
+joys, can feel a father's or a mother's love!”
+
+“I was left an orphan when a mere child,” said I, as though the
+observation had been specially addressed to me.
+
+“But you have brothers,--sisters, perhaps.”
+
+I shook my head. “A brother, indeed; but we have never met since we were
+children.”
+
+“And yet your country has not suffered the dreadful convulsion of ours;
+no social wreck has scattered those who once lived in close affection
+together. It is sad when such ties are broken. You came early to
+France, I think you told me?”
+
+“Yes, Madame. When a mere child my heart conceived a kind of devotion
+to the Emperor: his fame, his great exploits, seemed something more
+than human,--filled every thought of my brain; and to be a soldier,_his_
+soldier, was the limit of my ambition. I fancied, too, that the cause he
+asserted was that of freedom; that liberty, universal liberty, was the
+watchword that led to victory.”
+
+“And you have discovered your error,” interrupted she. “Alas! it were
+better to have followed the illusion. A faith once shaken leaves an
+unsettled spirit, and with such there is little energy.”
+
+“And less of hope,” said I, despondingly.
+
+“Not so, if there be youth. Come, you must tell me your story. It is
+from no mere curiosity I ask you; but that I have seen much of the
+world, and am better able than you to offer counsel and advice. I have
+remarked, for some time past, that you appear to have no acquaintance
+in Paris,--no friend. Let me be such. If the confidence have no other
+result, it will relieve your heart of some portion of its burden;
+besides, the others here will learn to regard you with less distrust.”
+
+“And is such their feeling towards me?”
+
+“Forgive me; I did not exactly use the word I sought for. But now that
+I have ventured so far, I may as well confess that you are an object of
+the greatest interest in their eyes; nor can they divest themselves of
+the impression that some deep-laid plot had led you hither.”
+
+“Had I known this before--”
+
+“You had left us. I guessed as much: I have remarked it in your
+character already, that a morbid dread of being suspected is ever
+uppermost in your thoughts; and accounted for it by supposing that you
+might have been thrown at too early an age into life. But you must
+not feel angry with us here. As for me, I have no merit in my right
+appreciation of you: Monsieur Rubichon told me how you met,--a mere
+accident, at the bureau of the préfet.”
+
+“It was so; nor have I been able to divine why he addressed himself to
+me, nor what circumstance could have led him to believe my sentiments in
+accordance with those of his guests.”
+
+“Simple enough the reason. He heard from your own lips you were a
+stranger, without any acquaintance in Paris. The police for a time
+have been somewhat frequent in their visits here, when the exclusively
+Royalist feature of the 'pension' excited some dissatisfaction. To
+overcome the impression, M. Rubichon determined to wait each day at the
+bureau of the préfet, and solicit at hazard among the persons there
+to patronize his house. We all here consented to the plan, feeling
+its necessity. Our good fortune sent us you. Still, you must not be
+surprised if long sorrows and much suffering have engendered suspicion,
+nor that the old followers of a king look distrustfully on the soldier
+of”--she hesitated and blushed slightly, then added, in a low voice--“of
+the Emperor.”
+
+The word seemed to have cost a pang in its utterance; for she did not
+speak for several minutes after.
+
+“And these gentlemen,--am I to conclude that they cherish disaffection
+to the present Government, or harbor a hope of its downfall?”
+
+Whether some accidental expression of disdain escaped me as I said this,
+I cannot say; but Madame de Langeao quickly replied,--
+
+“They are good Frenchmen, sir, and loyal gentlemen; what they _hope_
+must be a matter for their own hearts.”
+
+“I entreat your pardon, Madame, if I have said one syllable which could
+reflect upon their motives.”
+
+“I forgive you readily,” said she, smiling courteously; “he who has worn
+a sabre so long, may well deem its influence all-powerful. But believe
+me, young man, there is that within the heart of a nation against which
+mere force is nothing; opposed to it, armed squadrons and dense ranks
+are powerless. Devotion to a sovereign, whose claim comes hallowed by a
+long line of kings, is a faith to which religion lends its sanction and
+tradition its hope. Look on these very persons here; see, has adversity
+chilled their affection, or poverty damped their ardor? You know them
+not; but I will tell you who they are.
+
+“There, at the fire, that venerable old man with the high, bold
+forehead, he is Monsieur de Plessis (Comte Plessis de Riancourt). His
+grandfather entertained Louis the Fourteenth and his suite within his
+château; he himself was grand falconer to the king. And what is he
+now? I shame to speak it,--a fencing-master at an humble school of the
+Faubourg.
+
+“And the other opposite to him (he is stooping to pick something from
+the floor), I myself saw him kneel at the levée of his Majesty, and
+beheld the king assist him to rise, as he said, 'Monsieur de Maurepas, I
+would make you a duke, but that no title could be so dear to a Maurepas
+as that his ancestors have borne for six hundred years.' And he, whose
+signature was but inferior to the royal command, copies pleadings of a
+lawyer to earn his support.
+
+“And that tall man yonder, who has just risen from the table,--neither
+years nor poverty have erased the stamp of nobility from his graceful
+figure,--Comte Felix d'Ancelot, captain of the Gardes du Corps; the
+same who was left for dead on the stairs at Versailles pierced by eleven
+wounds. He gives lessons in drawing! two leagues from this, at the other
+extremity of Paris.
+
+“You ask me if they hope; what else than hope, what other comforter,
+could make such men as these live on in want and indigence, declining
+every proffer of advancement, refusing every temptation that should warp
+their allegiance? I have read of great deeds of your Emperor,--I have
+heard traits of heroism of his generals, compared to which the famed
+actions of the Crusaders paled away; but tell me if you think that all
+the glory ever won by gallant soldier, tried the courage or tested the
+stout heart like the long struggle of such men as these? And here, if I
+mistake not, comes another, not inferior to any.”
+
+As she spoke, the steps of a _calèche_ at the door were suddenly
+lowered, and a tall and powerfully built man stepped lightly out. In
+an instant we heard his footstep in the hall, and in another moment the
+door of the _salon_ opened, and M. Rubichon announced “Le Général Count
+Burke.”
+
+The general had just time to divest himself of his travelling pelisse as
+he entered, and was immediately surrounded by the others, who welcomed
+him with the greatest enthusiasm.
+
+“Madame la Marquise de Langeac,” said he, approaching the old lady, as
+she sat in the recess of the window, and lifted her hand to his lips,
+“I am overjoyed to see you in such health. I passed three days with
+your amiable cousin, Arnold de Rambuteau; who, like yourself, enjoys the
+happiest temperament and the most gifted mind.”
+
+“If you flatter thus, General,” said Madame de Langeac, “my young friend
+here will scarcely recognize in you a countryman,--a kinsman, perhaps.
+Let me present Mr. Burke.”
+
+The general's face flushed, and his eyes sparkled, as taking my hand in
+both of his own, he said,--
+
+“Are you indeed from Ireland? Is your name Burke? Alas! that I cannot
+speak one word of English to you. I left my country thirty-eight years
+since, and have never revisited it.”
+
+The general overwhelmed me with questions: first about my family, of
+which I could tell him little; and then of my own adventures, at which,
+to my astonishment, he never evinced those symptoms of displeasure I
+so confidently expected from an old follower of the Bourbons. This he
+continued to do, as he ate a hurried meal which was laid out for him in
+the _salon_; all the rest standing in a circle around, and pressing him
+with questions for this friend or that at every pause he made.
+
+“You see, gentlemen,” cried he, as I replied to some inquiry about my
+campaign, “this is an instance of what I have so often spoken to you.
+Here is a youth who leaves his country solely for fighting sake; he
+does not care much for the epaulette, he cares less for the cause. Come,
+come, don't interrupt me; I know you better than you know yourself.
+You longed for the conflict and the struggle and the victory; and,
+_parbleu!_ we may say as we will, but you could have scarcely made a
+better selection than with his Majesty, Emperor and King, as they style
+him.”
+
+This speech met with a sorry reception from the bystanders, and in the
+dissatisfied expression of their faces, a less confident speaker might
+have read his condemnation; but the general felt not this, or, if he
+did, he effectually concealed it.
+
+“You have not inquired for Gustave de Me is in,” said he, looking round
+at the circle.
+
+“You have not seen him, surely?” cried several together; “we heard he
+was at Vienna.”
+
+“No, _parbleu!_ he lives about a league from his old home,--the very
+house we spent our Christmas at eighteen years ago. They have made a
+barrack of his château, and thrown his park into a royal _chasse_; but
+he has built a hut on the river-side, and walks every day through his
+own ground, which he says he never saw so well stocked for many a year.
+He is as happy as ever, and loves to look out on the Seine before his
+door when the bright stream is rippling through many a broad leaf; ay,
+Messieurs, of good augury, too,--the lilies of France.” He lifted a
+bumper to his lips as he spoke, and drank the toast with enthusiasm.
+
+This sudden return to loyalty, so boldly announced, served to reinstate
+him in their estimation; and once again all their former pleasure at
+his appearance came back, and again the questions poured in from every
+quarter.
+
+“And the abbé,” said one; “what of him? Has he made up his mind yet?”
+
+“To be sure he has, and changed it too, at least twice every twenty-four
+hours. He is ever full of confidence and brimming with hope when the
+wind is from the eastward; but let it only come a point west, his
+spirits fall at once, and he dreams of frigates and gunboats, and the
+hulks in the Thames; and though they offered him a cardinal's hat, he 'd
+not venture out to sea.”
+
+The warning looks of the bystanders, and even some signals to be
+cautious, here interrupted the speaker, who paused for a few seconds,
+and then fixed his eyes on me.
+
+“I have no fears, gentlemen, on that score. I know my countrymen well,
+though I have lived little among them. My namesake here may like the
+service of the Emperor better than that of a king,--he may prefer the
+glitter of the eagle to the war-cry of Saint Louis,--but he 'll never
+betray the private conversations nor expose the opinions expressed
+before him in all the confidence of social intercourse.
+
+“We are speaking, Mr. Burke, of an abbé who is about to visit Ireland,
+and whose fears of the English cruisers seem little reasonable to some
+of my friends here, though you can explain, perhaps, that they are not
+groundless. I forgot,--you were but a boy when you crossed that sea.”
+
+“But he will go at last,” said Madame de Langeac; “I suppose we may rely
+on that?”
+
+“We hope,” said the general, shrugging his shoulders with an air of
+doubt, “because, when we can do nothing else, we can always hope.” And
+so saying he arose from the table, and taking a courteous leave of each
+person in turn, pleading the fatigue of his journey, he retired for the
+night.
+
+I left the saloon soon after, and went to my room full of all I had
+heard, and pondering many thoughts about the abbé and his intended
+voyage. I spent a sleepless night. Thoughts of home, long lost in the
+excitement of my career, came flocking to my brain, and a desire
+to revisit my country--stronger, perhaps, because undefined in its
+object--made me restless and feverish. It was with delight I perceived
+the day dawning, and dressing myself hastily, I descended into the
+garden. To my surprise, I found General Burke already there. He was
+sauntering along slowly by himself, and seemed wrapped in meditation.
+The noise of my approach startled him, and he looked up.
+
+“Ah! my countryman,--so early astir?” said he, saluting me courteously.
+“Is this a habit of yours?”
+
+“No, sir; I cannot claim the merit of such wakefulness. But last night
+I never closed my eyes. A few words you dropped in conversation in the
+drawing-room kept possession of my heart, and even yet I cannot expel
+them.”
+
+“I saw it at the time I spoke,” replied the general, with a keen, quick
+glance; “you changed color twice as I mentioned the Abbé Gernon. Do you
+know him?”
+
+“No, sir; it was his intended journey, not himself, for which I felt
+interested.”
+
+“You would wish to accompany him, perhaps. Well, the matter is not
+impossible; but as time presses, and we have little leisure for
+mysteries, tell me frankly why are you here?”
+
+In few words, and without a comment on any portion of my conduct, I told
+him the principal circumstances of my life, down to the decisive moment
+of my leaving the army.
+
+“After that step,” said I, “feeling that no career can open to me here,
+I wish to regain my own country.”
+
+“You are right,” said the general, slowly; “it is your only course now.
+The venture is not without risk,--less from the English cruisers than
+the French, for the abbé is well known in England, and Ireland too;
+but his Royalist character would find slight favor with Fouché. You are
+willing to run the risk, I suppose?”
+
+“I am.”
+
+“And to travel as the abbe's servant, at least to Falaise? there the
+disguise will end.”
+
+“Perfectly so.”
+
+“And for this service, are you also ready to render us one in return?”
+ said he, peering at me beneath his eyelashes.
+
+“If it involve the good faith I once swore to preserve towards the
+Emperor Napoleon, I refuse it at once. On such a condition, I cannot
+accept your aid.”
+
+“And does your heart still linger where your pride has been so
+insulted?”
+
+“It does, it does; to be his soldier once more, I would submit to
+everything but dishonor.”
+
+“In that case,” said he, smiling good-naturedly, “my conscience is a
+clear one; and I may forward your escape with the satisfying reflection
+that I have diminished the enemies of his Majesty Louis the Eighteenth
+by one most inveterate follower of Napoleon. I shall ask no conditions
+of you. When are you ready?”
+
+“To-day,--now.”
+
+“Let me see; to-morrow will be the 8th,--to-morrow will do. I will write
+about it at once. Meanwhile, it is as well you should not drop any hint
+of your intended departure, except to Madame de Langeac, whose secrecy
+may be relied on.”
+
+“May I ask,” said I, “if you run any risk in thus befriending me? It is
+an office, believe me, of little promise.”
+
+“None whatever. Rarely a month passes over without some one or other
+leaving this for England. The intercourse between Rome and Ireland is
+uninterrupted, and has been so during the hottest period of the war.”
+
+“This seems most unaccountable to me; I cannot understand it.”
+
+“There is a key to the mystery, however,” said he, smiling. “The English
+Government have confidence in the peaceful efforts of the priesthood as
+regards Ireland, and permit them to hold unlimited intercourse with the
+Holy See, which fears France and the spirit of her Emperor. The Bourbons
+look to the Church as the last hope of the Restoration. It is in the
+Catholic religion of this country, and its traditions, that monarchy
+has its root. Sap one, and you undermine the other. Legitimacy is a holy
+relic,--like any other, the priests are the guardians of it; and as for
+the present ruler of France, he trusts in the spirit of the Church to
+increase its converts, and believes that Ireland is ripening to revolt
+through the agency of the priests. Fouché alone is not deceived. Between
+him and the Church the war is to the knife; and but for him the high
+seas would be more open than the road to Strasburg,--at least, to
+all with a shaven crown and a silk frock. Here, then, is the simple
+explanation of what seemed so difficult; and I believe you will find it
+the true one.”
+
+“But two out of the three parties must be deceived,” said I.
+
+“Perhaps all three are,” replied he, smiling sarcastically. “There are
+some, at least, who deem the return of the rightful sovereign is more to
+be hoped from the sabre than the crosier, and think that Rome never was
+true except to Rome. As to your journey, however, its only difficulty
+or danger is the transit through France; once at the coast, and all
+is safe. Your passport shall be made out as a retired sous-officier
+returning to his home. You will take Marboeuf in the route, and I will
+give you the necessary directions for discovering the abbé.”
+
+“Is it not possible,” said I, “that _he_ may feel no inclination
+to encumber himself with a fellow-traveller, and particularly one a
+stranger to him?”
+
+“Have no fear on that head. Your presence, on the contrary, will give
+him courage, and we must let him suppose you accompany him at our
+suggestion.”
+
+“Not with any implied knowledge or any connection with your views,
+however,” said I. “This is well understood between us?”
+
+“Perfectly so. And now meet me here this evening, after coffee, and I
+will give you your final instructions, Adieu, for the present.”
+
+He waved his hand and left me. Then, after walking a few paces, turned
+quickly round, and said,--
+
+“You will remember, a blouse and knapsack are indispensable for your
+equipment. Adieu!”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX. AN OLD SAILOR OF THE EMPIRE
+
+No circumstance of any interest occurred on my journey to Marboeuf; my
+passport, made out in my own name as a sous-officier on leave, secured
+me against any interruption or delay; and on the third evening I reached
+the little wayside cabaret, about a league beyond the town, where I was
+informed by the count that the abbé would await me.
+
+To my surprise, however, I discovered that the house was occupied by a
+detachment of the Marines of the Guard, proceeding from Marboeuf to the
+coast; with these, assuming the “camaraderie” of the service, I soon
+made acquaintance, and being possessed of some information about
+the army, my company was at once coveted by the sailors, who had no
+opportunity of learning the events of the campaign.
+
+The flurried manner and the over-solicitous desire of the landlord
+to please, did not escape me; and taking the first opportunity that
+offered, I followed him into his room, and closed the door behind me.
+
+“Has _he_ arrived?” said I, assuming at once the tone of one with whom
+there need be no secrecy.
+
+“Ha! you are the captain, then, and I was right?” said he, not replying
+to my question, but showing that he was aware who I was. But in an
+instant he resumed, “Alas! no, sir; the orders to have quarters ready
+for ten men reached me yesterday; and though I told his messenger that
+he might come in safety,--the marines never noticing any traveller,--he
+has evidently been afraid to venture. This is the 10th; on the 12th the
+vessel is to be off the coast; after that it will be too late.”
+
+“But he may come yet.”
+
+The man shook his head and sighed; then muttered half aloud, “It was a
+foolish choice to take a coward for a hazardous enterprise. The Comte de
+Chambord has been here twice to-day to see him, but in vain.”
+
+“Where is he, then? at what distance from here?”
+
+“No one knows. It must be some leagues away, however, for his messenger
+seems tired and weary when he comes, and never returns the same day.”
+
+“Is it not possible he may have pushed on to the coast, finding this
+place occupied?”
+
+“Ah, sir, it is plain you know him not; he has no daring like this, and
+would never seek a new path if the old were closed against him. But
+after all, it would be useless here.”
+
+“How so?”
+
+“The letters have not come yet, and without them he could not leave the
+coast. Meanwhile, be cautious: take care lest your absence should be
+remarked by the men; return to them now, and if anything occur, I will
+make a signal for you.”
+
+The landlord's advice was well timed, for I found that the party were
+already becoming impatient at my delay, and wondering what had caused
+it.
+
+“They say, Comrade,” said a short-set, dark-featured Breton, whose black
+beard and mustache left little vestige of a human face visible,--“they
+say that the cavalry of the Guard give themselves airs with us marines,
+and that our company is not good enough for them. Is this the case?”
+
+“It is the first time I have heard the remark,” replied I, “and I hope
+it may be the last; with us of the Eighth I know such a feeling never
+existed; and yet we thought ourselves not inferior to our neighbors.”
+
+“Then why did you leave us just now?” grumbled out two or three in a
+breath.
+
+“You shall know that presently,” said I, smiling; at the same time I
+arose and opened the door. “You may bring in the Burgundy now, Master
+Joseph; we are all ready for it.”
+
+A hearty cheer welcomed this speech, and many a rude hand was stretched
+forth to grasp mine; at the same instant the host, accurately divining
+the necessity of the moment, entered with a basket containing six
+bottles, whose cobwebbed necks and crusted surface bespoke the choicest
+bin of his cellar.
+
+“_Macon!_ gentlemen,” said he, drawing the cork of a flask with all the
+steadiness of hand of one accustomed to treat Burgundy properly.
+
+“Ah, _parbleu!_ a generous grape, too,” said the short sailor, who spoke
+first, as he drained his glass and refilled it. “_Allons_, Comrades,
+'The Emperor! '”
+
+“The Emperor!” repeated each voice in turn, even to the poor landlord,
+whose caution was stronger than his loyalty.
+
+“The Emperor, and may Heaven preserve him!” said the dark-whiskered
+fellow.
+
+“The Emperor, and may Heaven forgive him!” said the host, who this time
+uttered the true sentiments of his heart, without knowing it.
+
+“Forgive him!” roared three or four together,--“forgive him what?”
+
+“For not making thee an admiral of the fleet,” said the landlord,
+slapping the stout sailor familiarly on the shoulder.
+
+A burst of rude laughter acknowledged the success of this speech, and
+by common consent the host was elected One of the company. As the wine
+began to work upon the party, the dark fellow, whose grade of sergeant
+was merely marked by a gold cord on his cuff, and which had hitherto
+escaped my notice, assumed the leadership, and recounted some stories
+of his life; which, treating of a service so novel to me in all its
+details, were sufficiently interesting, though the materials themselves
+were slight and unimportant.
+
+One feature struck me in particular through all he said, and gave a
+character most distinctive to the service he belonged to, and totally
+unlike what I had observed among the soldiers of the army. With _them_
+the armies of all Europe were accounted the enemy,--the Austrian, the
+Russian, the Italian, and the Prussian were the foes he had met and
+conquered in so many fields of glory. The pride he felt in his triumphs
+was a great but natural sentiment; involving, however, no hatred of his
+enemy, nor any desire to disparage his courage or his skill. With the
+sailor of the Empire, however, there was but one antagonist, and that
+one he detested with his whole heart: England was a word which stirred
+his passion from its very inmost recesses, and made his blood boil
+with intense excitement. The gay insolence of the soldier, treating his
+conquest as a thing of ease and certainty, had no resemblance to the
+collected and impassioned hate of the sailor, who felt that _his_
+victories were not such as proclaimed his superiority by evidence
+incontestable. The victories on land contrasted, too, so strongly
+with even what were claimed as such at sea, that the sailors could not
+control their detestation of those who had robbed them of a share of
+their country's praise, and made the hazardous career they followed one
+of mere secondary interest in the eyes of France.
+
+A more perfect representative of this mingled jealousy and hate could
+not be found than Paul Dupont, the sous-officier in command of this
+little party. He was a Breton, and carried the ruling trait of his
+province into the most minute feature of his conduct. Bold, blunt,
+courageous, open-hearted, and fearless, but passionate to the verge of
+madness when thwarted, and unforgiving in his vengeance when insulted,
+he only believed in Brittany, and for the rest of France he cared as
+little as for Switzerland. His whole life had been spent at sea, until
+about two years previous, when from boatswain he was promoted to be a
+sergeant of the Marines of the Guard,--a step he regretted every day,
+and was now actually petitioning to be restored to his old grade, even
+at the sacrifice of pay and rank; such was the impression a short life
+ashore had made on him, and so complete his contempt for any service
+save that in blue water.
+
+“Come, old 'sea-wolf,'”--such was the sobriquet Paul went by among his
+comrades,--“thou art dull to-night,” said an old sailor with a head as
+white as snow. “I haven't seen thee so low of heart this many a day.”
+
+“What wonder, Comrade, if I am so?” retorted Paul, gruffly. “This shore
+service is bad enough, not to make it worse by listening to such yarns
+as these we have been hearing, about platoons and squadrons; of charges
+here and counter-marches there. _Ventre d'enfer!_ that may amuse
+those who never saw a broadside or a boarding; but as for me, look ye,
+Comrade!”--here he addressed himself to me, laying his great hand upon
+my shoulder as he spoke,--“until ye can bring your mounted lines to
+charge up to the mouth of a battery vomiting grape and roundshot, ye
+must not tell your stories before old sailors, ay, though they be only
+Marines' of the Guard, some of them.”
+
+“Don't be angry with old Paul, Comrade,” said the man who spoke before;
+“he does not mean to offend you.”
+
+“Who told you that?” said Paul, sternly. “Why can't you sheer off, and
+leave me to' lay alongside of my enemy my own way?”
+
+“You must not call me by such a name,” said I; “we all serve the
+Emperor, and have no enemies save his. Come, Paul, let us have a cup of
+wine together.”
+
+“Agreed! an ye promise to tell no more tales of dragoons and hussars,
+and such like cattle, I'll drink with you. Bah! it's not Christianlike
+to fight a-horse-back,--it's only fit for Turks and Arabs; but for men
+that are made to stand fast on their own stout timbers, they have no
+need of four-footed beasts to carry them against an enemy. Here's my
+hand, Comrade; is it a bargain?”
+
+“Willingly,” said I, laughing. “If you consent, instead, to tell us some
+of your own adventures, I promise faithfully not to trouble you with one
+of mine.”
+
+“That's like a man,” said Paul, evidently flattered by the successful
+assertion of his own superiority. “And now, if the host will let us have
+some more wine, I'm ready.”
+
+“Ay, ay,” cried several together; “replenish the basket once more.”
+
+“This time, gentlemen, you must permit me to treat you. It is not every
+day such guests assemble under my poor roof,” said the landlord, bowing
+courteously, “nor am I likely soon to pass so pleasant an evening.”
+
+“That's as you please it,” said Paul, carelessly. “If you are too good
+a fellow to care for money, there's three naps for the poor of the
+village; mayhap there may be an old sailor amongst them.”
+
+A murmur of satisfaction at their comrade's conduct ran round the
+circle, as the host disappeared for the fresh supply of wine. In an
+instant he was back again, carrying a second basket under his arm, which
+he placed carefully on the table, saying, “Pomard of '87, gentlemen; I
+wish it were Chambertin for your sakes.”
+
+“_Tête bleue!_that's what I call wine,” said one, smacking his lips, as
+he tasted the generous liquor.
+
+“Yes,” said Paul, “that's better than drinking the pink water they serve
+us out on service. _Morbleu!_ how we 'd fight, if they'd tap an aume of
+that when they beat to quarters.”
+
+The bottle now passed freely from hand to hand; and Paul, leaning
+back in his chair, crossed his arms before him, as, with his eyes
+half closed, he seemed to be occupied in remembering some long passed
+occurrence.
+
+“Ay, Comrades,” said he, after a long pause, “the landlord was not so
+far out as you may think him. I might have been, if not an admiral of
+the fleet, at least a captain or a commodore by this time, if I only
+wished it, but I wouldn't.”
+
+“You wouldn't, Paul?” cried three or four in a breath. “How do you mean,
+you wouldn't? Is it that you didn't like it?”
+
+“That's it: I didn't like it,” replied he, glaring around him as he
+spoke, with a look which had repressed any tendency to mirth, if such
+an inclination existed in the party. “Mayhap there are some here don't
+believe this,” he continued, as if anxious to extort a contradiction
+from any one bold enough to adventure it; but none seemed disposed to
+meet his wishes. He resumed. “The way of it was this:--
+
+“We sailed from Brest, seven sail and two frigates, on a cruise, in the
+Messidor of the year '13, (it was the time of the Republic then), and
+our orders were to keep together, and afford protection to all vessels
+of our flag; and wherever an opportunity offered to engage the enemy, to
+do so, if we had a fair chance of success. There was one heavy sailer
+of the fleet, the 'Old Torch,' and by good luck I was in her; and so,
+before we were eight days out, it came on to blow a hurricane from the
+northeast, with a great sea that threatened to poop us at every stroke.
+How the others weathered it I can't say; we rolled so badly that we
+carried away our mainmast and half our bulwarks, and when day broke we
+could see nothing of the rest. We were lying floundering there in the
+trough of the sea, with nothing left but a storm-jib to keep her head
+straight, and all hands at the pumps; for in working she had opened her
+old seams, and leaked like a basket. Well, we cut away the wreck of the
+mast, and we threw twelve of our guns over,--short eighteens they were,
+and all heavy metal,--and that lightened her a bit, and we began to have
+hopes of weathering out the gale, when the word was passed of a strange
+sail to windward.
+
+“We looked, and there saw a great vessel looming, as large as a
+three-decker, coming down towards us with close-reefed topsails, but
+going through the water like a swordfish. At first we hoped it was one
+of our own; but that hope did not last long, for as she neared us we
+saw floating from the peak that confounded flag that never boded us good
+fortune. She was an English eighty-gun ship; the 'Blanche' they called
+her. _Ventrebleu!_ I didn't know how they ever got so handsome a model;
+but, I learned after, she was a French ship, and built at Toulon,--for
+you see, Comrades, they never had such craft as ours. Well, down they
+came, as if they were about to come right over us, and never once made
+a signal, nor took any notice of us whatever, till quite close; when
+a fellow from the poop-deck shouted out in French,--bad enough it was,
+too,--desiring us to keep close till the sea went down a bit, and then
+to send a boat to them. _Sacristi!_there was no more about it than that;
+and they made a prize of us at once.
+
+“But our captain was not one of that mould, and he answered by beating
+to quarters; and just as the 'Blanche' swept past, up flew our ports,
+and eight carronades threw in a fire of grape along her deck that made
+them dance to the music. _Diable!_ the fun was short, though. Round she
+came in stays like a pinnace, down helm, and passed us again; when, as
+if her sides slit open, forty guns flashed forth their flame, and sent
+us a broadside that made the craft tremble again, and left our deck one
+mass of dead and wounded. There was no help for it now. The clear
+water came gushing up the hatchways from many a shothole; the craft was
+settling fast, and so we hauled down the ensign and made the signal of
+distress. The answer was, 'Keep her afloat if you can.' But, faith, our
+fellows didn't care much to save a prize for the English, and they would
+n't lend a hand to the pumps, but crossed their arms and stood still,
+waiting for her to go down; when what did we see but two boats lowered
+from the 'Blanche' and dropped into the sea, which was then running
+mountains high. _Feu d'enfer!_ they don't know where there is danger and
+where not, these English; and that's the reason they seem so brave!
+For a minute or two we thought they were swamped, for they were hidden
+entirely; then we saw them on the top of a wave, balancing, as it might
+be; and again they disappeared, and the huge dark swell seemed to have
+swallowed them. And so we strained eyes after them, just as if our own
+danger was not as great as theirs; when suddenly a fearful cry for'ed
+was heard, and a voice called out. 'She is sinking by the head!'
+
+“And so it was. A crash like falling timber was heard above the storm
+and the sea, and the 'Torch' rolled heavily from side to side, and then
+plunged bowsprit down, and the boiling surf met over her. There was
+a wild yell; some said it was a cheer; I thought it like a drowning
+cry,--and I remember no more. That is, I have a kind of horrid dreamy
+remembrance of buffeting in the waves, and shaking off a hand that
+grasped me by the shoulder, and then feeling the water gathering over me
+as I grew more and more exhausted. But the end of it was, I came to
+my senses some hours after, and found myself in a hammock on board the
+'Blanche,' with twenty-eight of my comrades. All the rest--above two
+hundred and fifty--had perished, the captain and the officers among
+them.
+
+“The 'Blanche' was under orders for St. Domingo, and was in no way
+anxious to have our company; and before a week was over we were drafted
+into a small sloop of war, carrying eight guns, and called the 'Fawn,'
+She was bound for England with despatches from Nelson,--one of their
+English admirals they 're always talking about. This little craft could
+sail like the wind, but she was crowded with sick and invalided men from
+some foreign station, and there was not a place the size of a dog-kennel
+on board of her that was not occupied. As for us, we were only
+prisoners, and you may think they were n't very particular about
+our comforts; and so they ranged us along under the bulwarks to
+leeward,--for they would n't spoil her sailing trim by suffering us to
+sit to windward; and there we were, drenched to the skin, and shivering
+from day to dark.
+
+“Four days went over in this way, when, on the fifth, about eight
+o'clock in the morning, the lookout announced several strange sail
+in sight; and the same instant we perceived the officers setting the
+glasses to observe them. We could remark that the sight did not seem to
+please them much; but more we knew not, for we were not allowed to stand
+up nor look over the bulwarks. The lieutenant of the watch called up the
+commander; and when he came on deck he ordered the men to cram on more
+sail, and hold her head a point or so off the wind; and as soon as
+it was done, the rushing noise at the cutwater told the speed she was
+making through the sea. It was a fine day, with a fresh breeze and a
+nice curl from the water; and it was a handsome thing to see how the
+sloop bent to the gale and rose again, her canvas white as snow and
+steady as a board; and we soon knew, from the manner of the officers
+and the anxious looks they 'd give to leeward from time to time, that
+another vessel was in chase of the 'Fawn.' Not a man stirred on the deck
+save the lieutenant of the watch, who walked the quarterdeck with his
+glass in his hand; now lifting it to his eye, and now throwing a glance
+aloft to see how the sails were drawing.
+
+“'She's gaining on us, sir,' cried the boatswain, as he went aloft, to
+the lieutenant. 'Shall we ease her off a little more?'
+
+“'No, no,' said he, impatiently. 'She's coming handover-hand now. Clear
+the deck, and prepare for action.'
+
+“My heart jumped to my throat as I heard the words; and waiting until
+the lieutenant's back was turned, I stole my eyes above the bulwark,
+and beheld the tall masts and taper spars of a frigate, all covered
+with canvas, about two miles astern of us. She was a good-sized craft,
+apparently of thirty-eight guns; but what I liked best about her was the
+broad tricolor that fluttered from her masthead. Every curl that floated
+on the breeze whispered liberty to my heart.
+
+“'You know her?' said the lieutenant, laying his hand on my shoulder,
+before I was aware he was behind me. 'What is she?'
+
+“'Lend me your glass, Lieutenant, and perhaps I can tell you,' said
+I; and with that he gave the telescope into my hand, and leaned on the
+bulwark beside me. 'Ha!' said I, as soon as I caught the side of her
+hull, 'I ought to know her well; I sailed in her for two years and a
+half. She's the “Créole,” of thirty-eight guns, the fastest frigate in
+our navy; she has six carronades on her quarterdeck, and never goes to
+sea without three hundred and twenty men.'
+
+“'If she had three tiers of them we 'd not flinch from her,' said a
+voice behind. It was the commander himself, who was now in full uniform,
+and wore a belt with four pistols stuck around it.
+
+“There is no use in denying it,--the English prepared for action like
+brave fellows, and soon cleared the deck of everything in the way of the
+guns. But what use was it? In less than an hour the 'Créole' worked to
+windward, and opened a fire from her long guns to which the other could
+make no reply. There they came plumping in,--some into the hull, some
+splintering through the bulwarks, and some crashing away through the
+rigging; and all the crew could do was to repair the mischief the
+distant cannonade was making.
+
+“'It's a cowardly way your countrymen come into action, after all,' said
+the lieutenant, as he watched the shot hopping and skipping along the
+water to leeward. 'With four times our strength, they don't bear down
+and encourage us.'
+
+“As he spoke, a shot cut the peak halyards in two, and down came the
+spar with a crash, carrying with it in its fall that ensign they 're so
+proud of. It was all we could do, prisoners as we were, not to cheer at
+this; but the faces around us did not encourage us to such a course, and
+we sat silently watching them.
+
+“The moment the accident happened, twenty stout fellows were clambering
+up the rigging, and as many more engaged to repair the mischief. But
+suddenly the commander whispered something to the lieutenant; the
+men were called down again, and the craft was let fall off the wind,
+trailing the sails and the tangled rigging over her sides.
+
+“'And the prisoners, sir?' said the lieutenant, at the close of
+something I could not hear.
+
+“'Send them below,' was the short reply.
+
+“'We cannot; the space between decks is crowded to suffocation. But here
+she comes.' And, as he spoke, the frigate came bearing down in gallant
+style, her whole deck swarming with men.
+
+“'Down, men, down!' whispered the lieutenant, and he dropped on his
+knee behind the bulwark, and motioned to the rest to kneel. And I now
+perceived that every sailor had a drawn cutlass in his hand and pistols
+in his belt, as he lay crouching on the deck.
+
+“The frigate was now so close, I could hear the commands of the officers
+on the quarterdeck, and the words 'Bas les branles'--the signal to
+board--passed from mouth to mouth. The next instant, she closed on us,
+and showed her tall sides towering above us.
+
+“'Now, men!' cried the commander of the 'Fawn,' 'now, forward! 'All who
+care to live, there's your ground,' said he, pointing to the frigate.
+'Such as like to die on a British deck, remain with me.' The boarders
+sprang up the side of the 'Créole' before the crew could fasten the
+grapples. _Tonnerre de Dieu!_ what a moment it was! The fellows cheered
+like madmen, as they poured in to certain death; the lieutenant himself
+was one of the first on board, and fell back the same instant, dead upon
+his own deck. The struggle was a bloody but brief one; for a few
+minutes the English pressed our men back, and gained a footing on
+the quarterdeck, but a murderous fire from the tops cut them down in
+numbers, and they now fought, not for victory, but vengeance.
+
+“'Now, Captain, now!' screamed a youth, in a lieutenant's uniform, but
+all covered with blood, and his face gashed with a cutlass-wound, as he
+leaned over the bulwark of the 'Créole,' and waved his cap in the air.
+
+“'I'm ready,' replied the English commander, and sprang down the main
+hatchway as he spoke, with a pistol in his hand. At the same instant,
+a fearful cry burst forth from the prisoners; for, with the instinct of
+despair, they guessed his desperate resolve was to blow up the vessel.
+We were tied, wrist to wrist, and the rope run through the blocks at our
+back in such a way as to prevent our moving more than a few inches. But
+what will not the fear of a dreadful death do? With one unanimous effort
+we tore the lashings in pieces, and got free. I was myself the first
+at liberty, and sprang towards the 'Creole.' Alas! they had divined
+the awful doom awaiting us, and were endeavoring to shove off at once.
+Already there were some ten or twelve feet between the vessels. I rushed
+forward to gain the bowsprit, a vague hope of escape suggesting the
+effort. As I did so, my eyes caught sight of a book, which, with his
+hat, the captain threw from him as he hastened below. I stooped down
+and put it in my bosom,--why, I know not. Life, and life only, was my
+thought at that moment. Then, with lightning's speed, I ran along the
+deck, and out on the bowsprit.
+
+“At this instant, the frigate shot ahead of us; I made a leap, the last
+effort of despair, and caught the fluke of the anchor; a friendly
+hand threw me a rope and dragged me on the deck. As I gained it, a
+thunderclap, louder than ten broadsides, broke forth, and the frigate
+fell over on one side as if sinking; while over her rigging and her
+masts flew spars and timbers, blazing and burning, amid a black smoke
+that filled the air on every side. Every man about dropped wounded
+or terrified on the deck, where they lay amid the falling fire of the
+wreck, and the terrible carnage. I wiped the blood from my eyes, for
+I was bleeding profusely from a splinter cut, and looked about me. The
+deck was a mass of dead and dying; their piercing cries and groans were
+maddening to hear. The frigate, however, was flying fast through the
+water; the 'Fawn' was gone!”
+
+“_Tête-bleue!_ he blew her up?” said three or four in a breath.
+
+Paul nodded, and resumed:--
+
+“Ay, Comrades, and the half-dozen of her crew who stood alive on our
+quarterdeck cheered the explosion as if it was a victory; and one
+fellow, as he lay bleeding on the planks, cried out, 'See, there; look,
+if our gay flag is not high above yours, as it always will be! 'And that
+time he was right, for the spar that bore it was nigh the clouds.
+
+“Well, to finish my story: In eight days we made Brest, and all of us
+who were wounded were sent on shore to the naval hospital. A sorry set
+we were; most of us disabled by splinter-wounds, and many obliged to
+suffer amputation. I was about again sooner than the rest, and was sent
+for one morning on board the admiral's ship, to give some account of the
+'Fawn,' of which they never could hear enough; and when I came to that
+part where I made my escape, they all began a-laughing at my stopping
+to take up a book at such a moment. And one of the lieutenants said,
+jokingly,--
+
+“'Well, Paul, I suppose it was the Englishman's breviary saved your
+life, was n't it?'
+
+“'No, Lieutenant,' said I; 'but you 'd be mighty proud this day to have
+that same breviary in your possession.'
+
+“'How so, good fellow?' said the admiral himself, old Villaret Joyeuse,
+who always talked like one of ourselves. 'What is this book, then, that
+is so precious?'
+
+“'I 'll show it you, sir, because I 've no fear of foul play at your
+hands; but there's not another man of the fleet I 'd let see it,' And
+with that I took it out of my breast, where I always carried it, and
+gave it to him. Ah! if you'd seen his face,--how it flushed up as he
+turned over the leaves, and how his eyes sparkled with fire!
+
+“'Paul Dupont,' said he, 'are you aware what this is?'
+
+“'Yes, Admiral,' said I, 'as well as you are.'
+
+“'Your fortune's made, then, my brave fellow,' said he, slapping me on
+the shoulder. 'The finest frigate in the English navy is a less prize
+than this.'
+
+“_Mille tonnerres!_ how the others stared at me then. But I stood
+without minding how they looked, for I was the same Paul Dupont they
+laughed at a few minutes before.
+
+“Meanwhile the admiral laid down the book on the table, and covered
+it with his cocked hat; and then taking a pen he wrote some lines on a
+piece of paper before him.
+
+“'Will that do, Paul?' said he, handing it towards me.
+
+“It was just this: 'Bureau of the Marine, Brest. Pay Paul Dupont the sum
+of ten thousand francs, for service rendered to his Imperial Majesty,
+and attested in a note by me Villaret Joyeuse, Admiral of France.'
+
+“I could scarce read the lines, Comrades, for pure passion.
+
+“'Ten thousand francs!' said I at last, as soon as I found breath,--'ten
+thousand francs!'
+
+“'What!' cried the admiral, 'not content? Well, then, thou shalt have
+more; but I have rarely met one of your cloth with so mercenary a
+spirit.'
+
+“'Stay, Admiral,' said I, as I saw him about to write a new order; 'we
+both are in an error here. You mistake me, and I you. An old admiral of
+the fleet ought to know his sailors better than to think that money is
+their highest reward; it never was so at least with Paul Dupont Let me
+have my book again.'
+
+“'Come, come, Paul; I believe I understand you now,' laid he. 'Your
+warrant shall be made out this day.'
+
+“'No, Admiral, it's too late,' said I. 'If that had come first, and from
+yourself, all well; but it looks like a bargain now, and I 'll not have
+promotion that way.'
+
+“'Mort du diable!' said he, stamping with passion. 'But they 're all
+the same; these Bretons are as brutal in their obstinacy as their own
+cattle.'
+
+“'You say true, Admiral,' said I; 'but if they're obstinate in wrong,
+they're resolute in right. You are a Breton gentleman; give me back my
+book.'
+
+“'Take it,' said he, flinging it at me, 'and let me never see your face
+again.' And with that he left the cabin, and banged the door after him
+in a rage.
+
+“And so, I went my way, Comrades, back to my ship, and served for many a
+long year after, carrying that book always in my breast, and thinking
+to myself, 'Well, what if thou art only a boatswain, Paul; thou hast
+wherewithal in thy keeping to make thee a commodore any day.'”
+
+“And what can it be, then, this book?” said the party, in a breath.
+
+“You shall see,” said Paul, solemnly; “for though I have never shown it
+since, nor have I ever told the story before, here it is.”
+
+With these words he drew from his bosom a small square volume, bound in
+vellum, and fastened by a clasp; lettered on the cover, “Signals of the
+Channel Fleet.”
+
+This was the secret of honest Paul's life; and as he turned over the
+leaves, he expatiated with eloquent delight on the various British
+emblems which were represented there, in all their brilliant coloring.
+
+“That double streak of yellow on the black is to make all sail,
+Comrades,” said he. “Whenever they see us standing out to sea you may
+remark that signal flying.”
+
+“And what is this large blue flag here, with all the colored bars across
+it?” said one.
+
+“Ay,” cried another, “they're very fond of that ensign; what can it be?”
+
+“Close action,” growled out Paul, sullenly, who didn't fancy even the
+reflective praise this question implied to the hated rival.
+
+“_Sacrebleu!_” said a third, “they've no other to announce a victory.
+Look here; it is the same flag for both.”
+
+Paul shut up the book at this, with a muttered curse, which might have
+been intended either for his comrades or the English, or both together,
+and the whole party became suddenly silent.
+
+It was now that the landlord's tact became conspicuous; for instead
+of any condoling expressions on what might have been deemed the
+unsuccessful result of Paul's career, he affected to think that the
+brave seaman was more to be envied for the possession of that volume
+than if he walked the deck an admiral of France.
+
+This flattery, aided by a fresh supply of Burgundy, had full success;
+and from story-telling the party fell to singing,--the songs being
+only a more boastful detail of their prowess at sea than their prose
+narratives; and even here Paul maintained his supremacy.
+
+Sleep, however, stronger than self-glorification and pride, fell on the
+party one by one, and they lay down at last on the tables and benches,
+and slumbered heavily.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.  A MOONLIGHT RECOGNITION
+
+I sat on my bed in the little chamber allotted me, and as the bright
+moonlight streamed along the floor, and lit up the wide landscape
+without, I hesitated within myself whether I should await the morning,
+or at once set forth on my way to the coast. It was true the abbé had
+not arrived; and without him I knew nothing of the vessel, nor where she
+lay, much less by what means I should induce the crew to receive me as
+a passenger. But my heart was fixed on gaining the coast; once there,
+I felt that the sea alone rolled between me and my country, and I had
+little doubt some means of escape would present itself.
+
+The desire to return to Ireland, long stilled, was now become a passion.
+I thought some new career must there open for me, and in its active
+vicissitudes I should make amends for the wearisome languor of my late
+life. What this novel path was to be, and where to lead, I cannot
+say; nor am I able now, in looking back, to guess by what sophistry I
+persuaded myself into this belief. It was the last ray of hope within
+me, however, and I cherished it only the more fondly for its very
+uncertainty.
+
+As I sat thus deliberating with myself what course to take, the door was
+cautiously opened, and the landlord entered.
+
+“He is come,” whispered he; “and, thank Heaven! not too late.”
+
+“The abbé?” inquired I.
+
+“No, not the abbé; but the Comte de Chambord. The abbé will not venture;
+but it matters not, if you will. The letters are all ready; the sloop is
+off the coast; the wind is fair--”
+
+“And not a moment to be lost,” added a deep, low voice, as the figure of
+a tall man, wrapped in a travelling cloak, darkened the doorway. “Leave
+us, Pierre; this is the gentleman, I suppose?”
+
+“Yes, sir,” said the landlord. “Should you need a light, I 'll bring
+one.”
+
+“Thank you, friend; we can dispense with any, save what the moon affords
+us.”
+
+As the door closed on the retiring figure of the host, the stranger took
+his place beside me on the bed, and in a low voice thus began:--
+
+“I only know, sir, that you have the full confidence of one of my
+stanchest and best friends, who tells me that you are willing to incur
+great risk, provided you gain the chance of reaching your native land.
+That chance--nay, I will call it that certainty--lies in my power; and,
+in return for the assistance, are you willing to do me a service?”
+
+“I served the Emperor, sir; ask me not anything unworthy of one who wore
+his epaulette. Aught else, if it be but honorable and fair, I 'll do.”
+
+“I have no leisure for casuistry, nor is it my humor, sir,” replied he
+angrily. “Neither do I seek any wondrous devotion at your hands. The
+service is an easy one: costs nothing at the present; involves nothing
+for the future.”
+
+“The slight value you place upon it may detract but little from my
+objection,” said I.
+
+“_Sacré ciel!_” exclaimed he, in a louder voice, as he sprang from the
+bed and clasped his hands before him. “Is it to be ever thus? Is every
+step we take to be marred by some unlooked for casualty? Is the stamp
+of fear and vacillation to be on every act of our lives? This abbé, the
+creature we have made, the man whose fortune is our handiwork, could
+render but one service to our cause; and he fails us in our need. And
+now, you--”
+
+“Beware, sir, how you speak to one who has never been accustomed to
+hear his name slightingly used nor his honor impugned. With your cause,
+whatever it be, I have no sympathy. Remember that; and remember, also,
+we are strangers to each other.”
+
+“No, _par Saint Denis!_ that we are not!” said he, seizing me by the
+arm, as he turned his head round, and stared me steadfastly in the face.
+“It was but this instant I deemed my fortune at the worst; and now I
+find myself mistaken. Do you know me now?” said he, throwing off his
+travelling cap, and letting his cloak fall from his shoulders to the
+ground.
+
+“De Beauvais!” exclaimed I, thunderstruck at the sight.
+
+“Yes, sir; the same De Beauvais whose fortunes you have blighted,
+whose honor you have tarnished--Interrupt me not. The mill at Hôlbrun
+witnessed the latter, if even the former were an error; and now we meet
+once more.”
+
+“Not as enemies, however; at least on my side. You may persist, if you
+will, in attributing to me wrongs I never inflicted. I can better bear
+the imputation, unjust though it be, than involve myself in any quarrel
+with one I feel no anger towards. I was in hopes a few hours hence might
+have seen me on my way from France forever; but here, or elsewhere, I
+will not reply to your enmity.”
+
+De Beauvais made no reply as I concluded, but with his arms crossed, and
+head bent down, seemed lost in thought.
+
+“And so,” said he, at length, in a slow, sad voice, “you have not found
+the service of the Usurper as full of promise as you hoped; you have
+followed his banner long enough to learn how mean a thing even ambition
+may be, and how miserably selfish is the highest aspiration of an
+adventurer!”
+
+“The Emperor was my good master,” said I, sternly; “it would ill become
+me to vent my disappointment on aught save my own demerits.”
+
+“I have seen as slight deservings bring a high reward, notwithstanding,”
+ replied he; “ay, and win their meed of praise from lips whose eulogy was
+honor. There was a service, Burke--”
+
+“Stay, no more of this!” said I. “You are unjust to your own cause and
+to me, if you deem that the hour of baffled hopes is that in which I
+could see its justice. _You_ are true and faithful to one whose fortunes
+look darkly. I respect the fidelity, while I will not follow its
+dictates. I leave the path where fame and riches abound; I only ask you
+to believe that I do so with honor. Let us part, then.”
+
+“Where do you mean to go, hence?”
+
+“I know not; a prospect of escape had led me hither. I must now bethink
+me of some other course.”
+
+“Burke, I am your debtor for one kindness, at least,” said De Beauvais,
+after a brief pause. “You saved my life at the risk of your own. The
+night at the Château d'Ancre should never be forgotten by me; nor had
+it been, if I did not revenge my own disappointed hopes, in not
+seducing you to our cause, upon yourself. It may be that I wrong you in
+everything as in this.”
+
+“Believe me, that you do, De Beauvais.”
+
+“Be it as it may, I am your debtor. I came here to-night to meet one who
+had pledged himself to perform a service. He has failed in his promise;
+will you take his place? The same means of escape shall be yours. All
+the precautions for his safety and sure conduct shall be taken in your
+behalf. I ask no pledge for the honorable discharge of what I seek at
+your hands, save your mere assent.”
+
+“What is it you require of me?”
+
+“That you deliver these letters to their several addresses; that you
+do so with your own hands; that when questioned, as you may be, on the
+state of France, you will not answer as the partisan of the Usurper.”
+
+“I understand you. Enough: I refuse your offer. Your zeal for the cause
+you serve must indeed be great when it blinds you to all consideration
+for one placed as I am.”
+
+“It has made me forget more, sir, far more than that, as I might prove
+to you, were I to tell what my life has been for two years past. But for
+such forgetfulness there is an ample recompense, a glorious one,--the
+memory of our king.” He paused at these words, and in his tremulous
+voice and excited gesture I could read the passion that worked within
+him. “Come, then; there shall be no more question of a compact between
+us. I ask no conditions, I seek for no benefits: you shall escape.
+Take my horse; my servant, who is also mounted, will accompany you to
+Beudron, where you will find fresh horses in readiness. This passport
+will prevent all interruption or delay; it is countersigned by Fouché
+himself. At Lisieux, which you will reach by sunset, you can leave the
+cattle, and the boy of the cabaret will be your guide to the Falaise
+de Biville. The tide will ebb at eleven o'clock, and a rocket from the
+sloop will be your signal to embark.”
+
+“And for this I can render nothing in return?” said I, sadly.
+
+“Yes. It may be that in your own country you will hear the followers
+of our king scoffed at and derided,--called fools or fanatics, perhaps
+worse. I would only ask of you to bear witness that they are at least
+ardent in the cause they have sworn to uphold, and firm to the faith
+to which they have pledged themselves. This is the only service you can
+render us, but it is no mean one. And now, farewell!”
+
+“Farewell, De Beauvais! But ere we separate forever, let me hear from
+your lips that you bear me no enmity; that we are friends, as we used to
+be.”
+
+“Here is my hand. I care not if you injured me once; we can be friends
+now, for we are little likely to meet again as enemies. Adieu!”
+
+While De Beauvais left the room to order the horses to be in readiness,
+the landlord entered it, and seemed to busy himself most eagerly in
+preparing my knapsack for the road.
+
+“I trust you will be many a mile hence ere the day breaks,” said
+he, with an anxiety I could ill comprehend, but which at the time
+I attributed to his desire for the safety of one intrusted with an
+important mission. “And now, here come the horses.'”
+
+A moment more, and I was seated in the saddle. A brief word at parting
+was all De Beauvais spoke, and turned away; and the minute after I was
+hurrying onward towards Beudron.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII. THE FALAISE DE BIVILLE.
+
+Everything occurred as De Beauvais had predicted. The authorities in the
+little villages we passed glanced at my passport, and as instantaneously
+handed it back, and we journeyed like couriers of the Emperor, without
+halt or impediment.
+
+We reached Lisieux early in the evening, where, having dismissed the
+servant and horses, I took my way on foot towards a small fishing
+village, called La Hupe, where at a certain cabaret I was to find my
+guide to Biville.
+
+The address of the sailor written on a card, and marked with a peculiar
+cipher by De Beauvais, was at once recognized by the old Norman, who
+welcomed me with a rude but kindly hospitality.
+
+“Thou art more like a man to make this venture than the last three who
+came down here,” said he, as he slowly measured me with his eye from
+head to foot. “These priests they sent us never dared even to look at
+the coast, much less to descend the cliffs; but thou hast a look about
+thee of another fashion. And now, the first thing is to have something
+to eat, and I promise thee a _goutte_ of brandy will not be amiss to
+prepare thee for what is before thee.”
+
+“Is there, then, so much of danger in the descent?”
+
+“Not if a man's head be steady and his hand firm; but he must have both,
+and a stout heart to guide them, or the journey is not over-pleasant.
+Art thou cool enough in time of peril to remember what has been told
+thee for thy guidance?”
+
+“Yes; I hope I can promise so much.”
+
+“Then thou art all safe; so eat away, and leave the rest to me.”
+
+Although the sailor's words had stimulated my curiosity in the highest
+degree, I repressed every semblance of the feeling, and ate my supper
+with a well-feigned appearance of easy indifference; while he questioned
+me about the hopes of the Bourbon party in their secret machinations,
+with a searching inquisitiveness that often nearly baffled all my
+ingenuity in reply.
+
+“Ah! _par Saint Denis!_” said he, with a deep sigh, “I see well thou
+hast small hope now; and, in truth, I feel as thou dost. When George
+Cadoudal and his brave fellows failed, where are we to look for success?
+I mind well the night he supped here.”
+
+“Here, said you?”
+
+“Ay, where you sit now,--on the same seat. There was an English
+officer with him. He wore a blue uniform, and sat yonder, beneath that
+fishing-net; the others were hid along the shore.”
+
+“Was it here they landed, then?”
+
+“Yes, to be sure, at the Falaise; there is not another spot to land on
+for miles along the coast.”
+
+The old sailor then began a circumstantial account of the arrival of
+George and his accomplices from England; and told how they had one by
+one scaled the cliffs by means of a cord, well known in these parts,
+called the “smuggler's rope.” “Thou shalt see the spot now,” added he,
+“for there's the signal yonder.”
+
+He pointed as he spoke to an old ruined tower, which crowned a cliff
+about half a mile distant, and from a loophole in which I could see a
+branch of ivy waving, as though moved by the wind.
+
+“And what may that mean?”
+
+“The cutter is in sight; as the wind is off shore, she 'll be able to
+come in close to-night. Indeed, if it blew from the westward, she dared
+not venture nearer, nor thou, either, go down to meet her. So, now let's
+be moving.”
+
+About twenty minutes' walking brought us to the old signal-tower, on
+looking from the window of which I beheld the sea plashing full three
+hundred feet beneath. The dark rocks, fissured by time and weather, were
+abrupt as a wall, and in some places even overhung the waves that rolled
+heavily below. Masses of tangled seaweed and shells, which lay in the
+crevices of the cliffs, showed where in times of storm the wild waters
+were thrown; while lower down, amid fragments of rocks, the heavy beams
+and planks of shipwrecked vessels surged with every motion of the tide.
+
+“You cannot see the cutter now,” said the old sailor,--“the setting sun
+leaves a haze over the sea; but in a few minutes more we shall see her.”
+
+“I am rather looking for the pathway down this bold cliff,” replied I,
+as I strained my eyes to catch something like a way to descend by.
+
+“Then throw thine eyes in this direction,” said the sailor, as he
+pointed straight down beneath the window of the tower. “Seest thou that
+chain there? Well, follow it a little farther, and thou may'st mark a
+piece of timber jutting from the rock.”
+
+“Yes, I see it plainly.”
+
+“Well, the path thou asketh for is beneath that spar. It is a good rope
+of stout hemp, and has carried the weight of many a brave fellow before
+now.”
+
+“The smuggler's rope?”
+
+“The same. Art afraid to venture, now thou seest the place?”
+
+“You'll not find me so, friend. I have seen danger as close before now,
+and did not blink it.”
+
+“Mark me well, then,” said he, laying his hand on my arm. “When thou
+readiest that rope, thou wilt let thyself cautiously down to a small
+projecting point of rock; we cannot see it here, but thou wilt soon
+discern it in the descent. The rope from this goes no farther, for that
+spot is nigh sixty fathom below us. From thence the cliff slopes sharply
+down about thirty or forty feet. Here thou must creep cautiously,--for
+the moss is dry and slippery at this season,--till thou nearest the
+edge. Mark me well, now: near the edge thou'lt find a large stone
+fast-rooted in the ground; and around that another rope is fastened, by
+which thou may'st reach the bottom of the precipice. There is but one
+place of peril in the whole.”
+
+“The sloping bank, you mean?”
+
+“Yes; that bit will try thy nerve. Remember, if thy foot slip, there's
+nothing to stop thy fall; the cliff is rounded over the edge, and the
+blue sea beats two hundred feet below it. And see! look yonder, far away
+there! Seest thou the twinkling, as of a small star, on the water?”
+
+“The cutter will throw up a rocket, will she not?”
+
+“A rocket!” repeated he, contemptuously; “that's some landsman's story
+thou hast been listening to. A rocket would bring the whole fleet of
+boats from Tréport on her. No, no; they know better than that: the
+faintest glimmer of a fishing-craft is all they 'll dare to show. But
+see how steadily it burns now! we must make the signal seawards.”
+
+“Halloo, Joseph! a light there.”
+
+A boy's voice answered from the upper part of the tower,--the same
+figure who made the signal towards the shore, and whose presence there I
+had altogether forgotten; and in a few minutes a red glare on the rocks
+below showed that the old man's command was obeyed, and the beacon
+lighted.
+
+“Ah! they see it already,” cried he, triumphantly, pointing seawards;
+“they've extinguished the light now, but will show it again, from time
+to time.”
+
+“But tell me, friend, how happens it that the marines of the Guard, who
+line this coast, do not perceive these signals?”
+
+“And who tells thee that they do not? They may be looking, as we are
+now, at that same craft, and watching Her as she beats in shore; but
+they know better than to betray us. Ah, _ma foi!_ the 'contrebande'
+is better than the Government. Enough for them if they catch some poor
+English prisoner now and then, and have him shot; that contents the
+Emperor, as they call him, and he thinks the service all that is brave
+and vigilant. But as to us, it is our own fault if we fall in with them;
+it would need the rocket you spoke of a while ago to shame them into it.
+There, look again,--thou seest how far in shore they've made already;
+the cutter is stealing fast along the water. Answer the signal, Joseph.”
+
+The boy replenished the fire with some dry wood, and it blazed up
+brilliantly, illuminating the gray cliffs and dark rocks, on which the
+night was fast falling, but leaving all beyond its immediate sphere in
+deepest blackness.
+
+“I see not, friend, by what means I am to discover this sloping cliff,
+much less guide my way along it,” said I, as I gazed over the precipice,
+and tried to penetrate the gloomy abyss below me.
+
+“Thou 'lt have the moon at full in less than two hours; and if thou 'lt
+take a friend's counsel, thou 'lt have a sleep ere that time. Lay thee
+down yonder on those rushes; I 'll awake thee when time comes for it.”
+
+The rather that I resolved to obey my old guide in his every direction,
+than from any desire for slumber at such a time, I followed his advice,
+and threw myself full length in a corner of the tower. In the perfect
+stillness of the hour, the sea alone was heard, surging in slow, minute
+peals through many a deep cavern below; and then, gathering for fresh
+efforts, it swelled and beat against the stern rocks in passionate fury.
+Such sounds, heard in the silence of the night, are of the saddest; nor
+was their influence lightened by the low, monotonous chant of the old
+sailor, who, seated in a corner, began to repair a fishing-net, as he
+sang to himself some ditty of the sea.
+
+How strangely came the thought to my mind, that all the peril I once
+incurred to reach France, the hoped-for, wished-for land, I should
+again brave to escape from its shores! Every dream of boyish ambition
+dissipated, every high hope flown, I was returning to my country as poor
+and humble as I left it, but with a heart shorn of all the enthusiasm
+that gave life its coloring. In what way I could shape my future career
+I was not able even to guess; a vague leaning to some of England's
+distant colonies, some new world beyond the seas, being all my
+imagination could frame of my destiny. A sudden flash of light,
+illuminating the whole interior of the tower, startled me from my
+musings, while the sailor called out,--
+
+“Come, wake up, friend! The cutter is standing in close, and a signal to
+make haste flying from her mast.”
+
+I sprang to my legs, and looked out. The sea was all freckled with the
+moonlight, and the little craft shone like silver, as the bright beams
+glanced on her white sails. The tall cliffs alone preserved their gloom,
+and threw a dark and frowning shadow over the waves beneath them.
+
+“I can see nothing close to shore,” said I, pointing to the dark rocks
+beneath the window.
+
+“Thou'lt have the moon presently; she's rising above the crest of the
+hill, and then the cliffs are clear as at noonday. So, make haste! strap
+on that knapsack on your shoulder; high up, mind; and give thine arms
+full play,--that's it. Now fasten thy shoes over all; thou wert not
+about to wear them, surely?” said he in a tone almost derisive. “Take
+care, in keeping from the face of the rock, not to sway the rope; it
+wears the cordage. And, above all, mind well when thou reachest the
+cliff below; let not thy hold go before thou hast well felt thy footing.
+See, the moon is up already!”
+
+As he spoke, a vast sheet of yellow light seemed to creep over the whole
+face of the precipice, displaying every crag and projection, and making
+every spot of verdure or rock brilliant in color; while, many a fathom
+down below, the heavy waves were seen,--now rising in all their majestic
+swell, now pouring back in their thousand cataracts from every fissure
+in the precipice. So terribly distinct did each object show, so
+dreadfully was each distance marked, I felt that all its former gloom
+and darkness were not one half so thrilling as that moonlight splendor.
+
+“La bonne Marie guard thee now!” said the old seaman, as he wrung my
+hand in his strong fingers. “Be steady and cool of head, and there is
+no danger; and look not downwards till thou hast got accustomed to the
+cliff.”
+
+As he said this, he opened a small door at the foot of the tower stair,
+and passing through himself, desired me to follow. I did so, and now
+found myself on a narrow ledge of rock, directly over the crag; below,
+at about ten feet, lay the chain to which the rope was attached, and to
+reach it was not the least perilous part of the undertaking. But in this
+I was assisted by the old man, who, passing a rope through a massive
+iron staple, gradually lowered me till my hand came opposite the chain.
+
+“Thou hast it now,” cried he, as he saw me disengage one hand and grasp
+the iron links firmly.
+
+“Yes, all safe! Good-by, friend; good-by!”
+
+“Wait yet,” cried he again. “Let not go the cord before thou thinkest
+a minute or so; I have known more than one change his mind when he felt
+himself where thou art.”
+
+“Mine is made up. Farewell!”
+
+“Stay, stay!” shouted he rapidly. “See, thou hast forgotten this purse
+on the rock here; wait, and I will lower it with a cord.”
+
+By this time I had grasped the chain firmly with both hands, and with
+the resolve of one who felt life depend on his own firmness, I began
+the descent. The old man's voice, as he muttered a prayer for my safety,
+grew fainter and fainter, till at length it ceased to reach my ears
+altogether.
+
+Then, for the first time, did my heart sink within me. The words of one
+human being, faint and broken by distance, suggested a sense of sympathy
+which nerved my courage and braced my arm; but the dreary silence that
+followed, only broken by the booming of the sea below, was awful beyond
+measure.
+
+Hand below hand I went, the space seeming never to lessen, as I strained
+my eyes to catch the cliff where the first rope ended. Time, as in
+some fearful dream, seemed protracted to years long; and I already
+anticipated the moment when, my strength failing, my hands would
+relinquish their hold, and I should be dashed upon the dark rocks below.
+The very sea-birds, which I startled in my descent, wheeled round my
+head, piercing the air with their shrill cries, and as if impatient for
+a prey. Above my head the frowning cliff beetled darkly; below, a depth
+unfathomable seemed to stretch, from whose black abyss arose the wild
+sounds of beating waves. More than once, too, I thought that the
+rope had given way above, and that I was actually falling through the
+air,--and held my breath in horror; then, again, the idea flashed
+upon me that death inevitable awaited me, and I fancied in the singing
+billows I could hear the wild shouts of demons rejoicing over my doom.
+
+Through all these maddening visions, the instinct to preserve my life
+held its strong sway, and I clutched the knotted rope with the eager
+grasp of a drowning man; when suddenly I felt my foot strike a rock
+beneath, and then discovered I was on the cliff of which the sailor had
+told me. In a few seconds the sense of security imparted a thrill of
+pleasure to my heart, and I uttered a prayer of thankfulness for my
+safety.
+
+But the fearful conviction of greater danger as suddenly succeeded. The
+rope I had so long trusted terminated here; the end hung listlessly on
+the rock, and from thence to the brow of the cliff nothing remained to
+afford a grip save the short moss and the dried ferns withered with the
+sun. The surface of this frightful ledge sloped rapidly towards the edge
+where was the rock around which the rope was tied.
+
+Fatigued by my previous exertion I sat down on that moss-grown cliff and
+gazed out upon the sea, along which the cutter came, proudly dashing
+the spray from her bows, and bending gracefully with every wave. She was
+standing fearlessly in, for the wind was off the land, and, as she swept
+along, I could have fancied her directly beneath my very feet.
+
+Arousing myself from the momentary stupor of my faculties, I began to
+creep down the cliff; but so slippery had the verdure become by heat,
+that I could barely sustain myself by grasping the very earth with my
+fingers. Aloud “Halloo!” was shouted from the craft, and arose in many
+an echo around me; I tried to reply, but could not. A second cheer
+saluted me, but I did not endeavor to answer it. The moment was full of
+peril. I had come to the last spot which offered a hold, and below me,
+at some feet, lay the rock, hanging, as it were, over the precipice; it
+seemed to me as though a sea-bird's weight might have sent it thundering
+into the depth beneath. The moon was on it, and I could see the rope
+coiled twice around it, and knotted carefully. What would I have given
+in that terrible minute for one tuft of grass, one slender bough, even
+enough to have sustained my weight for a second or two, until I should
+grasp the cord! But none was there.
+
+A louder cry from the cutter now rang in my ears, and the dreadful
+thought of destruction now flashed on me. I fixed my eyes on the rock to
+measure the place; and then, turning with my face towards the cliff, I
+suffered myself to slip downwards. At first I went slowly; then faster
+and faster. At last my legs passed over the brow of the precipice. I
+was falling! My head reeled. I uttered a cry, and in an agony of despair
+threw out my hands. They caught the rope. Knot after knot slipped past
+my fingers in the descent ere my senses became sufficiently clear to
+know what was occurring. But even then the instinct of self-preservation
+was stronger than reason; for I afterwards learned from the boat's crew
+with what skill I guided myself along the face of the cliff, avoiding
+every difficulty of the jagged rocks, and tracking my way like the most
+experienced climber.
+
+I stood upon a broad fiat rock, over which white sheets of foam were
+dashing. Oh, how I loved to see them curling on my feet t I could have
+kissed the bright water on which the moonbeams sported, for the moment
+of danger was passed; the shadow of a dreadful death had moved from
+my soul. What cared I now for the boiling surf that toiled and fretted
+about me? The dangers of the deep were as nothing to that I escaped
+from; and when the cutter's boat came bounding towards me, I minded
+not the oft-repeated warnings of the sailors, but plunging in, I dashed
+towards her on a retreating wave, and was dragged on board almost
+lifeless from my struggles.
+
+The red glare of the signal-fire was blazing from the old tower as we
+got under weigh. I felt my eyes riveted on it as I lay on the deck of
+the little vessel, which now stood out to sea in gallant style. It was
+my last look of France, and so I felt it.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII. THE LANDING
+
+With the crew of the cutter I had little intercourse. They were
+Jerseymen,--that hybrid race, neither French nor English,--who followed
+the trade of spies and smugglers, and were true to nothing save their
+own interests. The skipper, a coarse, ill-featured fellow, in no respect
+superior to the others, leisurely perused the letter De Beauvais gave
+me on my departure; then, tearing it slowly, threw the pieces into the
+fire.
+
+“What, then, is this?” said he, taking up a sealed packet, which I now
+for the first time perceived was fastened to my knapsack. “It seems
+meant for me; look at the address, 'Jacques Oloquette, on board the
+“Rouge Galant.”'” And so saying, he broke the seal, and bent over the
+contents.
+
+“Oh,” cried he, in a voice of triumphant delight, “this is a prize worth
+having,--the English signal-book!” And he held up the little volume
+which Paul Dupont had rescued from the “Fawn.”
+
+“How came it here?” said I, horror-struck at the loss the poor sailor
+had sustained.
+
+“Old Martin, of the 'Star,' tells me he stole it from a marine of the
+Guard, and that it cost him twenty-four flasks of his best Pomard
+before the fellow and his companions were drunk enough to make the theft
+practicable.”
+
+I remembered at once the eagerness of the landlord for my departure, and
+the hurried anxiety of his wish that morning might find me miles off on
+my journey, as well as the care he bestowed on strapping my knapsack,
+and saw how all had occurred.
+
+“I knew most of them already,” continued the skipper. “But here is one
+will serve our turn well now,--the very thing we wanted, for it
+saves all delay and stoppage. That flag is the signal for Admiralty
+despatches, which are often brought by small craft like ours when they
+can't spare cruisers. We 'll soon rig it out, you 'll see, and run down
+Channel with all our canvas set.”
+
+He went aft as he spoke; and in a few seconds the cutter's head was
+directed straight towards the English coast, while, crowding on more
+sail, she seemed to fly through the water.
+
+The cheering freshness of the sea-breeze, the sense of danger past,
+the hope of escape, all combining, raised my spirits and elevated my
+courage; but through all, I felt grieved beyond measure at the loss
+of poor Paul Dupont,--the prize the honest fellow valued next to life
+itself, if not above it, taken from him in the very moment of his
+exultation! Besides, I could not help feeling that suspicion must light
+on me from my sudden disappearance; and my indignation was deep, to
+think how such an imputation would tarnish the honor of that service I
+gloried in so much. “How far may such a calumny spread?” thought I. “How
+many lips may repeat the tale, and none be able to deny it?” Deep as was
+my regret at the brave Breton's loss, my anger for its consequences
+was still deeper; and I would willingly have perilled all my hope of
+reaching England to have been able to restore the book into Paul's own
+hand.
+
+These feelings did not tend to draw me closer in intimacy with the
+skipper; whose pleasure at the acquisition was only heightened by the
+subtlety of its accomplishment, and who seemed never so happy as when
+repeating some fragment of the landlord's letter, and rejoicing at the
+discomfiture the brave sailor must have experienced on discovering
+his loss. To witness the gratification a coarse nature feels in some
+unworthy but successful action, is the heaviest penalty an honorable
+mind can experience when unhappily its possessor has been in any way
+accessory to the result. With these reflections I fell off to sleep, and
+never woke till the bright sun was shining over the white-crested water,
+and the craft breasting the waves with a strong breeze upon her canvas.
+
+As we held on down Channel, we passed several ships of war beating up
+for Spithead; but our blue bunting, curiously streaked with white, was a
+signal which all acknowledged, and none ventured to retard. Thus passed
+the first day: as night was falling, we beheld the Needles on our lee,
+and with a freshening breeze, held on our course.
+
+A second morning broke. And now the sea was covered with the white sails
+of a magnificent fleet, bound for the West Indies; at least, so the
+skipper pronounced it. It was indeed a glorious sight to see the mighty
+vessels obeying the signals of the flag-ship, and shaping their course
+through the blue water as if instinct with life and reason. They were
+far seaward of us, however; for now we hugged the land, as the skipper
+was only desirous of an opportunity to land me unobserved before he
+proceeded on his own more immediate enterprise,--the smuggling of some
+hogsheads of brandy on the coasts of Ireland.
+
+Left to my own thoughts,--the memories of my past life,--I dreamed away
+the hours unconsciously, and as the time sped on, I knew not of its
+flight. Some strange sail, seen from afar off, would for an instant
+arouse my attention; but it was a mere momentary effect, and I fell back
+into my musings, as though they had never been interrupted. As I look
+back upon that voyage now, and think of the dreamy listlessness in which
+its hours were passed, I can half fancy that certain periods of our
+lives are destined to sustain the part which night performs in our daily
+existence, and by their monotony contribute to that renewal of energy
+and vigor so essential after times of labor and exertion. It seemed to
+me as though, the period of exertion past, I was regaining in rest and
+repose the power for future action; and I canvassed every act of
+the past to teach me more of my own heart, and to instruct me for my
+guidance in life after.
+
+“You can land now, whenever you please,” said the skipper to me, as by a
+faint moonlight we moved along the waveless sea. “We can put you ashore
+at any moment here.”
+
+I started with as much surprise as though the thought had never occurred
+to me; and without replying, I leaned over the bulwark, and gazed at the
+faint shadows of tall headlands about three miles distant.
+
+“How do you call that bluff yonder?” said I, carelessly.
+
+“Wicklow Head.”
+
+“Wicklow Head! Ireland!” cried I, with a thrill of ecstasy my heart had
+never felt for many a day before. “Yes, yes; land me there,--now, at
+once!” said I, as a thousand thoughts came rushing to my mind, and hopes
+too vague for utterance, but palpable enough to cherish.
+
+With the speed their calling teaches, the crew lowered the boat, and as
+I took my place in the stern, pulled vigorously towards the shore. As
+the swift bark glided along the shallow sea, I could scarce restrain
+my impatience from springing out and rushing on land. Without family or
+friend, without one to welcome or meet me, still it was home,--the only
+home I ever had.
+
+The sharp keel grated on the beach; its sound vibrated within my heart.
+I jumped on shore; a few words of parting, and the men backed their
+oars; the boat slipped fast through the water. The cutter, too, got
+speedily under weigh again, and I was alone. Then the full torrent of my
+feelings found their channel, and I burst into tears. Oh! they were not
+tears of sorrow; neither were they the outpourings of excessive joy.
+They were the utterance of a heart loaded with its own unrelieved
+griefs, who now found sympathy on touching the very soil of home. I felt
+I was no longer friendless. Ireland, my own dear native country, would
+be to me a place of kindred and family, and I fell upon my knees, and
+blessed it.
+
+Following a little path, which led slantingly up the cliff, I reached
+the top as day was beginning to break, and gained a view of the country.
+The range of swelling hills, dotted with cottages and waving with
+wood; the fields of that emerald green one sees not in other lands;
+the hedge-rows bounding the little farms,--all so unlike the spreading
+plains of France,--struck me with delight, and it was with a rapture of
+happiness I called the land my country.
+
+Directing my steps towards Dublin, I set out at a good pace, but
+following a path which led near the cliffs, in preference to the
+highroad; for I was well aware that my appearance and dress would expose
+me to curiosity, and perhaps subject me to more serious annoyance. My
+first object was to learn some news of my brother; for although the
+ties of affection had been long since severed between us, those of blood
+still remained, and I wished to hear of, and it might be to see him,
+once more. For some miles I had kept my eyes directed towards a little
+cabin which crowned a cliff that hung over the sea; and this I reached
+at last, somewhat wearied and hungry.
+
+As I followed a little footpath which conducted to the door, a fierce
+terrier rushed out as if to attack me, but was immediately restrained
+by the voice of a man within, calling, “Down, Vicksey! down, you baste!”
+ and the same moment a stout, middle-aged man appeared at the door.
+
+“Don't be afeard, sir; she's not wicked, but we're unused to strangers
+down here.”
+
+“I should think so, friend, from my path,” said I, throwing a glance
+at the narrow footway I had followed for some miles, over hill and
+precipice; “but I am unacquainted with the country, and was looking out
+for some house where I might obtain a breakfast.”
+
+“There's a town about three miles down yonder, and a fine inn, I 'm
+tould, sir,” replied he, as he scrutinized my appearance with a shrewd
+eye; “but if I might make so bould, maybe you 'd as lief not go there,
+and perhaps you 'd take share of what we have here?”
+
+“Willingly,” said I, accepting the hospitable offer as freely as it was
+made, and entered the cabin at once.
+
+A good-featured countrywoman and some young children were seated at the
+table, where a large dish of potatoes and some fresh fish were smoking,
+a huge jug of milk occupying the middle of the board. The woman blushed
+as she heard that her husband had invited a gentleman to partake of his
+humble meal; but the honest fellow cared little for the simple fare he
+offered with so good a grace, and placed my chair beside his own with
+the air of one who was more anxious for his guest's comfort than caring
+what impression he himself might make upon him.
+
+After some passing words about the season and the state of the
+tides,--for my host was a fisherman,--I turned the conversation on the
+political condition of the country, avowing frankly that I had been for
+some years absent, and was ignorant of what had occurred meantime.
+
+“'Twas that same I was thinking, sir,” said he, replying to the first
+and not the latter part of my remark. “When I saw your honor's face, and
+the beard you wore, I said to myself you wor a Frenchman.”
+
+“You mistook there, then; I am your countryman, but have passed a good
+many years in France.”
+
+“Fighting for Boney?” said he, as his eyes opened wide with surprise to
+behold one actually before him who might have served under Napoleon.
+
+“Yes, my good friend, even so; I was in the army of the Emperor.”
+
+“Tare an ages! then, are they coming over here now?” cried he, almost
+gasping in his eagerness.
+
+“No, no,” replied I, gravely; “and be thankful, too, for it, for your
+own and your children's sakes, that you see not a war raging in the
+fields and cities of your native land. Be assured, whatever wrongs you
+suffer,--I will not dispute their existence, for, as I told you, I am
+ignorant of the condition of the country,--but whatever they may be, you
+can pay too dearly for their remedy.”
+
+“But sure they 'd be on our side, would n't they?”
+
+“Of course they would; but think you that they 'd fight your battles
+without their price? Do you believe that Frenchmen so love you here
+that they would come to shed their blood in your cause without their own
+prospect of advantage?”
+
+“They hate the English, I'm tould, as bad as we do ourselves.”
+
+“They do so, and with more of justice for their hate. But that dislike
+might suffice to cause a war; it never would reward it. No, no; I know
+something of the spirit of French conquest. I glory in the bravery and
+the heroism that accomplished it; but I never wish to see my own country
+at the mercy of France. Whose soldier would you become if the Emperor
+Napoleon landed here to-morrow?--his. Whose uniform would you wear,
+whose musket carry, whose pay receive, whose orders obey?--his, and his
+only. And how long, think you, would your services be limited to home?
+What should prevent your being sent away to Egypt, to Poland, or to
+Russia? How much favor would an Irish deserter receive from a French
+court-martial, think you? No, good friend; while you have this warm roof
+to shelter you, and that broad sea is open for your industry and toil,
+never wish for foreign aid to assist you.”
+
+I saw that the poor fellow was discouraged by my words, and gradually
+led him to speak of those evils for whose alleviation he looked
+to France. To my surprise, however, he descanted less on political
+grievances than those which affect the well-being of the country
+socially. It was not the severity of a Government, but the absence of
+encouragement to industry,--the neglect of the poor,--which afflicted
+him. England was no longer the tyrant; the landlord had taken her place.
+Still, with the pertinacity of ignorance, he visited all the wrongs on
+that land from which originally his first misfortunes came, and with
+perverse ingenuity would endeavor to trace out every hardship he
+suffered as arising from the ill-will and hatred the Saxon bore him.
+
+It was easy to perceive that the arguments he used were not of his own
+devising; they had been supplied by others, in whose opinion he had
+confidence; and though valueless and weak in reality, to him they were
+all-convincing and unanswerable,--not the less, perhaps, that they
+offered that value to self-love which comes from attributing any
+evils we endure to causes outside and independent of ourselves. These,
+confronted with extravagant hopes of what would ensue should national
+independence be established, formed his code; and however refuted on
+each point, a certain conviction, too deeply laid to be disturbed by any
+opposing force, remained; and in his “Well, well, God knows best!
+and maybe we'll have better luck yet,” you could perceive that he was
+inaccessible to any appeal except from the quarter which ministered to
+his discontent and disaffection.
+
+One thing was clear to me from all he said, that if the spirit of open
+resistance no longer existed towards England, it was replaced by as
+determined and as rancorous hatred,--a brooding, ill-omened dislike had
+succeeded, to the full as hostile, and far less easily subdued. How it
+would end,--whether in the long-lingering fear which wastes the energies
+and saps the strength of a people, or in the conflict of a civil war,
+the prospect was equally ruinous.
+
+Sadly pondering on these things, I parted with my humble host, and set
+out towards the capital. If my conversation with the Irishman had taught
+me somewhat of the state of feeling then current in Ireland, it also
+conveyed another and very different lesson; it enabled me to take some
+account of the change years had effected in my own sentiments. As a
+boy, high-flown, vague, and unsettled ideas of national liberty and
+independence had made me look to France as the emancipator of Europe.
+As a man, I knew that the lust of conquest had extinguished the love of
+freedom in Frenchmen; that they who trusted to her did but exchange the
+dominion of their old masters for the tyranny of a new one; while such
+as boldly stepped forward in defence of their liberties, found that
+there was neither mercy nor compassion for the conquered.
+
+I had seen the Austrian prisoners and the Russian led captive through
+the streets of Paris; I had witnessed the great capital of Prussia in
+its day of mourning after Jena; and all my idolatry for the General
+scarce balanced my horror of the Emperor, whose vengeance had
+smitten two nations thus heavily: and I said within my heart, “May my
+countrymen, whatever be their day of need, never seek alliance with
+despotic France!”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV. A CHARACTER OF OLD DUBLIN
+
+It was about nine o'clock of a calm summer evening as I entered
+Dublin,--nearly the same hour at which, some ten years before, I had
+approached that city, poor, houseless, friendless; and still was I the
+same. In that great capital of my country I had not one to welcome
+me; not one who would rejoice at my coming, or feel any interest in my
+fortunes. This indeed was loneliness,--utter solitude. Still, if there
+be something which weighs heavily on the heart in the isolation of
+one like me, there is a proportionate sense of independence of his
+fellow-man that sustains the courage and gives energy to the will. I
+felt this as I mixed with the crowds that thronged the streets, and
+shrank not from the inquisitive glances which my questionable appearance
+excited as I passed.
+
+Though considerable changes had taken place in the outskirts of the
+capital since I had seen it last, the leading thoroughfares were just
+as I remembered them; and as I walked along Dame Street, and one by one
+each familiar object caught my eye, I could almost have fancied the
+long interval since I had been there before like a mere dream. National
+physiognomy, too, has a strange effect on him who has been long absent
+from his country. Each face you meet seems well known. The traits of
+features, to which the eye was once so well accustomed, awake a memory
+of individuals, and it is sometimes a moat difficult task to distinguish
+between the acquaintance and the passing stranger.
+
+This I experienced at every moment; and at length, as I stood gazing
+on the space before the Bank, and calling to mind the last scene I
+witnessed there, a tall, strongly-built man brushed close past me,
+and then turning round, fixed a steady and searching look on me. As I
+returned his stare, a sudden thought flashed upon me that I had seen
+the face before; but where, how, and when, I could not call to mind. And
+thus we stood silently confronting each other for some minutes.
+
+“I see you are a stranger here, sir,” said he, touching his hat
+courteously; “can I be of service to you with any information as to the
+city?”
+
+“I was curious to know, sir,” said I, still more puzzled by the voice
+than I had been by the features of the stranger, “if Miley's Hotel,
+which was somewhere in the neighborhood, exists still?”
+
+“It does, sir; but it has changed proprietors several times since you
+knew it,” replied he, significantly. “The house is yonder, where you
+see that large lamp. I perceive, sir, I was mistaken in supposing you a
+foreigner. I wish you good-evening.” And again saluting me, he resumed
+his way.
+
+As I crossed the street towards the hotel, I remarked that he turned as
+if to watch me, and became more than ever embarrassed as to who he might
+be.
+
+The doorway of the hotel was crowded with loungers and idlers of every
+class, from the loitering man about town to the ragged newsvendor,
+between whom, whatever disparity of condition existed, a tone of the
+most free-and-easy condition prevailed; the newsmen interpolating, amid
+the loud announcements of the latest intelligence, the reply to the
+observation beside him.
+
+One figure was conspicuous in the group. He was a short, dwarfish
+creature, with an enormous head, covered with a fell of black hair,
+falling in masses down his back and on his shoulders. A pair of
+fierce, fiery black eyes glared beneath his heavy brows; and a large,
+thick-lipped mouth moved with all the glib eloquence of his class and
+calling. Fearfully distorted legs and club feet gave to his gait a
+rolling motion, which added to the singularity of his whole appearance.
+
+Terry Regan was then at the head of his walk in Dublin; and to his
+capacious lungs and voluble tongue were committed the announcement of
+those great events which, from time to time, were given to the Irish
+public through the columns of the “Correspondent” and the “Dublin
+Journal.”
+
+I soon found myself in the crowd around this celebrated character,
+who was, as usual, extolling the great value of that night's paper by
+certain brief suggestions regarding its contents.
+
+[Illustration: 410]
+
+“Here's the whole, full, and true account (bad luck to the less!) of the
+great and sanguinary battle between Boney and the Roosians; with all the
+particklars about the killed, wounded, and missing; with what Boney said
+when it was over.”
+
+“What was that, Terry?”
+
+“Hould yer peace, ye spalpeen! Is it to the likes of yez I 'd be telling
+cabinet sacrets? (Here, yer honor),--'Falkner,' is it, or 'The Saunders'.
+With the report of Mr. O'Gogorman's grand speech in Ennis on the
+Catholic claims. There's, yer sowl, there's fippence worth any day ay
+the week. More be token, the letter from Jemmy O'Brien to his wife, wid
+an elegant epic poem called 'The Gauger.' Bloody news, gentlemen! bloody
+news! Won't yez sport a tester for a sight of a real battle, and
+ten thousand kilt; with 'The Whole Duty of an Informer, in two easy
+lessons.' The price of stocks and shares--Ay, Mr. O'Hara, and what
+boroughs is bringing in the market.”
+
+This last sally was directed towards a large, red-faced man, who
+good-humoredly joined in the laugh against himself.
+
+“And who's this, boys?” cried the fellow, turning suddenly his piercing
+eyes on me, as I endeavored, step by step, to reach the door of the
+hotel. “Hurrool look at his beard, acushla! On my conscience, I wouldn't
+wonder if it was General Hoche himself. 'Tis late yer come, sir,” said
+he, addressing me directly; “there's no fun here now at all, barrin'
+what Beresford has in the riding-house.”
+
+“Get away, you ruffian!” said a well-dressed and respectable-looking
+man, somewhat past the middle of life; “how dare you permit your tongue
+to take liberties with a stranger? Allow me to make room for you, sir,”
+ continued he, as he politely made an opening in the crowd, and suffered
+me to enter the house.
+
+“Ah, counsellor, dear, don't be cross,” whined out the newsvendor;
+“sure, isn't it wid the bad tongue we both make our bread. And here,”
+ vociferated he once more,--“and here ye have the grand dinner at the
+Lord Mayor's, wid all the speeches and toasts; wid the glorious, pious,
+and immortial memory of King William, who delivered us from Popery (by
+pitched caps), from slavery (by whipping), from brass money (by bad
+ha'pence), and from wooden shoes (by bare feet). Haven't we reason to
+bless his--? Ay, the heavens be his bed! 'Tis like Molly Crownahon's
+husband he was.”
+
+“How was that, Terry?” asked a gentleman near.
+
+“Take a 'Saunders,' yer honor, and I 'll tell you.”
+
+“Here, then, here's fippence; and now for the explanation.”
+
+“Molly Crownahon, yer honor, was, like us poor craytures, always
+grateful and contented wid the Lord's goodness to us, even in taking
+away our chief comfort and blessing,--the darling up there on the horse!
+(Ah, 'tis an elegant sate ye have, without stirrups!) And she went
+one day to say a handful of prayers oyer his grave,--the husband's, ye
+mind,--and sure if she did, when she knelt down on the grass she sprung
+up again as quick as she went down, for the nettles was all over the
+place entirely. 'Bad scran to ye, Peter!' says she, as she rubbed her
+legs,--'bad scran to ye! living or dead, there was always a sting in
+ye.'”
+
+[Illustration: 414]
+
+As the latter part of this speech was addressed in a tone of apostrophe
+to the statue of King William, it was received by the assembled crowd
+with a roar of laughter.
+
+By this time I had entered the house, and only bethought me how little
+suited was the great hotel of the city to pretensions as humble as mine.
+It was now, however, too late to retreat, and I entered the coffee-room,
+carrying my knapsack in my hand. As I passed up the room in search of
+a vacant table, the looks of astonishment my appearance excited on each
+side were most palpable evidences that the company considered me as
+an interloper. While some contented themselves with a stare of steady
+surprise, others, less guarded in their impertinence, whispered with,
+and even winked at their neighbors, to attract attention towards me.
+
+Offensive as this unquestionably was, it amazed even more than it
+annoyed me. In France, such a display of feeling would have been
+impossible; and the humblest soldier of the army would not have been so
+received had he deemed fit to enter Beauvilliers' or Véry's.
+
+Whether hurt at this conduct, and consequently more alive to affront
+from any quarter, or that the waiters participated in the sentiments
+of their betters, I cannot exactly say; but I certainly thought their
+manner even less equivocally betrayed the same desire of impertinence.
+This was not long a mere suspicion on my part; for on inquiring whether
+I could have a room for the night, the waiter, touching my knapsack,
+which lay on the ground beside me, with his foot, replied,--
+
+“Is this your luggage, sir?”
+
+Amazement so completely mastered my indignation at this insolence, that
+I could make no answer but by a look. This had its effect, however; and
+the fellow, without further delay, bustled off to make the inquiry.
+He returned in a few minutes with a civil message, that I could be
+accommodated, and having placed before me the simple meal I ordered,
+retired.
+
+As I sat over my supper, I could not help feeling that unless memory
+played me false, the company were little like the former frequenters
+of this house. I remembered it of old, when Bubbleton and his brother
+officers came there; and when the rooms were thronged with members
+of both Houses of Parliament,--when peers and gentlemen of the first
+families were grouped about the windows and fireplaces, and the highest
+names of the land were heard in the din of recognition; handsome
+equipages and led horses stood before the doors. But now the ragged mob
+without was scarce a less worthy successor to the brilliant display than
+were the company within to the former visitants. A tone of pretentious
+impertinence, an air of swagger and mock defiance,--the most opposite to
+the polished urbanity which once prevailed,--was now conspicuous; and
+in their loud speech and violent gesticulation, it was easy to mark
+how they had degenerated from that high standard which made the Irish
+gentleman of his day the most polished man of Europe.
+
+If in appearance and manner they fell far short of those my memory
+recalled, their conversation more markedly still displayed the long
+interval between them. Here, of old, were retailed the latest news of
+the debate,--the last brilliant thing of Grattan, or the last biting
+retort of Flood; here came, hot from debate, the great champions of
+either party to relax and recruit for fresh efforts; and in the groups
+that gathered around them you might learn how great genius can diffuse
+its influence and scatter intelligence around it,--as the Nile
+waters spread plenty and abundance wherever they flow: high and noble
+sentiments, holy aspirations and eloquent thoughts, made an atmosphere,
+to breathe which was to feel an altered nature. But now a vapid mixture
+of conceit and slang had usurped the place of these, and a tone of
+vulgar self-sufficiency unhappily too much in keeping with the externals
+of those who displayed it: the miserable contentions of different
+factions had replaced the bolder strife of opposite parties, and
+provincialism had put its stamp on everything. The nation, too, if I
+might trust my ears with what fell around me, had lost all memory of its
+once great names, and new candidates for popular favor figured in their
+places.
+
+Such were some of the changes I could mark, even as I sat. But my
+attention was speedily drawn from them by a circumstance more nearly
+concerning myself. This was the appearance in the coffee-room of the
+gentleman who first addressed me in the street.
+
+As he passed round the room, followed by a person whose inferiority was
+evident, he was recognized by most of those present, many of whom shook
+him warmly by the hand, and pressed him to join their parties. But this
+he declined, as he continued to walk slowly on, scrutinizing each face
+as he went. At last I saw his eyes turn towards me. It was scarcely a
+glance, so rapid was it, and so quickly were his looks directed to a
+different quarter; but I could mark that he whispered something to a
+person who followed, and then, after carelessly turning over a newspaper
+on the table, sauntered from the room. As he did so, the shaggy head of
+the dwarf newsvendor peeped in, and the great black eyes took a survey
+of the coffee-room, till finally they settled on me.
+
+“Ah!” cried the fellow, with a strange blending of irony and compassion
+in his voice; “be gorra, I knew how it would be,--the major has ye!” At
+this a general laugh broke out from all present, and every eye was fixed
+on me.
+
+Meanwhile the follower had taken his place nearly opposite me at the
+table, and was busily engaged examining a paper which he had taken from
+his pocket.
+
+“May I ask, sir, if your name be Burke?” said he, in a low voice, across
+the table.
+
+I started with amazement to hear my name pronounced where I believed
+myself so completely a stranger, and in my astonishment, forgot to
+answer.
+
+“I was asking, sir--” repeated he.
+
+“Yes, you are quite correct,” interrupted I; “that is my name. May I beg
+to know, in return, for what purpose you make the inquiry?”
+
+“Thomas Burke, sir?” continued he, inattentive to my observation, and
+apparently about to write the name on the paper before him.
+
+I nodded, and he wrote down the words.
+
+“That saves a deal of trouble to all of us, sir,” said he, as he
+finished writing. “This is a warrant for your arrest; but the major is
+quite satisfied if you can give bail for your appearance.”
+
+“Arrest!” repeated I; “on what charge am I arrested?”
+
+“You'll hear in the morning, I suppose,” said he, quietly. “What shall
+we say about the bail? Have you any acquaintance or friend in town?”
+
+“Neither; I am a perfect stranger here. But if you are authorized to
+arrest me, I here surrender myself at once.”
+
+By this time, several persons of the coffee-room had approached the
+table, and among the rest the gentleman who so politely made way for me
+in the crowd to reach the door.
+
+“What is it, Roche?” said he, addressing the man at the table; “a
+warrant?”
+
+“Yes, sir; for this gentleman here. But we can take bail, if he has it.”
+
+“I have told you already that I am a stranger, and know no one here.”
+
+The gentleman threw his eyes over the warrant, and then looking me
+steadily in the face, muttered in a whisper to the officer, “Why, he
+must have been a boy, a mere child, at the time.”
+
+“Very true, sir; but the major says it must be done. Maybe you'd bail
+him yourself.”
+
+These words were added in a tone of half irony, as the fellow gave a sly
+look beneath his eyelashes.
+
+“I tell you, again,” said I, impatient at the whole scene, “I am quite
+ready to accompany you.”
+
+“Is this your name, sir?” said the strange gentleman, addressing me, as
+he pointed to the warrant.
+
+“Yes,” interposed the officer, “there's no doubt about that; he gave it
+himself.”
+
+“Come, come, then, Roche,” said he, cajolingly; “these are not times
+for undue strictness. Let the gentleman remain where he is to-night,
+and to-morrow he will attend you. You can remain here, if you like, with
+him.”
+
+“If you say so, I suppose we may do it,” replied the officer, as he
+folded up the paper, and arose from the table.
+
+“Yes, yes; that's the proper course. And now,” said he, addressing me,
+“will you permit me to join you while I finish this bottle of claret?”
+
+I could have no objection to so pleasant a proposal; and thus, for the
+time at least, ended this disagreeable affair.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV. AN UNFORSEEN EVIL
+
+“I perceive, sir,” said the stranger, seating himself at my table, “they
+are desirous to restore an antiquated custom in regard to you. I thought
+the day of indemnities was past and gone forever.”
+
+“I am ignorant to what you allude.”
+
+“The authorities would make you out an emissary of France, sir,--as if
+France had not enough on her hands already, without embroiling herself
+in a quarrel from which no benefit could accrue; not to speak of the
+little likelihood that any one on such an errand would take up his
+abode, as you have, in the most public hotel of Dublin.”
+
+“I have no apprehensions as to any charges they may bring against me.
+I am conscious of no crime, saving having left my country a boy, and
+returning to it a man.”
+
+“You were in the service of France, then?”
+
+“Yes; since 1801 I have been a soldier.”
+
+“So long? You must have been but a mere boy when you quitted Ireland.
+How have they connected you with the troubles of that period?”
+
+I hesitated for a second or two, uncertain what answer, if any, I
+should return to this abrupt question. A glance at the manly and frank
+expression of the stranger's face soon satisfied me that no unworthy
+curiosity had prompted the inquiry; and I told him in a few words,
+how, as a child, the opinions of the patriotic party had won me over to
+embark in a cause I could neither fathom nor understand. I traced out
+rapidly the few leading events of my early career down to the last
+evening I spent in Ireland. When I came to this part of my story, the
+stranger became unusually attentive, and more than once questioned
+me respecting the origin of my quarrel with Crofts, and the timely
+appearance of Darby; of whose name and character, however, I gave him no
+information, merely speaking of him as an old and attached follower of
+my family.
+
+“Since that period, then, you have not been in Ireland?” said he, as I
+concluded.
+
+“Never: nor had I any intention of returning until lately, when
+circumstances induced me to leave the Emperor's service; and from very
+uncertainty I came back here, without well knowing why.”
+
+“Of course, then, you have never heard the catastrophe of your adventure
+with Crofts. It was a lucky hit for him.”
+
+“How so? I don't understand you.”
+
+“Simply this: Crofts was discovered in the morning, severely wounded,
+where you left him; his account being, that he had been waylaid by a
+party of rebels, who had obtained the countersign of the night, and
+passed the sentry in various disguises. You yourself--for so, at least,
+I surmise it must have been--were designated the prime mover of the
+scheme, and a Government reward was offered for your apprehension.
+Crofts was knighted, and appointed to the staff,--the reward of
+his loyalty and courage; of the exact details of which my memory is
+unfortunately little tenacious.”
+
+“And the truth of the occurrence was never known?”
+
+“What I have told you is the only version current. I have reason to
+remember so much of it, for I was then, and am still, one of the legal
+advisers of the Crown, and was consulted on the case; of which, I
+confess, I always had my misgivings. There was a rage, however, for
+rewarding loyalty, as it was termed at the period, and the story went
+the round of the papers. Now, I fancy Crofts would just as soon not see
+you back again; he has made all he can of the adventure, and would as
+lief have it quietly forgotten.”
+
+“But can I suffer it to rest here? Is such an imputation to lie on my
+character as he would cast on me?”
+
+“Take no steps in the matter on that score: vindication is time enough
+when the attack is made directly; besides, where should you find your
+witness? where is the third party who could prove your innocence, and
+that all you did was in self-defence? Without his testimony, your
+story would go for nothing. No, no; be well satisfied if the charge is
+suffered to sleep, which is not unlikely. Crofts would scarcely like to
+confess that his antagonist was little more than a child; his prowess
+would gain nothing by the avowal. Besides, the world goes well with him
+latterly; it is but a month ago, I think, he succeeded unexpectedly to a
+large landed property.”
+
+The stranger, whose name was M'Dougall, continued to talk for some time
+longer; most kindly volunteered to advise me in the difficult position
+I found myself; and having given me his address in town, wished me a
+goodnight and departed.
+
+It was to no purpose I laid my head on my pillow. Tired and fatigued
+as I was, I could not sleep; the prospect of fresh troubles awaiting
+me made me restless and feverish, and I longed for day to break, that
+I might manfully confront whatever danger was before me, and oppose a
+stout heart to the arrows of adverse fortune. My accidental meeting with
+the stranger also reassured my courage; and I felt gratified to think
+that such _rencontres_ in life are the sunny spots which illumine our
+career in the world, the harbingers of bright days to come.
+
+This feeling was still more strongly impressed on me as I entered the
+small room on the ground-floor at the Castle, where was the secretary's
+office, and beheld M'Dougall seated in an armchair, reading the
+newspaper of the day. I could not help connecting his presence there
+with some kindly intention towards me, and already regarded him as my
+friend. Major Barton stood at the secretary's side, and whispered from
+time to time in his ear.
+
+“I have before me certain information, sir,” said the secretary,
+addressing me, “that you were connected with parties who took an active
+part in the late rebellion in this country, and by them sent over to
+France to negotiate co-operation and assistance from that quarter,”
+ (Barton here whispered something, and the secretary resumed), “and in
+continuance of this scheme are at present here.”
+
+“I have only to observe, sir, that I left Ireland a mere boy, when,
+whatever my opinions might have been, they were, I suspect, of small
+moment to his Majesty's Government; that I have served some years in
+the French army, during which period I neither corresponded with any one
+here, nor had intercourse with any from Ireland; and lastly, that I have
+come back unaccredited by any party, not having, as I believe, a single
+acquaintance in the island.”
+
+“Do you still hold a commission in the French service?”
+
+“No, sir; I resigned my grade as captain some time since.”
+
+“What were your reasons for that step?”
+
+“They were of a purely personal nature, having no concern with politics
+of any sort; I should, therefore, ask of you not to demand them. I can
+only say, they reflect neither on my honor nor my loyalty.”
+
+“His loyalty! Would you ask him, sir, how he applies the term, and to
+what sovereign and what government the obedience is rendered?” said
+Barton, with a half smile of malicious meaning.
+
+“Very true, Barton; the question is most pertinent.”
+
+“When I said loyalty, sir,” said I, in answer, “I confess I did not
+express myself as clearly as I intended. I meant, however, that as an
+Irishman, and a subject of his Majesty George the Third, as I now am, no
+act of mine in the French service ever compromised me.”
+
+“Why, surely you fought against the allies of your own country?”.
+
+“True, sir. I speak only with reference to the direct interests of
+England. I was the soldier of the Emperor, but never a spy under his
+Government.”
+
+“Your name is amongst those who never claimed the indemnity? How is
+this?”
+
+“I never heard of it; I never knew such an act was necessary. I am not
+guilty of any crime, nor do I see any reason to seek a favor.”
+
+“Well, well; the gracious intentions of the Crown lead us to look
+leniently on the past. A moderate bail for your appearance when called
+on, and your own recognizances for the same object, will suffice.”
+
+“I am quite willing to do the latter; but as to bail, I repeat it, I
+have not one I could ask for such a service.”
+
+“No relative? no friend?”
+
+“Come, come, young gentleman,” said M'Dougall, speaking for the first
+time; “recollect yourself. Try if you can't remember some one who would
+assist you at this conjuncture.”
+
+Basset was the only name I could think of; and however absurd the idea
+of a service from such a quarter, I deemed that, as my brother's agent,
+he would scarce refuse me. I thought that Barton gave a very peculiar
+grin as I mentioned the name; but my own securities being entered into,
+and a few formal questions answered, I was told I was at liberty to seek
+out the bail required.
+
+Once more in the streets, I turned my steps towards Basset's house,
+where I hoped, at all events, to learn some tidings of my brother. I
+was not long in arriving at the street, and speedily recognized the old
+house, whose cobwebbed windows and unwashed look reminded me of former
+times. The very sound of the heavy iron knocker awoke its train of
+recollections; and when the door was opened, and I saw the narrow
+hall, with its cracked lamp and damp, discolored walls, the whole
+heart-sinking with which they once inspired me came back again, and I
+thought of Tony Basset when his very name was a thing of terror to me.
+
+Mr. Basset, I was told, was at court, and I was shown into the office to
+await his return. The gloomy little den,--I knew it well, with its dirty
+shelves of dirtier papers, its old tin boxes, and its rickety desk,
+at which two meanly-dressed starveling youths were busy writing. They
+turned a rapid glance towards me as I entered; and as they resumed their
+occupation, I could hear a muttered remark upon my dress and appearance,
+the purport of which I did not catch.
+
+I sat for some time patiently, expecting Basset's arrival, but as
+the time stole by, I grew wearied with waiting, and determined on
+ascertaining, if I might, from the clerks, some intelligence concerning
+my brother.
+
+“Have you any business with Mr. Burke?” said the youth I addressed,
+while his features assumed an expression of vulgar jocularity.
+
+“Yes,” was my brief reply.
+
+“Wouldn't a letter do as well as a personal interview?” said the other,
+with an air of affected courtesy.
+
+“Perhaps so,” I replied, too deeply engaged in my own thoughts to mind
+their flippant impertinence.
+
+“Then mind you direct your letter 'Churchyard, Loughrea;' or, if you
+want to be particular, say 'Family vault.'”
+
+[Illustration: 426]
+
+“Is he dead? Is George dead?”
+
+“That's hard to say,” interposed the other; “but they've buried him,
+that's certain.”
+
+Like a stunning blow, the shock of this news left me unable to speak or
+hear. A maze of confused thoughts crossed and jostled each other in my
+brain, and I could neither collect myself nor listen to what was said
+around me. My first clear memory was of a thousand little childish
+traits of love which had passed between us. Tokens of affection long
+forgotten now rushed freshly to my mind; and he whom a moment before I
+had condemned as wanting in all brotherly feeling, I now sorrowed for
+with true grief. The low and vulgar insolence of the speakers made no
+impression on me; and when, in answer to my questions, they narrated
+the manner of his death,--a fever contracted after some debauch at
+Oxford,--I only heard the tidings, but did not notice the unfeeling tone
+it was conveyed in.
+
+My brother dead! the only one of kith or kindred belonging to me. How
+slight the tie seemed but a few moments back! what would I not give for
+it now? Then, for the first time, did I know how the heart can heap up
+its stores of consolation in secrecy, and how unconsciously the mind can
+dwell on hopes it has never confessed even to itself. How I fancied to
+myself our meeting, and thought over the long pent-up affection years of
+absence had accumulated, now flowing in a gushing stream from heart to
+heart I The grave is indeed hallowed when the grass of the churchyard
+can cover all memory save that of love. We dwell on every good gift
+of the lost one, as though no unworthy thought could cross that little
+mound of earth, the barrier between two worlds. Sad and sorrow-struck,
+I covered my face with my hands, and did not notice that Mr. Basset had
+entered, and taken his place at the desk.
+
+His voice, every harsh tone of which I well remembered, first made me
+aware of his presence. I lifted my eyes, and there he stood, little
+changed indeed since I had seen him last. The hard lines about the mouth
+had grown deeper, the brow more furrowed, and the hair more mixed with
+gray, but in other respects he was the same. As I gazed at him I could
+not help fancying that time makes less impression on men of coarse,
+unfeeling mould, than on natures of a finer temper. The world's changes
+leave no trace on the stern surface of the one, while they are wearing
+deep tracks of sorrow in the other.
+
+“Insert the advertisement again, Simms,” said he, addressing one of the
+clerks, “and let it appear in some paper of the seaport towns. Among the
+Flemish or French smugglers who frequent them, there might be some one
+to give the information. They must be able to show that though Thomas
+Burke--”
+
+I started at the sound of my name. The motion surprised him; he looked
+round and perceived me. Quick and piercing as his glance was, I could
+not trace any sign of recognition; although, as he scanned my features,
+and suffered his eyes to wander over my dress, I perceived that his was
+no mere chance or cursory observation.
+
+“Well, sir,” said he, at length, “is your business here with me?”
+
+“Yes; but I would speak with you in private.”
+
+“Come in here, then. Meanwhile, Sam, make out that deed; for we may go
+on without the proof of demise.”
+
+Few and vague as the words were, their real meaning flashed on me, and I
+perceived that Mr. Basset was engaged in the search of some evidence of
+my death, doubtless to enable the heir-at-law to succeed to the estates
+of my brother. The moment the idea struck me, I felt assured of its
+certainty, and at once determined on the plan I should adopt.
+
+“You have inserted an advertisement regarding a Mr. Burke,” said I, as
+soon as the door was closed, and we were alone together. “What are the
+particular circumstances of which you desire proof?”
+
+“The place, date, and manner of his death,” replied he, slowly; “for
+though informed that such occurred abroad, an authentic evidence of the
+fact will save some trouble. Circumstances to identify the individual
+with the person we mean, of course, must be offered; showing whence he
+came, his probable age, and so on. For this intelligence I am prepared
+to pay liberally; at least a hundred pounds may be thought so.”
+
+“It is a question of succession to some property, I have heard.”
+
+“Yes; but the information is not of such moment as you may suppose,”
+ replied he, quickly, and with the wariness of his calling anticipating
+the value I might be disposed to place on my intelligence. “We are
+satisfied with the fact of the death; and even were it otherwise, the
+individual most concerned is little likely to disprove the belief, his
+own reasons will probably keep him from visiting Ireland.”
+
+“Indeed!” I exclaimed, the word escaping my lips ere I could check its
+utterance.
+
+“Even so,” resumed he. “But this, of course, has no interest for you.
+Your accent bespeaks you a foreigner. Have you any information to offer
+on this matter?”
+
+“Yes; if we speak of the same individual, who may have left this country
+about 1800 as a boy of some fourteen years of age, and entered the
+'École Polytechnique' of Paris.”
+
+“Like enough. Continue, if you please; what became of him afterwards?”
+
+“He joined the French service, attained the rank of captain, and then
+left the army; came back to Ireland, and now, sir, stands before you.”
+
+Mr. Basset never changed a muscle of his face as I made this
+declaration. So unmoved, so stolid was his look, that for a moment or
+two I believed him incredulous of my story. But this impression soon
+gave way, as with his eyes bent on me he said,--
+
+“I knew you, sir, I knew you the moment I passed you in the office
+without; but it might have fared ill with you to have let my recognition
+appear.”
+
+“As how? I do not understand you.”
+
+“My clerks there might have given information for the sake of the
+reward; and once in Newgate, there was an end to all negotiation.”
+
+“You must speak more intelligibly, sir, if you wish me to comprehend
+you. I am unaware of any circumstance which should threaten me with such
+a fate.”
+
+“Have you forgotten Captain Crofts,--Montague Crofts?” said Basset, in a
+low whisper, while a smile of insulting malice crossed his features.
+
+“No; I remember him well. What of him?”
+
+“What of him! He charges you with a capital felony,--a crime for which
+the laws have little pity here, whatever your French habits may have
+taught you to regard it. Yes; the attempt to assassinate an officer in
+his Majesty's service, when foiled by him in an effort to seduce the
+soldiery, is an offence which might have a place in your memory.”
+
+“Can the man be base enough to make such a charge as this against me,--a
+boy, as I then was?”
+
+“You were not alone; remember that fact.”
+
+“True; and most thankful am I for it. There is one, at least, can prove
+my innocence, if I can but discover him.”
+
+“You will find that a matter of some difficulty. Your worthy friend and
+early preceptor was transported five years since.”
+
+“Poor fellow! I could better bear to hear that he was dead.”
+
+“There are many of your opinion on that head,” said Basset, with a
+savage grin. “But the fellow was too cunning for all the lawyers, and
+his conviction at last was only effected by a stratagem.”
+
+“A stratagem!” exclaimed I, in amazement.
+
+“It was neither more nor less. Darby was arraigned four several times,
+but always acquitted. Now it was defective evidence; now a lenient jury;
+now an informal indictment: but so was it, he escaped the meshes of the
+law, though every one knew him guilty of a hundred offences. At last
+Major Barton resolved on another expedient. Darby was arrested in Ennis;
+thrown into jail; kept four weeks in a dark cell, on prison fare; and at
+the end, one morning the hangman appeared to say his hour was come, and
+that the warrant for his execution had arrived. It was to take place,
+without judge or jury, within the four walls of the jail. The scheme
+succeeded; his courage fell, and he offered, if his life was spared, to
+plead guilty to any transportable felony for which the grand Jury would
+send up true bills. He did so, and was then undergoing the sentence.”
+
+“Great heavens! and can such iniquity be tolerated in a land where men
+call themselves Christians?” exclaimed I, as I heard this to the end.
+
+“Iniquity!” repeated he, in mockery; “to rid the country of a ruffian,
+stained with every crime,--a fellow mixed up in every outrage in the
+land? Is this your notion of iniquity? Not so do I reckon it. And if I
+have told you of it now, it is that you may learn that when loyal
+and well-affected men are trusted with the execution of the laws, the
+principle of justice is of more moment than the nice distinction of
+legal subtleties. You may learn a lesson from it worth acquiring.”
+
+“I! how can it affect me or my fortunes?”
+
+“More nearly than you think. I have told you of the accusation which
+hangs over your head; weigh it well, and deliberate what are your
+chances of escape. We must not waste time in discussing your innocence.
+The jury who will try the cause will be more difficult of belief than
+you suspect; neither the opinions you are charged with, your subsequent
+escape, nor your career in France, will contribute to your exculpation,
+even had you evidence to adduce in your favor. But you have not; your
+only witness is equally removed as by death itself. On what do you
+depend, then? Conscious innocence! Nine out of every ten who mount the
+scaffold proclaim the same; but I never heard that the voice that cried
+it stifled the word 'guilty.' No, sir; I tell you solemnly, you will be
+condemned!”
+
+The tone of his voice as he spoke the last few words made my very blood
+run cold. The death of a soldier on the field of battle had no terrors
+for me; but the execrated fate of a felon I could not confront. The
+pallor of my cheek, the trembling of my limbs, must have betrayed my
+emotion; for even Basset seemed to pity me, and pressed me down into a
+chair.
+
+“There is one way, however, to avoid all the danger,” said he, after
+a pause; “an easy and a certain way both. You have heard of the
+advertisements for information respecting your death, which it was
+surmised had occurred abroad. Now you are unknown here,--without a
+single acquaintance to recognize or remember you; why should not you,
+under another name, come forward with these proofs? By so doing, you
+secure your own escape and can claim the reward.”
+
+“What! perjure myself that I may forfeit my inheritance!”
+
+“As to the inheritance,” said he, sneeringly, “your tenure does not
+promise a very long enjoyment of it.”
+
+“Were it but a day,--an hour!” exclaimed I, passionately; “I will make
+no compromise with my honor. On their own heads be it who sentence an
+innocent man to death; better such, even on a scaffold, than a life of
+ignominy and vain regret.”
+
+“The dark hours of a jail change men's sentiments wonderfully,” said
+he, slowly. “I have known some who faced death in its wildest and most
+appalling shape, shrink from it like cowards when it came in the guise
+of a common executioner. Come, sir, be advised by me; reflect at least
+on what I have said, and if there be any path in life where a moderate
+sum may assist you--”
+
+“Peace, sir! I beg of you to be silent. It may be that your counsel is
+prompted by kindly feeling towards me; but if you would have me think
+so, say no more of this,--my mind is made up.”
+
+“Wait until to-morrow, in any case; perhaps some other plan may suggest
+itself. What say you to America? Have you any objection to go there?”
+
+“Had you asked me the question an hour since, I had replied, 'None
+whatever.' Now it is different; my departure would be like the flight of
+a guilty man. I cannot do it.”
+
+“Better the flight than the fate of one,” muttered Basset between his
+teeth, while at the same instant the sound of voices talking loudly
+together was heard in the hall without.
+
+“Think again, before it is too late. Remember what I have told you. Your
+opinions, your career, your associates, are not such as to recommend you
+to the favorable consideration of a jury. Is your case strong enough to
+oppose all these? Sir Montague will make liberal terms; he has no desire
+to expose the calamities of a family.”
+
+“Sir Montague!--of whom do you speak?”
+
+“Sir Montague Crofts,” said Basset, reddening, for he had unwittingly
+suffered the name to escape his lips. “Are you ignorant that he is
+your relative? a distant one, it is true, but your nearest of kin
+notwithstanding.”
+
+“And the heir to the estate?” said I, suddenly, as anew light flashed on
+my mind; “the heir, in the event of my life lapsing?”
+
+Basset nodded an assent.
+
+“You played a deep game, sir,” said I, drawing a long breath; “but you
+never were near winning it.”
+
+“Nor you either,” said he, throwing wide the door between the two rooms;
+“I hear a voice without there, that settles the question forever.”
+
+At the same instant, Major Barton entered, followed by two men.
+
+“I suspected I should find you here, sir,” said he, addressing me. “You
+need scarcely trouble my worthy friend for his bail; I arrest you now
+under a warrant of felony.”
+
+“A felony!” exclaimed Basset, with a counterfeited astonishment in his
+look. “Mr. Burke accused of such a crime!”
+
+I could not utter a word; indignation and shame overpowered me, and
+merely motioning with my hand that I was ready to accompany him, I
+followed to the door, at which a carriage was standing, getting into
+which we drove towards Newgate.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI. THE PERIL AVERTED
+
+If I have dwelt with unnecessary prolixity on this dark portion of my
+story, it is because the only lesson my life teaches has lain in similar
+passages. The train of evils which flows from one misdirection in early
+life,--the misfortunes which ensue from a single false and inconsiderate
+step,--frequently darken the whole subsequent career. This I now thought
+over in the solitude of my cell. However I could acquit myself of the
+crime laid to my charge, I could not so easily absolve my heart of the
+early folly which made me suppose that the regeneration of a land should
+be accomplished by the efforts of a sanguinary and bigoted rabble. To
+this error could I trace every false step I made in life,--to this cause
+attribute the long struggle I endured between my love of liberty and my
+detestation of mob rule; and yet how many years did it cost me to learn,
+that to alleviate the burdens of the oppressed may demand a greater
+exercise of tyranny than ever their rulers practised towards them. Like
+many others, I looked to France as the land of freedom; but where was
+despotism so unbounded! where the sway of one great mind so unlimited!
+They had bartered liberty for equality, and because the pressure was
+equal on all, they deemed themselves free; while the privileges of class
+with us suggested the sense of bondage to the poor man, whose actual
+freedom was yet unencumbered.
+
+Of all the daydreams of my boyhood, the ambition of military glory
+alone survived; and that lived on amid the dreary solitude of my prison,
+comforting many a lonely hour by memories of the past. The glittering
+ranks of the mounted squadrons; the deep-toned thunder of the artillery;
+the solid masses of the infantry, immovable beneath the rush of
+cavalry,--were pictures I could dwell on for hours and days, and my
+dearest wish could point to no higher destiny than to be once more a
+soldier in the ranks of France.
+
+During all this time my mind seldom reverted to the circumstances of
+my imprisonment, nor did I feel the anxiety for the result my position
+might well have suggested. The conscious sense of my innocence kept the
+flame of hope alive, without suffering it either to flicker or vary. It
+burned like a steady fire within me, and made even the dark cells of a
+jail a place of repose and tranquillity. And thus time rolled on: the
+hours of pleasure and happiness to thousands, too short and flitting for
+the enjoyments they brought. They went by also to the prisoner, as to
+one who waits on the bank of the stream, nor knows what fortune may
+await him on his voyage.
+
+A stubborn feeling of conscious right had prevented my taking even the
+ordinary steps for my defence, and the day of trial was now drawing nigh
+without any preparation on my part. I was ignorant how essential the
+habits and skill of an advocate are in the conduct of every case,
+however simple; and implicitly relied on my guiltlessness, as though men
+can read the heart of a prisoner and know its workings. M'Dougall, the
+only member of the bar I knew even by name, had accepted a judicial
+appointment in India, and was already on his way thither, so that I had
+neither friend nor adviser in my difficulty. Were it otherwise, I felt I
+could scarcely have bent my pride to that detail of petty circumstances
+which an advocate might deem essential to my vindication; and was
+actually glad to think that I should owe the assertion of my innocence
+to nothing less than the pure fact.
+
+When November at length arrived, I learned that the trial had been
+deferred to the following February; and so listless and indifferent had
+imprisonment made me, that I heard the intelligence without impatience
+or regret. The publicity of a court of justice, its exposure to the gaze
+and observation of the crowd who throng there, were subjects of more
+shrinking dread to my heart than the weight of an accusation which,
+though false, might peril my life; and for the first time I rejoiced
+that I was friendless. Yes! it brought balm and comfort to me to think
+that none would need to blush at my relationship nor weep over my fate.
+Sorrow has surely eaten deeply into our natures, when we derive pleasure
+and peace from what in happier circumstances are the sources of regret.
+
+Let me now hasten on. My reader will readily forgive me if I pass with
+rapid steps over a portion of my story, the memory of which has not yet
+lost its bitterness. The day at last came; and amid all the ceremonies
+of a prison I was marched from my cell to the dock. How strange the
+sudden revolution of feeling,--from the solitude and silence of a jail
+to the crowded court, teeming with looks of eager curiosity, dread, or
+perhaps compassion, all turned towards him, who himself, half forgetful
+of his condition, gazes on the great mass in equal astonishment and
+surprise!
+
+My thoughts at once recurred to a former moment of my life, when I stood
+accused among the Chouan prisoners before the tribunal of Paris. But
+though the proceedings were less marked by excitement and passion, the
+stern gravity of the English procedure was far more appalling; and in
+the absence of all which could stir the spirit to any effort of its own,
+it pressed with a more solemn dread on the mind of the prisoner.
+
+I have said I would not linger over this part of my life. I could not
+do so if I would. Real events, and the impressions they made upon
+me,--facts, and the passing emotions of my mind,--are strangely confused
+and commingled in my memory; and although certain minute and trivial
+things are graven in my recollection, others of moment have escaped me
+unrecorded.
+
+The usual ceremonial went forward: the jury were impanelled, and the
+clerk of the Crown read aloud the indictment, to which my plea of “Not
+guilty” was at once recorded; then the judge asked if I were provided
+with counsel, and hearing that I was not, appointed a junior barrister
+to act for me, and the trial began.
+
+I was not the first person who, accused of a crime of which he felt
+innocent, yet was so overwhelmed by the statements of imputed guilt,--so
+confused by the inextricable web of truth and falsehood, artfully
+entangled.--that he actually doubted his own convictions when opposed to
+views so strongly at variance with them.
+
+The first emotion of the prisoner is a feeling of surprise to discover,
+that one utterly a stranger--the lawyer he has perhaps never seen, whose
+name he never so much as heard of--is perfectly conversant with his
+own history, and as it were by intuition seems acquainted with his
+very thoughts and motives. Tracing out not only a line of acting but
+of devising, he conceives a story of which the accused is the hero, and
+invests his narrative with all the appliances to belief which result
+from time and place and circumstance. No wonder that the very accusation
+should strike terror into the soul; no wonder that the statement of
+guilt should cause heart-sinking to him who, conscious that all is not
+untrue, may feel that his actions can be viewed in another and very
+different light to that which conscience sheds over them.
+
+Such, so far as I remember, was the channel of my thoughts. At first
+mere astonishment at the accuracy of detail regarding my name, age,
+and condition in life, was uppermost; and then succeeded a sense of
+indignant anger at the charges laid against me; which yielded gradually
+to a feeling of confusion as the advocate continued; which again merged
+into a sort of dubious fear as I heard many trivial facts repeated,
+some of which my refreshed memory acknowledged as true, but of which
+my puzzled brain could not detect the inapplicability to sustain the
+accusation,--all ending in a chaos of bewilderment, where conscience
+itself was lost, and nothing left to guide or direct the reason.
+
+The counsel informed the jury that, although they were not placed in the
+box to try me on any charge of a political offence, they must bear in
+mind, that the murderous assault of which I was accused was merely part
+of a system organized to overthrow the Government; that, young as I then
+was, I was in intimate connection with the disaffected party which the
+mistaken leniency of the Crown had not thoroughly eradicated on the
+termination of the late rebellion, my constant companion being one whose
+crimes were already undergoing their but too merciful punishment in
+transportation for life; that, to tamper with the military, I had
+succeeded in introducing myself into the barrack, where I obtained the
+confidence of a weak-minded but good-natured officer of the regiment.
+
+“These schemes,” continued he, “were but partially successful. My
+distinguished client was then an officer of the corps; and with that
+ever-watchful loyalty which has distinguished him, he determined to keep
+a vigilant eye on this intruder, who, from circumstances of youth and
+apparent innocence, already had won upon the confidence of the majority
+of the regiment. Nor was this impression a false one. An event,
+apparently little likely to unveil a treasonable intention, soon
+unmasked the true character of the prisoner and the nature of his
+mission.”
+
+He then proceeded to narrate with circumstantial accuracy the night in
+the George's Street barracks, when Hilliard, Crofts, and some others
+came with Bubbleton to his quarters to decide a wager between two of the
+parties. Calling the attention of the jury to this part of the case, he
+detailed the scene which occurred; and, if I could trust my memory, not
+a phrase, not a word escaped him which had been said.
+
+“It was then, gentlemen,” said he, “at that instant, that the prisoner's
+habitual caution failed him, and in an unguarded moment developed the
+full story of his guilt. Captain Bubbleton lost his wager, of which my
+client was the winner. The habits of the service are peremptory in these
+matters; it was necessary that payment should be made at once. Bubbleton
+had not the means of discharging his debt, and while he looked around
+among his comrades for assistance, the prisoner steps forward and
+supplies the sum. Mark what followed.
+
+“A sudden call of service now summoned the officers beneath; all save
+Crofts, who, not being on duty, had no necessity for accompanying them.
+The bank-note so opportunely furnished by the prisoner lay on the table;
+and this Crofts proceeded leisurely to open and examine before he left
+the room. Slowly unfolding the paper, he spread it out before him; and
+what, think you, gentlemen, did the paper display? A Bank of England
+bill for twenty pounds, you'll say, of course. Far from it, indeed! The
+paper was a French assignat, bearing the words, 'Payez au porteur la
+somme de deux mille livres.' Yes; the sum so carelessly thrown on the
+table by this youth was an order for eighty pounds, issued by the French
+Government.
+
+“Remember the period, gentlemen, when this occurred. We had just
+passed the threshold of a most fearful and sanguinary rebellion,--the
+tranquillity of the land scarce restored after a convulsion that shook
+the very constitution and the throne to their centres. The interference
+of France in the affairs of the country had not been a mere threat; her
+ships had sailed, her armies had landed, and though the bravery and the
+loyalty of our troops had made the expedition result in utter defeat
+and overthrow, the emissaries of the land of anarchy yet lingered on our
+shores, and disseminated that treason in secret which openly they dared
+not proclaim. If they were sparing of their blood, they were lavish
+of their gold; what they failed in courage they supplied in assignats.
+Large promises of gain, rich offers of booty, were rife throughout the
+land; and wherever disaffection lurked or rebellion lingered, the enemy
+of England found congenial allies. Nothing too base, nothing too
+low, for this confederacy of crime; neither was anything too lowly in
+condition or too humble in efficiency. Treason cannot choose its agents;
+it must take the tools which chance and circumstances offer: they may
+be the refuse of mankind, but if inefficient for good, they are not the
+less active for evil. Such a one was the youth who now stands a prisoner
+before you, and here was the price of his disloyalty.”
+
+At these words he held up triumphantly the French assignat, and waved it
+before the eyes of the court. However little the circumstances weighed
+within me, such was the impression manifestly produced upon the jury by
+this piece of corroborative evidence, that a thrill of anxiety for the
+result ran suddenly through me.
+
+Until that moment I believed Darby had repossessed himself of the
+assignat when Crofts lay insensible on the ground; at least I remembered
+well that he stooped over him and appeared to take something from him.
+While I was puzzling my mind on this point, I did not remark that
+the lawyer was proceeding to impress on the jury the full force of
+conviction such a circumstance implied.
+
+The offer I had made to Crofts to barter the assignat for an English
+note; my urgent entreaty to have it restored to me; the arguments I had
+employed to persuade him that no suspicion could attach to my possession
+of it,--were all narrated with so little of exaggeration that I was
+actually unable to say what assertion I could object to, while I was
+conscious that the inferences sought to be drawn from them were false
+and unjust.
+
+Having displayed with consummate skill the critical position this paper
+had involved me in, he took the opportunity of contrasting the anxiety I
+evinced for my escape from my difficulty, with the temperate conduct
+of my antagonist, whose loyalty left him no other course than to retain
+possession of the note, and inquire into the circumstances by which it
+reached my hands.
+
+Irritated by the steady determination of Crofts, it was said that I
+endeavored by opprobrious epithets and insulting language to provoke
+a quarrel, which a sense of my inferiority as an antagonist rendered a
+thing impossible to be thought of. Baffled in every way, I was said to
+have rushed from the room, double-locking it on the outside, and hurried
+down the stairs and out of the barrack; not to escape, however, but with
+a purpose very different,--to return in a few moments accompanied by
+three fellows, whom I passed with the guard as men wishing to recruit.
+To ascend the stairs, unlock the door, and fall on the imprisoned
+officer, was the work of an instant. His defence, although courageous
+and resolute, was but brief. His sword being broken, he was felled by a
+blow of a bludgeon, and thus believed dead. The ruffians ransacked his
+pockets, and departed.
+
+The same countersign which admitted, passed them out as they went; and
+when morning broke the wounded man was found weltering in his blood,
+but with life still remaining, and strength enough to recount what had
+occurred. By a mere accident, it was stated, the French bank-note had
+not been consigned to his pocket, but fell during the struggle, and was
+discovered the next day on the floor.
+
+These were the leading features of an accusation, which, however
+improbable while thus briefly and boldly narrated, hung together with a
+wonderful coherence in the speech of the lawyer, supported as they were
+by the number of small circumstances corroboratory of certain immaterial
+portions of the story. Thus, the political opinions I professed; the
+doubtful--nay, equivocal--position I occupied; the intercourse with
+France or Frenchmen, as proved by the _billet de banque_; my sudden
+disappearance after the event, and my escape thither, where I continued
+to live until, as it was alleged, I believed that years had eradicated
+all trace of, if not my crime, myself,--such were the statements
+displayed with all the specious inferences of habitual plausibility, and
+to confirm which by evidence Sir Montague Crofts was called to give his
+testimony.
+
+There was a murmur of expectancy through the court as this well-known
+individual's name was pronounced; and in a few moments the throng around
+the inner bar opened, and a tall figure appeared upon the witness table.
+The same instant that I caught sight of his features he had turned his
+glance on me, and we stood for some seconds confronting each other.
+Mutual defiance seemed the gage between us; and I saw, with a thrill
+of savage pleasure, that after a minute or so his cheek flushed, and he
+averted his face and appeared ill at ease and uncomfortable.
+
+To the first questions of the lawyer he answered with evident
+constraint, and in a low, subdued voice; but soon recovering his
+self-possession, gave his testimony freely and boldly, corroborating by
+his words all the statements of his advocate. By both the court and
+the jury he was heard with attention and deference; and when he took
+a passing occasion to allude to his loyalty and attachment to the
+constitution, the senior judge interrupted him by saying,--
+
+“On that point, Sir Montague, no second opinion can exist. Your
+character for unimpeachable honor is well known to the court.”
+
+The examination was brief, lasting scarcely half an hour; and when the
+young lawyer came forward to put some questions as cross-examination,
+his want of instruction and ignorance were at once seen, and the witness
+was dismissed almost immediately.
+
+Sir Montague's advocate declined calling any other witness. The regiment
+to which his client then belonged was on foreign service; but he felt
+satisfied that the case required nothing in addition to the evidence the
+jury had heard.
+
+A few moments of deliberation ensued among the members of the bench; and
+then the senior judge called on my lawyer to proceed with the defence.
+
+The young barrister rose with diffidence, and expressed in few words his
+inability to rebut the statements that had been made by any evidence in
+his power to produce. “The prisoner, my lord,” said he, “has confided
+nothing to me of his case. I am ignorant of everything, save what has
+taken place in open court.”
+
+“It is true, my lord,” said I, interrupting. “The facts of this unhappy
+circumstance are known but to three individuals. You have already heard
+the version which one of them has given; you shall now hear mine. The
+third, whose testimony might incline the balance in my favor, is, I am
+told, no longer in this country; and I have only to discharge the debt
+I feel due to myself and to my own honor, by narrating the real
+occurrence, and leave the issue in your hands, to deal with as your
+consciences may dictate.”
+
+With the steadiness of purpose truth inspires, and in few words, I
+narrated the whole of my adventure with Crofts, down to the moment of
+Darby's sudden appearance. I told of what passed between us; and how
+the altercation, that began in angry words, terminated in a personal
+struggle, where, as the weaker, I was overcome, and lay beneath the
+weapon of my antagonist, by which already I had received a severe and
+dangerous wound.
+
+“I should hesitate here, my lords,” said I, “before I spoke of one who
+then came to my aid, if I did not know that he is already removed by
+a heavy sentence, both from the penalty his gallant conduct might call
+down on him, and the enmity which the prosecutor would as certainly
+pursue him with. But he is beyond the reach of either, and I may speak
+of him freely.”
+
+I then told of Darby's appearance that night in the barrack, disguised
+as a ballad-singer; how in this capacity he passed the sentry, and was
+present in the room when the officers entered to decide the wager; that
+he had quitted it soon after their arrival, and only returned on hearing
+the noise of the scuffle between Crofts and myself. The struggle itself
+I remembered but imperfectly, but so far as my memory bore me out,
+recapitulated to the court.
+
+“I will relate, my lords,” said I, “the few events which followed,--not
+that they can in any wise corroborate the plain statement I have made,
+nor indeed that they bear, save remotely, on the events mentioned; but
+I will do so in the hope,--a faint hope it is,--that in this court there
+might be found some one person who could add his testimony to mine, and
+say, 'This is true; to that I can myself bear witness.'”
+
+With this brief preface, I told how Darby had brought me to a house in
+an obscure street, in which a man, apparently dying, was stretched upon
+a miserable bed; that while my wound was being dressed, a car came to
+the door with the intention of conveying the sick man away somewhere.
+This, however, was deemed impossible, so near did his last hour appear;
+and in his place I was taken off, and placed on board the vessel bound
+for France.
+
+“Of my career in that country it is needless that I should speak; it
+can neither throw light upon the events which preceded it, nor have
+any interest for the court My commission as a captain of the Imperial
+Hussars may, however, testify the position that I occupied; while the
+certificate of the minister of war on the back will show that I quitted
+the service voluntarily, and with honor.”
+
+“The court would advise you, sir,” said the judge, “not to advert to
+circumstances which, while they contribute nothing to your exculpation,
+may have a very serious effect on the minds of the jury against you.
+Have you any witnesses to call?”
+
+“None, my lord.”
+
+A pause of some minutes ensued, when the only sounds in the court were
+the whispering tones of Crofts's voice, as he said something into his
+counsel's ear. The lawyer rose.
+
+“My task, my lords,” said he, “is a short one. Indeed, in all
+probability, I need not trouble either your lordships or the jury
+with an additional word on a case where the evidence so conclusively
+establishes the guilt of the accused, and where attempt to contradict
+it has been so abortive. Never, perhaps, was a story narrated within
+the walls of a court so full of improbable--might I not almost say
+impossible--events, as that of the prisoner.”
+
+He then recapitulated, with rapid but accurate detail, the principal
+circumstances of my story, bestowing some brief comment on each as he
+went. He sneered at the account of the struggle, and turned the whole
+description of the contest with Crofts into ridicule,--calling on the
+jury to bestow a glance on the manly strength and vigorous proportions
+of his client, and then remember the age of his antagonist,--a boy of
+fourteen.
+
+“I forgot, gentlemen (I ask your pardon), he confesses to one
+ally,--this famous piper. I really did hope that was a name we had done
+with forever. I indulged the dream, that among the memories of an
+awful period this was never to recur; but unhappily the expectation was
+delusive. The fellow is brought once more before us; and perhaps, for
+the first time in his long life of iniquity, charged with a crime he did
+not commit.” In a few sentences he explained that a large reward was at
+that very moment offered for the apprehension of Darby, who never would
+have ventured under any disguise to approach the capital, much less
+trust himself within the walls of a barrack.
+
+“The tissue of wild and inconsistent events which the prisoner has
+detailed as following the assault, deserves no attention at my hands.
+Where was this house? What was the street? Who was this doctor of which
+he speaks? And the sick man, how was he called?”
+
+“I remember his name well; it is the only one I remember among all I
+heard,” said I, from the dock.
+
+“Let us hear it, then,” said the lawyer, half contemptuously.
+
+“Daniel Fortescue was the name he was called by.”
+
+Scarcely was the name uttered by me, when Crofts leaned back in his seat
+and became pale as death; while, stretching out his hand, he took hold
+of the lawyer's gown and drew him towards him. For a second or two he
+continued to speak with rapid utterance in the advocate's ear; and then
+covering his face with his handkerchief, leaned his head on the rail
+before him.
+
+“It is necessary, my lords,” said the lawyer, “that I should explain the
+reason of my client's emotion, and at the same time unveil the baseness
+which has dictated this last effort of the prisoner, if not to injure
+the reputation, to wound the feelings, of my client. The individual
+whose name has been mentioned was the half brother of my client; and
+whose unhappy connection with the disastrous events of the year '98
+involved him in a series of calamities which ended in his death,
+which took place in the year 1800, but some months earlier than the
+circumstance which we now are investigating. The introduction of this
+unhappy man's name was, then, a malignant effort of the prisoner to
+insult the feelings of my client, on which your lordships and the jury
+will place its true value.”
+
+A murmur of disapprobation ran through the crowded court as these words
+were spoken; but whether directed against me or against the comment of
+the lawyer I could not determine; nor, such was the confusion I then
+felt, could I follow the remainder of the advocate's address with
+anything like clearness. At last he concluded; and the chief justice,
+after a whispered conversation with his brethren of the bench, thus
+began:--
+
+“Gentlemen of the jury, the case which you have this day to try, to my
+mind presents but one feature of doubt and difficulty. The great fact
+for your consideration is, to determine to which of two opposite and
+conflicting testimonies you will accord your credence. On the one side
+you have the story of the prosecutor, a man of position and character,
+high in the confidence of honorable men, and invested with all the
+attributes of rank and station; on the other, you have a narrative
+strongly coherent in some parts, equally difficult to account for in
+others, given by the prisoner, whose life, even by his own showing, has
+none of those recommendations to your good opinions which are based
+on loyalty and attachment to the constitution of these realms. Both
+testimonies are unsupported by any collateral evidence. The prosecutor's
+regiment is in India, and the only witnesses he could adduce are many
+thousand miles off. The prisoner appeals also to the absent, but with
+less of reason; for if we could call this man, M'Keown, before us,--if,
+I say, we had this same Darby M'Keown in court--”
+
+A tremendous uproar in the hall without drowned the remainder of the
+sentence; and although the crier loudly proclaimed silence, and
+the bench twice interposed its authority to enforce it, the tumult
+continued, and eventually extended within the court itself, where all
+semblance of respect seemed suddenly annihilated.
+
+“If this continues one moment longer,” exclaimed the chief justice, “I
+will commit to Newgate the very first disorderly person I can discover.”
+
+The threat, however, did but partially calm the disturbance, which, in
+a confused murmur, prevailed from the benches of the counsel to the very
+galleries of the court.
+
+“What means this?” said the judge, in a voice of anger. “Who is it that
+dares to interfere with the administration of justice here?”
+
+“A witness,--a witness, my lord,” called out several voices from the
+passage of the court; while a crowd pushed violently forward, and came
+struggling onwards till the leading figures were pressed over the inner
+bar.
+
+Again the judge repeated his question, while he made a signal for the
+officer of the court to approach him.
+
+“'Tis me, my lord,” shouted a deep-toned voice from the middle of
+the crowd. “Your lordship was asking for Darby M'Keown, and it isn't
+himself's ashamed of the name!”
+
+A perfect yell of approval broke from the ragged mob, which now filled
+every avenue and passage of the court, and even jammed up the stairs
+and the entrance halls. And now, raised upon the shoulders of the crowd,
+Darby appeared, borne aloft in triumph; his broad and daring face,
+bronzed with sun and weather, glowed with a look of reckless effrontery,
+which no awe of the court nor any fear for himself was able to repress.
+
+Of my own sensations while this scene was enacting I need not speak;
+and as I gazed at the weather-beaten features of the hardy piper, it
+demanded every effort of my reason to believe in the testimony of my
+eyesight. Had he come back from death itself the surprise would scarcely
+have been greater. Meanwhile the tumult was allayed; and the lawyers on
+either side--for, now that a glimmer of hope appeared, my advocate had
+entered with spirit on his duties--were discussing the admissibility
+of evidence at the present stage of the proceedings. This point being
+speedily established in my favor, another and a graver question arose:
+how far the testimony of a convicted felon--for such the lawyer at once
+called Darby--could be received as evidence.
+
+Cases were quoted and authorities shown to prove that such cannot be
+heard as witnesses,--that they are among those whom the law pronounces
+infamous and unworthy of credit; and while the lawyer continued to pour
+forth on this topic a perfect ocean of arguments, he was interrupted by
+the court, who affirmed the opinion, and concurred in his view of the
+case.
+
+“It only remains, then, my lord,” said my counsel, “for the Crown to
+establish the identity of the individual--”
+
+“Nothing easier,” interposed the other.
+
+“I beg pardon; I was about to add,--and produce the record of his
+conviction.”
+
+This last seemed a felling blow; for although the old lawyer never
+evinced here or at any other time the slightest appearance of
+discomfiture at any opposition, I could see by the puckering of the
+deep lines around his mouth that he felt vexed and annoyed by this new
+suggestion.
+
+An eager and animated discussion ensued, in which my advocate was
+assisted by the advice of some senior counsel; and again the point was
+ruled in my favor, and Darby M'Keown was desired to mount the table.
+
+It required all the efforts of the various officers of the court to
+repress another outbreak of mob enthusiasm at the decision; for already
+the trial had assumed a feature perfectly distinct from any common
+infraction of the law. Its political bearing had long since imparted
+a character of party warfare to the whole proceeding; and while Sir
+Montague Crofts found his well-wishers among the better dressed and more
+respectable persons present, a much more numerous body of supporters
+claimed me as their own, and in defiance of all the usages and solemnity
+of the place, did not scruple to bestow on me looks and even words of
+encouragement at every stage of the trial. Darby's appearance was the
+climax of this popular enthusiasm. There were few who had not seen,
+or at least heard of, the celebrated piper in times past. His daring
+infraction of the law; his reputed skill in evading detection; his
+acquaintance with every clew and circumstance of the late rebellion; the
+confidence he enjoyed among all the leaders--had made him a hero in a
+land where such qualities are certain of obtaining their due estimation.
+And now, the reckless effrontery of his presence as a witness in a court
+of justice while the sentence of transportation still hung over him, was
+a claim to admiration none refused to acknowledge.
+
+His air and demeanor as he took his seat on the table seemed an
+acknowledgment of the homage rendered him: for though, as he placed his
+worn and ragged hat beside his feet, and stroked down his short black
+hair on his forehead, a careless observer might have suspected him
+of feeling awed and abashed by the presence in which he sat, one more
+conversant with his countrymen would have detected in the quiet leer of
+his roguish black eye, and a certain protrusion of his thick under lip,
+that Darby was as perfectly at his ease there as the eminent judge was
+who now fixed his eyes upon him. A short, but not disrespectful nod was
+the only notice he bestowed on me; and then concealing his joined hands
+within his sleeves, and drawing his legs back beneath the chair, he
+assumed that attitude of mock humility your least bashful Irishman is so
+commonly fond of.
+
+The veteran barrister was meanwhile surveying the witness with the
+peculiar scrutiny of his caste: he looked at him through his spectacles,
+and then he stared at him above them; he measured him from head to foot,
+his eye dwelling on every little circumstance of his dress or demeanor,
+as though to catch some clew to his habits of thinking or acting.
+Never did a matador survey the brawny animal with which he was about
+to contend in skill or strength with more critical acumen than did the
+lawyer regard Darby the Blast. Nor was the object of this examination
+unaware of it; very far from this, indeed. He seemed pleased by the
+degree of attention bestowed on him, and felt all the flattery
+such notice conveyed; but while doing so, you could only detect his
+satisfaction in an occasional sidelong look of drollery, which, brief
+and fleeting as it was, had still a numerous body of admirers through
+the court, whose muttered expressions of “Divil fear ye, Darby! but
+ye 're up to them any day;” or “Faix! 't is himself cares little about
+them!” showed they had no lack of confidence in the piper.
+
+
+[Illustration: BrownDarbyInTheChair294]
+
+“Your name is M'Keown, sir?” said the lawyer, with that abruptness
+which so often succeeds in oversetting the balance of a witness's
+self-possession. “Yes, sir; Darby M'Keown.” “Did you ever go by any
+other than this?” “They do call me 'Darby the Blast' betimes, av that 'a
+a name.”
+
+“Is that the only other name you have been called by?” “I misremember
+rightly, it's so long since I was among friends and acquaintances; but
+if yer honor would remind me a little, maybe I could tell.” “Well, were
+you ever called 'Larry the Flail?'” “Faix, I was,” replied he, laughing;
+“divil a doubt of it.”
+
+“How did you come by the name of 'Larry the Flail'?”
+
+“They gave me the name up at Mulhuldad there, for bating one M'Clancy
+with a flail.”
+
+“A very good reason. So you got the name because you beat a certain
+M'Clancy with a flail?”
+
+“I didn't say that; I only said they gave me the name because they said
+I bate him.”
+
+“Were you ever called 'Fire-the-Haggard'?”
+
+“I was, often.”
+
+“For no reason, of course?”
+
+“Divil a may son. The boys said it in sport, just as they talk of yer
+honor out there in the hall.”
+
+“How do you mean,--talk of me?”
+
+“Sure I heard them say myself, as I was coming in, that you wor a clever
+man and a 'cute lawyer. They do be always humbugging that way.”
+
+A titter ran round the benches of the barristers at this speech, which
+was delivered with a naïve simplicity that would deceive many.
+
+“You were a United Irishman, Mr. M'Keown, I believe?” rejoined the
+counsel, with a frown of stern intimidation.
+
+“Yes, sir; and a White Boy, and a Defender, and a Thrasher besides. I
+was in all the fun them times.”
+
+“The Thrashers are the fellows, I believe, who must beat any man they
+are appointed to attack; isn't that so?”
+
+“Yes, sir.”
+
+“So that, if I was mentioned to you as a person to be assaulted,
+although I had never done you any injury, you 'd not hesitate to waylay
+me?”
+
+“No, sir, I wouldn't do that. I'd not touch yer honor.”
+
+“Come, come; what do you mean? Why wouldn't you touch me?”
+
+“I' d rather not tell, av it was plazing to ye.”
+
+“You must tell, sir; speak out! Why wouldn't you attack me?”
+
+“They say, sir,” said Darby,--and as he spoke, his voice assumed a
+peculiar lisp, meant to express great modesty,--“they say, sir, that
+when a man has a big wart on his nose there, like yer honor, it's not
+lucky to bate him, for that's the way the divil marks his own.”
+
+This time the decorum of the court gave way entirely, and the unwashed
+faces which filled the avenues and passages were all expanded in open
+laughter; nor was it easy to restore order again amid the many marks of
+approval and encouragement bestowed on Darby by his numerous admirers.
+
+“Remember where you are, sir,” said the judge, severely.
+
+“Yes, my lord,” said Darby, with an air of submission. “'T is the first
+time I was ever in sich a situation as this. I 'm much more at my ease
+when I 'm down in the dock there; it's what I 'm most used to, God help
+me.”
+
+The whining tone in which he delivered this mock lament on his
+misfortunes occasioned another outbreak of the mob, who were threatened
+with expulsion from the court if any future interruption took place.
+
+“You were, then, a member of every illegal society of the time, Mr.
+Darby?” said the lawyer, returning to the examination. “Is it not so?”
+
+“Most of them, anyhow,” was the cool reply.
+
+“You took an active part in the doings of the year '98 also?”
+
+“Throth I did,--mighty active. I walked from beyant Castlecomer one day
+to Dublin to see a trial here. Be the same token, it was Mr. Curran made
+a hare of yer honor that day. Begorrah I wonder ye ever held up yer head
+after.”
+
+Here a burst of laughter at the recollection seemed to escape Darby
+so naturally, that its contagious effects were felt throughout the
+assembly.
+
+“You are a wit, Mr. M'Keown, I fancy, eh?”
+
+“Bedad I 'm not, sir; very little of that same would have kept out of
+this to-day.”
+
+“But you came here to serve a friend,--a very old friend, he calls you.”
+
+“Does he?” said Darby, with an energy of tone and manner very different
+from what he had hitherto used. “Does Master Tom say that?”
+
+As the poor fellow's cheek flushed, and his eyes sparkled with proud
+emotion, I could perceive that the lawyer's face underwent a change
+equally rapid. A look of triumph at having at length discovered the
+assailable point of the witness's temperament now passed over his pale
+features, and gave them an expression of astonishing intelligence.
+
+“A very natural thing it is, Darby, that he should call you so. You were
+companions at an early period,--at least of his life; fellow-travellers,
+too, if I don't mistake?”
+
+Although these words were spoken in a tone of careless freedom, and
+intended to encourage Darby to some expansion on the same theme, the
+cunning fellow had recovered all his habitual self-possession, and
+merely answered, if answer it could be called,--
+
+“I was a poor man, sir, and lived by the pipes.”
+
+The advocate and the witness exchanged looks at this moment, in which
+their relative positions were palpably conveyed. Each seemed to say it
+was a drawn battle; but the lawyer returned with vigor to the charge;
+desiring Darby to mention the manner in which our first acquaintance
+began, and how the intimacy was originally formed.
+
+He narrated with clearness and accuracy every step of our early
+wanderings; and while never misstating a single fact, contrived
+to exhibit my career as totally devoid of any participation in the
+treasonable doings of the period. Indeed, he laid great stress on the
+fact that my acquaintance with Charles de Meudon had withdrawn me from
+all relations with the insurgent party, between whom and the French
+allies feelings of open dislike and distrust existed. Of the scene at
+the barrack his account varied in nothing from that I had already given;
+nor was all the ingenuity of a long and intricate cross-examination able
+to shake his testimony in the most minute particular.
+
+“Of course, then, you know Sir Montague Crofts? It is quite clear that
+you cannot mistake a person with whom you had a struggle such as you
+speak of.”
+
+“Faix, I'd know his skin upon a bush,” said Darby, “av he was like what
+I remember him; but sure he may be changed since that. They tell me
+I'm looking ould myself; and no wonder. Hunting kangaroos wears the
+constitution terribly.”
+
+“Look around the court, now, and say if he be here.”
+
+Darby rose from his seat, and shading his eyes with his hand, took
+a deliberate survey of the court. Though well knowing, from past
+experience, in what part of the assembly the person he sought would
+probably be, he seized the occasion to scrutinize the features of the
+various persons, whom under no other pretence could he have examined.
+
+“It's not on the bench, sir, you need look for him,” said the lawyer,
+as M'Keown remained for a considerable time with his eyes bent in that
+direction.
+
+“Bedad there's no knowing,” rejoined Darby, doubtfully; “av he was
+dressed up that way, I wouldn't know him from an old ram.”
+
+He turned round as he said this, and gazed steadfastly towards the bar.
+It was an anxious moment for me: should Darby make any mistake in the
+identity of Crofts, his whole testimony would be so weakened in the
+opinion of the jury as to be nearly valueless. I watched his eyes,
+therefore, as they ranged over the crowded mass, with a palpitating
+heart; and when at last his glance settled on a far part of the court,
+very distant from that occupied by Crofts, I grew almost sick with
+apprehension lest he should mistake another for him.
+
+“Well, sir,” said the lawyer; “do you see him now?”
+
+“Arrah, it's humbugging me yez are,” said Darby, roughly, while he threw
+himself down into his chair in apparent ill temper.
+
+A loud burst of laughter broke from the bar at this sudden ebullition of
+passion, so admirably feigned that none suspected its reality; and while
+the sounds of mirth were subsiding, Darby dropped his head, and placed
+his hand above his ear. “There it is, by gorra; there's no mistaking
+that laugh, anyhow,” cried he; “there's a screech in it might plaze an
+owl.” And with that he turned abruptly round and faced the bench where
+Crofts was seated. “I heard it a while ago, but I couldn't say where.
+That's the man,” said he, pointing with his finger to Crofts, who seemed
+actually to cower beneath his piercing glance.
+
+“Remember, sir, you are on your solemn oath. Will you swear that the
+gentleman there is Sir Montague Crofts?”
+
+“I know nothing about Sir Montague,” said Darby, composedly, while
+rising he walked over towards the edge of the table where Crofts was
+sitting, “but I'll swear that's the same Captain Crofts that I knocked
+down while he was shortening his sword to run it through Master Burke;
+and by the same token, he has a cut in the skull where he fell on the
+fender.” And before the other could prevent it, he stretched out his
+hand, and placed it on the back of the crown of Crofts's head. “There it
+is, just as I tould you.”
+
+The sensation these words created in the court was most striking,
+and even the old lawyer appeared overwhelmed at the united craft and
+consistency of the piper. The examination was resumed; but Darby's
+evidence tallied so accurately with my statement that its continuance
+only weakened the case for the prosecution.
+
+As the sudden flash of the lightning will sometimes disclose what in the
+long blaze of noonday has escaped the beholder, so will conviction
+break unexpectedly upon the human mind from some slight but striking
+circumstance which comes with the irresistible force of unpremeditated
+truthfulness. From that moment it was clear the jury to a man were with
+Darby. They paid implicit attention to all he said, and made notes of
+every trivial fact he mentioned; while he, as if divining the impression
+he had made, became rigorously cautious that not a particle of his
+evidence could be shaken, nor the effect of his testimony weakened by
+even a passing phrase of exaggeration. It was, indeed, a phenomenon
+worth studying, to see this fellow, whose natural disposition was the
+irrepressible love of drollery and recklessness,--whose whole heart
+seemed bent on the indulgence of his wayward, careless humor,--suddenly
+throw off every eccentricity of his character, and become a steady and
+accurate witness, delivering his evidence carefully and cautiously,
+and never suffering his own leanings to repartee, nor the badgering
+allusions of his questioner, to draw him for a moment away from the
+great object he had set before him; resisting every line, every bait,
+the cunning lawyer threw out to seduce him into that land of fancy
+so congenial to an Irishman's temperament, he was firm against
+all temptation, and even endured that severest of all tests to the
+forbearance of his country,--he suffered the laugh more than once to be
+raised at his expense, without an effort to retort on his adversary.
+
+The examination lasted three hours; and at its conclusion, every fact
+I stated had received confirmation from Darby's testimony, down to the
+moment when we left the barrack together.
+
+“Now, M'Keown,” said the lawyer, “I am about to call your recollection,
+which is so wonderfully accurate that it can give you no trouble in
+remembering, to a circumstance which immediately followed the affair.”
+
+As he got thus far, Crofts leaned over and drew the counsel towards
+him while he whispered some words rapidly in his ear. A brief dialogue
+ensued between them; at the conclusion of which the lawyer turned round,
+and addressing Darby, said,--
+
+“You may go down, sir; I 've done with you.” “Wait a moment,” said the
+young barrister on my side, who quickly perceived that the interruption
+had its secret object. “My learned friend was about to ask you
+concerning something which happened after you left the barrack; and
+although he has changed his mind on the subject, we on this side would
+be glad to hear what you have to say.”
+
+Darby's eyes flashed with unwonted brilliancy; and I thought I caught
+a glance of triumphant meaning towards Crofts, as he began his recital,
+which was in substance nothing more than what the reader already knows.
+When he came to the mention of Fortescue's name, however, Crofts, whose
+excitement was increasing at each moment, lost all command over himself,
+and cried out,--
+
+“It's false! every word untrue! The man was dead at the time.”
+
+The court rebuked the interruption, and Darby went on.
+
+“No, my lord; he was alive. But Mr. Crofts is not to blame, for he
+believed he was dead; and, more than that, he thought he took the sure
+way to make him so.”
+
+These words produced the greatest excitement throughout the court;
+and an animated discussion ensued, how far the testimony could go to
+inculpate a party not accused. It was ruled, at last, the evidence
+should be heard, as touching the case on trial, and not immediately as
+regarded Crofts. And then Darby began a recital, of which I had never
+heard a syllable before, nor had I conceived the slightest suspicion.
+
+The story, partly told in narrative form, partly elicited by
+questioning, was briefly this.
+
+Daniel Fortescue was the son of a Roscommon gentleman of large fortune,
+of whom also Crofts was the illegitimate child. The father, a man
+of high Tory politics, had taken a most determined part against the
+patriotic party in Ireland, to which his son Daniel had shown himself,
+on more than one occasion, favorable. The consequence was, a breach of
+affection between them; widened into an actual rupture, by the old man,
+who was a widower, taking home to his house the illegitimate son, and
+announcing to his household that he would leave him everything he could
+in the world.
+
+To Daniel, the blow was all that he needed to precipitate his ruin. He
+abandoned the university, where already he had distinguished himself,
+and threw himself heart and soul into the movement of the “United
+Irish” party. At first, high hopes of an independent nation,--a separate
+kingdom, with its own train of interests, and its own sphere of power
+and influence,--was the dream of those with whom he associated. But
+as events rolled on it was found, that to mature their plans it was
+necessary to connect themselves with the masses, by whose agency the
+insurrectionary movement was to be effected; and in doing so, they
+discovered, that although theories of liberty and independence, high
+notions of pure government, may have charms for men of intellect and
+intelligence, to the mob the price of a rebellion must be paid down
+in the sterling coin of pillage and plunder,--or even, worse, the
+triumphant dominion of the depraved and the base over the educated and
+the worthy.
+
+Many who favored the patriotic cause, as it was called, became so
+disgusted at the low associates and base intercourse the game of party
+required, that they abandoned the field at once, leaving to others, less
+scrupulous or more ardent, the path they could not stoop to follow. It
+was probable that young Fortescue might have been among these, had he
+been left to the guidance of his own judgment and inclination; for, as a
+man of honor and intelligence, he could not help feeling shocked at the
+demands made by those who were the spokesmen of the people. But this
+course he was not permitted to take, owing to the influence of a man who
+had succeeded in obtaining the most absolute power over him.
+
+This was a certain Maurice Mulcahy, a well-known member of the various
+illegal clubs of the day, and originally a country schoolmaster. Mulcahy
+it was who first infected Fortescue's mind with the poison of this
+party,--now lending him volumes of the incendiary trash with which
+the press teemed; now newspapers, whose articles were headed, “Orange
+outrage on a harmless and unresisting peasantry!” or, “Another sacrifice
+of the people to the bloody vengeance of the Saxon!” By these, his
+youthful mind became interested in the fate of those he believed to be
+treated with reckless cruelty and oppression; while, as he advanced in
+years, his reason was appealed to by those great and spirit-stirring
+addresses which Grattan and Curran were continually delivering, either
+in the senate or at the bar, and wherein the most noble aspirations
+after liberty were united with sentiments breathing love of country and
+devoted patriotism. To connect the garbled and lying statements of a
+debased newspaper press with the honorable hopes and noble conceptions
+of men of mind and genius, was the fatal process of his political
+education; and never was there a time when such a delusion was more
+easy.
+
+Mulcahy, now stimulating the boyish ardor of a high-spirited youth, now
+flattering his vanity by promises of the position one of his ancient
+name and honored lineage must assume in the great national movement,
+gradually became his directing genius, swaying every resolution and
+ruling every determination of his mind. He never left his victim for a
+moment; and while thus insuring the unbounded influence he exercised, he
+gave proof of a seeming attachment, which Fortescue confidently believed
+in. Mulcahy, too, never wanted for money; alleging that the leaders of
+the plot knew the value of Fortescue's alliance, and were willing
+to advance him any sums he needed, he supplied the means of every
+extravagance a wild and careless youth indulged in, and thus riveted the
+chain of his bondage to him.
+
+When the rebellion broke out, Fortescue, like many more, was
+horror-struck at the conduct of his party. He witnessed hourly scenes
+of cruelty and bloodshed at which his heart revolted, but to avow his
+compassion for which would have cost him his life on the spot. He was
+in the stream, however, and must go with the torrent; and what will not
+stern necessity compel? Daily intimacy with the base-hearted and the
+low, hourly association with crime, and perhaps more than either,
+despair of success, broke him down completely, and with the blind
+fatuity of one predestined to evil, he became careless what happened to
+him, and indifferent to whatever fate was before him.
+
+Still, between him and his associates there lay a wide gulf. The tree,
+withered and blighted as it was, still preserved some semblance of its
+once beauty; and among that mass of bigotry and bloodshed, his nature
+shone forth conspicuously as something of a different order of being. To
+none was this superiority more insulting than to the parties themselves.
+So long as the period of devising and planning the movement of an
+insurrection lasts, the presence of a gentleman, or a man of birth
+or rank, will be hailed with acclamation and delight. Let the hour of
+acting arrive, however, and the scruples of an honorable mind, or the
+repugnance of a high-spirited nature, will be treated as cowardice by
+those who only recognized bravery in deeds of blood, and know no heroism
+save when allied to cruelty.
+
+Fortescue became suspected by his party. Hints were circulated, and
+rumors reached him, that he was watched; that it was no time for hanging
+back. He who sacrificed everything for the cause to be thus accused! He
+consulted Mulcahy; and to his utter discomfiture discovered that
+even his old ally and adviser was not devoid of doubt regarding him.
+Something must be done, and that speedily,--he cared not what. Life had
+long ceased to interest him either by hope or fear. The only tie that
+bound him to existence was the strange desire to be respected by those
+his heart sickened at the thought of.
+
+An attack was at that time planned against the house and family of a
+Wexford gentleman, whose determined opposition to the rebel movement had
+excited all their hatred. Fortescue demanded to be the leader of that
+expedition; and was immediately named to the post by those who were glad
+to have the opportunity of testing his conduct by such an emergency.
+
+The attack took place at night,--a scene of the most fearful and
+appalling cruelty, such as the historian yet records among the most
+dreadful of that dreadful period. The house was burned to the ground,
+and its inmates butchered, regardless of age or sex. In the effort to
+save a female from the flames, Fortescue was struck down by one of his
+party; while another nearly cleft his chest across with a cut of a large
+knife. He fell, covered with blood, and lay seemingly dead. When his
+party retreated, however, he summoned strength to creep under shelter of
+a ditch, and lay there till near daybreak, when he was found by another
+gang of the rebel faction, who knew nothing of the circumstances of his
+wound, and carried him away to a place of safety.
+
+For some months he lay dangerously ill. Hectic fever, consequent on long
+suffering, brought him to the very brink of the grave; and at last he
+managed by stealth to reach Dublin, where a doctor well known to
+the party resided, and under whose care he ultimately recovered, and
+succeeded at last in taking a passage to America. Meanwhile his death
+was currently believed, and Crofts was everywhere recognized as the heir
+to the fortune.
+
+Mulcahy, of whom it is necessary to speak a few words, was soon after
+apprehended on a charge of rebellion, and sentenced to transportation.
+He appealed to many who had known him, as he said, in better times,
+to speak to his character. Among others, Captain Crofts--so he then
+was--was summoned. His evidence, however, was rather injurious than
+favorable to the prisoner; and although not in any way influencing the
+sentence, was believed by the populace to have mainly contributed to its
+severity.
+
+Such was, in substance, the singular story which was now told before the
+court,--told without any effort at concealment or reserve; and to the
+proof of which M'Keown was willing to proceed at once.
+
+“This, my lord,” said Darby, as he concluded, “is a good time and place
+to give back to Mr. Crofts a trifling article I took from him the night
+at the barracks. I thought it was the bank-notes I was getting; but it
+turned out better, after all.”
+
+With that he produced a strong black leather pocket-book, fastened by a
+steel clasp. No sooner did Crofts behold it, than, with the spring of a
+tiger, he leaped forward and endeavored to clutch it. But Darby was on
+his guard, and immediately drew back his hand, calling out,--
+
+“No, no, sir! I didn't keep it by me eight long years to give it up that
+way. There, my lords,” said he, as he handed it to the bench, “there's
+his pocket-book, with plenty of notes in it from many a one well
+known,--Maurice Mulcahy among the rest,--and you'll soon see who it was
+first tempted Fortescue to ruin, and who paid the money for doing it.”
+
+A burst of horror and astonishment broke from the assembled crowd as
+Darby spoke.
+
+Then, in a loud, determined tone, “He is a perjurer!” screamed Crofts. “I
+repeat it, my lord; Fortescue is dead.”
+
+“Faix! and for a dead man he has a remarkable appetite,” said Darby,
+“and an elegant color in his face besides; for there he stands.”
+
+And as he spoke, he pointed with his finger to a man who was leaning
+with folded arms against one of the pillars that supported the gallery.
+
+Every eye was now turned in the direction towards him; while the young
+barrister called out, “Is your name Daniel Fortescue?”
+
+But before any answer could follow, several among the lawyers, who
+had known him in his college days, and felt attachment to him, had
+surrounded and recognized him.
+
+“I am Daniel Fortescue, my lord,” said the stranger. “Whatever may be
+the consequences of the avowal, I say it here, before this court,
+that every statement the witness has made regarding me is true to the
+letter.”
+
+A low, faint sound, heard throughout the stillness that followed these
+words, now echoed throughout the court; and Crofts had fallen, fainting,
+over the bench behind him.
+
+A scene of tumultuous excitement now ensued, for while Crofts's friends,
+many of whom were present, assisted to carry him into the air, others
+pressed eagerly forward to catch a sight of Fortescue, who had already
+rivalled Darby himself in the estimation of the spectators.
+
+He was a tall, powerfully-built man, of about thirty-five or thirty-six,
+dressed in the blue jacket and trousers of a sailor; but neither the
+habitude of his profession nor the humble dress he wore could conceal
+the striking evidence his air and bearing indicated of condition and
+birth. As he mounted the witness table,--for it was finally agreed
+that his testimony in disproof or corroboration of M'Keown should be
+heard,--a murmur of approbation went round, partly at the daring step he
+had thus ventured on taking, and partly excited by those personal gifts
+which are ever certain to have their effect upon any crowded assembly.
+
+I need not enter into the details of his evidence, which was given in
+a frank, straightforward manner, well suited to his appearance; never
+concealing for a moment the cause he had himself embarked in, nor
+assuming any favorable coloring for actions which ingenuity and the zeal
+of party would have found subjects for encomium rather than censure.
+
+His narrative not only confirmed all that Darby asserted, but also
+disclosed the atrocious scheme by which he had been first induced to
+join the ranks of the disaffected party. This was the work of Crofts,
+who knew and felt that Fortescue was the great barrier between himself
+and a large fortune. For this purpose Mulcahy was hired; to this end the
+whole long train of perfidy laid, which eventuated in his ruin: for
+so artfully had the plot been devised, each day's occurrence rendered
+retreat more difficult, until at last it became impossible.
+
+The reader is already aware of the catastrophe which concluded his
+career in the rebel army. It only remains now to be told that he escaped
+to America, where he entered as a sailor on board a merchantman;
+and although his superior acquirements and conduct might have easily
+bettered his fortune in his new walk in life, the dread of detection
+never left his mind, and he preferred the hardships before the mast to
+the vacillation of hope and fear a more conspicuous position would have
+exposed him to.
+
+The vessel in which he served was wrecked off the coast of New Holland,
+and he and a few others of the crew were taken up by an English ship on
+her voyage outward. In a party sent on shore for water, Fortescue came
+up with Darby, who had made his escape from the convict settlement, and
+was wandering about the woods, almost dead of starvation, and scarcely
+covered with clothing. His pitiful condition, but perhaps more still,
+his native drollery, which even then was unextinguished, induced the
+sailors to yield to Fortescue's proposal, and they smuggled him on
+board in a water cask; and thus concealed, he made the entire voyage to
+England, where he landed about a fortnight before the trial. Fearful of
+being apprehended before the day, and determined at all hazards to give
+his evidence, he lay hid till the time we have already seen, when he
+suddenly came forward to my rescue.
+
+Mulcahy, who worked in the same gang with Darby, or, to use the piper's
+grandiloquent expression,--for he burst out in this occasionally,--was
+“in concatenated proximity to him,” told the whole story of his own
+baseness, and loudly inveighed against Crofts for deserting him in
+his misfortunes. The pocket-book taken from Crofts by Darby amply
+corroborated this statement. It contained, besides various memoranda
+in the owner's handwriting, several letters from Mulcahy, detailing the
+progress of the conspiracy: some were in acknowledgment of considerable
+sums of money; others asking for supplies; but all confirmatory of the
+black scheme by which Fortescue's destruction was compassed.
+
+Whatever might have been the sentiments of the crowded court regarding
+the former life and opinions of Fortescue and the piper, it was clear
+that now only one impression prevailed,--a general feeling of horror at
+the complicated villany of Crofts, whose whole existence had been one
+tissue of the basest treachery.
+
+The testimony was heard with attention throughout; no cross-examination
+was entered on; and the judge, briefly adverting to the case which
+was before the jury, and from whose immediate consideration subsequent
+events had in a great measure withdrawn their minds, directed them to
+deliver a verdict of “Not guilty.”
+
+The words were re-echoed by the jury, who, man for man, exclaimed these
+words aloud, amid the most deafening cheers from every side.
+
+As I walked from the dock, fatigued, worn out, and exhausted, a dozen
+hands were stretched out to seize mine; but one powerful grasp caught my
+arm, and a well-known voice called in my ear,--
+
+“An' ye wor with Boney, Master Tom? Tare and 'ounds, didn't I know you'd
+be a great man yet.”
+
+At the same instant Fortescue came through the crowd towards me, with
+his hands outstretched.
+
+“We should be friends, sir,” said he, “for we both have suffered from a
+common enemy. If I am at liberty to leave this--”
+
+“You are not, sir,” interposed a deep voice behind. We turned and beheld
+Major Barton. “The massacre at Kil-macshogue has yet to be atoned for.”
+
+Fortescue's face grew actually livid at the mention of the word, and his
+breathing became thick and short.
+
+“Here,” continued Barton, “is the warrant for your committal. And you
+also, Darby,” said he, turning round; “we want your company once more in
+Newgate.”
+
+“Bedad, I suppose there's no use in sending an apology when friends is
+so pressing,” said he, buttoning his coat as coolly as possible; “but I
+hope you 'll let the master come in to see me.”
+
+“Mr. Burke shall be admitted at all times,” said Barton, with an
+obsequious civility I had never witnessed in him previously.
+
+“Faix, maybe you 'll not be for letting him out so aisy,” said Darby,
+dryly, for his notions of justice were tempered by a considerable dash
+of suspicion.
+
+I had only time left to press my purse into the honest fellow's hand,
+and salute Fortescue hastily, as they both were removed, under the
+custody of Barton. And I now made my way through the crowd into the
+hall, which opened a line for me as I went; a thousand welcomes meeting
+me from those who felt as anxious about the result of the trial as if a
+brother or a dear friend had been in peril.
+
+One face caught my eye as I passed; and partly from my own excitement,
+partly from its expression being so different from its habitual
+character, I could not recognize it as speedily as I ought to have done.
+Again and again it appeared; and at last, as I approached the door into
+the street, it was beside me.
+
+“If I might dare to express my congratulations,” said a voice, weak
+from the tremulous anxiety of the speaker, and the shame which, real or
+affected, seemed to bow him down.
+
+“What,” cried I, “Mr. Basset!” for it was the worthy man himself.
+
+“Yes, sir. Your father's old and confidential agent,--I might venture to
+say, friend,--come to see the son of his first patron occupy the station
+he has long merited.”
+
+“A bad memory is the only touch of age I remark in you, sir,” said I,
+endeavoring to pass on, for I was unwilling at the moment of my escape
+from a great difficulty to lose temper with so unworthy an object.
+
+“One moment, sir, just a moment,” said he, in a low whisper. “You'll
+want money, probably. The November rents are not paid up; but there's a
+considerable balance to your credit. Will you take a hundred or two for
+the present?”
+
+“Take money!--money from you!” said I, shrinking back.
+
+“Your own, sir; your own estate. Do you forget,” said he, with a
+miserable effort of a smile, “that you are Mr. Burke of Cromore, with a
+clear rental of four thousand a year? We gained the Cluan Bog lawsuit,
+sir,” continued he. “'Twas I, sir, found the satisfaction for the bond.
+Your brother said he owed it all to Tony Basset.”
+
+The two last words were all that were needed to sum up the measure of my
+disgust and I once more tried to get forward.
+
+“I know the property, sir, for thirty-eight years I was over it. Your
+father and your brother always trusted me--”
+
+“Let me pass on, Mr. Basset,” said I, calmly. “I have no desire to
+become a greater object of mob curiosity. Pray let me pass on.”
+
+“And for Darby M'Keown,” whispered he.
+
+“What of him?” said I; for he had touched the most anxious chord of my
+heart at that instant.
+
+“I'll have him free; he shall be at liberty in forty-eight hours for
+you. I have the whole papers by me; and a statement to the privy council
+will obtain his liberation.”
+
+“Do this,” said I, “and I 'll forgive more of your treatment of me than
+I could on any other plea.”
+
+“May I call on you this evening, or to-morrow morning, at your hotel?
+Where do you stop, sir?”
+
+“This evening be it, if it hasten M'Keown's liberation. Remember,
+however, Mr. Basset, I'll hold no converse with you on any other subject
+till that be settled, and to my perfect satisfaction.”
+
+“A bargain, sir,” said he, with a grin of satisfaction; and dropping
+back, he suffered me to proceed.
+
+Along the quays I went, and down Dame Street, accompanied by a great mob
+of people, who thought in my acquittal they had gained a triumph. For
+so it was; every case had its political feature, and seemed to be
+intimately connected with the objects of one party or the other.
+Partisan cheers,--the watchwords of faction,--were uttered as I went,
+and I was made to suffer that least satisfactory of all conditions,
+which bestows notoriety without fame, and popularity without merit.
+
+As I entered the hotel, I recognized many of the persons I had seen
+there before; but their looks were no longer thrown towards me with the
+impertinence they then assumed. On the contrary, a studied desire to
+evince courtesy and politeness was evident. “How strange is it!” thought
+I; “how differently does the whole world smile to the rich man and to
+the poor!” Here were many who could in nowise derive advantage from my
+altered condition,--as perfectly independent of me as I of them; and
+yet even they showed that degree of deference in their manner which the
+expectant bestows upon a patron. So it is, however. The position which
+wealth confers is recognized by all; the individual who fills it is but
+an attribute of the station.
+
+Life had, indeed, opened on me with a new and very different aspect; and
+I felt, as I indulged in the daydreams which the sudden possession of
+fortune excites, that to enjoy thoroughly the blessings of independence,
+one must have experienced, as I had, the hard pressure of adversity. It
+seemed to me that the long road of gloomy fate had at length reached its
+turning point, and that I should now travel along a calmer and happier
+path. Thoughts of the new career that lay before me were blended with
+the memories of the past; hopes they were, but dashed with the shadows
+which a blighted affection will throw over the whole stream of life.
+Still that evening was one of happiness; not of that excited pleasure
+derived from the attainment of a long coveted object, but the calmer
+enjoyment felt in the safety of the haven by him who has experienced the
+hurricane and the storm.
+
+With such thoughts I went to rest, and laid my head on my pillow in
+thoughtfulness and peace. In my dreams my troubles still lingered. But
+who regrets the anxious minutes of a vision which wakening thoughts
+dispel? Are they not rather the mountain shadows that serve to brighten
+the gleam of the sunlight in the plain?
+
+It was thus the morning broke for me, with all the ecstasy of danger
+passed, and all the crowding hopes of a happy future. The hundred
+speculations which in poverty I had formed for the comfort of the poor
+and the humble might now be realized; and I fancied myself the centre of
+a happy peasantry, confiding and contented. It would be hard, indeed,
+to forget “the camp and the tented field” in the peaceful paths of a
+country life. But simple duties are often as engrossing as those of a
+higher order, and bring a reward not less grateful to the heart; and I
+flattered myself to think my ambition reached not above them.
+
+The moments in which such daydreams are indulged are the very happiest
+of a lifetime. The hopes which are based on the benefits we may render
+to others are sources of elevation to ourselves; and such motives purify
+the soul, and exalt the mind to a pitch far above the petty ambitions of
+the world.
+
+To myself, and to my own enjoyments, wealth could contribute less than
+to most men. The simple habits of a soldier's life satisfied every wish
+of my mind. The luxuries which custom makes necessary to others I never
+knew; and I formed my resolution not to wander from this path of humble,
+inexpensive tastes, so that the stream of charity might flow the wider.
+
+These were my waking thoughts. Alas, how little do we ever realize of
+such speculations! and how few glide down the stream of life unswayed by
+the eddies and crosscurrents of fortune! The higher we build the temple
+of our hopes, the more surely will it topple to its fall. Who shall say
+that our greatest enjoyment is not in raising the pile, and our happiest
+hours the full abandonment to those hopes our calmer reason never
+ratified?
+
+As yet it had not occurred to me to think what position the world might
+concede to one whose life had been passed like mine, nor did I bestow a
+care upon a matter whereon so much of future happiness depended. These,
+however, were considerations which could not be long averted. How they
+came, and in what manner they were met must remain for a future chapter
+of my history.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII. HASTY RESOLUTION
+
+In my last chapter I brought my reader to that portion of my story
+which formed the turning-point of my destiny. And here I might, perhaps,
+conclude these brief memoirs of an early life, whose chief object was
+to point out the results of a hasty and rash judgment, which, formed in
+mere boyhood, exerted its influence throughout the entire of a lifetime.
+Only one incident remains still to be told; and I shall not trespass on
+the good-natured patience of my readers by any delay in the narrative.
+
+From being poor, houseless, and unknown, a sudden turn of fortune
+had made me wealthy and conspicuous in station; the owner of a large
+estate,--almost a lead-ing man in my native county. My influence was
+sufficient to procure the liberation of M'Keown; and my interference in
+his behalf mainly contributed to procure for Fortescue the royal pardon.
+The world, as the phrase is, went with me; and the good luck which
+attended every step I took and every plan I engaged in was become a
+proverb among my neighbors.
+
+Let not any one suppose I was unmindful or ungrateful, if I confess,
+that even with all these I was not happy. No: the tranquil mind, the
+spirit at ease with itself, cannot exist where the sense of duty is not.
+The impulse which swayed my boyish heart still moved the ambition of the
+man. The pursuits I should have deemed the noblest and the purest seemed
+to me uninteresting and ignoble; the associations I ought to have
+felt the happiest and the highest appeared to me vulgar, and low, and
+commonplace. I was disappointed in my early dream of liberty, and
+had found tyranny where I looked for freedom, and intolerance where I
+expected enlightenment; but if so, I recurred with tenfold enthusiasm to
+the career of the soldier, whose glories were ever before me. That
+noble path had not deceived me; far from it. Its wild and whirlwind
+excitement, its hazardous enterprise, its ever-present dangers, were
+stimulants I loved and gloried in. All the chances and changes of a
+peaceful life were poor and mean compared to the hourly vicissitudes of
+war. I knew not then, it is true, how much of enjoyment I derived from
+forgetful ness; how many of my springs of happiness flowed from that
+preoccupation which prevented my dwelling on the only passion that ever
+stirred my heart,--my love for one whose love was hopeless.
+
+How thoroughly will the character of an early love tinge the whole of a
+life! Our affections are like flowers,--they derive their sweetness and
+their bloom from the soil in which they grow: some, budding in joy and
+gladness, amid the tinkling plash of a glittering fountain, live on ever
+bright and beautiful; others, struggling on amid thorns and wild
+weeds, overshadowed by gloom, preserve their early impressions to the
+last,--their very sweetness tells of sadness.
+
+To conquer the memory of this hopeless passion, I tried a hundred ways.
+I endeavored, by giving myself up to the duties of a country gentleman,
+to become absorbed in all the cares and pursuits which had such interest
+for my neighbors. Failing in this, I became a sportsman; I kept horses
+and dogs, and entered, with all the zest mere determination can impart,
+upon that life of manly exertion, so full of pleasure to thousands. But
+here again without succeeding.
+
+I went into society; but soon retired from it, on finding, that among
+the class of my equals the prestige of my early life had still tracked
+me. I was in their eyes a rebel, whose better fortune had saved him
+from the fate of his companions. My youth had given no guarantee for my
+manhood; and I was not trusted. Baffled in every endeavor to obliterate
+my secret grief, I recurred to it now, as though privileged by fate,
+to indulge a memory nothing could efface. I abandoned all the petty
+appliances by which I sought to shut out the past, and gave myself up in
+full abandonment to the luxury of my melancholy.
+
+Living entirely within the walls of my demesne, never seen by my
+neighbors, not making nor receiving visits, I appeared to many a
+heartless recluse, whose misanthropy sought indulgence in solitude;
+others, less harshly, judged me as one whose unhappy entrance on life
+had unfitted him for the station to which fortune had elevated him. By
+both I was soon forgotten.
+
+The peasantry were less ungenerous, and more just. They saw in me one
+who felt acutely for the privations they were suffering; yet never gave
+them that cheap, delusive hope, that legislative changes will touch
+social evils,--that the acts of a parliament will penetrate the thousand
+tortuous windings of a poor man's destiny. They found in me a friend and
+an adviser. They only-wondered at one thing,--how any man could feel for
+the poor, and not hate the rich. So long had the struggle lasted between
+affluence and misery, they could not understand a compromise.
+
+Bitter as their poverty had been, it never extinguished the poetry of
+their lives. They were hungry and naked; but they held to their ancient
+traditions, and they built on them great hopes for the future. The old
+family names, the time-honored memories of place, the famous deeds
+of ancestors, made an ideal existence powerful enough to exclude the
+pressure of actual daily evils; and they argued from what had been to
+what might be, with a persistency of hope it seemed almost cruel to
+destroy. So deeply were these thoughts engrained into their natures,
+they felt him but half their friend who ventured to despise them. The
+relief of present poverty, the succor of actual suffering, became in
+their eyes an effort of mere passing kindness. They looked to some great
+amelioration of condition, some wondrous change, some restoration to an
+imaginary standard of independence and comfort, which all the efforts
+of common interference fell sadly short of; and thus they strained their
+gaze to a government, a ruling power, for a boon undefined, unknown, and
+illimitable.
+
+To expectations like these advice and slight assistance are as the mere
+drop of water to the parched tongue of thirst; and so I found it. I
+could neither encourage them in their hopes of such legislative changes
+as would greatly ameliorate their condition, nor flatter them in the
+delusion that none of their misfortunes were of home origin; and thus,
+if they felt gratitude for many kindnesses, they reposed no confidence
+in my opinion. The trading patriot, who promised much while he pocketed
+their hard-earned savings; the rabid newspaper writer, who libelled
+the Government and denounced the landlord,--were their standards of
+sympathy; and he who fell short of either was not their friend.
+
+In a word, the social state of the people was rotten to its very core.
+Their highest qualities, degraded by the combined force of poverty,
+misrule, and superstition, had become sources of crime and misery. They
+had suffered so long and so much, their patience was exhausted; and they
+preferred the prospect of any violent convulsion which might change the
+face of the land, whatever dangers it might come with, to a slow and
+gradual improvement of condition, however safe and certain.
+
+To win their confidence at the only price they would accord it, I never
+could consent to; and without it I was almost powerless for good.
+Here again, therefore, did I find closed against me another avenue for
+exertion; and the only one of all I could have felt a fitting sphere
+for my labor. The violence of their own passionate natures, the headlong
+impulses by which they suffered themselves to be swayed, left them no
+power of judgment regarding those whose views were more moderate and
+temperate. They could understand the high Tory landlord, whom they
+invested with every attribute of tyranny, as their open, candid
+opponent; they could see a warm friend in the violent mob-orator of the
+day; but they recognized no trait of kindness in him who would rather
+see them fed than flattered, and behold them in the enjoyment of comfort
+sooner than in the ecstasy of triumph.
+
+From “Darby the Blast”--for he was now a member of my household--I
+learned the light in which I was regarded by the people, and heard the
+dissatisfaction they expressed that one who “sarved Boney” should not
+be ready to head a rising, if need be. Thus was I in a false position
+on every side. Mistrusted by all, because I would neither enter into the
+exaggerations of party, nor become blind to the truth my senses revealed
+before me, my sphere of utility was narrowed to the discharge of the
+mere duties of common charity and benevolence, and my presence among my
+tenantry no more productive of benefit than if I had left my purse as my
+representative.
+
+Years rolled on, and in the noiseless track of time I forgot its flight.
+I now had grown so wedded to the habits of my solitary life, that its
+very monotony was a source of pleasure. I had intrenched myself within a
+little circle of enjoyments, and among my books and in my walks my days
+went pleasantly over.
+
+For a long time, I did not dare to read the daily papers, nor learn the
+great events which agitated Europe. I tried to think that an interval of
+repose would leave me indifferent to their mention; and so rigidly did I
+abstain from indulging my curiosity, that the burning of Moscow, and the
+commencement of the dreadful retreat which followed, was the first fact
+I read of.
+
+From the moment I gave way, the passion for intelligence from France
+became a perfect mania. Where were the different corps of the “Grand
+Army”? where the Emperor himself? by what great stroke of genius would
+he emerge from the difficulties around him, and deal one of his fatal
+blows on the enemy?--were the questions which met me as I awoke, and
+tortured me during the day.
+
+Each movement of that terrible retreat I followed in the gazettes with
+an anxiety verging on insanity. I tracked the long journey on the map,
+and as I counted towns and villages, dreary deserts of snow, and vast
+rivers to be traversed, my heart grew faint to think how many a brave
+soldier would never reach that fair France for whose glory he had shed
+his best blood. Disaster followed disaster; and as the news reached
+England, came accounts of those great defections which weakened the
+force of the “Grand Army,” and deranged the places formed for its
+retiring movements.
+
+They who can recall to mind the time I speak of, will remember the
+effect produced in England by the daily accounts from the seat of war;
+how heavily fell the blows of that altered fortune which once rested on
+the eagles of France; how each new bulletin announced another feature of
+misfortune,--some shattered remnant of a great _corps d'armée_ cut off
+by Cossacks,--some dreadful battle engaged against superior numbers, and
+fought with desperation, not for victory, but the liberty to retreat.
+Great names were mentioned among the slain, and the proudest chivalry of
+Gaul left to perish on the far-off steppes of Russia.
+
+Such were the fearful tales men read of that terrible campaign; and the
+joy in England was great, to hear that the most powerful of her enemies
+had at length experienced the full bitterness of defeat. While men vied
+with one another in stories of the misfortunes of the Emperor,--when
+each post added another to the long catalogue of disasters to the “Grand
+Army,”--I sat in my lonely house, in a remote part of Ireland, brooding
+over the sad reverses of him who still formed my ideal of a hero.
+
+I thought how, amid the crumbling ruins of his splendid force, his great
+soul would survive the crash that made all others despair; that each
+new evil would suggest its remedy as it arose, and the mind that never
+failed in expedient would shine out more brilliantly through the gloom
+of darkening fortune than even it had done in the noonday splendor
+of success. When all others could only see the tremendous energy of
+despair, I thought I could recognize those glorious outbursts of heroism
+by which a French army sought and won the favor of their Emperor. The
+routed and straggling bodies which hurried along in seeming disorder, I
+gloried to perceive could assume all the port and bearing of soldiers at
+the approach of danger, and form their ranks at the wild “houra” of the
+Cossack as steadily as in the proudest day of their prosperity.
+
+The retreat continued: the horrible suffering of a Russian winter added
+to the carnage of a battle-tide, which flowed unceasingly from the
+ruined walls of the Kremlin to the banks of the Vistula: the battle of
+Borisow and the passage of the Berezina followed fast on each other.
+And now we heard that the Emperor had surrendered the chief command
+to Murat, and was hastening back to France with lightning speed; for
+already the day of his evil fortune had thrown its shadow over the
+capital. No longer reckoned by tens of thousands, that vast army had now
+dwindled down to divisions of a few hundred men. The Old Guard scarce
+exceeded one thousand; and of twenty entire regiments of cavalry,
+Murat mustered a single squadron as a bodyguard. Crowds of wounded and
+mutilated men dragged their weary limbs along over the hardened snow,
+or through dense pine forests where no villages were to be met with,--a
+fatuous determination to strive to reach France, the only impulse
+surviving amid all their sufferings.
+
+With the defections of D'York and Massenbach, then began that new
+feature of disaster which was so soon to burst forth with all the fell
+fury of long pent-up hatred. The nationality of Germany--so long, so
+cruelly insulted--now saw the day of retribution arrive. Misfortune
+hastened misfortune, and defeat engendered treason in the ranks of the
+Emperor's allies. Murat, too, the favorite of Napoleon, the king of his
+creation, deserted him now, and fled ignominiously from the command of
+the army.
+
+“The Elbe! the Elbe!” was now the cry amid the shattered ranks of that
+army which but a year before saw no limit to its glorious path. The Elbe
+was the only line remaining which promised a moment's repose from the
+fatigues and privations of months long. Along that road the army could
+halt, and stem the tide of pursuit, however hotly it pressed. The
+Prussians had already united with the Russians; the defection of Austria
+could not be long distant; Saxony was appealed to, as a member of the
+German family, to join in arms against the Tyrant; and the wild “houra”
+ of the Cossack now blended with the loud “Vorwarts” of injured Prussia.
+
+“Where shall he seek succor now? What remains to him in this last
+eventful struggle? How shall the Emperor call back to life the legions
+by whose valor his great victories were gained, and Europe made a vassal
+at the foot of his throne?” Such was the thought that never left me day
+or night. Ever present before me was his calm brow, and his face paler,
+but not less handsome, than its wont. I could recall his rapid glance;
+the quick and hurried motion of his hand; his short and thick utterance,
+as words of command fell from his lips; and his smile, as he heard some
+intelligence with pleasure.
+
+I could not sleep,--scarcely could I eat. A feverish excitement burned
+through my frame, and my parched tongue and hot hand told how the very
+springs of health were dried up within me. I walked with hurried steps
+from place to place; now muttering the words of some despatch, now
+fancying that I was sent with orders for a movement of troops. As I
+rode, I spurred my horse to a gallop, and in my heated imagination
+believed I was in presence of the enemy, and preparing for the fray.
+Great as my exhaustion frequently was, weariness brought no rest. Often
+I returned home at evening, overcome by fatigue; but a sleepless night,
+tortured with anxieties and harassed with doubts and fears, followed,
+and I awoke to pursue the same path, till in my weakened frame and
+hectic cheek the signs of illness could no longer be mistaken.
+
+Terrified at the ravages a few weeks had made in my health, and fearful
+what secret malady was preying upon me, Darby, without asking any leave
+from me, left the house one morning at daybreak, and returned with the
+physician of the neighboring town. I was about to mount my horse, when I
+saw them coming up the avenue, and immediately guessed the object of the
+visit. A moment was enough to decide me as to the course to pursue;
+for well knowing how disposed the world ever is to stamp the impress
+of wandering intellect on any habit of mere eccentricity, I resolved to
+receive the doctor as though I was glad of his coming, and consult with
+him regarding my state. This would at least refute such a scandal, by
+enlisting the physician among the allies of my cause.
+
+By good fortune, Dr. Clibborn was a man of shrewd common sense, as well
+as a physician of no mean skill.
+
+In the brief conversation we held together, I perceived, that while he
+paid all requisite attention to any detail which implied the existence
+of malady, his questions were more pointedly directed to the possibility
+of some mental cause of irritation,--the source of my ailment. I could
+see, however, that his opinion inclined to the belief that the events of
+the trial had left their indelible traces on my mind; which, inducing
+me to adopt a life of isolation and retirement, had now produced the
+effects he witnessed.
+
+I was not sorry at this mistake on his part. By suffering him to
+indulge in this delusive impression, I saved myself all the trouble of
+concealing my real feelings, which I had no desire to expose before him.
+I permitted him, therefore, to reason with me on the groundless notions
+he supposed I had conceived of the world's feeling regarding me,
+and heard him patiently as he detailed the course of public duty, by
+fulfilling which I should occupy my fitting place in society, and best
+consult my own health and happiness.
+
+“There are,” said he, “certain fixed impressions, which I would not so
+combat. It was but yesterday, for instance, I yielded to the wish of
+an old general officer, who has served upwards of half a century, and
+desires once more to put himself at the head of his regiment. His
+heart was bent on it. I saw that though he might consent to abandon his
+purpose, I was not so sure his mind might bear the disappointment; for
+the intellect will sometimes go astray in endeavoring to retrace its
+steps. So I thought it better to concede what might cost more in the
+refusal.”
+
+The last words of the doctor remained in my head long after he took his
+leave, and I could not avoid applying them to my own case. Was not _my_
+impression of this nature? Were not _my_ thoughts all centred on one
+theme as fixedly as the officer's of whom he spoke? Could I, by any
+effort of my reason or my will, control my wandering fancies, and call
+them back to the dull realities amongst which I lived?
+
+These were ever recurring to me, and always with the same reply. It is
+in vain to struggle against an impulse which has swallowed up all other
+ambitions. My heart is among the glittering ranks and neighing squadrons
+of France; I would be there once more; I would follow that career which
+first stirred the proudest hopes I ever cherished.
+
+That same evening the mail brought the news that Eugène Beauharnais had
+fallen back on Magdeburg, and sent repeated despatches to the Emperor,
+entreating his immediate presence among the troops, whom nothing but
+Napoleon himself in the midst of them could restore to their wonted
+bravery and determination. The reply of Napoleon was briefly,--
+
+“I am coming; and all who love me, follow me.”
+
+How the words rang in my ears,--“_Tous ceux qui m'aiment!_” I heard
+them in every rustling of the wind and motion of the leaves against the
+window; they were whispered to my sense by every avenue of my brain;
+and I sat no longer occupied in reading as usual, but with folded arms,
+repeating word by word the brief sentence.
+
+It was midnight. All was still and silent through the house; no servant
+stirred, and the very wind was hushed to a perfect calm. I was sitting
+in my library, when the words I have repeated seemed spoken in a low,
+clear voice beside me. I started up: the perspiration broke over my
+forehead and fell upon my cheek with terror; for I knew I was alone, and
+the fearful thought flashed on me,--this may be madness! For a second or
+two the agony of the idea was almost insupportable. Then came a resolve
+as sudden. I opened my desk, and took from it all the ready money I
+possessed; I wrote a few hurried lines to my agent; and then, making my
+way noiselessly to the stable, I saddled my horse and led him out.
+
+In two hours I was nearly twenty miles on my way to Dublin. Day was
+breaking as I entered the capital. I made no delay there; but taking
+fresh horses, started for Skerries, where I knew the fishermen of the
+coast resorted.
+
+“One hundred pounds to the man who will land me on the coast of France
+or Holland,” said I to a group that were preparing their nets on the
+shore.
+
+A look of incredulity was the only reply. A very few words, however,
+settled the bargain. Ere half an hour I was on board. The wind
+freshened, and we stood out to sea.
+
+“Let the breeze keep to this,” said the skipper, “and we'll make the
+voyage quickly.”
+
+Both wind and tide were in our favor. We held down Channel rapidly; and
+I saw the blue hills grow fainter and fainter, till the eye could but
+detect a gray cloud on the horizon, which at last disappeared in the
+bright sun of noon, and a wide waste of blue water lay on every side.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE LAST CAMPAIGN
+
+The snow, half melted with the heavy rains, lay still deeply on the
+roads, and a dark, lowering sky stretched above, as I harried onwards,
+with all the speed I could, towards the east of France.
+
+Already the Allies had passed the Rhine. Schwartzen-berg in the south,
+Blucher in the east, and Bernadotte on the Flemish frontier, were
+conveying their vast armies to bear down on him whom singly none had
+dared to encounter. All France was in arms, and every step was turned
+eastwards. Immense troops of conscripts, many scarce of the age of
+boyhood, crowded the highways. The veterans themselves were enrolled
+once more, and formed battalions for the defence of their native
+land. Every town and village was a garrison. The deep-toned rolling
+of ammunition wagons and the heavy tramp of horses sounded through
+the nights long. War, terrible war, spoke from every object around.
+Strongholds were strengthening, regiments brigading, cavalry organizing
+on all sides.
+
+No longer, however, did I witness the wild enthusiasm which I so
+well remembered among the soldiers of the army. Here were no glorious
+outbreaks of that daring spirit which so marked the Frenchman, and made
+him almost irresistible in arms. A sad and gloomy silence prevailed:
+a look of fierce but hopeless determination was over all. They marched
+like men going to death, but with the step and bearing of heroes.
+
+I entered the little town of Verviers. The day was breaking, but the
+troops were under arms. The Emperor had but just taken his departure
+for Châlons-sur-Marne. They told me of it as I changed horses,--not
+with that fierce pride which a mere passing glance at the great Napoleon
+would once have evoked; they spoke of him without emotion. I asked if he
+were paler or thinner than his wont: they did not know. They said that
+he travelled post, but that his staff were on horseback. From this I
+gathered that he was either ill, or in that frame of mind in which he
+preferred to be alone. While I was yet speaking, an officer of Engineers
+came up to the carriage, and called out,--
+
+“Unharness these horses, and bring them down to the barracks. These,
+sir,” said he, turning towards me, “are not times to admit of ceremony.
+We have eighteen guns to move, and want cattle.”
+
+“Enough, sir,” said I. “I am not here to retard your movements, but if
+I can, to forward them. Can I, as a volunteer, be of any service at this
+moment?”
+
+“Have you served before? Of course you have, though. In what arm?”
+
+“As a Hussar of the Guard, for some years.”
+
+“Come along with me; I 'll bring you to the general at once.”
+
+Re-entering the inn, the officer preceded me up stairs, and after a
+moment's delay, introduced me into the presence of General Letort, then
+commanding a cavalry brigade.
+
+“I have heard your request, sir. Where is your commission? Have you got
+it with you?”
+
+I handed it to him in silence. He examined it rapidly; and then turning
+the reverse, read the few lines inscribed by the minister of war.
+
+“I could have given you a post this day, sir, this very hour,” said
+he, “but for a blunder of our commissariat people. There's a troop here
+waiting for a re-mount, but the order has not come down from Paris; and
+our officials here will not advance the money till it arrives, as if
+these were times for such punctilio. They are to form part of General
+Kellermann's force, which is sadly deficient. Remain here, however, and
+perhaps by to-morrow--”
+
+“How much may the sum be, sir?” asked I, interrupting.
+
+The general almost started with surprise at the abruptness of my
+question, and in a tone of half reproof answered,--
+
+“The amount required is beside the matter, sir; unless,” added he,
+sarcastically, “you are disposed to advance it yourself.”
+
+“Such was the object of my question,” said I, calmly, and determining
+not to notice the manner he had assumed.
+
+“_Parbleu!_” exclaimed he, “that is very different. Twenty thousand
+francs, however, is a considerable sum.”
+
+“I have as much, and something more, if need be, in my carriage,--if
+English gold be no objection.”
+
+“No, _pardie!_ that it is not,” cried he, laughing; “I only wish we saw
+more of it. Are you serious in all this?”
+
+The best reply to his question was to hasten down stairs and return with
+two small canvas bags in my hands.
+
+“Here are one thousand guineas,” said I, laying them on the table.
+
+While one of the general's aides-de-camp was counting and examining the
+gold, I repeated at his request the circumstances which brought me once
+again to France to serve under the banner of the Emperor.
+
+“And your name, sir,” said he, as he seated himself to write, “is Thomas
+Burke, ci-devant captain of the Eighth Hussars of the Guard. Well, I can
+promise you the restoration of your old grade. Meanwhile, you must
+take command of these fellows. They are mere partisan troops, hurriedly
+raised, and ill organized; but I'll give you a letter to General
+Damrémont at Chalons, and he 'll attend to you.”
+
+“It is not a position for myself I seek, General,” said I. “Wherever I
+can best serve the Emperor, there only I desire to be.”
+
+“I have ventured to leave that point to General Damrémont,” said he,
+smiling. “Your motives do not require much explanation. Let us to
+breakfast now, and by noon we shall have everything in readiness for
+your departure.”
+
+Thus rapidly, and as it were by the merest accident, was I again become
+a soldier of the Emperor; and that same day was once more at the head of
+a squadron, on my way to Châlons. My troop were, indeed, very unlike
+the splendid array of my old Hussars of the Guard. They were hurriedly
+raised, and not over well equipped, but still they were stout-looking,
+hardy peasants, who, whatever deficiency of drill they might display, I
+knew well would exhibit no lack of courage before an enemy.
+
+On reaching Châlons, I found that General Damrémont had left with the
+staff for Vitry only a few hours before; and so I reported myself to the
+officer commanding the town, and was ordered by him to join the cavalry
+brigade then advancing on Vitry.
+
+Had I time at this moment, I could not help devoting some minutes to
+an account of that strange and motley mass which then were brigaded
+as Imperial cavalry. Dragoons of every class, heavy and
+light-armed,--grenadiers à cheval and hussars, cuirassiers, carbineers,
+and lancers,--were all, pell-mell, mixed up confusedly together, and
+hurried onwards; some to join their respective corps if they could find
+them, but all prepared to serve wherever their sabres might be
+called for. It was confusion to the last degree; but a tumult without
+enthusiasm or impulse. The superior officers, who were well acquainted
+with the state of events, made no secret of their gloomy forebodings;
+the juniors lacked energy in a cause where they saw no field for
+advancement; and the soldiers, always prepared to imbibe their feelings
+from their officers, seemed alike sad and dispirited.
+
+What a change was this from the wild and joyous spirit which once
+animated every grade and class,--from the generous enthusiasm that
+once warmed each bold heart, and made every soldier a hero! Alas! the
+terrible consequences of long defeat were on all. The tide of battle
+that rolled disastrously from the ruined walls of the Kremlin still
+swept along towards the great Palace of the Tuileries. Germany had
+witnessed the destruction of two mighty armies; the third and last was
+now awaiting the eventful struggle on the very soil of their country.
+The tide of fugitives, which preceded the retiring columns of Victor and
+Ney, met the advancing bodies of the conscripts, and spread dismay and
+consternation as they went.
+
+The dejection was but the shadow of the last approaching disaster.
+
+On the night of the 27th January, the cavalry brigade with which I was
+received orders to march by the Forest of Bar on Brienne, where Blücher
+was stationed in no expectation of being attacked. The movement,
+notwithstanding the heavy roads, was made with great rapidity; and by
+noon on the following day we came up with the main body of the army in
+full march against the enemy.
+
+Then once more did I recognize the old spirit of the army. Joyous
+songs and gay cheers were heard from the different corps we passed.
+The announcement of a speedy meeting with the Prussians had infused new
+vigor among the troops. We were emerging from the deep shade of the wood
+into a valley, where a light infantry regiment were bivouacked. Their
+fires were formed in a wide circle, and the cooking went merrily on,
+amid the pleasant song and jocund cries.
+
+Our own brief halt was just concluded, when the bugles sounded to resume
+the march; and I stood for a moment admiring the merry gambols of
+the infantry, when an air I well remembered was chanted forth in full
+chorus. But my memory was not left long in doubt as to where and how
+these sounds were first heard. The wild uproar at once recalled both, as
+they sang out,--
+
+“Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!”
+
+No sooner did I hear the words, than I spurred my horse forward and rode
+down towards them.
+
+“What regiment's yours, Comrade?” said I, to a fellow hurrying to the
+ranks.
+
+“The Fifth, mon officier,” said he, “Voltigeurs of the Line.”
+
+“Have you a certain François, a maître d'armes, still among you?”
+
+“Yes, that we have. There he is yonder, beating time to the roulade.”
+
+I looked in the direction he pointed, and there stood my old friend. He
+was advanced in front of a company, and with the air of a tambour-major
+he seemed as if he was giving time to the melody.
+
+“Ah, _sacré_ conscripts that ye are!” cried he, as with his fist
+clenched he gesticulated fiercely towards them; “can't ye keep the
+measure? Once, now, and all together:--
+
+“'Picardy first, and then--.”
+
+“Halloo, Maître François! can you remember an old friend?”
+
+The little man turned suddenly, and bringing his hand to the salute,
+remained stiff and erect, as if on parade.
+
+“Connais pas, mon capitaine,” was his answer, after a considerable
+pause.
+
+“What! not know me!--me, whom you made one of your own gallant company,
+calling me 'Burke of Ours'?”
+
+“Ah, _par la barbe de Saint Pierre!_ is this my dear comrade of the
+Eighth? Why, where have you been? They said you left us forever and
+aye.”
+
+“I tried it, François; but it wouldn't do.”
+
+“Mille bombes!” said he; “but you 're back in pleasant times,--to see
+the Cossacks learning to drink champagne, and leave us to pay the score.
+Come along, however; take your old place here. You are free to choose
+now, and needn't be a dragoon any longer; not but that your old general
+will be glad to see you again.”
+
+“General d'Auvergne! Where is he now?”
+
+“With the light cavalry brigade, in front; I saw him pass here two hours
+since.”
+
+“And how looks he, François?”
+
+“A little stooped, or so, more than you knew him; but his seat in the
+saddle seems just as firm. _Ventrebleu!_ if he 'd been a voltigeur, he
+'d be a good man these ten years to come.”
+
+Delighted to learn that I was so near my dearest and oldest friend
+in the world, I shook Francois's hand, and parted; but not without a
+pledge, that whenever I joined the infantry, the Fifth Voltigeurs of the
+Line were to have the preference.
+
+As we advanced towards Brienne the distant thunder of large guns was
+heard; which gradually grew louder and more sustained, and betokened
+that the battle had already begun. The roads, blocked up with dense
+masses of infantry and long trains of wagons, prevented our rapid
+advance; and when we tried the fields at either side, the soil, cut up
+with recent rains, made us sink to the very girths of our horses. Still,
+order after order came for the troops to press forward, and every effort
+was made to obey the command.
+
+It was five o'clock as we debouched into the plain, and beheld the
+fields whereon the battle had been contested; for already the enemy were
+retiring, and the French troops in eager pursuit. Behind, however, lay
+the town of Brienne, still held by the Russians, but now little
+better than a heap of smoking ruins, the tremendous fire of the French
+artillery having reduced the place to ashes. Conspicuous above all rose
+the dismantled walls of the ancient military college; the school where
+Napoleon had learned his first lesson in war, where first he essayed
+to point those guns which now with such fearful havoc he turned against
+itself. What a strange, sad Subject of contemplation for him who now
+gazed on it! On either side, the fire of the artillery continued till
+nightfall; but the Russians still held the town. A few straggling shots
+closed the combat; and darkness now spread over the wide plain, save
+where the watchfires marked out the position of the French troops.
+
+A sudden flash of lurid flame, however, threw its gleam over the town,
+and a wild cheer was heard rising above the clatter of musketry. It
+was a surprise party of grenadiers, who had forced their way into the
+grounds of the old château, where Blücher held his headquarters. Louder
+and louder grew the firing, and a red glare in the dark sky told how
+the battle was raging. Up that steep street, at the top of which the
+venerable château stood, poured the infantry columns in a run. The
+struggle was short. The dull sound of the Russian drum soon proclaimed
+a retreat; and a rocket darting through the black sky announced to the
+Emperor that the position had been won.
+
+The next day the Emperor fixed his headquarters at the château, and
+a battalion of the guard bivouacked in the park around it. I had sent
+forward the letter to Général Damrémont, and was wondering when and
+in what terms the reply might come, when the general himself rode up,
+accompanied by a single aide-de-camp.
+
+“I have had the opportunity, sir, to speak of your conduct in the proper
+quarter,” said he, courteously; “and the result is, your appointment as
+major of the Tenth Hussars, or, if you prefer it, the staff.”
+
+“Wherever, sir, my humble services can best be employed. I have no other
+wish.”
+
+“Then take the regimental rank,” said he; “your brigade will see enough
+of hot work ere long. And now push forward to Mézières, where you'll
+find your regiment. They have received orders to march to-morrow,
+early.”
+
+I was not sorry to be relieved from the command of my irregular horse,
+who went by the title of “brigands” in the army generally; though, if
+the truth were to be told, the reproach on the score of honesty came ill
+from those who conferred it. Still, it was a more gratifying position to
+hold a rank in a regiment of regular cavalry, and one whose reputation
+was second to none in the service.
+
+“I wish to present myself to the colonel in command, sir,” said I,
+addressing an officer, who with two or three others stood chatting at
+the door of a cottage.
+
+“You 'll find him here, sir,” said he, pointing to the hut. But, as he
+spoke, the clank of a sabre was heard, and at the same instant a tall,
+soldierlike figure stooped beneath the low doorway, and came forth.
+
+“The colonel of the Tenth, I presume?” said I, handing the despatch from
+General Damrémont.
+
+“What! my old college friend and companion!” cried the colonel, as he
+stepped back in amazement. “Have I such good fortune as to see you in my
+regiment?”
+
+“Can it be really so?” said I, in equal astonishment. “Are you Tascher?”
+
+“Yes, my dear friend; the same Tascher you used to disarm so easily
+at college,--a colonel at last. But why are you not at the head of a
+regiment long since? Oh! I forgot, though,” said he, in some confusion;
+“I heard all about it. But come in here; I've no better quarters to
+offer you, but such as it is, make it yours.”
+
+My old companion of the Polytechnique was, indeed, little altered by
+time,--careless, inconsiderate, and good-hearted as ever. He told me
+that he had only gained the command of the regiment a few weeks before;
+“and,” added he, “if matters mend not soon, I am scarcely like to hold
+it much longer. The despatches just received tell that the Allies are
+concentrating at Trannes; and if so, we shall have a battle against
+overwhelming odds. No matter, Burke; you have got into a famous
+corps,--they fight splendidly, and my excellent uncle, his Majesty,
+loves to indulge their predilection.”
+
+I passed the day with Tascher, chatting over our respective fortunes;
+and in discussing the past and the future the greater part of the night
+went over. Before dawn, however, we were on the march towards Chaumière,
+whither the army was directed, and the Emperor himself then stationed.
+
+It was the 1st of February, and the weather was dark, lowering, and
+gloomy. A cold wind drove the snowdrift in fitful gusts before it, and
+the deep roads made our progress slow and difficult. As our line
+of advance, however, was not that by which the other divisions were
+marching, it was already past noon before we knew that the enemy was but
+three leagues distant. On advancing farther, we heard the faint sounds
+of a cannonade; and then they grew louder and louder, till the whole air
+seemed tremulous with the concussion.
+
+“A heavy fire, Colonel,” said a veteran officer of the regiment. “I
+should guess there are not less than eighty or a hundred guns engaged.”
+
+“Press on, men! press on!” cried Tascher. “When his Majesty provides
+such music, it's scarcely polite to be late.”
+
+At a quick trot we came on, and about three o'clock debouched in the
+plain behind Oudinot's battalions of reserve, which were formed in two
+dense columns, about a hundred yards apart.
+
+“Hussars to the front!” cried an aide-de-camp, as he galloped past, and
+waved his cap in the direction of the space between the columns.
+
+In separate squadrons we penetrated through the defile, and came out
+on an open plain behind the centre of the first line. The ground was
+sufficiently elevated here, so that I could overlook the front line; but
+all I could see was a dense, heavy smoke, which intervened between the
+two positions, in the midst of which, and directly in front, a village
+lay. Towards this, three columns of infantry were converging, and around
+the sounds of battle were raging. This was La Giberie: the hamlet formed
+the key of the French position, and had been twice carried by, and twice
+regained from, the Allies. As I looked, the supporting columns halted,
+wheeled, and retired; while a tremendous shower of grape was poured
+upon them from the village, which now seemed to have been retaken by the
+Allies.
+
+“Cavalry to the front!” was now the order; and a force of six thousand
+sabres advanced from between the battalions, and formed for attack. It
+was Nansouty who led them, and his heavy cuirassiers were in the van;
+and then came the grenadiers à cheval; ours was the third, in column.
+As each regiment debouched, the word “Charge!” rang out, and forward we
+went. The snow drifting straight against us, we could see nothing; nor
+was I conscious of any check to our course till the shaking of the
+vast column in front and then the opening of the squadrons denoted
+resistance, when suddenly a flash flared out, and a hurricane of
+cannon-shot tore through our dense files. Then I knew that we were
+attacking a battery of guns,--and not till then. Mad cheers and cries
+of wounded men burst forth upon the air, with the clashing din of sabres
+and small-arms; the mass of cavalry appeared to heave and throb like
+some great monster in its agony. The trumpet to retreat sounded, and we
+galloped back to our lines, leaving above five hundred dead behind us,
+on a field where I had not yet seen the enemy.
+
+Meanwhile the Russians were assembling a mighty force around the
+village; for now the cannonade opened with tenfold vigor in front,
+and fresh guns were called up to reply to the fire. Hitherto all was
+shrouded in the blue smoke of the artillery and the dense flakes of the
+snowdrift, when suddenly a storm of wind swept past, carrying with it
+both sleet and smoke; and now, within less than five hundred yards,
+we beheld the Allied armies in front of us. Two of the three villages,
+which formed our advanced position, already had been carried; and
+towards the third, La Bothière, they were advancing quickly.
+
+Ney's corps, ordered up to its defence, rushed boldly on, and the
+clattering musketry announced that they were engaged; while twelve guns
+were moved up in full gallop to their support, and opened their fire at
+once. Scarce had they done so, when a wild hurrah was heard; and like
+a whirlwind, a vast mass of cavalry,--the Cossacks of the Don and the
+Uhlans of the South, commingled and mixed,--bear down on the guns.
+The struggle is for life or death; no quarter given. Ney recalls his
+columns, and the guns are lost.
+
+“Who shall bring the Emperor the tidings?” said Tascher, as his voice
+trembled with excitement. “I'd rather storm the battery single-handed
+than do it.”
+
+“He has seen worse than that already to-day,” said an aide-de-camp at
+our side. “He has seen Lahorie's squadrons of the Dragoons of the Guard
+cut to pieces by the Russian horse.”
+
+“The Guard! the Guard!” repeated Tascher, in accents where doubt and
+despair were blended.
+
+“There goes another battalion to certain death!” muttered the
+aide-de-camp, as he pointed to a column of grenadiers emerging from the
+front line; “see,--I knew it well,--they are moving on La Bothière. But
+here comes the Emperor.”
+
+Before I could detect the figure among the crowd, the staff tore rapidly
+past, followed by a long train of cavalry moving towards the left.
+
+“His favorite stroke,” said Tascher: “an infantry advance, and a
+flank movement with cavalry.” And as the words escaped him, we saw the
+horsemen bearing down at top speed towards the village.
+
+But now we could look no longer; our brigade was ordered to support the
+attack, and we advanced at a trot. The enemy saw the movement, and a
+great mass of cavalry were thrown out to meet it.
+
+“Here they come!” was the cry repeated by three or four together, and
+the earth shook as the squadrons came down.
+
+Our column dashed forward to meet them; when suddenly through the drift
+we beheld a mass of fugitives, scattered and broken, approaching: they
+were our own cavalry, routed in the attempt on the flank, now flying to
+the rear, broken and disordered.
+
+Before we could cover their retreat, the enemy were upon us. The shock
+was dreadful, and for some minutes carried all before it; but then
+rallying, the brave horsemen of France closed up and faced the foe. How
+vain all the efforts of the redoubted warrior of the Dnieper and the
+Wolga against the stern soldier of Napoleon! Their sabres flashed like
+lightning glances, and as fatally bore down on all before them; and as
+the routed squadrons fell back, the wild cheers of “Vive l'Empereur!”
+ told that at least one great moment of success atoned for the
+misfortunes of the day.
+
+“His Majesty saw your charge, Colonel,” said a general officer to
+Tascher as he rode back at the head of a squadron. “So gallant a thing
+as that never goes unrewarded.”
+
+Tascher's cheek flushed as he bowed in acknowledgment of the praise; but
+I heard him mutter to himself the same instant, “Too late! too late!”
+ Fatal words they were,--the presage of the mishap they threatened!
+
+A great attack on La Rothière was now preparing. It was to be made
+by Napoleon's favorite manoeuvre of cavalry, artillery, and infantry
+combined, each supporting and sustaining the other. Eighteen guns,
+with three thousand sabres, and two columns of infantry numbering four
+thousand each, were drawn up in readiness for the moment to move. Ney
+received orders to lead them, and now they issued forth into the plain.
+
+Our own impatience at not being of the number was quickly merged in
+intense anxiety for the result. It was a gorgeous thing, indeed, to see
+that mighty mass unravelling itself,--the guns galloping madly to the
+front, supported on either flank by cavalry; while, masked behind,
+marched the black columns of infantry, their tall shakos nodding like
+the tree-tops of a forest. The snow was now falling fast, and the
+figures grew fainter and fainter, and all that remained within our view
+was the tail of the columns, which were only disengaging themselves from
+the lines.
+
+A deafening cannonade opened from the Allied artillery on the advance,
+unreplied to by our guns, which were ordered not to fire until within
+half range of the enemy. Suddenly a figure is seen emerging from the
+heavy snowdrift at the full speed of his horse; another, and another,
+follow him in quick succession. They make for the position of the
+Emperor. “What can it be?” cries each, in horrible suspense; “see, the
+columns have halted!”
+
+Dreadful tidings! The guns are embedded in the soft ground,--the horses
+cannot stir them; one-half of the distance is scarcely won, and there
+they are beneath the withering cannonade of the Allied guns, powerless
+and immovable! Cavalry are dismounted, and the horses harnessed to the
+teams: all in vain! the wheels sink deeper in the miry earth. And now
+the enemy have found out the range, and their shot are sweeping through
+the dense mass with frightful slaughter. Again the aides-de-camp hasten
+to the rear for orders. But Ney can wait no longer; he launches his
+cavalry at the foe, and orders up the infantry to follow.
+
+Meanwhile a great cloud of cavalry issues from the Allied lines, and
+directs its course towards the flank of the column: the Emperor sees
+the danger, and despatches one of his staff to prepare them to receive
+cavalry. Too late! too late!--the snowdrift has concealed the advance,
+and the wild horsemen of the desert ride down on the brave ranks.
+Disorder and confusion ensue; the column breaks and scatters. The
+lancers pursue the fugitives through the plain; and before the very eyes
+of the Emperor, the Guard--his Guard--are sabred and routed.
+
+“What is to become of our cavalry?” is now the cry, for they have
+advanced unsupported against the village. Dreadful moment of suspense!
+None can see them; the guns lie deserted, alike by friend and foe.
+Who dares approach them now? “They are cheering yonder,” exclaimed an
+officer: “I hear them again.”
+
+“Hussars, to the front!” calls out Damrémont,--“to your comrades'
+rescue! Men, yonder!” and he points in the direction of the village.
+
+Like an eagle on the swoop, the swift squadrons skim the plain, and
+mount the slope beyond it. The drift clears, and what a spectacle is
+before us! The cavalry are dismounted; their horses, dead or dying,
+cumber the ground; the men, sabre in hand, have attacked the village by
+assault. Two of the enemy's guns are taken and turned against them,
+and the walls are won in many places. An opening in the enclosure of a
+farmyard admits our leading squadron, and in an instant we have taken
+them in flank and rear.
+
+The Russians will neither retreat nor surrender, and the carnage is
+awful; for though overpowered by numbers, they still continue the
+slaughter, and deal death while dying. The chief farmhouse of the
+village has been carried by our troops, but the enemy still holds the
+garden: the low hedge offers a slight obstacle, and over it we dash, and
+down upon them ride the gallant Tenth with cheers of victory.
+
+At this instant the crashing sound of cannon-shot among masonry is
+heard. It is the Allied artillery, which, regardless of their own
+troops, has opened on the village. Every discharge tells; the range is
+at quarter distance, and whole files fall at every fire. The trumpet
+sounds a retreat; and I am endeavoring to collect my scattered
+followers, when my eye falls on the aigulet of a general officer among
+the heap of dead; and at the same time I perceive that some old and
+gallant officer has fallen sword in hand, for his long white hair is
+strewn loosely across his face.
+
+I spring down from my horse and push back the snowy locks, and with
+a shriek of horror I recognize the friend of my heart,--General
+d'Auvergne. I lift him in my arms, and search for the wound. Alas! a
+grapeshot had torn through his chest, and cut asunder that noble heart
+whose every beat was honor. Though still warm, no ray of life remained:
+the hand I had so often grasped in friendship, I wrung now in the last
+energy of despair, and fell upon the corpse in the agony of my grief.
+
+The night was falling fast. All was still around me; none remained near;
+the village was deserted. The deafening din of the cannonade continued,
+and at times some straggling shot crashed through the crumbling walls,
+and brought them thundering to the earth; but all had fled. By the pale
+crescent of a new moon I dug a grave beneath the ruined wall of the
+farmhouse. The labor was long and tedious; but my breaking heart took no
+note of time. My task completed, I sat down beside the grave, and taking
+his now cold hand in mine, pressed it to my lips. Oh, could I have
+shared that narrow bed of clay, what rapture would it have brought to my
+sorrowing soul! I lifted the body and laid it gently in the earth; and
+as I arose, I found that something had entangled itself in my uniform,
+and held me. It seemed a locket, which he wore by a ribbon round his
+neck. I detached it from its place, and put it in my bosom. One lock of
+the snowy hair I severed from his noble head, and then covered up the
+grave. “Adieu forever!” I muttered, as I wandered from the spot.
+
+It was the death of a true D'Auvergne,--“on the field of battle!”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX. THE BRIDGE OF MONTEREAU
+
+Ere I left the village, a shower of shells was thrown into it from the
+French lines, and in a few minutes the whole blazed up in a red flame,
+and threw a wide glare over the battlefield. Spurring my horse to
+his speed, I galloped onward, and now discovered that our troops were
+retiring in all haste. The Allies had won the battle, and we were
+falling back on Brienne.
+
+Leaving seventy-three guns in the hands of the enemy, above one thousand
+prisoners, and six thousand killed in battle, Napoleon drew off his
+shattered forces, and marched through the long darkness of a winter's
+night. Thus ended the battle of Arcis-sur-Aube,--the most fatal for the
+hopes of the Emperor since the dreadful day of Leipzic.
+
+From that hour Fortune seemed to frown on those whose arms she had so
+often crowned with victory; and he himself, the mighty leader of so
+many conquering hosts, stood at the window of the château at Brienne
+the whole night long, dreading lest the enemy should be on his track.
+He whose battles were wont to be the ovations of a conqueror, now beheld
+with joy his masses retiring unpursued.
+
+Why should I dwell on a career of disaster, or linger on the expiring
+moments of a mighty Empire? Of what avail now are the reinforcements
+which arrived to our aid,--the veteran legions of the Peninsula? The cry
+is ever, “Too late! too late!” Dreadful words, heard at every moment!
+sad omens of an army devoted and despairing!
+
+From Brienne we retreat to Troyes; from thence to Bar-sur-Aube,--ever
+nearer and nearer to that capital to which the Allies tend with wild
+shouts of triumph. On the last day of February our headquarters are at
+Nogent, not thirty leagues from Paris,--Nogent, with the great forest
+of Fontainebleau on its left; and Meaux, the ancient bishopric of the
+Monarchy, on its right; and behind that screen, Paris!
+
+Leaving Bourmont in command of the line which holds the Austrians in
+check, the Emperor himself hastens to oppose Blücher,--the most intrepid
+and the most daring of all his enemies. A cross-march in the depth of
+winter, with the ground covered with half-frozen snow, will bring him
+on the flank of the Prussian army. It is dared! Dangers and difficulties
+beset every step; the artillery are almost lost, the cavalry exhausted.
+But the cry of “The enemy!” rouses every energy: they debouch on the
+plain of Champ-Aubert, to fall on the moving column of the Russians
+under Alsufief. Glorious stroke of fate! Victory again caresses the
+spoiled child of fortune: the enemy is routed, and retires on Montmirail
+and Châlons. The advanced army of the Prussians hear the cannonade, and
+fall back to support the Allies on Montmirail. But the Emperor already
+awaits them with the battalions of the Old Guard, and another great
+battle ends in victory. Areola and Rivoli were again remembered, and
+recalled by victories not less glorious; and once more hope returned to
+the ranks it seemed to have quitted forever. Another dreadful blow is
+aimed at Blucher's columns; Marmont attacks them at Vaux-Champs, and the
+army of Silesia falls back beaten.
+
+And now the Emperor hastens towards Nogent, where he has left Bourmont
+in front of the Austrians. “Too late! too late!” is again the cry,--the
+columns of Oudinot and Victor are already in retreat. Schwartzenberg,
+with a force triple their own, advances on the plains of the Seine; the
+Cossacks bivouac in the forest of Fontainebleau. Staff-officers hurry
+onward with the news that the Emperor is approaching; the victorious
+army which had subdued Blucher is on the march, reinforced by the
+veteran cavalry of Spain and the tried legions of the Peninsula. They
+halt, and form in battle. The Allies arrest their steps at Nangis, and
+again are beaten: Nangis becomes another name of glory to the ears of
+Frenchmen.
+
+Let me rest one instant in this rapid recital of a week whose great
+deeds not even Napoleon's life can show the equal of,--the last flash of
+the lamp of glory ere it darkened forever.
+
+Three days had elapsed from the sad hour in which I laid my dearest
+friend in his grave, ere I opened the locket I had taken from his
+bosom. The wild work of war mingled its mad excitement in my brain with
+thoughts of deep sorrow; and I lived in a kind of fevered dream, and
+hurried from the affliction which beset me into the torrent of danger.
+
+The gambler who cares not to win rarely loses, so he that seeks death
+in battle comes unscathed through every danger. Each day I threw myself
+headlong into some post where escape seemed scarcely possible; but
+recklessness has its own armor of safety. On the field of Montmirail I
+was reported to the Emperor; and for an attack on the Austrian rearguard
+at Melun made colonel of a cuirassier regiment on the field of battle.
+Such promotions rained on every side: hundreds were falling each day;
+many regiments were commanded by officers of twenty-three or twenty-four
+years of age. Few expected to carry their new epaulettes beyond the
+engagement they gained them in; none believed the Empire itself could
+survive the struggle. Each played for a mighty stake; few cared to
+outlive the game itself. The Emperor showered down favors on the heads
+which each battlefield laid low.
+
+It was on the return from Melun I first opened the locket, which I
+continued to wear around my neck. In the full expansion of a momentary
+triumph to see myself at the head of a regiment, I thought of him who
+would have participated in my pride. I was sitting in the doorway of a
+little cabaret on the roadside, my squadrons picketed around me, for
+a brief halt; and as my thoughts recurred to the brave D'Auvergne, I
+withdrew the locket from my bosom. It was a small oval case of gold,
+opening by a spring. I touched this, and as I did so, the locket sprang
+open, and displayed before me a miniature of Marie de Meudon. Yes!
+beautiful as I had seen her in the forest of Versailles: her dark hair
+clustering around her noble brow,--and her eyes, so full of tender
+loveliness, shadowed by their deep fringes,--were there as I remembered
+them; the lips were half parted, as though the artist had caught the
+speaking expression,--and as-I gazed, I could fancy that voice, so
+musically sweet, still ringing in my ears. I could not look on it
+enough: the features recalled the scenes when first I met her; and the
+strong current of love, against which so long I struggled and contended,
+flowed on with tenfold force once more. Should we ever meet again,--and
+how? were the questions which rushed to my mind, and to which hope and
+fear dictated the replies.
+
+The locket was a present from the Empress to the general,--at least,
+so I interpreted an inscription on the back; and this--shall I confess
+it?--brought pleasure to my heart. Like one whose bosom bore some
+wondrous amulet, some charm against the approach of danger, I now rode
+at the head of my gallant band. Life had grown dearer to me, without
+death becoming more dreaded. Her image next my heart made me feel as if
+I should combat beneath her very eyes, and I burned to acquit myself
+as became one who loved her. A wild, half frantic joy animated me as I
+went, and was caught by the gay companions around me.
+
+At midnight a despatch reached me, ordering me to hasten forward by a
+forced march to Montereau, the bridge of which town was a post of the
+greatest importance, and must be held against the Austrians till Victor
+could come up. We lost not a moment. It was a calm frosty night, with a
+bright moon, and we hastened along without halting. About an hour before
+daybreak we were met by a cavalry patrol, who informed us that Gérard
+and Victor had both arrived, but too late: Montereau was held by the
+Wurtemberg troops, who garrisoned the village, and defended the bridge
+with a strong force of artillery; twice the French troops had been
+beaten back with tremendous loss, and all looked for the morrow to renew
+the encounter. We continued our journey; and, as the sun was rising,
+discovered, at a distance on the road beside the river, the mass of an
+infantry column: it was the Emperor himself, come up with the Guard, to
+attack the position.
+
+Already the preparations for a fierce assault were in progress. A
+battery of twelve guns was posted on a height to command the bridge;
+another, somewhat more distant, overlooked the village itself. Different
+bodies of infantry and cavalry were disposed wherever shelter presented
+itself, and ready for the command to move forward. The approach to the
+bridge was by a wide road, which lay for some distance along the river
+bank; and this was deeply channelled by the enemy's artillery, which,
+stationed on and above the bridge, seemed to defy any attempt to
+advance.
+
+Never, indeed, did an enterprise seem more full of danger. Every house
+which looked on the bridge was crenelated for small-arms, and garrisoned
+by sharpshooters,--the fierce Jager of Germany, whose rifles are the
+boast of the Vaterland. Cannon bristled along the heights; their wide
+mouths pointed to that devoted spot, already the grave of hundreds.
+Withdrawn under cover of a steep hill, my regiment was halted, with two
+other heavy cavalry corps, awaiting orders; and from the crest of the
+ridge I could observe the first movements of the fight.
+
+As usual, a fierce cannonade was opened from either side; which,
+directed mainly against the artillery itself, merely resulted in
+dismantling a stray battery here and there, without further damage. At
+last the hoarse roll of a drum was heard, and the head of an infantry
+column was seen advancing up the road. They passed beneath a rock on
+which a little group of officers were standing, and as they went a cheer
+of “Vive l'Empereur!” broke from them. I strained my eyes towards
+the place, for now I knew the Emperor himself was there. I could
+not, however, detect him in the crowd, who all waved their hats in
+encouragement to the troops.
+
+On they went, descending a steep declivity of the highroad to the
+bridge. Suddenly the cannonade redoubles from the side of the enemy;
+the shot whistles through the air, while ten thousand muskets peal forth
+together. I rivet my eyes to watch the column. But what is my horror to
+perceive that none appear upon the ridge! The masses move up; they
+mount the ascent; they disappear behind it; and then are lost to sight
+forever. Not one escapes the dreadful havoc of the guns, which from a
+distance of less than two hundred yards enfilades the bridge.
+
+But still they moved up. I could hear, from where ï lay, the commands
+of the officers, as they gave the word to their companies: no fear nor
+hesitation,--there they went to death; in less than fifteen minutes
+twelve hundred fell, dead or wounded. And at last the signal to fall
+back was given, and the shattered fragment of a column reeled back
+behind the ridge. Again the cannonade opened, and increasing on both
+sides, was maintained for above an hour without intermission. During
+this, our guns did tremendous execution on the village, but without
+effecting anything of importance respecting the bridge.
+
+The Grenadiers of the Guard had reached the scene of combat, by forced
+marches, from Nangis; and after a brief time to recruit their strength,
+were now ordered up. What a splendid force that massive column,
+conspicuous by their scarlet shoulder-knots and tall shakos of black
+bearskin! with what confidence they move! They halt beneath the rock.
+The Emperor is there too. And see! the officer who stands beside him
+descends from the height, and puts himself at the head of the column:
+it is Guyot, the colonel of the battalion; he waves his plumed hat in
+answer to the Emperor,--that salute is the last he shall ever give on
+earth.
+
+The drums roll out; but the hoarse shout of “En avant!” drowns their
+tumult. On they rush; they are over the height; they disappear down the
+descent. And see! there they are on the bridge! “Vive la Garde!” shouted
+ten thousand of their comrades, who watch them from the heights; “Vive
+la Garde!” is echoed from the tall cliffs beyond the river. The column
+moves on, and already reaches the middle of the bridge, when eighteen
+guns throw their fire into it: the blue smoke rolls down the rocky
+heights and settles on the bridge, broken here and there by flashes,
+like the forked gleam of lightning; the cloud passes oyer; the bridge is
+empty, save of dead and dying: the Grenadiers of the Guard are no more!
+
+“What heart is his who gives his fellow-men to death like this!” was my
+exclamation as I witnessed this terrible struggle.
+
+“The Cuirassiers and Carbineers of the Guard to form by threes in column
+of attack!” shouted an aide-de-camp, as he rode up to where I lay. And
+no more thought had I of _his_ motives, who now opened the path of glory
+to myself.
+
+The squadrons were arrayed under cover of the ridge; the shot and shells
+from the enemy's batteries flew thickly over us,--a presage of the storm
+we were about to meet. The order to mount was given; and as the men
+sprang into their saddles, a group of horsemen galloped rapidly round
+the angle of the cliff, and approached. One glance showed me it was the
+Emperor and his staff.
+
+“Cuirassiers of the Guard,” said he, as with raised chapeau he saluted
+his brave followers, “I have ordered two battalions to carry that
+bridge; they have failed. Let those who never fail advance to the storm.
+Montereau shall be inscribed on your helmets, men, when I see you on
+yonder heights. Go forward!”
+
+“Forward! forward!” shouted the mailed ranks, half maddened by the
+exciting presence of Napoleon.
+
+The force was formed in four separate columns of attack: the First
+Cuirassiers leading; followed by the Carbineers of the Guard; then my
+own regiment; and lastly, the Fourth, the corps of poor Pioche. What
+would I have given to know he was there! But there was not time for such
+inquiry now. The squadrons were ready awaiting the moment to dash on.
+
+A loud detonation of nigh twenty guns shook the earth; and in the smoke
+that rolled from them the bridge was concealed from view. A trumpet
+sounded, and the cry of “Charge!” followed. The mass sprang forth. What
+a cheer was theirs as they swept past! The cannonade opens again;
+the whole ground trembles. The musketry follows; and the clatter of a
+thousand sabres mingles with the war-cries of the combatants. It is but
+brief,--the tumult is already subsiding.
+
+And now comes the order for the carbineers to move up; the cuirassiers
+have been cut to pieces. A few, mangled and bleeding, have reeled back
+behind the hill; but the regiment is gone!
+
+“Where are the troops of Wagram and Eylau?” said the Emperor, in
+bitterness, as he saw the one broken squadron, sole remnant of a gallant
+corps, reeling, bloodstained and dying, to the rear. “Where is that
+cavalry that carried the Russian battery at Moskowa? You are not what
+you once were!”
+
+This cruel taunt, at the very moment when the earth was steeped in the
+blood of his brave soldiers, was heard in mournful silence. None spoke a
+word, but with clenched lip and clasped hand sat waiting the command
+to charge. It came; but no cheer followed. The carbineers dashed on,
+prepared to die: what death so dreadful as the cold irony of Napoleon!
+
+“En avant! cuirassiers of the Tenth,” called out the Emperor, as the
+last squadrons of the carbineers went by, “support your comrades! Follow
+up there, men of the Fourth! I must have that bridge.”
+
+And now the whole line moved up. As we turned the cliff in full trot,
+the scene of combat lay before us: the terrible bridge now actually
+choked up with dead and wounded, the very battlements strewn with
+corpses. In an instant the carbineers were upon it; and struggling
+through the mass of carnage, they rode onward. Like men goaded to
+despair, they pressed on, and actually reached the archway beyond,
+which, defended by a strong gate, closed up the way. Whole files now
+fell at every discharge; but others took their places, to fall as
+rapidly beneath the murderous musketry.
+
+“A petard to the gate!” is now the cry,--“a petard, and the bridge is
+won!”
+
+Quick as lightning, four sappers of the Guard rush across the road and
+gain the bridge. They carry some thing between them, but soon are lost
+in the dense masses of the horse. The enemy's fire redoubles; the bridge
+crashes beneath the cannonade, when a loud shout is raised,--
+
+“Let the cavalry fall back!”
+
+A cheer of triumph breaks from the town as they behold the retiring
+squadrons; they know not that the petard is now attached to the gate,
+and that the horsemen are merely withdrawn for the explosion.
+
+The bridge is cleared, and every eye is turned to watch the discharge
+which shall break the strong door, and leave the passage open. But
+unhappily the fuze has missed, and the great engine lies inert and
+inactive. What is to be done? The cavalry cannot venture to approach the
+spot, which at any moment may explode with ruin on every side; and thus
+the bridge is rendered impregnable by our own fault.
+
+“Fatality upon fatality!” is the exclamation of Napoleon, as he heard
+the tidings. “This to the man who puts a match to the fuze!” said he, as
+he detaches the great cross of the Legion from his breast, and holds it
+aloft.
+
+With one spring I jump from my saddle, and dash at the burning match a
+gunner is holding near me. A rush is made by several others; but I am
+fleetest of foot, and before they reach the road I am on the bridge. The
+enemy has not seen me, and I am half-way across before a shot is aimed
+at me. Even then a surprise seems to arrest their fire, for it is a
+single ball whizzes past. I see the train; I kneel down; the fuze is
+faint, and I stoop to blow it; and then my action is perceived, and
+a shattering volley sweeps the bridge. The high projecting parapet
+protects me, and I am unhurt. But the fuze will not take: horrible
+moment of agonizing suspense,--the powder is clotted with blood,
+and will not ignite! I remember that my pistols are in my belt, and
+detaching one, I draw the charge, and scatter the fresh powder along the
+line. My shelter still saves me, though the balls are crashing like hail
+around me. It takes, it takes! the powder spits and flashes, and a loud
+cry from my comrades bursts out, “Come back! come back!”
+
+Forgetting everything in the intense anxiety of the moment, I spring to
+my legs; but scarce is my head above the parapet when a bullet strikes
+me in the chest. I fall covered with blood.
+
+“Save him! save him!” is the cry of a thousand voices; and a rush is
+made upon the bridge. The musketry opens on these brave fellows, and
+they fall back wounded and discouraged.
+
+[Illustration: 504]
+
+Crouching beneath the parapet, I try to stanch my wound; but the blood
+is gushing in torrents, my senses are reeling, the objects around grow
+dimmer, the noise seems fainter. But suddenly I feel a hand upon my
+neck, and at the same instant a flask is pressed to my lips. I drink,
+and the wine rallies me; the bleeding is stopped. My eyes open again;
+and dare I trust their evidence? Who is it that now shelters beneath the
+parapet beside me? Minette, the vivandière! her handsome face flushed,
+her eyes wild with excitement, and her brown hair in great tangled
+masses on her back and shoulders.
+
+“Minette, is it indeed thee?” said I, pressing her hand to my lips.
+
+“I knew you at the head of your regiment some days ago, and I thought we
+should meet ere long. But lie still; we are safe here. The fire slackens
+too; they have fallen back since the gate was forced.”
+
+“Is the gate forced, Minette?”
+
+“Ay, the petard has done its work; but the columns are not come up. Lie
+still till they pass.”
+
+“Dear, dear girl! what a brave heart is thine!” said I, gazing on her
+beautiful features, tenfold handsomer from the expression which her
+heroism had lent them.
+
+“You would surely adventure as much for me,” said she, half-timidly, as
+she pressed her handkerchief against the wound, which still oozed blood.
+
+The action entangled her fingers in a ribbon. She tried to extricate
+them; and the locket fell out, opening by accident at the same moment.
+With a convulsive energy she clasped the miniature in both hands, and
+riveted her eyes upon it. The look was wild as that of madness itself,
+and her features grew stiff as she gazed, while the pallor of death
+overspread them. It was scarce the action of a second; in another, she
+flung back the picture from her and sprang to her feet. One glance
+she gave me, fleeting as the lightning flash, but how full of storied
+sorrow!
+
+The moment after she was in the middle of the bridge. She waved her cap
+wildly above her head, and beckoned to the column to come on. A cheer
+answered her. The mass rushed forward; the fire again pealed forth; a
+shriek pierced the din of all the battle, and the leading files halt.
+Four grenadiers fall back to the rear, carrying a body between them:
+it is the corpse of Minette the vivandière, who has received her
+death-wound!
+
+[Illustration: 506]
+
+The same evening saw me the occupant of a bed in the ambulance of the
+Guard. Dreadful as the suffering of my wound was, I carried a deeper one
+within my heart.
+
+“The Emperor has given you his own cross of the Legion, sir,” said the
+surgeon, endeavoring to rally me from a dejection whose source he knew
+not.
+
+“He has made him a general of brigade, too,” said a voice behind him.
+
+It was General Letort who spoke; he had that moment come from the
+Emperor with the tidings. I buried my head beneath my hands, and felt as
+though my heart was bursting.
+
+“That was a gallant girl, that vivandière,” said the rough old general;
+“she must have had a soldier's heart within that corsage. _Parbleu!_ I'd
+rather not have another such in my brigade, though, after what happened
+this evening.”
+
+“What is it you speak of?” said I, faintly.
+
+“They gave her a military funeral this evening,--the Fourth Cuirassiers.
+The Emperor gave his permission, and sent General Degeon of the staff
+to be present. And when they placed her in the grave, one of the
+soldiers,--a corporal, I believe,--kneeled down to kiss her before they
+covered in the earth; and when he had done so, he lay slowly down on his
+face on the grass. 'He has fainted,' said one of his comrades; and they
+turned him on his back. _Morbleu!_ it was worse than that: he was stone
+dead,--one of the very finest fellows of the regiment!”
+
+“Yes, yes! I know him,” muttered I, endeavoring to smother my emotion.
+
+The general looked at me as if my mind was wandering, and briefly
+added,--
+
+“And so they laid them in the same grave, and the same fusillade gave
+the last honors to both.”
+
+“Your story has affected my patient overmuch, General,” said the doctor;
+“you must leave him to himself for some time.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XL. FONTAINEBLEAU
+
+An order from Berthier, written at the command of the Emperor, admitted
+me into the ancient Palace of Fontainebleau, where I lay for upwards
+of two months under my wound. Twice had fever nearly brought me to
+the grave; but youth and unimpaired health succored me, and I rallied
+through all. A surgeon of the staff accompanied me, and by his kind
+companionship, not less than by his skill, did I recover from an illness
+where sorrow had made an iron inroad not less deep than disease.
+
+In my little chamber, which looked out upon the courtyard of the Palace,
+I passed my days, thinking over the past and all its vicissitudes. Each
+day we learned some intelligence either from the seat of war or from
+Paris: defeat in one, treason and disaffection in the other, were
+rapidly hastening the downfall of the mightiest Empire the genius of
+man had ever constructed. Champ-Aubert, Montmirail, and Montereau, great
+victories as they were, retarded not the current of events. “The week of
+glory” brought not hope to a cause predestined to ruin.
+
+It was the latter end of March. For some days previous the surgeon had
+left me to visit an outpost ambulance near Melun, and I was alone. My
+strength, however, enabled me to sit up at my window; and even in this
+slight pleasure my wearied senses found enjoyment, after the tedious
+hours of a sickbed. The evening was calm, and for the season mild and
+summerlike. The shrubs were putting forth their first leaves, and around
+the marble fountains the spring flowers were already showing signs
+of blossom. The setting sun made the tall shadows of the ancient
+beech-trees stretch across the wide court, where all was still as at
+midnight. No inhabitant of the Palace was about; not a servant moved,
+not a footstep was heard.
+
+It was a moment of such perfect stillness as leads the mind to reverie;
+and my thoughts wandered away to that distant time when gay cavaliers
+and stately dames trod those spacious terraces,--when tales of chivalry
+and love mingled with the plashing sounds of those bright fountains, and
+the fair moon looked down on more lovely forms than even those graceful
+marbles around. I fancied the time when the horn of the chasseur was
+heard-echoing through those vast courts, its last notes lost in the
+merry voices of the cortege round the monarch. And then I called up
+the brilliant group, with caracoling steeds and gay housings, proudly
+advancing up that great avenue to the royal entrance, and pictured the
+ancient ceremonial that awaited his coming,--the descendant of a long
+line of kings. The frank and kingly Francis, the valiant Henry the
+Fourth, the “Grand Monarch” himself,--all passed in review before my
+mind as once they lived, and moved, and spoke in that stately pile.
+
+The sun had set: the mingled shadows threw their gloom over the wide
+court, and one wing of the Palace was in' deep shade, when suddenly I
+heard the roll of wheels and the tramp of horses on the distant road.
+I listened attentively. They were coming near; I could hear the tread of
+many together; and my practised ear could detect the clank of dragoons,
+as their sabres and sabretasches jingled against the horses' flanks.
+“Some hurried news from the Emperor,” thought I; “perhaps some marshal
+wounded, and about to be conveyed to the Palace.” The same instant the
+guard at the distant entrance beat to arms, and an equipage drawn by
+six horses dashed in at full gallop; a second followed as fast, with a
+peloton of dragoons at the side. My anxiety increased. “What if it were
+the Emperor himself!” thought I. But as the idea flashed across me,
+it yielded at once on seeing that the carriages did not draw up at the
+grand stair, but passed on to a low and private door at the distant wing
+of the Palace.
+
+The bustle of the cortege arriving was but a moment's work. The
+carriages moved rapidly away, the dragoons disappeared, and all was as
+still as before, leaving me to ponder over the whole, and actually ask
+myself could it have been reality? I opened my door to listen; but not a
+sound awoke the echo of the long corridors. One could have fancied that
+no living thing was beneath that wide roof, so silent was all around.
+
+A strange feeling of anxiety,--the dread of something undefined, I knew
+not what, or whence coming,--was over me, and my nerves, long irritable
+from illness, became now jarringly sensitive, and banished all thought
+of sleep. Wild fancies and incoherent ideas crossed my mind, and made me
+restless and uneasy. I felt, too, as if the night were unusually close
+and sultry, and I opened my window to admit the air. Scarcely had I
+drawn the curtain aside, when my eye rested on a long line of light,
+that, issuing from a window on the ground-floor of the Palace, threw its
+bright gleam far across the courtyard.
+
+It was in the same wing where the carriages drew up. It must be so;
+some officer of rank, wounded in a late battle, was brought there. “Poor
+fellow!” thought I; “what suffering may he be enduring amid all the
+peace-fulness and calm of this tranquil spot! Who can it be?” was
+the ever-recurring question to my mind; for my impression had already
+strengthened itself to a conviction.
+
+The hours went on; the light shone steadily as at first, and the
+stillness was unbroken. Wearied with thinking, and half forgetful of my
+weakness, I tottered along the corridor, descended the grand stair, and
+passed out into the court. How refreshing did the night air feel! how
+sweet the fair odors of the spring, as, wafted by the motion of the
+_jet d'eau_, they were diffused around! The first steps of recovery from
+severe sickness have a strange thrill of youthfulness about them. Our
+senses seem once more to revel in the simple enjoyments of early days,
+and to feel that their greatest delight lies in the associations which
+gave pleasure to childhood. Weaned from the world's contentions, we seem
+to have been lifted for the time above the meaner cares and ambitions
+of life, and love to linger a little longer in that ideal state of
+happiness calm thoughts bestow; and thus the interval that brings back
+health to the body restores freshness to the heart, and purified in
+thought, we come forth hoping for better things, and striving for
+them with all the generous ardor of early years. How happy was I as I
+wandered in that garden! how full of gratitude to feel the current of
+health once more come back in all my veins,--the sense of enjoyment
+which flows from every object of the fair world restored to me, after so
+many dangers and escapes!
+
+As I moved slowly through the terraced court, my eye was constantly
+attracted to the small and starlike light which glimmered through
+the darkness; and I turned to it at last, impelled by a feeling of
+undefinable sympathy. Following a narrow path, I drew near to a little
+garden, which once contained some rare flowers. They had been favorites
+of poor Josephine in times past; but the hour was over in which that
+gave them a claim to care and attention, and now they were wild grown
+and tangled, and almost concealed the narrow walk which led to the
+doorway.
+
+I reached this at length; and as I stood, the faint moonlight, slanting
+beneath a cloud, fell upon a bright and glistening object almost at my
+feet. I stepped back, and looked fixedly at it. It was the figure of
+a man sleeping across the entrance of the porch. He was dressed
+in Mameluke fashion; but his gay trappings and rich costume were
+travel-stained and splashed. His unsheathed cimeter lay grasped in one
+hand, and a Turkish pistol seemed to have fallen from the other.
+
+Even by the imperfect light I recognized Rustan, the favorite Mameluke
+of the Emperor, who always slept at the door of his tent and his
+chamber,--his chosen bodyguard. Napoleon must then be here; his equipage
+it was which arrived so hurriedly; his the light which burned through
+the stillness of the night. As these thoughts followed fast on one
+another, I almost trembled to think how nearly I had ventured on his
+presence, where none dared to approach unbidden. To retire quickly and
+noiselessly was now my care. But my first step entangled my foot; I
+stumbled. The noise awoke the sleeping Turk, and with a loud cry for the
+guard he sprang to his feet.
+
+“La garde!” called he a second time, forgetting in his surprise that
+none was there. But then with a spring he seized me by the arm, and as
+his shining weapon gleamed above my head, demanded who I was, and for
+what purpose there.
+
+The first words of my reply were scarcely uttered, when a small door was
+opened within the vestibule, and the Emperor appeared. Late as was the
+hour, he was dressed, and even wore his sword at his side.
+
+“What means this? Who are you, sir?” was the quick, sharp question he
+addressed to me.
+
+A few words--the fewest in which I could convey it--told my story, and
+expressed my sorrow, that in the sick man's fancy of a moonlight walk I
+should have disturbed his Majesty.
+
+“I thought, Sire,” added I, “that your Majesty was many a league distant
+with the army--”
+
+“There is no army, sir,” interrupted he, with a rapid gesture of his
+hand; “to-morrow there will be no Emperor. Go, sir; go, while it is yet
+the time. Offer your sword and your services where so many others, more
+exalted than yourself, have done. This is the day of desertion; see that
+you take advantage of it.”
+
+“Had my name and rank been less humble, they would have assured your
+Majesty how little I merited this reproach.”
+
+“I am sorry to have offended you,” replied he, in a voice of
+inexpressible softness. “You led the assault at Montereau? I remember
+you now. I should have given you your brigade, had I--” He stopped
+here suddenly, while an expression of suffering passed across his pale
+features; he rallied from it, however, in an instant, and resumed, “I
+should have known you earlier; it is too late! Adieu!”
+
+He inclined his head slightly as he spoke, and extended his hand. I
+pressed it fervently to my lips, and would have spoken, but I could not.
+The moment after he was gone.
+
+[Illustration: BrownePartingScene ]
+
+It is too late! too late!--the same terrible words which were uttered
+beneath the blackened walls of Moscow; repeated at every new disaster of
+that dreadful retreat; now spoken by him whose fortune they predicted.
+Too late!--the exclamation of the proud marshal, harassed by
+unsuccessful efforts to avert the destiny he saw inevitable. Too
+late!--the cry of the wearied soldier. Too late!--the fatal expression
+of the Czar when the brave and faithful Macdonald urged the succession
+of the King of Rome and the regency of the Empress.
+
+Wearied with a wakeful night, I fell into a slumber towards morning,
+when I started suddenly at the roll of drums in the court beneath. In
+an instant I was at my window. What was my astonishment to perceive that
+the courtyard was filled with troops! The Grenadiers of the Guard were
+ranged in order of battle, with several squadrons of the chasseurs and
+the horse artillery; while a staff of general officers stood in
+the midst, among whom I recognized Belliard, Montesquieu, and
+Turenne,--great names, and worthy to be recorded for an act of faithful
+devotion. The Duc de Bassano was there too, in deep mourning; his pale
+and careworn face attesting the grief within his heart.
+
+The roll of the drums continued; the deep, unbroken murmur of the salute
+went on from one end of the line to the other. It ceased; and ere I
+could question the reason, the various staff-officers became uncovered,
+and stood in attitudes of respectful attention, and the Emperor
+himself slowly, step by step, descended the wide stair of the “Cheval
+Blanc,”--as the grand terrace was styled,--and advanced towards the
+troops. At the same instant the whole line presented arms, and the drums
+beat the salute. They ceased, and Napoleon raised his hand to command
+silence, and throughout that crowded mass not a whisper was heard.
+
+I could perceive that he was speaking, but the words did not reach me.
+Eloquent and burning words they were, and to be recorded in history
+to the remotest ages. I now saw that he had finished, as General Petit
+sprang forward with the eagle of the First Regiment of the Guards, and
+presented it to him. The Emperor pressed it fervently to his lips,
+and then threw his arms round Petit's neck; while suddenly disengaging
+himself, he took the tattered flag that waved above him, and kissed it
+twice. Unable to bear up any longer, the worn, hard-featured veterans
+sobbed aloud like children, and turned away their faces to conceal their
+emotion. No cry of “Vive l'Empereur!” resounded now through those ranks
+where each had willingly shed his heart's blood for him. Sorrow had
+usurped the place of enthusiasm, and they stood overwhelmed by grief.
+
+A tall and soldierlike figure, with head uncovered, approached the
+Emperor, and said a few words. Napoleon waved his hand towards the
+troops, and from the ranks many rushed towards him, and fell on their
+knees before him. He passed his hand across his face and turned away. My
+eyes grew dim; a misty vapor shut out every object, and I felt as though
+the very lids were bursting. The great tramp of horses startled me, and
+then came the roll of wheels. I looked up: an equipage was passing from
+the gate, a peloton of dragoons escorted it; a second followed at full
+speed. The colonels formed their men; the word to march was given; the
+drums beat out; the grenadiers moved on; the chasseurs succeeded; and
+last the artillery rolled heavily up. The court was deserted; not a man
+remained: all, all were gone! The Empire was ended; and the Emperor, the
+mighty genius who created it, on his way to exile!
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI. THE CONCLUSION
+
+France never appeared to less advantage in the eyes of Europe than at
+the period I speak of. Scarcely had the proud star of Napoleon set, when
+the whole current of popular favor flowed along with those whom, but a
+few days before, they accounted their greatest enemies. The Russians and
+the Prussians, whom they lampooned and derided, they now flattered and
+fawned on. They deemed no adulation servile enough to lay at the feet
+of their conquerors,--not esteeming the exaltation of their victors
+sufficient, unless purchased at the sacrifice of their own honor as a
+nation.
+
+The struggle was no longer who should be first in glory, but who
+foremost in desertion of him and his fortunes whose word had made
+them. The marshals he had created, the generals he had decorated, the
+ministers and princes he had endowed with wealth and territory, now
+turned from him in his hour of misfortune, to court the favor of one
+against whom every act of their former lives was directed.
+
+These men, whose very titles recalled the fields of glory to which he
+led them, now hastened to the Tuileries to proffer an allegiance to a
+monarch they neither loved nor respected. Sad and humiliating spectacle!
+The long pent-up hatred of the Royalists found a natural vent in this
+moment of triumphant success. Chateaubriand, Constant, and Madame de
+Staël led the way to those declarations of the press which denounced
+Napoleon as the greatest of earthly tyrants; and inveighed even against
+his greatness and his genius, as though malevolence could produce
+oblivion.
+
+All Paris was in a ferment of excitement,--not the troubled agitation of
+a people whose capital owned the presence of a conquering army, but the
+tumultuous joy of a nation intoxicated with pleasure. Fêtes and
+balls, gay processions and public demonstrations of rejoicing, met one
+everywhere; and ingenuity was taxed to invent flatteries for the
+very nations whom, but a week past, they scoffed at as barbarians and
+Scythians.
+
+Sickened and disgusted with the fickleness of mankind, I knew not where
+to turn. My wound had brought on a low, lingering fever, accompanied
+by extreme debility, increased in all likelihood by the harassing
+reflections every object around suggested. I could not venture abroad
+without meeting some evidence of that exuberant triumph by which
+treachery hopes to cover its own baseness; besides, the reputation of
+being a Napoleonist was now a mark for insult and indignity from those
+who never dared to avow an opinion until the tide of fortune had turned
+in their favor. The white cockade had replaced the tricolor; every
+emblem of the Empire was abolished; and that uniform, to wear which
+was once a mark of honorable distinction, was now become a signal for
+insult.
+
+I was returning one evening from a solitary ramble in the neighborhood
+of Paris,--for, by some strange fatality, I could not tear myself away
+from the scenes to which the most eventful portions of my life were
+attached,--and at length reached the Boulevard Montmartre, just as
+the leading squadrons of a cavalry regiment were advancing up the wide
+thoroughfare. I had hitherto avoided every occasion of witnessing
+any military display which should recall the past; but now the rapid
+gathering of the crowd to see the soldiers pass prevented my escape, and
+I was obliged to wait patiently until the cortege should move forward.
+
+They came on in dense column,--the brave Chasseurs of the Guard, the
+bronzed warriors of Jena and Wigram; but to my eyes they seemed sterner
+and sadder than their wont, and heeded not the loud “vivas” of the
+mob around them. Where were their eagles? Alas! the white banner that
+floated over their heads was a poor substitute for the proud ensign
+they had so often followed to victory. And here weie the dragoons,--old
+Kellermann's brave troopers; their proud glances were changed to a
+mournful gaze upon that crowd whose cheers they once felt proud of: and
+there, the artillery, that glorious corps which he loved so well,--did
+not the roll of their guns sound sorrowfully on the ear!
+
+They passed! And then came on a strange cortege of mounted
+cavaliers,--old and withered men, in uniforms of quaint antique fashion,
+their chapeaux decorated with great cockades of white ribbon, and their
+sword-knots garnished with similar ornaments; the order of St. Louis
+glittered on each breast, and in their bearing you might read the air of
+men who were enjoying a long-wished-for and long-expected triumph. These
+were the old seigneurs of the Monarchy; and truly they were not wanting
+in that look of nobility their ancient blood bestowed. Their features
+were proud; their glance elated; their very port and bearing spoke that
+consciousness of superiority, to crush which had cost all the horrors
+and bloodshed of a terrible Revolution. How strange! it seemed as if
+many of their faces were familiar to me,--I knew them well; but where,
+and how, my memory could not trace. Yes, now I could recall it: they
+were the frequenters of the old “Pension of the Rue de Mi-Carême,”--the
+same men I had seen in their day of adversity, bearing up with noble
+pride against the ills of fortune. There they were, revelling in the
+long-sought-after restoration of their former state. Were they not more
+worthy of admiration in their hour of patient and faithful watching,
+than in this the period of their triumph?
+
+The pressure of the crowd obliged the cavalcade to halt. And now the air
+resounded with the cries of “Vive le Roi!”--the long-forgotten cheer
+of loyalty. Thousands re-echoed the shout, and the horsemen waved their
+hats in exultation. “Vive le Roi!” cried the mob, as though the voices
+had not called “Vive l'Empereur!” but yesterday.
+
+“Down with the Napoleonist,--down with him!” screamed a savage-looking
+fellow, who, jammed up in the crowd, pointed towards me, as I stood a
+mere spectator of the scene.
+
+“Cry 'Vive le Roi!' at once,” whispered a voice near me, “or the
+consequences may be serious. The mob is ungovernable at a moment like
+this.”
+
+A dozen voices shouted out at the same time, “Down with him! down with
+him!”
+
+“Off with your hat, sir!” said a rude-looking fellow beside me, as he
+raised his hand to remove it.
+
+“At your peril!” said I, as I clenched my hand, and prepared to strike
+him down the moment he should touch me.
+
+The words were not well uttered, when the crowd closed on me, and a
+hundred arms were stretched out to attack me. In vain all my efforts to
+resist. My hat was torn from my head, and assailed on every side, I was
+dragged into the middle of the street, amid wild cries of vengeance and
+taunting insults. It was then, as I lay overcome by numbers, that a loud
+cry to fall back issued from the cavalcade, and a horseman, sword in
+hand, dashed upon the mob, slashing on every side as he went, mounted
+on a high-mettled horse. He cleared the dense mass with the speed of
+lightning, and drove back my assailants.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneBeauvais341]
+
+“Catch my horse's mane,” said he, hurriedly. “Hold fast for a few
+seconds, and you are safe.”
+
+Following the advice, I held firmly by the long mane of his charger,
+while, clearing away the mob on either side, he protected me by his
+drawn sabre above my head.
+
+“Safe this time!” said he, as we arrived within the ranks. And then
+turning round, so as to face me, added, “Safe! and my debt acquitted.
+You saved my life once; and though the peril seemed less imminent now,
+trust me, yours had not escaped the fury of that multitude without me.”
+
+“What! Henri de Beauvais! Do we meet again?”
+
+“Yes; but with altered fortune, Burke. Our king, as the words of our
+Garde Écossaise song says,--our king 'has got his own again.' The day
+of loyalty has again dawned on France, and a grateful people may carry
+their enthusiasm for the Restoration, even as far as vengeance on their
+opponents, and yet not merit much reproach. But no more of this. We can
+be friends now; or if not, it must be your fault.”
+
+“I am not too proud, De Beauvais, either to accept or acknowledge a
+favor at your hands.”
+
+“Then we are friends,” said he, joyfully. “And in the name of
+friendship, let me beg of you to place this _cordon_ in your hat.” And
+so saying, he detached the cockade of white ribbon he wore from his own,
+and held it towards me. “Well, then, at least remove the tricolor; it
+can but expose you to insult. Remember, Burke, its day is over.”
+
+“I am not likely to forget it,” replied I, sadly.
+
+“Monsieur le Colonel, his royal highness wishes to speak with you,” said
+an aide-de-camp, riding up beside De Beauvais's horse.
+
+“Take care of this gentleman for me,” said De Beauvais, pointing to me;
+and then, wheeling round his horse, he galloped at full speed to the
+rear.
+
+“I will spare you all trouble on my account, sir,” said I. “My way lies
+yonder, and at present I see no obstacle to my pursuing it.”
+
+“Let me at least send an escort with you.”
+
+I thanked him and declined the offer; and leaving the ranks of the
+procession, mingled with the crowd, and in a few minutes after reached
+my hotel without further molestation. The hour was come, I saw plainly,
+in which I must leave France. Not only was every tie which bound me to
+that land severed, but to remain was only to oppose myself singly to
+the downward current of popular opinion which now threatened to overturn
+every landmark and vestige of the Empire. Up to this moment, I never
+confessed to my heart with what secret hope I had prolonged each day of
+my stay,--how I cherished within me the expectation that I should once
+again, though but for an instant, see her who lived in all my thoughts,
+and, unknown to my self, formed the mainspring of all my actions!
+
+This hope only became confessed when about to leave me forever.
+
+As I busied myself in the preparations for departure, a note arrived
+from De Beauvais, stating that he desired particularly to see and confer
+with me that same evening, and requesting me on no account to be from
+home, as his business was most pressing. I felt little curiosity to
+know to what he might allude, and saw him enter my room some hours later
+without a single particle of anxiety as to his communication.
+
+“I am come, Burke,” said he, after a few commonplaces had been exchanged
+between us,--“I am come, Burke, on a mission which I hope you will
+believe the sincerest regard for you has prompted me to undertake, and
+which, whatever objections it may meet with from you, none can arise, I
+am certain, on the score of his fidelity who now makes this proposition
+to you. To be brief: the Count d'Artois has sent me to offer you your
+grade and rank in the army of his Majesty Louis the Eighteenth. Your
+last gazette was as colonel; but there is a rumor you should have
+received your appointment as general of brigade. There will be little
+difficulty in arranging your brevet on that understanding; for your
+services, brief as they were, have not been unnoticed. Marshal Ney
+himself bears testimony to your conduct at Montereau; and your name
+twice occurs on the list of the minister of war for promotion.
+Strange claims these, you will say, to recompense from the rightful
+sovereign of France, gained as they were in the service of the Usurper!
+But it is the prerogative of legitimacy to be great and noble-minded,
+and to recognize true desert wherever it occurs. Come, what say you?
+Does this proposal meet your wishes?”
+
+“If to surpass my expectations, and flatter my pride, were to convince
+my reason, and change my estimation of what is loyal and true, I should
+say, 'Yes, De Beauvais; the proposition does meet my wishes.' But not
+so. I wore these epaulettes first in my admiration of him whose fortunes
+I have followed to the last. My pride, my glory, were to be his soldier;
+that can be no longer, and the sword I drew in his cause shall never be
+unsheathed in another's.”
+
+“Are you ignorant that such arguments apply with equal force to all
+those great men who have, within these few weeks past, sworn allegiance
+to his Majesty? What say you to the list of marshals, not one of whom
+has refused the graciously offered favor of his Majesty? Are Ney, Soult,
+Augereau, Macdonald, and Marmont nothing as examples?”
+
+“I will not say so, De Beauvais; but this I will say, they had had both
+more respect and esteem from me had they done otherwise. If they were
+true to the Emperor, they can scarce be loyal to the King.”
+
+“Can you not distinguish between the forced services exacted by a tyrant
+and the noble duty rendered to a rightful sovereign?”
+
+“I can better estimate the fascinations which lead men to follow a hero,
+than to be the parade-soldier around the gilded gates of a palace.”
+
+De Beauvais's cheek flashed scarlet, and his voice was agitated, as he
+replied,--
+
+“The nobles of France, sir, have shown themselves as high in deeds of
+chivalry and heroism as they have ever been in the accomplishments of
+true-born gentlemen.”
+
+“Pardon me, De Beauvais! I meant no imputation of them and their
+motives. There is every reason why you and your gallant companions
+should enjoy the favors of that crown your efforts have placed upon the
+head of the King of France. Your true and fitting station is around the
+throne your bravery and devotion have restored. But as for us,--we
+who have fought and marched, have perilled limb and life, to raise
+the fortune and elevate the glory of him who was the enemy of that
+sovereign,--how can we be participators in the triumph we labored to
+avert, and rejoice in a consummation we would have died rather than
+witness?”
+
+“But it has come; the fates have decided against you. The cause you
+would serve is not merely unfortunate,--it is extinct; the Empire has
+left no banner behind it. Come, then, and rally round one whose boast it
+is to number among its followers the high-born and the noble,--to assert
+the supremacy of rank and worth above the claim of the base and low.”
+
+“I cannot; I must not.”
+
+“At least, you will wait on the Comte d'Artois. You must see his royal
+highness, and thank him for his gracious intentions.”
+
+“I know what that means, De Beauvais; I have heard that few can resist
+the graceful fascinations of the prince's manner. I shall certainly not
+fear to encounter them, however dangerous to my principles.”
+
+“But not to refuse his royal highness?” said he, quickly. “I trust you
+will not do that.”
+
+“You would not have me yield to the flattery of a prince's notice what I
+refuse to the solicitations of a friend, would you?”
+
+“And such is your intention,--your fixed intention?”
+
+“Undoubtedly it is.”
+
+De Beauvais turned away impatiently, and leaned on the window for some
+minutes. Then, after a pause, and in a slow and measured voice, added,--
+
+“You are known to the Court, Burke, by other channels than those I have
+mentioned. Your prospects of advancement would be most brilliant, if you
+accept this offer: I scarcely know to what they may not aspire. Reflect
+for a moment or two. There is no desertion,--no falling off here.
+Remember that the Empire was a vision, and like a dream it has passed
+away. Where there is no cause, there can be no fealty.”
+
+“It is but a sorry memory, De Beauvais, that only retains while there
+are benefits to receive; mine is a more tenacious one.”
+
+“Then my mission is ended,” cried he, taking up his hat. “I may mention
+to his royal highness that you intend returning to England; that you
+are indisposed to service at present. It is unnecessary to state more
+accurately the views you entertain?”
+
+“I leave the matter completely to your discretion.”
+
+“Adieu, then. Our roads lie widely apart, Burke; and I for one regret
+it deeply. It only remains that I should give you this note; which I
+promised to deliver into your hands in the event of your declining to
+accept the prince's offer.”
+
+He blushed deeply, as he placed a small sealed note in my fingers; and
+as if anxious to get away, pressed my hand hurriedly, and left the room.
+
+My curiosity to learn the contents of the billet made me tear it open at
+once; but it was not before I had perused it several times that I could
+credit the lines before me. They were but few, and ran thus:--
+
+      Dear Sir,--May I request the honor of a visit from you this
+      evening at the Hôtel de Grammont?
+
+      Truly yours,
+
+      Marie d'Auvergne, née De Meudon.
+
+      Colonel Burke.
+
+How did I read these lines over again and again!--now interpreting them
+as messengers of future hope; now fearing they might exclude every ray
+of it forever. One solution recurred to me at every moment, and tortured
+me to the very soul. Her family had all been Royalists. The mere
+accidents of youth had thrown her brother into the army, and herself
+into the Court of the Empire, where personal devotion and attachment to
+the Empress had retained her. What if she should exert her influence to
+induce me to accept the prince's offer? How could I resist a request,
+perhaps an entreaty, from her? The more I reflected over it, the more
+firmly this opinion gained ground with me, and the more deeply did I
+grieve over a position environed by such difficulty; and ardently as I
+longed for the moment of meeting her once more, the desire was tempered
+by a fear that the meeting should be our last.
+
+The eventful moment of my destiny arrived, and found me at the door of
+the Hôtel de Grammont. A valet in waiting for my arrival conducted me to
+a _salon_, saying the countess would appear in a few moments.
+
+What an anxious interval was that! I tried to occupy myself with
+the objects around, and distract my attention from the approaching
+interview; but every sound startled me, and I turned at each instant
+towards the door by which I expected her to enter.
+
+The time appeared to drag heavily on,--minutes became like hours; and
+yet no one appeared. My impatience had reached its climax, when I heard
+my name spoken in a low soft voice. I turned, and she was before me.
+
+She was dressed in deep mourning, and looked paler, perhaps thinner,
+than I had ever seen her,--but not less beautiful. Whether prompted by
+her own feelings at the moment, or called up by my unconsciously fixed
+look, she blushed deeply as our eyes met.
+
+“I was about to leave France, Colonel,” said she, as soon as we were
+seated, “when I heard from my cousin, De Beauvais, that you were here,
+and delayed my departure to have the opportunity of seeing you.”
+
+She paused here, and drew a deep breath to continue; but leaning her
+head on her hand, she seemed to have fallen into a reverie for some
+minutes, from which she started suddenly, by saying,--
+
+“His royal highness has offered you your grade in the service, I
+understand?”
+
+“Yes, Madame; so my friend De Beauvais informs me.”
+
+“And you have refused,--is it not so?”
+
+“Even so, Madame.”
+
+“How is this, sir? Are you so weary of a soldier's life, that you would
+leave it thus early?”
+
+“This was not the reason, Madame.”
+
+“You loved the Emperor, sir,” said she, hastily, and with a tone of
+almost passionate eagerness, “even as I loved my dear, kind mistress;
+and you felt allegiance to be too sacred a thing to be bartered at a
+moment's notice. Is this the true explanation?”
+
+“I am proud to say, you have read my motives; such were they.”
+
+“Why are there not many more to act thus?” cried she, vehemently. “Why
+do not the great names _he_ made glorious, become greater by fidelity
+than ever they were by heroism? There was one, sir, who, had he lived,
+had given this example to the world.”
+
+“True, most true, Madame. But was not his fate happier than to have
+survived for this?”
+
+A long pause, unbroken by a word on either side, followed; when at last
+she said,--
+
+“I had left with De Beauvais some few relics of my dear brother, hoping
+you would accept them for his sake. General d'Auvergne's sword,--the
+same he wore at Jena,--he desired might be conveyed to you when you left
+the service. These, and this ring,” said she, endeavoring to withdraw a
+rich brilliant from her finger, “are the few souvenirs I would ask you
+to keep for their sakes, and for mine. You mean to return to England,
+sir?”
+
+“Yes, Madame; that is, I had intended,--I know not now whither I shall
+go. Country has few ties for one like me.”
+
+“I, too, must be a wanderer,” said she, half musingly, while still
+she endeavored to remove the ring from her finger. “I find,” said she,
+smiling, “I must give you another keepsake; this will not leave me.”
+
+“Give it me, then, where it is,” said I. “Yes, Marie! the devotion of a
+heart, wholly yours, should not go unrewarded. To you I owe all that
+my life has known of happiness,--to memory of you, every high and noble
+hope. Let me not, after years of such affection, lose the guiding star
+of my existence,--all that I have lived for, all that I love!”
+
+These words, poured forth with all the passionate energy which a last
+hope inspires, were followed by a story of my long-concealed love. I
+know not how incoherently the tale was told; I cannot say how often
+I interrupted my own recital by some appeal to the past,--some
+half-uttered hope that she had seen the passion which burned within me.
+I can but remember the bursting feeling of my bosom, as she placed her
+hand in mine, and said,--
+
+“It is yours!”
+
+These words ended the story of a life whose trials were many, and
+encountered at an age in which few have braved the world's cares.
+The lessons I had learned, however, were acquired in that
+school,--adversity,--where few are taught in vain; and if the morning of
+my life broke in clouds and shadow, the noon has been not less peaceful
+and bright. And the evening, as it draws near, comes with an aspect of
+calm tranquillity, ample enough to recompense every vicissitude of those
+early days when the waves of fortune were roughest.
+
+
+
+
+A PARTING WORD.
+
+
+      Dear Friends,--Time has hallowed the custom of a word at
+      parting, and I am unwilling to relinquish the privilege. In
+      the tale I have just concluded, my endeavor was to portray,
+      with as little aid from fiction as might be, some lights and
+      shadows of the most wonderful and eventful period of modern
+      history,--the empire of Napoleon. The character I selected
+      for my hero was not all imaginary, neither were many of the
+      scenes, which bear less apparent proofs of reality. The
+      subject was one long meditated on before undertaken; but as
+      the work proceeded, I felt at some places, the difficulty of
+      creating interest for persons, and incidents removed both by
+      time and country from my reader; and at others, my own
+      inadequacy to an effort, which mere zeal could never
+      accomplish. These causes induced me to deviate from the plan
+      I originally set down for my guidance; and combined with
+      failing health, have rendered what might have been a matter
+      of interest and amusement to the writer, a task of labor and
+      anxiety.
+
+      It is the first time I have had to ask my reader's
+      indulgence on such grounds; nor should I now allude to it,
+      save as affording the only apology I can render for the many
+      defects in a story, which, in defiance of me, took its
+      coloring from my own mind at the period, rather from the
+      reflex of the events I related.
+
+      The moral of my tale is simple,--the fatal influence crude
+      and uncertain notions of liberty will exercise over a
+      career, which, under happier direction of its energies, had
+      won honor and distinction, and the impolicy of the effort,
+      to substitute an adopted for a natural allegiance.
+
+      My estimate of Napoleon may seem to some to partake of
+      exaggeration; but I have carefully distinguished between the
+      Hero and the Emperor, and have not suffered my unqualified
+      admiration of the one to carry me on to any blind devotion
+      of the other.
+
+      Having begun this catalogue of excuses and explanations, I
+      know not where to stop. So, once more asking forgiveness for
+      all the errors of these volumes, I beg to subscribe myself,
+      in great respect and esteem,
+
+      Your humble and obedient servant,
+
+      Harry Lorrequer.
+
+      Templeogue House,
+
+      August 26th, 1844.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Tom Burke Of “Ours”, Volume II (of II), by
+Charles James Lever
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diff --git a/31902-0.zip b/31902-0.zip
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II (of II), by 
+Charles James Lever
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II (of II)
+
+Author: Charles James Lever
+
+Illustrator: Phiz.
+
+Release Date: April 6, 2010 [EBook #31902]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM BURKE II ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+TOM BURKE OF "OURS."
+
+By Charles Lever
+
+With Illustrations By Phiz.
+
+In Two Volumes, Vol. II.
+
+
+Transcriber's Note: Two print editions have been used for this Project
+Gutenberg Edition of "Tom Burke of 'Ours'": The Little Brown edition
+(Boston) of 1913 with illustrations by Phiz; and the Chapman and Hall
+editon (London) of 1853 with illustrations by Browne. Illegible and
+missing pages were found in both print editions.
+
+DW
+
+
+
+
+TOM BURKE OF "OURS"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I. THE SICK LEAVE.
+
+"What is it, Minette?" said I, for the third time, as I saw her lean her
+head from out the narrow casement, and look down into the valley beside
+the river; "what do you see there?"
+
+"I see a regiment of infantry coming along the road from Ulm," said she,
+after a pause; "and now I perceive the lancers are following them, and
+the artillery too. Ah! and farther again, I see a great cloud of dust.
+_M�re de Ci�l!_ how tired and weary they all look! It surely cannot be a
+march in retreat; and, now that I think of it, they have no baggage, nor
+any wagons with them."
+
+"That was a bugle call, Minette! Did you not hear it?"
+
+"Yes, it's a halt for a few minutes. Poor fellows! they are sadly
+exhausted; they cannot even reach the side of the way, but are lying
+down on the very road. I can bear it no longer. I must find out what
+it all means." So saying, she threw round her a mantle which, Spanish
+fashion, she wore over her head, and hurried from the room.
+
+For some time I waited patiently for her return; but when half an
+hour elapsed, I arose and crept to the window. A succession of rocky
+precipices descended from the terrace on which the house stood, down
+to the very edge of the Danube, and from the point where I sat the view
+extended for miles in every direction. What, then, was my astonishment
+to see the wide plain, not marked by regular columns in marching array,
+but covered with straggling detachments, hurrying onward as if without
+order or discipline. Here was an infantry battalion mixed up with a
+cavalry corps, the foot-soldiers endeavoring to keep up with the ambling
+trot of the dragoons; there, the ammunition wagons were covered with
+weary soldiers, too tired to march. Most of the men were without their
+firelocks, which were piled in a confused heap on the limbers of the
+guns. No merry chant, no burst of warlike music, cheered them on. They
+seemed like the scattered fragments of a routed army hurrying onward in
+search of some place of refuge,-sad and spiritless.
+
+"Can he have been beaten?" was the fearful thought that flashed across
+me as I gazed. "Have the bold legions that were never vanquished
+succumbed at last? Oh, no, no! I'll not believe it." And while a glow of
+fever warmed my whole blood, I buckled on my sabre, and taking my shako,
+prepared to issue forth. Scarcely had I reached the door, with tottering
+limbs, when I saw Minette dashing up the steep street at the top speed
+of her pony, while she flourished above her head a great placard, and
+waved it to and fro.
+
+"The news! the news!" cried I, bursting with anxiety. "Are they
+advancing; or is it a retreat?"
+
+"Read that!" said she, throwing me a large sheet of paper, headed with
+the words, "Proclamation! la Grande Arm�e!" in huge letters,-"read that!
+for I've no breath left to tell you."
+
+Soldiers!--The campaign so gloriously begun will soon be completed.
+
+One victory, and the Austrian empire, so great but a week since, will be
+humbled in the dust. Hasten on, then! Forced marches, by day and night,
+will attest your eagerness to meet the enemy; and let the endeavor of
+each regiment be to arrive soonest on the field of battle.
+
+"Minette! dearest Minette!" said I, as I threw my arms around her
+neck, "this is indeed good news." "Gently, gently, Monsieur!" said she,
+smiling, while she disengaged herself from my sudden embrace. "Very good
+news, without doubt; but I don't think that there is any mention in the
+bulletin about embracing the vivandi�res of the army."
+
+"At a moment like this, Minette--"
+
+"The best thing to do is, to make up one's baggage and join the march,"
+said she, very steadily, proceeding at the same time to put her plan
+into execution.
+
+While I gave her all assistance in my power, the doctor entered to
+inform us that all the wounded who were then not sufficiently restored
+to return to duty were to be conveyed to Munich, where general military
+hospitals had been established; and that he himself had received
+orders to repair thither with his sick detachment, in which my name was
+enrolled.
+
+"You'll keep your old friend, Fran�ois, company, Lieutenant Burke; he is
+able to move at last."
+
+"Fran�ois!" said I, in ecstasy; "and will he indeed recover?"
+
+"I have little doubt of it; though certainly he's not likely to
+practise as ma�tre d'armes again. You 've spoiled his tierce, though not
+before it cost the army some of the prettiest fellows I ever saw. But as
+to yourself--"
+
+"As for me, I 'll march with the army. I feel perfectly recovered; my
+arm--"
+
+"Oh! as for monsieur's arms," said mademoiselle, "I'll answer for it,
+they are quite at his Majesty's service."
+
+"Indeed!" said the doctor, knowingly; "I thought it would come to that.
+Well, well, Mademoiselle, don't look saucy; let us part good friends for
+once in our lives."
+
+"I hate being reconciled to a surgeon," said she, pettishly.
+
+"Why so, I pray?"
+
+"Oh, you know, when one quarrels with an officer, the poor fellow may be
+killed before one sees him again; and it's always a sad thought, that.
+But your doctor, nothing ever happens to him; you're sure to see him,
+with his white apron and his horrid weapons, a hundred times after, and
+one is always sorry for having forgiven such a cruel wretch."
+
+"Come, come, Mademoiselle, you bear us all an ill-will for the fault
+of one, and that's not fair. It was the hospital aide of the Sixth,
+Monsieur, (a handsome fellow, too), who did not fall in love with her
+after her wound,--a slight scratch."
+
+"A slight scratch, do you call it?" said I, indignantly, as I perceived
+the poor girl's eyes fill at the raillery of her tormentor.
+
+"Ah! monsieur has seen it, then?" said he, maliciously. "A thousand
+pardons. I have the honor to wish you both adieu." And with that, and a
+smile of the most impertinent meaning, he took his leave.
+
+"How silly to be vexed for so little, Minette!" said I, approaching and
+endeavoring to console her.
+
+"Well, but to call my wound a scratch!" said she. "Was it not too bad?
+and I the only vivandi�re of the army that ever felt a bullet."
+
+And with that she turned away her head; but I could see, as she wiped
+her eyes, that she cared less for the sarcasm on her wounded shoulder
+than the insult to her wounded heart. Poor girl! she looked sick and
+pale the whole day after.
+
+We learned in the course of the day that some cavalry detachments would
+pass early on the morrow, thus allowing us sufficient time to provide
+ourselves with horses, and make our other arrangements for the march.
+These we succeeded in doing to our satisfaction; I being fortunate
+enough to secure the charger of an Austrian prisoner, mademoiselle being
+already admirably mounted with her palfrey. Occupied with these details,
+the day passed rapidly over, and the hour for supper drew near without
+my feeling how the time slipped past.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneMuratAndMinettePage003]
+
+At last the welcome meal made its appearance, and with it mademoiselle
+herself. I could not help remarking that her toilette displayed a more
+than common attention: her neat Parisian cap; her collar, with its deep
+Valenciennes lace; and her _tablier_, so coquettishly embroidered,--were
+all signs of an unusual degree of care; and though she was pale and in
+low spirits, I never saw her look so pretty. All my efforts to make her
+converse were, however, in vain. Some secret weight lay heavily on her
+spirits, and not even the stirring topics of the coming campaign could
+awaken one spark of her enthusiasm. She evaded, too, every allusion
+to the following day's march, or answered my questions about it with
+evident constraint. Tired at last with endeavoring to overcome her
+silent mood, I affected an air of chagrin, thinking to pique her by it;
+but she merely remarked that I appeared weary, and that, as I had a long
+journey before me, it were as well I should retire early.
+
+The marked coolness of her manner at this moment struck me so forcibly
+that I began really to feel some portion of the ill-temper I affected,
+and with the crossness of an over-petted child, I arose to withdraw at
+once.
+
+"Good-by, Monsieur; good-night, I mean," said she, blushing slightly.
+
+"Good-night, Mademoiselle," said I, taking her hand coldly as I spoke.
+"I trust I may find you in better spirits to-morrow."
+
+"Good-night,--adieu!" said she, hastily; and before I could add a word
+she was gone.
+
+"She is a strange girl," thought I, as I found myself alone, and
+tortured my mind to think whether anything I could have dropped had
+offended her. But no: we had parted a few hours before the best friends
+in the world; nothing had then occurred to which I could attribute
+this sudden change. I had often remarked the variable character of her
+disposition,--the flashes of gayety mingled with outbursts of sorrow;
+the playful moods of fancy alternating with moments of deep melancholy;
+and, after all, this might be one of them.
+
+With these thoughts I threw myself on my bed, but could not sleep. At
+one minute my brain went on puzzling about Minette and her sorrow; at
+the next I reproached myself for my own harsh, unfeeling manner to the
+poor girl, and was actually on the eve of arising to seek her and ask
+her pardon. At last sleep came, and dreams too; but, strange enough,
+they were of the distant land of my boyhood and the hours of my youth;
+of the old house in which I was born, and its well-remembered rooms. I
+thought I was standing before my father, while he scolded me for some
+youthful transgression; I heard his words as though they were really
+spoken, as he told me that I should be an outcast and a wanderer,
+without a friend, a house, or home; that while others reaped wealth and
+honors, I was destined to be a castaway: and in the torrent of my grief
+I awoke.
+
+It was night,--dark, silent night. A few stars were shining in the sky,
+but the earth was wrapped in shadow; and as I opened my window to let
+the fresh breeze calm my fevered forehead, the deep precipice beneath me
+seemed a vast gulf of yawning blackness. At a great distance off I could
+see the watchfires of some soldiers bivouacking in the plain; and even
+that much comforted my saddened heart, as it aroused me to the thoughts
+of the campaign before me. But again my thoughts recurred to my dream,
+which I could not help feeling as a sort of prediction.
+
+When our sleep leaves its strong track in our waking moments, we dread
+to sleep again for fear the whole vision should come back; and thus I
+sat down beside the window, and fell into a long train of thought. The
+images of my dream were uppermost in my mind; and every little incident
+of childhood, long lost to memory, came now fresh before me,--the
+sorrows of my schoolboy years, unrelieved by the sense of love awaiting
+me at home; the clinging to all who seemed to feel or care for me;
+and the heart-sickening sorrow when I found that what I mistook for
+affection was merely pity: all save one,--my mother! Her mild, sad
+looks, so seldom cheered by a ray of pleasure,--I remember well how they
+fell on me! with such a thrilling sensation at my heart, and such a gush
+of thankfulness, as I felt then! Oh! if they who live with children knew
+how needful it is to open their hearts to all the little sorrows and
+woes of infant life; to teach confidence and to feed hope; to train up
+the creeping tendrils of young desire, and not to suffer them to lie
+straggling and tangled on the earth,--what a happier destiny would fall
+to the lot of many whose misfortunes in late life date from the crushed
+spirit of childhood!
+
+My mother I--I thought of her as she would bend oyer me at night, her
+last kiss pressed on my brow,--the healing balm of some sorrow for which
+my sobs were still breaking,--her pale, worn cheek, her white dress, her
+hand so bloodless and transparent, the very emblem of her malady. The
+tears started to my eyes and rolled heavily along my cheek, my chest
+heaved, and my heart beat till I could hear it. At this moment a slight
+rustle stirred the leaves: I listened, for the night was calm and still;
+not a breeze moved. Again I heard it close beside the window, on the
+little terrace which ran along the building, and occupied the narrow
+space beside the edge of the rock. Before I could imagine what it meant,
+a figure in white glided from the shade of the trees and approached
+the window. So excited was my mind, so wrought up my imagination by the
+circumstances of my dream and the thoughts that followed, that I cried
+out, in a voice of ecstasy, "My mother!" Suddenly the apparition stood
+still, and then as rapidly retreated, and was lost to view in the dark
+foliage. Maddened with intense excitement, I sprang from the window, and
+leaped out on the terrace. I called aloud; I ran about wildly, unmindful
+of the fearful precipice that yawned beside me. I searched every bush,
+I crept beneath each tree, but nothing could I detect. The cold
+perspiration poured down my face; my limbs trembled with a strange dread
+of I knew not what. I felt as if madness was creeping over me, and I
+struggled with the thought and tried to calm my troubled brain. Wearied
+and faint, I gave up the pursuit at last, and, throwing myself on my
+bed, I sank exhausted into the heavy slumber which only tired nature
+knows.
+
+"The Sous-Lieutenant Burke," said a gruff voice, awakening me suddenly
+from my sleep, while by the light of a lantern he held in his hand I
+recognized the figure of an orderly sergeant in full equipment.
+
+"Yes. What then?" said I, in some amazement at the summons.
+
+"This is the order of march, sir, for the invalid detachment under your
+command."
+
+"How so? I have no orders."
+
+"They are here, sir."
+
+So saying, he presented me with a letter from the assistant-adjutant
+of the corps, with instructions for the conduct of forty men, invalided
+from different regiments, and now on their way to Lintz. The paper was
+perfectly regular, setting forth the names of the soldiers and
+their several corps, together with the daily marches, the halts, and
+distances. My only surprise was how this service so suddenly devolved on
+me, whose recovery could only have been reported a few hours before.
+
+"When shall I muster the detachment, sir?" said the sergeant,
+interrupting me in the midst of my speculations.
+
+"Now,--at once. It is past five o'clock. I see Langenau is mentioned as
+the first halting-place; we can reach it by eight."
+
+The moment the sergeant withdrew, I arose and dressed for the road,
+anxious to inform mademoiselle as early as possible of this sudden order
+of march. When I entered the _salon_, I found to my surprise that the
+breakfast table was all laid and everything ready. "What can this mean?"
+said I; "has she heard it already?" At the same instant I caught sight
+of the door of her chamber lying wide open. I approached, and looked in.
+The room was empty; the various trunks and boxes, the little relics
+of military glory I remembered to have seen with her, were all gone.
+Minette had departed; when or whither, I knew not. I hurried through the
+building, from room to room, without meeting any one. The door was open,
+and I passed out into the dark street, where all was still and silent
+as the grave. I hastened to the stable: my horse, ready equipped and
+saddled, was feeding; but the stall beside him was empty,--the pony of
+the vivandi�re was gone. While many a thought flashed on my brain as to
+her fate, I tortured my mind to remember each circumstance of our last
+meeting,--every word and every look; and as I called to my memory the
+pettish anger of my manner towards her, I grew sick at heart, and hated
+myself for my own cold ingratitude. All her little acts of kindness, her
+tender care, her unwearying good-nature, were before me. I thought of
+her as I had seen her often in the silence of the night, when, waking
+from some sleep of pain, she sat beside my bed, her hand pressed on
+my heated forehead; her low, clear voice was in my ear; her soft,
+mild look, beaming with hope and tender pity. Poor Minette! had I then
+offended you? was such the return I made for all your kindness?
+
+"The men are ready, sir," said the sergeant, entering at the moment.
+
+"She is gone," said I, following out my own sad train of thought, and
+pointing to the vacant stall where her pony used to stand.
+
+"Mademoiselle Minette--"
+
+"Yes, what of her--where is she?"
+
+"Marched with the cuirassier brigade that passed here last night at
+twelve o'clock. She seemed very ill, sir, and the officer made her sit
+on one of the wagons."
+
+"Which road did they take? �
+
+"They crossed the river, and moved away towards the forest. I think I
+heard the troop-sergeant say something about Salzburg and the Tyrol."
+
+I made no answer, but stood mute and stupefied; when I was again
+recalled to thought by his asking if my baggage was ready for the
+wagons.
+
+With a sullen apathy I pointed out my trunks in silence, and throwing
+one last look on the room, the scene of my former suffering, and of much
+pleasure too, I mounted my horse, and gave the word to move forward.
+
+As we passed from the gate, I stopped to question the sous-officier as
+to the route of the cuirassier division. But he could only repeat
+what the sergeant had already told me; adding, there were several men
+slightly wounded in the squadrons, for they had been engaged twice
+within the week. The gates closed! and we were on the highroad.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II. LINTZ
+
+As day was breaking, we came up with a strong detachment of the cavalry
+of the Guard proceeding to join Bessiere's division at Lintz. From them
+we learned that the main body of the army was already far in advance,
+several entire corps having marched from Lintz with the supposed
+intention of occupying Vienna. Ney's division, it was said, was also
+bearing down from the Tyrol; Davoust and Mortier were advancing by the
+left bank of the Danube; whilst Lannes and Murat, with an overwhelming
+force of light troops, had pushed forward two days' march in advance on
+their way to the capital. The fate of Ulm was already predicted for the
+Austrian city, and each day's intelligence seemed to make it only
+the more inevitable. Meanwhile the Emperor Francis had abandoned the
+capital, and retreated on Brunn, a fortified town in Moravia, there to
+await the arrival of his ally, Alexander, hourly expected from Berlin.
+
+As day after day we pressed forward, our numbers continued to increase.
+A motley force, indeed, did we present: cavalry of every sort, from the
+steel-clad cuirassier to the gay hussar, dragoons, chasseurs, guides,
+and light cavalry, all mixed up together, and all eagerly recounting
+the several experiences of the campaign as it fell under their eyes in
+different quarters. From none, however, could I learn any tidings of
+Minette; for though known to many there, the detachment she had joined
+had taken a southerly direction, and was not crossed by any of the
+others on their march. The General d'Auvergne, I heard, was with the
+headquarters of the Emperor, then established at the monastery of Molk,
+on the Danube.
+
+On the evening of the 13th of November we arrived at Lintz, the
+capital of Upper Austria, but at the time I speak of one vast barrack.
+Thirty-eight thousand troops of all arms were within its walls; not
+subject to the rigid discipline and regular command of a garrison town,
+but bivouacking in the open streets and squares. Tables were spread in
+the thoroughfares, at which the divisions as they arrived took their
+places, and after refreshing themselves, moved on to make way for
+others. The great churches were strewn with forage, and filled with the
+horses of the cavalry; there might be seen the lumbering steeds of
+the cuirassier, eating their corn from the richly-carved box of a
+confessional; here lay the travel-stained figure of a dragoon, stretched
+asleep across the steps of the altar. The little chapelries, where
+the foot of the penitent awoke no echo as it passed, now rung with the
+coarse jest and reckless ribaldry of the soldiers; parties caroused
+in the little sacristies; and the rude chorus of a drinking song now
+vibrated through the groined roof where only the sacred notes of
+the organ had been heard to peal. The H�tel de Ville was the
+quartier-g�n�ral, where the generals of divisions were assembled, and
+from which the orderlies rode forth at every moment with despatches. The
+one cry, "Forward!" was heard everywhere. They who before had claimed
+leave for slight wounds or illness, were now seen among their comrades
+with bandaged arms and patched faces, eager to press on. Many whose
+regiments were in advance became incorporated for the time with other
+corps; and dismounted dragoons were often to be met with, marching with
+the infantry and mounting guard in turn. Everything bespoke haste. The
+regiments which arrived at night frequently moved off before day broke.
+The cavalry often were provided with fresh horses to press forward,
+leaving their own for the corps that were to follow. A great flotilla,
+provided with all the necessaries for an army on the march, moved
+along the Danube, and accompanied the troops each day. In a word, every
+expedient was practised which could hasten the movement of the army;
+justifying the remark so often repeated among the soldiers at the time,
+"Le Petit Caporal makes more use of our legs than our bayonets in this
+campaign."
+
+On the same evening we arrived came the news of the surprise of Vienna
+by Murat. Never was there such joy as this announcement spread through
+the army. The act itself was one of those daring feats which only such
+as he could venture on, and indeed at first seemed so miraculous that
+many refused to credit it. Prince Auersberg, to whom the great bridge of
+the Danube was intrusted, had prepared everything for its destruction
+in the event of attack. The whole line of woodwork was laid with
+combustibles; trains were set, the matches burning; a strong battery of
+twelve guns, posted to command the bridge, occupied the height on the
+right bank, and the Austrian gunners lay, match in hand, beside their
+pieces: but a word was needed, and the whole work was in a blaze.
+
+Such was the state of matters when Sebastiani pushed through the
+faubourg of the Leopoldstadt at the head of a strong cavalry detachment,
+supported by some grenadiers of the Guard, and by Murat's orders,
+concealed his force among the narrow streets which lead to the bridge
+from the left bank of the Danube. This done, Lannes and Murat advanced
+carelessly along the bridge, which, from the frequent passage of
+couriers between the two headquarters, had become a species of
+promenade, where the officers of either side met to converse on the
+fortunes of the campaign. Dressed simply as officers of the staff, they
+strolled along till they came actually beneath the Austrian battery; and
+then entered into conversation with the Austrian officers, assuring them
+that the armistice was signed, and peace already proclaimed between the
+two countries.
+
+The Austrians, trusting to their story, and much interested by what they
+heard, descended from the mound, and joining them, proceeded to walk
+backwards and forwards along the bridge, conversing on the probable
+consequences of the treaty; when suddenly turning round by chance, as
+they walked towards the right bank, they saw the head of a grenadier
+column approaching at the quick step. The thought of treachery crossed
+their minds; and one of them, rushing to the side of the bridge, called
+out to the artillerymen to fire. A movement was seen in the battery,
+the matches were uplifted, when Murat, dashing forward, cried aloud,
+"Reserve your fire; there is nothing to fear!"
+
+The same instant the Austrian officers were surrounded; the sappers
+rushing on the bridge cleared away the combustibles, and cut off the
+trains; and the cavalry, till now in concealment, pushing forward at a
+gallop, crossed the bridge, followed by the grenadiers in a run,--before
+the Austrians, who saw their own officers mingled with the French, could
+decide on what was to be done,--while Murat, springing on his horse,
+dashed forward at the head of the dragoons; and before five minutes
+elapsed the battery was stormed, the gunners captured, and Vienna won.
+
+Never was there a _coup de main_ more hardy than this, whether we look
+to the danger of the deed itself, or the insignificant force by which it
+was accomplished. A few horsemen and some companies of foot, led on
+by an heroic chief, thus turned the whole fortune of Europe; for, by
+securing this bridge, Napoleon enabled himself, as circumstances might
+warrant, to unite the different corps of his army on the right or
+left banks of the Danube, and either direct his operations against the
+Russians, or the Austrians under the Archduke Charles, as he pleased.
+
+The treachery by which the bold deed was made successful, was, alas!
+deemed no stain on the achievement. But one rule of judgment existed in
+the Imperial army: Was the advantage on the side of France, and to the
+honor of her arms? That covered every flaw, no matter whether inflicted
+by duplicity or breach of faith. The habit of healing all wounds of
+conscience by a bulletin had become so general, that men would not trust
+to the guidance of their own reason till confirmed by some Imperial
+proclamation; and when the Emperor declared a battle gained and glory
+achieved, who would gainsay him? If this blind, headlong confidence
+tended to lower the _morale_ of the nation, in an equal degree did it
+make them conquerors in the field; and thus--by a strange decree of
+Providence, would it seem--were they preparing for themselves the
+terrible reverse of fortune which, when the destinies of their leader
+became clouded and their confidence in him shaken, was to fall on a
+people who lived only in the mad intoxication of victory, and knew not
+the sterner virtues that can combat with defeat.
+
+But so was it. Napoleon commanded the legions and described their
+achievements; he led them to the charge and he apportioned their glory;
+the heroism of the soldier had no existence until acknowledged by
+the proclamation after the battle; the valor of the general wanted
+confirmation till sealed by his approval. To fight beneath his eyes was
+the greatest glory a regiment could wish for; to win one word from him
+was fame itself forever.
+
+If I dwell on these thoughts here, it is because I now felt for the
+first time the sad deception I had practised on myself; and how little
+could I hope to realize in my soldier's life the treasured aspirations
+of my boyhood � Was this, then, indeed the career I had pictured to
+my mind,--the chivalrous path of honor? Was this the bold assertion of
+freedom I so often dreamed of? How few of that armed host knew anything
+of the causes of the war,--how much fewer still cared for them! No
+sentiment of patriotism, no devotion to the interests of liberty or
+humanity, prompted us on. Yet these were the thoughts first led me to
+the career of arms; such ambitious promptings first made my heart glow
+with the enthusiasm of a soldier.
+
+This gloomy disappointment made me low-spirited and sad. Nor can I say
+where such reflections might not have led me, when suddenly a change
+came over my thoughts by seeing a wounded soldier, who had just arrived
+from Mortier's division, with news of a fierce encounter they had
+sustained against Kutusof's Russians. The poor fellow was carried
+past in a litter,--his arm had been amputated that same morning, and a
+frightful shot-wound had carried away part of his cheek; still, amid all
+his suffering, his eye was brilliant, and a smile of proud meaning was
+on his lips.
+
+"Lift it up, Guillaume; let me see it again," said he, as they bore him
+along the crowded street.
+
+"What is it he wishes?" said I. "The poor fellow is asking for
+something."
+
+"Yes, mon lieutenant. It is the _sabre d'honneur_ the Emperor gave him
+this morning. He likes to look at it every now and then; he says he
+doesn't mind the pain when he sees that before him. _And it is natural,
+too._"
+
+"Such is glory!" said I to myself; "and he who feels this in his heart
+has no room for other thoughts."
+
+"Oh, give to me the trumpet's blast, And the champ of the charger
+prancing; Or the whiz of the grape-shot flying past, That 'a music meet
+for dancing.
+
+"Tralararalal" sang a wild-looking voltigeur, as he capered along the
+street, keeping time to his rude song with the tramp of his feet.
+
+"Ha! there goes a fellow from the Faubourg!" said an officer near me.
+
+"The Faubourg?" repeated I, asking for explanation.
+
+"Yes, to be sure. The Faubourg St. Antoine supplies all the reckless
+devils of the army; one of them would corrupt a regiment, and so, the
+best thing to do is to keep them as much together as possible. The
+voltigeurs have little else; and proof is, they are the cleverest corps
+in the service, and if they could be kept from picking and stealing,
+lying, drinking, and gambling, there's not a man might not be a general
+of division in time. There goes another!"
+
+As he spoke, a fellow passed by with a goose under his arm, followed by
+a woman most vociferously demanding restitution; while he only amused
+himself by replying with a mock courtesy, deploring in sad terms the
+unhappy necessities of war and the cruel hardships of a campaign.
+
+"It's no use punishing those fellows," said the officer. "They desert in
+whole companies if you send one to the _salle de police_; and so we have
+only one resource, which is, to throw them pretty much in advance, and
+leave their chastisement to the enemy. And, sooth to say, they ask for
+nothing better themselves."
+
+Thus, even these fellows seemed to have their own sentiment of glory,--a
+problem which the more I reasoned over the more puzzled did I become.
+
+While a hundred conjectures were hourly in circulation, none save those
+immediately about the person of Napoleon could possibly divine the
+quarter where the great blow was to be struck, although all were in
+expectation of the orders to prepare for battle. News would reach us of
+marchings and counter-marchings; of smart skirmishes here, and prisoners
+taken there; yet could we not form the slightest conception of where the
+chief force of the enemy lay, nor what the direction to which our own
+army was pointed. Indeed, our troops seemed to scatter on every side.
+Marmont, with a strong force, was despatched towards Gratz, where it
+was said the Archduke Charles was at the head of a considerable army;
+Davoust moved on Hungary, and occupied Presburg; Bernadotte retraced his
+steps towards the Upper Danube, to hold the Archduke Frederick in check,
+who had escaped from Ulm with ten thousand men; Mortiers corps, harassed
+and broken by the engagement with Kutusof, were barely sufficient to
+garrison Vienna; while Soult, Lannes, and Murat pushed forward towards
+Moravia, with a strong cavalry force and some battalions of the Guard.
+In fact, the whole army was scattered like an exploded shell; nor could
+we see the means by which its wide extended fragments were to be united
+at a moment, much less divine the spot to which their combined force was
+to be directed.
+
+Had these Russians been fabulous creatures of a legend, instead of
+men of mortal mould, they could scarcely have been endowed with more
+attributes of ubiquity than we conferred on them. Sometimes we believed
+them at one side of the Danube, sometimes at the other; now we heard of
+them as retreating by forced marches into their native fastnesses, now
+as encamped in the mountain regions of Moravia. Yesterday came the news
+that they laid down their arms and surrendered as prisoners of war;
+to-day we heard of them as having forced back our advanced posts and
+carried off several squadrons as prisoners.
+
+At length came the positive information that the allied armies were in
+cantonments around Olmutz; while Napoleon had pushed forward to Brunn,
+a place of considerable strength, communicating by the highroad with the
+Russian headquarters. It was no longer doubtful, then, where the great
+game was to be decided, and thither the various battalions were now
+directed by marches day and night.
+
+On the 29th of November our united detachments, now numbering
+several hundred men, arrived at Brunn. I lost no time in repairing to
+headquarters, where I found General d'Auvergne deeply engaged with the
+details of the force under his command: his brigade had been placed
+under the orders of Murat; and it was well known the prince gave little
+rest or respite to those under his command. From him I learned that
+three days of unsuccessful negotiation had just passed over, and that
+the Emperor had now resolved on a great battle. Indeed, every moment was
+critical. Russia had assumed a decidedly hostile aspect; the Swedes were
+moving to the south; the Archduke Charles, by a circuitous route, was
+on the march to join the Russian army, to whose aid fresh reinforcements
+were daily arriving, and Benningsen was hourly expected with more. Under
+these circumstances a battle was inevitable; and such a one, as, by its
+result, must conclude the war.
+
+This much did I learn from the old general as we rode over the field
+together; examining with caution the nature of the ground, and where it
+offered facilities, and where it presented obstacles, to the movement
+of cavalry. Such were the orders issued that morning by Napoleon to the
+generals of brigade, who might now be seen with their staffs traversing
+the plain in every direction. As we moved along we could discover in the
+distance the dark columns of the enemy marching, not towards us, but in
+a southerly direction towards our extreme right. This movement attracted
+the attention of several others, and more than one aide-de-camp was
+despatched to Brunn to carry the intelligence to the Emperor.
+
+The same evening couriers departed in every direction to Bernadotte
+and Davoust to hasten forward at once; even Mortier, with his mangled
+division, was ordered to abandon Vienna to a division of Marmont's army,
+and move on to Brunn. And now the great work of concentration began.
+
+Meanwhile the Russians advanced, and on the 30th drove in an advanced
+post, and compelled our cavalry to fall back behind our position. The
+following morning the allies resumed their flank movement. And now no
+doubt could be entertained of their plan; which was, by turning our
+right, to cut us off from our supporting columns resting at Vienna, and
+throw our retreat back upon the mountainous districts of Bohemia. In
+this way five massive columns moved past us scarce half a league distant
+from our advanced posts, numbering eighty thousand men, of which fifteen
+were cavalry in the most perfect condition.
+
+Our position was in advance of the fortress of Brunn; the headquarters
+of the Emperor occupied a rising piece of ground, at the base of which
+flowed a small stream, a tributary to some of the numerous ponds by
+which the field was intersected. The entire ground in our front was
+indeed a succession of these small lakes, with villages interspersed,
+and occasionally some stunted woods; great morasses extended around
+these ponds, through which led the highroads or such bypaths as
+conducted from one village to another. Here and there were plains where
+cavalry might act with safety, but rarely in large bodies.
+
+Our right rested on the lake of Moeritz, where Soult's division was
+stationed; behind which, thrown back in such a manner as to escape the
+observation of the enemy, was Davoust's corps, the reserve occupying a
+cliff of ground beside the convent of Eeygern. Our left, under Lannes,
+occupied the hill of Santon,--a wooded eminence, the last of a long
+chain of mountains running east and west. Above, and on the crest of the
+height, a powerful park of artillery was posted, and defended by strong
+intrenchments. A powerful cavalry corps was placed at the bottom of
+the mountain. Next came Bernadotte's division, separated by the highroad
+from Brunn to Olmutz from the division under Murat, which, besides his
+own cavalry, contained Oudinot's grenadiers and Bessi�re's battalions
+of the Imperial Guard; the centre and right being formed of Soult's
+division, the strongest of all; the reserve, consisting of several
+battalions of the Guard and a strong force of artillery, being under
+the immediate orders of Napoleon, to be employed wherever circumstances
+demanded.
+
+These were the dispositions for the coming battle, made with all the
+precision of troops moving on parade; and such was the discipline of the
+army at Boulogne, and so perfectly arranged the plans of the Emperor,
+that the ground of every regiment was marked out, and each corps moved
+into its allotted space with the regularity of some piece of mechanism.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III. AUSTERLITZ
+
+The dispositions for the battle of Austerlitz occupied the entire day.
+From sunrise Napoleon was on horse-back, visiting every position; he
+examined each battery with the skill of an old officer of artillery;
+and frequently dismounting from his horse, carefully noted the slightest
+peculiarities of the ground,--remarking to his staff, with an accuracy
+which the event showed to be prophetic, the nature of the struggle, as
+the various circumstances of the field indicated them to his practised
+mind.
+
+It was already late when he turned his horse's head towards the bivouac
+hut,--a rude shelter of straw,--and rode slowly through the midst of
+that great army. The _ordre du jour_, written at his own dictation, had
+just been distributed among the soldiers; and now around every watchfire
+the groups were kneeling to read the spirit-stirring lines by which he
+so well knew how to excite the enthusiasm of his followers. They were
+told that "the enemy were the same Russian battalions they had already
+beaten at Hollabrunn, and on whose flying traces they had been marching
+ever since." "They will endeavor," said the proclamation, "to turn our
+right, but in doing so they must open their flank to us: need I say what
+will be the result? Soldiers, so long as with your accustomed valor you
+deal death and destruction in their ranks, so long shall I remain
+beyond the reach of fire; but let the victory prove, even for a moment,
+doubtful, your Emperor shall be in the midst of you. This day must
+decide forever the honor of the infantry of France. Let no man leave his
+ranks to succor the wounded,--they shall be cared for by one who never
+forgets his soldiers,--and with this victory the campaign is ended!"
+
+Never were lines better calculated to stimulate the energy and flatter
+the pride of those to whom they were addressed. It was a novel thing in
+a general to communicate to his army the plan of his intended battle,
+and perhaps to any other than a French army the disclosure would not
+have been rated as such a favor; but their warlike spirit and military
+intelligence have ever been most remarkably united, and the men were
+delighted with such a proof of confidence and esteem.
+
+A dull roar, like the sound of the distant sea, swelled along the lines
+from the far right, where the Convent of Reygern stood, and growing
+louder by degrees, proclaimed that the Emperor was coming. It was
+already dark, but he was quickly recognized by the troops, and with one
+burst of enthusiasm they seized upon the straw of their bivouacs, and
+setting fire to it, held the blazing masses above their heads, waving
+them wildly to and fro, amid the cries of "Vive l'Empereur!" For above
+a league along the plain the red light flashed and glowed, marking out
+beneath it the dense squares and squadrons of armed warriors. It was
+the anniversary of Napoleon's coronation; and such was the f�te by which
+they celebrated the day.
+
+The Emperor rode through the ranks uncovered. Never did a prouder smile
+light up his features, while thronging around him the veterans of the
+Guard struggled to catch even a passing glance at him. "Do but look
+at us tomorrow, and keep beyond the reach of shot," said a _grognard_,
+stepping forward; "we'll bring their cannon and their colors, and lay
+them at thy feet." The marshals themselves, the hardened veterans of
+so many fights, could not restrain their enthusiasm; and proffers of
+devotion unto death accompanied him as he went.
+
+At last all was silent in the encampment; the soldiers slept beside
+their watchfires, and save the tramp of a patrol or the _qui vive_? of
+the sentinels, all was still. The night was cold and sharp; a cutting
+wind blew across the plain, which gave way to a thick mist,--so thick,
+the sentries could scarcely see a dozen paces off.
+
+I sat in my little hovel of straw,--my mind far too much excited for
+sleep,--watching the stars as they peeped out one by one, piercing the
+gray mist, until at last the air became thin and clear, and a frosty
+atmosphere succeeded to the weighty fog; and now I could trace out
+the vast columns, as they lay thickly strewn along the plain. The old
+general, wrapped in his cloak, slept soundly on his straw couch; his
+deep-drawn breathing showed that his rest was unbroken. How slowly did
+the time seem to creep along! I thought it must be nigh morning, and it
+was only a little more than midnight.
+
+Our position was a small rising ground about a mile in front of the left
+centre, and communicating with the enemy's line by a narrow road between
+the marshes. This had been defended by a battery of four guns, with
+a stockade in front; and along it now, for a considerable distance, a
+chain of sentinels were placed, who should communicate any movement that
+they observed in the Russian lines, of which I was charged to convey
+the earliest intelligence to the quartier-g�n�ral. This duty alone would
+have kept me in a state of anxiety, had not the frame of my mind already
+so disposed me; and I could not avoid creeping out from time to time, to
+peer through the gloom in the direction of the enemy's camp, and listen
+with an eager ear for any sounds from that quarter. At last I heard the
+sound of a voice at some distance off; then, a few minutes after, the
+hurried step of feet, and a voltigeur came up, breathless with haste:
+"The Russians were in motion towards the right. Our advanced posts could
+hear the roll of guns and tumbrels moving along the plain, and it was
+evident their columns were in march." I knelt down and placed my ear to
+the ground, and almost started at the distinctness with which I could
+hear the dull sound of the large guns as they were dragged along; the
+earth seemed to tremble beneath them.
+
+I awoke the general at once, who, resting on his arm, coolly heard my
+report; and having directed me to hasten to headquarters with the news,
+lay back again, and was asleep before I was in my saddle. At the top
+speed of my horse I galloped to the rear, winding my way between the
+battalions, till I came to a gentle rising ground, where, by the
+light of several large fires that blazed in a circle I could see the
+dismounted troopers of the _chasseurs � cheval_, who always formed the
+Imperial Bodyguard. Having given the word, I was desired by the officer
+of the watch to dismount, and following him, I passed forward to a space
+in the middle of the circle, where, under shelter of some sheaves of
+straw piled over each other, sat three officers, smoking beside a fire.
+
+"Ha! here comes news of some sort," said a voice I knew at once to be
+Murat's. "Well, sir, what is't?"
+
+"The Russian columns are in motion, Monsieur le Mar�chal; the artillery
+moving rapidly towards our right."
+
+"_Diantre!_ it's not much more than midnight! Davoust, shall we awake
+the Emperor?"
+
+"No, no," said a harsh voice, as a shrivelled, hard-featured man turned
+round from the blaze, and showing a head covered by a coarse woollen
+cap, looked far more like a pirate than a marshal of France; "they 'll
+not attack before day breaks. Go back," said he, addressing me; "observe
+the position well, and if there be any general movement towards the
+southward, you may report it."
+
+By the time I regained my post, all was in silence once more; either the
+Russians had arrested their march, or already their columns were out
+of hearing,--not a gleam of light could I perceive along their entire
+position. And now, worn out with watching, I threw myself down among the
+straw, and slept soundly.
+
+"There! there! that's the third!" said General d'Auvergne, shaking me by
+the shoulder; "there again! Don't you hear the guns?"
+
+I listened, and could just distinguish the faint booming sound of
+far-off artillery coming up from the extreme right of our position. It
+was still but three o'clock, and although the sky was thick with stars,
+perfectly dark in the valley. Meanwhile we could bear the galloping of
+cavalry quite distinctly in the same direction.
+
+"Mount, Burke, and back to the quartier-g�n�ral! But you need not; here
+comes some of the staff."
+
+"So, D'Auvergne," cried a voice whose tones were strange to me, "they
+meditate a night attack, it would seem; or is it only trying the range
+of their guns?"
+
+"I think the latter, Monsieur le Mar�chal, for I heard no small arms;
+and, even now, all is quiet again."
+
+"I believe you are right," said he, moving slowly forward, while a
+number of officers followed at a little distance. "You see, D'Auvergne,
+how correctly the Emperor judged their intentions. The brunt of the
+battle will be about Reygern. But there! don't you hear bugles in the
+valley?"
+
+As he spoke, the music of our tirailleurs' bugles arose from the glen
+in front of our centre, where, in a thick beech-wood, the light infantry
+regiments were posted.
+
+"What is it, D'Esterre?" said he to an officer who galloped up at the
+moment.
+
+"They say the Russian Guard, sir, is moving to the front; our
+skirmishers have orders to fall back without firing."
+
+As he heard this, the Marshal Bernadotte--for it was he--turned his
+horse suddenly round, and rode back, followed by his staff. And now the
+drums beat to quarters along the line, and the hoarse trumpets of the
+cavalry might be heard summoning the squadrons throughout the field;
+while between the squares, and in the intervals of the battalions,
+single horsemen galloped past with orders. Soult's division, which
+extended for nearly a league to our right, was the first to move, and it
+seemed like one vast shadow creeping along the earth, as column beside
+column marched steadily onward. Our brigade had not as yet received
+orders, but the men were in readiness beside the horses, and only
+waiting for the word to mount.
+
+The suspense of the moment was fearful. All that I had ever dreamed
+or pictured to myself of a soldier's enthusiasm was faint and weak,
+compared to the rush of sensations I now experienced. There must be a
+magic power of ecstasy in the approach of danger,--some secret sense of
+bounding delight, mingled with the chances of a battle,--that renders
+one intoxicated with excitement. Each booming gun I heard sent a wild
+throb through me, and I panted for the word "Forward!"
+
+Column after column moved past us, and disappeared in the dip of ground
+beneath; and as we saw the close battalions filling the wide plain in
+front, we sighed to think that it was destined to be the day of glory
+peculiarly to the infantry. Wherever the nature of the field permitted
+shelter or the woods afforded cover, our troops were sent immediately
+to occupy. The great manoeuvre of the day was to be the piercing of the
+enemy's centre whenever he should weaken that point by the endeavor to
+turn our right flank.
+
+A faint streak of gray light was marking the horizon when the single
+guns which we had heard at intervals ceased; and then, after a short
+pause, a long, loud roll of artillery issued from the distant right,
+followed by the crackling din of small-arms, which increased at every
+moment, and now swelled into an uninterrupted noise, through which the
+large guns pealed from time to time. A red glare, obscured now and then
+by means of black smoke, lit up the sky in that quarter, where already
+the battle was raging fiercely.
+
+The narrow causeway between the two small lakes in our front conducted
+to an open space of ground, about a cannon-shot from the Russian line;
+and this we were now ordered to occupy, to be prepared to act as support
+to the infantry of Soult's left, whenever the attack began. As we
+debouched into the plain, I beheld a group of horsemen, who, wrapped up
+in their cloaks, sat motionless in their saddles, calmly regarding the
+squadrons as they issued from the wood: these were Murat and his staff,
+to whom was committed the attack on the Russian Guard. His division
+consisted of the hussars and chasseurs under Kellermann, the cuirassiers
+of D'Auvergne, and the heavy dragoons of Nansouty,--making a force of
+eight thousand sabres, supported by twenty pieces of field artillery.
+Again were we ordered to dismount, for although the battle continued
+to rage on the right, the whole of the centre and left were unengaged.
+
+Thus stood we as the sun arose,--that "Sun of Austerlitz!" so often
+appealed to and apostrophized by Napoleon as gilding the greatest of his
+glories. The mist from the lakes shut out the prospect of the enemy's
+lines at first; but gradually this moved away, and we could perceive the
+dark columns of the Russians, as they moved rapidly along the side of
+the Pratzen, and continued to pour their thousands towards Reygern.
+
+At last the roar of musketry swelled louder and nearer, and an officer
+galloping past told us that Soult's right had been called up to support
+Davoust's division. This did not look well; it proved the Russians had
+pressed our lines closely, and we waited impatiently to hear further
+intelligence. It was evident, too, that our right was suffering
+severely, otherwise the attack on the centre would not have been
+delayed. Just then a wild cheer to the front drew our attention
+thither, and we saw the heads of three immense columns--Soult's
+division--advancing at a run towards the enemy.
+
+"_Par Saint Louis_," cried General d'Auvergne, as he directed his
+telescope on the Russian line, "those fellows have lost their senses!
+See if they have not moved their artillery away from the Pratzen, and
+weakened their centre more and more! Soult sees it: mark how he presses
+his columns on! There they go, faster and faster! But look! there's a
+movement yonder,--the Russians perceive their mistake."
+
+"Mount!" was now heard from squadron to squadron; while dashing along
+the line like a thunderbolt, Murat rode far in advance of his staff, the
+men cheering him as he went.
+
+"There!" cried D'Auvergne, as he pointed with his finger, "that column
+with the yellow shoulder-knots,--that's Vandamme's brigade of light
+infantry; see how they rush on, eager to be first up with the enemy. But
+St. Hilaire's grenadiers have got the start of them, and are already at
+the foot of the hill. It is a race between them!"
+
+And so had it become. The two columns advanced, cheering wildly; while
+the officers, waving their caps, led them on, and others rode along the
+flanks urging the men forward.
+
+The order now came for our squadrons to form in charging sections,
+leaving spaces for the light artillery between. This done, we moved
+slowly forward at a walk, the guns keeping step by step beside us. A few
+minutes after, we lost sight of the attacking columns; but the crashing
+fire told us they were engaged, and that already the great struggle had
+begun.
+
+For above an hour we remained thus; every stir, every word loud spoken,
+seeming to our impatience like the order to move. At last, the squadrons
+to our right were seen to advance; and then a tremulous motion of
+the whole line showed that the horses themselves participated in the
+eagerness of the moment; and, at last, the word came for the cuirassiers
+to move up. In less than a hundred yards we were halted again; and
+I heard an aide-de-camp telling General d'Auvergne that Davoust had
+suffered immensely on the right; that his division, although reinforced,
+had fallen back behind Reygern, and all now depended on the attack of
+Soult's columns.
+
+I heard no more, for now the whole line advanced in trot, and as our
+formation showed an unbroken front, the word came,--"Faster!" and
+"Faster!" As we emerged from the low ground we saw Soult's column
+already half way up the ascent; they seemed like a great wedge driven
+into the enemy's centre, which, opening as they advanced, presented two
+surfaces of fire to their attack.
+
+"The battery yonder has opened its fire on our line," said D'Auvergne;
+"we cannot remain where we are."
+
+"Forward!--charge!" came the word from front to rear, and squadron after
+squadron dashed madly up the ascent. The one word only, "Charge!" kept
+ringing through my head; all else was drowned in the terrible din of the
+advance. An Austrian brigade of light cavalry issued forth as we came
+up, but soon fell back under the overwhelming pressure of our force.
+And now we came down upon the squares of the red-brown Russian infantry.
+Volley after volley sent back our leading squadrons, wounded and
+repulsed, when, unlimbering with the speed of lightning, the horse
+artillery poured in a discharge of grapeshot. The ranks wavered, and
+through their cleft spaces of dead and dying our cuirassiers dashed
+in, sabring all before them. In vain the infantry tried to form again:
+successive discharges of grape, followed by cavalry attacks, broke
+through their firmest ranks; and at last retreating, they fell back
+under cover of a tremendous battery of field-guns, which, opening their
+fire, compelled us to retire into the wood.
+
+Nor were we long inactive. Bernadotte's division was now engaged on our
+left, and a pressing demand came for cavalry to support them. Again we
+mounted the hill, and came in sight of the Russian Guard, led on by the
+Grand-Duke Constantino himself,--a splendid body of men, conspicuous for
+their size and the splendor of their equipment. Such, however, was the
+impetuous torrent of our attack that they were broken in an instant; and
+notwithstanding their courage and devotion, fresh masses of our dragoons
+kept pouring down upon them, and they were sabred, almost to a man.
+
+While we were thus engaged, the battle became general from left to
+right, and the earth shook beneath the thundering sounds of two hundred
+great guns. Our position, for a moment victorious, soon changed; for
+having followed the retreating squadrons too far, the waves closed
+behind us, and we now saw that a dense cloud of Austrian and Russian
+cavalry were forming in our rear. An instant of hesitation would have
+been fatal. It was then that a tall and splendidly-dressed horseman
+broke from the line, and with a cry to "Follow!" rode straight at
+the enemy. It was Murat himself, sabre in hand, who, clearing his way
+through the Russians, opened a path for us. A few minutes after we had
+gained the wood; but one third of our force had fallen.
+
+"Cavalry! cavalry!" cried a field-officer, riding down at headlong
+speed, his face covered with blood from a sabre-cut, "to the front!"
+
+The order was given to advance at a gallop; and we found ourselves next
+instant hand to hand with the Russian dragoons, who having swept along
+the flank of Bernadotte's division, were sabring them on all sides.
+On we went, reinforced by Nansouty and his carabineers, a body of nigh
+seven thousand men. It was a torrent no force could stem. The tide of
+victory was with us; and we swept along, wave after wave, the infantry
+advancing in line for miles at either side, while whole brigades of
+artillery kept up a murderous fire without ceasing. Entire columns of
+the enemy surrendered as prisoners; guns were captured at each instant;
+and only by a miracle did the Grand-Duke escape our hussars, who
+followed him till he was lost to view in the flying ranks of the allies.
+
+As we gained the crest of the hill, we were in time to see Soult's
+victorious columns driving the enemy before them; while the Imperial
+Guard, up to that moment unengaged, reinforced the grenadiers on the
+right, and broke through the Russians on every side.
+
+The attempt to outflank us on the right we had perfectly retorted on the
+left; where Lannes's division, overlapping the line, pressed them on two
+sides, and drove them back, still fighting, into the plain, which, with
+a lake, separated the allied armies from the village of Austerlitz. And
+here took place the most dreadful occurrence of the day.
+
+The two roads which led through the lake were soon so encumbered and
+blocked up by ammunition wagons and carts that they became impassable;
+and as the masses of the fugitives thickened, they spread over the lake,
+which happened to be frozen. It was at this time that the Emperor came
+up, and seeing the cavalry halted, and no longer in pursuit of the
+flying columns, ordered up twelve pieces of the artillery of the
+Imperial Guard, which, from the crest of the hill, opened a murderous
+fire on them. The slaughter was fearful as the discharges of grape and
+round shot cut channels through the jammed-up mass, and tore the dense
+columns, as it were, into fragments.
+
+Dreadful as the scene was, what followed far exceeded it in horror;
+for soon the shells began to explode beneath the ice, which now, with a
+succession of reports louder than thunder, gave way. In an instant
+whole regiments were ingulfed, and amid the wildest cries of despair,
+thousands sank never to appear again, while the deafening artillery
+mercilessly played upon them, till over that broad surface no living
+thing was seen to move, while beneath was the sepulchre of five thousand
+men. About seven thousand reached Austerlitz by another road to the
+northward; but even these had not escaped, save for a mistake of
+Bernadotte, who most unaccountably, as it was said, halted his division
+on the heights. Had it not been for this, not a soldier of the Russian
+right wing had been saved.
+
+The reserve cavalry and the dragoons of the Guard were now called up
+from the pursuit, and I saw my own regiment pass close by me, as I stood
+amid the staff round Murat. The men were fresh and eager for the fray;
+yet how many fell in that pursuit, even after the victory! The Russian
+batteries continued their fire to the last. The cannoneers were cut
+down beside their guns, and the cavalry made repeated charges on our
+advancing squadrons; nor was it till late in the day they fell back,
+leaving two thirds of their force dead or wounded on the field of
+battle.
+
+On every side now were to be seen the flying columns of the allies,
+hotly followed by the victorious French. The guns still thundered at
+intervals; but the loud roar of battle was subdued to the crashing din
+of charging squadrons, and the distant cries of the vanquishers and
+the vanquished. Around and about lay the wounded in all the fearful
+attitudes of suffering; and as we were fully a league in advance of our
+original position, no succor had yet arrived for the poor fellows whose
+courage had carried them into the very squares of the enemy.
+
+Most of the staff--myself among the number--were despatched to the rear
+for assistance. I remember, as I rode along at my fastest speed, between
+the columns of infantry and the fragments of artillery which covered
+the grounds, that a _peloton_ of dragoons came thundering past, while a
+voice shouted out "Place! place!" Supposing it was the Emperor himself,
+I drew up to one side, and uncovering my head, sat in patience till he
+had passed, when, with the speed of four horses urged to their utmost,
+a cal�che flew by, two men dressed like couriers seated on the box.
+They made for the highroad towards Vienna, and soon disappeared in the
+distance.
+
+"What can it mean?" said I, to an officer beside me; "not his Majesty,
+surely?"
+
+"No, no," replied he, smiling: "it is General Lebrun on his way to Paris
+with the news of the victory. The Emperor is down at Reygern yonder,
+where he has just written the bulletin. I warrant you he follows that
+cal�che with his eye; he'd rather see a battery of guns carried off by
+the enemy than an axle break there this moment."
+
+Thus closed the great day of Austerlitz--a hundred cannons, forty-three
+thousand prisoners, and thirty-two colors being the spoils of this the
+greatest of even Napoleon's victories.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV. THE FIELD AT MIDNIGHT.
+
+We passed the night on the field of battle,--a night dark and starless.
+The heavens were, indeed, clothed with black, and a heavy atmosphere,
+lowering and gloomy, spread like a pall over the dead and the dying. Not
+a breath of air moved; and the groans of the wounded sighed through the
+stillness with a melancholy cadence no words can convey. Far away in the
+distance the moving lights marked where fatigue parties went in search
+of their comrades. The Emperor himself did not leave the saddle till
+nigh morning; he went, followed by an ambulance, hither and thither over
+the plain, recalling the names of the several regiments, enumerating
+their deeds of prowess, and even asking for many of the soldiers by
+name. He ordered large fires to be lighted throughout the field, and
+where medical assistance could not be procured, the officers of the
+staff might be seen covering the wounded with greatcoats and cloaks, and
+rendering them such aid as lay in their power.
+
+Dreadful as the picture was,--fearful reverse to the gorgeous splendor
+of the vast army the morning sun had shone upon, and in the pride of
+strength and spirit,--yet even here was there much to make one feel that
+war is not bereft of its humanizing influences. How many a soldier did I
+see that night, blackened with powder, his clothes torn and ragged with
+shot, sitting beside a wounded comrade--now wetting his lips with a
+cool draught, now cheering his heart with words of comfort! Many, though
+wounded, were tending others less able to assist themselves. Acts of
+kindness and self-devotion--not less in number than those of heroism and
+courage--were met with at every step; while among the sufferers there
+lived a spirit of enthusiasm that seemed to lighten the worst pang of
+their agony. Many would cry out, as I passed, to know the fate of the
+day, and what became of this regiment or of that battalion. Others could
+but articulate a faint "Vive l'Empereur!" which in the intervals of pain
+they kept repeating, as though it were a charm against suffering; while
+one question met me every instant,--"What says the Petit Caporal? Is he
+content with us?" None were insensible to the glorious issue of
+that day; nor amid all the agony of death, dealt out in every shape of
+horror and misery, did I hear one word of anger or rebuke to him for
+whose ambition they had shed their heart's blood.
+
+[Illustration: 050]
+
+Having secured a fresh horse, I rode forward in the direction of
+Austerlitz, where our cavalry, met by the chevaliers of the Russian
+Imperial Guard, sustained the greatest check and the most considerable
+loss of the day. The old dragoon who accompanied me warned me I should
+find few, if any, of our comrades living there.
+
+"_Ventrebleu!_ lieutenant, you can't expect it. The first four squadrons
+went down like one man; for when our fellows fell wounded from their
+horses, they always sabred or shot them as they lay."
+
+I found this information but too correct. Lines of dead men lay beside
+their horses, ranged as they stood in battle, while before them lay the
+bodies of the Russian Guard, their gorgeous uniform all slashed with
+gold, marking them out amid the dull russet costumes of their comrades.
+In many places were they intermingled, and showed where a hand-to-hand
+combat had been fought; and I saw two clasped rigidly in each other's
+grasp, who had evidently been shot by others while struggling for the
+mastery.
+
+"I told you, mon lieutenant, it was useless to come here; this was _� la
+mort_ while it lasted; and if it had continued much longer in the same
+fashion, it's hard to say which of us had been going over the field now
+with lanterns."
+
+Too true, indeed! Not one wounded man did we meet with, nor did one
+human voice break the silence around us. "Perhaps," said I, "they may
+have already carried up the wounded to the village yonder; I see a great
+blaze of light there. Bide forward, and learn if it be so."
+
+When I had dismissed the orderly, I dismounted from my horse, and walked
+carefully along the ridge of ground, anxious to ascertain if any poor
+fellow still remained alive amid that dreadful heap of dead. A low
+brushwood covered the ground in certain places; and here I perceived
+but few of the cavalry had penetrated, while the infantry were all
+tirailleurs of the Russian Guard, bayoneted by our advancing columns.
+As I approached the lake the ground became more rugged and uneven; and
+I was about to turn back, when my eye caught the faint glimmering of
+a light reflected in the water. Picketing my horse where he stood, I
+advanced alone towards the light, which I saw now was at the foot of a
+little rocky crag beside the lake. As I drew near, I stopped to listen,
+and could distinctly hear the deep tones of a man's voice, as if broken
+at intervals by pain, while in his accents I thought I could trace a
+tone of indignant passion rather than of bodily suffering.
+
+"Leave me, leave me where I am," cried he, peevishly. "I thought I might
+have had my last few moments tranquil, when I staggered thus far."
+
+"Come, come, Comrade!" said another, in a voice of comforting; "come,
+thou wert never faint-hearted before. Thou hast had thy share of
+bruises, and cared little about them too. Art dry?"
+
+"Yes; give me another drink. Ah!" cried he, in an excited tone, "they
+can't stand before the cuirassiers of the Guard. _Sacrebleu!_ how proud
+the Petit Caporal will be of this day!" Then, dropping his voice,
+he muttered, "What care I who's proud? I have my billet, and must be
+going."
+
+"Not so, _mon enfant_; thou'lt have the cross for thy day's work. He
+knows thee well; I saw him smile to-day when thou madest the salute in
+passing."
+
+"Didst thou that?" said the wounded man, with eagerness; "did he smile?
+Ah, villain! how you can allure men to shed their heart's blood by a
+smile! He knows me! That he ought, and, if he but knew how I lay here
+now, he 'd send the best surgeon of his staff to look after me."
+
+"That he would, and that he will; courage, and cheer up."
+
+"No, no; I don't care for it now. I'll never go back to the regiment
+again; I could n't do it!"
+
+As he spoke the last words his voice became fainter and fainter, and
+at last was lost in a hiccup; partly, as it seemed, from emotion, and
+partly from bodily suffering.
+
+"_Qui vive?_" cried his companion, as the clash of my sabre announced my
+approach.
+
+"An officer of the Eighth Hussars," said I, in a low voice, fearing to
+disturb the wounded man, as he lay with his head sunk on his knees.
+
+"Too late, Comrade! too late," said he, in a stifled tone; "the order of
+route has come. I must away."
+
+"A brave cuirassier of the Guard should never say so while he has a
+chance left to serve his Emperor in another field of battle."
+
+"Vive l'Empereur! vive l'Empereur!" shouted he, madly, as he lifted his
+helmet and tried to wave it above his head. But the exertion brought on
+a violent fit of coughing, which choked his utterance, while a torrent
+of red blood gushed from his mouth, and deluged his neck and chest.
+
+"Ah, _mon Dieu!_ that cry has been his death," said the other, wringing
+his hands in utter misery.
+
+"Where is he wounded?" said I, kneeling down beside the sick man, who
+now lay, half on his face, upon the grass.
+
+"In the chest, through the lung," whispered the other. "He doesn't know
+the doctor saw him; it was he told me there was no hope. 'You may leave
+him,' said he; 'an hour or two more are all that 's left him;' as if I
+could leave a comrade we all loved. My poor fellow, it is a sad day for
+the old Fourth when thou art taken from them!"
+
+"Ha! was he of the Fourth, then?" said I, remembering the regiment.
+
+"Yes, _parbleu!_ and though but a corporal, he was well known throughout
+the army. Pioche--"
+
+"Pioche!" cried I, in agony; "is this Pioche?"
+
+"Here," said the wounded man, hearing the name, and answering as if on
+parade,--"here, mon commandant! but too faint, I 'm afraid, for duty.
+I feel weak to-day," said he, as he pressed his hand upon his side, and
+then slowly sank back against the rock, and dropped his arms at either
+side.
+
+"Come," said I, "we must lose no time. Let us carry him to the rear. If
+nothing else can be done, he 'll meet with care--"
+
+"Hush! mon lieutenant! don't let him hear you speak of that. He stormed
+and swore so much when the ambulance passed, and they wanted to bring
+him along, that it brought on a coughing fit, just like what you saw,
+and he lay in a faint for half an hour after. He vows he 'll never stir
+from where he is. Truth is, Commandant," said he, in the lowest whisper,
+"he is determined to die. When his squadron fell back from the Russian
+square, he rode on their bayonets, and cut at the men while the
+artillery was playing all about him. He told me this morning he 'd never
+leave the field."
+
+"Poor fellow! what was the meaning of this sad resolution?"
+
+"_Ma foi!_ a mere trifle, after all," said the other, shrugging his
+shoulders, and making a true French grimace of contempt. "You 'll smile
+when I tell you; but he takes it to heart, poor fellow. His mistress has
+been false to him,--no great matter that, you 'd say,--but so it is, and
+nothing more. See how still he lies now! is he sleeping?"
+
+"I fear not; he looks exhausted from loss of blood. Come, we must have
+him out of this; here comes my orderly to assist us. If we carry him to
+the road I 'll find a carriage of some sort."
+
+I said this in a tone of command, to silence any scruples he might
+still have about obeying his comrade in preference to the orders of an
+officer. He obeyed with the instinct of discipline, and proceeded to
+fold his cloak in such a manner that we could carry the wounded man
+between us.
+
+The poor corporal, too weak to resist us, faint from bleeding and
+semi-stupid, suffered himself to be lifted upon the cloak, and never
+uttered a word or a cry as we bore him along between us.
+
+We had not proceeded far when we came up with a convoy, conducting
+several carts with the wounded to the convent of Reygern, which had now
+been fitted up as an hospital. On one of these we secured a place for
+our poor friend, and walked along beside him towards the convent. As we
+went along I questioned his comrade closely on the point; and he told
+me that Pioche had resolved never to survive the battle, and had taken
+leave of his friends the evening before.
+
+"Ah, _parbleu!_" added he, with energy, "mademoiselle is pretty
+enough,--there 's no denying that; but her head is turned by flattery
+and soft speeches. All the gay young fellows of the hussar regiment,
+the aides-de-camp,--ay, and some of the generals, too,--have paid her
+so much attention that it could not be expected she'd care for a poor
+corporal. Not but that Pioche is a brave fellow and a fine soldier.
+_Sapristi!_ he 'd be no discredit to any girl's choice. But Minette--"
+
+"Minette, the vivandi�re?"
+
+"Ay, to be sure, mon lieutenant; I'd warrant you must have known her."
+
+"What of her? where is she?" said I, burning with impatience.
+
+"She's with the wounded, up at Reygern yonder. They sent for her to
+Heilbrunn yesterday, where she was with the reserve battalions. _Ma
+foi!_ you don't think our fellows would do without Minette at the
+ambulance, where there was a battle to be fought. They say they'd hard
+work enough to make her come up. After all, she's a strange girl; that
+she is."
+
+"How was that? Has she taken offence with the Fourth?"
+
+"No, that is not it; she likes the old regiment in her heart. I'd never
+believe she didn't; but" (here he dropped his voice to a low whisper,
+as if dreading to be overheard by the wounded man), "but they say--who
+knows if it's true?--that when she was left behind at Ulm or Elchingen,
+or somewhere up there on the Danube, that there was a young fellow--I
+heard his name, too, but I forget it--who was brought in badly wounded,
+and that mademoiselle was left to watch and nurse him. He got well in
+time, for the thing was not so serious as they thought. And what do you
+think was the return he made the poor girl? He seduced her!"
+
+"It's false! false as hell!" cried I, bursting with passion. "Who has
+dared to spread such a calumny?"
+
+"Don't be angry, mon lieutenant; there are plenty to answer for the
+report. And if it was yourself--"
+
+"Yes; it was by _my_ bedside she watched; it was to _me_ she gave that
+care and kindness by which I recovered from a dangerous wound. But so
+far from this base requital--"
+
+"Why did she leave you, then, and march night and day with the chasseur
+brigade into the Tyrol? Why did she tell her friends that she'd never
+see the old Fourth again? Why did she fret herself into an illness--"
+
+"Did she do this, poor girl?"
+
+"Ay, that she did. But, mayhap, you never heard of all this. I can only
+say, mon lieutenant, that you'd be safer in a broken square, charged by
+a heavy squadron, than among the Fourth, after what you 've done."
+
+I turned indignantly from him without a reply; for while my pride
+revolted at answering an accusation from such a quarter, my mind was
+harassed by the sad fate of poor Minette, and perplexed how to account
+for her sudden departure. My silence at once arrested my companion's
+speech, and we walked along the remainder of the way without a word on
+either side.
+
+The day was just breaking when the first wagon of the convoy entered the
+gates of the convent. It was an enormous mass of building, originally
+destined for the reception of about three thousand persons; for, in
+addition to the priestly inhabitants, there were two great hospitals and
+several schools included within the walls. This, before the battle, had
+been tenanted by the staffs of many general officers and the corps of
+engineers and sappers, but now was entirely devoted to the wounded of
+either army; for Austrians and Russians were everywhere to be met with,
+receiving equal care and attention with our own troops.
+
+It was the first time I had witnessed a military hospital after a
+battle, and the impression was too fearful to be ever forgotten by me.
+
+The great chambers and spacious rooms of the convent were soon found
+inadequate for the numbers who arrived; and already the long corridors
+and passages of the building were crowded with beds, between which a
+narrow path scarcely permitted one person to pass. Here, promiscuously,
+without regard to rank, officers in command lay side by side with the
+meanest privates, awaiting the turn of medical aid, as no other order
+was observed than the necessities of each case demanded. A black
+mark above the bed, indicating that the patient's state was hopeless,
+proclaimed that no further attention need be bestowed; while the
+same mark, with a white bar across it, implied that it was a case for
+operation. In this way the surgeons who arrived at each moment from
+different corps of the army discovered, at a glance, where their
+services were required, and not a minute's time was lost.
+
+The dreadful operations of surgery--for which, in the events of
+every-day life, every provision of delicate secrecy, and every minute
+detail which can alleviate dread, are so rigidly studied,--were here
+going forward on every side; the horrible preparations moved from bed to
+bed with a rapidity which showed that where suffering so abounded
+there was no time for sympathy; and the surgeons, with arms bare to the
+shoulder and bedaubed with blood, toiled away as though life no longer
+moved in the creeping flesh beneath the knife, and human agony spoke not
+aloud with every motion of their hand.
+
+"Place there! move forward!" said an hospital surgeon, as they carried
+up the litter on which Pioche lay stretched and senseless.
+
+"What's this?" cried a surgeon, leaning forward, and placing his hand on
+the sick man's pulse. "Ah! take him back again; it 's all over there!"
+
+"Oh, no!" cried I, in agony, "it can scarcely be; they lifted him alive
+from the wagon."
+
+"He's not dead, sir," replied the surgeon, in a whisper, "but he will
+soon be; there's internal bleeding going on from that wound, and a few
+hours, or less perhaps must close the scene."
+
+"Can nothing be done? nothing?"
+
+"I fear not." He opened the jacket of the wounded man as he spoke, and
+slitting the inner clothes asunder with a quick stroke of his scissors,
+disclosed a tremendous sabre-wound in the side. "That is not the worst,"
+said he. "Look here," pointing to a small bluish mark of a bullet hole
+above it; "here lies the mischief."
+
+An hospital aid whispered something at the instant in the surgeon's ear,
+to which he quickly replied, "When?"
+
+"This instant, sir; the ligature slipped, and--"
+
+"Remove him," was the reply. "Now, sir, I have a bed for your poor
+fellow here; but I have little hope to give you. His pulse is stronger,
+otherwise the endeavor would be lost time."
+
+While they carried the litter forward, I perceived that another party
+were lifting from a bed near a figure, over whose face the sheet was
+carelessly thrown. I guessed from the gestures that the form they lifted
+was lifeless; the heavy sumph of the body upon the ground showed it
+beyond a doubt. The bearers replaced the dead man by the dying body of
+poor Pioche; and from a vague feeling of curiosity, I stooped down and
+drew back the sheet from the face of the corpse. As I did so, my limbs
+trembled, and I leaned back almost fainting against the wall. Pale with
+the pallor of death, but scarcely altered from life, I beheld the dead
+features of Am�d�e Pichot, the captain whose insolence had left an
+unsettled quarrel between us. The man for whose coming I waited to
+expiate an open insult, now lay cold and lifeless at my feet. What a
+rush of sensations passed through my mind as I gazed on that motionless
+mass! and oh, what gratitude my heart gushed to think that he did not
+fall by _my_ hand!
+
+"A brave soldier, but a quarrelsome friend," said the surgeon, stooping
+down to examine the wound, with all the indifference of a man who
+regarded life as a mere problem. "It was a cannon-shot carried it off."
+As he said this, he disclosed the mangled remains of a limb, torn from
+the trunk too high to permit of amputation. "Poor Am�d�e! it was the
+death he always wished for. It was a strange horror he had of falling
+by the hand of an adversary, rather than being carried off thus. And now
+for the cuirassier."
+
+So saying, he turned towards the bed on which Pioche lav, still as death
+itself. A few minutes' careful investigation of the case enabled him to
+pronounce that although the chances were many against recovery, yet it
+was not altogether hopeless.
+
+"All will depend on the care of whoever watches him," said the surgeon.
+"Symptoms will arise, requiring prompt attention and a change in
+treatment; and this is one of those cases where a nurse is worth a
+hundred doctors. Who takes charge of this bed?" he called aloud.
+
+"Minette, Monsieur," said a sergeant. "She has lain down to take a
+little rest, for she was quite worn out with fatigue."
+
+"Me voici!" said a silvery voice I knew at once to be hers. And the
+same instant she pierced the crowd around the bed, and approached the
+patient. No sooner had she beheld the features of the sick man than she
+reeled back, and grasped the arms of the persons on either side. For a
+few seconds she stood, with her hands pressed upon her face, and when
+she withdrew them, her features were almost ghastly in their hue, while,
+with a great effort over her emotion, she said, in a low voice, "Can he
+recover?"
+
+"Yes, Minette!" replied the surgeon, "and will, if care avail anything.
+Just hear me for a moment."
+
+With that he drew her to one side, and commenced to explain the
+treatment he proposed to adopt. As he spoke, her cloak, which up to this
+instant she wore, dropped from her shoulders, and she stood there in the
+dress of the vivandi�re: a short frock coat, of light blue, with a thin
+gold braid upon the collar and the sleeve; loose trousers of white jean,
+strapped beneath her boots; a silk sash of scarlet and gold entwined was
+fastened round her waist, and fell in a long fringe at her side; while
+a cap of blue cloth, with a gold band and tassel, hung by a hook at her
+girdle. Simple as was the dress, it displayed to perfection the symmetry
+of her figure and her carriage, and suited the character of her air and
+gesture, which, abrupt and impatient at times, was almost boyish in the
+wayward freedom of her action.
+
+The surgeon soon finished his directions, the crowd separated, and
+Minette alone remained by the sick man's bed. For some minutes her cares
+did not permit her to look up; but when she did, a slight cry broke from
+her, and she sank down upon the seat at the bedside.
+
+"Minette, dear Minette, you are not angry with me?" said I, in a low and
+trembling tone. "I have not done aught to displease you,--have I so?"
+
+She answered not a word, but a blush of the deepest scarlet suffused her
+face and temples, and her bosom heaved almost convulsively.
+
+"To you I owe my life," continued I, with earnestness; "nay more, I owe
+the kindness which made of a sick-bed a place of pleasant thoughts and
+happy memories. Can I, then, have offended you, while my whole heart was
+bursting with gratitude?"
+
+A paleness, more striking than the blush that preceded it, now stole
+over her features, but she uttered not a word. Her eyes turned from
+me and fell upon her own figure, and I saw the tears till up and roll
+slowly along her cheeks.
+
+"Why did you leave me, Minette?" said I, wound up by her obstinate
+silence beyond further endurance. "Did the few words of impatience--"
+
+"No, no, no!" broke she in, "not that! not that!"
+
+"What then? Tell me, for Heaven's sake, how have I earned your
+displeasure? Believe me, I have met with too little kindness in my way
+through life, not to feel poignantly the loss of a friend. What was it,
+I beseech you?"
+
+"Oh, do not ask me!" cried she, with streaming eyes; "do not, I beg of
+you. Enough that you know--and this I swear to you,--that no fault of
+yours was in question. You were always good and always kind to me,--too
+kind, too good,--but not even your teaching could alter the waywardness
+of my nature. Speak of this no more, I ask you, as the greatest favor
+you can bestow on me. See here," cried she, while her lips trembled with
+emotion; "I have need of all my courage to be of use to him; and you
+will not, I am sure, render me unequal to my task."
+
+"But we are friends, Minette; friends as before," said I, taking her
+hand, and pressing it within mine.
+
+"Yes, friends!" muttered she, in a broken voice, while she turned her
+head from me. "Adieu! Monsieur, adieu!"
+
+"Adieu, then, since you wish it so, Minette! But whatever your secret
+reason for this change towards me, you never can alter the deep-rooted
+feeling of my heart, which makes me know myself your friend forever."
+
+The more I thought of Minette's conduct, the more puzzled I was. No
+jealousy on the part of Pioche could explain her abrupt departure from
+Elchingen, and her resolve never to rejoin the Fourth. She was, indeed,
+a strange girl, wayward and self-willed; but her impulses all had their
+source in high feelings of honor and exalted pride. It might have been
+that some chance expression had given her offence; yet she denied this.
+But still, her former frankness was gone, and a sense of coldness, if
+not distrust, had usurped its place. I could make nothing of it. One
+thing alone did I feel convinced of,--she did not love Pioche. Poor
+fellow! with all the fine traits of his honest nature, the manly
+simplicity and openness of his character, he had not those arts of
+pleasing which win their way with a woman's mind. Besides that, Minette,
+from habit and tone of voice, had imbibed feelings and ideas of a very
+different class in society, and with a feminine tact, had contrived to
+form acquaintance with, and a relish for, the tastes and pleasures of
+the cultivated World. The total subversion of all social order effected
+by the Revolution had opened the path of ambition in life equally to
+women as to men; and all the endeavors of the Consulate and the Empire
+had not sobered down the minds of France to their former condition.
+The sergeant to-day saw no reason why he might not wear his epaulettes
+to-morrow, and in time exchange his shako even for a crown; and so the
+vivandi�re, whose life was passed in the intoxicating atmosphere of
+glory, might well dream of greatness which should be hers hereafter,
+and of the time when, as the wife of a marshal or a peer of France, she
+would walk the _salons_ of the Tuileries as proudly as the daughter of a
+Rohan or a Tavanne.
+
+There was, then, nothing vain or presumptuous in the boldest flight of
+ambition. However glittering the goal, it was beyond the reach of none;
+and the hopes which, in better-ordered communities, had been deemed
+absurd, seemed here but fair and reasonable. And from this element alone
+proceeded some of the greatest actions, and by far the greatest portion
+of the unhappiness, of the period. The mind of the nation was unfixed;
+men had not as yet resolved themselves into those grades and classes,
+by the means of which public opinion is brought to bear upon individuals
+from those of his own condition. Each was a law unto himself, suggesting
+his own means of advancement and estimating his own powers of success;
+and the result was, a general scramble for rank, dignity, and honors,
+the unfitness of the possessor for which, when attained, brought neither
+contempt nor derision. The epaulette was noblesse; the shako, a coronet.
+What wonder, then, if she, whose personal attractions were so great, and
+whose manners and tone of thought were so much above her condition, had
+felt the stirrings of that ambition within her heart which now appeared
+to be the moving spirit of the nation!
+
+Lost in such thoughts, I turned homewards towards my quarters, and was
+already some distance from the convent when a dragoon galloped up to my
+side, and asked eagerly if I were the surgeon of the Sixth Grenadiers.
+As I replied in the negative, he muttered something between his teeth,
+and added louder, "The poor general; it will be too late after all."
+
+So saying, and before I could question him further, he set spurs to
+his horse, and dashing onwards, soon disappeared in the darkness of the
+night. A few minutes afterwards I beheld a number of lanterns straight
+before me on the narrow road, and as I came nearer, a sentinel called
+out,--
+
+"Halt there! stand!"
+
+I gave my name and rank, when the man, advancing towards me, said in a
+half whisper,--
+
+"It is our general, sir; they say he cannot be brought any farther, and
+they must perform the operation here."
+
+The soldier's voice trembled at every word, and he could scarcely falter
+out, in reply to my question, the name of the wounded officer.
+
+"General St. Hilaire, sir, who led the grenadiers on the Pratzen," said
+the poor fellow, his sorrow struggling with his pride.
+
+I pressed forward; and there on a litter lay the figure of a large and
+singularly fine-looking man. His coat, which was covered with orders,
+lay open, and discovered a shirt stained and clotted with blood; but his
+most dangerous wound was from a grapeshot in the thigh, which shattered
+the bone, and necessitated amputation. A young staff surgeon, the
+only medical man present, was kneeling at his side, and occupied in
+compressing some wounded vessels to arrest the bleeding, which, at the
+slightest stir of the patient, broke out anew. The remainder of
+the group were grenadiers of his own regiment, in whose sad and
+sorrow-struck faces one might read the affection his men invariably bore
+him.
+
+"Is he coming? can you hear any one coming?" said the young surgeon, in
+an anxious whisper to the soldier beside him.
+
+"No, sir; but he cannot be far off now," replied the man.
+
+"Shall I ride back to Reygern for assistance?" said I, in a low voice,
+to the surgeon.
+
+"I thank you, sir," said the wounded man, in a low, calm tone,--for with
+the quick ear of suffering he had overheard my question,--"I thank you,
+but my orderly has already been sent thither. If you could relieve my
+young friend here from his fatiguing duty for a little, you would render
+us both a service. I am truly grieved to see him so much exhausted."
+
+"No, no, sir!" stammered the youth, as the tears ran fast down his
+cheeks; "this is my place. I will not leave it."
+
+"Kind fellow!" muttered the general, as he pressed his hand gently on
+the young man's arm; "I can bear this better than you can."
+
+"Ah, here he comes now," said the sentinel; and the same moment a man
+dismounted from his horse, and came forward towards us.
+
+It was Louis, the surgeon of the Emperor himself, despatched by Napoleon
+the moment he heard of the event. At any other moment, perhaps, the
+abrupt demeanor of this celebrated surgeon would have savored little
+of delicacy or feeling; nor even then could I forgive the sudden
+announcement in which he conveyed to the sufferer that immediate
+amputation must be performed.
+
+"No chance left but this, Louis?" said the general.
+
+"None, sir," replied the doctor, while he unlocked an instrument case,
+and busied himself in preparation for the operation.
+
+"Can you defer it a little; an hour or two, I mean?"
+
+"An hour, perhaps; not more, certainly."
+
+"But am I certain of your services then, Louis?" said the general,
+trying to smile. "You know I always promised myself your aid when this
+hour came."
+
+"I shall return in an hour," replied the doctor, pulling out his watch;
+"I am going to Rapp's quarters."
+
+"Poor Rapp! is he wounded?"
+
+"A mere sabre-cut; but Sebastiani has suffered more severely. Now then,
+Lanusse," said he, addressing the young surgeon, "you remain here.
+Continue as you are doing, and in an hour--"
+
+"In an hour," echoed the wounded man, with a shudder, as though the
+anticipation of the dreadful event had thrilled through his very heart.
+Nor was it till the retiring sounds of the surgeon's horse had died
+away in the distance that his features recovered their former calm and
+tranquil expression.
+
+"A prompt fellow is Louis," said he, after a pause; "and though one
+might like somewhat more courtesy in the Faubourg, yet on the field
+of battle it is all for the best; this is no place nor time for
+compliments."
+
+The young man answered not a word, either not daring to criticise too
+harshly his superior, or perhaps his emotion at the moment was too
+strong for utterance. In reply to my offer to remain with him, however,
+he thanked me heartily, and seemed gratified that he was not to be left
+alone in such a trying emergency.
+
+"Come," said St. Hilaire, after a pause, "I have asked for time, and
+am already forgetting how to employ it. Who can write here? Can you,
+Guilbert?"
+
+"Alas, no, sir!" said a dark grenadier, blushing to the very eyes.
+
+"If you will permit a stranger, sir," said I, "I will be but too proud
+and too happy to render you any assistance in my power. I am on the
+staff of General d'Auvergne, and--"
+
+"A French officer, sir," interrupted he; "quite enough. I ask for no
+other guerdon of your honor. Sit down here, then, and--But first try if
+you can discover a pocket-book in my sabretache; I hope it has not been
+lost."
+
+"Here it is, General," said a soldier, coming forward with it; "I found
+it on the ground beside you."
+
+"Well, then, I will ask you to write down from my dictation a few lines,
+which, should this affair,"--he faltered slightly here,--"this affair
+prove unfortunate, you will undertake to convey, by some means or other,
+to the address I shall give you in Paris. It is not a will, I assure
+you," continued he with a faint smile. "I have no wealth to leave; but
+I know his Majesty too well to fear anything on that score. But my
+children, I wish to give some few directions--" Here he stopped for
+several minutes, and then, in a calm voice, added, "Whenever you are
+ready."
+
+It was with a suffering spirit and a faltering hand I wrote down, from
+his dictation, some short sentences addressed to each member of his
+family. Of these it is not my intention to speak, save in one instance,
+where St. Hilaire himself evinced a wish that his sentiments should not
+be a matter of secrecy.
+
+"I desire," said he, in a firm tone of voice, as he turned round and
+addressed the soldiers on either side of him,--"I desire that my son,
+now at the Polytechnique, should serve the Emperor better than, and as
+faithfully as, his father has done, if his Majesty will graciously
+permit him to do so, in the grenadier battalion, which I have long
+commanded; it will be the greatest favor I can ask of him." A low murmur
+of grief, no longer repressible, ran through the little group around the
+litter. "The grenadiers of the Sixth," continued he, proudly, while for
+an instant his pale features flushed up, "will not love him the less for
+the name he bears. Come, come, men! do not give way thus; what will my
+kind young friend here say of us, when he joins the hussar brigade? This
+is not their ordinary mood, believe me," said he, addressing me. "The
+Russian Guard would give a very different account of them; they are
+stouter fellows at the _pas d� charge_ than around the litter of a
+wounded comrade."
+
+While he was yet speaking, Louis returned, followed by two officers, one
+of whom, notwithstanding his efforts at concealment, I recognized to be
+Marshal Murat.
+
+"We must remove him, if it be possible," said the surgeon, in a whisper.
+"And yet the slightest motion is to be dreaded."
+
+"May I speak to him?" said Murat, in a low voice.
+
+"Yes, that you may," replied Louis, who now pushed his way forward and
+approached the litter.
+
+"Ah, so soon!" said the wounded man, looking up; "a man of your word,
+Louis. And how is Rapp? Nothing in this fashion, I hope," added he,
+pointing to his fractured limb with a sickly smile.
+
+"No, no," replied the surgeon. "But here is Marshal Murat come to
+inquire after you, from the Emperor."
+
+A flush of pride lit up St. Hilaire's features as he heard this, and he
+asked eagerly, "Where, where?"
+
+"We must remove you, St. Hilaire," said Murat, endeavoring to speak
+calmly, when it was evident his feelings were highly excited; "Louis
+says you must not remain here."
+
+"As you like, Marshal. What says his Majesty? Is the affair as decisive
+as he looked for?"
+
+"Far more so. The allied army is destroyed; the campaign is ended."
+
+"Come, then, this is not so bad as I deemed it," rejoined St. Hilaire,
+with a tone of almost gayety; "I can afford to be invalided if the
+Emperor has no further occasion for me."
+
+While these few words were interchanging, Louis had applied a tourniquet
+around the wounded limb, and having given the soldiers directions how
+they were to step, so as not to disturb or displace the shattered bones,
+he took his place beside the litter, and said,--
+
+"We are ready now, General."
+
+They lifted the litter as he spoke, and moved slowly forward. Murat
+pressed the hand St. Hilaire extended to him without a word; and then,
+turning his head away, suffered the party to pass on.
+
+Before we reached Beygern, the wounded general had fallen into a heavy
+sleep, from which he did not awake as they laid him on the bed in the
+hospital.
+
+"Good-night, sir,--or rather, good-morning," said Louis to me, as I
+turned to leave the spot. "We may chance to have better news for you
+than we anticipated, when you visit us here again."
+
+And so we parted.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V. A MA�TRE D'ARMES.
+
+The day after the battle of Austerlitz the Prince of Lichtenstein
+arrived in our camp, with, as it was rumored, proposals for a peace.
+The negotiations, whatever they were, were strictly secret, not even
+the marshals themselves being admitted to Napoleon's confidence on this
+occasion. Soon after mid-day, a great body of the Guard who had been in
+reserve the previous day were drawn up in order of battle, presenting an
+array of several thousand men, whose dress, look, and equipment, fresh
+as if on parade before the Tuileries, could not fail to strike the
+Austrian envoy with amazement. Everything that could indicate the
+appearance of suffering, or even fatigue, among the troops, was
+sedulously kept out of view. Such of the cavalry regiments as suffered
+least in the battle were under arms; while the generals of division
+received orders to have their respective staffs fully equipped and
+mounted, as if on a day of review.
+
+It was late in the afternoon when the word was passed along the lines
+to stand to arms; and the moment after a _cal�che_, drawn by six horses,
+passed in full gallop, and took the road towards Austerlitz. The return
+of the Austrian envoy set a thousand conjectures in motion, and all were
+eager to find out what had been the result of his mission.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneBivwacAfterBattle027]
+
+"We must soon learn it all," said an old colonel of artillery near me.
+"If the game be war, we shall be called up to assist Davoust's movement
+on G�ding. The Russians have but one line of retreat, and that is
+already in our possession."
+
+"I cannot for the life of me understand the Emperor's inaction," said a
+younger officer; "here we remain just as if nothing had been done. One
+would suppose that a Russian army stood in full force before us, and
+that we had not gained a tremendous battle."
+
+"Depend on it, Auguste," said the old officer, smiling, "his Majesty is
+not the man to let slip his golden opportunities. If we don't advance,
+it is because it is safer to remain where we are."
+
+"Safer than pursue a flying enemy?"
+
+"Even so. It is not Russia, nor Austria, we have in the field against
+us; but Europe,--the world."
+
+"With all my heart," retorted the other, boldly; "nor do I think the
+odds unfair. All I would ask is, the General Bonaparte of Cairo or
+Marengo, and not the purple-clad Emperor of the Tuileries."
+
+"It is not while the plain is yet reeking with the blood of Austerlitz
+that such a reproach should be spoken," said I, indignantly. "Never was
+Bonaparte greater than Napoleon."
+
+"Monsieur has served in Egypt?" said the young man, contemptuously,
+while he measured me from head to foot.
+
+"Would that I had! Would that I could give whatever years I may have
+before me, for those whose every day shall live in history!"
+
+"You are right, young man," said the old colonel; "they were glorious
+times, and a worthy prelude to the greatness that followed them."
+
+"A bright promise of the future,--never to come," rejoined the younger,
+with a flash of anger on his cheek.
+
+"_Parbleu_, sir, you speak boldly!" said a harsh, low voice from behind.
+We turned: it was Napoleon, dressed in a gray coat, all covered with
+fur, and looking like one of the couriers of the army. "I did not know
+my measures were so freely canvassed as I find them. Who are you, sir?"
+
+"Legrange, Sire, chef d'escadron of the Second Voltigeurs," said the
+young man, trembling from head to foot while he uncovered his head, and
+stood, cap in hand, before him.
+
+"Since when, sir, have I called you into my counsels and asked your
+advice? or what is it in your position which entitles you to question
+one in mine? Duroc, come here. Your sword, sir!"
+
+The young man let fall his shako from his hand, and laid it on his
+sword-hilt.
+
+"Ah!" cried the Emperor, suddenly; "what became of your right arm?"
+
+"I left it at Aboukir, Sire."
+
+Napoleon muttered something between his teeth; then added, aloud,--
+
+"Come, sir, you are not the first whose hand has saved his head. Return
+to your duty, and, mark me! be satisfied with doing yours, and leave me
+to mine. And you, sir," said he, turning towards me, and using the same
+harsh tone of voice, "I should know your face."
+
+"Lieutenant Burke, of the Eighth Hussars."
+
+"Ah! I remember,--the Chouanist. So, sir, it seems that I stand somewhat
+higher in your esteem than when you kept company with Messieurs Georges
+and Pichegru, eh?"
+
+"No, Sire; your Majesty ever occupied the first place in my admiration
+and devotion."
+
+"_Sacristi!_ then you took a strange way to show it when first I had the
+pleasure of your acquaintance. You are on General St. Hilaire's staff?"
+
+"General d'Auvergne's, Sire."
+
+"True. D'Auvergne, a word with you."
+
+He turned and whispered something to the old general, who during the
+whole colloquy stood at his back, anxious but not daring to interpose a
+word.
+
+"Well, well," said Napoleon, in a voice of much kinder accent, "I
+am satisfied. Your general, sir, reports favorably of your zeal and
+capacity. I do not desire to let your former conduct prove any bar to
+your advancement; and on his recommendation, of which I trust you may
+prove yourself worthy, I name you to a troop in your own regiment."
+
+"And still to serve on my staff?" said the general, half questioning the
+Emperor.
+
+"As you wish it, D'Auvergne."
+
+With that he moved forward ere I could do more than express my gratitude
+by a respectful bow.
+
+"I told you, Burke, the time would come for this," said D'Auvergne, as
+he pressed my hand warmly, and followed the cortege of the Emperor.
+
+Hitherto I had lived an almost isolated life. My staff duties had so
+separated me from my brother officers that I only knew them by name;
+while the other aides-de-camp of the general were men much older than
+myself, and with none of them had I formed any intimacy whatever. It
+was not without a sense of this loneliness that I now thought over my
+promotion. The absence of those who sympathize with our moments of joy
+and sorrow reduces our enjoyment to a narrow limit indeed. The only one
+of all I knew who would really have felt happy in my advancement was
+poor Pioche. He was beyond every thought of pleasure or grief.
+
+Thus reflecting, I turned towards my quarters at Brunn. It was evening:
+the watchfires were lighted, and round them sat groups of soldiers at
+their supper, chatting away pleasantly, and recounting the events of the
+battle. Many had been slightly wounded, and by their bandaged foreheads
+and disabled arms claimed a marked pre-eminence above the rest. A
+straw bivouac, with its great blazing fire in front, would denote some
+officer's quarters; and here were generally some eight or ten assembled,
+while the savory odor of some smoking dish, and the merry laughter,
+proclaimed that feasting was not excluded from the life of a campaign.
+
+As I passed one of these I heard the tones of a voice which, well known,
+had somehow not been heard by me for many a day before. Who could it be?
+I listened, but in vain. I asked myself whose was it. I dismounted, and
+leading my horse by the bridle, passed before the hut. The strong light
+of the blazing wood lit up the interior, and showed me a party of
+about a dozen officers, seated and lying on a heap of straw, occupied
+in discussing a supper, which, however wanting in all the elegancies of
+table equipment, even where I stood had a most appetizing odor. Various
+drinking vessels, some of them silver, passed from hand to hand
+rapidly; and the clinking of cups proclaimed that, although of different
+regiments,--as I saw they were,--a kindly feeling united them.
+
+"Well, Fran�ois," said the same voice, whose accents were so familiar to
+me without my being able to say why,--"well, Francois, you have not told
+us how it happened."
+
+"Easily enough," said another; "he broke my blade in his back, and
+gave point afterwards and ran me through the chest." It was the ma�tre
+d'armes of the Fourth, my old antagonist, who said this, and I drew near
+to hear the remainder. "You could not call the thing unfair," continued
+he; "but, after all, no one ever heard of such a _passe_."
+
+"I could have told you of it, though," rejoined the other; "for I
+remember once, in the fencing school at the Polytechnique, I saw him
+catch his antagonist's blade in his sleeve, and when he had it secure,
+snap it across, and then thrust home with his own. _Parbleu!_ he lost a
+coat by it; and I believe, at the time, poor fellow, he could ill spare
+it."
+
+This story, which was told of myself, was an incident which occurred in
+a school duel, and was only known to two or three others; and again was
+I puzzled to think which of my former companions the speaker could be.
+My curiosity was now stronger than aught else; and so, affecting to seek
+a light for my cigar, I approached the blaze.
+
+"Halloo, Comrade! a cup of wine with you," cried out a voice from
+within; "Melniker is no bad drinking--"
+
+"When Chambertin can't be had," said another, handing me a goblet of red
+wine.
+
+"_Par Saint Denis!_ it's the very man himself," shouted a third. "Why,
+Burke, my old comrade, do you forget Tascher?"
+
+"What!" said I, in amazement, turning from one to the other of the
+mustached faces, and unable to discover my former friend, while they
+laughed loud and long at my embarrassment.
+
+"Make way for him there; make way, lads! Come, Burke, here's your
+place," said he, stretching out his hand and pressing me down beside him
+on the straw. "So you did not remember me?"
+
+In truth, there was enough of change in his appearance since last I saw
+him to warrant my forgetfulness. A dark, bushy beard, worn cuirassier
+fashion, around the mouth and high on the cheeks, almost concealed his
+face, while in figure he had grown both taller and stouter.
+
+"Art colonel of the Eighth Regiment?" said he, laughing; "you know I
+promised you were to be, when we were to meet again."
+
+"No; but, if I mistake not," said a hussar officer opposite, "monsieur
+is in the way to become so. Were you not named to a troop, about half an
+hour ago, by the Emperor himself?"
+
+"Yes!" said I, with an effort to suppress my pride.
+
+"_Diantre bleu!_" exclaimed Tascher, "what good fortune you always have
+I I wish you joy of it, with all my heart. I say, Comrades, let us drown
+his commission for him."
+
+"Agreed! agreed!" cried they all in a breath. "Francois will make us a
+bowl of punch for the occasion."
+
+"Most willingly," said the little ma�tre d'armes. "Monsieur le
+Capitaine, I am sure, bears me no ill-will for our little affair. I
+thought not," added he, seizing my hand in both his. "_Ma foi!_ you
+spoiled my tierce for me; I shall never be the same man again. Now,
+gentlemen, pass down the brandy, and let the man with most credit go
+seek for sugar at the canteen."
+
+While Fran�ois commenced his operations, Tascher proceeded to recount to
+me the miserable life he had spent in garrison towns, till the outbreak
+of the campaign had called him on active service.
+
+"It was no use that I asked the Empress to intercede for me, and get me
+appointed to another regiment; being the nephew of Napoleon seemed to
+set a complete bar to my advancement. Even now," said he, "my name has
+been sent forward by my colonel for promotion, and I wager you fifty
+Naps I shall be passed over."
+
+"And what if you be?" said a huge, heavy-browed major beside him; "what
+great hardship is it to be a lieutenant in the cuirassiers at two and
+twenty? I was a sergeant ten years later."
+
+"Ay, _parbleu!_" cried another, "I won my epaulettes at Cairo, when
+three officers were reported living, in a whole regiment."
+
+"To be sure," said Fran�ois, looking up from his operation of
+lemon-squeezing; "here am I, a ma�tre d'armes, after twenty-six years'
+service; and there's Davoust, who never could stand before me, he's a
+general of brigade."
+
+The whole party laughed aloud at the grievances of Ma�tre Francois,
+whose seriousness on the subject was perfectly real.
+
+"Ah; you may laugh," said he, half in pique; "but what a mere
+accident can determine a man's fortune in life! Would Junot there be a
+major-general to-day if he did not measure six feet without his boots?
+We were at school together, and, _ma foi!_ he was always at the bottom
+of the class."
+
+"And so, Francois, it was your size, then, that stopped your promotion?"
+
+"Of course it was. When a man is but five feet--with high heels, too--he
+can only be advanced as a ma�tre d'armes. _Parbleu!_ what should I be
+now if I had only grown a little taller?"
+
+"It is all better as it is," growled out an old captain, between the
+puffs of his meerschaum. "If thou wert an inch bigger, there would be'
+no living in the same brigade with thee."
+
+"For all that," rejoined Ma�tre Fran�ois, "I have put many a pretty
+fellow his full length on the grass."
+
+"How many duels, Fran�ois, did you tell us, the other evening, that you
+fought in the Twenty-second?"
+
+"Seventy-eight!" said the little man; "not to speak of two affairs
+which, I am ashamed to confess, were with the broadsword; but they were
+fellows from Alsace, and they knew no better."
+
+"_Tonnerre de ciel!_" cried the major, "a little devil like that is
+a perfect plague in a regiment. I remember we had a fellow called
+Piccotin--"
+
+"Ah! Piccotin; poor Piccotin! We were foster-brothers," interrupted
+Francois; "we were both from Ch�lons-sur-Marne."
+
+"Egad! I 'd have sworn you were," rejoined the major. "One might have
+thought ye were twins."
+
+"People often said so," responded Fran�ois, with as much composure as
+though a compliment had been intended. "We both had the same colored
+hair and eyes, the same military air, and gave the _passe en tierce_
+always outside the guard exactly in the same way."
+
+"What became of Piccotin?" asked the major. "He left us at Lyons."
+"You never heard, then, what became of him?" "No. We knew he joined
+the _chasseurs � pied_." "I can tell you, then," said Francois; "no one
+knows better. I parted from Piccotin when we were ordered to Egypt. We
+did our best to obtain service in the same brigade, for we were like
+brothers, but we could not manage it; and so, with sad hearts, we
+separated,--he to return to France, I to sail for Alexandria. This
+was in the spring of 1798, or, as we called it, the year Six of the
+Republic. For three years we never met; but when the eighth demi-brigade
+returned from Egypt, we went into garrison at Bayonne, and the first man
+I saw on the ramparts was Piccotin himself. There was no mistaking him;
+you know the way he had of walking with a long stride, rising on his
+instep at every step, squaring his elbows, and turning his head from
+side to side, just to see if any one was pleased to smile, or even so
+much as to look closely at him. Ah, _ma foi!_ little Piccotin knew how
+to treat such as well as any one. Methinks I see him approaching his man
+with a slide and a bow, and then, taking off his cap, I hear him say, in
+his mildest tone, 'Monsieur assuredly did not intend that stare and that
+grimace for me. I know I must have deceived myself. Monsieur is only a
+fool; he never meant to be impertinent.' Then, _parbleu!_ what a
+storm would come on, and how cool was Piccotin the whole time! How
+scrupulously timid he would be of misspelling the gentleman's name,
+or misplacing an accent over it! How delicately he would inquire his
+address, as if the curiosity was only pardonable I And then with what
+courtesy he would take his leave, retiring half a dozen paces before
+he ventured to turn his back on the man he was determined to kill next
+morning!"
+
+"Quite true; perfectly true, Francois," said the major; "Piccotin did
+the thing with the most admirable temper and good-breeding."
+
+"That was the tone of Chalons when we were both boys," said Fran�ois,
+proudly; "he and I were reared together."
+
+He finished a bumper of wine as he made this satisfactory explanation,
+and looked round at the company with the air of a conqueror.
+
+"Piccotin saw me as quickly as I perceived him, and the minute after we
+were in each other's arms. 'Ah! _mon cher!_ how many?' said he to me, as
+soon as the first burst of enthusiasm had subsided.
+
+"'Only eighteen,' said I, sadly; 'but two were Mamelukes of the Guard.'
+
+"'Thou wert ever fortunate, Fran�ois,' he replied, wiping his eyes with
+emotion; 'I have never pinked any but Christians.'
+
+"'Come, come,' said I, 'don't be down-hearted; good times are coming.
+They say Le Petit Caporal will have us in England soon.'
+
+"'Mayhap,' said he, sorrowfully, for he could not get over my Turks.
+Well, in order to cheer him up a little, I proposed that we should go
+and sup together at the 'Grenadier Rouge;' and away we went accordingly.
+
+"It would amuse you, perhaps," said Ma�tre Fran�ois, "were I to tell
+some of the stories we related to each other at night. We both had
+had our share of adventure since we met, and some droll ones among the
+number. However, that is not the question at present. We sat late; so
+late that they came to close the caf� at last, and we were obliged to
+depart. You know the 'Grenadier Rouge,' don't you?"
+
+"Yes, I know it well," replied the major; "it's over the glacis, about a
+mile outside the barrier."
+
+"Just so; and there's a pleasant walk across the glacis to the gate. As
+Piccotin and I set out together on our way to the town, the night was
+calm and mild; a soft moonlight shed a silvery tint over every object,
+and left the stately poplars to throw a still longer shadow on the
+smooth grass. For some time we walked along without speaking; the
+silence of the night, the fragrant air, the mellow light, were all
+soft and tranquillizing influences, and we sank each into his own
+reflections.
+
+"When we reached the middle of the plain,--you know the spot, I'm sure;
+there's a little bronze fountain, with four cedars round it," (the major
+nodded, and he resumed),--"Piccotin came to a sudden halt, and seizing
+my hand in both of his, said, 'Fran�ois, canst thou guess what I 'm
+thinking of?'
+
+"I looked at him, and I looked around me, and after a few seconds' pause
+I answered, 'Yes, Piccotin, I know it; it is a lovely spot.'
+
+"'Never was anything like it!' cried he, in a rapture; 'look at the
+turf, smooth as velvet, and yet soft to the foot; see the trees, how
+they fall back to give the light admittance; and there, that little
+fountain, if one felt thirsty, eh! What say you?'
+
+"'Agreed,' said I, grasping him by both hands; 'for this once; once
+only, Piccotin.'
+
+"'Only once, Fran�ois; a few passes, and no more.'
+
+"'Just so; the first touch.'
+
+"'Exactly; the first touch,' said he, as, taking off his cloak, and
+folding it neatly, he laid it on the grass.
+
+"It was a strange thing, but in all our lives, from earliest boyhood up,
+we never had measured swords together; and though we were both ma�tres
+d'armes, we never crossed blades, even in jest. Often and often had our
+comrades pitted us against each other, and laid wagers on the result,
+but we never would consent to meet; I cannot say why. It was not fear; I
+know not how to account for it, but such was the fact.
+
+"'What blade do you wear, Fran�ois?' said he, approaching me, as I
+arranged my jacket and vest, with my cap, on the ground.
+
+"'A Rouen steel,' said I; 'too limber for most men, but I am so
+accustomed to it, I prefer it.'
+
+"'Ah! a pretty weapon indeed,' said he, drawing it from the scabbard,
+and making one or two passes with it against an elder trunk. 'Was this
+the blade you had with you in Egypt?'
+
+"'Yes; I have worn none other for eight years.'
+
+"'Ah, _ma foi!_ those Mamelukes. How I envy you those Mamelukes!' he
+muttered to himself, as he walked back to his place.
+
+"'Move a little, a very little, to the left; there's a shadow from that
+tree. Can you see me well?' said I.
+
+"'Perfectly; are you ready? Well; _en garde!_'
+
+"Piccotin's forte, I soon saw, lay in the long meditated attack, where
+each movement was part of an artfully devised series; and I perceived
+that he suffered his adversary to gain several trifling advantages, by
+way of giving him a false confidence, biding his own time to play off
+the scores. In this description of fence he was more than my equal.
+_My_ strength was in the skirmishing passages, where most men lunge at
+random; then, no matter how confused the rally, I was as cool as in the
+salute.
+
+"For some time I permitted him to play his game out; and certainly
+nothing could be more beautiful than his passes over the hilt. Twice he
+planted his point within an inch of my bosom; and nothing but a spring
+backwards would have saved me.
+
+"At length, after a long-contested struggle, he made a feint within, and
+then without, the guard, and succeeded in touching my sword-arm, above
+the wrist.
+
+"'A touch, I believe,' said he.
+
+"'A mere nothing,' said I; for although I felt the blood running down
+my sleeve, and oozing between my fingers, I was annoyed to think he had
+made the first hit.
+
+"'Ah, Fran�ois, these Mamelukes were not of the premi�re
+force, after all. I have only been jesting all this time; see here.'
+With that he closed on me, in a very different style from his former
+attack. Pushing and parrying with the rapidity of lightning, he evinced
+a skill in 'skirmish' I did not believe him possessed of. In this,
+however, I was his master; and in a few seconds gave him my point
+sharply, but not deeply, in the shoulder. Instead of dropping his
+weapon when he received mine, he returned the thrust. I parried it,
+and touched him again, a little lower down. He winced this time, and
+muttered something I could not catch. 'You shall have it now,' said he,
+aloud; 'I owe you this,--and this.' True to his word, he twice pierced
+me in the back, outside the guard. Encouraged by success, he again
+closed on me; while I, piqued by his last assault, advanced to meet him.
+
+"Our tempers were both excited; but his far more than mine. The struggle
+was a severe one. Three several times his blade passed between my arm
+and my body; and at last after a desperate rally, he dropped on one
+knee, and gave me the point here, beneath the chest. Before he could
+extricate his blade, I plunged mine into his chest, and pushed till I
+heard the hilt come clink against his ribs. The blood spurted upwards,
+over my face and breast, as he fell backwards. I wiped it hurriedly from
+my eyes, and bent over him. He gave a shudder and a little faint moan,
+and all was still."
+
+"You killed him?" cried out three or four of us together.
+
+"_Ma foi!_ yes. The 'coup' was mortal; he never stirred after. As for
+me," continued Francois, "I surrendered myself a prisoner to the
+officer on guard at the gate. I was tried ten days after by a military
+commission, and acquitted. My own evidence was my accusation
+and my defence."
+
+"_Ventrebleu!_ had I been on the court-martial, you had not been here
+to tell the story," said the old major, as his face became almost purple
+with passion.
+
+"Nonsense!" said Tascher, jeeringly. "What signifies a ma�tre d'armes
+the more or the less?"
+
+"Monsieur will probably explain himself," said Fran�ois, with one of his
+cold smiles of excessive deference.
+
+"It is exactly what I mean to do, Fran�ois."
+
+"Come, sirs, none of this," broke in the major. "Lieutenant Tascher,
+you may not fancy being placed under an arrest when the enemy is in the
+field. Master Francois, do you forget the sentence of a court-martial is
+hanging over your head for an affair at Elchingen, where you insulted a
+young officer of the hussars?"
+
+"In that case I must be permitted to say that Ma�tre Fran�ois conducted
+himself like a man of honor," said I.
+
+"_Parbleu!_ and got the worst of it besides," cried he, placing his hand
+on his hip. The tone of his voice as he said this, and the grimace he
+made, restored the party once more to good-humor, and we chatted away
+pleasantly till day was breaking.
+
+As Tascher strolled along with me towards my quarters, I was rejoiced
+to discover that he had never heard of my name as being mixed up in the
+Chouan conspiracy; nor was he aware with how little reason he believed
+me to be favored by fortune.
+
+I received, however, all his congratulations without any desire to
+undeceive him. Already had I learned the worldly lesson, that while
+friends cling closer in adversity, your mere acquaintance deems your
+popularity your greatest merit; and I at length perceived that, however
+ungenial in many respects the companionship, the life of isolation I
+led had rendered me suspected by others, and in a career, too, where
+frankness was considered the first of virtues.
+
+I assented at once with pleasure to the prospect of our meeting
+frequently while in camp. My own regiment had joined Davoust's corps,
+and I was glad to have the society of some others of my own age, if only
+to wean myself from my habits of solitude. While I formed these plans
+for the future, I little anticipated what events were in store for
+me, nor how soon I should be thrown among scenes and people totally
+different from those with which I had ever mixed before.
+
+"You mess with us, then, Burke,--that's agreed," said Tascher. "They 're
+excellent fellows, these cuirassiers of ours, and I know you 'll like
+them."
+
+With this promise we parted, hoping to meet on the morrow.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI. THE MILL ON THE HOLITSCH ROAD
+
+At an early hour on the morning of the 4th came orders for the "Garde
+� Cheval" to hold themselves in readiness, with two squadrons of the
+carabineers, on the road to Holitsch; part of this force being under the
+command of General d'Auvergne. We found ourselves fully equipped and in
+waiting soon after eight o'clock. From the "tenue" and appearance of
+the troops, it was evident that no measure of active service was
+contemplated; yet, if a review were intended, we could not guess why
+so small a force had been selected. As usual on such occasions,
+many conjectures were hazarded, and a hundred explanations passed
+current,--one scarcely a whit better than the other, when at last we
+perceived a peloton of dragoons advancing towards us at a brisk trot.
+
+The word was passed to close up and draw swords; and scarcely was it
+obeyed when the staff of the Emperor came up. They were all in the full
+blaze of their gala uniforms, brilliant with crosses and decorations.
+Napoleon alone wore the simple costume of the "Chasseurs of the Garde,"
+with the decoration of the Legion; but his proud look and his flashing
+eye made him conspicuous above them all. He was mounted on his favorite
+charger "Marengo," and seemed to enjoy the high spirit of the mettled
+animal, as he tossed his long mane about, and lashed his sides with his
+great silken tail.
+
+As the cort�ge passed we closed up the rear, and followed at a sharp
+pace, more than ever puzzled to divine what was going forward. After
+about two hours' riding, during which we never drew bridle, we saw a
+party of staff-officers in front, who, saluting the Emperor, joined the
+cort�ge. At the same instant General d'Auvergne passed close beside me,
+and whispered in my ear. "Bernadotte has just come up, and been most
+coldly received." I wished to ask him what was the object of the whole
+movement, but he was gone before I could do so. In less than a quarter
+of an hour afterwards we left the highroad, and entered upon a large
+plain, where the only object I could perceive was an old mill, ruined
+and dilapidated. Towards this the imperial staff rode forward, while the
+peloton in front wheeled about, and rode to the rear of our squadrons.
+The next moment we were halted, and drawn up in order of battle.
+
+While these movements were going forward, I remarked that the Emperor
+had dismounted from his horse and dismissed his staff, all save Marshal
+Berthier, who stood at a little distance from him. Several dismounted
+dragoons were employed in lighting two immense fires,--a process which
+Napoleon appeared to watch with great interest for a second or two; and
+then, taking out his glass, he remained for several minutes intently
+surveying the great road to Holitsch.
+
+In this direction at once every eye was turned; but nothing could we
+see. The road led through a wide open country for some miles, and at
+last disappeared in the recesses of a dark pine wood, that covered the
+horizon for miles on either side. Meanwhile Napoleon, with his hands
+clasped behind his back, walked hurriedly backwards and forwards beside
+the blazing fires, stopping at intervals to look along the road, and
+then resuming his walk as before. He was not more than two hundred paces
+from where we stood, and I could mark well his gesture of impatience, as
+he closed his glass each time, after looking in vain towards Holitsch.
+
+"I say, Burke," whispered one of my brother officers beside me, "I
+should not fancy being the man who keeps him waiting in that fashion.
+Look at Berthier, how he keeps aloof; he knows that something is
+brewing."
+
+"What can it all mean?" said I. "Who can he be expecting here?"
+
+"They say now," whispered my companion, "that Davoust cannot hold the
+bridge of Goding, and must fall back before the Russian column; and
+that Napoleon has invited Alexander to a conference here to gain time to
+reinforce Davoust."
+
+"Exactly; but the Czar is too wily an enemy for that to succeed; and
+probably hence the delay, which appears to irritate him now."
+
+The supposition, more plausible than most of those I heard before, was
+still contradicted by the account of the Emperor Alexander's retreat;
+and again was I at a loss to reconcile these discrepancies, when I
+beheld Napoleon, with his glass to his eye, motion with his hand for
+Berthier to come forward. I turned towards the road, and now could
+distinguish in the distance a dark object moving towards us. A few
+minutes after the sun shone out, and I remarked the glitter of arms,
+stretching in a long line; while my companion, with the aid of a glass,
+called out,--
+
+"I see them plainly; they are lancers. The escort are Hungarians, and
+there's a _cal�che_, with four horses in front."
+
+The Emperor stood motionless, his arms folded on his breast, and his
+head a little leaned forward, exactly as I have seen him represented in
+so many pictures and statues. His eyes were thrown downwards; and as he
+stirred the blazing wood with his foot, one could easily perceive how
+intensely his mind was occupied with deep thought.
+
+The clattering sound of cavalry now turned my attention to another
+quarter; and I saw, exactly in front of us, and about five hundred paces
+off, a regiment of Hungarian Hussars, and some squadrons of Hulans drawn
+up. I had little time to mark their gorgeous equipment and splendid
+uniform, for already the _cal�che_ had drawn up at the roadside, and
+Prince John of Lichtenstein, descending, took off his chapeau, and
+offered his arm to assist another to alight. Slowly, and, as it seemed,
+with effort, a tall thin figure, in the white uniform of the Austrian
+Guard, stepped from the carriage to the ground. The same instant the
+officers of the staff fell back, and I saw Napoleon advance with
+open arms to embrace him. The Austrian emperor--for it was Francis
+himself--seemed scarcely able to control the emotion he felt at this
+moment; and we could see that his head rested for several seconds on
+Napoleon's shoulder. And what a moment must that have been! How deeply
+must the pride of the descendant of the C�sars have felt the humiliation
+which made him thus a suppliant before one he deemed a mere Corsican
+adventurer! What a pang it must have cost his haughty spirit as he
+uttered the words, _Mon fr�re!_
+
+As they walked side by side towards the plateau, where the fires were
+lighted, it was easy to mark that Napoleon was the speaker, while
+Francis merely bowed from time to time, or made a gesture of seeming
+assent.
+
+As the Emperor arrived at the place of conference, we fell back some
+fifty yards; and although the air was still and frosty, and the silence
+was perfect around, we could not catch a word on either side. After
+about an hour the conversation appeared to assume a tone of gayety and
+good-humor, and we could hear the sovereigns laughing repeatedly.
+
+The conference lasted for above two hours, when once more the emperors
+embraced, and, as we thought, with more cordiality, and separated; the
+Emperor of Austria returning, accompanied by Prince Lichtenstein; while
+Napoleon stood for some minutes beside the fire as if musing, and then,
+beckoning his staff to follow, he walked towards the highroad.
+
+Scarcely had the Austrian emperor reached his carriage, when Savary,
+bareheaded and breathless, stood beside the door of it. He was the
+bearer of a message from Napoleon. The next moment the _cal�che_
+started, accompanied by Savary, who, with a single aide-de-camp, took
+the road towards the Austrian headquarters.
+
+As Napoleon was about to mount his horse, I saw General d'Auvergne
+move forward towards him. A few words passed between them; and then the
+general, riding up to where I stood, said,--
+
+"Burke, you are to remain here, and if any orders arrive from General
+Savary, hasten with them to the headquarters of his Majesty. In twelve
+hours you will be relieved."
+
+So saying, he galloped back to the imperial staff; and soon after the
+squadrons defiled into the road, the cort�ge dashed forward, and all
+that remained of that memorable scene was the dying embers of the fires
+beside which the fate of Europe was decided.
+
+The old mill of Holitsch had been deserted when the Austrian and Russian
+columns took up their position before Austerlitz. The miller and his
+household fled at the first news of the advance, and had not dared to
+return. It was a solitary spot at best: a wild heath, without shelter of
+any kind, stretched away for miles on all sides; but now, in its
+utter loneliness, it was the most miserable-looking place that can be
+conceived. While, therefore, I contented myself with the hope that my
+stay there might not be long, I resolved to do what I could to render my
+quarters more comfortable.
+
+My first care was my horse, which I picketed in the kitchen, where I was
+happy to find an abundant supply of firewood; my next, was to explore
+the remainder of the concern, in which I discovered traces of its having
+been already occupied by the allied troops,--rude caricatures of the
+French army in full _d�route_, before terrible-looking dragoons in
+Austrian and Russian uniforms, ornamented the walls in many parts; whole
+columns of French prisoners were depicted begging their lives from a
+single Austrian grenadier; and one figure, which it could be easily
+discovered was intended for Napoleon himself, was about to be hanged
+upon a tree, to the very marked satisfaction, as it would seem, of a
+group of Russian officers, who stood by, laughing. It is easy to smile
+at the ridicule of which fortune has thwarted the application and so I
+amused myself a good while by contemplating these grotesque frescos.
+
+But a more welcome sight still awaited me, in a small chamber at the
+top of the building, where, in large letters, written with chalk on
+the door, I read, "Rittmeister von Oxenhausen's quarters." Here, to my
+exceeding delight, I discovered a neatly-furnished chamber, with a
+bed, sofa, and, better still, a table, on which the remains of the
+Rittmeister's sapper yet stood,--a goodly ham, the greater part of a
+capon, a loaf of wheaten bread, and an earthenware crock, with a lid
+of brass, containing about two bottles of Austrian red wine. This was a
+most agreeable surprise to me,--a pleasant exchange from the meagre
+meal of bread and cheese I had but time to procure from a sergeant of
+my troop at parting. It need not be supposed that I hesitated long about
+becoming the Rittmeister's successor; and so I drew the chair to the
+table, and the table nearer to the fire,--for, singularly enough, the
+embers of a wood fire still slumbered on the hearth. Having taken the
+keen edge off an appetite the cold air had whetted to the sharpest, I
+began an inspection of my quarters, first having replenished the fire
+with some logs of wood.
+
+The chamber was an octagon, with five windows in as many of the faces,
+a fireplace and two doors occupying the other three. One of the
+doors--that by which I entered,--opened from the stairs; the other
+led into a granary, or something of that nature,--at least, so I
+conjectured, from a heap of sacks which littered the floor, and filled
+one corner completely. As I could not discover any corn, I resolved on
+sharing my loaf with my horse,--a meal every campaigning steed is well
+accustomed to make. And now, returning to my little chamber, I resumed
+my supper with all the satisfaction of one who felt he had made his
+rounds of duty, and might enjoy repose.
+
+As I knew the Ch�teau de Holitsch, where the Emperor Francis held his
+quarters, was some six leagues distant, I guessed that General Savary
+was not likely to return from his mission before morning at very
+soonest; and so it behooved me to make my arrangements for passing the
+night where I was. Having, then, looked to my horse, for whose bedding I
+made free with some dozen of the corn-sacks in the granary, I brought up
+to my own quarters a supply of wood; and having fastened the door, and
+secured the windows as well as I was able, I lit my meerschaum, and lay
+down before the fire in as happy a frame of mind as need be.
+
+Indeed, I began to fancy that fortune had done tormenting, and was now
+about to treat me more kindly. The notice of the Emperor had relieved my
+heart of a load which never ceased to press on it, and I could not help
+feeling that a fairer prospect was opening before me. It is true, time
+and misfortune had both blunted the ardor of enthusiasm with which I
+started in life; the daring aspirations after liberty, the high-souled
+desire for personal distinction, had subsided into calmer hopes and less
+ambitious yearnings. Young as I yet was, I experienced in myself that
+change of sentiment and feeling which comes upon other men later on in
+life; and I was gradually reconciling myself to that sense of duty
+which teaches a man well to play his part, in whatever station he may
+be called to act, rather than indulge in those overweening wishes for
+pre-eminence, which in their accomplishment are so often disappointing,
+and in their failure a source of regret and unhappiness. These feelings
+were impressed on me more by the force of events than by any process of
+my own reasoning. The career in which I first started as a boy had led
+to nothing but misfortune. The affection I conceived for one,--the only
+one I ever loved,--was destined equally to end unhappily. The passion
+for liberty, in which all my first aspirations were centred, had met the
+rude shocks which my own convictions suggested; and now I perceived
+that I must begin life anew, endeavoring to forget the influences whose
+shadows darkened my early days, and carve out my destiny in a very
+different path from what I once intended.
+
+These were my last waking thoughts, as my head sank on my arm, and I
+fell into a deep sleep. The falling of a log from the fire awoke me
+suddenly. I rubbed my eyes, and for a second or two could not remember
+where I was. At length I became clearer in mind, and looking at my
+watch, perceived it was but two o'clock. As the flame of the replenished
+fire threw its light through the room, I remarked that the door into
+the granary stood ajar. This struck me as strange. I thought I could
+remember shutting it before I went to sleep. Yes,--I recollected
+perfectly placing a chair against it, as the latch was bad, and a
+draught of cold air came in that way; and now the chair was pushed back
+into the room, and the door lay open. A vague feeling, half suspicion,
+half curiosity, kept me thinking of the circumstance, when by
+chance--the merest chance--my eyes fell upon the table where I had left
+my sabre and my pistols. What was my amazement to find that one of the
+latter--that which lay nearest the door--was missing!
+
+In an instant I was on my feet. Nothing can combat drowsiness like the
+sense of fear; and I became perfectly awake in a moment. Examining the
+room with caution, I found everything in the same state as I had left
+it, save the door and the missing pistol. The granary alone, then, could
+be the shelter of the invader, whoever he might be. What was to be done?
+I was totally unprovided with light, save what the fire afforded; and
+even were it otherwise, I should expose myself by carrying one, long
+before I could hope to detect a concealed enemy. The best plan I could
+hit upon seemed to secure the door once more; and then, placing myself
+in such a position as not to be commanded by it again, to wait for
+morning patiently. This then, I did at once; and having examined my
+remaining pistol, and found the charge and priming all safe, I drew
+my sabre, and sat down between the door and the window, but so that it
+should open against me.
+
+Few sensations are more acutely painful than the exercise of the hearing
+when pushed to intensity. The unceasing effort to catch the slightest
+sound soon becomes fatigue, and as the organ grows weary, the mental
+anxiety grows more acute; and then begins a struggle between the failing
+sense and the excited brain. The spectral images of the eye in fever are
+not one half so terrible as the strange discordant tones that jar
+upon the tympanum in such a state as this. Each inanimate object seems
+endowed with its own power of voice, and whispering noises come stealing
+through the dead silence of midnight.
+
+In this state of almost frenzied anxiety I sat long,--my eyes turned
+towards the door, which oftentimes I fancied I could perceive to move.
+At length the thought occurred to me, that by affecting sleep, if any
+one lay concealed within whose object was to enter the room, this would
+probably induce him.
+
+[Illustration: 089]
+
+[Illustration: BrowneLocomotiveChair055]
+
+I had not long to wait for the success of my scheme. The long-drawn
+breathing of my seeming slumber was not continued for more than a few
+minutes, when I saw the door slowly, almost imperceptibly, move. At
+first it stirred inch by inch; then gradually it opened wider and wider
+till it met the obstacle of the chair. There now came a pause of several
+seconds, during which it demanded all my efforts to sustain my
+part,--the throbbing at my throat and temples increasing almost beyond
+endurance, and the impulse to dash forward, and flinging wide the door,
+confront my enemy, being nearly too much for my resistance. Again it
+moved noiselessly as before; and then a hand stole out, and, laying hold
+of the chair, pushed it slowly backwards. The gray light of the breaking
+day fell upon the spot, and I could see that the cuff of the coat was
+laced with gold.
+
+This time my anxiety became intense. Another second or two and I should
+be engaged in the conflict,--I knew not against how many. I clutched my
+sabre more fairly in my grasp, as my breathing grew thicker and shorter.
+The chair still continued to slide silently into the room, and already
+the arm of the man within protruded. Now was the moment, or never; and
+with a spring, I threw myself on it, and, pinioning the wrist in my
+hands, held it down upon the floor while I opposed my weight against the
+door.
+
+[Illustration: 090]
+
+Quick as lightning the other hand appeared, armed with a pistol; and I
+had but a moment to crouch my head nearly to the ground when a bullet
+whizzed past and smashed through the window behind me, while with
+a crash the frail door gave way to a strong push, and a man sprang
+fiercely forward to seize me by the throat. Jumping backward, I
+recovered my feet; but before I could raise my pistol he made a spring
+at me, and we both rolled together on the floor. On the pistol both our
+hands met, and the struggle was for the weapon.
+
+Twice was it pointed at my heart; but my hand held the lock, and not
+all his efforts could unclasp it. At last I freed my right hand from the
+sword-knot of my sabre, and striking him with my clenched knuckles on
+the forehead, threw him back. His grasp relaxed at the instant, and I
+wrenched the pistol from his fingers, and placed the muzzle against his
+chest.
+
+Another second and he would have rolled a corpse before me, when, to my
+horror and amazement, I saw in my antagonist my once friend, _Henri de
+Beauvais_. I flung the weapon from me, as I cried out, "De Beauvais,
+forgive me! forgive me!"
+
+A deathly paleness came over his features; his eyes grew glazed and
+filmy, and with a low groan he fell fainting on the floor. I bathed
+his temples with water; I moistened his pale lips; I rubbed his clammy
+fingers. But it was long before he rallied; and when he did come to
+himself and looked up, he closed his eyes again, as though the sight of
+me was worse than death itself.
+
+"Come, Henri!" said I, "a cup of wine, my friend, and you will be better
+presently. Thank God, this has not ended as it might."
+
+He raised his eyes towards me, but with a look of proud and unforgiving
+sternness, while he uttered not a word.
+
+"It is unfair to blame me, De Beauvais, for this," said I. "Once more I
+say, forgive me!"
+
+His lips moved, and some sounds came forth, but I could not hear the
+words.
+
+"There, there," cried I; "it's past and over now. Here is my hand."
+
+"You struck me with that hand," said he, in a deep, distinct voice, as
+though every word came from the very bottom of his chest.
+
+"And if I did, Henri, my own life was on the blow."
+
+"Oh that you had taken mine with it!" said he, with a bitterness I can
+never forget. "I am the first of my name that ever received a blow;
+would I were to be the last!"
+
+"You forget, De Beauvais--"
+
+"No, sir; I forget nothing. Be assured, too, I never shall forget
+this night. With any other than yourself I should not despair of that
+atonement for an injury which alone can wash out such a stain; but
+_you_,--I know you well,--_you_ will not give me this."
+
+"You are right, De Beauvais; I will not," said I, calmly. "Sorry am I
+that even an accident should have brought us into collision. It is a
+mischance I feel deeply, and shall for many a day."
+
+"And I, sir," cried he, as, starting up, his eyes flashed with passion
+and his cheek grew scarlet,--"and I, sir!--what are to be my feelings?
+Think you, that because I am an exile and an outcast,--forced
+by misfortune to wear the livery of one who is not my rightful
+sovereign,--that my sense of personal honor is the less, and that the
+mark of an insult is not as blood-stained on my conscience as ever it
+was?"
+
+"Nothing but passion could blind you to the fact that there can be no
+insult where no intention could exist."
+
+"Spare me your casuistry, sir," replied he, with an insolent wave of his
+hand, while he sank into a chair, and laid his head upon the table.
+
+For an instant my temper, provoked beyond endurance, was about to give
+way, when I perceived that a handkerchief was bound tightly around his
+leg above the knee, where a great stain of blood marked his trouser. The
+thought of his being wounded banished every particle of resentment, and
+laying my hand on his shoulder, I said,--
+
+"De Beauvais, I know not one but yourself to whom I would three times
+say, forgive me. But we were friends once, when we were both happier.
+For the sake of him who is no more,--poor Charles de Meudon--"
+
+"A traitor, sir,--a base traitor to the king of his fathers!"
+
+"This I will not endure!" said I, passionately. "No one shall dare--"
+
+"Dare!"
+
+"Ay, dare, sir!--such was the word. To asperse the memory of one like
+him is to dare that which no man can, with truth and honor."
+
+"Come, sir, I'm ready," said Be Beauvais, rising, and pointing to the
+door, "Sortons!"
+
+No one who has not heard that one word pronounced by the lips of a
+Frenchman can conceive how much of savage enmity and deadly purpose
+it implies. It is the challenge which, if unaccepted, stamps cowardice
+forever on the man who declines it: from that hour all equality ceases
+between those whom a combat had placed on the same footing.
+
+"Sortons!" The word rang in my ears, and tingled through my very heart,
+while a host of different impulses swayed me,--shame, sorrow, wounded
+pride, all struggling for the mastery: but above them all, a better
+and a higher spirit,--the firm resolve, come what would, to suffer no
+provocation De Beauvais could offer, to make me stand opposite to him as
+an enemy.
+
+"What am I to think, sir?" said he, with a voice scarcely articulate
+from passion,--"what am I to think of your hesitation? or why do you
+stand inactive here? Is it that you are meditating what new insult can
+be added to those you have heaped on me?"
+
+"No, sir," I replied, firmly; "so far from thinking of offence, I am but
+too sorry for the words I have already spoken. I should have remembered,
+and remembering, should have made allowance for, the strength of
+partisan feelings, which have their origin in a noble, but, as I
+believe, a mistaken source."
+
+"Indeed!" interrupted he, in mockery. "Is it, then, come to this? Am
+I, a Frenchman born, to be lectured on my loyalty and allegiance by a
+foreign mercenary?"
+
+"Not even that taunt, De Beauvais, shall avail you anything. I am firm
+in my resolve."
+
+"_Pardieu!_ then," cried he, with savage energy, "there remains but
+this!"
+
+As he spoke, he leaped from his chair, and sprang towards me. In so
+doing, however, his knee struck the table, and with a groan of agony,
+he reeled back and fell on the floor, while from his reopened wound a
+torrent of blood gushed out and deluged the room.
+
+For a second or two he motioned me away with his hand; but as his
+weakness increased, he lay passive and unresisting, and suffered me to
+arrest the bleeding by such means as I was able to practise.
+
+It was a long time ere I could stanch the gaping orifice, which had been
+inflicted by a sabre, and cut clean through the high boot and deep into
+the thigh. Fortunately for his recovery, he had himself succeeded in
+getting off the boot before, and the wound lay open to my surgical
+skill. Lifting him cautiously in my arms, I laid him on the bed, and
+moistened his lips with a little wine. Still the debility continued,--no
+signs of returning strength were there; but his features, pale and
+fallen, were glazed with a cold sweat that hung in heavy drops upon his
+brow and forehead.
+
+Never was agony like mine. I saw his life was ebbing fast; the
+respiration was growing fainter and more irregular; his pulse could
+scarce be felt; yet dare I not leave my post to seek for assistance. A
+hundred thoughts whirled through my puzzled brain, and among the rest,
+the self-accusing one that I was the cause of his death. "Yes," thought
+I, "better far to have stood before his pistol, at all the hazard of my
+life, than see him thus."
+
+In an instant all his angry speeches and his insulting gestures were
+forgotten. He looked so like what I once knew him, that my mind was
+wandering back again to former scenes and times, and all resentment was
+lost in the flood of memory. Poor fellow! what a sad destiny was his!
+fighting against the arms of his country,--a mourner over the triumphs
+of his native land! Alien that I was, this pang at least was spared me.
+
+As these thoughts crossed my mind, I felt him press my hand. Overjoyed,
+I knelt down and whispered some words in his ear.
+
+"No, no," muttered he, in a low, plaintive tone; "not all lost,--not
+all! La Vendee yet remains!" He was dreaming.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII. THE ARMISTICE.
+
+As I sat thus watching with steadfast gaze the features of the sleeping
+man, I heard the clattering of a horse's hoofs on the pavement beneath,
+and the next moment the heavy step of some one ascending the stairs.
+Suddenly the door was flung wide open, and an officer in the handsome
+uniform of the Austrian Imperial Guard entered.
+
+"Excuse this scant ceremony, Monsieur," said he, bowing with much
+courtesy, "but I almost despaired of finding you out. I come from
+Holitsch with despatches for your Emperor; they are most pressing, as I
+believe this note will inform you."
+
+While I threw my eye over the few lines addressed by General Savary to
+the officer in waiting at Holitsch, and commanding the utmost speed in
+forwarding the despatch that accompanied them, the officer drew near the
+bed where De Beauvais was lying.
+
+"_M�re de ciel_, it is the count!" cried he, starting back with
+astonishment.
+
+"Yes," said I, interrupting him; "I found him here on my arrival. He is
+badly wounded, and should be removed at once. How can this be done?"
+
+"Easily. I 'll despatch my orderly at once to Holitsch, and remain here
+till he return."
+
+"But if our troops advance?"
+
+"No, no! we're all safe on that score; the armistice is signed. The very
+despatch in your hands, I believe, concludes the treaty."
+
+This warned me that I was delaying too long the important duty intrusted
+to me, and with a hurried entreaty to the Austrian not to leave De
+Beauvais, I hastened down the stairs, and proceeded to saddle for the
+road.
+
+"One word, Monsieur," said the officer, as I was in the act of mounting.
+"May I ask the name of him to whom my brother officers owe the life of a
+comrade much beloved?"
+
+"My name is Burke; and yours, Monsieur?"
+
+"Berghausen, _chef d'escadron_ of the Imperial Guard. If ever you should
+come to Vienna--" But I lost the words that followed, as, spurring my
+horse to a gallop, I set out towards the headquarters of the Emperor.
+
+As I rode forward, my eyes were ever anxiously bent in the direction of
+our camp, not knowing at what moment I might see the advance of a column
+along the road, and dreading lest, before the despatches should reach
+the Emperor's house, the advanced vedettes should capture the little
+party at Holitsch. At no period of his career was Napoleon more incensed
+against the adherents of the Bourbons; and if De Beauvais should fall
+into his hands, I was well aware that nothing could save him. The
+Emperor always connected in his mind--and with good reason, too--the
+machinations of the Royalists with the plans of the English Government.
+He knew that the land which afforded the asylum to their king was
+the refuge of the others also; and many of the heaviest denunciations
+against the "perfide Albion" had no other source than the dread, of
+which he could never divest himself, that the legitimate monarch would
+one day be restored to France.
+
+While such were Napoleon's feelings, the death of the Duc d'Enghien had
+heightened the hatred of the Bourbonists to a pitch little short of
+madness. My own unhappy experience made me more than ever fearful of
+being in any way implicated with the members of this party, and I
+rode on as though life itself depended on my reaching the imperial
+headquarters some few minutes earlier.
+
+As I approached the camp, I was overjoyed to find that no movement
+was in contemplation. The men were engaged in cleaning their arms
+and accoutrements, restoring the broken wagons and gun-carriages, and
+repairing, as far as might be, the disorders of the day of battle. The
+officers stood in groups here and there, chatting at their ease; while
+the only men under arms were the new conscript? just arrived from
+France,--a force of some thousands,--brought by forced marches from the
+banks of the Rhine.
+
+The crowd of officers near the headquarters of the Emperor pressed
+closely about me as I descended from my horse, eager to learn what
+information I brought from Holitsch; for they were not aware that I had
+been stationed nearly half-way on the road.
+
+"Well, Burke," said General d'Auvergne, as he drew his arm within mine,
+"your coming has been anxiously looked for this morning. I trust the
+despatches you carry may, if not Contradict, at least explain what has
+occurred."
+
+"Is this the officer from Holitsch?" said the aide-decamp of the
+Emperor, coming hurriedly forward. "The despatch, sir!" cried he; and
+the next moment hastened to the little hut which Napoleon occupied as
+his bivouac.
+
+The only other person in the open space where I stood was an officer of
+the lancers, whose splashed and travel-stained dress seemed to say he
+had been employed like myself.
+
+"I fancy, Monsieur," said he, bowing, "that you have had a sharp ride
+also this morning. I have just arrived from G�ding--four leagues--in
+less than an hour; and with all that, too late, I believe, to remedy
+what has occurred."
+
+"What, then, has happened?"
+
+"Davoust has been tricked into an armistice, and suffered the Russians
+to pass the bridge. The Emperor Alexander has taken advantage of the
+negotiations with Austria, and got his army clear through; so, at least,
+it would seem. I saw Napoleon tear the despatch into fragments, and
+stamp his foot upon them. But here he comes."
+
+The words were scarcely spoken when the Emperor came rapidly up,
+followed by his staff. He wore a gray surtout, trimmed with dark fur,
+and had his hands clasped within the cuffs of the coat. His face was
+pale as death, and save a slight contraction of his brows, there was
+nothing to show any appearance of displeasure.
+
+"Who brought the despatch from G�ding?"
+
+"I did, Sire," said the officer.
+
+"How are the roads, sir?"
+
+"Much cut up, and in one place a torrent has carried away part of a
+bridge."
+
+"I knew it,--I knew it," said he, bitterly; "it is too late. Duroc,"
+cried he, while the words seemed to come forth with a hissing sound,
+"did I not tell you, 'Grattez le Russe, et vous trouverez le Tartare!'"
+
+The words were graven in my memory from that hour; even yet, I can
+recall the very accents as when I heard them.
+
+"And you, sir," said he, turning suddenly towards me, "you came from
+General Savary. Return to him with this letter. Have you written, Duroc?
+Well, you'll deliver this to General Savary at Holitsch. He may require
+you to proceed to G�ding. Are you well mounted?"
+
+"Yes, Sire."
+
+"Come, then, sir. I made you a captain yesterday; let us see if you can
+win your spurs to-day."
+
+From the time I received the despatch to that in which I was in the
+saddle not more than five minutes elapsed. The idea of being chosen by
+the Emperor himself for a service was a proud one, and I resolved to
+acquit myself with credit. With what concert does one's heart beat to
+the free stride of a mettled charger! how does each bold plunge warm
+the blood and stir up the spirits! and as, careering free over hill and
+valley, we pass in our flight the clouds that drift above, how does the
+sense of freedom, realized as it is, impart a feeling of ecstasy to
+our minds! Our thoughts, revelling on the wayward liberty our course
+suggests, rise free and untrammelled from the doubts and cares of
+every-day life.
+
+Onward I went, and soon the old mill came in sight, rearing its ruined
+head amid the black desolation of the plain. I could not resist the
+impulse to see what had become of De Beauvais; and leading my horse into
+the kitchen, I hastened up the stairs and through the rooms. But all
+were deserted; the little chamber lay open, the granary too; but no one
+was there.
+
+With a mind relieved, in a great measure, from anxiety, I remounted
+and continued my way; and soon entered the dark woods of Holitsch. The
+ch�teau and demesne were a private estate of the Emperor Francis,
+and once formed a favorite resort of Joseph the Second in his hunting
+excursions. The ch�teau itself was a large, irregular mass of building,
+but still, with all its incongruity of architecture, not devoid of
+picturesque effect,--and the older portion of it was even handsome.
+While I stood in front of a long terrace, on which several windows
+opened from a gallery that ran along one side of the ch�teau, I was
+somewhat surprised that no guard was to be seen, nor even a single
+sentinel on duty. I dismounted, and leading my horse, approached the
+avenue that led up between a double range of statues to the door. An
+old man, dressed in the slouched hat and light blue jacket of a Bohemian
+peasant, was busily engaged in wrapping matting around some shrubs,
+to protect them from the frost. A little boy--his second self in
+costume--stood beside him with his pruning-knife, and stared at me with
+a kind of stupid wonder as I approached. With some difficulty I made out
+from the old man that the Emperor occupied a smaller building called
+the Kaiser-Lust, about half a league distant in the forest, having given
+strict orders that no one was to approach the ch�teau nor its immediate
+grounds. It was his favorite retreat, and perhaps he did not wish it
+should be associated in his mind with a period of such misfortune. The
+old peasant continued his occupation while he spoke, never lifting his
+head from his work, and seeming all absorbed in the necessity of what he
+was engaged in. As I inquired the nearest road to the imperial quarters,
+he employed me to assist him for a moment in his task by holding one end
+of the matting, with which he was now about to envelop a marble statue
+of Maria Theresa.
+
+I could not refuse a request so naturally proffered; and while I did
+so, a little wicket opened at a short distance off, and a tall man, in a
+gray surtout and a plain cocked hat without a feather, came forward. He
+held a riding-whip in his hand, and seemed, from his splashed equipment,
+to have just descended from the saddle.
+
+"Well, Fritz," said he, "I hope the frost has done us no mischief?"
+
+The old gardener turned round at the words, and, touching his hat
+respectfully, continued his work, while he replied,--
+
+"No, Mein Herr; it was but a white hoar, and everything has escaped
+well."
+
+"And whom have you got here for an assistant, may I ask?" said he,
+pointing to me, whom he now saw for the first time.
+
+As the question was asked in German, although I understood it I left the
+reply to the gardener.
+
+"God knows!" said the old fellow, in a tone of easy indifference; "I
+think he must be a soldier of some sort."
+
+The other smiled at the remark, and, turning towards me, said, in
+French,--
+
+"You are, perhaps, unaware, sir, being a stranger, that it is the
+Emperor of Austria's desire this ch�teau should not be intruded on."
+
+"My offending, sir," interrupted I, "was purely accidental. I am the
+bearer of despatches for General Savary; and having stopped to inquire
+from this honest man--"
+
+"The general has taken his departure for G�ding," he broke in, without
+paying further attention to my explanation.
+
+"For Goding! and may I ask what distance that may be?"
+
+"Scarcely a league, if you can hit upon the right path; the road lies
+yonder, where you see that dead fir-tree."
+
+"I thank you, sir," said I, touching my hat; "and must now ask my friend
+here to release me,--my orders are of moment."
+
+"You may find some difficulty in the wood, after all," said he; "I 'll
+send my groom part of the way with you."
+
+Before I could proffer my thanks suitably for such an unexpected
+politeness, he had disappeared in the garden through which he entered a
+few minutes before.
+
+"I say, my worthy friend, tell me the name of that gentleman; he's one
+of the Emperor's staff, if I mistake not. I 'm certain I 've seen the
+face before."
+
+"If you had," said the old fellow, laughing, "you could scarcely forget
+him; old Frantzerl is just the same these twenty years."
+
+"Whom did you say?"
+
+Before he could reply, the other was at my side.
+
+"Now, sir," said he, "he will conduct you to the highroad. I wish you a
+good journey."
+
+These words were uttered in a tone somewhat more haughty than his
+previous ones; and contenting myself with a civil acknowledgment of his
+attention, I bowed and returned to my horse, which the little peasant
+child had been holding.
+
+"This way, Monsieur," said the groom, who, dressed in a plain dark brown
+livery, was mounted on a horse of great size and symmetry.
+
+As he spoke, he dashed forward at a gallop which all my efforts could
+not succeed in overtaking. In less than ten minutes the man halted,
+and, waiting till I came up, he pointed to a gentle acclivity before me,
+across which the highroad led.
+
+"There lies the road, sir; continue your speed, and in twenty minutes
+you reach G�ding."
+
+"One word," said I, drawing forth my purse as I spoke,--"one word. Tell
+me, who is your master?"
+
+The groom smiled, slightly touched his hat, and without uttering a word,
+wheeled round his horse, and before I could repeat my question, was far
+on his road back to the ch�teau.
+
+Before me lay the river, and the little bridge of G�ding, across which
+now the Russian columns were marching in rapid but compact order. Their
+cavalry had nearly all passed, and was drawn with some field-guns along
+the bank; while at half-cannon-shot distance, the corps of Davoust were
+drawn up in order of battle, and standing spectators of the scene. On an
+eminence of the field a splendid staff were assembled, accompanied by a
+troop of Tartar horsemen, whose gay colors and strange equipment were
+a remarkable feature of the picture; and here, I learned, the Emperor
+Alexander then was, accompanied by General Savary.
+
+As I drew near, my French uniform caught the eye of the latter, and he
+cantered forward to meet me. Tearing open the despatch with eagerness,
+he rapidly perused the few lines it contained; then, seizing me by the
+arm in his-strong grasp, he exclaimed,--
+
+"Look yonder, sir! You see their columns extending to Serritz. Go back
+and tell his Majesty. But no; my own mission here is ended. You may
+return to Austerlitz."
+
+So saying, he rode back to the group around the Emperor, where I saw
+him a few minutes after addressing his Majesty; and then, after a formal
+leave-taking, turn his horse's head and set out towards Brunn.
+
+As I retraced my steps towards the camp, I began to muse over the events
+which had just occurred; and even by the imperfect glimpses I
+could catch of the negotiations, could perceive that the Czar had
+out-manoeuvred Napoleon. It is true, I was not aware by what means
+the success had been obtained; nor was it for many a year after that I
+became cognizant of the few autograph lines by which Alexander induced
+Davoust to suspend his operations, under the pretence that the Austrian
+armistice included the Russian army. It was an unworthy act and ill
+befitting one whose high personal courage and chivalrous bearing gave
+promise of better things.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII. THE COMPAGNIE D'ELITE
+
+With whatever triumphant feelings the Emperor Napoleon may have
+witnessed the glorious termination of this brief campaign, to the young
+officers of the army it brought anything rather than satisfaction,
+and the news of the armistice was received in the camp with gloom and
+discontent. The brilliant action at Elchingen, and the great victory at
+Austerlitz, were hailed as a glorious presage of future successes, for
+which the high-sounding phrases of a bulletin were deemed but a poor
+requital. A great proportion of the army were new levies, who had not
+seen service, and felt proportionably desirous for opportunities of
+distinction; and to them the promise of a triumphant return to France
+was a miserable exchange for those battlefields on which they dreamed
+they should win honor and fame, and from whence they hoped to date their
+rise of fortune. Little did we guess, that while words of peace and
+avowals of moderation were on his lips, Napoleon was at that very moment
+meditating on the opening of that great campaign, which, beginning at
+Jena, was to end in the most bloody and long sustained of all his wars.
+
+Nothing, however, was now talked of but the f�tes which awaited us on
+our return to Paris,--while liberal grants of money were made to all the
+wounded, and no effort was spared which should mark that feeling of the
+Emperor's, which so conspicuously opened his bulletin, in the emphatic
+words, "Soldiers, I am content with you!"
+
+Napoleon well understood, and indeed appeared to have anticipated, the
+disappointment the army would experience at this sudden cessation
+of hostilities; and endeavored now to divert the torrent of their
+enthusiasm into another and a safer channel. The bulk of the army were
+cantoned around Brunn and Olmutz; some picked regiments were recalled
+to Vienna, where the Emperor was soon expected to establish his
+headquarters; while many of those who had suffered most severely
+from forced marches and fatigues were formed into corps of escort to
+accompany the Russian prisoners--sixteen thousand in number--on their
+way to France; and lastly, a _compagnie d'�lite_, as it was called,
+was selected to carry to the Senate the glorious spoils of
+victory,--forty-five standards taken on the field of Austerlitz, and now
+destined to grace the Palace of the Luxembourg.
+
+I had scarcely seated myself to the humble supper of my bivouac, when an
+orderly came to command me to General d'Auvergne's quarters. The little
+sitting-room he occupied, in a peasant hut, was so filled with officers
+that it was some time before I could approach him; and my impatience
+was not lessened by more than once hearing my name mentioned aloud,--a
+circumstance not a little trying to a young man in the presence of his
+superiors in station.
+
+"But here he is," said the general, beckoning to me to come forward.
+"Burke, his Majesty has most graciously permitted me to include your
+name in the _compagnie d'�lite_,--a testimony of his satisfaction you've
+every reason to be proud of. And just at the moment I was about to
+communicate the fact to you, I have received a message from Marshal
+Murat, requesting that I may permit you to serve on his own staff."
+
+"Yes, Captain," said an officer in the uniform of a colonel,--it was the
+first time I had been addressed by my new title, and I cannot express
+what a thrill of pleasure the word gave me,--"Marshal Murat witnessed
+with pleasure the alacrity and steadiness of your conduct on the 2d, and
+has sent me with an offer which I fancy few officers would not deem a
+flattering one."
+
+"Unquestionably it is, Colonel," said General d'Auvergne; "nay, more, I
+will say I regard it as the making of a young man's fortune, thus early
+in his career to have attracted such high notice. But I must be passive
+here; Captain Burke shall decide for himself."
+
+"In that case, sir, I shall cause you but little delay, if you will
+still permit me to serve on your own staff."
+
+"But stay, my boy, do not be rash in this affair. I will not insult your
+better feeling by dwelling on the little power I possess, and the very
+great enjoyed by Marshal Murat, of serving your interests; but I
+must say, that with him, and on his personal staff, opportunities of
+distinction--"
+
+"And here I must interpose," said the colonel, smiling courteously:
+"with no officer in this army can a man expect to see service, in its
+boldest and most heroic colors, rather than with General d'Auvergne."
+
+"I know it,--I feel it, too; and with him, if he will allow me--"
+
+"Enough, my dear boy," said the old man, grasping my hand in his.
+"Colonel, you must explain to the marshal how stands this matter; and he
+is too kind of heart and too noble of soul to think the worse of any of
+us for our obstinacy. And now, my young friend, make your arrangements
+to join the _compagnie d'�lite_; they march to-morrow afternoon,--and
+this is a service you cannot decline. Leave me to make your
+acknowledgments to the marshal, and lose no more time here."
+
+Short as had been my absence from my quarters, when I re-entered, I
+descried Tascher seated at the table, and busily employed in discussing
+the last fragments of my supper.
+
+"You see, my dear friend," said he, speaking with his mouth full,--"you
+see what it is to have a _salmi_ for supper. I sat eating a confounded
+mess of black bread, and blacker veal, for fifteen minutes, when the
+breeze brought me the odor of your delicious _plat_. It was in vain I
+summoned all my virtue to resist it; if there ever was a dish made to
+seduce a subaltern on service, it is this. But, I say, won't you eat
+something?"
+
+"I fear not," said I, half angrily.
+
+"And why?" replied he. "See what a capital wing that is,--a little bare,
+to be sure; and there's the back of a pigeon. _Ma foi!_ you have no
+reason to complain. I say, is it true you are named among the _compagnie
+d'�lite_?"
+
+I nodded, and ate on.
+
+"_Diable!_ there never was such fortune. What a glorious exchange
+for this confounded swamp, with its everlasting drill from morning to
+night,--shivering under arms for four hours, and shaking with the ague
+the rest of the day after,--marching, mid-leg in water, half frozen, and
+trying quick movements, when the very blood is in icicles! And then
+you 'll be enjoying Paris,--delightful Paris!--dining at the 'Rocher,'
+supping at the 'Cadran,' lounging into the _salons_, at the very time we
+shall be hiding ourselves amidst the straw of our bivouacs. I go mad to
+think of it. And, what's worse than all, there you sit, as little
+elated as if the whole thing were only the most natural in the world. I
+believe, on my word, you 'd not condescend to be surprised if you were
+gazetted Mar�chal de France in to-morrow's gazette."
+
+"When I can bear, without testifying too much astonishment, to see my
+supper eaten by the man who does nothing but rate me into the bargain,
+perhaps I may plume myself on some equanimity of temper."
+
+"Confound your equanimity! It's very easy to be satisfied when one has
+everything his own way."
+
+"And so, Tascher, you deem me such a fortunate fellow?"
+
+"That I do," replied he, quickly. "You have had more good luck, and made
+less of it, than any one I ever knew. What a career you had before you
+when we met first! There was that pretty girl at the Tuileries quite
+ready to fall in love with you; I know it, because she rather took an
+air of coldness with me. Well, you let her be carried off by an old
+general, with a white head and a queue,--unquestionably a bit of pique
+on her part. Then, somehow or other, you contrived to pink the best
+swordsman of the army, little Fran�ois there; and I never heard that the
+circumstance gained you a single conquest."
+
+"Quite true, my friend," said I, laughing; "I confess it all. And, what
+is far worse, I acknowledge that until this moment I did not even know
+the advantages I was wilfully wasting."
+
+"And even now," continued he, not minding my interruption,--"even now,
+you are about to return to Paris as one of the _�lite_. Well, I 'll
+wager twenty Naps that the only civil speeches you 'll hear will be from
+some musty old senators at the Luxembourg. Oh dear! if my amiable aunt,
+the Empress, would only induce my most benevolent uncle, the Emperor,
+to put me on that same list, depend upon it you 'd hear of Lieutenant
+Tascher in the 'Faubourg St. Honor�.'"
+
+"But you seem to forget," said I, half piqued at last by the
+impertinence of his tone, "that I have neither friends nor
+acquaintances; that, although a Frenchman by service, I am not so by
+birth."
+
+"And I,--what am I?" interrupted he. "A Creole, come from Heaven knows
+what far-away place beyond seas; that there never was a man with
+more expensive tastes, and smaller means to supply them,--with worse
+prospects, and better connections; in short, a kind of live antithesis.
+And yet, with all that, exchange places with me now, and see if, before
+a fortnight elapse, I have not more dinner invitations than any officer
+of the same grade within the Boulevards; watch if the prettiest girl
+at Paris is not at my side in the Opera. But here comes your official
+appointment, I take it."
+
+As he said this, an orderly of the "Garde" delivered a sealed packet
+into my hands, which, on opening, I discovered was a letter from General
+Duroc, wherein I read, that "it was the wish of his Majesty, Emperor and
+King, that I, his well-beloved Thomas Burke, in conformity with certain
+instructions to be afterwards made known to me, should proceed with the
+_compagnie d'�lite_ to Paris, then and there--"
+
+As I read thus far aloud, Tascher interrupted me, snatching the paper
+from my hands, and continued thus:--
+
+"Then and there to mope, muse, and be _ennuy�_ until such time as active
+service may again recall him to the army. My dear Burke, I am really
+sorry for you. Wars and campaigning may be--indeed they are--very fine
+things; but as the means, not the end. His Majesty, my uncle,--whom may
+Heaven preserve and soften his heart to his relations!--loves them for
+their own sake; but we,--you and I, for instance,--what possible reason
+can we have for risking our bones, and getting our flesh mangled, save
+the hope of promotion? And to what end that same promotion, if not for
+a wider sphere of pleasure and enjoyment? Think what a career a colonel,
+at our age, would have in Paris!"
+
+"Come, Tascher, I will not believe you in all this. If there were
+not something higher to reward one for the fatigues and dangers of a
+campaign than the mere sensual delights you allude to, I, for one, would
+soon doff the epaulettes."
+
+"You are impracticable," said he, half angrily; "but it is as much from
+the isolation in which you have lived as any conviction on the subject.
+You must let me introduce you to some relatives of mine in Paris. They
+will be delighted to know you; for, as one of the _compagnie d'�lite_,
+you might figure as a very respectable 'lion' for two, nay, three entire
+evenings. And you will have the _entr�e_ to the pleasantest house in
+Paris; they receive every evening, and all the best people resort there.
+I only exact one condition."
+
+"And that is--"
+
+"You must not make love to Pauline. That you will fall in love with her
+yourself is a fact I can't help,--nor you either. But no advance on your
+part; promise me that."
+
+"In such case, Tascher, it were best for all parties I should not know
+the lady. I have no fancy, believe me, for being smitten whether I will
+or no."
+
+"I see, Master Burke, there is a bit of impertinence in all this. You
+sneer at my warnings about _la belle cousine_; now, I am determined
+you shall see her at least. Besides, you must do me a service with the
+countess I have had the bad luck to be for some time out of favor with
+my aunt Josephine,--some trumpery debts of mine they make a work
+about at the Tuileries. Well, perhaps you could persuade Madame de
+Lacostellerie to take up my cause; she has great influence with the
+Empress, and can make her do what she pleases. And, if I must confess
+it, it was this brought me over to your quarters tonight; and I ate
+your supper just to pass away time till you came back again. You 'll not
+refuse me?"
+
+"Certainly not. But reflect for a moment, Tascher, and you will see that
+no man was ever less intended for a diplomate. It is only a few minutes
+since you laughed at my solitary habits and hermit propensities."
+
+"I've thought of all that, Burke, and am not a whit discouraged. On the
+contrary, you are the more likely to think of my affairs because you
+have none of your own; and I don't know any one but yourself I should
+fancy to meet Pauline frequently and on terms of intimacy."
+
+"This, at least, is not a compliment," said I, laughing.
+
+He shrugged his shoulders, and threw up his eyebrows with a French
+expression, as though to say, it can't be helped; and then continued:--
+
+"And now remember, Burke, I count on you. Get me out of this confounded
+place; I 'd rather be back at Toulon again, if need be. And as I shall
+not see you again before you leave, farewell. I 'll send the letter for
+the countess early to-morrow."
+
+We shook hands warmly and parted: he to return to his quarters; and I
+to sit down beside my fire, and muse over the events that had just
+occurred, and think of Tascher himself, whose character had never been
+so plainly exposed to me before.
+
+If De Beauvais, with his hot-headed impetuosity, his mad devotion to the
+cause of the Legitimists, was a type of the followers of the Bourbons;
+so, in all the easy indifference and quiet selfishness of his nature,
+was Tascher a specimen of another class of his countrymen,--a class
+which, wrapped up in its own circle of egotistical enjoyments, believed
+Paris the only habitable spot of the whole globe. Without any striking
+traits of character, or any very decided vices, they led a life of
+pleasure and amusement, rendering every one and everything around them,
+so far as they were able, subservient to their own plane and wishes;
+and perfectly unconscious the while how glaring their selfishness
+had become, and how palpable, even to the least observant, was the
+self-indulgence they practised on every occasion. Without cleverness
+or tact enough to conceal their failings, they believed they imposed
+on others because they imposed on themselves,--just as the child deems
+himself unseen when he closes his eyes.
+
+Josephine's followers were, many of them, like this, and formed a
+striking contrast to the young men of the Napoleonite party, who,
+infatuated by the glorious successes of their chief, deemed the
+career of arms alone honorable. St. Cyr and the Polytechnique were the
+nurseries of these,--the principles instilled there were perpetuated
+in after life; and however exaggerated their ideas of France and her
+destiny, their undoubted heroism and devotion might well have palliated
+even heavier errors.
+
+It was in ruminating thus over the different characters of the few I
+had ever known intimately, that I came to think seriously on my own
+condition, which, for many a day before, I had rather avoided than
+sought to reflect on. I felt,--as how many must have done!--that the
+bond of a common country, the inborn patriotism of the native of the
+soil, is the great resource on which men fall back when they devote
+themselves to the career of arms; that the alien's position, disguise it
+how he will, is that of the mere mercenary. How can he identify himself
+with interests on which he is but half-informed, or feel attachment to
+a land wherein he has neither hearth nor home? In the very glory he wins
+he can scarce participate. In a word, his is a false position, which no
+events nor accidents of fortune can turn to good account, and he must
+rest satisfied with a life of isolation and estrangement.
+
+I felt how readily, if I had been a Frenchman born, I could have excused
+and palliated to my conscience many things which now were matters of
+reproach. Aggressive war had lost its horrors in the glory of enlarged
+dominions; the greatness of France and the honor of her arms had made
+me readily forget the miseries entailed on other nations by her lust of
+conquest. But I--the stranger, the alien--had no part in the inheritance
+of glory; and personal ambition,--what means it, save to stand high
+amongst those we once looked up to as superiors? For me there were
+no traditions of a childhood passed amid great names, revered and
+worshipped; no early teachings of illustrious examples beside the
+paternal hearth. And yet there was one, although lost to me forever,
+before whose eyes I would gladly seem to hold a high place. Yes! could
+I but think that she had not forgotten me,--would hear my name with
+interest, or feel one throb of pleasure if I were spoken of with
+honor,--I asked no more!
+
+"A letter, Monsieur le Capitaine," said my servant, as he deposited
+a package on my table. Supposing it was the epistle of which Tascher
+spoke, I paid but slight attention to it, when by chance I remarked it
+was in General d'Auvergne's handwriting. I opened it at once, and read
+as follows:--
+
+      Bivouac, 11 o'clock.
+
+      My dear Burke,--No one ever set off for Paris without being
+      troubled with commissions for his country friends, and you
+      must not escape the ills of common humanity. Happily for
+      you, however, the debt is easily acquitted; I have neither
+      undiscovered shades of silk to be matched, nor impossible
+      bargains to be effected. I shall simply beg of you to
+      deliver with your own hand the enclosed letter to its
+      address at the Tuileries; adding, if you think fit, the
+      civil attentions of a visit.
+
+      We shall both, in all likelihood, be much hurried when we
+      meet to-morrow,--for I also have received orders to march,--
+      so that I take the present opportunity to enclose you a
+      check on Paris for a trifle in advance of your pay;
+      remembering too well, in my own aide-de-camp days, the
+      dilatory habits of the War Office with new captains.
+
+      Yours ever, dear Burke,
+
+      D'Auvergne, Lieut-General.
+
+The letter of which he spoke had fallen on the table, where I now read
+the address,--"� Madame la Comtesse d'Auvergne, n�e Comtesse de Meudon,
+dame d'honneur de S. M. l'Imp�ratrice." As I read these lines, I felt my
+face grow burning hot, my cheeks flushed up, and I could scarcely have
+been more excited were I actually in her presence to whom the letter
+was destined. The poor general's kind note, his check for eight thousand
+francs, lay there: I forgot them both, and sat still, spelling over
+the letters of that name so woven in my destiny. I thought of the first
+night I had ever heard it, when, a mere boy, I wept over her sorrows,
+and grieved for her whose fate was so soon to throw its shadow over my
+own. But in a moment all gave way before the one thought,--I should see
+her again, speak to her and hear her voice. It is true, she was the wife
+of another: but as Marie de Meudon, our destinies were as wide apart;
+under no circumstances could she have been mine, nor did I ever dare
+to hope it. My love to her--for it was such, ardent and passionate--was
+more the devotion of some worshipper at a shrine than an affection that
+sought return. The friendless soldier of fortune, poor, unknown, uncared
+for,--how could he raise his thoughts to one for whose hand the noblest
+and the bravest were suitors in vain? Yet, with all this, how my heart
+throbbed to think that we should meet again! Nor was the thought less
+stirring that I felt, that even in the short interval of absence I had
+won praise from him for whom her admiration was equal to my own. With
+all the turmoil of my hopes and fears I felt a rush of pleasure at my
+heart; and when I slept, it was to dream of happy days to come, and a
+future far brighter than the past.
+
+My first thought when morning broke was to ride over to Beygern, to
+learn the fate of my wounded friends. On my way thither I fell in with
+several officers bound on a similar errand, for already the convent had
+become the great hospital to which the sufferers were brought from every
+part of the camp. As we went along, I was much struck by the depression
+of spirit so remarkable everywhere. The battle over, all the martial
+enthusiasm seemed to have evaporated: many grumbled at the tiresome
+prospect of a winter in country quarters, or cantoned in the field; some
+regretted the briefness of the campaign; while others again complained
+that to return to France after so little of active service would only
+expose them to ridicule from their companions who had seen Italy and
+Egypt.
+
+"Spare your sorrows on that score, my young friends," said a colonel,
+who listened patiently to the complaints around him; "we shall not
+see the dome of the Invalides for some time yet. Except the _compagnie
+d'�lite_, I fancy few of us will figure on the Boulevards."
+
+"There, again," cried another: "I never heard anything so unfair as that
+_compagnie d'�lite_; they have been, with two solitary exceptions, taken
+from the cavalry. Austerlitz was to be the day of honor for the infantry
+of France, said the bulletin."
+
+"And so it was," interrupted a little dark-eyed major; "and I suppose
+his Majesty thought we had enough of it on the field, and did not wish
+to surfeit us with glory. But I ask pardon," said he, turning towards
+me; "monsieur is, if I mistake not, named one of the _�lite_?"
+
+As I replied in the affirmative, I observed all eyes turned towards me;
+but not with any kindly expression,--far from it. I saw that there was a
+deliberate canvass of me, as though to see by my outward man how I could
+possibly deserve such a favor.
+
+"Can you explain to us, Monsieur," said the little major to me, "on what
+principle the _�lite_ were chosen? For we have a thousand contradictory
+reports in the camp: some say by ballot; some, that it was only those
+who never soiled their jackets in the affair of the other day, and
+looked fresh and smart."
+
+A burst of laughter from the rest interrupted the major's speech, for
+its impertinence was quite sufficient to secure it many admirers.
+
+"I believe, sir," said I, angrily, "I can show you some reasons against
+the selection of certain persons."
+
+As I got thus far, an officer whispered something into the major's ear,
+who, with a roar of laughing, exclaimed,--
+
+"A thousand pardons! ten thousand, _parbleu!_ I did n't know you. It was
+monsieur pinked Fran�ois, the ma�tre d'armes? Yes, yes; don't deny it,"
+said he, as I made no reply whatever to a question I believed quite
+irrelevant to the occasion,--"don't deny it. That lunge over the guard
+was a thing to be proud of; and, by Jove! you shall not practise it at
+my expense."
+
+This speech excited great amusement among the party, who seemed to
+coincide perfectly with the reasoning of the speaker; while I myself
+remained silent, unable to decide whether I ought to be annoyed or the
+reverse.
+
+"Come, Monsieur," resumed the major, addressing me with courtesy, "I
+ask-pardon for the liberty of my speech. By Saint Denis! if all the
+_compagnie d'�lite_ have the same skill of fence, I 'll not question
+their appointment."
+
+The candor of the avowal was too much for my gravity, and I now joined
+in the mirth of his companions.
+
+If I have mentioned so trivial an incident as this here, it is because I
+wish to mark, even thus passingly, a trait of French military life. The
+singular confession of a man who regretted his impertinence because he
+discovered his adversary was a better swordsman, would, under any other
+code or in any other country, have argued poltroonery. Not so here;
+no one for a moment suspected his comrade's courage, nor could any
+circumstance arise to make it doubtful save an actual instance of
+cowardice. The inequality of the combat was reason enough for not
+engaging in it: the odds were unfair, because duelling was like a game
+where each party was to have an equal chance; and hence no shame was
+felt at declining a contest where this inequality existed.
+
+Such a system, it is obvious, could not have prevailed in communities
+where duelling was only resorted to in extreme cases; but here it was
+an every-day occurrence, and often formed but a brief interval, scarce
+interrupting the current of an old friendship. Any resentful spirit,
+any long-continued dislike to the party with whom you once fought, would
+have been denounced as unofficer-like and ungenerous; and every day saw
+men walking arm-inarm in closest intimacy, who but the morning before
+stood opposed to each other's weapons. I now perceived the truth of
+what Minette had once said, and which at the time I but imperfectly
+comprehended. "Ma�tre Fran�ois will be less troublesome in future; and
+you, Lieutenant, will have an easier life also."
+
+"Halt there!" shouted a sentry, as we approached the narrow causeway
+that led up to the convent. We now discovered, that by a general order
+no one was permitted to approach the hospital save such as were provided
+with a leave from the medical staff. A bulletin of the deaths was daily
+published on the guard-house, except which no other information was
+afforded of the condition of the wounded; and to this we turned eagerly,
+and with anxious hearts, lest we might read the name of some friend
+lost forever. I ran over with a rapid glance the list, where neither St.
+Hilaire nor poor Pioche occurred; and then, setting spurs to my horse,
+hurried back to my quarters at the top of my speed. When I arrived, the
+preparations for the departure of the _�lite_ were already in progress,
+and I had but time to make my few arrangements for the road when the
+order came to join my comrades.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX. PARIS IN 1800
+
+A portion of the Luxembourg was devoted to the reception of the
+_compagnie d'�lite_ for whom a household on the most liberal scale was
+provided, a splendid table maintained, and all that wealth and the taste
+of a voluptuous age could suggest, procured, to make their life one of
+daily magnificence and pleasure. Daru himself, the especial favorite
+of the Emperor, took the head of the table each day, to which generally
+some of the ministers were invited; while the "Moniteur" of every
+morning chronicled the festivities, giving _�clat_ to the most minute
+circumstance, and making Paris re-echo to the glories of him of
+whose fame they were but the messengers. The most costly equipages,
+saddle-horses of great price, grooms in gorgeous liveries, all that
+could attract notice and admiration, were put in requisition; while
+ceremonies of pomp went forward day by day, and the deputation received
+in state the congratulatory visits of different departments of the
+Government.
+
+While thus this homage was paid to the semblance of Napoleon's glory,
+his progress through Germany was one grand triumphal procession. One day
+we read of his arrival at Munich, whither the Empress had gone to meet
+him. There he was welcomed with the most frantic enthusiasm: he had
+restored to them their army almost without loss, and covered with
+laurels; he had elevated their elector to a throne; while he cemented
+the friendship between the two nations by the marriage of Eug�ne
+Beauharnais with the Princess of Bavaria. Another account would tell
+us of sixteen thousand Russian prisoners on their way to France,
+accompanied by two thousand cannon taken from the Austrians. All
+that could excite national enthusiasm and gratify national vanity was
+detailed by the Government press, and popular excitement raised to a
+higher pitch than in the wildest periods of the Revolution.
+
+Hourly was his arrival looked forward to with anxiety and impatience.
+F�tes on the most splendid scale of magnificence were in preparation,
+and the public bodies of Paris held meetings to concert measures for
+his triumphal reception. At last a telegraphic despatch announced his
+arrival at Strasburg. He crossed the Rhine at the very place where,
+exactly one hundred days before, he passed over on his march against
+the Austrians; one hundred days of such glory as not even his career had
+equalled,--Ulm and Austerlitz, vanquished Russia, and ruined Austria the
+trophies of this brief space! Never had his genius shone with greater
+splendor; never had Fortune shown herself 'more the companion of his
+destiny.
+
+Each hour was now counted, and every thought turned to the day when he
+might be expected to arrive; and on the 24th came the intelligence that
+the Emperor was approaching Paris. He had halted part of a day at Nancy
+to review some regiments of cavalry, and now might be expected in less
+than twenty-four hours. The next morning all Paris awoke at an early
+hour; when what was the surprise and disappointment to see the great
+flag floating from the pavilion of the Tuileries! His Majesty had
+arrived during the night, when, at once sending for the Minister of
+Finance, he proceeded, without taking a moment's repose, to examine into
+the dreadful crisis which threatened the Bank of France and the very
+existence of the Government.
+
+At eleven, the Council of State were assembled at the Tuileries; and
+at twelve, a proclamation, dispersed through Paris, announced that M.
+Molien was appointed minister, and M. Marbois was dismissed from his
+office. The rapidity of these changes, and the avoidance of all public
+homage by the Emperor, threw for several days a cast of gloom over the
+whole city; which was soon dissipated by the reappearance of Napoleon,
+and the publication of that celebrated report by M. Champagny in which
+the glories of France--her victories, her acquisitions in wealth,
+territory, and influence--were recited in terms whose adulation it would
+be now difficult to digest.
+
+From that moment the festivities of Paris commenced, and with a splendor
+unsurpassed by any period of the Empire. It was the Augustan era of
+Napoleon's life in all that concerned the fine arts; for literature,
+unhappily, did not flourish at any time beneath his reign. G�rard and
+Gros, David, Ingres, and Isabey committed to canvas the glories of the
+German campaigns; and the capitulation of Ulm, the taking of Vienna,
+the passage of the Danube, and the field of Austerlitz still live in the
+genius of these great painters.
+
+The Opera, too, under the direction of Gimerosa, had attained to an
+unwonted excellence; while Spontini and Boieldieu, in their separate
+walks, gave origin to the school so distinctly that of the Comic Opera.
+Still, the voluptuous tastes of the day prevailed above all; and the
+ballet, and the strange conceptions of Nicolo, a Maltese composer,--in
+which music, dancing, romance, and scenery all figured,--were the
+passion of the time.
+
+Dancing was, indeed, the great art of the era. Vestris and Tr�nis were
+the great names in every _salon_; and all the extravagant graces and
+voluptuous groupings of the ballet were introduced into the amusements
+of society: even the taste in dress was made subordinate to this
+passion,--the light and floating materials, which mark the figure and
+display symmetry, replacing the heavier and more costly robes of former
+times. The reaction to the stern puritanism of the Republican age had
+set in, and secretly was favored by Napoleon himself; who saw in all
+this extravagance and abandonment to pleasure the basis of that new
+social state on which he purposed to found his dynasty.
+
+Never were the entertainments at the Tuileries more costly; never was
+a greater magnificence displayed in all the ceremonial of state. The
+marshals of the Empire were enjoined to maintain a style corresponding
+to their exalted position; and the reports of the police were actually
+studied respecting such persons as lived in what was deemed a manner
+unbefitting their means of expense. Cambac�r�s and Fouch�, Talleyrand
+and Murat, all maintained splendid establishments. Their dinners were
+given twice each week, and their receptions were almost every evening.
+If the Emperor conferred wealth with a liberal hand, so did he expect to
+see it freely expended. He knew well the importance of conciliating the
+affections of the _bourgeoisie_ of Paris; and that by no other means
+could such an end be accomplished more readily than by a lavish
+expenditure of money throughout all classes of society. This was alone
+wanting to efface every trace of the old Republican spirit. The simple
+habits and uncostly tastes of the Jacobins were at once regarded as
+meannesses; their frugal and unpretending modes of life pronounced low
+and vulgar; and many, who could have opposed a stout heart against
+the current of popular feeling on stronger grounds, yielded to the
+insinuations and mockeries of their own class, and conformed to tastes
+which eventually engendered opinions and even principles.
+
+I ask pardon of my reader for digressing from the immediate subject of
+my own career, to speak of topics which are rather the province of the
+historian than a mere story-teller like myself; still, I should not be
+able to present to his view the picture of manners I desired, without
+thus recalling some features of that time, so pregnant with the fate of
+Europe and the future destiny of France. And now to return.
+
+Immediately on the Emperor's arrival, the Empress and her suite took
+their departure for Versailles; from whence it was understood they were
+not to return before the end of the month, for which time a splendid
+ball was announced at the Tuileries. Unwilling to detain General
+d'Auvergne's letter so long, and unable from the position I occupied
+to obtain leave of absence from Paris, I forwarded the letter to the
+comtesse, and abandoned the only hope of meeting her once more. The
+disappointment from this source; the novelty of the circumstances in
+which I found myself; the fascinations of a world altogether strange
+to me,--all conspired to confuse and excite me, and I entered into the
+dissipation of those around me, if not with all their zest, at least
+with as headlong a resolution to drown all reflection in a life of
+voluptuous enjoyment.
+
+The only person of my own standing among the _compagnie d'�lite_ was a
+captain of the Chasseurs of the Guard, who, although but a few years
+my senior, had seen service in the Italian campaign. By family a
+Bour-bonist, he joined the revolutionary armies when his relatives fled
+from France, and slowly won his steps to his present rank. A certain
+_hauteur_ in his manner with men--an air of distance he always wore--had
+made him as little liked by them as it usually succeeds in making a man
+popular with women, to whom the opposite seems at once a compliment.
+He was a man who had seen much of the world, and in the best society;
+gifted with the most fascinating address, whenever he pleased to exert
+it, and singularly good-looking, he was the _beau id�al_ of the French
+officer of the highest class.
+
+The Chevalier Duchesne and myself had travelled together for some
+days without exchanging more than the ordinary civilities of distant
+acquaintance, when some accident of the road threw us more closely
+together, and ended by forming an intimacy which, in our Paris life,
+brought us every hour into each other's society.
+
+Stranger as I was in the capital, to me the acquaintance was a boon of
+great price. He knew it thoroughly: in the gorgeous and stately _salons_
+of the Faubourg; in the _guingettes_ of the Rue St. Denis; in the costly
+mansion of the modern banker (the new aristocracy of the land); or in
+the homely _m�nage_ of the shopkeeper of the Rue St. Honor�,--he was
+equally at home, and by some strange charm had the _entr�e_ too.
+
+The same "sesame" opened to him the _coulisse_ of the Opera and the
+penetralia of the Fran�ais. In fact, he seemed one of those privileged
+people who are met with occasionally in life in places the most
+incongruous and with acquaintances the most opposite, yet never carrying
+the prestige of the one or the other an inch beyond the precincts it
+belongs to. Had he been wealthy I could have accounted for much of this,
+for never was there a period when riches more abounded nor when their
+power was more absolute: but he did not seem so; although in no want of
+money, his retinue and simple style of living betrayed nothing beyond
+fair competence. Neither, as far as I could perceive, did he incline to
+habits of extravagance; on the contrary, he was too apt to connect every
+display with vulgarity, and condemn in his fastidiousness the gorgeous
+splendor that characterized the period.
+
+Such, without going further, did Duchesne appear to be, as we took up
+our quarters at the Luxembourg, and commenced an intimacy which each day
+served to increase.
+
+"Well, thank Heaven, this vaudeville is over at last!" said he, as he
+threw himself into a large chair at my fire, and pitched his chapeau,
+all covered with gold and embroidery, into a far corner of the room.
+
+We had just returned from Notre Dame, where the grand ceremonial of
+receiving the standards was held by the Senate with all the solemnity of
+a high mass and the most imposing observances.
+
+"Vaudeville?" said I, turning round rapidly.
+
+"Yes; what else can you call it? What, I ask you, had those poor
+decrepit senators, those effeminate priests in the costumes of
+_b�guines_, to do with the eagles of a brave but unfortunate army? In
+what way can you connect that incense and that organ with the smoke of
+artillery and the crash of mitraille? And, lastly, was it like old
+Daru himself to stand there, half crouching, beside some wretched
+half-palsied priest? But I feel heartily ashamed of myself, though I
+played but the smallest part in the whole drama."
+
+"Is it thus you can speak of the triumph of our army? the glories--"
+
+"You mistake me much. I only speak of that miserable mockery which
+converts our hard-won laurels into chap-lets of artificial flowers.
+These displays are far beneath us, and would only become the victories
+of some national guard."
+
+"So, then," said I, half laughingly, "it is your Republican gorge that
+rises against all this useless ceremonial?"
+
+"You are the very first ever detected me in that guise," said he,
+bursting into a hearty laugh. "But come, I'd wager you agree with me
+all this while. This was a very contemptible exhibition; and, for my own
+part, I 'd rather see the colors back again with those poor fellows we
+chased at Austerlitz, than fluttering in the imbecile hands of dotage
+and bigotry."
+
+"Then I must say we differ totally. I like to think of the warlike
+spirit nourished in a nation by the contemplation of such glorious
+spoils. I am young enough to remember how the Invalides affected me--"
+
+"When you took your Sunday walk there from the Poly-technique, two and
+two, with a blue ribbon round your neck for being a good boy during the
+week. Oh, I know it all; delicious times they were, with their souvenirs
+of wooden legs and plum-pudding. Happy fellow you must be, if the
+delusion can last this while!"
+
+"You are determined it shall not continue much longer," said I,
+laughing; "that is quite evident."
+
+"No; on the contrary, I shall be but too happy to be your convert,
+instead of making you mine. But unfortunately, Sa Majest�, Empereur et
+Roi, has taught me some smart lessons since I gave up mathematics; and I
+have acquired a smattering of his own policy, which is to look after
+the substance, and leave the shadow--or the _drapeau_, if you like it
+better--to whoever pleases."
+
+"I confess, however," said I, "I don't well understand your enthusiasm
+about war and your indifference about its trophies. To me the
+associations they suggest are pleasurable beyond anything."
+
+"I think I remember something of that kind in myself formerly," said he,
+musing. "There was a time when the blast of a trumpet, or even the clank
+of a sabre, used to set my heart thumping. Happily, however, the organ
+has grown steeled against even more stirring sounds; and I listened to
+the salute to-day, fired as it was by that imposing body, the artillery
+of the 'Garde Nationale,' with an equanimity truly wonderful. Apropos,
+my dear Burke; talk of heroism and self-devotion as you will, but show
+me anything to compare with the gallantry of those fellows we saw to-day
+on the Quai Voltaire,--a set of grocers, periwig-makers, umbrella and
+sausage men, with portly paunches and spectacles,--ramming down charges,
+sponging, loading, and firing real cannon. On my word of honor, it was
+fearful."
+
+"They say his Majesty is very proud indeed of the National Guard of
+Paris."
+
+"Of course he is. Look at them, and just think what must be the
+enthusiasm of men who will adopt a career so repugnant, not only to
+their fancy, but their very formation. Remember that he who runs
+yonder with a twenty-four pounder never handled anything heavier than a
+wig-block, and that the only charges of the little man beside him have
+been made in his day-book. By Saint Denis! the dromedary guard we had
+in Egypt were more at home in their saddles than the squadron who rode
+beside the archbishop's carriage."
+
+"It is scarcely fair, after all," said I, half laughing, "to
+criticise them so severely; and the more, as I think you had some old
+acquaintances among them."
+
+"Ha! you saw that, did you?" said he, smiling. "No, by Jove! I never met
+them before. But that _confr�rie_ of soldiers--you understand--soon made
+us acquainted; and I saw one old fellow speaking to a very pretty girl I
+guessed to be his daughter, and soon cemented a small friendship with
+him: here's his card."
+
+"His card! Why, are you to visit him?"
+
+"Better again; I shall dine there on Monday next. Let us see how he
+calls himself: 'Hippolyte Pierrot, stay and corset-maker to her Majesty
+the Empress, No. 22 Rue du Bac,--third floor above the _entresol._'
+_Diable!_ we 're high up. Unfortunately, I am scarcely intimate enough
+to bring a friend."
+
+"Oh, make no excuses on that head," said I, laughing; "I really have no
+desire to see Monsieur Hippolyte Pierrot's _menage_. And now, what are
+your engagements for this evening? Are you for the Opera?"
+
+"I don't well know," said he, pausing. "Madame Caulaincourt receives,
+and of course expects to see our gay jackets in her _salon_ any time
+before or after supper. Then there's the Comtesse de Nevers: I never go
+there without meeting my tailor; the fellow's a spy of the police, and
+a confectioner to boot, and he serves the ices, and reports the
+conversations in the Place Vend�me and that side of the Rue St.
+Honor�,--I couldn't take a glass of lemonade without being dunned. Then,
+in the Faubourg I must go in plain clothes,--they would not let the
+'livery of the Usurper' pass the porter's lodge; besides, they worry one
+with their enthusiastic joy or grief,--as the last letter from England
+mentions whether the Comte d'Artois has eaten too many oysters, or found
+London beer too strong for him."
+
+"From all which I guess that you are indisposed to stir."
+
+"I believe that is about the fact. Truth is, Burke, there is only one
+soir�e in all Paris I 'd take the trouble to dress for this evening;
+and, strange enough, it's the only house where I don't know the people.
+He is a commissary-general, or a 'fournisseur' of some kind or other of
+the army; always from home, they say; with a wife who was once, and a
+daughter who is now, exceeding pretty; keeps a splendid house; and, like
+an honest man, makes restitution of all he can cheat in the campaign by
+giving good dinners in the capital. His Majesty, at the solicitation of
+the Empress, I believe, made him a count,--God's mercy it was not a
+king!--and as they come from Guadaloupe, or Otaheite, no one disputes
+their right. Besides, this is not a time for such punctilio. This is all
+I know of them, for unfortunately they settled here since I joined the
+army."
+
+"And the name?"
+
+"Oh, a very plausible name, I assure you. Lacostellerie,--Madame la
+Comtesse de Lacostellerie."
+
+"By Jove! you remind me I have letters for her,--a circumstance I had
+totally forgotten, though it was coupled with a commission."
+
+"A letter! Why, nothing was ever so fortunate. Don't lose a moment; you
+have just time to leave it, with your card, before dinner. You'll have
+an invitation for this evening at once."
+
+"But I have not the slightest wish."
+
+"No matter, _I_ have; and you shall bring me."
+
+"You forget," said I, mimicking his own words, "I am unfortunately not
+intimate enough."
+
+"As to that," replied he, "there is a vast difference between the
+etiquette Rue du Bac, No. 22, three floors above the _entresol_, and the
+gorgeous _salons_ of the H�tel Clichy, Rue Faubourg St. Honor�; ceremony
+has the advantage in the former by a height of three pair of stairs, not
+to speak of the _entresol_."
+
+"But I don't know the people."
+
+"Nor I."
+
+"But how am I to present you?"
+
+"Easily enough,--'Captain Duchesne, Imperial Guard;' or, if you prefer
+it, I 'll do the honors for _you_."
+
+"With all my heart, then," said I, laughing; and pre-pared to pay the
+visit in question.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X. THE H�TEL DE CLICHY
+
+Duchesne was correct in all his calculations. I had scarcely reached the
+Luxembourg when a valet brought me a card for the comtesse's soir�e
+for that evening. It was accordingly agreed upon that we were to go
+together; I as the invited, he as my friend.
+
+"All your finery, Burke, remember that," said he, as we separated to
+dress. "The uniform of the _compagnie d'�lite_ is as much a decoration
+in a _salon_ as a camellia or a geranium."
+
+When he re-entered my room half an hour later, I was struck by the blaze
+of orders and decorations with which his jacket was covered; while at
+his side there hung a magnificent _sabre d'honneur_, such as the Emperor
+was accustomed to confer on his most distinguished officers.
+
+"You smile at all this bravery," said he, wilfully misinterpreting
+my look of admiration; "but remember where we are going."
+
+"On the contrary," interrupted I; "but it is the first time I knew you
+had the cross of the Legion."
+
+"_Parbleu!_" said he, with an insolent shrug of his shoulders, "I had
+lent it to my hairdresser for a ball at the 'Cirque.' But here comes the
+carriage."
+
+While we drove along towards the Faubourg I had time to learn some
+further particulars of the people to whose house we were proceeding;
+and for my reader's information may as well impart them here, with such
+other facts as I subsequently collected myself.
+
+Like most of the _salons_ of the new aristocracy, Madame Lacostellerie
+received people of every section of party and every class of political
+opinion. Standing equally aloof from the old r�gime and the members
+of the Jacobin party, her receptions were a kind of neutral territory,
+where each could come without compromise of dignity: for already, except
+among the most starched adherents of the Bourbons, few of whom remained
+in France, there was a growing spirit to side with the Napoleonists
+in preference to the revolutionary section; while the latter, with all
+their pretensions to simplicity and primitive tastes, felt no little
+pride in mixing with the very aristocracy they so loudly inveighed
+against. Besides all this, wealth had its prestige. Never, in the
+palmiest days of the royalty, were entertainments of greater splendor;
+and the Legitimists, however disposed to be critical on the company,
+could afford to be just regarding the cuisine,--the luxury of these
+modern dinners eclipsing the most costly displays of former times, where
+hereditary rank and ancient nobility contributed to adorn the scene.
+And, lastly, the admixture of every grade and class extended the field
+of conversational agreeability, throwing in new elements and eliciting
+new features in a society where peers, actors, poets, bankers, painters,
+soldiers, speculators, journalists, and adventurers were confusedly
+mixed together; making, as it were, a common fund of their principles
+and their prejudices, and starting anew in life with what they could
+seize in the scramble.
+
+After following the long line of carriages for above an hour, we at last
+turned into a large courtyard, lit up almost to the brightness of day.
+Here the equipages of many of the ministers were standing,--a privilege
+accorded to them above the other guests. I recognized among the number
+the splendid liveries of Decr�s; and the stately carriage of Talleyrand,
+whose household always proclaimed itself as belonging to a "seigneur"
+of the oldest blood of France,--the most perfect type of a highbred
+gentleman. Our progress from the vestibule to the stairs was a slow one.
+The double current of those pressing upwards and downwards delayed us
+long; and at last we reached a spacious antechamber, where even greater
+numbers stood awaiting their turn, if happily it should come, to move
+forward.
+
+While here, the names of those announced conveyed tous a fair impression
+of the whole company. Among the first was Le General Junot, Berthollet
+(the celebrated chemist), Lafayette, Monges, Daru, Comte de Mailles (a
+Legitimist noble), David (the regicide), the Ambassador of Prussia,
+M. Pasquier, Talma. Such were the names we heard following in quick
+succession; when suddenly an avenue was opened by a master of the
+ceremonies before me, who read from my card the words, "Le Capitaine
+Burke, officier d'�lite; le Chevalier Duchesne, pr�sent� par lui." And
+advancing within the doorway, I found myself opposite a very handsome
+woman, whose brilliant dress and blaze of diamonds concealed any ravages
+time might have made upon her beauty.
+
+She was conversing with the Arch-Chancellor, Cambac�r�s, when my name
+was announced; and turning rapidly round, touched my arm with her
+bouquet, as she said, with a most gracious smile,--
+
+"I am but too much flattered to see you on so short an invitation; but
+M. de Tascher's note led me to hope I might presume so far. Your friend,
+I believe?"
+
+"I have taken the great liberty--"
+
+"Indeed, Madame la Comtesse," said Duchesne, interrupting, "I must
+exculpate my friend here. This intrusion rests on my own head, and has
+no other apology than my long cherished wish to pay my homage to the
+most distinguished ornament of the Parisian world."
+
+As he spoke, the quiet flow of his words, and the low deferential bow
+with which he accompanied them, completely divested his speech of its
+tone of gross flattery, and merely made it seem a very fitting and
+appropriate expression.
+
+"This would be a very high compliment, indeed," replied Madame de
+Lacostellerie, with a flush of evident pleasure on her cheek, "had it
+even come from one less known than the Chevalier Duchesne. I hope the
+Duchesse de Montserrat is well,--your aunt, if I mistake not?" "Yes,
+Madame," said he, "in excellent health; it will afford her great
+pleasure when I inform her of your polite inquiry."
+
+Another announcement now compelled us to follow the current in front,
+which I was well content to do, and escape from an interchange of fine
+speeches, of whose sincerity, on one side at least, I had very strong
+misgivings.
+
+"So, then, the comtesse is acquainted with your family?" said I, in a
+whisper.
+
+"Who said so?" replied he, laughing.
+
+"Did she not ask after the Duchesse de Montserrat?"
+
+"And then?"
+
+"And didn't you promise to convey her very kind message?"
+
+"To be sure I did. But are you simple enough to think that either of us
+were serious in what we said? Why, my dear friend, she never saw my
+aunt in her life; nor, if I were to hint at her inquiry for her to
+the duchesse, am I certain it would not cost me something like a half
+million of francs the old lady has left me in her will,--on my word, I
+firmly believe she'd never forgive it. You know little what these people
+of the _vieille roche_, as they call themselves, are like. Do you see
+that handsome fellow yonder, with a star on a blue cordon?"
+
+"I don't know him; but I see he's a Marshal of France."
+
+"Well, I saw that same aunt of mine rise up and leave the room because
+_he_ sat down in her presence!"
+
+"Oh! that was intolerable."
+
+"So she deemed his insolence. Come, move on; they 're dancing in the
+next _salon_." And without saying more, we pushed through the crowd in
+the direction of the music.
+
+It is only by referring to the sensations experienced by those who see
+a ballet at the Opera for the first time that I can at all convey my own
+on entering the _salle de danse_. My first feeling was that of absolute
+shame. Never before had I seen that affectation of stage costume which
+then was the rage in society. The short and floating jupe--formed of
+some light and gauzy texture, which, even where it covered the figure,
+betrayed the form and proportions of the wearer--was worn low on the
+bosom and shoulders, and attached at the waist by a ribbon, whose knot
+hung negligently down in seeming disorder. The hair fell in long and
+floating masses loose upon the neck, waving in free tresses with every
+motion of the figure, and adding to that air of abandon which seemed so
+studiously aimed at. But more than anything in mere costume was the
+look and expression, in which a character of languid voluptuousness
+was written, and made to harmonize with the easy grace of floating
+movements, and sympathize with gestures full of passionate fascination.
+
+[Illustration: The Dance 134]
+
+"Now, Burke," said Duchesne, as he threw his eyes over the room, "shall
+I find a partner for you? for I believe I know most of the people here.
+That pretty blonde yonder, with the diamond buckles in her shoes, is
+Mademoiselle de Rancy, with a dowry of some millions of francs; what say
+you to pushing your fortune there? Don't forget the _officier d'�lite_
+is a trump card just now; and there's no time to lose, for there will
+soon be a new deal."
+
+"Not if she had the throne of France in reversion," said I; turning away
+in disgust from a figure which, though perfectly beautiful, outraged at
+every movement that greatest charm of womanhood,--her inborn modesty.
+
+"Ah, then, you don't fancy a blonde!" said he, carelessly, whether
+wilfully misunderstanding me or not I could not say. "Nor I either,"
+added he. "There, now, is something far more to my taste; is she not a
+lovely girl?"
+
+She to whom he now directed my attention was standing at the side of
+the room, and leaning on her partner's arm; her head slightly turned,
+so that we could not see her features, but her figure was actually
+faultless. Hers was not one of those gossamer shapes which flitted
+around and about us, balancing on tiptoe, or gracefully floating with
+extending arms. Rather strongly built than otherwise, she stood with
+the firm foot and the straight ankle of a marble statue; her arms, well
+rounded, hung easily from her full, wide shoulders; while her head,
+slightly thrown back, was balanced on her neck with an air at once
+dignified and easy. Her dress well suited the character of her figure:
+it was entirely of black, covered with a profusion of deep lace,--the
+jupe looped up in Andalusian fashion to display the leg, whose symmetry
+was perfect. Even her costume, however, had something about it too
+theatrical for my taste; but there was a stamp of firmness, _fiert�_
+even, in her carriage and her attitude, that at once showed hers was
+no vulgar desire of being remarkable, but the womanly consciousness of
+being dressed as became her. She suddenly turned her head around, and
+we both exclaimed in the same breath, "How lovely!" Her features were of
+that brilliant character only seen in Southern blood: eyes large, black,
+and lustrous, fringed with lashes that threw their shadow on the very
+cheek; full lips, curled with an air of almost saucy expression; while
+the rich olive tint of her transparent skin was scarce colored with the
+pink flush of exercise, and harmonized perfectly with the proud repose
+of her countenance.
+
+"She must be Spanish,--that's certain," said Duchesne. "No one ever saw
+such an instep come from this side the Pyrenees; and those eyes have got
+their look of sleepy wickedness from Moorish blood. But here comes one
+will tell us all about her."
+
+This was the Baron de Tr�ve,--a withered-looking, dried-up old man,
+rouged to the eyes, and dressed in the extravagance of the last fashion;
+the high collar of his coat rising nearly to the back of his head, as
+his deep cravat in front entirely concealed his mouth, and formed a kind
+of barrier around his features.
+
+As Duchesne addressed him, he stopped short, and assuming an attitude
+of great intended grace, raised his glass slowly to his eye, and looked
+towards the lady.
+
+"Ah! the se�orina. Don't you know _her?_ Why, where have you been, my
+dear chevalier? Oh! I forgot. You've been in Austria, or Russia, or some
+barbarous place or other. She is the belle, _par excellence_; nothing
+else is talked of in Paris."
+
+"But her name? Who is she?" said Duchesne, impatiently.
+
+"Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie, the daughter of the house," said the
+baron, completely overcome with astonishment at our ignorance. "And you
+not to know this!--you, of all men living! Why," he continued, dropping
+his voice to a lower key, "there never was such a fortune. Mines of
+rubies and emeralds; continents of coffee, rice, and sandal-wood; spice
+islands and sugar plantations, to make one's mouth water."
+
+"By Jove, Baron! you seem somewhat susceptible yourself."
+
+"I had my thoughts on the subject," said he, with a half sigh. "But,
+_h�las!_ there are so many ties to be broken! so many tender chains one
+must snap asunder!"
+
+"I understand," said Duchesne, with an air of well-assumed seriousness;
+"the thing was impossible. Now, then, what say you to assist a friend?"
+
+"You,--yourself, do you mean?"
+
+"Of course, Baron; no other."
+
+"Come this way," said the old man, taking him by the arm, and leading
+him along to another part of the room, while Duchesne, with a sly look
+at me, followed.
+
+While I stood awaiting his return, my thoughts became fixed on Duchesne
+himself, of whose character I never felt free from my misgivings. The
+cold indifference he manifested on ordinary occasions to everything and
+everybody, I now saw could give way to strong impetuosity; but even this
+might be assumed also. As I pondered thus, I had not remarked that the
+dance was concluded; and already the dancers were proceeding towards
+their seats, when I heard my name uttered beside me,--"Capitaine
+Burke." I turned; it was the countess herself, leaning on the arm of her
+daughter.
+
+"I wish to present you to my daughter," said she, with a courteous
+smile. "The college friend and brother officer of your cousin Tascher,
+Pauline."
+
+The young lady courtesied with an air of cold reserve; I bowed deeply
+before her; while the countess continued,--
+
+"We hope to have the pleasure of seeing you frequently during your
+stay in Paris, when we shall have a better opportunity of making your
+acquaintance."
+
+As I expressed my sense of this politeness, I turned to address a few
+words to mademoiselle; and requesting to have the honor of dancing
+with her, she looked at me with an air of surprise, as though not
+understanding my words, when suddenly the countess interposed,--
+
+"I fear that my daughter's engagements have been made long since; but
+another night--"
+
+"I will hope--"
+
+But before I could say more, the countess addressed another person near
+her, and mademoiselle, turning her head superciliously away, did not
+deign me any further attention; so that, abashed and awkward at so
+unfavorable a _d�but_ in the gay world, I fell back, and mixed with the
+crowd.
+
+As I did so, I found myself among a group of officers, one of whom was
+relating an anecdote just then current in Paris, and which I mention
+merely as illustrating in some measure the habits of the period.
+
+At the lev�e of the Emperor on the morning before, an old general of
+brigade advanced to pay his respects, when Napoleon observed some drops
+of rain glistening on the embroidery of his uniform. He immediately
+turned towards one of his suite, and gave orders to ascertain by what
+carriage the general had arrived. The answer was, that he had come in
+a _fiacre_,--a hired vehicle, which by the rules of the Court was not
+admitted within the court of the Tuileries, and thus he was obliged to
+walk above one hundred yards before he could obtain shelter. The old
+officer, who knew nothing of the tender solicitude of the Emperor, was
+confounded with astonishment to observe at his departure a handsome
+_cal�che_ and two splendid horses at his service.
+
+"Whose carriage is this?" said he.
+
+"Yours, Monsieur le G�n�ral."
+
+"And the servant, and the horses?"
+
+"Yours, also. His Majesty has graciously been pleased to order them for
+you; and desires you will remember that the sum of six thousand francs
+will be deducted from your pay to meet the cost of the equipage which
+the Emperor deems befitting your rank in the service."
+
+"It is thus," said the narrator, "the Emperor would enforce that
+liberality on others he so eminently displays himself. The spoils of
+Italy and Austria are destined, not to found a new _noblesse_, but to
+enrich the _bourgeoisie_ of this good city of Paris. I say, Edward,
+is not that Duchesne yonder? I thought he was above patronizing the
+_salons_ of a mere commissary-general."
+
+"You don't know the chevalier," replied the other; "no game flies
+too high or too low for his mark. Depend upon it, he's not here for
+nothing."
+
+"If mademoiselle be the object," said a third, "I'll swear he shall have
+no rivalry on my side. By Jove I I 'd rather face a charge of Hulans
+than speak to her."
+
+"If thou wert a Marshal of France, Claude, thou wouldst think
+differently."
+
+"If I were a Marshal of France," repeated he, with energy, "I'd rather
+marry Minette, the vivandi�re of ours."
+
+"And no bad choice either," broke in a large! heavy-looking officer.
+"There is but one objection to such an arrangement."
+
+"And that, if I might ask--"
+
+"Simple enough. She would n't have you."
+
+The young man endeavored to join in the laugh this speech excited among
+the rest, though it was evident he felt ill at ease from the ridicule.
+
+"A thousand pardons, my dear Burke," said Duchesne, at this moment, as
+he slipped his arm through mine; "but I thought I should have been in
+need of your services a few minutes ago."
+
+"Ah! how?"
+
+"Move a little aside, and I 'll tell you. I wished to ask mademoiselle
+to dance, and approached her for the purpose. She was standing with
+a number of people, all strangers to me, at the doorway
+yonder,--Dobretski, that Russian prince, the only man I knew amongst
+them. A very chilling 'Engaged, sir,' was the answer of the lady to my
+first request. The same reply met my second and third; when the Russian,
+as if desirous to increase the awkwardness of my position, interposed
+with, 'And the fourth set mademoiselle dances with me.'
+
+"'In that case,' said I, 'I may fairly claim the fifth.'
+
+"'On what grounds, sir?' said she, with a look of easy impertinence.
+
+"'The Emperor's orders, Mademoiselle,' said I, proudly.
+
+"'Indeed, sir! May I ask how and when?'
+
+"'Austerlitz, December 2. The order of four o'clock, dated from Reygern,
+says, "The Imperial Guard will follow closely on the track of the
+Russians." (Signed) "Napoleon."'
+
+"'In that case, sir,' said she, 'I cannot dispute his Majesty's orders.
+I shall dance the fifth with you.'"
+
+"And the Russian,--what said he?"
+
+"_Ma foi!_ I paid no attention to him; for as mademoiselle moved off
+with her partner, I strolled away in search of you."
+
+If I was amused at this recital of the chevalier, I could not avoid
+feeling piqued at the greater success he had than myself; for still the
+chilling reception I had met with was rankling in my mind.
+
+"Let us move away from this quarter," said Duchesne. "Here we have got
+ourselves among a knot of old campaigners, with their stupid stories
+of Cairo and Acre, Alexandria and the Adige. By Jove! if anything would
+make me a Legitimist, it is my disgust at those confounded narratives
+about Kleber and Desaix; the Emperor himself does not despise the time
+of the Revolution more heartily than I do. Come, there's _bouillotte_
+yonder; let us go and win some pieces. I feel I'm in vein; and even
+to lose would be better than listen to these people. It was only a few
+minutes ago I was hunted, away from Madame de Muraire by old Berthollet,
+who is persuading her that her diamonds are but charcoal, and that a
+necklace is only fit to roast an ortolan. This comes of letting savants
+into society; decidedly, they had much better taste in the time of the
+Monarchy."
+
+It was with some difficulty we succeeded in approaching the _bouillotte_
+table, where, to judge from the stakes, very high play was going
+forward. Duchesne was quickly recognized among the players, who made
+place for him among them. I soon saw that he was not mistaken in
+supposing he was in luck; every _coup_ was successful, and, while he
+continued to win time after time, the heap of gold grew greater, till it
+covered the part of the table before him.
+
+"Most certainly, Burke," said he, in a whisper, "this is a strong turn
+of Fortune, who, being a woman, won't long be of the same mind. Five
+thousand francs," cried he, throwing the _billet de banque_ carelessly
+before him, while he turned to resume what he was saying to me. "Were I
+in action now, I 'd win the _b�ton de mar�chal_. I feel it; there's an
+innate sense of luck when it means to be steady."
+
+"The Chevalier Duchesne! the Chevalier Duchesne!" was repeated from
+voice to voice, outside the circle; "Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie is
+waiting to waltz with you."
+
+"A thousand pardons," said he, rising. "Burke, continue my game, while
+I try if I can't push fortune the whole way." So saying, and without
+listening to my excuses about ignorance of play, he pressed me into his
+seat, and pushed his way through the crowd to join the dancers.
+
+It was only when the players asked me if I intended to go on that I was
+aware of the position in which I found myself. I knew little more of the
+game than I had learned in looking over the table; but I was aware of
+the strict etiquette in all the play of society, which enjoins a revenge
+to every loser, so that I continued to bet and stake for Duchesne as
+I had seen him do already,--not, however, with such fortune. He had
+scarcely left the table when luck changed; and now I saw his riches
+decreasing even more rapidly than they had been accumulated. At last,
+after a long run of ill fortune, when I had staked a very large sum on
+the board, just as the banker was about to begin, I changed my mind and
+withdrew half of it.
+
+"No, no,--let it stay," whispered a voice in my ear; "the sooner this is
+over the better."
+
+I turned. It was Duchesne himself, who for some time had been seated
+behind my chair and looking on at the game.
+
+Fleeting as was the glance I had of his features, I fancied they were
+somewhat paler than usual. Could this be from the turn of fortune? But
+no. I watched him now, and I perceived that he never even looked at the
+game. At last, I staked all that remained in one _coup_, and lost; when,
+drawing forth my own purse, I was about to make another bet,--
+
+"No, no, Burke," whispered he in my ear; "I was only waiting for this
+moment. Let us come away now. I rise as I sat down, Messieurs," he said,
+gayly; while he added, in a lower tone, "Sauf l'honneur."
+
+"Have you had enough of gayety for one night?" said he, as he drew my
+arm within his. "Shall we turn home wards?"
+
+"Willingly," said I; for somehow I felt chagrined and vexed at my
+ill-luck, and was angry with myself for playing.
+
+"Come along, then; this door will bring us to the stairs."
+
+As we passed along hastily through the crowd, I saw that a young officer
+in a hussar uniform whispered something in Duchesne's ear; to which
+he quickly replied, "Certainly." And as he spoke again in the same low
+tone, Duchesne answered, "Agreed, sir," with a courteous smile, and a
+look of much pleasure.
+
+"Well, Burke," said he, turning to me, "these are about the most
+splendid _salons_ in Paris; I think I never saw more perfect taste. I
+certainly must thank you for being my chaperon here."
+
+"You forget, Duchesne, the Duchesse de Montserrat, it seems," said I,
+laughing.
+
+"By Jove, and so I had!" said he. "Yet the initiative lay with you;
+how the termination may be is another matter," added he, in a mumbling
+voice, not intended to be heard.
+
+"At all events," said I, puzzled what to say, and feeling I should
+say something, "I am happy your Russian friend took no notice of your
+speech."
+
+"And why?" said he, with a peculiar smile,--"and why?"
+
+"I abhor a duel, in the first place."
+
+"But, my dear boy, that speech smacks much more of the �cole de J�suites
+than of St. Cyr. Don't let any one less your friend than I am hear you
+say so."
+
+"I care not who may hear it. Necessity may make me meet an adversary in
+single combat; but as to acting the cold-blooded part of a bystander--as
+to being the witness of my friend's crime, or his own death--"
+
+"Come, come; when you exchange the dolman for an alb I 'll listen to
+this from you, if I can listen to it from any one. But happily, now we
+have no time for more morality, for here comes the carriage."
+
+Chatting pleasantly about the soir�e and its company, we rolled along
+towards our quarters, and parted with a cordial shake of the hand for
+the night.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI. A SALLE DE POLICE
+
+When I entered the breakfast-room the following morning, I found
+Duchesne stretched before the fire in an easy-chair, busily engaged
+in reading the "Moniteur" of that day, where a long list of imperial
+_ordonnances_ filled nearly three columns.
+
+"Here have I been," said he, "conning over this catalogue of princely
+favor these twenty minutes, and yet cannot discern one word of our
+well-beloved cousins Captains Burke and Duchesne. And yet there seems to
+be a hailstorm of promotions. Some of them have got grand duchies; some
+principalities; some have the cross of the Legion; and here, by
+Jove! are some endowed with wives. Now that his Majesty has taken to
+christening and marrying, I suppose we shall soon see him administering
+all the succors of Holy Church. Have you much interest in hearing
+that Talleyrand is to be called Prince of Benevente, and Murat is now
+Grand-Duke of Berg,--that Sebastiani is to be married to Mademoiselle de
+Coigny, and Monsieur Decazes, _fils de_ M. Decazes, has taken some one
+else to wife? Oh dear, oh dear! It's all very tiresome, and not even the
+f�te of Saint Napoleon--"
+
+"Of whom?" said I, laughing.
+
+"Saint Napoleon, _parbleu!_ It's no joking matter, I assure you. Here
+is the letter of the cardinal legate to the arch-bishops and bishops
+of France, commanding that the first Sunday in the August of each year
+should be set apart to celebrate his saintship, with an account of the
+processions to take place, and various plenary indulgences to the pious
+who shall present themselves on the occasion. Fouch� could tell you the
+names of some people who bled freely to get rid of all this trumpery;
+and, in good sooth, it's rather hard, if we could not endure Saint
+Louis, to be obliged to tolerate Saint Napoleon,--saints, like Bordeaux
+wine, being all the more palatable when they have age to mellow them. I
+could forgive anything, however, but this system of forced marriages;
+it smacks too much of old Frederick for my taste. And one cannot always
+have the luck of your friend General d'Auvergne."
+
+I felt my cheek grow burning hot at the words. Duchesne did not notice
+my confusion, but continued,--
+
+"And yet, of all the ill-assorted unions for which his sainted Majesty
+will have to account hereafter, that was unquestionably the most
+extraordinary."
+
+"But I have heard, and I believe too, that the marriage was not of the
+Emperor's making; it was purely a matter of liking."
+
+"Come, come, Burke," said he, laughing, "you will not tell me that the
+handsomest girl at the Court, with a large dowry, an ancient name, and
+every advantage of position, marries an old weather-beaten soldier--the
+senior officer of her own father once--of her own free will and choice.
+The thing is absurd. No, no; these are the Imperial recompenses, when
+grand duchies are scarce and confiscations few. The Emperor does not
+travel for nothing. He brought back with him from Egypt something
+besides his Mameluke Guard: that clever trick the pachas have of
+providing a favorite with an ex-sultana. There, there! don't look so
+angrily. We shall both be marshals of France one of these days, and that
+may reconcile one to a great deal."
+
+"You are determined to owe nothing of your promotion to a blind devotion
+to Napoleon,--that's certain," said I, annoyed at the tone of insolent
+disparagement in which he spoke.
+
+"You are right,--perfectly right there," replied he, in a quiet tone of
+voice. "No man would rather hug himself up in an illusion, if he could
+but make it minister to his pleasure or his enjoyment; but when it does
+neither,--when the material is so flimsy as to be seen through at every
+minute,--I throw it from me as a worthless garment, unfit to wear."
+
+"Can you, then, deem Napoleon's glory such?"
+
+"Of course, to me it is. How am I a sharer in his triumphs, save as the
+charger that marches in the cavalcade? You don't perceive that I, as the
+descendant of an old Loyalist family, would have fared far better with
+the Bourbons, from reasons of blood and kindred; and a hundred times
+better with the Jacobins, from very recklessness."
+
+"How then came it--"
+
+"I will spare you the question. I liked neither emigration nor the
+guillotine, and preferred the slow suffering of ennui to the quick death
+of the scaffold. There has been but one career in France for many a day
+past. I adopted it as much from necessity as choice; I followed it more
+from habit than either."
+
+"But you cannot be insensible to the greatness of your country, nor her
+success in arms."
+
+"Nor am I; but these things are a small ingredient in patriotism. You,
+the stranger, share with us all our triumphs in the field. But the
+inherent features of a nation,--the distinctive traits of which every
+son of the soil feels proud,--where are they now? What is France to me
+more than to you? One half my kindred are exiled; of those who remain,
+many regard me as a renegade. Their properties confiscated, themselves
+suspected, what tie binds them to this country? You are not more an
+alien here than I am."
+
+"And yet, Duchesne, you shed your blood freely for this same cause you
+condemn. You charged the Pratzen, some days ago, with four squadrons,
+against a whole column of Russian cavalry."
+
+"Ay, and would again to-morrow, boy. Had you been a gambler, I need n't
+have told you that it is the game, not the stake, that interests the
+real gamester. But come, do not fancy I want to make you a convert to
+these tiresome theories of mine. What say you to the pretty Mademoiselle
+Pauline? Did you admire her much?"
+
+"She is unquestionably very handsome; but, if I must confess it, her
+manner towards me was too ungracious to make me loud in her praise."
+
+"I like that, I vow," said Duchesne; "that saucy air has an
+indescribable charm for me. I don't know if it is not the very thing
+which pleases me most about her. She has been spoiled by flattery and
+admiration; for her beauty and her fortune are prizes in the great
+wheel. And that she is aware of the fact is nothing wonderful,
+considering that she hears it repeated every evening of her life, by
+every-rank in the service, from a marshal of France down to--a captain
+in the _chasseurs � cheval_," said he, laughing.
+
+"Who, probably, was one of the last to tell her so," said I, looking at
+him slyly.
+
+"What have we here?" said he, suddenly, without paying any attention to
+my remark, as he again took up the "Moniteur." "'It is rumored that the
+Russian Prince, Drobretski, was dangerously wounded this morning in an
+affair of honor. The names of the other party and the seconds are
+still unknown; but the efforts of the police, stimulated by the express
+command of the Emperor, will, it is to be hoped, succeed in discovering
+them ere long.'"
+
+"Is not that the name of your Russian friend of last night, Duchesne?"
+
+"Yes. And the same person, too, formerly Russian minister at Madrid, and
+latterly residing on his parole at Paris," continued he, reading from
+the paper. "'The very decided part his Majesty has taken against the
+practice of duelling is strengthened on this occasion by a recent order
+of council respecting the prisoners on parole.' _Diable!_ Burke, what
+a scrupulous turn Napoleon seems to have taken in regard to these
+Cossacks! And here follows a long list of witnesses who have seen
+nothing, and suspicious circumstances that occur every morning in the
+week without remark. After all, I don't think the Empire has advanced
+us much on the score of police,--the same threadbare jests, the same
+old practical jokes, amused the _bourgeoisie_ in the time of Louis the
+Fourteenth."
+
+"I don't clearly understand your meaning."
+
+"It is simply this,--that every Government of France, from Pepin
+downwards, has understood the value of throwing public interest, from
+time to time, on a false scent, and to this end has maintained a police.
+Now, if for any cause his Majesty thought proper to incarcerate that
+Russian prince in the Temple or La Force, the affair would cause a
+tremendous sensation in Paris, and soon would ring over the whole of
+Germany and the rest of Europe, with every variation of despotism,
+tyranny, and all that, attached to it, long before any advantages to be
+derived from the step could be realized. Whereas see the effect of an
+opposite policy. By this report of a duel, for instance,--I don't
+mean to assert it false, here,--the whole object is attained, and
+an admirable subject of Imperial praise obtained into the bargain.
+Governments have learned wisdom from the cuttlefish, and can muddy
+the water on their enemies at the moment of danger. I should not be
+surprised if the affairs of the Bank looked badly this morning."
+
+"It is evident, then, you disbelieve the whole statement about the
+duel."
+
+"My dear friend," said he, smiling, "who is there in all Paris, from
+Montmartre to St. Denis, believes, or disbelieves, any one thing in the
+times we live in? Have we not trusted so implicitly for years past to
+the light of our reason that we have actually injured our eyesight with
+ils brilliancy. Little reproach, indeed, to our minds, when our very
+senses seem to mislead us; when one sees the people who enter the
+Tuileries now with embroidered coats, who in our father's days never
+came nearer to it than the Place de Carrousel. _H�las!_ it's no time for
+incredulity, that's certain. But to conclude," said he, turning to the
+paper once more: "'The _commissaires de police_ throughout Paris have
+received orders to spare no effort to unravel the mystery and detect the
+other parties in this unhappy affair.' Military tribunal; prisoners
+on parole; rights of hospitality; honor of France; and the old
+peroration,--the usual compliment on the wisdom which presides over
+every department of state. How weary I do become of all this! Let your
+barber puff his dye for the whiskers, or your bootmaker the incomparable
+effulgence of his blacking,--the thing is in keeping, no one objects to
+it. I don't find fault with my old friend, Pigault Lebrun, if he now and
+then plays the critic on himself, and shows the world the beauties they
+neglectfully slurred over. But, Burke, have you ever seen a _bureau de
+police?_"
+
+"Never; and I have the greatest curiosity to do so."
+
+"Come, then, I 'll be your guide. The _commissaire_ of this quarter
+has a very extended jurisdiction, stretching away towards the Bois de
+Boulogne, and if there be anything in this report, he is certain to
+know it; and assuredly, no other topic will be talked of till to-morrow
+evening, for it's not Opera night, and Talma does not play either."
+
+I willingly accepted this proposition; and when our breakfast was over,
+we mounted our horses, and set out for the place in question.
+
+"If the forms of justice where we are now going," said Duchesne,
+"be divested of much of their pomp and ceremony, be assured of one
+thing,--it is not at the expense of the more material essence. Of all
+the police tribunals about Paris, this obscure den in the Bue de Dix
+Sous is the most effective. Situated in a quarter where crime is as
+rife as fever in the Pontine Marshes, it has become acquainted with
+the haunts and habits of the lowest class in Paris,--the lowest class,
+probably, in any city of Europe. Watching with parental solicitude,
+it tracks the criminal from his first step in vice to his last deed in
+crime; from his petty theft to his murder. Knowing the necessities to
+which poverty impels men, and studying with attention the impulses
+that grow up amid despair and hunger, it sees motives through a mist of
+intervening circumstances that would baffle less subtle observers, and
+can trace the tortuous windings of crime where no other sight could
+find the clew. Is it not strange to think with what ingenuity men will
+investigate the minute anatomy of vice, and how little they will do to
+apply this knowledge to its remedy? Like the surgeon, enamored of
+his operating skill, he would rather exhibit his dexterity in the
+amputation, than his science in the saving, of the limb. Such is the
+bureau of the police in the poorer quarters. In the more fashionable
+ones it takes a higher flight; amusing the world with its scenes,
+alternately humorous and pathetic, it forms a kind of feature in the
+literature of the period, and is the only reading of thousands. In these
+places the _commissaire_ is usually a _bon vivant_ and a wit; despising
+the miserable function of administering the law, he takes his seat upon
+the bench to cap jokes with the witnesses, puzzle the complainant,
+and embarrass the prisoner. To the reporters alone is he civil; and in
+return, his poor witticisms appear in the morning papers, with the usual
+'loud laughter' that never existed save in type."
+
+As we thus chatted, we entered a quarter of dirty and narrow streets,
+inhabited by a poor-looking, squalid population. The women, with little
+to mark their sex in their coarse, heavy countenances, wore colored
+kerchiefs on their heads in lieu of a cap, and were for the most part
+without shoes or stockings. The men, a brutalized, stupid race, sat
+smoking in the doorways, scarcely lifting their eyes as we passed; or
+some were eating a coarse morsel of black rye bread, which, by their
+eagerness in devouring it, seemed an unusual delicacy.
+
+"You scarcely believed there was such poverty in Paris," said he; "but
+this is by no means the worst of the quarter. Though M. de Champagny, in
+his late report, makes no mention of these 'signs of prosperity,' we are
+now entering the region where, even in noonday, the passage is deemed
+perilous; but the number of police agents on duty to-day will make the
+journey a safe one."
+
+The street we entered at the moment consisted of a mass of tall houses,
+almost falling from decay and neglect,--scarcely a window remained in
+many of them; while in front, a row of miserable booths, formed of rude
+planks, narrowed the passage to a mere path, scarce wide enough for
+three people abreast. There, vice of every description, and drunkenness,
+waited not for the dark hours to shroud them, but came forth in the
+sunlight,--the ruffian shouts of intoxication mingling with the almost
+maniacal laugh of misery or the reckless chorus of some degrading song.
+Half-naked wretches leaned from the windows as we passed along,--some
+staring in stupid wonderment at our appearance; others saluting us with
+mockery and grimace, or even calling out to us in the slang dialect of
+the place.
+
+"Yes," said Duchesne, as he saw the expression of horror and disgust
+the scene impressed on me, "here are the rotting seeds of revolutions
+putrefying, to germinate at some future day. Starvation and vice,
+misery, even to despair, inhabit every den around you. The furious
+and bloodthirsty wretch of '92, the Chouan, the Jacobite, the escaped
+galley-slave, the untaken murderer, are here side by side,--crime their
+great bond of union. To this place men come for an assassin or a false
+witness, as to a market. Such are the wrecks the retiring waves of a
+Revolution have left us. So long as the trade of blood lasted, openly,
+like vultures, they fattened on it; but once the reign of order
+restored, they were driven to murder and outrage as a livelihood."
+
+While he was speaking, we approached a narrow arched passage, within
+which a flight of stone steps arose. "We dismount here," said he.
+
+At the same moment a group of ragged creatures, of every age, surrounded
+us to hold our horses, not noticing the orderly who rode at some
+distance behind us. I followed Duchesne up the steps, and along a gloomy
+corridor, to a little courtyard, where several dismounted gendarmes
+were standing in a circle, chatting. Passing through this, we entered a
+dirty, mean-looking house, around the door of which several people were
+collected, some of whom saluted the chevalier as he came up.
+
+"Who are these fellows?" said I. "They seem to know you."
+
+"Oh! nothing but the common police spies," said he, carelessly; "the
+fellows who lounge about the cabarets and the low gambling-houses. But
+here comes one of higher mark."
+
+As he spoke, he laid his hand on the arm of a tall, powerful-looking
+man, in a blouse; he wore immense whiskers, and a great beard,
+descending far below his chin. "Ah! Bocquin, what have we got going
+forward to-day? I came to show a young friend here the interior of your
+_salle_."
+
+"Monsieur le Capitaine, your most obedient," said the man, in a deep
+voice, as he removed his casquette, and bowed ceremoniously to us; "and
+yours also, Monsieur," added he, turning to me. "Why, there is nothing
+to speak of, save that duel, Capitaine."
+
+"Come, come, Bocquin; no nonsense with me. What was that story got up
+for?"
+
+"Ah! you mistake there," said Bocquin. "By Jove! there's a man badly
+wounded, shot through the neck, and no one to tell a word about it. No
+seconds present, the thing done quite privately; the wounded man left at
+his own door, and the other off,--Heaven knows where."
+
+"And you believe this tale, Bocquin?" said Duchesne, superciliously.
+
+"Believe it!--that I do. I have been to see the place where the man lay;
+and by tracking the wheel marks, I have discovered they came from the
+Champs �lys�es. The cabriolet, too, was a private one; no _fiacre_ has
+got so narrow a tire to the wheel."
+
+"Closely followed up,--eh, Burke?" said the chevalier, turning towards
+me with a smile of admiration at his sagacity. "Go on, Bocquin."
+
+"Well, I followed the scent to the Barri�re de l'�toile, where I learned
+that one cabriolet passed towards the Bois de Boulogne, and returned in
+about half an hour. As the pace was a sharp one, I guessed they could
+not have gone far, and so I turned into the wood at the first road to
+the right, where there is least recourse of people; and, by Jove! I was
+all correct. There, in a small open space between the trees, I saw the
+marks of recent footsteps, and a little farther on found the grass all
+covered with blood."
+
+"Monsieur Bocquin! Monsieur Bocquin! the _commissaire_ wants you," cried
+a voice from the landing of the stair; and with an apology for leaving
+thus suddenly, he turned away.
+
+We followed, however, curious to hear the remainder of this singular
+history; and, after some difficulty, succeeded in gaining admittance to
+a small room, now densely crowded with people, the most of whom were
+of the very lowest class. The _commissaire_ speedily made place for
+us beside him on the bench; for, like every one else in a conspicuous
+position, he also was an acquaintance of Duchesne.
+
+While the _commissaire_ conversed with Bocquin in a low tone, we had
+time to observe the _salle_ and its occupants. Except the witnesses,
+two or three of whom were respectable persons, they were the
+squalid-looking, ragged wretches of the quarter, listening with the
+greedy appetite of crime to any tale of bloodshed. The surgeon, who had
+just returned from visiting the wounded man, was waiting to be examined.
+To him now the _commissaire_ directed his attention. It appeared that
+the wound was by no means of the dangerous character described, being
+merely through the fleshy portion of the neck, without injuring any
+part of importance. Having described circumstantially the extent of
+the injury and its probable cause, he replied to a question of the
+_commissaire_, that no entreaty could persuade the wounded man to
+give any explanation of the occurrence, nor mention the name of his
+adversary. Duchesne paid little apparent attention to the evidence, and
+before it was concluded, asked me if I were satisfied with my police
+experience, and disposed to move away.
+
+Just at this moment there was a stir among the people round the door,
+and we heard the officers of the court cry out, "Room! make way
+there!" and the same moment General Duroc entered, accompanied by an
+aide-de-camp. He had been sent specially by the Emperor to ascertain
+what progress the investigation had made. His Majesty had determined to
+push the inquiry to its utmost limits. The general appeared dissatisfied
+with the little prospect there appeared of elucidation; and turning to
+Duchesne, remarked,--
+
+"This is peculiarly ill-timed just now, as negotiations are pending with
+Russia, and the prince's family are about the person of the Czar."
+
+"But as the wound would seem of little consequence, in a few days
+perhaps the whole thing may blow over," said Duchesne.
+
+"It is for that very reason," replied Duroc, earnestly, "that we are
+pressed for time. The object is to mark the sentiments of his Majesty
+_now_. Should the prince be once pronounced out of danger, it will be
+too late for sympathy."
+
+"Oh! I perceive," said Duchesne, smiling; "your observation is most
+just. If my friend here, however, cannot put you on the track, I fear
+you have little to hope for elsewhere."
+
+"I am aware of that; and Monsieur Cauchois knows the great reliance his
+Majesty reposes in his skill and activity."
+
+Monsieur Cauchois, the _commissaire_, bowed with a most respectful air
+at the compliment, probably of all others the highest that could be paid
+him.
+
+"A brilliant soir�e we had last evening, Duchesne," said the general. "I
+hope this unhappy affair will not close that house at present; you are
+aware the prince is the suitor of mademoiselle?"
+
+"I only suspected as much," said the chevalier, with a peculiar smile;
+"it was my first evening there."
+
+As General Duroc addressed a few words in a low tone to the
+_commissaire_, the man called Bocquin approached the bench, and handed
+up a small slip of paper to Duchesne. The chevalier opened it, and
+having thrown his eyes over it, passed it into my hand. All I could see
+were two words, written coarsely with the pencil,--"How much?"
+
+The chevalier turned the back of the paper, and wrote, "Fifty
+napoleons."
+
+On reading which the large man tore the scrap, and nodding slightly
+with his head, sauntered from the room. We rose a few moments after,
+and having taken a formal leave of the general and the _commissaire_,
+proceeded towards the street, where we had left our horses. As we passed
+along the corridor, however, we found Bocquin awaiting us. He opened
+a door into a small, mean-looking apartment, of which he appeared the
+owner. Having ushered us in, and cautiously closed it behind him, he
+drew from his pocket a piece of cloth, to which a button and a piece of
+gold embroidery were attached.
+
+"Your jacket would be spoiled without this morsel, Captain," said he,
+laughing, in a low, dry laugh.
+
+"So it would, Bocquin," said Duchesne, examining his coat, which I now
+perceived was torn on the shoulder, and a small piece--the exact one in
+his hand--wanting, but which had escaped my attention from the mass of
+gold lace and embroidery with which it was covered.
+
+"Do you know, Bocquin," said Duchesne, in a tone much graver than he had
+used before, "I never noticed that?"
+
+"_Parbleu!_ I believe you," said he, laughing; "nor did I, till you sat
+on the bench, when I was so pleased with your coolness, I could not for
+the life of me interrupt you."
+
+"Have you got any money, Burke?" said the chevalier; "some twenty gold
+pieces--"
+
+"No, no, Captain," said Bocquin, "not now; another time. I must call
+upon you one of these mornings about another affair, and it will be time
+enough then."
+
+"As you please, Bocquin," said the chevalier, putting up his purse
+again; "and so, till we meet."
+
+"Till we meet, gentlemen," replied the other, as he bowed us
+respectfully to the door.
+
+"You seem to have but a very faint comprehension of all this, Burke,"
+said Duchesne, as he took my arm; "you look confoundedly puzzled, I must
+say."
+
+"If I didn't, I should be an admirable actor, that's all," said I.
+
+"Why, I think the thing is plain enough, in all conscience; Bocquin
+found that piece of my jacket on the ground, and, of course, the affair
+was in his hands."
+
+"Why, do you mean to say--"
+
+"That I shot Monsieur le Prince this morning, at a quarter past seven
+o'clock, and felt devilish uncomfortable about it till the last ten
+minutes, my boy. If I did not confide the matter to you before, it
+was because that until all chance of detection was passed, I could not
+expose you to the risk of an examination before the _pr�fet de police_.
+Happily, now these dangers are all over. Bocquin is too clever a fellow
+not to throw all the other spies on a wrong scent, so that we need have
+no fear of the result."
+
+I could scarcely credit the evidence of my senses at the coolness and
+duplicity of the chevalier throughout an affair of such imminent
+risk, nor was I less astonished at the account he gave of the whole
+proceeding.
+
+One word, on leaving the soir�e, had decided there should be a meeting
+the following day; and as the Russian well knew the danger of his
+adventure, from the law which was recently passed regarding prisoners
+on parole, he proposed they should meet without seconds on either side.
+Duchesne acceded; and it was arranged that the chevalier should drive
+along the Bue de Rivoli at seven the next morning, where the Russian
+would join him, and they should drive together to the Bois de Boulogne.
+
+"To do my Cossack justice," said Duchesne, "he behaved admirably
+throughout the whole affair; and on taking his place beside me in the
+cab, entered into conversation freely and easily on the topics of
+the day. We chatted of the campaign; of the cavalry; of the Russian
+service,--their size and equipment, only needing a higher organization
+to make them first-rate troops. We spoke of the Emperor Alexander, of
+whom he was evidently proud, and much pleased to hear the favorable
+opinion Napoleon entertained of his ability and capacity; and it was in
+the middle of an anecdote about Savary and the Czar we arrived at the
+Bois de Boulogne.
+
+"I need not tell you the details of the affair, save that we loaded
+our own pistols, and stepped the ground ourselves. They were like other
+things of the same sort,--the first shot concluded the matter. I aimed
+at his shoulder, but the pistol threw high. As to his bullet, it was
+only awhile ago I knew it went so near me. It was nervous work passing
+the _barri�re_; for had he not made an effort to sit up straight in the
+cab, the sentry might have detained and examined us. All that you heard
+about his being left at his own door, covered with blood and fainting, I
+need not tell you has no truth. I never left the spot till the door was
+opened, and I saw him in the hands of a servant. Of course I concealed
+my face, and then drove off at full speed."
+
+By this time we arrived at the Luxembourg, and Duchesne, with all the
+coolness in the world, joined a knot of persons engaged in discussing
+the duel, and endeavoring, by sundry clever and ingenious explanations,
+to account for the circumstance.
+
+As I sauntered along to my quarters, I pondered over the adventure and
+the character of the chevalier; and however I might turn the matter in
+my mind, one thought was ever uppermost,--a sincere wish that I had not
+been made his confidant in the secret.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII. THE RETURN OF THE WOUNDED
+
+A few mornings after this occurrence, when, as Duchesne himself
+prophesied, all memory of it was completely forgotten, the _ordre du
+jour_ from the Tuileries commanded all the troops then garrisoned in
+Paris to be under arms at an early hour in the Champs �lys�es, when the
+Emperor would pass them in review. The spectacle had, however, another
+object, which was not generally known. The convoys of the wounded from
+Austerlitz were that same day to arrive at Paris, and the display of
+troops was intended at once to honor this _entr�e_, and give to the sad
+procession of the maimed and dying the semblance of a triumph. Such were
+the artful devices which ever ministered to the deceit of the nation,
+and suffered them to look on but one side of their glory.
+
+As I anticipated, the chevalier was greatly out of temper at the
+whole of this proceeding. He detested nothing more than those military
+displays which are got up for the populace; he despised the exhibition
+of troops to the vulgar and unmeaning criticism of tailors and barbers;
+and, more than all, he shrank from the companionship of the National
+Guard of Paris,--those shop-keeping soldiers, with their umbrellas and
+spectacles, who figured with such pride on these occasions.
+
+"Another affair like this," said he, passionately, "and I'd resign my
+commission. A procession at the Porte St. Martin,--the _boeuf gras_ on
+Easter Monday,--I'm your man for either: but to sit bolt upright on your
+saddle for three, maybe four hours; to be stared at by every _bourgeois_
+from the Rue du Bac; to be pointed at with pink parasols and compared
+with some ribbon-vender of the Boulevards,--_par Saint Louis!_ I can't
+even bear to think of it! Look yonder," said he, pointing to the court
+of the Palace, where already a regiment was drawn up under arms,
+and passing in inspection before the colonel; "there begins the
+dress-rehearsal already. His Majesty says mid-day; the generals of
+division draw out their men at eleven o'clock; the colonels take a
+look at their corps at ten; the _chefs de bataillon_ at nine; and,
+_parbleu!_the corporals are at work by daybreak. Then, what confounded
+drilling and dressing up, as if Napoleon could detect the slightest
+waving of the line over two leagues of ground; while you see the
+luckless adjutants flying hither and thither, cursing, imprecating,
+and threatening, and hastily reiterating at the head of each company,
+'Remember, men, be sure to remember, that when the drums beat to arms,
+you shout "Vive l'Empereur!"' Rely upon it, Burke, if we had but one
+half of these preparations before a battle, we 'd not be the dangerous
+fellows those Russians and Austrians think us."
+
+"Come, come," said I, "you shall not persuade me that the soldiers feel
+no pride on these occasions. The same men who fight so valiantly for
+their Emperor--"
+
+"Stop there, I beg of you," said he, bursting into a fit of laughter.
+"I must really cry halt now. So long as you live, my dear friend, let
+nothing induce you to repeat that worn cant, 'Fight for their Emperor!'
+Why, they fought as bravely for Turenne, and Villars, and Mar�chal Saxe;
+they were as full of courage under Moreau, and Kleber, and Desaix, and
+Hoche; ay, and will be again when the Emperor is no more, and Heaven
+knows who stands in his place. The genius of a French army is fighting,
+not for gain, nor plunder, nor even for glory, so much as for fighting
+itself; and he is the best man who gives them most of it. What reduced
+the reckless hordes of the Revolution to habits of discipline and
+obedience but the warlike spirit of their leaders, whose bravery they
+respected? And think you Napoleon himself does not feel this in his
+heart, and know the necessity of continual war to feed the insatiable
+appetite of his followers? In a word, my friend," added he, in a tone of
+mock solemnity, "we are a great people; and Nature intended us to be so
+by giving us a language in which _Gloire_ rhymes with _Victoire_. And
+now for the march, for I fancy we are late enough already."
+
+There are few sources of annoyance more poignant than to discover any
+illusion we have long indulged in assailed by the sneers and sarcasms
+of another, who assumes a tone of superior wisdom on the faith of a
+difference of opinion. The mass of our likings and dislikings find their
+way into our heart more from impulse than reason, and when attacked are
+scarcely defensible by any effort of the understanding. This very fact
+renders us more painfully alive to their preservation, and we shrink
+instinctively from any discussion of them. While such is the case, we
+feel more bitterly the cruelty of him who, out of mere wantonness, can
+sport with the sources of our happiness, and assail the hidden stores
+of so many of our pleasures; for unhappily the mockery once listened to
+lies associated with the idea forever.
+
+Already had Duchesne stripped me of more than one delusion, and made me
+feel that I was but indulging in a deceptive happiness in my dream of
+life; and often did I regret that I ever knew him. It is not enough to
+feel the sophistry of one's adversary, you should be able to detect and
+expose it, otherwise the triumphant tone he assumes gives him an air
+of victory which ends by imposing on yourself. And of this I now felt
+convinced in my own case.
+
+These thoughts rendered me silent as we wended our way towards the
+Tuileries, where the various officers of the staff and the _corps
+d'�lite_ were assembled. Here we found several of the marshals in
+waiting for the Emperor, while the Mameluke Guard, in all the splendor
+of its gay equipments, stood around the great entrance to the Palace.
+Many handsome equipages were also there; one, conspicuous above the
+rest for its livery of white and gold, with four outriders, belonged to
+Madame Murat, the Grand-Duchess of Berg, whose taste for splendor and
+show extended to every department of her household.
+
+At last there was a movement in those nearest the Palace; the drums
+beat to arms, the guard within the vestibule presented, and the Emperor
+appeared, followed by a brilliant staff. He stood for a few seconds on
+the steps, his hands clasped behind his back, and his head a little bent
+forwards as if in thought; then, drawing himself up, he looked with
+a gaze of proud composure on the crowd that filled the court of the
+Palace, and where now all was silent and still. Never before had I
+remarked the same imperious expression of his features; but as his
+eye ranged over the brilliant array, now I could read the innate
+consciousness of superiority in which he excelled. Ney, Murat, Victor,
+Bessi�res,--how little seemed they all before that mighty genius, whose
+glory they but reflected!
+
+Oh, how lightly then did I deem the mocking jests of Duchesne, or all
+that his sarcasm could invent! There stood the conqueror of Italy
+and Egypt, the victor of Marengo and Austerlitz, looking every inch a
+monarch and a soldier. Whether from thoughtless inattention or studied
+affectation I cannot say, but at that moment, when all stood in
+respectful silence before the Emperor, Duchesne had approached the
+grille of the Palace, next to the Place du Carrousel, and was busily
+chatting with a pretty-looking girl, who, with a number of others, sat
+in a hired cal�che. A hearty burst of laughter at something he said rang
+through the court, and turned every eye in that direction. In an instant
+the Emperor's eagle glance pierced the distance, and fastened on the
+chevalier, who, seated carelessly on one side of his saddle, paid no
+attention to what was going forward; when suddenly an aide-de-camp
+touched him on the arm, and said,--
+
+"Monsieur le Capitaine Duchesne, his Majesty the Emperor would speak
+with you."
+
+Duchesne turned; a faint, a very faint flush, covered his cheek, and
+putting spurs to his horse, he galloped up to the front of the terrace,
+where the Emperor was standing. From the distance at which I stood,
+to hear what passed was impossible; but I watched with a most painful
+interest the scene before me.
+
+The Emperor's attitude was unchanged as the chevalier rode up; and when
+Duchesne himself seemed to listen with a respectful manner to the words
+of his Majesty, I could see by his easy bearing that his self-possession
+had never deserted him. The interview lasted not many minutes, when the
+Emperor waved his hand haughtily; and the chevalier, saluting with his
+sabre, backed his horse some paces, and then, wheeling round, rapidly
+galloped towards the gate, through which he passed.
+
+"This evening, then, Mademoiselle," said he, with a smile, "I hope to
+have the honor." And, with a courteous bow, rode on towards the archway
+opening on the quay.
+
+"What has happened?" said I, eagerly, to the officer at my side.
+
+He shook his head as if doubtful, and half fearing even to whisper at
+the moment.
+
+"His privilege of the _�lite_ is withdrawn, sir," said an old general
+officer. "He must leave Paris to join his regiment in twenty-four
+hours."
+
+"Poor fellow!" muttered I, half aloud, when a savage frown from the
+veteran officer corrected my words.
+
+"What, sir!" said he, in a low voice, where every word was thickened to
+a guttural sound--"what, sir! is the court of the Tuileries no more than
+a canteen or a bivouac? _Pardieu!_ if it was not for his laced jacket he
+had been degraded to the ranks; ay, and deserved it too!"
+
+The coarse accents and underbred tone of the speaker showed me at once
+that it was one of the old generals of the Republican army, who never
+could endure the descendants of aristocratic families in the service,
+and who were too willing always to attribute to insolence and
+premeditated affront even the slightest breaches of military etiquette.
+
+Meanwhile the Emperor mounted, and accompanied by the officers of his
+staff, rode forward towards the Champs �lys�es, while all of lesser note
+followed at a distance. From the garden of the Tuileries to the Barri�re
+de l'�toile the troops were ranged in four lines, the cavalry of the
+Guard and the artillery forming the ranks along the road by which the
+convoy must pass. It was a bright day, with a clear, frosty atmosphere
+and a blue sky, and well suited the brilliant spectacle.
+
+Scarcely had the Emperor issued from the Tuileries, when ten thousand
+shouts of "Vive l'Empereur!" rent the air; the cannon of the Invalides
+thundered forth at the same moment; and the crash of the military bands
+added their clangor to the sounds of joy. He rode slowly along the
+line, stopping frequently to speak with some of the soldiers, and giving
+orders to his suite concerning them. Of the officers in his staff that
+day, the greater number had been wounded at Austerlitz, and still bore
+the traces of their injuries. Rapp displayed a tremendous scar from a
+sabre across his cheek; Sebastiani wore his sword-arm in a sling; and
+Friant, unable to mount his horse, followed the Emperor on foot, leaning
+on a stick, and walking with great difficulty. The sight of these brave
+men, whose devotion to Napoleon had been proved on so many battlefields,
+added to the interest of the scene, and tended to excite popular
+enthusiasm to its utmost. But on Napoleon still all eyes were bent. The
+general who led their armies to victory, the monarch who raised France
+to the proudest place among the nations, was there, within a few paces
+of them. Each word he spoke was sinking deeply into some heart, prouder
+of that moment than of rank or riches.
+
+So slow was the Emperor's progress along the ranks that it was near
+three o'clock before he had arrived at the extremity of the line. The
+cavalry were now ordered to form in squadrons, and move past in
+close order. While this movement was effecting, a cannon-shot at the
+_barri�re_ announced the approach of the convoy. The cavalry were halted
+in line once more, and the same moment the first wagon of the train
+appeared above the summit of the hill. So secretly had the whole been
+managed that none, save the officers of the various staffs, knew what
+was coming. While each look was turned, then, towards the _barri�re_
+in astonishment, gradually the wagon rolled on, another followed, and
+another: these were, however, but the ambulances of the hospitals. And
+now the wounded themselves came in sight,--a white flag, that well-known
+signal, waving in front of each wagon, while a guard of honor,
+consisting of picked men of the different regiments, rode at either
+side.
+
+One loud cheer--a shout echoed back from the Tuileries itself--rang out,
+as the soldiers saw their brave companions restored to them once more.
+With that impulse which, even in discipline, French soldiers never
+forget, the men rushed forward to the wagons, and in a moment officers
+and men were in the arms of their comrades. What a scene it was to
+see the poor and wasted forms, mangled by shot and maimed of limb,
+brightening up again as home and friends surrounded them,--to hear their
+faint voices mingle with the questions for this one or for that, while
+the fate of some brave fellow met but one word in elegy!
+
+On they passed,--a sad train, but full of glorious memories. There were
+the grenadiers of Oudinot, who carried the Russian centre; eleven
+wagons were filled with their wounded. Here come the voltigeurs of
+Bernadotte's brigade; see how the fellows preserve their ancient
+repute, cheering and laughing,--ever the same, whether roistering at
+midnight in the Faubourg St. Antoine or rushing madly upon the ranks of
+the enemy! There are the dragoons of Nansouty, who charged the Imperial
+Guard of Russia; see the proud line that floats on their banner, "All
+wounded by the sabre!" And here come the cuirassiers of the Guard, with
+a detachment of their own as escort; how splendidly they look in the
+bright sun, and how proudly they come!
+
+As I looked, the Emperor rode forward, bareheaded, his whole staff
+uncovered. "Chapeau bas, Messieurs!" said he, in a loud voice. "Honor to
+the brave in misfortune!"
+
+Just then the escort halted, and I heard a laugh in front, close to
+where the Emperor was standing; but from the crowded staff around him,
+could not see what was going forward.
+
+"What is it?" said I, curious to learn the least incident of the scene.
+
+"Advance a pace or two, Captain," said the young officer I addressed;
+"you can see it all."
+
+I did so, and then beheld--oh, with what delight and surprise!--my poor
+friend, Pioche, seated on the driving-seat of a gun, with his hand in
+salute as the Emperor spoke to him.
+
+"Thou wilt not have promotion, nor a pension. What, then, can I do for
+thee?" said Napoleon, smiling. "Hast any friend in the service whom I
+could advance for thy sake?�
+
+"Yes, _parbleu!_" said Pioche, scratching his forehead, with a sort of
+puzzle and confusion even the Emperor smiled at, "I have a friend. But
+mayhap those wouldn't like--"
+
+"Ask me for nothing thou thinkest I could not, ought not to grant," said
+the Emperor, sternly. "What is't now?"
+
+The poor corporal seemed thoroughly nonplussed, and for a second or
+two could not reply. At last, as if summoning all his courage for the
+effort, he said,--
+
+"Well, thou canst but refuse, and then the fault will be all thine. She
+is a brave girl, and had she been a man--"
+
+"Whom can he mean?" said Napoleon. "Is the man's head wandering?"
+
+"No, _mon g�n�ral!_ all right there; that shell has turned many a sabre's
+edge. I was talking of Minette, the vivandi�re of ours. If thou art so
+bent on doing me a service, why, promote _her_, and thou'lt make the
+whole regiment proud of it."
+
+This speech was lost in the laugh which, beginning with the Emperor,
+extended to the staff, and at last to all the bystanders.
+
+"Dost wish I should make her one of my aides-de-camp?" said Napoleon,
+still laughing.
+
+"_Parbleu!_ thou hast more ill-favored ones among them," said Pioche,
+with a significant look at the grim faces of Rapp and Dam, whose hard
+and weather-beaten features never deigned a smile, while every other
+face was moved in laughter.
+
+"But thou hast not said yet what I am to do," rejoined the Emperor.
+
+"Thou used not to be so hard to understand," grumbled out Pioche. "I
+have seen the time thou 'd have said, 'Is it Minette that was wounded at
+the Adige? Is that the girl stood in the square at Marengo? _Parbleu!_ I
+'ll give her the cross of the Legion!'"
+
+"And she shall have it, Corporal Pioche," said Napoleon, as he detached
+the decoration he wore on the breast of his coat. "Give the order for
+the vivandi�re to advance."
+
+Scarce were the words spoken, when the sound of a horse pressed to his
+speed was heard, and mounted upon a small but showy Arab, a present from
+the regiment, Minette rode up, in the bloom of health, and flushed
+by exercise and the excitement of the moment. I never saw her look
+so handsome. Reining in her horse short, as she came in front of the
+Emperor, the animal reared up, almost straight, and pawed the air with
+his forelegs; while she, with all the composure in life, raised her hand
+to her cap, and saluted the Emperor with an action the most easy and
+graceful.
+
+"Thou hast some yonder," said Pioche, with a grim smile at the staff,
+"would be sore puzzled to keep their saddles as well."
+
+[Illustration: Minnette 170]
+
+[Illustration: BrowneMinnette105]
+
+"Minette," said the Emperor, while he gazed on her handsome features
+with evident pleasure, "your name is well known to me for many actions
+of kindness and self-devotion. Wear this cross of the Legion of Honor;
+you will not value it the less that until now it has been only worn by
+me. Whenever you find one worthy to be your husband, Minette, I will
+charge myself with the dowry."
+
+"Oh, Sire!" said the trembling girl, as she pressed the Emperor's
+fingers to her lips,--"oh, Sire, is this real?"
+
+"Yes, _parbleu!_" said Pioche, wiping a large tear from his eye as he
+spoke; "he can make thee be a man, and make me feel like a girl."
+
+As Duroc attached the cross to the buttonhole of the vivandi�re's frock,
+she sat pale as death, totally overcome by her sensations of pride, and
+unable to say more than "Oh, Sire!" which she repeated three or four
+times at intervals.
+
+Again the procession moved on; other wagons followed with their brave
+fellows; but all the interest of the scene was now, for me at least,
+wrapped up in that one incident, and I took but little notice of the
+rest.
+
+For full two hours the cortege continued to roll on,--wagon after
+wagon, filled with the shattered remnants of an army. Yet such was the
+indomitable spirit of the people, such the heartfelt passion for glory,
+all deemed that procession the proudest triumph of their arms. Nor was
+this feeling confined to the spectators; the wounded themselves leaned
+eagerly over the sides of the _charrettes_ to gaze into the crowds on
+either side, seeking some old familiar face, and looking through all
+their sufferings proudly on the dense mob beneath them. Some tried
+to cheer, and waved their powerless hands; but others, faint and
+heart-sick, turned their glazed eyes towards the "Invalides," whose
+lofty dome appeared above the trees, as though to say, that was now
+their resting-place,--the only one before the grave.
+
+He who witnessed that day could have little doubt about the guiding
+spirit of the French nation; nor could he distrust their willingness to
+sacrifice anything--nay, all--to national glory. Suffering and misery,
+wounds, ghastly and dreadful, were on every side; and yet not one word
+of pity, not a look of compassion was there. These men were, in _their_
+eyes, far too highly placed for sympathy; theirs was that path to which
+all aspired, and their trophies were their own worn frames and mangled
+bodies. And then how they brightened up as the Emperor would draw near!
+how even the faintest would strive to catch his eye and gaze with parted
+lips on him as he spoke, as though drinking in his very words,--the balm
+to their bruised hearts,--and the faint cry of "l'Empereur! l'Empereur!"
+passed like a murmur along the line.
+
+Not until the last wagon had defiled before him did the Emperor leave
+the ground. It was then nearly dark, and already the lamps were lighted
+along the quays, and the windows of the Palace displayed the brilliant
+lustre of the preparations for a grand dinner to the marshals.
+
+As we moved slowly along in close order, I found myself among a group
+of officers of the Emperor's staffs eagerly discussing the day and its
+events.
+
+"I am sorry for Duchesne," said one; "with all his impertinences--and
+he had enough of them--he was a brave fellow, and a glorious leader at a
+moment of difficulty."
+
+"Well, well, the Emperor has perhaps forgiven him by this time; and
+it is not likely he would mar the happiness of a day like this by
+disgracing an officer of the _�lite_."
+
+"You are wrong, my friend; his Majesty is not sorry for the occasion
+which can prove that he knows as well how to punish as to reward.
+Duchesne's fate is sealed. You are not old enough to remember, as I can,
+the morning at Lonado, where the same _ardre du jour_ conferred a mark
+of honor on one brother, and condemned another to be shot."
+
+"And was this, indeed, the case?"
+
+"Ay, was it. Many can tell you of it, as well as myself. They were both
+in the same regiment--the fifteenth demi-brigade of light infantry. They
+held a ch�teau at Salo against the enemy for eight hours, when at length
+the elder, who commanded at the front, capitulated and laid down his
+arms; the younger refused to comply, and continued to fight. They were
+reinforced an hour afterwards, and the Austrians beaten off. The day
+after they were both tried, and the result was as I have told you; the
+utmost favor the younger could obtain was, not to witness the execution
+of his brother."
+
+As I heard this story, my very blood curdled in my veins, and I looked
+with a kind of dread on him who now rode a few paces in front of
+me,--the stern and pitiless Napoleon.
+
+At last we entered the court of the Tuileries, when the Emperor,
+dismissing his staff, entered the Palace, and we separated, to follow
+our own plans for the evening. For a moment or two I remained uncertain
+which way to turn. I wished much to see Duchesne, yet scarcely hoped to
+meet with him by returning to the Luxembourg. It was not the time to be
+away from him, at a moment like this, and I resolved to seek him out.
+
+For above an hour I went from caf� to caf�, where he was in the habit of
+resorting, but to no purpose. He had not been seen in any of them during
+the day; so that at length I turned homeward with the faint hope that I
+should see him there on my arrival.
+
+Somehow I never had felt more sad and depressed; and the events of the
+day, so far from making me participate in the general joy, had left me
+gloomy and desponding. My spirit was little in harmony with the gay and
+merry groups that passed along the streets, chanting their campaigning
+songs, and usually having some old soldier of the "Guard" amongst
+them; for they felt it as a f�te, and were hurrying to the cabarets to
+celebrate the day of Austerlitz.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII. THE CHEVALIER.
+
+When men of high courage and proud hearts meet with reverses in life,
+our anxiety is rather to learn what new channel their thoughts and
+exertions will take in future, than to hear how they have borne up under
+misfortune. I knew Duchesne too well to suppose that any turn of fate
+would find him wholly unprepared; but still, a public reprimand, and
+from the lips of the Emperor, too, was of a nature to wound him to the
+quick, and I could not guess, nor picture to myself in what way he would
+bear it. The loss of grade itself was a thing of consequence, as the
+service of the _�lite_ was reckoned a certain promotion; not to speak
+of--what to him was far more important--the banishment from Paris and
+its _salons_ to some gloomy and distant encampment. In speculations like
+these I returned to my quarters, where I was surprised to discover that
+the chevalier had not been since morning. I learned from his servant
+that he had dismissed him, with his horses, soon after leaving the
+Tuileries, and had not returned home from that time.
+
+I dined alone that day, and sat moodily by myself, thinking over the
+events of the morning, and wondering what had become of my friend, and
+watching every sound that might tell of his coming. It is true there
+were many things I liked not in Duchesne: his cold, sardonic spirit, his
+_moqueur_ temperament, chilled and repelled me; but I recognized, even
+through his own efforts at concealment, a manly tone of independence,
+a vigorous reliance on self, that raised him in my esteem, and made me
+regard him with a certain species of admiration. With his unsettled or
+unstable political opinions, I greatly dreaded the excess to which a
+spirit of revenge might carry him.
+
+I knew that the Jacobin party, and the Bourbons themselves, lay in
+wait for every erring member of the Imperial side; and I felt no little
+anxiety at the temptations they might hold out to him, at a moment when
+his excitement might have the mastery over his cooler judgment.
+
+Late in the evening a Government messenger arrived with a large letter
+addressed to him from the Minister of War; and even this caused me fresh
+uneasiness, since I connected the despatch in my mind with some detail
+of duty which his absence might leave unperformed.
+
+It was long past midnight, as I sat, vainly endeavoring to occupy myself
+with a book, which each moment I laid down to listen, when suddenly
+I heard the roll of a _fiacre_ in the court beneath, the great doors
+banged and closed, and the next moment the chevalier entered the room.
+
+He was dressed in plain clothes, and looked somewhat paler than usual,
+but though evidently laboring under excitement, affected his wonted ease
+and carelessness of manner, as, taking a chair in front of me, he sat
+down.
+
+"What a day of worry and trouble this has been, my dear friend!" he
+began. "From the moment I last saw you to the present one, I have not
+rested, and with four invitations to dinner, I have not dined anywhere."
+
+He paused as he said thus much, as if expecting me to say something;
+and I perceived that the embarrassment he felt rather increased than
+otherwise. I therefore endeavored to mumble out something about his
+hurried departure and the annoyance of such a sentence, when he stopped
+me suddenly.
+
+"Oh, as to _that_, I fancy the matter is arranged already; I should have
+had a letter from the War Office."
+
+"Yes, there is one here; it came three hours ago."
+
+He turned at once to the table, and breaking the seal, perused the
+packet in silence, then handed it to me, as he said,--
+
+"Bead that; it will save a world of explanation."
+
+It was dated five o'clock, and merely contained the following few
+words:--
+
+      His Majesty I. and R. accepts the resignation of Senior
+      Captain Duchesne, late of the Imperial Guard; who, from the
+      date of the present, is no longer in the service of France.
+
+      (Signed)
+
+      BERTHIER, Marshal of France.
+
+A small sealed note dropped from the packet, which Duchesne took up, and
+broke open with eagerness.
+
+"Ha! _parbleu!_" cried he, with energy; "I thought not. See here, Burke;
+it is Duroc who writes:--"
+
+      My dear Duchesne,--I knew there was no use in making such a
+      proposition, and told you as much. The moment I said the
+      word 'England,' he shouted out 'No!' in such a tone you
+      might have heard it at the Luxembourg. You will perceive,
+      then, the thing is impracticable; and perhaps, after all,
+      for your own sake, it is better it should be so.
+
+      Yours ever,                                    D.
+
+"This is all mystery to me, Duchesne; I cannot fathom it in the least."
+
+"Let me assist you; a few words will do it. I gave in my _d�mission_ as
+Captain of the Guard, which, as you see, his Majesty has accepted;
+we shall leave it to the 'Moniteur' of to-morrow to announce whether
+graciously or not. I also addressed a formal letter to Duroc, to ask the
+Emperor's permission to visit England, on private business of my own."
+His eyes sparkled with a malignant lustre as he said these last words,
+and his cheek grew deep scarlet. "This, however, his Majesty has not
+granted, doubtless from private reasons of his own; and thus we stand.
+Which of us, think you, has most spoiled the other's rest for this
+night?"
+
+"But still I do not comprehend. What can take you to England? You have
+no friends there; you've never been in that country."
+
+"Do you know the very word is proscribed,--that the island is covered
+from his eyes in the map he looks upon, that _perfide_ Albion is the
+demon that haunts his dark hours, and menaces with threatening gesture
+the downfall of all his present glory? Ah, by Saint Denis, boy! had I
+been you, it is not such an epaulette as this I had worn."
+
+"Enough, Duchesne; I will not hear more. Not to you, nor any one, am
+I answerable for the reasons that have guided my conduct; nor had I
+listened to so much, save that such excitement as yours may make that
+pardonable which in calmer moments is not so."
+
+"You say right, Burke," said he, quickly, and with more seriousness of
+manner; "it is seldom I have been betrayed into such a passionate warmth
+as this. I hope I have not offended you. This change of circumstance
+will make none in our friendship. I knew it, my dear boy. And now let us
+turn from such tiresome topics. Where, think you, have I been spending
+the evening? But how could you ever guess? Well, at the Od�on, attending
+Mademoiselle Pierrot, and a very pretty friend of hers,--one of our
+vivandi�res, who happens to be in the brigade with mademoiselle's
+brother, and dined there to-day. She only arrived in Paris this morning;
+and, by Jove! there are some handsome faces in our gay _salons_ would
+scarcely stand the rivalry with hers. I must show you the fair Minette."
+
+"Minette!" stammered I, while a sickly sensation--a fear of some unknown
+misfortune to the poor girl--almost stopped my utterance. "I know her;
+she belongs to the Fourth Cuirassiers."
+
+"Ah, you know her? Who would have suspected my quiet friend of such an
+acquaintance? And so, you never hinted this to me. _Ma foi!_ I 'd have
+thought twice about throwing up my commission if I had seen her half
+an hour earlier. Come, tell me all you know of her. Where does she come
+from?"
+
+"Of her history I am totally ignorant; I can only tell you that her
+character is without a stain or reproach, in circumstances where few, if
+any save herself, ever walked scathless; that on more than one occasion
+she has displayed heroism worthy of the best among us."
+
+"Oh dear, oh dear, how disappointed I am! Indeed, I half feared as much:
+she is a regular vivandi�re of the m�lodrame,--virtuous, high-minded,
+and intrepid. You, of course, believe all this,--don't be angry,
+Burke,--but I don't; and the reason is I can't,--the gods have left
+me incredulous from the cradle. I have a rooted obstinacy about me,
+perfectly irreclaimable. Thus, I fancy Napoleon to be a Corsican; a
+modern marshal to be a promoted sergeant; a judge of the upper court to
+be a public prosecutor; and a vivandi�re of the _grande arm�e_--But I'll
+not offend,--don't be afraid, my poor fellow,--even at the risk of the
+rivalry. Upon my life, I 'm glad to see you have a heart susceptible
+of any little tenderness. But you cannot blame me if I 'm weary of this
+eternal travesty of character which goes on amongst us. Why will our
+Republican and _sans culotte_ friends try courtly airs and graces, while
+our real aristocracy stoop to the affected coarseness of the _canaille?_
+Is it possible that they who wish to found a new order of things do not
+see that all these pantomime costumes and characters denote nothing
+but change,--that we are only performing a comedy after all? I scarcely
+expect it will be a five-act one. And, apropos of comedies,--when shall
+we pay our respects to Madame de Lacostellerie? It will require all my
+diplomacy to keep my ground there under my recent misfortune. Nothing
+short of a tender inquiry from the Duchesse de Montserrat will open the
+doors for me. Alas, and alas! I suppose I shall have to fall back on the
+Faubourg."
+
+"But is the step irrevocable, Duchesne? Can you really bring yourself to
+forego a career which opened with such promise?"
+
+"And terminated with such disgrace," added he, smiling placidly.
+
+"Nay, nay; don't affect to take it thus. Your services would have placed
+you high, and won for you honors and rank."
+
+"And, _ma foi!_ have they not done so? Am I not a very interesting
+individual at this moment,--more so than any other of my life? Are not
+half the powdered heads of the Faubourg plotting over my downfall, and
+wondering how they are to secure me to the 'true cause'? Are not the hot
+heads of the Jacobites speculating on my admission, by a unanimous vote,
+into their order? And has not Fouch� gone to the special expense of a
+new police spy, solely destined to dine at the same caf�, play at the
+same _salon_, and sit in the same box of the Opera with me? Is this
+nothing? Well, it will be good fun, after all, to set their wise brains
+on the wrong track; not to speak of the happiness of weeding one's
+acquaintance, which a little turn of fortune always effects so
+instantaneously."
+
+"One would suppose from your manner, Duchesne, that some unlooked-for
+piece of good luck had befallen you; the event seems to have been the
+crowning one of your life."
+
+"Am I not at liberty, boy? have I not thrown the slavery behind me? Is
+that nothing? You may fancy your collar, because there is some gold upon
+it; but, trust me, it galls the neck as cursedly as the veriest brass.
+Come, Burke, I must have a glass of champagne, and you must pledge me in
+a creaming bumper. If you don't join in the sentiment now, the time will
+come later on. We may be many a mile apart,--ay, perhaps a whole world
+will divide us; but you'll remember my toast,--'To him that is free!'
+I am sick of most things; women, wine, war, play,--the game of life
+itself, with all its dashing and existing interests,--I have had them
+to satiety. But liberty has its charm; even to the palsied arm and the
+withered hand freedom is dear; and why not to him who yet can strike?"
+
+His eyes flashed fire as he spoke, and he drained glass after glass of
+wine, without seeming aware of what he was doing.
+
+"If you felt thus, Duchesne, why have you remained so long a soldier?"
+
+"I 'll tell you. He who travels unwillingly along some dreary path stops
+often as he goes, and looks around to see if, in the sky above or the
+road beneath, some obstacle may not cross his way and bid him turn. The
+faintest sound of a brewing storm, the darkening shadow of a cloud,
+a swollen rivulet, is enough, and straightway he yields: so men seem
+swayed in life by trifles which never moved them, by accidents which
+came not near their hearts. These, which the world called their
+disappointments, were often but the pivots of their fortune. I have
+had enough, nay, more than enough, of all this. You must not ask the
+hackneyed actor of the melodrama to start at the blue lights, and feel
+real fear at burning forests and flaming ch�teaux. This mock passion of
+the Emperor--"
+
+"Come, my friend, that is indeed too much; unquestionably there was no
+feigning there."
+
+Duchesne gave a bitter laugh, and laying his hand on my arm, said,--
+
+"My good boy, I know him well. The knowledge has cost me something; but
+I have it. A soldier's enthusiasm!" said he, in irony,--"bah! Shall I
+tell you a little incident of my boyhood? I detest story-telling, but
+this you must hear. Fill my glass! listen, and I promise you not to be
+lengthy."
+
+It was the first time in our intimacy in which Duchesne referred
+distinctly to his past life; and I willingly accepted the offer he made,
+anticipating that any incident, no matter how trivial, might throw a
+light on the strange contrarieties of his character.
+
+He sat for several minutes silent, his eyes turned towards the ground. A
+faint smile, more of sadness than aught else, played about his lips, as
+he muttered to himself some words I could not catch. Then rallying, with
+a slight effort, he began thus--But, short as his tale was, we must give
+him a chapter to himself.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV. A BOYISH REMINISCENCE
+
+"I believe I have already told you, Burke, that my family were most of
+them Royalists. Such as were engaged in trade followed the fortunes
+of the day, and cried 'Vive la R�publique!' like their neighbors. Some
+deemed it better to emigrate, and wait in a foreign land for the happy
+hour of returning to their own,--a circumstance, by the way, which must
+have tried their patience ere this; and a few, trusting to their obscure
+position, living in out-of-the-way, remote spots, supposed that in
+the general uproar they might escape undetected; and, with one or two
+exceptions, they were right. Among these latter was an unmarried brother
+of my mother, who having held a military command for a great many years
+in the Ile de Bourbon, retired to spend the remainder of his days in
+a small but beautiful ch�teau on the seaside, about three leagues
+from Marseilles. The old viscount (we continued to call him so among
+ourselves, though the use of titles was proscribed long before) had met
+with some disappointment in love in early life, which had prevented his
+ever marrying, and turned all his affections towards the children of his
+brothers and sisters, who invariably passed a couple of months of
+each summer with him, arriving from different parts of France for the
+purpose.
+
+"And truly it was a strange sight to see the mixture of look,
+expression, accent, and costume, that came to the rendezvous: the
+long-featured boy, with blue eyes and pointed chin,--cold, wary,
+and suspicious, brave but cautious,--that came from Normandy; the
+high-spirited, reckless youth from Brittany; the dark-eyed girl of
+Provence; the quick-tempered, warm-hearted Gascon and, stranger than
+all, from his contrast to the rest the little Parisian, with his airs
+of the capital and his contempt for his rustic brethren, nothing daunted
+that in all their boyish exercises he found himself so much their
+inferior. Our dear old uncle loved nothing so well as to have us around
+him; and even the little ones, of five and six years old, when not
+living too far off, were brought to these reunions, which were to us the
+great events of each year of our lives.
+
+"It was in the June of the year 1794--I shall not easily forget the
+date--that we were all assembled as usual at 'Le Luc.' Our party was
+reinforced by some three or four new visitors, among whom was a little
+girl of about twelve years old,--Annette de Noailles, the prettiest
+creature I ever beheld. Every land has its own trait of birth distinctly
+marked. I don't know whether you have observed that the brow and the
+forehead are more indicative of class in Frenchmen than any other
+portion of the face: hers was perfect, and though a mere child,
+conveyed an impression of tempered decision and mildness that was most
+fascinating; the character of her features was thoughtful, and were
+it not for a certain vivacity in the eyes, would have been even sad.
+Forgive me, if I dwell--when I need not--on these traits: she is no
+more. Her father carried her with him in his exile, and your lowering
+skies and gloomy air soon laid her low.
+
+"Annette was the child of Royalist parents. Both her father and mother
+had occupied places in the royal household; and she was accustomed from
+her earliest infancy to hear the praise of the Bourbons from lips which
+trembled when they spoke. Poor child! how well do I remember her
+little prayer for the martyred saint,--for so they styled the murdered
+king,--which she never missed saying each morning when the mass was over
+in the chapel of the ch�teau. It is a curious fact that the girls of a
+family were frequently attached to the fortunes of the Bourbons, while
+the boys declared for the Revolution; and these differences penetrated
+into the very core, and sapped the happiness of many whose affection had
+stood the test of every misfortune save the uprooting torrent of anarchy
+that poured in with the Revolution. These party differences entered
+into all the little quarrels of the schoolroom and the nursery; and the
+taunting epithets of either side were used in angry passion by those who
+neither guessed nor could understand their meaning. Need it be
+wondered at, if in after life these opinions took the tone of intense
+convictions, when even thus in infancy they were nurtured and fostered?
+Our little circle at Le Luc was, indeed, wonderfully free from such
+causes of contention; whatever paths in life fate had in store for us
+afterwards, then, at least, we were of one mind. A few of the boys,
+it is true, were struck by the successes of those great armies the
+Revolution poured over Europe; but even they were half ashamed to
+confess enthusiasm in a cause so constantly allied in their memory with
+everything mean and low-lived.
+
+"Such, in a few words, was the little party assembled around the
+supper-table of the ch�teau, on one lovely evening in June. The windows,
+opening to the ground, let in the perfumed air from many a sweet and
+flowery shrub without; while already the nightingale had begun her lay
+in the deep grove hard by. The evening was so calm we could hear the
+plash of the making tide upon the shore, and the minute peals of the
+waves smote on the ear with a soft and melancholy cadence that made
+us silent and thoughtful. As we sat for some minutes thus, we suddenly
+heard the sound of feet coming up the little gravel walk towards the
+ch�teau, and on going to the window, perceived three men in uniform
+leading their horses slowly along. The dusky light prevented our being
+able to distinguish their rank or condition; but my uncle, whose fears
+were easily excited by such visitors, at once hastened to the door to
+receive them.
+
+"His absence was not of many minutes' duration; but even now I can
+remember the strange sensations of dread that rendered us all speechless
+as we stood looking towards the door by which he was to enter. He came
+at last, and was followed by two officers; one, the elder, and the
+superior evidently, was a thin, slight man, of about thirty, with a
+pale but stern countenance, in which a certain haughty expression
+predominated; the other was a fine, soldierlike, frank-looking fellow,
+who saluted us all as he came in with a smile and a pleasant gesture of
+his hand.
+
+"'You may leave us, children,' said my uncle, as he proceeded towards
+the bell.
+
+"'You were at supper, if I mistake not?' said the elder of the two
+officers, with a degree of courtesy in his tone I scarcely expected.
+
+"'Yes, General. But my little friends--'
+
+"'Will, I hope, share with us,' said the general, interrupting; 'and I,
+at least, am determined, with your permission, that they shall remain.
+It is quite enough that we enjoy the hospitality of your ch�teau for the
+night, without interfering with the happiness of its inmates; and I beg
+that we may give you as little inconvenience as possible in providing
+for our accommodation.'
+
+"Though these words were spoken with an easy and a kindly tone, there
+was a cold, distant manner in the speaker that chilled us all, and
+while we drew over to the table again, it was in silence and constraint.
+Indeed, our poor uncle looked the very picture of dismay, endeavoring
+to do the honors to his guests and seem at ease, while it was clear his
+fears were ever uppermost in his mind.
+
+"The aide-de-camp--for such the young officer was--looked
+like one who could have been agreeable and amusing if the restraint of
+the general's presence was not over him. As it was, he spoke in a low,
+subdued voice, and seemed in great awe of his superior.
+
+"Unlike our usual ones, the meal was eaten in mournful stillness, the
+very youngest amongst us feeling the presence of the stranger as a thing
+of gloom and sadness.
+
+"Supper over, my uncle, perhaps hoping to relieve the embarrassment
+he labored under, asked permission of the general for us to remain,
+saying,--
+
+"'My little people, sir, are great novelists, and they usually amuse me
+of an evening by their stories. Will this be too great an endurance for
+you?'
+
+"'By no means,' said the general, gayly; 'there's nothing I like better,
+and I hope they will admit me as one of the party. I have something of a
+gift that way myself.'
+
+"The circle was soon formed, the general and his aide-de-camp making
+part of it; but though they both exerted themselves to the utmost to win
+our confidence, I know not why or wherefore, we could not shake off the
+gloom we had felt at first, but sat awkward and ill at ease, unable to
+utter a word, and even ashamed to look at each other.
+
+"'Come,' said the general, 'I see how it is. I have broken in upon a
+very happy party. I must make the only _amende_ in my power,--I shall be
+the story-teller for this evening.'
+
+"As he said this, he looked around the little circle, and by some
+seeming magic of his own, in an instant he had won us every one. We drew
+our chairs close towards him, and listened eagerly for his tale. Few
+people, save such as live much among children, or take the trouble to
+study their tone of feeling and thinking, are aware how far reality
+surpasses in interest the force of mere fiction. The fact is with them
+far more than all the art of the narrative; and if you cannot say 'this
+was true,' more than half of the pleasure your story confers is lost
+forever. Whether the general knew this, or that his memory supplied
+him more easily than his imagination, I cannot say; but his tale was
+a little incident of the siege of Toulon, where a drummer boy was
+killed,--having returned to the breach, after the attack was repulsed,
+to seek for a little cockade of ribbon his mother had fastened on his
+cap that morning. Simple as was the story, he told it with a subdued and
+tender pathos that made our hearts thrill and filled every eye around
+him.
+
+"'It was a poor thing, it's true,' said he, 'that knot of ribbon, but it
+was glory to him to rescue it from the enemy. His heart was on the time
+when he should show it, blood-stained and torn, and say, "I took it from
+the ground amid the grapeshot and the musketry. I was the only living
+thing there that moment; and see, I bore it away triumphantly."' As the
+general spoke, he unbuttoned the breast of his uniform, and took forth
+a small piece of crumpled ribbon, fastened in the shape of a cockade.
+'Here it is,' said he, holding it up before on? eyes; 'it was for this
+he died.' We could scarce see it through our tears. Poor Annette held
+her hands upon her face, and sobbed violently. 'Keep it, my sweet
+child,' said the general, as he attached the cockade to her shoulder;'
+it is a glorious emblem, and well worthy to be worn by one so pure and
+so fair as you are.'
+
+"Annette looked up, and as she did, her eyes fell upon the tricolor that
+hung from her shoulder,--the hated, the despised tricolor, the badge
+of that party whose cruelty she had thought of by day and dreamed of
+by night. She turned deadly pale, and sat, with lips compressed and
+clenched hands, unable to speak or stir.
+
+"'What is it? Are you ill, child?' said the general, suddenly.
+
+"'Annette, love! Annette, dearest!' said my uncle, trembling with
+anxiety, 'speak; what is the matter?'
+
+"'It is that!' cried I, fiercely, pointing to the knot, on which her
+eyes were bent with a shrinking horror I well knew the meaning of,--' it
+is that!'
+
+"The general bent on me a look of passionate meaning, as with a hissing
+tone he said, 'Do you mean this?'
+
+"'Yes,' said I, tearing it away, and trampling it beneath my
+feet,--'yes! it is not a Noailles can wear the badge of infamy and
+crime; the blood-stained tricolor can find slight favor here.'
+
+"'Hush, boy! hush, for Heaven's sake!' cried my uncle, trembling with
+fear.
+
+"The caution came too late. The general, taking a note-book from his
+pocket, opened it leisurely, and then turning towards the viscount,
+said, 'This youth's name is--'
+
+"'Duchesne; Henri Duchesne.'
+
+"'And his age?'
+
+"'Fourteen in March,' replied my uncle, as his eyes filled up; while he
+added, in a half whisper, 'if you mean the conscription, General, he has
+already supplied a substitute.'
+
+"'No matter, sir, if he had sent twenty; such defect of education as his
+needs correction. He shall join the levies at Toulon in three days; in
+three days, mark me! Depend upon it, sir,' said he, turning to me, 'you
+shall learn a lesson beneath that tricolor you'll be somewhat long
+in forgetting. Dumolle, look to this.' With this direction to his
+aide-de-camp he arose, and before my poor unhappy uncle could recover
+his self-possession to reply, had left the room.
+
+"'He will not do this, sir; surely, he will not,' said the viscount to
+the young officer.
+
+"'General Bonaparte does not relent, sir; and if he did, he 'd never
+show it,' was the cold reply.
+
+"That day week I carried a musket on the ramparts of Toulon. Here began
+a career I have followed ever since; with how much of enthusiasm I leave
+you to judge for yourself."
+
+As Duchesne concluded this little story he arose, and paced the room
+backwards and forwards with rapid steps, while his compressed lips and
+knitted brow showed he was lost in gloomy recollections of the past.
+
+"He was right, after all, Burke," said he, at length. "Personal honor
+will make the soldier; conviction may make the patriot. I fought as
+stoutly for this same cause as though I did not loathe it: how many
+others may be in the same position? You yourself, perhaps."
+
+"No, no; not I."
+
+"Well, be it so," rejoined he, carelessly. "Goodnight" And with that he
+strolled negligently from the room, and I heard him humming a tune as he
+mounted the stairs towards his bedroom.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV. A GOOD-BY
+
+"I have come to bring you a card for the Court ball, Capitaine," said
+General Daru, as he opened the door of my dressing-room the following
+morning. "See what a number of them I have here; but except your own,
+the addresses are not filled up. You are in favor at the Tuileries, it
+would seem."
+
+"I was not aware of my good fortune, General," replied I.
+
+"Be assured, however, it is such," said he. "These things are not, as so
+many deem them, mere matters of chance; every name is well weighed
+and conned over: the officers of the household serve one who does not
+forgive mistakes. And now that I think of it, you were intimate--very
+intimate, I believe--with Duchesne?"
+
+"Yes, sir; we were much together."
+
+"Well, then, after what has occurred, I need scarcely say your
+acquaintance with him had better cease. There is no middle course in
+these matters. Circumstances will not bring you, as formerly, into each
+other's company; and to continue your intimacy would be offensive to his
+Majesty."
+
+"But surely, sir, the friendship of persons so humble as we are can be
+a subject neither for the Emperor's satisfaction nor displeasure, if he
+even were to know of it?"
+
+"You must take my word for that," replied the general, somewhat sternly.
+"The counsel I have given to-day may come as a command to-morrow. The
+Chevalier Duchesne has given his Majesty great and grave offence; see
+that you are not led to follow his example." With a marked emphasis on
+the last few words, and with a cold bow, he left the room.
+
+"That I am not led to follow his example!" said I, repeating his words
+over slowly to myself. "Is that, then, the danger of which he would warn
+me?"
+
+The remembrance of the misfortunes which opened my career in life came
+full before me,--the unhappy acquaintance with De Beauvais, and the long
+train of suspicious circumstances that followed; and I shuddered at the
+bare thought of being again involved in apparent criminality. And yet,
+what a state of slavery was this! The thought flashed suddenly across my
+mind, and I exclaimed aloud, "And this is the liberty for which I have
+perilled life and limb,--this the cause for which I have become an alien
+and an exile!"
+
+"Most true, my dear friend," said Duchesne, gayly, as he slipped into
+the room, and drew his Chair towards the fire. "A wise reflection, but
+most unwisely spoken. But there are men nothing can teach; not even the
+'Temple' nor the 'Palais de Justice.'"
+
+"How, then,--you know of my unhappy imprisonment?"
+
+"Know of it? To be sure I do. Bless your sweet innocence! I have been
+told, a hundred times over, to make overtures to you from the Faubourg.
+There are at least a dozen old ladies there who believe firmly you are a
+true Legitimist, and wear the white cockade next your heart. I have had,
+over and over, the most tempting offers to make you. Faith, I 'm
+not quite certain if we are not believed to be, at this very moment,
+concocting how to smuggle over the frontier a brass carronade and a
+royal livery, two pounds of gunpowder and a court periwig, to restore
+the Bourbons!"
+
+He burst into a fit of laughing as he concluded; and however little
+disposed to mirth at the moment, I could not refrain from joining in the
+emotion.
+
+"But now for a moment of serious consideration, Burke; for I can be
+serious at times, at least when my friends are concerned. You and I must
+part here; it is all the better for you it should be so. I am what the
+world is pleased to call a 'dangerous companion;' and there's more truth
+in the epithet than they wot of who employ it. It is not because I am a
+man of pleasure, and occasionally a man of expensive habits and costly
+tastes, nor that I now and then play deep, or drink deep, or follow up
+with passionate determination any ruling propensity of the moment; but
+because I am a discontented and unsettled man, who has a vague ambition
+of being something he knows not what, by means he knows not how,--ever
+willing to throw himself into an enterprise where the prize is great and
+the risk greater, and yet never able to warm his wishes into enthusiasm
+nor his belief into a conviction: in a word, a Frenchman, born a
+Legitimist, reared a Democrat, educated an Imperialist, and turned
+adrift upon the world a scoffer. Such men as I am are dangerous
+companions; and when they increase, as they are likely to do in our
+state of society, will be still more dangerous citizens. But come, my
+good friend, don't look dismayed, nor distend your nostrils as if you
+were on the scent for a smell of brimstone,--'Satan s'en va!'"
+
+With these words he arose and held out his hand to me. "Don't let your
+Napoleonite ardor ooze out too rapidly, Burke, and you 'll be a marshal
+of France yet. There are great prizes in the wheel, to be had by those
+who strive for them. Adieu!"
+
+"But we shall meet, Duchesne?"
+
+"I hope so. The time may come, perhaps, when we may be intimate without
+alarming the police of the department. But, for the present, I am about
+to leave Paris; some friends in the South have been kind enough to
+invite me to visit them, and I start this afternoon."
+
+We shook hands once more, and Duchesne moved towards the door; then,
+turning suddenly about, he said, "Apropos of another matter,--this
+Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie.
+
+"What of her?" said I, with some curiosity in my tone.
+
+"Why, I have a kind of half suspicion, ripening into something like an
+assurance, that when we meet again she may be Madame Burke."
+
+"What nonsense, my dear friend! the absurdity--"
+
+"There is none whatever. An acquaintance begun like yours is very
+suggestive of such a termination. When the lady is saucy and the
+gentleman shy, the game stands usually thus: the one needs control and
+the other lacks courage. Let them change the cards, and see what comes
+of it."
+
+"You are wrong, Duchesne,--all wrong."
+
+"Be it so. I have been so often right, I can afford a false prediction
+without losing all my character as prophet. Adieu!"
+
+No sooner was I alone than I sat down to think over what he had said.
+The improbability, nay, as it seemed to me, the all but impossibility,
+of such an event as he foretold, seemed not less now than when first I
+heard it; but somehow I felt a kind of internal satisfaction, a sense of
+gratified vanity, to think that to so acute an observer as Duchesne such
+a circumstance did not appear even unreasonable. How hard it is to call
+in reason against the assault of flattery! How difficult to resist
+the force of an illusion by any appeal to our good sense and calmer
+judgment!
+
+It must not be supposed from this that I seriously contemplated such a
+possible turn of fortune,--far less wished for it. No; my satisfaction
+had a different source. It lay in the thought that I, the humble captain
+of hussars, should ever be thought of as the suitor of the greatest
+beauty and the richest dowry of the day: here was the mainspring of
+my flattered pride. As to any other feeling, I had none. I admired
+Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie greatly; she was, perhaps, the very
+handsomest girl I ever saw; there was not one in the whole range
+of Parisian society so much sought after; and there was a degree of
+distinction in being accounted even among the number of her admirers.
+Besides this, there lay a lurking desire in my heart that Marie de
+Meudon (for as such only could I think of her) should hear me thus
+spoken of. It seemed to me like a weak revenge on her own indifference
+to me; and I longed to make anything a cause of connecting my fate with
+the idea of her who yet held my whole heart.
+
+Only men who live much to themselves and their own thoughts know the
+pleasure of thus linking their fortunes, by some imaginary chain, to
+that of those they love. They are the straws that drowning men catch at;
+but still, for the moment, they sustain the sinking courage, and nerve
+the heart where all is failing. I felt this acutely. I knew well that
+she was not, nor could be, anything to me; but I knew, also, that to
+divest my mind of her image was to live in darkness, and that the mere
+chance of being remembered by her was happiness itself. It was while
+hearing of her I first imbibed the soldier's ardor from her own brother.
+She herself had placed before me the glorious triumphs of that career in
+words that never ceased to ring in my ears. All my hopes of distinction,
+my aspirations for success, were associated with the half prediction
+she had uttered; and I burned for an occasion by which I could signalize
+myself,--that she might read my name, perchance might say, "And _he_
+loved me!"
+
+In such a world of dreamy thought I passed day after day. Duchesne was
+gone, and I had no intimate companion to share my hours with, nor with
+whom I could expand in social freedom. Meanwhile, the gay life of the
+capital continued its onward course; f�tes and balls succeeded
+each other; and each night I found myself a guest at some splendid
+entertainment, but where I neither knew nor was known to any one.
+
+It was on one morning, after a very magnificent f�te at the
+Arch-Chancellor's, that I remembered, for the first time, I had not seen
+my poor friend Pioche since his arrival at Paris. A thrill of shame
+ran through me at the thought of having neglected to ask after my old
+comrade of the march, and I ordered my horse at once, to set out for
+the H�tel-Dieu, which had now been in great part devoted to the wounded
+soldiers.
+
+The day was a fine one for the season; and as I entered the large
+courtyard I perceived numbers of the invalids moving about in groups, to
+enjoy the air and the sun of a budding spring. Poor fellows! they were
+but the mere remnants of humanity. Several had lost both legs, and few
+were there without an empty sleeve to their loose blue coats. In a large
+hall, where three long tables were being laid for dinner, many were
+seated around the ample fireplaces; and at one of these a larger
+group than ordinary attracted my attention. They were not chatting and
+laughing, like the rest, but apparently in deep silence. I approached,
+curious to know the reason; and then perceived that they were all
+listening attentively to some one reading aloud. The tones of the voice
+were familiar to me; I stopped to hear them more plainly.
+
+It was Minette herself--the vivandi�re--who sat there in the midst;
+beside her, half reclining in a deep, old-fashioned armchair, was "le
+gros Pioche," his huge beard descending midway on his chest, and his
+great mustache curling below his upper lip. He had greatly rallied since
+I saw him last, but still showed signs of debility and feebleness by the
+very attitude in which he lay.
+
+[Illustration 194]
+
+Mingling unperceived with the crowd, who were far too highly interested
+in the recital to pay any attention to my approach, I listened
+patiently, and soon perceived that mademoiselle was reading some
+incident of the Egyptian campaign from one of those innumerable volumes
+which then formed the sole literature of the garrison.
+
+"The redoubt," continued Minette, "was strongly defended in front by
+stockades and a ditch, while twelve pieces of artillery and a force of
+seven hundred Mamelukes were within the works. Suddenly an aide-de-camp
+arrived at full gallop, with orders for the Thirty-second to attack the
+redoubt with the bayonet, and carry it. The major of the regiment (the
+colonel had been killed that morning at the ford) cried out,--
+
+"'Grenadiers, you hear the order,--Forward!' But the same instant a
+terrible discharge of grape tore through the ranks, killing three and
+wounding eight others. 'Forward, men! forward!' shouted the major. But
+no one stirred."
+
+"_T�te d'enfer_," growled out Pioche, "where was the tambour?"
+
+"You shall hear," said Minette, and resumed.
+
+"'Do you hear me?' cried the major, 'or am I to be disgraced forever?
+Advance--quick time--march!'
+
+"'But, Major,' said a sergeant, aloud, 'they are not roasted apples
+those fellows yonder are pelting.'
+
+"'Silence!' called out the major; 'not a word! Tambour, beat the
+charge!'
+
+"Suddenly a man sprang up to his knees from the ground where he had been
+lying, and began to beat the drum with all his might. Poor fellow! his
+leg was smashed with a shot, but he obeyed his orders in the midst of
+all his suffering.
+
+"'Forward, men! forward!' cried the major, waving his cap above his
+head. 'Fix bayonets--charge!' And on they dashed after him.
+
+"'Halloo, comrades!' shouted the tambour; 'don't leave me behind you.'
+And in an instant two grenadiers stooped down and hoisted him on their
+shoulders, and then rushed forward through the smoke and flame. Crashing
+and smashing went the shot through the leading files; but on they went,
+leaping over the dead and dying."
+
+"With the tambour still?" asked Pioche.
+
+"To be sure," said Minette; "there he was. But listen:--
+
+"Just as they reached the breach a shot above their heads came whizzing
+past, and a terrible bang rang out as it went.
+
+"'He is killed,' said one of the grenadiers, preparing to lower the
+body; 'I heard his cry.'
+
+[Illustration: BrowneDrummerBoy121]
+
+"'Not yet, Comrade,' cried the tambour; 'it is the drum-head they have
+carried away, that's all;' and he beat away on the wooden sides harder
+than ever. And thus they bore him over the glacis, and up the rampart,
+and never stopped till they placed him, sitting, on one of the guns on
+the wall."
+
+"Hurrah! well done!" cried Pioche; while every throat around him
+re-echoed the cry, "Hurrah!"
+
+"What was his name, Mademoiselle?" cried several voices. "Tell us the
+name of the tambour!"
+
+"_Ma foi, Messieurs!_they have not given it."
+
+"Not given his name," growled they out. "_Ventrebleu!_ that is too bad!"
+
+"An he had been an officer of the Guard they would have told us his
+whole birth and parentage," said a wrinkled, sour-looking old fellow,
+with one eye.
+
+"Or a lieutenant of hussars, Mademoiselle!" said Pioche, looking fixedly
+at the vivandi�re, who held the book close to her face to conceal a deep
+blush that covered it.
+
+"But, halloo, there! Qui vive?" The cuirassier had just caught a glimpse
+of me at the moment, and every eye was turned at once to where I was
+standing. "Ah, Lieutenant, you here! Not invalided, I hope?"
+
+"No, Pioche. My visit was intended for you; and I have had the good
+fortune to come in for the tale mademoiselle was reading."
+
+Before I had concluded these few words, the wounded soldiers, or such of
+them as could, had risen from their seats, and stood respectfully around
+me; while Minette, retreating behind the great chair where Pioche lay,
+seemed to wish to avoid recognition.
+
+"Front rank, Mademoiselle! front rank!" said Pioche. "_Parbleu!_when one
+has the 'cross of the Legion' from the hands of the Emperor himself, one
+need not be ashamed of being seen. Besides," added he, in a lower tone,
+but one I could well overhear, "thou art not dressed in thy uniform now;
+thou hast nothing to blush for!"
+
+Still she hung down her head, and her confusion seemed only to increase;
+so that, unwilling to prolong her embarrassment, which I saw my presence
+had caused, I merely made a few inquiries from Pioche regarding his own
+health, and took my leave of the party.
+
+As I rode homeward, I could not help turning over in my mind the words
+of Pioche, "Thou art not in thy uniform now; thou hast nothing to blush
+for!" Here, then, seemed the key to the changed manner of the poor girl
+when I met her at Austerlitz,--some feeling of womanly shame at being
+seen in the costume of the vivandi�re by one who had known her only in
+another guise. But could this be so? I asked myself,--a question a
+very little knowledge of a woman's heart might have spared me. And thus
+pondering, I returned to the Luxembourg.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI. AN OLD FRIEND UNCHANGED
+
+They who took their tone in politics from the public journals of France
+must have been somewhat puzzled at the new and unexpected turn of
+the papers in Government influence at the period I now speak of. The
+tremendous attacks against the "perfide Albion," which constituted
+the staple of the leading articles in the "Moniteur," were gradually
+discontinued; the great body of the people were separated from the
+"tyrannical domination of an insolent aristocracy;" an occasional eulogy
+would appear, too, upon the "native good sense and right feeling of John
+Bull" when not led captive by appeals to his passions and prejudices;
+and at last a wish more boldly expressed that the two countries, whose
+mission it should be to disseminate civilization over the earth, could
+so far understand their real interest as to become "fast friends,
+instead of dangerous enemies."
+
+The accession of the Whigs to power in England was the cause of this
+sudden revolution. The Emperor, when First Consul, had learned to
+know and admire Charles Fox,--sentiments of mutual esteem had grown up
+between them,--and it seemed now as if his elevation to power were
+the only thing wanting to establish friendly relations between the two
+countries.
+
+How far the French Emperor presumed on Fox's liberalism,--and the strong
+bias to party inducing him to adopt such a line of policy as would run
+directly counter to that of his predecessors in office, and thus dispose
+the nation to more amicable views towards France,--certain it is that he
+miscalculated considerably when he built upon any want of true English
+feeling on the part of that minister, or any tendency to weaken, by
+unjust concessions, the proud attitude England had assumed at the
+commencement and maintained throughout the entire Continental war.
+
+A mere accident led to a renewal of negotiations between the two
+countries. A villain, calling himself Guillet de la Grevilli�re, had
+the audacity to propose to the English minister the assassination of
+Napoleon, and to offer himself for the deed. He had hired a house at
+Passy, and made every preparation for the execution of his foul scheme.
+To denounce this wretch to the French minister of foreign affairs,
+Talleyrand, was the first step of Fox. This led to a reply, in which
+Talleyrand reported, word for word, a conversation that passed between
+the Emperor and himself, and wherein expressions of the kindest nature
+were employed by Napoleon with regard to Fox, and many flattering
+allusions to the times of their former intimacy; the whole concluding
+with the expression of an ardent desire for a good understanding and
+a "lasting peace between two nations designed by nature to esteem each
+other."
+
+Although the whole scheme of the assassination was a police stratagem
+devised by Fouch� to test the honor and good faith of the English
+minister, the result was eagerly seized on as a basis for new
+negotiations; and from that hour the temperate language of the French
+papers evinced a new policy towards England. The insolent allusions of
+journalists, the satirical squibs of party writers, the caricatures of
+the English eccentricity, were suppressed at once; and by that magic
+influence which Napoleon wielded, the whole tone of public feeling
+seemed altered as regarded England and Englishmen. From the leaders
+in the "Moniteur" to the shop windows of the Palace an Anglomania
+prevailed; and the idea was thrown out that the two nations had divided
+the world between them,--the sea being the empire of the British, the
+land that of Frenchmen. Commissioners were appointed on both sides:
+at first Lord Yarmouth, and then Lord Lauderdale, by England; General
+Clarke and M. Champagny, on the part of France. Lord Yarmouth, at that
+time a _d�tenu_ at Verdun, was selected by Talleyrand to proceed to
+England, and learn the precise basis on which an amicable negotiation
+could be founded.
+
+Scarcely was the interchange of correspondence made public, when the
+new tone of feeling and acting towards England displayed itself in every
+circle and every _salon_. If a proof were wanting how thoroughly the
+despotism of Napoleon had penetrated into the very core of society, here
+was a striking one: not only were many of the _d�tenus_ liberated and
+sent back to England, but were f�ted and entertained at the various
+towns they stopped at on their way, and every expedient practised to
+make them satisfied with the treatment they had received on the soil
+of France. An English guest was deemed an irresistible attraction at
+a dinner party, and the most absurd attempts at imitation of English
+habits, dress, and language were introduced into society as the last
+"mode," and extolled as the very pinnacle of fashionable excellence.
+
+It would be easy for me here to cite some strange instances of this new
+taste; but I already feel that I have wandered from my own path, and owe
+an apology to my reader for invading precincts which scarce become me.
+Yet may I observe here,--and the explanation will serve once for all,--I
+have been more anxious in this "true history" to preserve some passing
+record of the changeful features of an eventful period in Europe, than
+merely to chronicle personal adventures, which, although not devoid of
+vicissitudes, are still so insignificant in the great events by which
+they were surrounded. The Consulate, the Empire, and the Restoration
+were three great tableaux, differing in their groupings and color, but
+each part of one mighty whole,--links in the great chain, and evidencing
+the changeful aspect of a nation crouching beneath tyranny, or dwindling
+under imbecility and dotage.
+
+I have said the English were the vogue in Paris; and so they were, but
+especially in those _salons_ which reflected the influence of the Court,
+and where the tone of the Tuileries was revered as law. Every member of
+the Government, or all who were even remotely connected with it, at once
+adopted the reigning mode; and to be _� l'Anglaise_ became now as much
+the type of fashion as ever it had been directly the opposite. Only such
+as were in the confidence of Fouch� and his schemes knew how hollow all
+this display of friendly feeling was, or how ready the Government
+held themselves to assume their former attitude of defiance when
+circumstances should render it advisable.
+
+Among those who speedily took up the tone of the Imperial counsels,
+the _salons_ of the H�tel Glichy were conspicuous. English habits, as
+regarded table equipage; English servants; even to English cookery did
+French politeness extend its complaisance; and many of the commonest
+habitudes and least cultivated tastes were imported as the daily
+observances of fashionable people _outremer_.
+
+In this headlong Anglomania, my English birth and family (I say English,
+because abroad the petty distinctions of Irishman or Scotchman are
+not attended to) marked me out for peculiar attention in society; and
+although my education and residence in France had well-nigh rubbed off
+all or the greater part of my national peculiarities, yet the flatterers
+of the day found abundant traits to admire in what they recognized as
+my John Bull characteristics. And in this way, a blunder in French, a
+mistake in grammar, or a false accentuation became actually a _succ�s
+de salon_. Though I could not help smiling at the absurdity of a vogue
+whose violence alone indicated its unlikeliness to last, yet I had
+sufficient of the spirit of my adopted country to benefit by it while it
+did exist, and never spent a single day out of company.
+
+At the H�tel Clichy I was a constant guest; and while with Mademoiselle
+de Lacostellerie my acquaintance made little progress, with the countess
+I became a special favorite,--she honoring me so far as to take me into
+her secret counsels, and tell me all the little nothings which Fouch�
+usually disseminated as state secrets, and circulated twice or thrice
+a week throughout Paris. From him, too, she learned the names of the
+various English who each day arrived in Paris from Verdun, and thus
+contrived to have a succession of those favored guests at her dinner and
+evening parties.
+
+During all this time, as I have said, my intimacy with mademoiselle
+advanced but slowly, and certainly showed slight prospect of verifying
+the prophecy of Duchesne at parting. Her manner had, indeed, lost its
+cold and haughty tone; but in lieu of it there was a flippant, half
+impertinent, _moqueur_ spirit, which, however easily turned to advantage
+by a man of the world like the chevalier, was terribly disconcerting to
+a less forward and less enterprising person like myself. Dobretski still
+continued an invalid; and although she never mentioned his name nor
+alluded to him in any instance, I could see that she suspected I knew
+something more of his illness and the cause of it than I had ever
+confessed. It matters little what the subject of it be, let a secret
+once exist between a young man and a young woman,--let there be the
+tacit understanding that they mutually know of something of which others
+are in ignorance,--and from that moment a species of intelligence is
+established between them of the most dangerous kind. They may not be
+disposed to like each other; there may be attachments elsewhere; there
+may be a hundred reasons why love should not enter into the case; yet
+will there be a conscious sense of this hidden link which binds them;
+strangely at variance with their ordinary regard for each other,
+eternally mingling in all their intercourse, and suggesting modes
+of acting and thinking at variance with the true tenor of the
+acquaintanceship.
+
+Such, then, was my position at the H�tel Clichy, at which I was almost
+daily a visitor or a guest, in the morning, to hear the chit-chat of the
+day,--the changes talked of in the administration, the intended plans of
+the Emperor, or the last modes in dress introduced by the Empress, whose
+taste in costume and extravagant habits were much more popular with the
+tradespeople than with Napoleon.
+
+An illness of a few days' duration had confined me to the Luxembourg,
+and unhappily deprived me of the Court ball, for which I had received
+my invitation several weeks before. It seemed as if my fate forbade any
+chance of my ever seeing her once more whose presence in Paris was the
+great hope I held out to myself when coming. Already a rumor was afloat
+that several officers had received orders to join their regiments; and
+now I began to fear lest I should leave the capital without meeting her,
+and was thinking of some plan by which I could attain that object, when
+a note arrived from Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie, written with more
+than her usual cordiality, and inviting me to dinner on the following
+day with a very small party, but when I should meet one of my oldest
+friends.
+
+I thought of every one in turn who could be meant under the designation,
+but without ever satisfying my mind that I had hit upon the right one.
+Tascher it could not be, for the very last accounts I had seen from
+Germany spoke of him as with his regiment. My curiosity was sufficiently
+excited to make me accept the invitation; and, true to time, I found
+myself at the H�tel Clichy at the hour appointed.
+
+On entering the _salon_, I discovered that I was alone. None of the
+guests had as yet arrived, nor had the ladies of the house made their
+appearance; and I lounged about the splendid drawing-room, where every
+appliance of luxury was multiplied: pictures, vases, statues, and
+bronzes abounded,--for the apartment had all the ample proportions of
+a gallery,--battle scenes from the great �vents of the Italian and
+Egyptian campaigns; busts of celebrated generals and portraits of
+several of the marshals, from the pencils of Gerard and David. But
+more than all was I struck by one picture: it was a likeness of Pauline
+herself, in the costume of a Spanish peasant. Never had artist caught
+more of the character of his subject than in that brilliant sketch,--for
+it was no more. The proud tone of the expression; the large, full eye,
+beaming a bright defiance; the haughty curl of the lip; the determined
+air of the figure, as she stood one foot in advance, and the arms
+hanging easily on either side,--all conveyed an impression of high
+resolve and proud determination quite her own.
+
+I was leaning over the back of a chair, my eye steadfastly fixed on the
+painting, when I heard a slight rustling of a dress near me. I turned
+about: it was mademoiselle herself. Although the light of the apartment
+was tempered by the closed jalousies, and scarcely more than a mere
+twilight admitted, I could perceive that she colored and seemed confused
+as she said,--
+
+"I hope you don't think that picture is a likeness?"
+
+"And yet," said I, hesitatingly, "there is much that reminds me of you;
+I mean, I can discover--"
+
+"Say it frankly, sir; you think that saucy look is not from mere fancy.
+I deemed you a closer observer; but no matter. You have been ill; I
+trust you are recovered again."
+
+"Oh, a mere passing indisposition, which unfortunately came at the
+moment of the Court ball. You were there, of course?"
+
+"Yes; it was there we had the pleasure to meet your friend, the general:
+but perhaps this is indiscreet on my part; I believe, indeed, I promised
+to say nothing of him."
+
+"The general! Do you mean General d'Auvergne?"
+
+"That much I will answer you,--I do not. But ask me no more questions.
+Your patience will not be submitted to a long trial; he dines with us
+to-day."
+
+I made no reply, but began to ponder over in my mind who the general in
+question could be.
+
+"There! pray do not worry yourself about what a few moments will reveal
+for you, without any guessing. How strange it is, the intense feeling of
+curiosity people are afflicted with who themselves have secrets."
+
+"But I have none, Mademoiselle; at least, none worth the telling."
+
+"Perhaps," replied she, saucily. "But here come our guests."
+
+Several persons entered the _salon_ at this moment, with each of whom I
+was slightly acquainted; they were either members of the Government
+or generals on the staff. The countess herself soon after made her
+appearance; and now we only waited for the individual so distinctively
+termed "my friend" to complete the party.
+
+"Pauline has kept our secret, I hope," said the countess to me. "I shall
+be sadly disappointed if anything mars this surprise."
+
+"Who can it be?" thought I. "Or is the whole thing some piece of
+badinage got up at my expense?"
+
+Scarcely had the notion struck me, when a servant flung wide the
+folding-doors, and announced "le G�n�ral" somebody, but so mumbled was
+the word, the nearest thing I could make of it was "Bulletin." This
+time, however, my curiosity suffered no long delay; for quickly after
+the announcement a portly personage in an English uniform entered
+hastily, and approaching madame, kissed her hand with a most gallant
+air; then turning to mademoiselle, he performed a similar ceremony. All
+this time my eyes were riveted upon him, without my being able to make
+the most remote guess as to who he was.
+
+"Must I introduce you, gentlemen?" said the countess: "Captain Burke."
+
+"Eh, what! my old friend, my boy Tom! This you, with all that mustache?
+Delighted to see you," cried the large unknown, grasping me by the
+hands, and shaking them with a cordiality I had not known for many a
+year.
+
+"Really, sir," said I, "I am but too happy to be recognized; but a most
+unfortunate memory--"
+
+"Memory, lad! I never forgot anything in life. I remember the doctor
+shaking the snow off his boots the night I was born; a devilish cold
+December. We lived at Benhungeramud, in the Himalaya."
+
+"What!" cried I; "is this Captain Bubbleton, my old and kind friend?"
+
+"General, Tom,--Lieutenant-General Bubbleton, with your leave," said he,
+correcting me. "How the boy has grown! I remember him when he was scarce
+so high."
+
+"But, my dear captain--"
+
+"General, lieutenant-general--"
+
+"Well, Lieutenant-General,--to what happy chance do we owe the pleasure
+of seeing you here?"
+
+"War, boy,--the old story. But we shall have time enough to talk over
+these things; and I see we are detaining the countess."
+
+So saying, the general gave his arm to madame, and led the way
+towards the dinner; whither we followed,--I in a state of surprise
+and astonishment that left me unable to collect my faculties for a
+considerable time after.
+
+Although the party, with the exception of Bubbleton, were French,
+he himself, as was his wont, supported nearly the whole of the
+conversation; and if his French was none of the most accurate, he amply
+made up in volubility for all accidents of grammar. It appeared that he
+had been three years at Verdun, a prisoner; though how he came there,
+whence, and at what exact period, there was no discovering. And now
+his arrival at Paris was an event equally shrouded in mystery, for no
+negotiations had been opened for his exchange whatsoever; but he had
+had the eloquence to persuade the pr�fet that the omission was a mere
+accident,--some blunder of the War-Office people, which he would rectify
+on his arrival at Paris. And there he was, though with what prospect
+of reaching England none but one of his inventive genius could possibly
+guess. He was brimful of politics, ministerial secrets, state news, and
+Government intentions, not only as regarded England, but Austria and
+Russia: and communicated in deep confidence a grand scheme by which the
+Fox ministry were to immortalize themselves,--which was by giving up
+Malta to the Bourbons, Louis the Eighteenth to be king, Goza to be a
+kind of dependency to be governed by a lieutenant-general whom "he would
+not name;" finishing his glass with an ominous look as he spoke.
+Thence he wandered on to his repugnance to state, and dislike to any
+government, function,--illustrating his quiet tastes and simple habits
+by recounting a career of Oriental luxury in which he described himself
+as living for years past; every word he spoke, whatever the impression
+on others, bringing me back most forcibly to my boyish days in the old
+barrack, where first I met him. Years had but cultivated his talents;
+his visions were bolder and more daring than ever; while he had
+chastened down his hurried and excited tone of narrative to a quiet flow
+of unexaggerated description, which, taking his age and appearance into
+account, it was difficult to discredit.
+
+Whether the Frenchmen really gave credit to his revelations, or only
+from politeness affected to do it at first, I cannot say, but assuredly
+he put all their courtesy to a rude test by a little anecdote before he
+left the dinner-room.
+
+While speaking of the memorable siege of Valenciennes in '93, at which
+one of the French officers was present and in a high command, Bubbleton
+at once launched forth into some very singular anecdotes of the
+campaign, where, as he alleged, he also had served.
+
+"We took an officer of one of your infantry regiments prisoner in a
+sortie one evening," said the Frenchman. "I commanded the party, and
+shall never forget the daring intrepidity of his escape. He leaped from
+the wall into the fosse, a height of thirty feet and upwards. _Parbleu!_
+we had not the heart to fire after him, though we saw that after the
+shock he crawled out upon his hands and feet, and soon afterwards gained
+strength enough to run. He gave me his pocket-book with his name; I
+shall not forget it readily,--it was Stopford."
+
+"Ah, poor Billy! He was my junior lieutenant," said Bubbleton; "an
+active fellow, but he never could jump with me. Confound him! he has
+left me a souvenir also, though a very different kind from yours,--a
+cramp in the stomach I shall never get rid of."
+
+As this seemed a somewhat curious legacy from one brother officer to
+another, we could not help calling on the general for an explanation,--a
+demand Bubbleton never refused to gratify.
+
+"It happened in this wise," said he, pushing back his chair as he spoke,
+and seating himself with the easy attitude of your true story-teller.
+"The night before the assault--the 24th of July, if my memory serves
+me right--the sappers were pushing forward the mines with all despatch.
+Three immense globes were in readiness beneath the walls, and some minor
+details were only necessary to complete the preparations. The stormers
+consisted of four British and three German regiments,--my own, the Welsh
+Fusiliers, being one of the former. We occupied the lines stretching
+from L'H�rault to Damies."
+
+The French officer nodded assent, and Bubbleton resumed.
+
+"The Fusiliers were on the right, and divided into two parties,--an
+assaulting column and a supporting one; the advanced companies at half
+cannon-shot from the walls, the others a little farther off. Thus we
+were, when, about half-past ten, or it might be even eleven o'clock (we
+were drinking some mulled claret in my quarters), a low, swooping
+kind of a noise came stealing along the ground. We listened,--it grew
+stronger and stronger; and then we could hear musket-shot and shouting,
+and the tramp of men as if running. Out we went; and, by Jove! there
+we saw the first battalion in full retreat towards the camp. It was a
+sortie in force from the garrison, which drove in our advanced posts,
+and took several prisoners. The drums now soon beat to quarters; the
+men fell in rapidly, and we advanced to meet them,--no pleasant affair,
+either, let me remark, for the night was pitch dark, and we could not
+even guess the strength of your force. It was just then that I was
+running with all my speed to come up with the flank companies, that my
+cover-sergeant, a cool, old Scotch fellow, shouted out,--
+
+"'Take care, sir! Stoop there, sir! stoop there!'
+
+"But the advice came too late. I could just discern through the gloom
+something black, hopping and bounding along towards me; now striking the
+ground, and then rebounding again several feet in the air.
+
+"'Stoop, sir! down!' cried he.
+
+"But before I could throw myself flat, plump it took me here. Over I
+went, breathless, and deeming all was finished; but, miraculous to say,
+in a few minutes after I found myself coming to, and except the shock,
+nothing the worse for the injury.
+
+"'Was that a shell, Sergeant?' said I; 'a spent shell?'
+
+"'Na, sir,' said he, in his own broad way, 'it was naething o' the kind;
+it was only Lieutenant Stopford's head that was snapped aff up there.'"
+
+"His head!" exclaimed we all of a breath,--"his head!�
+
+"Yes, poor fellow, so it was; a damned hard kind of a bullet-head, too!
+The blow has left a weakness of the stomach I suppose I shall never
+recover from; and the occurrence being so singular, I have actually
+never asked for a pension,--there are people, by Jove! would throw
+discredit on it."
+
+This latter observation seemed so perfectly to sum up our own thoughts
+on the matter that we really had nothing to remark on it; and after a
+silence of a few seconds, politely relieved by the countess hinting at
+coffee in the drawing-room, we arose and followed her.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII. THE RUE DES CAPUCINES
+
+Before I parted with Bubbleton that evening be promised to breakfast
+with me on the following morning; and true to his word, entered my
+quarters soon after ten o'clock. I longed to have an opportunity of
+talking to him alone, and learning some intelligence of that country,
+which, young as I had left it, was still hallowed in memory as my own.
+
+"Eh, by Jupiter! this is something like a quarter,--gilded mouldings,
+frescos, silk hangings, and Persian rugs. I say, Tom, are you sure you
+haven't made a mistake, my boy, and just imagined that you were somebody
+else,--Murat or Bernadotte, for example? The thing is far easier than
+you may think; it happened to me before now."
+
+"Be tranquil on that score," said I, "we are both at home; though
+these quarters are, as you remark, far beyond the mark of a captain of
+hussars."
+
+"A captain! Why, hang it, you're not captain already?"
+
+"Yes, to be sure. What signifies it? Only think of your own rapid rise
+since we parted; you were but a captain then, and to be now a
+lieutenant-general!"
+
+"Ah, true, very true," said he, hurriedly, while he bustled about the
+room, examining the furniture, and inspecting the decorations most
+narrowly. "Capital service this must be," muttered he, between his
+teeth; "not much pay, I fancy, but a deal of plunder and private
+robbery."
+
+"I cannot say much on that head," said I, laughing outright at what
+he intended for a soliloquy; "but I must confess I have no reason to
+complain of my lot."
+
+"Egad! I should think not," rejoined he; "better than Old George's
+Street. Well, well, I wish I were but back there,--that's all."
+
+"Come, sit down to your breakfast; and perhaps when we talk it over some
+plan may present itself for your exchange."
+
+How thoroughly had I forgotten my friend when I uttered the sentiment;
+for scarcely was he seated at table, when he launched out, as of old,
+into one of his visionary harangues,--throwing forth dark hints of his
+own political importance, and the keen watch the Emperor had set upon
+his movements.
+
+"No, my friend, the thing is impossible," said he, ominously. "Nap.
+knows me; he knows my influence with the Tories. To let me escape would
+be to blow all his schemes to the winds. I am destined for the 'Temple,'
+if not for the guillotine."
+
+The solemnity of his voice and manner at this moment was too much for
+me, and I laughed outright.
+
+"Ay, you may laugh; so does Anna Maria."
+
+"And is Miss Bubbleton here, too?"
+
+"Yes; we are both here," ejaculated he, with a deep sigh. "Rue Neuve
+des Capucines, No. 46, four flights above the entresol! Ay, and in
+that entresol they have two spies of Fouch�'s police; I know them well,
+though they pretend to be hairdressers. I'm too much for old Fouch� yet;
+depend upon it, Tom."
+
+It was in vain I endeavored to ascertain what circumstances led him
+to believe himself suspected by the Government; neither was I more
+fortunate in discovering how he first became a _d�tenu_. The mist of
+imaginary events, places, and people which he had conjured up around
+him, prevented his ever being able to see his way, or know clearly any
+one fact connected with his present position. Dark hints about spies,
+suspicious innuendoes of concealed enemies, plotting pr�fets and opened
+letters, had actually filled his brain to the exclusion of everything
+rational and reasonable, and I began seriously to fear for my poor
+friend's intellect.
+
+Hoping by a change of topic to induce a more equable tone of thinking, I
+asked about Ireland.
+
+"All right there! they've hanged 'em all," said he. Then, as if suddenly
+remembering himself, he added, with a slight confusion, "You were well
+out of that scrape, Tom. Your old friend Barton had a warrant for you
+the morning you left, and there was a reward of five hundred pounds for
+your apprehension; and something, too, for a confounded old piper,--old
+Blast-the-Bellows, I think they called him."
+
+"Darby! What of him, Bubbleton? they did not take him, I trust?"
+
+"No, by Jove! They hanged two fellows, each of whom they believed to
+be him, and he was in the crowd looking on, they say. But he's at large
+still; and the report goes, Barton does not stir out at night for fear
+of meeting him, as the fellow has an old score to settle with him."
+
+"And so, all hopes of liberty would seem extinguished now," said I,
+gloomily.
+
+"That is as you may take it, Tom. I'm a bad judge of these things; but I
+fancy that a man who can live here might contrive to eke out life under
+a British Government; though he might yearn now and then for a secret
+police, a cabinet noir, or perhaps a tight cravat in the Temple."
+
+"Hush! my friend."
+
+"Ay, there it is! Now, if we were in Dame Street, we might abuse the
+ministers and the army and the Lord-Lieutenant to our heart's content;
+and if Jemmy O'Brien was n't one of the company, I 'd not mind a hit at
+Barton himself."
+
+"But does England still maintain her proud tone of ascendency towards
+Ireland? Is the Saxon the hereditary lord, and the Celt the slave,
+still?"
+
+"There again you puzzle me; for I never saw much of this same
+ascendency, or slavery either. Loyal people, some way or other, were
+usually in favor with the Government, and had what many thought a most
+unjust proportion of the good things to their share. But even the
+others got off in most cases easily too; a devilish deal better than you
+treated those luckless Austrians the other day. You killed some thirty
+thousand, and made bankrupts of the rest of the nation. But then, to be
+sure, it was the cause of liberty you were fighting for. And as for the
+Italians--"
+
+"Yes! but you forget these were wars not of our seeking; the treachery
+of false-hearted allies led to these sad results."
+
+"I suppose so. But certain it is, nations, like individuals, that have a
+taste for fighting, usually have the good luck to find an adversary; and
+as your Emperor here seems to have learned the Donnybrook Fair trick of
+trailing his coat after him, it would be strange enough if nobody would
+gratify him by standing on it."
+
+Without being able to say why, I felt piqued and annoyed at the tone of
+Bubbleton's remarks, which, coming from one of his narrow intelligence
+on ordinary topics, worried me only the more. I had long since seen that
+the liberty with which in boyhood I was infatuated had no existence save
+in the dreams of ardent patriotism; that the great and the mighty felt
+ambition a goal, and power a birthright; that the watchwords of freedom
+were inscribed on banners when the sentiments had died out of men's
+hearts, while as a passion the more dazzling one of glory made every
+other pale before it; and that the calm head and moderate judgment could
+scarce survive contact with the intoxicating triumphs of a nation's
+successes.
+
+Such was, indeed, the real change Napoleon had wrought in France. Their
+enthusiasm could not rest content with national liberty; glory alone
+could satisfy a nation drunk with victory. Against the stern followers
+of the Republican era--the soldiers of the Sambre and Meuse, the men
+of Jemmappes--he had arrayed the ardent, high-spirited youth of the
+Consulate and the Empire, the heroes of Areola, of Rivoli, of Cairo, and
+Austerlitz. How vain to discuss questions of social order or national
+freedom with the cordoned and glittering bands who saw monarchy and
+kingdoms among the prizes of their ambition! And even I, who had few
+ambitious hopes, how the ardor that once stimulated me and led me to the
+soldier's life,--how had it given way to the mere conventional aspirings
+of a class! The grade of colonel was far oftener in my thoughts than the
+cause of freedom; the cross of the Legion would have reconciled me to
+much that in my calmer judgment I might deem harsh and tyrannical.
+
+"Believe me, Tom," said Bubbleton, who saw in my silence that his
+observations had their weight with me, "believe me, my philosophy is the
+true one,--never to meddle where you cannot serve yourself or some
+of your friends. The world will always consist of two parties,--one
+governing, the other governed. We belong to the latter category, and
+shall only get into a scrape by poking our heads where they have no
+business to be."
+
+"Why, a few moments since you were full of state secrets, and plots, and
+secret treaties, and Heaven knows what besides!"
+
+"To be sure I was. And for whose interest, man,--for whose sake? George
+Frederick Augustus Bubbleton's. Ay, no doubt of it. Here am I, a
+_d�tenu_,--and have been these two years and a half--wasting away
+existence at Verdun, while my property is going to the devil from sheer
+neglect. My West India estates, who can say how I shall find them? my
+Calcutta property, the same; then there's that fee-simple thing in
+Norfolk. But I can't even think of it. Well, I verily believe no single
+step has been taken for my release or exchange. The Whigs, you know,
+will do nothing for me. I may tell you in confidence,"--here he dropped
+his voice to a low whisper,--"I may tell you, Charles Fox hates me. But
+more of this another time. What was I to do in all this mess of trouble
+and misfortune? Stand still and bear it? No, faith; that's not Bubbleton
+policy. You 'd never guess what I did."
+
+"I fear not."
+
+"Well, it chanced that some little literary labors of mine--you know I
+dally sometimes with the muse--became known to the pr�fet at Verdun.
+I saw that they watched me; and consequently I made great efforts at
+secrecy, concealing my papers in the chimney, under the floor, sewing
+them in the linings of my coat, and so on. The bait took: they made
+a regular search, seizing my manuscripts, put great seals on all
+the packages, and sent them up to Paris. The day after, I made
+submission,--offered to reveal all to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
+And accordingly they sent me up here with an escort. What would have
+come next I cannot tell you, if Anna Maria had not found out Lord
+Lauderdale, and trumped up some story to him, so that he interfered. And
+we are now living at the Rue Neuve des Capucines; but how long we shall
+be there, and where they may send us next, I wish I could only guess."
+
+A few minutes' consideration satisfied me that the police were concerned
+in Bubbleton's movements, and, knowing at once that no danger was to
+be apprehended from such a source, were merely holding him up for some
+occasion when they could make use of him to found some charge against
+the British Government,--a manoeuvre constantly employed, and always
+successful with the Parisians, wherever an explanation became necessary
+in the public papers.
+
+It would have served no purpose to impart these suspicions of mine to
+Bubbleton himself; on the contrary, he would inevitably have destroyed
+all clew to their confirmation by some false move, had I done so. With
+this impression, then, I resolved to wait patiently, watch events, and
+when the time came, see what best could be done towards effecting his
+liberation.
+
+As I was disposed to place more reliance on Miss Bubbleton's statements
+than those of her imaginative brother, I agreed to his proposal to pay
+her a visit; and accordingly we set out together for the Rue Neuve des
+Capucines.
+
+Lieutenant-General Bubbleton's quarters were by no means of that
+imposing character which befitted his rank in the British army.
+Traversing a dirty courtyard strewed with firewood, we entered a little
+gloomy passage, from which a still gloomier stair ascended to the
+topmost regions of the house, where, unlocking a door, he pushed me
+before him into a small, meanly-furnished apartment, the centre of which
+was occupied by a little iron stove, whose funnel pierced the ceiling
+above, and gave the chamber somewhat the air of a ship's cabin.
+Bubbleton, however, either did not or would not perceive any want of
+comfort or propriety in the whole; on the contrary, he strode the floor
+with the step of an emperor, and placed the chair for me to sit on as
+though he were about to seat me on a throne. While exchanging his coat
+for a most ragged dressing-gown, he threw himself on an old sofa with
+such energy of ease that the venerable article of furniture creaked and
+groaned in every joint.
+
+"She's out," said he, with a toss of his thumb to a half-open door;
+"gone to take a stroll in the Tuileries for half an hour, so that we
+shall have a little chat before she comes. And now, what will ye take? A
+little sherry and water? a glass of maraschino, eh? or what say you to a
+nip of real Nantz?"
+
+"Nothing, my dear friend; you forget the hour, not to speak of my French
+education."
+
+"Oh, very true," said he. "When I was in the Forty-fifth--" When he had
+uttered these words, he stopped suddenly, hesitated, and stammered,
+and at last, fairly overcome with confusion, he unfolded a huge
+pocket-handkerchief, and blew his nose with the sound of a cavalry
+trumpet, while he resumed: "We had a habit in the old Forty-fifth--a
+deuced bad one, I confess--of a mess breakfast, that began after parade
+and always ran into luncheon--But hush! here she comes," cried he,
+in evident delight at the interruption so opportunely arriving. Then,
+springing up, he threw open the door, and called out, "I say, Anna
+Maria, you 'll not guess who's here?"
+
+Either the ascent of the steep stair called for all the lady's spare
+lungs, or the question had little interest for her, as she certainly
+made no reply whatever, but continued to mount, step by step, with
+that plodding, monosyllabic pace one falls into at the highest of six
+flights.
+
+"No," cried he aloud, "no, you're wrong; it is not Lauderdale." Then,
+turning towards me, with a finger to his nose, he added, with pantomimic
+action, "She thinks you are Yarmouth. Wrong again, by Jove! What do you
+say to Tom Burke,--Burke of 'Ours.' as I used to call him long ago?"
+
+By this time Miss Bubbleton had reached the door, and was holding the
+handle to recover her breath after the fatigue of the ascent. Even in
+that momentary glance, however, I recognized her. Nothing altered
+by time, she was the same crabbed, crossgrained-looking personage I
+remembered years before. She carried a little basket on her arm, of
+which her brother hastened to relieve her, and showed no little concern
+to remove out of sight. Being divested of this, she held out her hand,
+and saluted me with more cordiality than I looked for.
+
+Scarcely had our greetings been exchanged, when Bubbleton broke in, "I
+'ve told him everything, Anna Maria. He knows the whole affair; no use
+in boring him with any more. I say, isn't he grown prodigiously? And a
+captain already,--just think of that."
+
+"And so, sir, you've heard of the sad predicament his folly has brought
+us into?"
+
+"Hush, hush, Anna Maria!" cried Bubbleton; "no nonsense, old girl. Burke
+will put all to rights; he's aide-de-camp to Murat, and dines with him
+every day,--eh, Tom?"
+
+"What if he be?" interrupted the lady, without permitting me time to
+disclaim the honor. "How can he ever--"
+
+"I tell you, it's all arranged between us; and don't make a fuss about
+nothing. You 'll only make bad worse, as you always do. Come, Tom; the
+secret is, I shall be ruined if I don't get back to England soon. Heaven
+knows who receives my dividends all this time. Then that confounded
+tin mine! they 've mismanaged the thing so much I haven't received five
+hundred pounds from Cornwall since this time twelve months."
+
+"That you haven't," said the lady, as with clasped hands and eyes fixed
+she sat staring at the little stove with the stern stoicism of a martyr.
+
+"She knows that," said Bubbleton, with a nod, as if grateful for even so
+much testimony in his favor. "And as for that scoundrel, Thistlethwait,
+the West India agent, I've a notion he's broke; not a shilling from him
+either."
+
+"Not sixpence," echoed the lady.
+
+"You hear that," cried he, overjoyed at the concurrence. "And the fact
+is,--you will smile when I tell you, but upon my honor it's true,--I am
+actually hard up for cash."
+
+The idea tickled him so much, and seemed so ludicrous withal, that he
+fell back on the sofa, and laughed till the tears ran down his face. Not
+so Miss Bubbleton: her grim face grew more fixed, every feature hardened
+as if becoming stone, while gradually a sneer curled her thin lip; but
+she never spoke a word.
+
+"I'll not speak of the annoyance of being out of England, nor the loss
+of influence a man sustains after a long absence," said Bubbleton, as he
+paced the room with his hands deep thrust in his dressing-gown pockets.
+"These are things one can feel; and as for me, they weigh more on my
+mind than mere money considerations."
+
+"But, General," said I--
+
+"General!" echoed the lady with a start round, and holding up both her
+hands,--"General! You have n't been such a fool,--it's not possible you
+could be such a fool--"
+
+"Will you please to be quiet, old damsel?" said Bubbleton, with more of
+harshness than he had yet used in his manner. "Can you persuade yourself
+to mind your own household concerns, and leave George Frederick Augustus
+Bubbleton to manage his own matters as he deems best?"
+
+Here he turned short round towards me, and throwing up his eyebrows to
+their full height, he touched his forehead knowingly with the tip of his
+forefinger, and uttered the words,--
+
+"You understand! Poor thing!" concluding the pantomime with a deep sigh
+from the bottom of his chest, while he added something in a low whisper
+about "a fall from an elephant when she was a child!"
+
+"Mr. Burke, will you listen to me?" said the lady, with an energy
+of voice and manner there was no gainsaying--"listen to me for five
+minutes; and probably, short as the time is, I may be able to put you in
+possession of a few plain facts concerning our position, and if you have
+the inclination and the power to serve us, you may then know how best it
+can be done."
+
+Bubbleton made me a sign to gratify her desire of loquaciousness, while
+with a most expressive shrug he intimated that I should probably hear a
+very incoherent statement. This done, he lighted his meerschaum, wrapped
+his ragged _robe de chambre_ around him, and lay down full length on
+the sofa, with the air of a man who had fortified himself to undergo any
+sacrifices that might be demanded at his hands; taking care the while to
+assume his position in such a manner that he could exchange glances with
+me without his being observed by his sister.
+
+"We came over, Mr. Burke, only a few months before the war broke out,
+and like the rest of our countrymen and women were made _d�tenus_. This
+was bad enough; but my wise brother made it far worse, for instead of
+giving his name, with his real rank and position, he would call himself
+a lieutenant-general, affect to have immense wealth and great political
+influence. The consequence was, when others were exchanged and sent
+home, his name not being discoverable in any English list, was passed
+over; while his assumed fortune involved us in every expense and
+extravagance, and his mock importance made us the object of the secret
+police, who never ceased to watch and spy after us."
+
+"Capital! excellent! by Jove!" cried Bubbleton, as he rolled forth a
+long curl of blue smoke from the angle of his mouth; "she 's admirable!"
+
+"I ought to have told you before," said the lady, not paying the least
+attention to his interruption, "that he was obliged to sell out of
+the Forty-fifth; a certain Mr. Montague Crofts, whom you may remember,
+having won every shilling he possessed, even to the sale of his
+commission. This was the cause of our coming abroad; so that at the very
+moment that he was giving himself these airs of pretended greatness, we
+were ruined."
+
+"Upon my life, she believes all that," whispered Bubbleton, with a wink
+at me. "Poor old thing! I must get Larrey to look at her."
+
+"Happily, or unhappily--who shall say which?--there was a greater fool
+even than himself in the village; and he was the _maire_. This
+wise functionary became alarmed at the piles of papers and rolls of
+manuscripts that were seen about our rooms, and equally suspicious about
+the dark hints and mysterious innuendoes he threw out from time to time.
+The pr�fet was informed of it; and the result was, an order for our
+removal to Paris. Here, then, we are; with what destiny before us who
+shall tell? For, as he still persists in his atrocious nonsense, and
+calls himself major-general--"
+
+"Lieutenant-general, my dear," said Bubbleton, mildly; "I never was
+major-general."
+
+"Is it not too bad?" said she. "Could any patience endure this?"
+
+"Don't be violent; take care, Anna Maria," said he, rebukingly. "Potts
+said I should use restraint again, if you showed any return of the
+paroxysm. That's the way she takes it," said he in a low whisper,
+"with a blinking about the eyes and a pattering of the feet. Bathe your
+temples, dear, and you'll be better presently."
+
+Anna Maria sat still, not uttering a word, and actually fearing by a
+gesture to encourage a commentary on her manner.
+
+"Sometimes she 'll mope for hours," muttered he in my ear; "at others,
+she's furious,--there's no saying how it will turn. You wouldn't like a
+pipe? I forgot to ask you."
+
+"And worse than all, sir," said the lady, as if no longer able to
+restrain her temper, "he is supposed to be a spy of the police. I heard
+it myself this morning."
+
+"Eh, what!" exclaimed Bubbleton, jumping up in an ecstasy of delight. "A
+spy! By Jove! I knew it. Lord! what fellows they are, these French! not
+two days here yet, and they discovered I was no common man,--eh,
+Burke? Maybe I haven't frightened them, my boy. It's not every one would
+create such a sensation, let me tell you; I knew I'd do it."
+
+Miss Bubbleton looked at him for an instant with a sneer of the most
+withering contempt, and then rising abruptly, left the room. But the
+general little cared for such evidences of her censure; he danced about
+the room, snapping his fingers, and chuckling with self-satisfaction,
+the thought of being believed to be a police spy giving him the most
+intense and heartfelt pleasure.
+
+"She has moments, Tom, when she's downright clear; you 'd not think it,
+but sometimes she's actually shrewd. You saw how she hit upon that."
+
+"Would that her brother was favored with some of these lucid intervals!"
+was the thought that ran through my head at the moment; for I knew
+better than he did how needful a clearer brain and sharper faculties
+than his would be to escape the snares his folly and vanity were
+spreading around him.
+
+"Shall we make a morning call at our friend the countess's,
+Tom?" said Bubbleton. "She told me she received every day about this
+hour."
+
+I felt nowise disposed for the visit; and so, having engaged my friend
+to dine with me at the Luxembourg the next day, we parted.
+
+As I sauntered homewards, I was surprised how difficult I found it to
+disabuse my mind of the absurd insinuations Bubbleton had thrown out
+against his sister's sanity; for, though well knowing his fondness for
+romance, and his taste for embellishment on every occasion, I. yet could
+not get rid of the impression that her oddity of manner might only be
+another feature of eccentricity, just as extravagant, but differing in
+its tendencies, as his own.
+
+To assist him whose kindness to myself of old I never ceased to remember
+with gratitude, was my firm resolve; but to ascertain his exact position
+was all-essential for this purpose, and I could not help saying, half
+aloud, "If I had but Duchesne here now!"
+
+"Speak of the devil, _mon ami!_" said he, drawing his arm within mine,
+while I was scarcely able to avoid a cry of astonishment. "Where do you
+dine to-day, Burke?" said he, in his quiet, easy tone.
+
+"But where did you come from, Duchesne? Are you long here?"
+
+"Answer my question first. Can you dine with me?"
+
+"To be sure; with pleasure."
+
+"Then meet me at the corner of the Rue des Trois T�tes, at six o'clock,
+and I 'll be your guide afterwards. This is _my_ way now. _Au revoir_."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII. THE MOISSON d'OR
+
+When I arrived at the rendezvous, I found Duchesne already awaiting me
+with a carriage, into which we stepped, and drove rapidly away.
+
+"A man of your word, Burke; and, what is scarcely less valuable in the
+times we live in, a man of prudence too."
+
+"As how the latter, may I ask?"
+
+"You have not come in uniform, which is all the better where we are
+going; besides, it gives me the hope of presenting you to my respected
+aunt, the Duchesse de Montserr�t, who will take your black coat as a
+compliment to the whole Bourbon dynasty. You must come with me there, if
+it only be for half an hour. And now tell me, have you ever dined at the
+'Moisson d'Or'?"
+
+"Never; not even heard of the house."
+
+"Well, then, you shall to-day. And meanwhile I may tell you, that
+although in a remote and little-visited quarter of Paris, it stands
+unrivalled for the excellence of its fare and the rare delicacy of its
+wines,--a reputation not of yesterday, but of some years' standing.
+Nor is that the only thing remarkable about it, as I shall explain
+hereafter. But come! How are your friends at the H�tel Clichy? and how
+fares your suit with mademoiselle?"
+
+"My suit? It never was such. You know, to the full as well as I do, my
+pretensions aspired not half so high."
+
+"So much the better, and so much the worse. I mean the former for me,
+as I hate to have a friend for a rival; the latter for you, who ought to
+have learned by this time that a handsome girl and a million of
+francs are more easily won than a cross of the Legion or a colonel's
+epaulette."
+
+"And are you serious, Duchesne? Have you really intentions in that
+quarter?"
+
+"_Morbleu!_ to be sure I have. It is for that I am here in Paris in
+the dog days; travelled one hundred and twenty leagues; ay, and
+more, too,--have brought with me my most aristocratic aunt, who never
+remembers in her life to have seen full-grown leaves in the Tuileries
+gardens. I knew what an ally she would be in the negotiation; and so I
+managed, through some friends in the bureau of the minister, to give her
+a rare fright about an estate of hers, which by some accident escaped
+confiscation in the Revolution, and which nothing but the greatest
+efforts on her part could now rescue from the fangs of the crown. You
+may be sure she is not particularly in love with the present Government
+on this score; but the trick secures her speaking more guardedly than
+she has the habit of doing, besides inducing her to make acquaintances
+nothing but such a threat would accomplish."
+
+"You intend, then, she should know Madame de Lacostellerie?"
+
+"Of course. I have already persuaded her that the H�tel Clichy is the
+pivot of all Paris, and that nothing but consummate tact and management
+on her part will succeed there."
+
+"But I scarcely thought you cared for mademoiselle; and never dreamed of
+your proposing to marry her."
+
+"Nor I, till about a week ago. However, my plans require money, and
+would not be encumbered by my having a wife. I see nothing better at
+the moment, and so my mind is soon made up. But here we are; this is our
+resting-place."
+
+The "Moisson d'Or," although not known to me, was then the most
+celebrated place for dining in Paris. The habits of the house--for there
+was no _table d'h�te_--required that everything should be ordered
+beforehand, and the parties all dined separately. The expensive habits
+and extravagant prices secured its frequenters from meeting the class
+who usually dined at restaurants; and this gave it a vogue among the
+wealthy and titled, whose equipages now thronged the street, and filled
+the _porte coch�re_. I had but time to recognize the face of one of the
+marshals and a minister of state, as we pushed our way through the
+court, and entered a small pavilion beyond it.
+
+"I'll join you in an instant," said Duchesne, as he left the room
+hastily after the waiter. In a couple of minutes he was back again.
+"Come along; it's all right," said he. "I wish to show you a corner of
+the old house that only the privileged ever see, and we are fortunate in
+finding it unoccupied."
+
+We recrossed the court, and mounted a large oak stair to a corridor,
+which conducted us, by three sides of a quadrangle, to a smaller stair,
+nearly perpendicular. At the top of this, a strong door, barred and
+padlocked, stood, which, being opened, led into a large and lofty
+_salon_, opening by three spacious windows on a terrace that formed
+the roof of the building. Some citron and orange trees were disposed
+tastefully along this, and filled the room with their fragrance.
+
+"Here, Antoine; let us be served here," said Duchesne to the waiter;
+"I have already given orders about the dinner. And now, Burke, come out
+here. What think you of that view?"
+
+Scarcely had I set foot on the terrace, when I started back in mingled
+admiration and amazement. Beneath us lay the great city, in the mellow
+light of an evening in September. Close--so close as actually to
+startle--was the large dome of the Invalides shining like a ball of
+molten gold, the great courtyard in front dotted with figures; beyond,
+again, was the Seine, the surface flashing and flickering in the
+sunlight,--I traced it along to the Pont Neuf; and then my eye rested on
+Notre-Dame, whose tall, dark towers stood out against the pinkish sky,
+while the deep-toned bell boomed through the still air. I turned towards
+the Tuileries, and could see the guard of honor in waiting for
+the Emperor's appearing. In the gardens, hundreds were passing and
+repassing, or standing around the band which played in front of the
+pavilion. A tide of population poured across the bridges and down the
+streets, along which equipages and horsemen dashed impetuously onward.
+There was all the life and stir of a mighty city, its sounds dulled
+by distance, but blended into one hoarse din, like the far-off sea at
+night.
+
+"You don't know, Burke, that this was a favorite resort of the courtiers
+of the last reign. The gay young Gardes du Corps, the gallant youths of
+the royal household, constantly dined here. The terrace we now stand on
+once held a party who came at the invitation of no less a personage than
+him whom men call Louis the Eighteenth. It was a freak of the time to
+pronounce the Court dinners execrable: and they even go so far as to
+say that Marie Antoinette herself once planned a party here; but this I
+cannot vouch for."
+
+At this moment Duchesne was interrupted by the entrance of the waiters
+who came to serve the dinner. I had not a moment left to admire the
+beauty and richness of the antique silver dishes which covered the
+table, when a gentle tap at the door attracted my attention.
+
+"Ha! Jacotot himself!" said Duchesne, as, rising hastily, he advanced
+to meet the new arrival. He was a tall, thin old man, much stooped by
+years, but with an air and carriage distinctly well bred; his white
+hair, brushed rigidly back, fastened into a queue behind, and his lace
+"jabot" and ruffles, bespoke him as the remnant of a date long past. His
+coat was blue, of a shade somewhat lighter than is usually worn. He also
+wore large buckles in his shoes, whose brilliancy left no doubt of their
+real value. Bowing with great ceremony, he advanced slowly into the
+room.
+
+"You are come to dine with us,--is it not so, Jacotot?" said Duchesne,
+as he still held his hand.
+
+"Excuse me, my dear chevalier; the Comte de Chambord and Edouard de
+Courcelles are below,--I have promised to join them."
+
+"And is Courcelles here?"
+
+"Yes," said the old man, with a timid glance towards where I sat, and a
+look as if imploring caution and reserve.
+
+"Oh, fear nothing. And that reminds me I have not presented my friend
+and brother officer: Captain Burke,--Monsieur Jacotot. You may feel
+assured, Jacotot, I make no mistake in the friends I introduce here."
+
+The old man gave a smile of pleasure; while, turning to me, he said,--
+
+"He is discretion itself; and I am but too happy to make your
+acquaintance. And now, Chevalier, one word with you."
+
+He retreated towards the door, holding Duchesne's arm, and whispering as
+he went. Duchesne's face, however, expressed his impatience as he spoke;
+and at last he said,--
+
+"As you please, my worthy friend; I always submit to your wiser
+counsels. So farewell for the present."
+
+He looked after the old man as he slowly descended the stairs, and then
+closing the door and locking it, he exclaimed,--
+
+"_Parbleu!_I found it very hard to listen to his prosing with even a
+show of patience, and was half tempted to tell him that the Bourbons
+could wait, though the soup could not."
+
+"Then Monsieur Jacotot is a Royalist, I presume?"
+
+"Ay, that he is; and so are all they who frequent this house. Don't
+start; the police know it well, and no one is more amused at their
+absurd plottings and conspirings than Fouch� himself. Now and then, to
+be sure, some fool, more rash and brainless than the others, will come
+up from La Vend�e and try to knock his head against the walls of the
+Temple,--like De Courcelles there, who has no other business in Paris
+except to be guillotined, if it were worth the trouble. Then the
+minister affects to stir himself and be on the alert, just to terrify
+them; but he well knows that danger lurks not in this quarter. Believe
+me, Burke, the present rulers of France have no greater security than
+in the contemptible character of all their opponents. There is no course
+for a man of energy and courage to adopt. But I ask your pardon, my dear
+friend, for this treasonable talk. What think you of the dinner? The
+Royalists would never have fallen if they had understood government as
+well as cuisine. Taste that _supr�me_, and say if you don't regret the
+Capets,--a feeling you can indulge the more freely because you never
+knew them."
+
+"I cannot comprehend, Duchesne, what are the grievances you charge
+against the present Government of France. Had you been an old courtier
+of the last reign,--a hanger-on of Versailles or the Tuileries,--the
+thing were intelligible; but you, a soldier, a man of daring and
+enterprise--"
+
+"Let me interrupt you. I am so only because it is the taste of the day;
+but I despise the parade of military glory we have got into the habit
+of. I prefer the period when a _mot_ did as much and more than a
+discharge of _mitraille_, and men's _esprit_ and talent succeeded better
+than a strong sword-arm or a seat on horseback. There were gentlemen
+in France once, my dear Burke. Ay, _parbleu!_ and ladies too,--not
+marchionesses of the drum-head nor countesses of the bivouac, but women
+in whom birth heightened beauty, whose loveliness had the added charm of
+high descent beaming from their bright eyes and sitting throned on their
+lofty brows; before whom our mustached marshals had stood trembling and
+ashamed,--these men who lounge so much at ease in the _salons_ of the
+Tuileries! Let me help you to this _salmi_; it is _� la Louis Quinze_,
+and worthy of the Regency itself. Well, then, a glass of Burgundy."
+
+"Your friend Monsieur Jacotot seems somewhat of an original," said I,
+half desirous to change a topic which I always felt an unpleasant one.
+
+"You are not wrong; he is so. Jacotot is a thorough Frenchman; at
+least, he has had the fortune to mix up in his destiny those extremes of
+elevated sentiment and absurdity which go very far to compose the life
+of my good countrymen. I must tell you a short anecdote--But
+shall we adjourn to the terrace? for, to prevent the interruption of
+servants, I have ordered our dessert there."
+
+This was a most agreeable proposal; and so, having seated ourselves in
+a little arbor of orange-shrubs, with a view of the river and the Palace
+gardens beneath us, Duchesne thus began:--
+
+"I am going somewhat far back in history; but have no fears on that
+head, Burke,--my story is a very brief one. There was, once upon a time,
+in France, a monarch of some repute, called Louis the Fourteenth; a man,
+if fame be not unjust, who possessed the most kingly qualities of which
+we have any record in books. He was brave, munificent, high-minded,
+ardent, selfish, cruel, and ungrateful, beyond any other man in his own
+dominions; and, like people with such gifts, he had the good fortune to
+attach men to him just as firmly and devotedly as though he was not in
+his heart devoid of every principle of friendship and affection. I need
+not tell you what the ladies of his reign thought of him; my present
+business is with the ruder sex.
+
+"Among the courtiers of the day was a certain Vicomte Arnoud de Gency,
+a young man who, at the age of eighteen, won his grade of colonel at the
+siege of Besan�on by an act of coolness and courage worthy recording. He
+deliberately advanced into one of the breaches, and made a sketch of the
+interior works of the fortification while the enemy's shot was tearing
+up the ground around him. When the deed was reported to the king, he
+interrupted the relation, saying, 'Don't tell me who did this, for I
+have made De Gency a colonel for it;' so rapidly did Louis guess the
+author of so daring a feat.
+
+"From that hour, the young colonel's fortune was made. He was appointed
+one of the gentlemen of the chamber to his Majesty, and distinguished by
+almost daily marks of royal intimacy. His qualities eminently fitted him
+for the tone of the society he lived in; he was a most witty converser,
+a good musician, and had, moreover, a very handsome person,--gifts not
+undervalued at Saint-Germain.
+
+"Such were his social qualities; and so thoroughly did he understand
+the king's humor, that even La Valli�re herself saw the necessity of
+retaining him at the Court, and, in fact, made a confidant of him
+on several occasions of difficulty. Still, with all these favors
+of fortune, when the object of envy to almost all the rest of the
+household, Arnoud de Gency was suffering in his heart one of the most
+trying afflictions that can befall a proud man so placed; he was in
+actual poverty,--in want so pressing that all the efforts he could
+make, all the contrivances he could practise, were barely sufficient
+to prevent his misery being public. The taste for splendor in dress and
+equipage which characterized the period had greatly injured his private
+fortune, while the habit of high play, which Louis encouraged and liked
+to see about him, completed his ruin. The salary of his appointments was
+merely enough to maintain his daily expenditure; and thus was he, with
+a breaking heart, obliged not only to mix in all the reckless gayety and
+frivolity of that voluptuous Court, but, still more, tax his talents and
+his energies for new themes of pleasure, fresh sources of amusement.
+
+"Worn out at length by the long struggle between his secret sorrow and
+his pride, he resolved to appeal to the king, and in a few words
+tell his Majesty the straits to which he was reduced, and implore his
+protection. To this he was impelled not solely on his own account, but
+on that also of his only child, a boy of eight or nine years old, whose
+mother died in giving him birth.
+
+"An occasion soon presented itself. The king had given orders for a
+hunting-party at St. Cloud; and at an early hour of the morning De Gency
+in his hunting-dress took up his position in one of the ante-chambers
+through which the king must pass: not alone, however; at his side there
+stood a lovely boy, also dressed in the costume of the chase. He wore
+a velvet doublet of green, slashed with gold, and ornamented by a
+broad belt, from which hung his _couteau de chasse_; even to the falcon
+feather in his cap, nothing was forgotten.
+
+"He had not waited long when the folding-doors were thrown wide, and
+a moment after Louis appeared, accompanied by a single attendant,
+the Marquis de Verneuil, unhappily one of the very few enemies Arnoud
+possessed in the world.
+
+"'Ah, De Gency! you here?' said the king, gayly. 'They told me "brelan"
+had been unfavorable lately, and that we should not see you.'
+
+"'It is true, Sire,' said he, with a sad effort at a smile; 'it is only
+on your Majesty fortune always smiles.'
+
+"'_Pardieu!_ you must not say so; I lost a rouleau last night. But whom
+have we here?'
+
+"'My son; so please you, Sire, my only son, who desires, at an earlier
+age than even his father did, to serve your Majesty.'
+
+[Illustration: 230]
+
+"'How like his mother!' said the king, pushing back the fair ringlets
+from the boy's forehead, and gazing almost fondly on his handsome
+features,--'how like her! She was a Courcelles?'
+
+"'She was, Sire,' said Arnoud, as the tears fell on his cheek and
+coursed slowly along his face.
+
+"'And you want something for him?' said the king, resuming his wonted
+tone, while he busied himself with his sword-knot; 'is it not so?'
+
+"'If I might dare to ask--'
+
+"'Assuredly you may. The thing is, what can we do? Eh, Verneuil, what
+say you? He is but an infant.'
+
+"'True, Sire,' replied the marquis, with a look of respect, in which
+the most subtle could not discover a trait of his sarcastic nature; 'but
+there is a place vacant.'
+
+"'Ah, indeed,' said the king, quickly. 'What is it? He shall have it.'
+
+"'Monsieur Jacotot, your Majesty's head cook, stands in need of a
+turnspit,' said he, in a low whisper, only audible to the king.
+
+"'A turnspit!' said the king. And scarcely was the word uttered when,
+as if the irony was his own, he burst into a most immoderate fit of
+laughter,--an emotion that seemed to increase as he endeavored to
+repress it; when at the instant the _cor de chasse_, then heard
+without, gave a new turn to his thoughts, and he hurried forward with
+De Yerneuil, leaving De Gency and his son rooted to the spot,--indignant
+passion in that heart which despair and sorrow had almost rendered
+callous.
+
+"His Majesty was still laughing as he mounted his barb in the courtyard;
+and the courtiers, like well-bred gentlemen, laughed as became them,
+with that low, quiet laugh which is the meet chorus of a sovereign's
+mirth, when suddenly two loud reports, so rapidly following on each
+other as almost to seem one, startled the glittering cortege, and even
+made the Arab courser of the king plunge madly in the air.
+
+"'_Par Saint Denis!_Messieurs,' said Louis, passionately, 'this
+pleasantry of yours is ill thought of. Who has dared to do this?'
+
+"But none spoke. A terrified look around the circle was the only reply
+to the king's question, when a page rushed forward, his dress spotted
+and blood-stained, his face pale with horror,--
+
+"'Your Majesty,--ah, Sire!' said he, kneeling. But sobs choked him, and
+he could not utter more.
+
+"'What is this? Will no one tell?' cried the king, as a frown of dark
+omen shadowed his angry features.
+
+"'Your Majesty has lost a brave, an honest, and a faithful follower,
+Sire,' said Monsieur de Coulanges. 'Arnoud de Gency is no more.'
+
+"'Why, I saw him this instant,' said the king. 'He asked me some favor
+for his boy.'
+
+"'True, Sire,' replied De Coulanges, mournfully. But he checked himself
+in time, for already the well-known and dreaded expression of passion
+had mounted to the king's face.
+
+"'Dismiss the _chasse_, gentlemen,' said he, in a low thick voice. 'And
+do you, Monsieur de Verneuil, attend me.'
+
+"The cortege was soon scattered; and the Marquis de Verneuil followed
+the king with an expression where fear and dread were not to be
+mistaken.
+
+"Monsieur de Verneuil did indeed seem an altered man when he appeared
+among his friends that evening. Whatever the king had said to him
+assuredly had worked its due effect; for all his raillery was gone, and
+even the veriest trifler of the party might have dared an encounter with
+wits which then were subdued and broken.
+
+"Next morning, however, the sun shone out brilliantly. The king was
+in high spirits; the game abounded; and his Majesty with his own hand
+brought down eight pheasants. The Marquis de Verneuil could hit nothing;
+for although the best marksman of the day, his hand shook and his sight
+failed him, and the king won fifty louis from him before they reached
+Saint-Germain.
+
+"Never was there a happier day nor followed by a pleasanter evening.
+The king supped in Madame de la Valli�re's apartment; the private band
+played the most delicious airs during the repast; and when at length the
+party retired to rest, not one bright dream was clouded by the memory of
+Arnoud de Gency.
+
+"Here, now, were I merely recounting an anecdote, I should stop,"
+said the chevalier; "but must continue a little longer, though all the
+romance of my story is over. The Marquis de Verneuil was a good hater:
+even poor De Gency's fate did not move him, and he actually did do what
+he had only threatened in mockery,--he sent the orphan child to be a
+turnspit in the royal kitchen. Of course he changed his name,--the title
+of an old and honored family would soon have betrayed the foul
+deed,--and the boy was called Jacotot, after the _chef_ himself. The
+king inquired no further on the subject; Arnoud's name recalled too
+unpleasant a topic for the lips of a courtier ever to mention; and the
+whole circumstance was soon entirely forgotten.
+
+"This same Jacotot was the grandfather of my old friend, whom you saw a
+few minutes since. Fate, that seems to jest with men's destinies, made
+them as successful at the fire of the kitchen as ever their ancestors
+were at that of a battery; and Monsieur Jacotot, our present host, has
+not his equal in Paris. Here for years the younger members of the royal
+family used to sup; this room was their favorite apartment; and one
+evening, when at a later sitting than usual the ruler of the feast was
+carried beyond himself in the praise of an admirable plat, he sent for
+Jacotot, and told him, whatever favor he should ask, he himself would
+seek for him at the hands of the king.
+
+"This was the long-wished-for moment of the poor fellow's life. He drew
+from his bosom the title-deeds of his ancient name and fortune, and
+placed them in the prince's hand without uttering a word.
+
+"'What! and are you a De Gency?' said the prince.
+
+"'Alas! I shame to say it, I am.'
+
+"'Come, gentlemen,' said the gay young prince, 'a bumper to our worthy
+friend, whom, with God's blessing, I shall see restored right soon to
+his fitting rank and station. Yes, De Gency! my word upon it, the next
+evening I sup here I shall bring with me his Majesty's own signature to
+these title-deeds. Make place, gentlemen, and let him sit down!'
+
+"But poor Jacotot was too much excited by his feelings of joy and
+gratitude, and he rushed from the room in a torrent of tears.
+
+"The evening the prince spoke of never came. Soon after that commenced
+the troubles to the royal family; the dreadful events of Versailles; the
+flight to Varennes; the 10th August,--a horrible catalogue I cannot bear
+to trace. There, yonder, where now the groups are loitering, or sitting
+around in happy knots, there died Louis the Sixteenth. The prince I
+spoke of is an exile: they call him Louis the Eighteenth; but he is a
+king without a kingdom.
+
+"But Jacotot lives on in hope. He has waded through all the terrors of
+the Revolution; he has seen the guillotine erected almost before his
+door and beheld his former friends led one by one to the slaughter.
+Twice was he himself brought forth, and twice was his life spared by
+some admirer of his cuisine. But perhaps all his trials were inferior
+to the heart-burning with which he saw the places once occupied by the
+blood of Saint Louis now occupied by the _canaille_ of the Revolution.
+Marat and Robespierre frequented his house; and Barras seldom passed
+a week without dining there. This, I verily believe, was a heavier
+affliction than any of his personal sufferings; and I have often heard
+him recount, with no feigned horror, the scenes which took place among
+the _incroyables_, as they called themselves, whose orgies he contrasted
+so unfavorably with the more polished excesses of his regal visitors.
+Through all the anarchy of that fearful period; through the scarce less
+sanguinary time of the Directory; through the long, dreary oppression of
+the consulate; and now, in the more grinding tyranny of the Empire, he
+hopes, ay, still hopes on, that the day will come when from the hands of
+the king himself he shall receive his long-buried rank, and stand forth
+a De Gency. Poor fellow! there is something noble and manly in the long
+struggle with fortune,--in that long-sustained contest in which he would
+never admit defeat.
+
+"Such are the followers of the Bourbons: their best traits, their
+highest daring, their most long-suffering endurance, only elicited in
+the pursuit of some paltry object of personal ambition. They have tasted
+the cup of adversity, ay, drained it to the very dregs; they have seen
+carnage and bloodshed such as no war ever surpassed: and all they
+have learned by experience is, to wish for the long past days of
+royal tyranny and frivolity back again; to see a glittering swarm
+of debauchees fluttering around a sensualist king; and to watch the
+famished faces of the multitude, without a thought that the tiger is
+only waiting for his spring. As to a thought of true liberty, one single
+high and noble aspiration after freedom, they never dreamed of it.
+
+"You see, my friend, I have no desire to win you over to the Bourbon
+cause; neither, if I could, would I make you a Jacobin. But how is
+this? Can it really be so late? Come, we have no time to lose: it is not
+accounted good breeding to be late in a visit at the Faubourg."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX. THE TWO SOIREES
+
+Duchesne's story had unfortunately driven all memory of Bubbleton out of
+my head; and it was only as we entered the street where the Duchesse de
+Montserrat lived that I remembered my friend, and thought of asking the
+chevalier's advice about him.
+
+In a few words I explained so much of his character and situation as was
+necessary, and was going on to express my fears lest a temperament so
+unstable and uncertain should involve its possessor in much trouble,
+when Duchesne interrupted me by saying,--
+
+"Be of courage on that head. Your friend, if the man you describe him,
+is the very person to baffle the police. They can see to any depth, if
+the water be only clear; muddy it, and it matters little how shallow it
+be. This Bubbleton might be of the greatest service just now; you must
+present me to him, Burke."
+
+"Most willingly. But first promise that you will not involve my poor
+friend in the snares of any plot. Heaven knows, his own faculties are
+quite sufficient for his mystification."
+
+"Plot! snares!--why, what are you thinking of? But come, this is our
+halting-place; and here we are, without my even having a moment to give
+you any account of my good aunt."
+
+As he spoke he turned the handle of a large door, which led into a
+gloomy _porte coch�re_, dimly illuminated by a single old-fashioned
+lantern. A fat, unwieldy-looking porter peeped at us from his den in the
+conciergerie; and then, having announced our approach by ringing a bell,
+he closed the shutter, and left us to find the way ourselves.
+
+Ascending the great spacious stair, the wall alongside which was covered
+with family portraits,--grim-looking heroes in mail, or prim dames with
+bouquets in their jewelled hands,--we reached a species of gallery, from
+which several doors led off. Here a servant, dressed in deep black, was
+standing to announce the visitors.
+
+As the servant preceded us along the corridor, I could not help feeling
+the contrast of this gloomy mansion, where every footstep had its own
+sad echo, with the gorgeous splendor of the H�tel Clichy. Here, all was
+dark, cold, and dreary; there, everything was lightsome, cheerful, and
+elegant. What an emblem, to my thinking, were they both of the dynasties
+they represented! But the reflection was only made as one half of the
+folding-door was thrown open,--the double-door was the prerogative of
+the blood-royal,--and we were announced.
+
+The apartment--a large, sombre-looking one--was empty, however, and we
+traversed this, and a second similar to it, our names being repeated as
+before; when at length the low tones of voices indicated our approach to
+the _salon_ where the visitors were assembled.
+
+Dimly lighted by a few lamps, far apart from each other, the apartment
+as we entered seemed even larger than it really was. At one end, around
+a huge antique fireplace, sat a group of ladies, whom in a glance I
+recognized as of the class so distinctively called dowager. They were
+seated in deep-cushioned fauteuils, and were mostly employed in some
+embroidery work, which they laid down each time they spoke; and resumed,
+less to prosecute the labor, than, as it were, from mere habit.
+
+With all the insinuating gracefulness of a well-bred Frenchman, Duchesne
+approached the seat next the chimney, and respectfully kissed the hand
+extended towards him.
+
+"Permit me, my dear aunt, to present a very intimate friend,--Captain
+Burke," said he, as he led me forward.
+
+At the mention of the word "captain," I could perceive that every hand
+dropped its embroidery-frame, while the group stared at me with no
+feigned astonishment. But already the duchess had vouchsafed a very
+polite speech, and motioned me to a seat beside her; while the chevalier
+insinuated himself among the rest, evidently bent on relieving the stiff
+and constrained reserve which pervaded the party. Not even his tact and
+worldly cleverness was equal to the task. The conversation, if such
+it could be called, was conducted almost in monosyllables,--some stray
+question for an absent "marquise," or a muttered reply concerning a late
+"countess," was the burden; not an allusion even being made to any topic
+of the day, nor any phrase dropped which could show that the speakers
+were aware of the year or the nation in which they lived and breathed.
+
+It was an inexpressible relief to me when gradually some three or four
+other persons dropped in, some of them men, who, by their manner, seemed
+favorites of the party. And soon after the entrance of the servant
+with refreshments permitted a movement in the group, when I took the
+opportunity to stand up and approach Duchesne, as he bent over a table,
+listlessly turning over the leaves of a volume.
+
+"Just think of the contradictions of human nature, Burke," said he, in a
+low whisper. "These are the receptions for which the new noblesse
+would give half their wealth. These melancholy visits of worn-out
+acquaintances, these sapless twigs of humanity, are the envy of
+such houses as the H�tel Clichy; and to be admitted to these gloomy,
+moth-eaten _salons_, is a greater honor than an invitation to the
+Tuileries. So long as this exists, depend upon it, there is rottenness
+in the core of society. But come, let us take our leave; I see you
+are well wearied of all this. And now for an hour at Madame de
+Lacostellerie's,--_en revanche_."
+
+As we came forward to make our adieux to the duchess, she rose from her
+seat, and in so doing her sleeve brushed against a small marble statue
+of Louis the Sixteenth, which, had I not opportunely caught it, would
+have fallen to the ground.
+
+"Thank you, sir," said she, graciously. "You have prevented what I
+should have deemed a sad accident."
+
+"Nay, more, Aunt," said Duchesne, smiling; "he has shown his readiness
+to restore the Bourbon."
+
+This speech, evidently spoken in jest, was repeated from lip to lip in
+the circle; and certainly I never felt my awkwardness more oppressive
+than when bowing to the party, whose elated looks and pleased
+countenances now were turned towards me.
+
+"My poor, bashful friend," said Duchesne, as we descended the stair;
+"get rid of the habit of blushing with all convenient despatch. It has
+marred more fortunes than pharo or bouillotte."
+
+"This, assuredly, is well done!" said the chevalier, as he looked
+around him, while we slowly ascended the stairs of the H�tel Glichy:
+the brilliant light, almost rivalling day; the servants in gorgeous
+liveries; the air of wealth around on every side, so different from
+the sad-colored mansion of the Faubourg; while, as the opening doors
+permitted it to be heard, the sound of delicious music came wafted to
+the ear.
+
+"I say, Burke," said he, stopping suddenly, and laying his hand on my
+arm, "this might content a man who has seen as much as I have. And the
+game is well worth the playing; so here goes!"
+
+The first person I saw as we entered the ante-chamber was Bubbleton. He
+was the centre of a knot of foreigners, who, whatever the topic, seemed
+highly amused at his discourse.
+
+"That is your friend, yonder," said Duchesne. "He has the true type of
+John Bull about him; introduce me at once."
+
+Duchesne scarcely permitted me to finish the introduction, when he
+extended his hand, and saluted Bubbleton with great cordiality; while
+the "general" did not suffer the ceremony to interrupt the flow of
+his eloquence, but continued to explain, in the most minute and
+circumstantial manner, the conditions of the new peace secretly
+concluded between France and England. The incredulity of the listeners
+was, I could perceive, considerably lessened by observing the
+deferential attention with which Duchesne listened, only interrupting
+the speaker by an occasional assent, or a passing question as to the
+political relations of some of the great Powers.
+
+"As to Prussia," said Bubbleton, pompously--"as to Prussia--"
+
+"Well, what of Prussia, General?"
+
+"We have our doubts on that subject," replied he, looking thoughtfully
+around him on the group, who, completely deceived by Duchesne's manner,
+now paid him marked attention.
+
+"You'll not deprive her of Genoa, I trust," said the chevalier, with a
+gravity almost inconceivable.
+
+"That is done already," said Bubbleton. "For my own part, I told
+Lauderdale we were nothing without the Bosphorus,--'the key of our
+house, as your Emperor called it."
+
+"He spoke of Russia, if I don't err," said Duchesne, with an insinuating
+air of correction.
+
+"Pardon me, you are wrong. I know Russia well. I travelled through the
+steppes of Metchezaromizce with Prince Drudeszitsch. We journeyed three
+hundred versts over his own estates, drawn on sledges by his serfs. You
+are aware they are always harnessed by the beard, which they wear long
+and plaited on purpose."
+
+"That is towards the Crimea," interrupted the chevalier.
+
+"Precisely. I remember a curious incident which occurred one night as
+we approached Chitepsk. (You know Chitepsk? It is where they confine the
+state prisoners,--a miserable, dreary tract, where the snow never melts,
+and the frost is so intense you often see a drove of wolves glued fast
+to the snow by the feet, and howling fearfully: a strange sight, to
+be sure!) Well, the night was falling, and a thin, cutting snowdrift
+beginning to drop, when Dru (I always call him so,--short) said to me,--
+
+"'Bub' (he did the same to me) 'Bub,' said he, 'do you remark that
+off-side leader?'
+
+"'I see him,' said I.
+
+"'I have been watching the fellow since the last stage, and confound me
+if he has ever tightened a trace; and you see he is a right active one,
+notwithstanding. He capers along gayly enough. I 'll touch him up a
+bit.' And with that he gave a flourish of his knouted whip, and came
+down on him with a smarting cut. Lord, how he jumped! Five feet off the
+ground at one spring! And, hang me, if he didn't tear off his beard!
+There it was, hanging to the pole! A very shocking sight, I must
+confess; though Dru did n't seem to mind it. However, we were obliged to
+pull up, and get out the team. Well, you would not believe what we saw
+when we got down. You 'd never guess who was the off-leader. It was the
+Princess Odoznovskoi! Poor thing! the last time I saw her, before that,
+she was dancing in the Amber Palace with Prince Alexander. She and her
+husband had been banished to Chitepsk, and as he was ill, she had put on
+a false beard and was taking a short stage in his place."
+
+I did not venture to wait for more; but, leaving Duchesne to make the
+most of the general, passed onwards towards the _salon_, which already
+was rapidly filling with visitors.
+
+The countess received me with more than wonted kindness of manner, and
+mademoiselle assumed a tone of actual cordiality I had never perceived
+before; while, as she exchanged greetings with me, she said, in a low
+voice,--
+
+"Let me speak with you, in the picture-gallery, in half an hour."
+
+Before I could utter my assent she had passed on, and was speaking to
+another.
+
+Somewhat curious to conceive what Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie might
+mean by her appointment in the gallery, I avoided the groups where I
+perceived my acquaintances were, and strolled negligently on towards the
+place of meeting. The gallery was but half lighted, as was customary on
+mere nights of visiting, and I found it quite deserted. I was sauntering
+slowly along, musing on the strange effects of the half-seen pictures,
+where all, save the most forcible and striking tints, were sombred down
+to blackness, when I heard a step behind me. I turned my head, and saw
+mademoiselle herself. She was alone, and, though she evidently had seen
+me, continued to walk onward, without speaking, towards a small boudoir,
+which occupied one angle of the gallery. I followed, and we entered it
+together.
+
+There was something in the secret interview which, while it excited my
+curiosity, served at once to convince me that had I indulged in any hope
+of succeeding to her affections, nothing could be less promising,--this
+very proof of her confidence was the strongest earnest of her
+indifference. But, indeed, I had never any such expectation. My pride
+might have been flattered by such a supposition; my heart could never
+have sympathized in the emotion.
+
+"We are alone here," said she, hurriedly, "and we may be missed; so let
+me be brief. It will seem strange that I should ask you to meet me here,
+but I could not help it. You alone, of all who frequent this, have never
+paid me the least attention, nor seemed disposed to flatter me; this
+leads me to trust you. I have no other reason but that, and because I am
+friendless." There was a tremulous sadness in the last word which
+went to my heart, and I could mark that her breathing was hurried
+and irregular for some few seconds after. "Will you promise me your
+friendship in what I ask? or, if that be too much, will you pledge
+yourself at least to secrecy? Enough, I am quite satisfied. Now, tell
+me, who is this Chevalier Duchesne?--what is he?"
+
+I ran over in a few words all I knew of him, dwelling on whatever might
+most redound to his credit; his distinguished military career, his
+undoubted talent, and, lastly, alluding to his family, to which I
+conceived the question might most probably apply.
+
+"Oh, it is not that," said she, vehemently, "I wish to know. I care not
+for his bravery, nor his birth either. Tell me, what are the sources of
+his power? How is he admitted everywhere, intimate with every one, with
+influence over all? Why does Fouch� fear, and Talleyrand admit him? I
+know they do this; and can you give me no clew, however faint, to
+guide me? The Comte de Lacostellerie was refused the Spanish contract;
+Duchesne interferes, and it is given him. There is a difficulty about a
+card for a private concert at St. Cloud; Duchesne sends it. Nor does it
+end here. _You_ know"--here her voice assumed a forced distinctness,
+as though it cost her an effort to speak calmly--"of his duel with the
+Prince Dobretski; but perhaps you may not know how he has obtained an
+imperial order for his recall to St. Petersburg?"
+
+"Of that I never heard. Can it be possible?"
+
+"Have you, then, never tasted of his arbitrary power," said she, smiling
+half superciliously, "that these things seem strange to you? or does
+he work so secretly that even those most intimate with him are in
+ignorance? But this must be so." She paused for a second or two, and
+then went on: "And now, brief as our acquaintance with him has been, see
+what influence he already possesses over my mother! Even to her I dare
+not whisper my suspicions; while to you, a stranger," added she, with
+emotion, "I must speak my fears."
+
+"But are they not groundless?" said I, endeavoring to calm the agitation
+she suffered from. "In all that you have mentioned, I can but trace the
+devotion of one seeking to serve, not injure; to be loved, not dreaded."
+
+Scarce had I said these words, when I heard a noise behind me, and
+before I could turn round, Duchesne stood beside us.
+
+"I implore your pardon, Mademoiselle," said he, in a voice of
+well-affected timidity, "nor should I venture to interrupt so
+interesting a conference, but that the Comtesse de Lacostellerie had
+sent me to look for you."
+
+"You could scarcely have come more apropos, sir. The conversation was
+entirely of yourself," said she, haughtily, as if in defiance of him.
+
+"How could I possibly have merited so great an honor, Mademoiselle?"
+replied he, bowing with the deepest respect; "or is it to the kindness
+of a _friend_ I am indebted for such interest?"
+
+There was an evident sneer in the way he uttered the word "friend,"
+while a sidelong glance he gave beneath his deep eyelashes was still
+more decisive of his feeling.
+
+"Few probably owe more to their friends than the Chevalier Duchesne,"
+said mademoiselle, tauntingly, as she took my arm to return to the
+_salon_.
+
+"True, most true!" replied he, with a low and deferential bow; "and I
+hope I am not the man to forget my debts to either friends or enemies."
+
+I turned round rapidly as he said this. Our eyes met, and we exchanged a
+short, brief glance of open defiance. His, however, as quickly changed;
+and an easy smile of careless indifference succeeded, as he lounged
+after us towards the _salon_, where now a considerable number of
+persons were assembled, and a more than usual excitement prevailed. Some
+generals of the imperial staff were also there; and the rumor ran that
+the negotiations with England had been suddenly interrupted, and that
+the negotiators had demanded their passports.
+
+"That is not all, Madame," said an old officer to the countess. "The
+accounts from Mayence are threatening. Large bodies of Prussian troops
+are reported on the march from the eastward. The telegraph has been
+actively at work since noon, and several couriers have been sent off
+from the War Office."
+
+"What is to come next?" said the countess, sighing, as she thought
+of Paris once more deserted by its gay Court and brilliant crowd of
+officers, the only society of the period.
+
+"What next, Madame?" said Duchesne, taking up the word. "_Parbleu!_ the
+thing is easily told. A conscription, a march, a bivouac, and a battle
+will form act the first. Then a victory; and a bulletin and an imperial
+edict, showing that Prussia, both by her language and geographical
+position, was intended by Providence to belong to France; that Prussians
+have no dearer wish than to be thrashed and taxed,--the honor of
+becoming a portion of the Grande Nation being an ample recompense for
+any misfortune."
+
+"And so it is, Monsieur," broke in a bluff, hard-featured veteran, whose
+coarse and weather-beaten traits bespoke one risen from the ranks; "he
+is no Frenchman who says otherwise."
+
+"To your good health, Colonel," said Duchesne, as he lifted a glass
+of champagne to his lips. "Such patriotism is really refreshing in our
+degenerate days. I wish you every success in your campaign; though what
+is to reward your valor in that miserable land of beer and Protestantism
+I cannot possibly conceive."
+
+"To-morrow; let me see you to-morrow, in the afternoon." said
+mademoiselle, in a whisper, as she passed close to me.
+
+As I nodded in acknowledgment, Duchesne turned slightly around, and I
+saw in his eyes he had overheard the words, though uttered in a mere
+whisper. Still he went on,--
+
+"As for us who remain ingloriously behind you, we have nothing to do but
+to read your exploits in the 'Moniteur.' And would to Heaven the worthy
+editor would print his battles in better fashion! The whole page usually
+looks more like a beaten than a conquering army; wounded vowels and
+broken consonants at every step, and the capital letters awkward,
+hard-featured fellows, as though risen from the ranks."
+
+"_Tonnerre de Dieu_, sir! do you mean an insult to me?" said the old
+colonel, in a voice which, though intended for a whisper, was heard over
+the whole circle.
+
+"An insult, my dear colonel? nothing within a thousand leagues of
+such. I was only speaking of the 'type' of our army, which may be very
+efficient, but is scarcely too good-looking."
+
+No words can convey the sarcastic tone in which the speech was
+delivered, nor the mortification of the indignant colonel, who felt, but
+knew not how to reply to, such a taunt. Happily Madame de Lacostellerie
+interposed, and by skilfully changing the topic of conversation, averted
+further unpleasantness.
+
+My desire to learn something accurately as to the state of events made
+me anxious to reach my quarters, and I took the first opportunity of
+quitting the _salon_. As I passed through the outer room, Duchesne
+was standing against a sideboard, holding a glass in his hand. It was
+necessary that I should pass him closely, and I was preparing to salute
+him with the distant courtesy of our present acquaintance, when he said,
+in his former tone of easy raillery,--
+
+"Going so early? Won't you have a glass of wine before you leave?"
+
+"No, I thank you," said I, coldly, and going on towards the door.
+
+"Nor wait for the concert; Grassini will be here in half an hour?"
+
+I shook my head in negation; and as I passed out I heard him humming,
+with an emphasis which there was no mistaking, the couplet of a popular
+song of the day which concluded thus,--
+
+"To-day for me; To-morrow for thee,--But will that to-morrow ever be?"
+
+That Duchesne intended to challenge me seemed now almost certain; and I
+ran over in my mind the few names of those I could ask to be my friends
+on such an occasion, but without being able to satisfy myself on the
+subject. A moment's recollection might have taught me that it was a
+maxim with the chevalier never to send a message, but in every case
+to make the adversary the aggressor; he had told me so over and over
+himself. That, however, did not occur to me at the moment, and I walked
+onward, thinking of our meeting. Could I have known what was passing in
+_his_ mind, I should have spared many serious and some sad thoughts to
+my own.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX. A SUDDEN DEPARTURE
+
+So firmly had I persuaded myself, on my way homeward, that Duchesne
+intended a duel with me, that I dreamed of it all night, and awoke in
+the morning perfectly convinced that the event was prearranged between
+us. Now, although the habits of the service I lived in had, in a great
+measure, blunted the feelings I once entertained towards duelling, still
+enough of detestation of the practice remained to make my anticipations
+far from satisfactory; besides, I knew that Duchesne had in reality no
+cause of quarrel with me, but from misapprehension alone could demand
+a meeting, which our military code of honor always decided should be
+accepted first, and inquired into afterwards. I regretted also, and
+deeply too, that I should appear to his eyes in an unworthy part, as
+though betraying the interests he had confided to me.
+
+There were, as I have said, many things I liked not in the chevalier:
+the insatiable desire he felt for revenge where he had once been
+injured; the spirit of intrigue he cherished; and, perhaps more than
+either, I shunned the scoffing habit he had of depreciating what every
+one around him loved or respected,--of stripping off every illusion
+which made life valuable, and reducing to the miserable standard of
+mere selfish gratification all that was great, or noble, or venerable.
+Already had his evil influence done me injury in this way. Even now I
+felt, that of the few daydreams I once indulged in he had robbed me
+of the best, and reduced me to the sad reflection which haunted me
+throughout my whole career, and imbittered every passing enjoyment of my
+life: I mean, the sorrowful thought of being an alien, of having but the
+hireling's part in that career of glory which others followed; that
+I alone could have no thrill of patriotism, when all around me were
+exulting in its display; that I had neither home nor country! Oh! if
+they who feel, or fancy that they feel, the wrongs and oppressions of
+misgovernment at home,--who, with high aspirations after liberty and
+holy thoughts for the happiness of their fellow-men, war against the
+despotism which would repress the one or the cruelty which would despise
+the other; if they could only foresee, that in changing allegiance
+they did but shift the burden, not rid themselves of the load; that the
+service of a foreign land is no requital for the loss of every feeling
+which ties a man to kindred and to friends,--which links his manhood
+with his youth, his age with both,--which gives him, in the language of
+his forefathers, a sympathy with the land that bore them; if they could
+know and feel these things; if they could learn how, in surrendering
+them, they have made themselves such mere waifs and strays upon life's
+ocean that objects of purely selfish and personal advancement must be
+to them for evermore in place of the higher and more ennobling thoughts
+which mix with other men's ambitions: they might hesitate ere they left
+home and country to fight for the cause of the stranger.
+
+If such thoughts found entrance into _my_ heart, how must they have
+dwelt in many another's? I, who had neither family nor kindred,--who
+from earliest childhood had never tasted the sweets of affection nor
+known the blessings of a father's love; and yet scarce a day crept by
+without some thought of the far-away land of my birth,--some memory of
+its hills and valleys, of its green banks and changeful skies: and in
+my dreams, some long-forgotten air would bring me back in memory to the
+cottier's fireside, where around the red blazing turf were seated the
+poor but happy peasantry, beguiling the time with song or story,--now
+telling of the ancient greatness of their country, now breathing a hope
+of its one day prosperity.
+
+"Captain Burke's quarters?" said a voice without. At the same instant,
+the jingling of spurs and the clank of a sabre bespoke the questioner as
+a soldier. My door opened, and an officer in the full dress of the staff
+entered. As I requested him to be seated, I already anticipated
+the object of his visit, which he seemed determined to open in most
+diplomatic fashion; for, the first salutations over, he began coolly to
+ransack his sabretasche, and search among a heap of papers which crowded
+it.
+
+"Ah! here it is," said he at length. "I ask your pardon for all this
+delay. But, of course, you guess the reason of my being here?"
+
+"I must confess I suspect it," said I, with a smile.
+
+"Oh, that I am certain of. These things never are secrets very long;
+nor, for my part, do I think there is any need they should be. I
+conclude you are quite prepared?"
+
+"You shall find me so."
+
+"So the minister said," replied he; while, once more, his eyes were
+buried in the recesses of the sabretasche, leaving me in the most
+intense astonishment at the last few words. That the minister, whoever
+he might be, should know of, and, as it seemed, acquiesce in my fighting
+a duel, was a puzzle I could make nothing of.
+
+"Here is the note I looked for," said he as he took forth a small slip
+of paper, written on both sides. "May I beg you will take down the
+details; they are brief, but important."
+
+"You may trust my memory with them," said I, rather surprised at the
+circumstantial style of his conduct.
+
+"As you please; so pay attention for one moment, while I read: 'Captain
+Burke of the Eighth, will proceed by extra post to Mayence, visiting
+the following garrisons _en route_'(here come the names, which you can
+copy), where his attention will be specially directed to the points
+marked A. B. and--'"
+
+"Forgive my interrupting you; but really I am unaware of what you are
+alluding to. You are not here on the part of the Chevalier Duchesne?"
+
+"The Chevalier Duchesne? Duchesne? No; this is a war despatch from the
+minister. You must set out in two hours. I thought you said you were
+prepared."
+
+"Hem! there has been a mistake here," said I, endeavoring to remember
+how far I might have committed myself by any unguarded expression.
+
+"All my fault, Captain Burke," said he, frankly. "I should have been
+more explicit at first. But I really thought from something--I forget
+precisely what now--that you knew of the movement on the frontier, and
+were, in fact, prepared for your orders. Heaven knows how far our
+mystification might have gone on; for when you spoke of Duchesne--the
+ex-captain of the Imperial Guard, I suppose--
+
+"Yes! what of him?"
+
+"Why, it so chanced that he was closeted with the minister this morning,
+and only left five minutes before your orders were made out. But come,
+neither of us can well spare more time. This is your despatch for the
+commandant of the troops at Mayence, to whom you will report verbally on
+the equipment of the smaller bodies of men visited _en route_. I shall
+give you my note, which, though hurriedly written, will assist your
+memory. Above all things, get speedily on the road, and reach Mayence
+by Wednesday. Half an hour's speed in times like these is worth a whole
+year in one's way to promotion. And so, now, good-by!"
+
+I stood for several minutes after he left the room so confused and
+astonished, that had not the huge envelope, with its great seal of
+office, confirmed the fact, I could have believed the whole a mere trick
+of my imagination.
+
+The jingle of the postilion's equipment in the court beneath now
+informed me that a Government _cal�che_ stood awaiting me, and I
+speedily began my preparations for the road.
+
+One thought filled my mind to the exclusion of all others. It was
+Duchesne's influence on which my fortune now rested. The last few words
+he uttered as I left the _salon_ were ringing in my ears, and here was
+their explanation. This rapid journey was planned by him to remove me
+from Paris, where possibly he supposed my knowledge of him might be
+inconvenient, and where in my absence his designs might be prosecuted
+with more success. Happy as I felt to think that a personal _rencontre_
+was not to occur between us, my self-love was deeply wounded at the
+thought of how much I was in this man's power, and how arbitrarily he
+decided on the whole question of my destiny. If my pride were gratified
+on the one hand by my having excited the chevalier's vengeance, it was
+offended on the other by feeling how feeble would my efforts prove to
+oppose the will of an antagonist who worked with such secret and such
+powerful means. The same philosophy which so often stood my part in life
+here came to my aid,--to act well my own part, and leave the result to
+time. And so, with this patient resolve, I mentally bade defiance to my
+adversary, and set out from Paris.
+
+The ardent feeling which filled my heart on the approach of my first
+campaign was now changed into a soldierly sense of duty, which, if less
+enthusiastic, was a steadier and more sustaining motive. I felt whatever
+distinctions it should be my lot to win must be gained in the camp, not
+in the Court-, that my place was rather where squadrons were charging
+and squares were kneeling, than among the intrigues of the capital, its
+wiles and its plottings. In the one, I might win an honorable name; in
+the other, I should be but the dupe of more designing heads and less
+scrupulous hearts than my own.
+
+Early on the third morning from the time of my leaving Paris, I reached
+Mayence. The garrisons which I visited on the road seldom detained me
+above half an hour. The few questions which I had to ask respecting the
+troops were soon and easily answered; and in most instances the officers
+in command had been apprised that their reports would be required, and
+came ready at once to afford the information.
+
+The disposable force at that time was not above eighty thousand new
+levies,--the conscripts of the past year,--who, although well drilled
+and equipped, had never undergone the fatigues of a campaign nor met an
+enemy in the field. But beyond the frontier were the veteran legions of
+the Austrian campaign, who, while advancing on their return to France,
+were suddenly halted, and now only awaited the Emperor's orders whither
+they should carry their victorious standards.
+
+As at the outbreak of all Napoleon's wars, the greatest uncertainty
+prevailed regarding the direction of the army, and in what place and
+against what enemy the first blow was to be struck. The Russian army,
+defeated and routed at Austerlitz, was said to be once more in the
+field, reorganized and strengthened; Austria, it was rumored, was
+faltering in her fealty; but the military preparations of Prussia were
+no longer a secret, and to many it seemed as if, as in the days of the
+Republic, France was about to contend single-handed against the whole of
+Europe.
+
+In Prussia the warlike enthusiasm of the people was carried to the
+very highest pitch. The Court, the aristocracy, but more powerful than
+either, the press, stimulated national courage by recalling to their
+minds the famous deeds of the Great Frederick, and bidding them remember
+that Rossbach was won against an army of Frenchmen. The students--a
+powerful and an organized class--stood foremost in this patriotic
+movement. Their excited imaginations warmed by the spirit-stirring songs
+of K�rner and Uhland, and glowing with the instincts of that chivalry
+which is a German's birthright, they spread over the country, calling
+upon their fellow-subjects to arise and defend the "Vaterland" against
+the aggression of the tyrant. So unequivocally was this feeling
+expressed, that even before the negotiations had lost their pacific
+character, the youthful aristocracy of Berlin used to go and sharpen
+their swords at the door-sill of the French ambassador at Berlin.
+
+To the exalted tone of patriotic enthusiasm the beautiful Queen of
+Prussia most powerfully contributed. The crooked and tortuous windings
+of diplomatic intrigue found no sympathy in her frank and generous
+nature. Belying on the native energy of German character, she bade an
+open and a bold defiance to her country's enemy, and was content to
+stake all on the chances of a battle. The colder and less confident mind
+of the king was rather impelled by the current of popular opinion than
+induced by conviction to the adoption of this daring policy. But once
+engaged in it, he exhibited the rarest fortitude and the most unyielding
+courage.
+
+Such, in brief, was the condition of that people, such the warlike
+spirit they breathed, when in the autumn of 1806 the cry of war
+resounded from the shores of the Baltic to the frontiers of Bohemia.
+Never was the effective strength of the Prussian army more conspicuous.
+Their cavalry, in number and equipment, was confessedly among the first,
+if not the very first, in Europe; while the artillery maintained a
+reputation which, since the days of Frederick, had proclaimed it the
+most perfect arm of the service.
+
+The Emperor knew these things well, and did not undervalue them; and
+it was with a very different impression of his present enemy from that
+which filled his mind in the Austrian campaign, that he remarked to
+Soult, "We shall want the mattock in this war,"--thereby implying that,
+against such an adversary, fieldworks and intrenchments would be needed,
+as well as the dense array of squadrons and the bristling walls of
+infantry.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI. THE SUMMIT OF THE LANDGRAFENBERG
+
+After a brief delay at Mayence, it was with sincere pleasure I received
+my orders to push forward to the advanced posts at Wetzlar, where
+General d'Auvergne was with his division. Already the battalions were
+crossing the Rhine, and directing their steps to different rendezvous
+along the Prussian frontier; some pressing on eastwards, where the Saxon
+territory joins the Prussian; others directly to the north, and taking
+up positions distant by a short day's march from each other. The same
+urgent haste which characterized the opening of the Austrian campaign
+a year before, was here conspicuous; many of the corps being obliged to
+march seven and eight leagues in the day, and frequently whole companies
+being forwarded in wagons drawn by six or eight horses, in order to
+come up with the main body of their regiments. Every road eastward was
+covered with some fragment of the army. Now an infantry corps of young
+conscripts, glowing with enthusiasm and eager for the fray, would
+cheer the _cal�che_ in which I travelled, and which, as indicating a
+staff-officer, was surmounted by a small flag with an eagle. Now it was
+the hoarse challenge of an outpost, some veteran of Bernadotte's army,
+which occupied the whole line of country from Dusseldorf to Nuremberg.
+Pickets of dragoons, with troops of led horses for remounts, hurried on,
+and long lines of wagons crammed the road.
+
+At last I joined General d'Auvergne, who, with all the ardor of the
+youngest soldier, was preparing for the march. The hardy veteran,
+disdaining the use of a carriage, rode each day at the head of his
+column, and went through the most minute detail of regimental duty with
+the colonels under his command. From whatever cause proceeding I knew
+not, but it struck me as strange that he never alluded to my visit to
+Paris, nor once spoke to me of the countess; and while this reserve on
+his part slightly wounded me, I felt relieved from the embarrassment
+the mere mention of her name would cause me, and was glad when our
+conversation turned on the events of the war. Nor was he, save in this
+respect, less cordial than ever, manifesting the greatest pleasure at
+the prospect the war would open to my advancement, and kindly presaging
+for me a success I scarcely dared to hope for.
+
+"Nor is the hour distant," said he to me one morning in the latter end
+of September, as we rode side by side; "the grand movement is begun."
+
+Augereau, with his powerful _corps d'arm�e_ of twenty thousand, pressed
+on from Frankfort and Mayence; Bernadotte moved up on his flank from
+Nuremberg and Bamberg; Davoust hastened by forced marches from the
+Danube; while Soult and Ney with a strong force remained in the south,
+and in observation on the Austrian frontier. Farther to the north,
+again, were the new levies and the whole Imperial Guard, strengthened
+by four thousand additional men, which, together with Murat's cavalry,
+formed a vast line embracing the Prussian frontier on the west and
+south, and converging with giant strides towards the very heart of the
+kingdom. Still, mid all the thunders of marching squadrons and the
+din of advancing legions, diplomatists interchanged their respective
+assurances of a peaceful issue to their differences, and politely
+conveyed the most satisfactory sentiments of mutual esteem.
+
+On the 1st of September the Emperor left Paris; but, even then, covering
+his designs by an affected hope of peace, he was accompanied by the
+Empress and her suite to Mayence, where all the splendor of a Court was
+suddenly displayed amid the pomp and preparation of war. On the 6th he
+started by daybreak; relays of horses were in waiting along the road
+to Wetzlar, and with all speed he hastened forward to Bamberg, where he
+issued his grand proclamation to the army.
+
+With all his accustomed eloquence he represented to the army the
+insulting demands of Prussia, and called on them, as at Austerlitz, to
+reply to such a menace by one tremendous blow of victory, which should
+close the campaign. "Soldiers!" said he, "you were about to return to
+France to enjoy the well-won repose after all your victories. But an
+enemy is in the field; the road to Paris is no longer open to you:
+neither you nor I can tread it save under an arch of triumph."
+
+The day which succeeded the issue of this proclamation, a cavalry affair
+occurred at the advanced posts, in which the Prussians were somewhat the
+victors. Two days later, a courier arrived at the imperial headquarters
+with the account of another and more important action, between the
+grenadiers of Lannes and a part of Suchet's corps, against the advanced
+guard of Prince Hohenlohe, commanded by the most daring general in the
+Prussian service,--Prince Louis. A cavalry combat, which lasted for near
+an hour, closed this brief but bloody encounter with the death of the
+brave prince, who, refusing to surrender, was run through the body by
+the sabre of a quartermaster of the Tenth Hussars.
+
+General d'Auvergne's brigade had no share in this memorable action, for
+on the 9th we were marched to Rudolstadt, some miles to the left of the
+scene of the encounter; but having made a demonstration in that quarter,
+were speedily recalled, and ordered with all haste to cross the Saale,
+and move on to the eastward.
+
+It was now that Napoleon's manoeuvres became apparent. The same intrigue
+which succeeded at Ulm was again to be employed here: the enemy's flank
+was to be turned, the communication with his reinforcements cut off, and
+a battle engaged, in which defeat must prove annihilation. Such, then,
+was the complete success of the Emperor's movements, that on the 12th
+the French army was posted with the rear upon the Elbe, while the
+Prussians occupied a line between them and the Rhine. This masterly
+movement at once compelled the enemy to fall back and concentrate
+his troops around Jena and Weimar, which, from that instant, Napoleon
+pronounced must be the scene of a great battle.
+
+All this detail I have been obliged to force on my reader, and now again
+return to my story.
+
+On the morning of the 13th, Murat appeared for the first time at our
+headquarters, below Jena; and after a short consultation with the staff,
+our squadrons were formed and ordered to push on with haste towards
+Jena.
+
+Everything now showed that the decisive hour could not be distant:
+couriers passed and repassed; messengers and orderlies met us at every
+step; while, as is ever the case, the most contradictory rumors were
+circulated about the number and position of the enemy. As we neared
+Lausnitz, however, we learned that the whole Prussian army occupied the
+plateau of Jena, save a corps of twenty thousand men which were
+stationed at Auerstadt. From the elevated spot we occupied, the columns
+of Marshal Berna-dotte's division could be seen marching to the
+eastward. A halt was now commanded, and the troops prepared their
+bivouacs; when, as night was falling, a staff-officer rode up, with
+orders from the Emperor himself to push on without delay for Jena.
+
+The road was much cut up by the passage of cavalry and wagons, and as
+the night was dark, our pace was occasionally impeded. I was riding with
+one of the leading squadrons, when General d'Auvergne directed me to
+take an orderly with me, and proceed in advance to make arrangements for
+the quarters of the men at Jena. Selecting a German soldier as my guide,
+I dashed forwards, and soon left the squadron out of hearing. We had not
+gone far, when I remarked, from the tramp of the horses, that we were
+upon an earthen road, and not on the pavement. I questioned my orderly,
+but he was positive there had been no turning since we started. I paid
+no more attention to the circumstance, but rode on, hard as ever. At
+last the clay became deeper and heavier, the sides of the way closer,
+and all the appearance, as well as the gloom would allow us to guess,
+rather those of a byroad than the regular _chauss�e_. To return would
+have been hopeless; the darkness gave no prospect of detecting at what
+precise spot we had left the main road, and so I determined to make my
+way straight onwards at all hazards.
+
+After about an hour's fast trotting, the orderly, who rode some paces
+in advance, called out, "A light!" and then, the moment after, he cried,
+"There are several lights yonder!"
+
+I reined in my horse at once, for the thought struck me that we had
+come down upon the Prussian lines. Giving my horse to the soldier, with
+orders to follow me noiselessly at a little distance, I walked on for
+above a mile, my eyes steadily fixed upon the lights, which moved from
+place to place, and showed, by their taper glare, that they were not
+watchfires. At length I gained a little ridge of the ground, and
+could distinctly see that it was a line of guns and artillery wagons,
+endeavoring to force their way through a narrow ravine; a few minutes
+after, I heard the sounds of French, and relieved of all apprehensions,
+I mounted my horse and soon came up with them.
+
+They were four troops of Lannes's artillery, which, by a mistake similar
+to my own, had left the highroad and entered one of the field-tracks,
+which thus led them astray; and here they were, jammed up in a narrow
+gorge, unable to get back or forward. The officer in command was a
+young colonel, who was completely overwhelmed by his misfortune; for he
+informed me that the whole artillery of the division was following him,
+and would inevitably be involved in the same mishap. The poor fellow,
+who doubtless would have faced the enemy without a particle of fear, was
+now so horrified by the event, that he ran wildly from place to place,
+ordering and counter-ordering every instant, and actually increasing
+the confusion by his own excitement. Some of the leading trains were
+unharnessed, and efforts made to withdraw the guns from their position;
+but the axles were, on both sides, embedded in the rock, and seemed to
+defy every effort to disengage them.
+
+At this moment, when the confusion had reached its height, and the
+horses were unharnessed from the guns, the men standing in groups around
+or shouting wildly to one another, a sullen silence spread itself over
+the whole, and a loud, stern voice called out,--
+
+"Who commands this division?"
+
+"General Latour," was the answer.
+
+"Where is he?" said the first speaker, so close to my ear that I started
+round, and saw the short square figure of a man in a great coat, holding
+a heavy whip in his hand.
+
+"With the main body at the rear."
+
+"Cannoneers, dismount!" said the other. "Bring the torches to the
+front."
+
+Scarcely was the order obeyed, when the light of the firewood fell upon
+his features, and I saw it was the Emperor himself. In an instant the
+whole scene was changed. The park tools were taken out, working parties
+formed, and the ravine began to echo to the strong blows of the brawny
+arms; while Napoleon, with a blazing torch in his hand, stood by to
+light their labors. Giving directions to the under-officers and the men,
+he never deigned a word to the officers, who now stood trembling around
+him, and were gradually joined by several more, who came up with the
+remainder of the train.
+
+I think still I can see that pale, unmoved face, which, as the light
+flickered upon it, gazed steadily at the working party. Not a syllable
+escaped him, save once, when he muttered half to himself, "And this was
+the first battery to open its fire to-morrow!"
+
+General Savary stood at his side, but never dared to address him. Too
+well he knew that his deepest anger showed itself by silence. By degrees
+the granite wall gave way, the axles once more became free, and the
+horses were again harnessed; the gun-carriages moved slowly through the
+ravine. Nor did the Emperor quit the spot before the greater part of
+the train passed; then mounting his horse, he turned towards Jena, and
+notwithstanding the utter darkness of the night he rode at full speed.
+Following the clatter of the horse's hoofs, I rode on, and in less than
+an hour reached a small cluster of houses, where a cavalry picket was
+placed, and several large fires were lighted, beside which, at small
+tables, sat above a dozen staff-officers busily writing despatches. The
+Emperor halted but for a second or two, and then dashed forward again;
+and I soon perceived we were ascending a steep hill, covered with ferns
+and brushwood. We had not gone far, when a single aide-de-camp who
+accompanied him turned his horse's head and rode rapidly down the
+mountain again.
+
+Napoleon was now alone, some fifty paces in front. I could see the faint
+outline through the darkness, my sight guided by my hearing to the spot.
+His pace, wherever the ground permitted, was rapid; but constantly he
+was obliged to hold in, and pick his steps among the stones and dwarf
+wood that covered the mountain. Never shall I cease to remember the
+strange sensations I felt as I followed him up that steep ascent.
+There was he, the greatest monarch of the universe, alone, wending his
+solitary way in darkness, his thoughts bent on the great event before
+him,--the tremendous conflict in which thousands must fall. There was a
+sense of awe in the thought of being so near to one on whose slightest
+word the destiny of nations seemed to hang; and I could not look on the
+dark object before me without a superstitious feeling, deeper than fear
+itself, for that mightiest of men.
+
+My thoughts permitted my taking no note of time, and I know not how long
+it was before we reached the crest of the hill, over whose bleak surface
+a cold, cutting wind was blowing. It seemed as if a great tableland
+extended now for some distance on every side, over which the Emperor
+took his way, as though accustomed to the ground. While I was wondering
+at the certainty with which he appeared to determine on his road, I
+remarked the feeble flickering of a light far away towards the horizon,
+and by which it was evident he guided his steps. As we rode on, several
+watchfires could be seen towards the northwest, stretching away to a
+great distance, and throwing a yellowish glare in the dark sky above
+them. Suddenly I perceived the Emperor halt and dismount, and as
+speedily again he was in the saddle; but now his path took a different
+direction, and diverged considerably to the southward. Curious to learn
+what might have caused his change of direction, I rode up to the
+spot, and got off. It was the embers of a watchfire; they were almost
+extinguished, but still, as the horse's hoof struck the wood, a few
+sparks were emitted. It was this, then, which altered his course; and
+once more he pressed his horse to speed.
+
+A steep ascent of some hundred yards lay before us now. But on gaining
+the top, a brilliant spectacle of a thousand watchfires met the eye: so
+close did they seem, it looked like one great volcanic crater blazing
+on the mountain top; while above, the lurid glow reddened the black sky,
+and melted away into the darkness in clouds of faint yellowish hue. Far,
+very far away, and to the north, stretched another much longer line of
+fires, but at great intervals apart, and occupying, as well as I might
+guess, about two leagues in extent. Several smaller fires dotted the
+plain, marking the outpost positions; and it was not difficult to trace
+the different lines of either army even by these indications.
+
+While I yet looked, the Emperor had gained a short distance in advance
+of me; and suddenly I heard the hoarse challenge of a sentry, calling
+out, "Qui vive?" Buried in his own thoughts,--perhaps far too deeply
+lost in meditation to hear the cry,--Napoleon never replied nor
+slackened his speed. "Qui vive?" shouted the voice again: and before
+I could advance, the sharp bang of a musket-shot rang out; another and
+another followed; and then a roll of fire swept along the plain, happily
+not in the direction of the Emperor. But already he had thrown himself
+from his horse, and lay flat upon the ground.
+
+[Illustration: 264]
+
+Not a moment was now to be lost. I dashed my spurs into my jaded horse,
+and rode forwards, calling aloud, at the top of my voice, "The Emperor!
+the Emperor!" Still, the panic overbore my words, and another discharge
+was given: with one bullet I was struck in the shoulder, another killed
+my horse; but springing to my legs in an instant, I rushed on, repeating
+my cry. Before I could do more than point to the spot, Napoleon
+came forward, leading his horse by the bridle. His step was slow and
+measured, and his face--for many a torchlight was now gathered to the
+place--was calm and tranquil.
+
+"Ye are well upon the alert, _mes enfant!_" said he, with a smile; "see
+that ye be as ready with your fire to-morrow!" A wild cheer answered
+these words, while he continued: "These are the new levies, Lieutenant;
+the Guards would have had more patience. Where is the officer who
+followed me?"
+
+"Here, Sire," said I, endeavoring to conceal the appearance of being
+wounded.
+
+"Mount, sir, and accompany me to headquarters."
+
+"My horse is killed, Sire."
+
+"Yes, _parbleu!_" said a young soldier, who had not learned much respect
+before his superiors; "and he has a ball in his neck himself."
+
+"Are you wounded?" said the Emperor, with a quickness in his manner.
+
+"A mere flesh-wound in the arm,--of no consequence, Sire."
+
+"Let the surgeon of the detachment see to this at once, Lieutenant,"
+said he to the officer of the party; "and do you come to headquarters
+when you are able."
+
+With this, the Emperor mounted again, and in a few seconds more was lost
+to our sight.
+
+"_Ventrebleu!_" said the old lieutenant, who had served without
+promotion from the first battles of the Republic, "you'll be a colonel
+for that scratch on your epaulette, if we only beat the Prussians
+to-morrow; and here am I, with eight wounds from lead and steel, and
+the Petit Caporal never bade me visit him at his bivouac. Come, come! I
+don't wish to be unfriendly; it's not _your_ fault, it's only _my_ bad
+fortune. And here comes the surgeon."
+
+The lieutenant was right,--the epaulette had the worst of the adventure;
+and, in half an hour I proceeded on my way to headquarters.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII. L'HOMME ROUGE
+
+On my way to the imperial quarters, I fell in with some squadrons of our
+dragoons, from whom I learned that General d'Auvergne had just received
+orders to repair to the Emperor's bivouac, to which several officers in
+command were also summoned. As I saw, therefore, that I could have no
+prospect of meeting the Emperor, I resolved merely to hold myself in
+readiness, should he, which seemed little likely, think of me; and
+accordingly I took up my post with some young under-officers of
+our brigade, at a huge fire, where a species of canteen had been
+established, and coffee and corn-brandy were served out to all comers.
+
+The recent escape of Napoleon at the outposts was already known far and
+near, and formed the great topic of conversation, in which, I felt hurt
+to remark, no mention of the part I took was ever made, although there
+were at least a dozen different versions of the accident. In one, his
+Majesty was represented to have rode down upon and sabred the advanced
+picket; in another, it was the Prussians who fired, he having penetrated
+within their lines to reconnoitre,--each agreeing in the one great fact,
+that the feat was something which no one save himself could have done
+or thought of. As for me, I felt it was not my part to speak of the
+incident at all until his Majesty should first do so. I listened,
+therefore, with due patience and some amusement to the various
+narratives about me; which served to show me, by one slight instance,
+the measure of that exaggeration with which the Emperor's name was ever
+treated, and convinced me that it required not time nor distance to
+color every incident of his life with the strongest hues of romance. The
+topic was a fruitful and favorite one; and certainly few subjects could
+with more propriety season the hours around a bivouac fire than the
+exploits of the Emperor Napoleon.
+
+Among those whose reminiscences went farthest back was an old
+sergeant-major of infantry,--a seared and seamed and weather-beaten
+little fellow, who, from fatigues and privations, was dried up to a mass
+of tendons and fibres. This little man presented one of those strange
+mixtures with which the army abounded,--the shrewdest common sense on
+all ordinary topics, with a most credulous faith in any story where
+Napoleon's name occurred. It seemed, indeed, as though that one element,
+occurring in any tale, dispensed at once with the rules which govern
+belief in common cases.
+
+The invulnerability of the Emperor was with him a fruitful theme; and he
+teemed with anecdotes of the Egyptian and Italian campaigns, in which it
+was incontestably shown that neither shot nor shell had any effect
+upon him. But of all the superstitions regarding Napoleon, none had such
+complete hold on his imagination, nor was more implicitly believed by
+him, than the story of that little "Red Man," who, it was asserted,
+visited the Emperor the night before each great battle, and arranged
+with him the manoeuvres of the succeeding day.
+
+"L'Homme Bouge," as he was called, was an article of faith in the French
+army that few of the soldiers ever thought of disputing. Some from
+pure credulity, some from the force of example, and some again from
+indolence, believed in this famed personage; but even the veriest
+scoffer on more solemn subjects would have hesitated ere he ventured
+to assail the almost universal belief in this supernatural agency.
+The Emperor's well-known habit of going out alone to visit pickets and
+outposts on the eve of a battle was a circumstance too favorable to this
+superstition not to be employed in its defence. Besides, it was well
+known that he spent hours by himself, when none even of the marshals had
+access to him; and on these occasions it was said "L'Homme Bouge" was
+with him. Sentinels had been heard to declare that they could overhear
+angry words passing between the Emperor and his guest; that threats had
+been interchanged between them; and on one occasion it was said that the
+"Red Man" went so 'far as to declare, that if his advice were neglected
+Napoleon should lose the battle, see his artillery fall into the hands
+of the enemy, and behold the Guard capitulate.
+
+"_Mille tonnerres!_ what are you saying?" broke in the little man,
+to the grim old soldier who was relating this. "You know nothing of
+'L'Homme Rouge,'--not a word; how should you? But I served in the
+Twenty-second of the Line, old Mongoton's corps; the 'Faubourg Devils,'
+as they were called. _He_ knew him well; it was 'L'Homme Rouge' had
+him shot for treason at Cairo. I was one of the company drawn for his
+execution; and when he knelt down on the grass, he held up his hand this
+way, and cried out,--
+
+"'Voltigeurs of the Line, hear me! You have all known me many years; you
+have seen whether I could face the enemy like a man; and you can tell
+whether I cared for the heaviest charge that ever shook a square. You
+know, also, whether I was true to our general. Well, it is "L'Homme
+Rouge" who has brought me to this. And now: Carry arms!--all together!
+Come, _mes enfants!_ try it again: Carry arms! (ay, that's better)
+present arms! fire!'
+
+"_Morbleu!_ the word was not well out when he was dead; and there,
+through the smoke, as plain as I see you now, I saw the figure of a
+little fellow, dressed in scarlet,--feather and boots all the same! He
+was standing over the corpse, and threatening it with his hands. And
+that," said he, in a solemn voice, "that was 'L'Homme Rouge!'"
+
+This anecdote was conclusive. There was no gainsaying the assertions
+of a man who had, with his own eyes, seen the celebrated "Red Man;"
+and from that instant he enjoyed a decided monopoly of everything that
+concerned his private history.
+
+According to the sergeant-major's version,--and who could venture to
+contradict him?--"L'Homme Rouge" was not the confidential adviser and
+friendly counsellor of the Emperor; but, on the contrary, his evil
+genius, perpetually employed in thwarting his plans and opposing his
+views. Each seemed to have his hour of triumph alternately. Now it was
+the Bed Man, now Napoleon, who stood in the ascendant. Fortune for a
+long period had been constant to the Emperor, and victory crowned every
+battle. This had, it seemed, greatly chagrined "L'Homme Bouge," who for
+years past had not been seen nor heard of. The last tradition of him was
+a story told by one of the sentinels on guard at the general's quarters
+at Mont Tabor.
+
+It was midnight: all was still and silent in the camp. The soldiers
+slept as men sleep before a battle, when the old grenadier who walked
+his short post before General Bonaparte's tent heard a quick tread
+approaching him. "Qui vive?" cried he; but there was no reply. "Qui
+vive?" called the sentry once more; but as he did so he leaped backwards
+and brought his musket to the charge, for just then something brushed
+close by him and entered the tent.
+
+For a moment or two he doubted what should be done. Should he turn out
+the guard? It was only to be laughed at; that would never do. But what
+if it really were somebody who had penetrated to the general's quarters?
+As this thought struck him, he crept up close to the tent; and there,
+true enough, he heard the voices of two persons speaking.
+
+"Ah! thou here?" said Bonaparte. "I scarce expected to see thee so far
+from France!"
+
+"Alas!" said the other, with a deep sigh, "what land is now open to me,
+or whither shall I fly to? I took refuge in Brussels; well, what should
+I see one morning, but the tall shakos of your grenadiers coming up the
+steep street. I fled to Holland; you were there the day after. 'Come,'
+thought I, 'he's moving northwards; I'll try the other extreme.' So I
+started for the Swiss. _Sacrebleu_! the roll of your confounded drums
+resounded through every valley. I reached the banks of the Po; your
+troops were there the same evening. I pushed for Rome; they were
+preparing your quarters, which you occupied that night. Away, then, I
+start once more; I cross mountains and rivers and seas, and gain the
+desert at last. I thank my fortune that there are a thousand leagues
+between us; and here you are now. For pity's sake, show me, on that map
+of the world, one little spot you don't want to conquer, and let me live
+there in peace, and be sure never to meet you more."
+
+Bonaparte did not speak for some minutes, and it seemed as though he
+were intently considering the request of "L'Homme Rouge."
+
+"There," said he at length, "there! You see that island in the great
+sea, with nothing near it; thou mayest go there."
+
+"How is it called?" said "L'Homme Rouge."
+
+"St. Helena," said the general. "It is not very large; but I promise
+thee to be undisturbed there."
+
+"You 'll never come there, then? Is that a pledge?"
+
+"Never; I promise it. At least, if I do, thou shalt be the master, and I
+the slave."
+
+"Enough! I go now. Adieu!" said the little man. And the same instant the
+sentinel felt his arm brushed by some one passing close beside him; and
+then all was silent in the tent once more.
+
+"Thus, you see," said the sergeant-major, "from that hour it was agreed
+on the Emperor should conquer the whole world, and leave that one little
+spot for 'L'Homme Rouge.' _Parbleu!_ he might well spare him that much."
+
+"How big might it be, that island?" said an old grenadier, who listened
+with the deepest attention to the tale.
+
+"Nothing to speak of; about the size of one battalion drawn up in
+square."
+
+"_Pardieu!_ a small kingdom too!"
+
+"Ah! it would not do for the Emperor," said the sergeant-major,
+laughing,--an emotion the others joined in at once; and many a jest went
+round at the absurdity of such a thought.
+
+I sat beside the watchfire, listening to the old campaigning stories,
+till one by one the speakers dropped off to sleep. The bronzed veteran
+and the boy conscript, the old soldier of the Sambre and the beardless
+youth, lay side by side: to some of these it was the last time they
+should slumber on earth. As the night wore on, the sounds became hushed
+in the camp, and through the thin frosty air I could hear from a long
+distance off the tramp of the patrols and the challenge of the reliefs
+as the outposts were visited. The Prussian sentries were quite close to
+our advanced posts, and when the wind came from that quarter, I often
+heard the voices as they exchanged their signals.
+
+Through the entire night, officers came and went to and from the tent of
+the Emperor. To him, at least, it seemed no season of repose. At length,
+when nigh morning, wearied with watching and tired out with expectancy,
+I leaned my head on my knees, and dropped into a half-sleep. Some vague
+sense of disappointment at being forgotten by the Emperor, was the
+last thought I had as I fell off, and in its sadness it colored all
+my dreams. I remembered, with all the freshness of a recent event, the
+curse of the old hag on the morning I had quitted my home forever,--her
+prayer that bad luck should track me every step through life; and in the
+shadowy uncertainty of my sleeping thoughts I believed I was predestined
+to misfortune.
+
+Almost every man has experienced the fact, that there are times in life
+when impressions, the slightest in their origin, will have an undue
+weight on the mind; when, as it were, the clay of our natures become
+softened, and we take the impress of passing events more easily. Some
+vague and shadowy conception--a doubt, a dream--is enough at moments
+like these to attain the whole force of a conviction; and it is
+wonderful with what ingenuity we wind to our purpose every circumstance
+around us, and what pains we take to increase the toils of our
+self-deception. It would be a curious thing to trace out how much of our
+good or evil fortune in life had its source in these superstitions; how
+far the frame of mind fashioned the events before it; and to what extent
+our hopes and fears were but the forerunners of destiny.
+
+My sleeping thoughts were of the saddest; and when I awoke, I could not
+shake them off. A heavy, dense fog clothed every object around, through
+which only the watchfires were visible, as they flared with a yellow,
+hazy light of unnatural size. The position of these signals was only
+to mark the inequality of the ground: and I now could perceive that we
+occupied the crest of a long and steep hill, down the sides and at the
+bottom of which fires were also burning; while in front another mountain
+arose, whose summit for a great distance was marked out by watchfires.
+This I conjectured, from its extent and position, to be the Prussian
+line.
+
+At the front of the Emperor's quarters several led horses were standing,
+whose caparison bespoke them as belonging to the staff; and although not
+yet five o'clock, there was an appearance of movement which indicated
+preparation. The troops, however, were motionless; the dense columns
+covered the ground like a garment, and stirred not. As I stood,
+uncertain what course to take, I heard the noise of voices and the heavy
+tramp of many feet near, and on turning perceived it was the Emperor,
+who came forth from his tent, followed by several of his staff. A large
+fire blazed in front of his bivouac, which threw its long light on the
+group; where, even in a fleeting glance, I recognized General Gazan, and
+Nansouty, the commander of the Cuirassiers of the Guard.
+
+"What hour is it?" said the Emperor to Duroc, who stood near him.
+
+"Almost five o'clock, Sire."
+
+"It is darker than it was an hour ago. Maison, where is Bernadotte by
+this?--at Domberg, think you?"
+
+"Not yet, Sire; he is no laggard if he reach it in three hours hence."
+
+"Ney would have been there now," was the quick reply of Napoleon. "Come,
+gentlemen, into the saddle, and let us move towards the front. Gazan,
+put your division under arms."
+
+The general waited not a second bidding, but wheeled his horse suddenly
+round, and followed by his aide-decamp, rode at full speed down the
+mountain.
+
+"There is the first streak of day," said the Emperor, pointing to a
+faint gray light above the distant forest; "it breaks like Austerlitz."
+
+"May it set as gloriously!" said old Nansouty, in his deep low voice.
+
+"And it will," said Napoleon. "What sayest thou, _grognard?_" continued
+he, turning with an affected severity of manner to the grenadier who
+stood sentinel on the spot, and who, with a French soldier's easy
+indifference, leaned on the cross of his musket to listen to the
+conversation; "what sayest thou? Art eager to be made corporal?"
+
+"_Parbleu!_" growled out the rough soldier, "the grade is little to
+boast of; were I even a general of division, there might be something to
+hope for."
+
+"What then?" said Napoleon, sharply, "what then?"
+
+"King of Prussia, to be sure; thou 'lt give away the title before this
+hour to-morrow."
+
+The Emperor laughed aloud at the conceit. Its flattery had a charm for
+him no courtier's well-turned compliment could vie with; and I could
+hear him still continuing to enjoy it as he rode slowly forward and
+disappeared in the gloom.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII. JENA AND AUERST�DT.
+
+"He has forgotten me!" said I, half aloud, as I watched the retiring
+figures of the Emperor and his staff till they were concealed by the
+mist; "he has forgotten me! Now to find out my brigade. A great battle
+is before us, and there may still be a way to refresh his memory." With
+such thoughts I set forward in the direction of the picket-fires, full
+sure that I should meet some skirmishers of our cavalry there.
+
+As I went, the drums were beating towards the distant left, and
+gradually the sounds crept nearer and nearer, as the infantry battalions
+began to form and collect their stragglers. A dense fog seemed to shut
+out the dawn, and with a thin and misty rain, the heavy vapor settled
+down upon the earth, wrapping all things in a darkness deep as night
+itself. From none could I learn any intelligence of the cavalry quarter,
+nor had any of those I questioned seen horsemen pass near them.
+
+"The voltigeurs in the valley yonder may perhaps tell you something,"
+said an officer to me, pointing to some fires in a deep glen beneath us.
+And thither I now bent my steps.
+
+The dull rolling of the drums gradually swelled into one continued roar,
+through which the clank of steel and the tremulous tramp of marching
+columns could be heard. Spirit-stirring echoes were they, these
+awakening sounds of coming conflict! and how they nerved my heart, and
+set it bounding again with a soldier's ardor! As I descended the hill,
+the noise became gradually fainter, till at length I found myself in a
+narrow ravine, still and silent as the grave itself. The transition was
+so sudden and unexpected, that for a moment I felt a sense of loneliness
+and depression; and the thought struck me, "What if I have pushed on too
+far? Can it be that I have passed our lines? But the officer spoke of
+the voltigeurs in front; I had seen the fires myself; there could be no
+doubt about it." I now increased my speed, and in less than half an hour
+gained a spot where the ground became more open and extended in front,
+and not more than a few hundred paces in advance were the watchfires;
+and as I looked I heard the swell of a number of voices singing in
+chorus on different sides of me. The effect was most singular, for the
+sounds came from various quarters at the same instant, and, as they
+all chanted the same air, the refrain rang out and filled the valley;
+beating time with their feet, they stepped to the tune, and formed
+themselves to the melody, as though it were the band of the regiment. I
+had often heard that this was a voltigeur habit, but never was witness
+to it before. The air was one well known in that suburb of Paris whence
+the wildest and most reckless of our soldiers came, and which they all
+joined in celebrating in this rude verse:--
+
+      "Picardy first, and then Champagne,--
+            France to the battle! on boys, on!
+            Anjou, Brittany, and Maine,--
+            Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine I
+
+     "How pleasant the life of a voltigeur!
+           In the van of the fight he must ever be;
+           Of roughing and rations he 's always sure,--
+           With a comrade's share he may well make free.
+
+     "Picardy first, and then Champagne,--
+           France to the battle I on boys, on!
+           Anjou, Brittany, and Maine,--
+           Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!
+
+     "The great guns thunder on yonder hill,--
+           Closer than that they durst not go;
+           But the voltigeur comes nearer still,--
+           With his bayonet fixed he meets the foe.
+
+    "The hussar's coat is slashed with gold;
+         He rides an Arab courser fleet:
+         But is the voltigeur less bold
+         Who meets his enemy on his feet?
+
+    "The cuirassier is clad in steel;
+         His massive sword is straight and strong:
+         But the voltigeur can charge and wheel
+         With a step,--his bayonet is just as long.
+
+    "The artillery-driver must halt his team
+         If the current be fast or the water deep:
+         But the voltigeur can swim the stream,
+         And climb the bank, be it e'er so steep.
+
+    "The voltigeur needs no trumpet sound,--
+         No bugle has he to cheer him on:
+         Where the fire is hottest, that 's his ground,--
+         Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!"
+
+
+As they came to the conclusion of this song, they kept up the air
+without words, imitating by their voices the roll of the drum in
+marching time. Joining the first party I came up with, I asked the
+officer in what direction of the field I should find the cuirassier
+brigade.
+
+"That I can't tell you, Comrade," said he. "No cavalry have appeared in
+our neighborhood, nor are they likely; for all the ground is cut up and
+intersected so much they could not act. But our ma�tre d'armes is the
+fellow to tell you. Halloo, Fran�ois! come up here for a moment."
+
+Before I could ask whether this was not my old antagonist at Elchingen,
+the individual himself appeared.
+
+"Eh, what?" cried he, as he lifted a piece of firewood from the ground,
+and stared me in the face by its light. "Not my friend Burke, eh? By
+Jove! so it is."
+
+Our cordial greetings being over, I asked Ma�tre Fran�ois if he could
+give me any intelligence of D'Auvergne's division, or put me in the way
+to reach them.
+
+"They're some miles off by this time," said he, coolly. "When I was
+below the Plateau de Jena last night, that brigade you speak of
+got their orders to push forward to Auerstadt, to support Davoust's
+infantry. I mind it well, for they were sorely tired, and had just
+picketed their horses, when the orderly came down with the despatch."
+
+"And where does Auerstadt lie?"
+
+"About four leagues to the other side of that tall mountain yonder."
+
+"What, then, shall I do? I am dismounted, to begin with."
+
+"And if you were not, if you had the best horse in the whole brigade,
+what would it serve you now, except to pass the day riding between two
+battle-fields, and see nothing of either? for we shall have hot work
+here, depend upon it. No, no; stay with us. Be a voltigeur for to-day,
+and we 'll show you something you 'll not see from your bearskin
+saddle."
+
+"But I shall be in a sad scrape on account of my absence."
+
+"Never mind that; the man that takes his turn with the voltigeurs of the
+Twenty-second won't be suspected of skulking. And here comes the major;
+report yourself to him at once."
+
+Without waiting for any reply, Ma�tre Francois accosted the officer in
+question, and in a very few words explained my position.
+
+"Nothing could come better timed," said the major. "One of ours has been
+sent with despatches to the rear, and we may not see him for some hours.
+Again, a light cavalryman must know how to skirmish, and we 'll try your
+skill that way. Come along with me."
+
+"To our next meeting, then," cried Francois, as I hurried on after the
+major; whilst once more the voltigeur ranks burst forth in full chorus,
+and the merry sounds filled the valley.
+
+I followed the major down a somewhat steep and rugged path, at the foot
+of which, and concealed by a low copse-wood, was a party consisting of
+two companies of the regiment, who formed the most advanced pickets, and
+were destined to exchange the first shots with the enemy.
+
+Before us lay a defile, partly overgrown with trees on either side,
+which ascended by a gradual slope to the foot of the hill on which the
+Prussian infantry was stationed, and whose lines were tracked out by a
+long train of watch-fires. A farmhouse and its out-buildings occupied
+the side of the hill about half-way up; and this was garrisoned by the
+enemy, and defended by two guns in position in the defile. To surprise
+the post and hold it until the main columns came up, was the object
+of the voltigeur attack; and for this purpose small bodies of men were
+assembling secretly and stealthily under cover of the brushwood, to
+burst forth on the word being given.
+
+There was something which surprised me not a little in the way all these
+movements were effected. Officers and men were mixed up, as it seemed,
+in perfect confusion; not approaching in regular order, or taking up
+a position like disciplined troops, they came in twos and threes,
+crouching and creeping, and suddenly concealing themselves at every
+opportunity of cover the ground afforded.
+
+Their noiseless and cautious gestures brought to my mind all that I
+had ever read of Indian warfare; and in their eager faces, and quick,
+piercing looks, I thought I could recognize the very traits of the red
+men. The commands were given by signals; and so rapidly interchanged
+were they from party to party, that the different groups seemed to move
+forward by one impulse, though the officer who led them was full a mile
+distant from where we were.
+
+"Can you use a firelock, comrade?" said the major, as he placed in my
+hand a short musket, such as the voltigeurs carried. "Sling it at your
+back; you may find it useful up yonder. And now I must leave you; keep
+to this party. But what is this? You mustn't wear that shako; you'd soon
+be picked off with that tower of black fur on your head. Corporal,
+have you no spare foraging-cap in your kit? Ah! that's something
+more becoming a tirailleur; and, by Jove! I think it improves you
+wonderfully."
+
+The circumstance of becomingness was not exactly uppermost in my mind
+at the moment; but certainly I felt no small gratification at being
+provided with the equipment both of cap and firearms which placed me on
+an equality with those about me.
+
+Scarcely had the major left us, when the corporal crept closely to
+my side, and with that mingled respect and familiarity a French
+sous-officier assumes so naturally, said,--
+
+"You wished to see something of a skirmish, Captain, I suppose? Well,
+you're like enough to be gratified; we're closing up rapidly now."
+
+"What may be the strength of your battalion, Corporal?"
+
+"Twelve hundred men, sir; and they're every one at this instant in the
+valley, though I'll wager you don't see a bough move nor a leaf stirring
+to show where they lie hid. You see that low copse yonder; well, there's
+a company of ours beneath its shelter. But there goes the word to move
+on."
+
+A motion with his sword, the only command he gave, communicated the
+order; and the men, creeping stealthily on, obeyed the mandate, till at
+another signal they were halted.
+
+From the little copse of brushwood where we now lay, to the farmhouse,
+the ground was completely open,--not a shrub nor a bush grew; a slight
+ascent of the road led up to the gate, which could not be more than
+three hundred paces in front of us. We were stationed at some distance
+to the right of the road, but the field presented no obstacle or
+impediment to our attack; and thither now were our looks turned,--the
+short road which would lead to victory or the grave.
+
+From my ambush I could see the two fieldpieces which commanded the road,
+and beside which the artillerymen stood in patient attention. With what
+a strange thrill I watched one of the party, as from time to time
+he stooped down to blow the fuse beside the gun, and then seemed
+endeavoring to peer into the valley, where all was still and noiseless!
+As well as I could judge, our little party was nearest to the front; and
+although a small clump to the left of the road offered a safe shelter
+still nearer the enemy, I could not ascertain if it were occupied.
+
+Not a word was now spoken. All save the corporal looked eagerly towards
+the enemy; he was watching for the signal, and knelt down with his drawn
+sword at his side. The deathlike stillness of the moment, so unlike the
+prelude to every movement in cavalry combat; the painful expectation
+which made minutes like years themselves; the small number of the party,
+so dissimilar to the closely crowded squadrons I was used to; but,
+more than all, the want of a horse,--that most stirring of all the
+excitements to heroism and daring,--unnerved me; and if my heart were
+to have been interrogated, I sadly fear it would have brought little
+corroboration to the song of the voltigeurs, which attributed so many
+features of superiority to their arm of the service above the rest of
+the army.
+
+A thousand and thousand times did I wish to be at the head of a cavalry
+charge up that narrow road in face of those guns; ay, though the
+mitraille should sweep the earth, there was that in the onward torrent
+of the horseman's course that left no room for fear. But this cold and
+stealthy approach, this weary watching, I could not bear.
+
+"See, see," whispered the corporal, as he pointed with his finger
+towards the clump to the left of the road, "how beautifully done! there
+goes another."
+
+As he spoke, I could perceive the dark shadow of something moving close
+to the ground, and finally concealing itself in the brushwood, beneath
+which now above twenty men lay hid. At the same instant a deep rolling
+sound like far-off thunder was heard; and then louder still, but less
+deep in volume, the rattling crash of musketry. At first the discharges
+were more prolonged, and succeeded one another more rapidly; but
+gradually the firing became less regular; then after an interval swelled
+more fully again, and once more relaxed.
+
+"Listen!" said the corporal; "can't you hear the cheering? There again;
+the skirmishers are falling back,--the fire is too heavy for them."
+
+"Which, the Prussians?"
+
+"To be sure, the Prussians. Hark! there was a volley; that was no
+tirailleur discharge; the columns are advancing. Down, men, down!"
+whispered he, as, excited by the sounds of musketry, some three or four
+popped up their heads to listen. At the same instant a noise in front
+drew our attention to that quarter; and we now saw that a party of horse
+artillerymen were descending the road with a light eight-pounder gun,
+which they were proceeding to place in position on a small knoll of
+ground about eighty yards from the coppice I have mentioned.
+
+"How I could pick off that fellow on the gray horse," whispered a
+soldier beside me to his comrade.
+
+"And bring the whole fire on us afterwards," said the other.
+
+"What can we be waiting for?" said the corporal, impatiently. "They are
+making that place as strong as a fortress; and there, see if that is not
+a reinforcement!"
+
+While he spoke, the heavy tramp of men marching announced the approach
+of fresh troops; and by the bustle and noise within the farmhouse it was
+clear the preparations for its defence were making with all the activity
+the exigency demanded.
+
+It was past seven o'clock; but as the day broke more out, the heavy
+fog increased, and soon grew so dense as to shut out from our view
+the Prussian picket and the guns upon the road. Meanwhile the firing
+continued at a distance, but, as it seemed, fainter than before.
+
+"Ha! there it comes now," said the corporal, as a shrill whistle was
+heard to our left. "Look to your pieces, men! steady." There was a
+pause; every ear was bent to listen, every breath drawn short, when
+again he spoke. "That 's it. _En avant_, lads! _en avant!_"
+
+With the word he sprang forward, but still crouching, he went as if the
+thick mist were not enough to conceal him. The men followed their leader
+with cautious steps, their carbines in hand and bayonets fixed. For some
+minutes we ascended the hill, gradually nearing the road, along which a
+low bank offered a slight protection against fire.
+
+The corporal halted here for a second or two, when another whistle, so
+faint as to be scarcely audible, was borne on the air. With a motion of
+his hand forwards he gave the order to advance, and led the way along
+the roadside.
+
+As we followed in single file, I found myself next the corporal, whose
+every motion I watched with an intensity of interest I cannot convey. At
+last he stopped and wheeled round; then, kneeling down, he levelled his
+piece upon the low bank,--a movement quickly followed by all the rest
+who in silence obeyed his signal.
+
+Directly in front of us now, and as it seemed not above a dozen yards
+distant, the yellow glare of the artillery fuse could be dimly discerned
+through the mist; thither every eye was bent and every musket pointed.
+Thus we knelt with beating hearts, when suddenly several shots rang out
+from the valley and the opposite side of the road; as quickly replied to
+by the enemy, and a smart but irregular clattering of musketry followed.
+
+"Now," cried the corporal, aloud, "now, and all together!"
+
+And then with one long, stunning report, every gun was discharged, and a
+wild cry of the wounded blended with the sounds as we cleared the fence
+and dashed at the guns.
+
+"Down, men, down!" called our leader, as we jumped into the road. The
+word was scarce uttered when a bright flash gleamed forth, a loud bang
+succeeded, and we heard the grapeshot crushing down the valley and
+tearing its way through the leaves and branches of the brushwood.
+
+"_En avant_, lads! now's your time!" cried the corporal, as he sprang to
+his feet and led towards the gun.
+
+With one vigorous dash we pushed up the height, just as the cannoneers
+were preparing to load. The gunners fell back, and a party of infantry
+as quickly presented themselves.
+
+The mist happily concealed the smallness of our force, otherwise the
+Prussians might have crushed us at once. For a second there was a pause;
+then both sides fired, an irregular volley was discharged, and the
+muskets were lowered to the charge. What must have been the fate of our
+little party now there could be no doubt; when suddenly, through the
+blue smoke which yet lingered near the guns, the bright gleaming of
+bayonets was seen to flash, while the loud _vivas_ of our own soldiers
+rent the air.
+
+So rapid was the rush, and so thronging did they come, it seemed as if
+the very ground had given them up. With a cry of "Forward!" on we went;
+the enemy retired and fell back behind the cover of the road, where they
+kept up a tremendous fire upon the gun, to which now all our efforts
+were directed, to turn against the walls of the farmhouse.
+
+The mist by this was cleared away, and we were exposed to the shattering
+fire which was maintained not only along the road, but from every window
+and crevice in the walls of the farmhouse. Our men fell fast,--several
+badly wounded; for the distance was less than half musket-range, even to
+the farthest.
+
+"The bayonet, men! the bayonet! Leave the gun, and sweep the road of
+those fellows yonder!" said the major, as, vaulting over the fence, he
+led the way himself.
+
+We were now reinforced, and numbered fully four companies; so that our
+attack soon drove in the enemy, who retreated, still firing, within the
+courtyard around the farmhouse.
+
+"Bring up the gun, lads, and we 'll soon breach them," said the major.
+But, unhappily, the party to whom it was committed, being annoyed at the
+service which kept them back when their companions were advancing, had
+hurled the piece off its carriage, and rolled it down the mountain.
+
+With a muttered _sacr�_ on their stupidity, the officer cried out to
+scale the walls. If honor and rank and wealth had lain on the opposite
+side, and not death and agony, they could not have obeyed with more
+alacrity. Raised on one another's shoulders, the brave fellows mounted
+the wall; but it was only to fall back again into their comrades' arms,
+dead or mortally wounded. Still they pressed on: a reckless defiance of
+danger had shut out every other thought; and their cheers grew wilder
+and fiercer as the fire told upon them, while the shouts of triumph from
+those within stimulated them to the verge of madness.
+
+"Stand back, men! stand back!" called the major; "down! I say."
+
+As he spoke, a dead silence followed; the men retreated behind the cover
+of the fence, and lay down flat with their faces to the ground. A low,
+hissing noise was then heard; and then, with a clap like thunder, the
+strong gate was rent into fragments and scattered in blazing pieces
+about the field. The crash of the petard was answered by a cheer wild as
+a war-whoop, and onward the infuriated soldiers poured through the
+still burning timbers. And now began a scene of carnage which only a
+hand-to-hand encounter can ever produce. From every door and window the
+Prussians maintained a deadly fire: but the onward tide of victory was
+with us, and we poured down upon them with the bayonet; and as none
+gave, none asked for, quarter, the work of death was speedy. To the
+wild shouts of battle, the crash, the din, the tumult of the fight, a
+dropping irregular fire succeeded; and then came the low, wailing cries
+of the wounded, the groans of the dying, and all was over! We were the
+victors; but what a victory! The garden was strewn with our dead;
+the hall, the stairs, every room was covered with bodies of our brave
+fellows, their rugged faces even sterner than in life.
+
+For some minutes it seemed as though our emotions had unnerved us all,
+as we stood speechless, gazing on the fearful scene of bloodshed; when
+the low rolling of drums, heard from the mountain side, startled every
+listener.
+
+"The Prussians! the Prussians!" called out three or four voices
+together.
+
+"No, no!" shouted Fran�ois; "I was too long a tambour not to know that
+beat; they 're our fellows."
+
+The drums rolled fuller and louder; and soon the head of a column
+appeared peering over the ascent of the road. The sun shone brightly on
+their gay uniforms and glancing arms, and the tall and showily-dressed
+tambour-major stepped in advance with the proud bearing of a conqueror.
+
+"Form, men, and to the front!" said the major of the voltigeurs, who
+knew that his place was in the advance, and felt a noble pride that he
+had won it bravely.
+
+As the column came up the road, the voltigeurs, scattered along the road
+on either side, advanced at a run. But no longer was there any obstacle
+to their course; no enemy presented themselves in sight, and we mounted
+the ascent without a single shot being fired.
+
+As I stopped for time to recover breath, I could not help turning to
+behold the valley, which, now filled with armed men, was a grand and
+a gorgeous sight. In long columns of attack they came, the artillery
+filling the interspaces between them. A brilliant sunlight shone out;
+and I could distinguish the different brigades, with whose colors I was
+now familiar. Still my eye ranged over the field in search of cavalry,
+the arm I loved above all others,--that which, more than all the rest,
+revived the heroic spirit of the chivalrous ages, and made the horseman
+feel the ancient ardor of the belted knight. But none were within sight.
+Indeed, the very nature of the ground offered an obstacle to their
+movement, and I saw that here, as at Austerlitz, the day was for the
+infantry.
+
+Meanwhile we toiled up the height, and at length reached the crest of
+the ridge. And then burst forth a sight such as all the grandeur I
+had ever beheld of war had never presented the equal to. On a vast
+tableland, slightly undulating on the surface, was drawn up the whole
+Prussian army in battle array,--a splendid force of nigh thirty thousand
+infantry, flanked by ten thousand sabres, the finest cavalry in Europe.
+By some inconceivable error of tactics, they had offered no other
+resistance to the French ascent of the mountain than the skirmishing
+troops, which fell back as we came on; and even now they seemed to wait
+patiently for the enemy to form before the conflict should begin. As our
+columns crowned the hill they instantly deployed, to cover the advance
+of those who followed: but the precaution seemed needless; for, except
+at the extreme left, where we heard the firing before, the Prussian army
+never moved a man, nor showed any disposition to attack.
+
+It was now nine o'clock; the sky clear and cloudless, and a bright
+autumnal day permitted the eye to range for miles on every side. The
+Prussian army, but forty thousand strong, was drawn up in the form of
+an arch, presenting the convexity to our front; while our troops, ninety
+thousand in number, overlapped them on either flank, and extended far
+beyond them.
+
+The battle began by the advance of the French columns and the retreat
+of the enemy,--both movements being accomplished without a shot being
+fired, and the whole seeming the manoeuvres of a field-day.
+
+At length, as the Prussians took up the position they intended to
+hold, their guns were seen moving to the front; squadrons of cavalry
+disengaged themselves from behind the infantry masses; and then a
+tremendous tire opened from the whole line. Our troops advanced _en
+tirailleurs_,--that is, whole regiments thrown out in skirmishing
+order,--which, when pressed, fell back, and permitted the columns to
+appear.
+
+The division to which I found myself attached received orders to move
+obliquely across the plain, in the direction of some cottages, which I
+soon heard was the village of Vierzehn Heiligen, and the centre of the
+Prussian position. A galling fire of artillery played upon the column
+as it went; and before we accomplished half the distance, our loss was
+considerable. More than once, too, the cry of "cavalry!" was heard; and
+quick as the warning itself, we were thrown into square, to receive the
+impetuous horsemen, who came madly on to the charge. Ney himself stood
+in the squares, animating the men by his presence, and cheering them at
+every volley they poured in.
+
+"Yonder, men! yonder is the centre of their position," said he, pointing
+to the village, which now bristled with armed men, several guns upon
+a height beyond it commanding the approach, and a cloud of cavalry
+hovering near, to pounce down upon those who might be daring enough to
+assail it. A wild cheer answered his words: both general and soldiers
+understood each other well.
+
+In two columns of attack the division was formed; and then the word
+"Forward!" was given. "Orderly time, men!" said General Dorsenne, who
+commanded that with which I was; and, obedient to the order, the ranks
+moved as if on parade.
+
+And now let me mention a circumstance, which, though trivial in
+itself, presents a feature of the peculiar character of courage which
+distinguished the French officer in battle. As the line advanced, the
+fire of the Prussian battery, which by this had found out our range most
+accurately, opened severely on us, but more particularly on the left;
+and as the men fell fast, and the grapeshot tore through the ranks, a
+wavering of the line took place, and in several places a broken front
+was presented. Dorsenne saw it at once, and placing himself in front of
+the advance, with his back towards the enemy, he called out, as if on
+parade, "Close order--close order! Move up there--left, right--left,
+right!" And so did he retire step by step, marking the time with
+his sword, while the shot flew past and about him, and the earth was
+scattered by the torrent of the grapeshot. Courage like this would seem
+to give a charmed life, for while death was dealing fast around him, he
+never received a wound.
+
+The village was attacked at the bayonet point, and at the charge the
+enemy received us. So long as their artillery could continue its fire,
+our loss was fearful; but once within shelter of the walls and close in
+with the Prussian ranks, the firing ceased, and the struggle was hand to
+hand. Twice did we win our way up the ascent; twice were we beaten back.
+Strong reinforcements were coming up to the enemy's aid; when a
+loud rolling of the drums and a hoarse cheer from behind revived our
+spirits,--it was Lannes's division advancing at a run. They opened to
+permit our retiring masses to re-form behind them, and then rushed on. A
+crash of musketry rang out, and through the smoke the glancing bayonets
+flashed and the red flame danced wildly.
+
+"En avant! en avant!" burst from every man, as, maddened with
+excitement, we plunged into the fray. Like a vast torrent tumbling
+from some mountain gorge, the column poured on, overwhelming all before
+it,--now struggling for a moment, as some obstacle delayed, but could
+not arrest, its march; now rushing headlong, it swept along. The village
+was won; the Prussians fell back. Their guns opened fiercely on us, and
+cavalry tore past, sabring all who sought not shelter within the walls:
+but the post was ours, the key of their position was in our hands; and
+Ney sent three messengers one after the other to the Emperor to let him
+know the result, and enable him to push forward and attack the Prussian
+centre.
+
+Suddenly a wild cry was heard from the little street of the village: the
+houses were in flames. The Prussians had thrown in heated shells, and
+the wooden roofs of the cottages caught up the fire. For an instant all
+became, as it were, panic-struck, and a confused movement of retreat was
+begun: but the next moment order was restored; the sappers scaled the
+walls of the burning houses, and with their axes severed the timbers,
+and suffered the blazing mass to fall within the buildings.
+
+But by this time the Prussians had re-formed their columns, and once
+more advanced to the attack. The moment was in their favor: the disorder
+of our ranks, and the sudden fear inspired by an unlooked-for danger
+still continued, when they came on. Then, indeed, began a scene of
+bloodshed the most horrible to witness: through the narrow streets,
+within the gardens, the houses themselves, the combatants fought hand
+to hand; neither would give way; neither knew on which side lay their
+supporting columns. It was the terrible carnage of deadly animosity on
+both sides.
+
+Meanwhile the flames burst forth anew, and amid the crackling of the
+burning timbers and the dense smoke of the lighted thatch, the fight
+went on.
+
+"Vandamme! Vandamme!" cried several voices, in ecstasy; "here come the
+grenadiers!" And, true enough, the tall shakos peered through the blue
+cloud.
+
+"Hurrah for the Faubourg!" shouted a wild voltigeur, as he waved his cap
+and sprang forward. "Let us not lose the glory now, boys!"
+
+The appeal was not made in vain. From every window and doorway the men
+leaped down into the street, and rushed at the Prussian column, which
+was advancing at the charge. Suddenly the column opened, a rushing
+sound was heard, and down with the speed of lightning rode a squadron
+of cuirassiers. Over us they tore, sabring as they went, nor halted till
+the head of Vandamme's column poured in a volley. Then wheeling, they
+galloped back, trampling on our wounded, and dealing death with their
+broadswords.
+
+As for me, a sabre-cut in the head had stunned me; and while I leaned
+for support against the wall of a house, a horseman tore past, and with
+one vigorous cut he cleft open my shoulder. I staggered back and fell,
+covered with bloody upon the door-sill. I saw our column pass on,
+cheering, and heard the wild cry, "En avant I en avant!" swelling from
+a thousand voices; and then, faint and exhausted, my senses reeled, and
+the rest was like an indistinct dream.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV. A FRAGMENT OF A MA�TRE d'ARMES EXPERIENCES
+
+Stunned, and like one but half awake, I followed the tide of marching
+men which swept past like a mighty river, the roar of the artillery and
+the crash of battle increasing the confusion of my brain. All distinct
+memory of the remainder of the day is lost to me. I can recollect
+the explosion of several wagons of the ammunition train, and how the
+splinters wounded several of those around me; I also have a vague,
+dreamy sense of being hurried along at intervals, and then seeing masses
+of cavalry dash past. But the great prevailing thought above all others
+is, of leaning over the edge of a charrette, where I lay with some
+wounded soldiers, to watch the retreat of the Prussians, as they were
+pursued by Murat's cavalry. Fran�ois was at my side, and described to
+me the great events of the battle; but though I seemed to listen, the
+sounds fell unregarded on my ear. Even now, it seems to me like a dream;
+and the only palpable idea before me is the heated air, the dark and
+lowering sky, And the deafening thunder of the guns.
+
+It is well known how the victory of Jena was crowned by the glorious
+issue of the battle of Auerstadt, where the main body of the Prussians,
+under the command of the king himself, was completely beaten by Davoust
+with a force not half their number. The two routed armies crossed in
+their flight, while the headlong fury of the French cavalry pressed down
+on them; nor did the terrible slaughter cease till night gave respite to
+the beaten.
+
+The victors and the vanquished entered Weimar together, a distance of
+full six leagues from the field of battle. All struggle had long ceased.
+An unresisting massacre it was; and such was the disappointment and
+anger of the people of the country, that the Prussian officers were
+frequently attacked and slain by the peasantry, whose passionate
+indignation made them suspect treachery in the result of the battle.
+
+All whose wounds were but slight, and whose health promised speedy
+restoration, were mounted into wagons taken from the enemy, and sent
+forward with the army. Among this number I found myself, and that same
+night slept soundly and peacefully in the straw of the charrette in
+which I travelled from Jena.
+
+The Emperor's headquarters were established at Weimar, and thither all
+the ambulances were conveyed; while the marshals, with their several
+divisions, were sent in pursuit of the enemy. As for myself, before the
+week elapsed, I was sufficiently recovered to move about; for happily
+the stunning effects which immediately followed the injury were its
+worst consequences, and my wound in the shoulder proved but trifling.
+
+"And so you are determined to join the cavalry again?" said Fran�ois,
+as he sat by my side under a tree, where a cheerful fire of blazing
+wood had drawn several to enjoy its comfort. "That is what I cannot
+comprehend by any stretch of ingenuity,--how a man who has once seen
+something of voltigeur life can go back to the dull routine of dragoon
+service."
+
+"Perhaps I have had enough of skirmishing, Fran�ois," said I, smiling.
+
+"Is it of that knock on the pate you speak?" said he, contemptuously.
+"Bah! the heavy shako you wear would give a worse headache. Come, come;
+think better on 't. I can tell you"--here he lowered his voice to a
+whisper--"I can tell you, Burke, the major noticed the manner you
+held your ground in the old farmhouse. I heard him refuse to send a
+reinforcement when the Prussians made their second attack. 'No, no,'
+said he; 'that hussar fellow yonder does his work so well, he wants no
+help from us.' When he said that, my friend, be assured your promotion
+is safe enough. You were made for a voltigeur."
+
+"Come, Fran�ois, it's no use; all your flattery won't make me desert.
+I 'll try and join my brigade to-morrow; that is, if I can find them."
+
+"You never told me in what way you first became separated from your
+corps. How was it?"
+
+"There's something of a secret there, Fran�ois; you mustn't ask me."
+
+"Ah, I understand," said he, with a knowing look, and a gesture of his
+hand, as if making a pass with his sword. "Did you kill him?"
+
+"No, not exactly," said I, laughing.
+
+"Merely gave him that pretty lunge _en tierce_ you favored me with,"
+said he, putting his hand on his side.
+
+"Nor even that."
+
+"_Diable!_ then how was it?"
+
+"I have told you it was a secret."
+
+"Secret! Confound it, man, there are no secrets in a campaign, except
+when the military chest is empty or the commissary falls short of grub;
+these are the only things one ever thinks of hushing up. Come, out with
+it!"
+
+"Well, if it must be, I may as well have the benefit of your advice. So
+draw closer, for I don't wish the rest to hear it."
+
+In as few words as I was able, I explained to Fran�ois the circumstances
+of the night march, and the manner of my meeting with the Emperor at the
+ravine, where the artillery train was stopped. But when I came to the
+incident of the picket, and mentioned how, in rescuing the Emperor, my
+horse had been killed under me, he could no longer restrain himself, but
+turned to the rest, who, to the number of fifteen or sixteen, sat around
+the fire, and burst forth,--
+
+"_Mille tonnerres!_ but the boy is a fool!" And then, before I could
+interpose a word, blurted out the whole adventure to the company.
+
+There was no use now to attempt any concealment at all; neither was
+there to feel anger at his conduct. One would have been as absurd as
+the other; and so I had to endure, as best I could, the various comments
+that were passed on my behavior, on the prudence of which certainly no
+second opinion existed.
+
+"You must be right certain of promotion, Captain," said an old sergeant,
+with a gray beard and mustache, "or you wouldn't refuse such a chance as
+that."
+
+"_Diable!_" cried Fran�ois; "don't you see he wouldn't accept of it.
+He is too proud to wait on the Petit Caporal, though he asked him to do
+so."
+
+"He 'd have given you the cross of the Legion anyhow," said another.
+
+"Ay, by Jove!" exclaimed the riding-master of a dragoon regiment, "and
+sent him a remount from his own stud."
+
+"And you think that modesty!" said Francois, whose indignation at my
+folly knew no bounds. "_Par Saint Joseph!_ if I'd been as modest, it's
+not ma�tre d'armes of a voltigeur battalion I 'd be to-day; though I may
+say, without boasting, I'm not afraid to cross a rapier with any man in
+the army. No, no; that's not the way I managed."
+
+"How was that, Ma�tre Francois?" said a young officer, who felt curious
+to learn the circumstance to which he seemed to attach a story.
+
+"If the honorable society cares to hear it," said Fran�ois, uncovering,
+and bowing courteously to all around, "I shall have great pleasure in
+recounting a little incident of my life."
+
+A general cry of acclamation and "bravo" met the polite proposal; while
+Francois, accepting a _goutte_ from a canteen presented to him, began
+thus:--
+
+"I began my soldier's life at the first step of the ladder. I was a
+drummer-boy at Jemappes; and, when I grew old enough to exchange the
+drumstick for the sword, I was attached to the _chasseurs � cheval_, and
+went with them to Egypt. I could tell you some strange stories of
+our doings there,--I don't mean with the Turks, mark you, but amongst
+ourselves,--for we had little affairs with the sword almost every
+day; and I soon showed them I was their master. But that is not to the
+purpose; what I am about to speak of happened in this wise.
+
+"At break of day, one morning, the picket to which I was joined received
+orders to mount, and accompany the general along the bank of the Nile
+to the village of Chebrheis, where we heard that a Mameluke force were
+assembling, whose strength and equipment it was important to ascertain.
+Our horses were far from fresh when we started; the day previous had
+been spent in a fatiguing march from Rhemanieh, crossing a dreary
+desert, with hot sands and no water. But General Bonaparte always
+expected us to turn out, as if we had got a general remount; and so we
+made the best of it, and set out in as good style as we could. We had
+not gone above a league and a half, however, when we found that the
+slapping pace of the general had left the greater part of the escort out
+of sight; and of a score of four squadrons, not above twenty horsemen
+were present.
+
+"The Emperor--you know he was only general then, but it 's all the
+same--laughed heartily when he found he had outridden the rest; indeed,
+for that matter, he laughed at our poor blown beasts, that shook on
+every limb, and seemed like to push their spare, gaunt bones through the
+trappings with which, for shame's sake, we endeavored to cover them. But
+his joke was but shortlived; for just then, from behind the wall of an
+old ruined temple--whiz!--there came a shattering volley of musketry in
+the midst of us; the only miracle is how one escaped. The next moment
+there was a wild hurrah, and we beheld some fifty Mameluke fellows,
+all glittering with gold, coming down full speed on us, on their Arab
+chargers. _Mille cadavres!_ what was to be done? Nothing, you'd say, but
+run for it. And so we should have done, if the beasts were able: but not
+a bit of it; they couldn't have raised a gallop if Mourad Bey had been
+there with his whole army. And so we put a good face on it, and drew up
+across the way, and looked as if going to charge. Egad! the Turks were
+amazed. They halted up short, and stared about them to see what infantry
+or artillery there might be coming up to our assistance, so boldly did
+we hold our ground.
+
+"'We'll keep them in check, General,' said the officer of the picket.
+'Lose no time now, but make a dash for it, and you'll get away.' And so,
+without more ado, Bonaparte turned his horse's head round, and, driving
+his spurs into him, set out at top speed.
+
+"This was the signal for the Mameluke charge; and down they came.
+_Sacristi!_ how the infidels rode us down! Over and over our fellows
+rolled, men and horses together, while they slashed with their keen
+cimeters on every side; few needed a second cut, I warrant you.
+
+[Illustration: 296]
+
+"By some good fortune, my beast kept his legs in the _m�l�e_, and, with
+even better luck, got so frightened that he started off, and struck out
+in full gallop after the general, who, about two hundred paces in front
+of me, was dashing along, pursued by a Mameluke, with a cimeter held
+over his head. The Turk's horse, however, was wounded, and could not
+gain even on the tired animal before him, while mine was at every stride
+overtaking him.
+
+"The Mameluke, hearing the clatter behind, turned his head. I seized the
+moment, and discharged my only remaining pistol at him,--alas! without
+effect. With a wild war-cry the fellow swerved round and came down upon
+me, intending to take my horse in flank, and hurl me over. But the good
+beast plunged forward, and my enemy passed behind, and only grazed the
+haunches as he went; the moment after he was at my side. _Parbleu!_ I
+did n't like the companionship. I knew every turn of a broadsword or a
+rapier well; but a curved cimeter, keen as a razor, of Damascus steel,
+glittering and glistening over my head, was a different thing: the great
+dark eyes of the fellow, too, glared like balls of fire, and his white
+teeth were clenched. With a swing of his blade over his head, so loosely
+done I thought he had almost flung the weapon from his hand, he aimed
+a cut at my neck; but, quick as lightning, I dropped upon the mane,
+and the sharp blade shaved the red feather from my shako, and sent it
+floating in the air, while, with a straight point, I ran him through
+the body, and heard his death-shout as he fell bathed in blood upon the
+sands. The general saw him fall, and cried out something; but I could
+not hear the words, nor, to say truth, did I care much at the time: my
+happiest thought just then was to see the remainder of the escort, which
+we had left behind, coming up at a smart canter.
+
+"The Turks no sooner perceived them than they wheeled and fled; and so we
+returned to the camp, with a loss of some twenty brave fellows, and none
+the wiser for all our trouble.
+
+"'What shall I do for you, friend?' said the general to me, as I stood
+by his orders at the door of his tent, 'what shall I do for you?'
+
+"_Ma foi!_ said I, with a shrug of my shoulders, 'I can't well say at a
+moment; perhaps the best thing would be to promise you 'd never take
+me as one of your escort when you make such an expedition as this
+morning's.'
+
+"'No, no, I 'll not say that. Who are you? What's your grade?'
+
+"'Fran�ois, ma�tre d'armes of the Fourth Chasseurs of the Guard,' said
+I, proudly. And, indeed, I thought he might have known me without the
+question.
+
+"'Ah, indeed!' replied he, gravely. 'Promotion is then of no use here;
+a ma�tre d'armes, like a general of division, is at the top of the tree.
+Come, I have it; a fellow of your sort is never out of scrapes,--always
+duelling and quarrelling, under arrest three days in every week; I know
+you well. Now, Ma�tre Fran�ois, I 'll forgive you the first time you ask
+me for any offence within my power to pardon. Go; you are satisfied with
+that promise,--is it not so?'
+
+"'Yes, General; and I'll soon jog your memory about it,' said I,
+saluting and retiring from the tent.
+
+"I see some old 'braves' of the Pyramids about me now," continued
+Fran�ois, "and so I need not dwell on the events of the campaign. You
+all know how General Bonaparte left the army to Kl�ber, and went back to
+France; and somehow we never had much luck after that. But so it was, I
+came back with the regiment, and was at the battle of Marengo when our
+brigade captured four guns of Skal's battery, and carried off eleven of
+their officers our prisoners. You'd wonder now, Comrades, how that piece
+of good fortune should turn out so ill for me; but such was the case.
+After the battle was gained, General Bonaparte retired to Gerofola with
+his staff, and I was ordered to proceed after him, with the Hauptmann
+Klingenswert of the Austrian army,--one of our prisoners who had served
+on Melas's staff, and knew everything about the effective strength of
+the army and all their plans.
+
+"We set off at daybreak. It was in June, and a lovely morning too; and
+as my prisoner was an officer and a man of honor, I took no escort, but
+rode along at his side. We halted at noon to dine in a little grove of
+cedars, where I opened my canteen and spread the contents on the grass:
+and after regaling ourselves pleasantly, we lighted our meerschaums
+and chatted away like old comrades over the war and its chances. A more
+agreeable fellow than the Austrian I never met. He told me his whole
+history, and I told him mine; and we drank Br�derschaft together, and
+swore I don't know how many eternal friendships. The devil was just
+amusing himself with us all this time though, as you 'll see presently;
+for we soon got into an argument about the charge in which our brigade
+captured the guns. He said that if the ammunition had not failed we
+never would have dared the attack; and I swore that the discharges were
+pouring in while we rode down on the battery.
+
+"We grew warm with the dispute, and drank deeper to cool us; and, what
+between the wine and our own passion, we became downright angry, and
+went so far as to interchange something not like Br�derschaft.
+
+"'Ah, how unfortunate I always am!' said I, sighing. 'If I had only the
+good luck to be the prisoner now, and you the escort--'
+
+"'What then?' said he.
+
+"'How easily, and how pleasantly too, could we settle this little
+affair. The ground is smooth as velvet; there is no sun; all still, and
+quiet, and peaceful.'
+
+"'No, no,' said the Austrian; 'I couldn't do what you propose,--I should
+be dishonored forever if I took such an advantage of you. You must
+know, Fran�ois,' for he called me so, recurring at once to his tone of
+kindliness, 'I am the first swordsman of my brigade.'
+
+"I could scarcely avoid throwing myself into his arms as he spoke; never
+was there such a piece of fortune. 'And I,' cried I, in ecstasy, 'I the
+first of the whole French army!' You know, Comrades, I only said that
+_en gascon_, and to afford him the greater pleasure in our _rencontre_.
+
+"We soon measured our swords and threw off our jackets. 'Fran�ois,' said
+he, 'I ought to mention to you that my lunge _en tierce_ is my famous
+stroke; I rarely miss running my adversary through the chest with it.'
+
+"'I know the trick well,' said I; 'take care of my "pass" outside the
+guard.'
+
+"'Oh! if that's your game,' said he, laughing, 'I'll make short work of
+it. Now, to begin.'
+
+"'All ready,' said I; 'en garde!' And we crossed our weapons. For
+a German he was a capital swordsman, and had a very pretty trick of
+putting in his point over the hilt, and wounding the sword-arm; but if
+it had not been for all the wine I drank the affair would have been over
+in a second or two. As it was, we both fenced loose, and without any
+judgment whatever.
+
+"'Ah! you got that,' said I, 'at last!' as I pierced him in the back,
+outside the guard.
+
+"'No, no!' cried he, passionately; for his temper was up, and he would
+not confess a touch.
+
+"'Well, then, that's home!' said I, thrusting beneath his hilt, till the
+blood spurted out along my blade and even in my eyes.
+
+"'Yes, that's home,' said he, staggering back, while one of his legs
+crossed over the other, and he fell heavily on the grass. I stooped down
+to feel his heart; and as I did so my senses failed, my limbs tottered,
+and I rolled headlong over him. Truth was, I was badly wounded, though I
+never knew when; for his sword had entered my chest, beneath a rib, and
+cut some large vessels in the lungs.
+
+"The end of it all was, the Austrian was buried, and I was broke the
+service without pay or pension, my wound being declared by the doctors
+an incapacity to serve in future.
+
+"Comrades, we often hear men talk of the happy day before them when they
+shall leave the army and throw off the knapsack, and give up the musket
+for the mattock. Well, trust me, it's no such pleasure as they deem it,
+after all. There was I, turned loose upon the world, with nothing but a
+suit of ragged clothes my comrades made up amongst them, my old rapier,
+and a bad asthma. Such was my stock-in-trade, to begin life anew, at the
+age of forty-seven. And so, I set out on my weary way back to Paris."
+
+"Didn't you try your chance with the Petit Caporal first?" asked one of
+the listeners.
+
+"To be sure I did. I sent him a long petition, setting forth the whole
+circumstance, and detailing every minute particular of the duel; but I
+received it back, unopened,--with Duroc's name, and the word 'Rejected,'
+on the back.
+
+"It is strange-how unfit we old soldiers are for any occupation in a
+civil way, when we 've spent half a lifetime campaigning. When I reached
+Paris, I could almost have wedged myself into the scabbard of my
+sword. Long marches and short rations had told heavily on me; and the
+custom-house officer at the barrier told me to pass on, without ever
+stopping to see that I carried no contraband goods about me.
+
+"I had a miserable time enough of it for twelve or fourteen months.
+The only way of support I could find was teaching recruits the sword
+exercise; and you know they could n't be very liberal in their rewards
+for the service. But even this poor trade was soon interdicted, as the
+police reported that I encouraged the young soldiers to fight duels,--a
+great offence, truly! But you see everything went unluckily with me at
+that time.
+
+"What was to become of me now I couldn't tell; when an old comrade,
+pensioned off from Moreau's army, had interest to get me appointed
+supernumerary, as they call it, in the Grand Opera, where I used to
+perform as a Roman soldier, or a friar, or a peasant, or some such
+thing, for five francs a week. Not a sou more had I, and the duty was
+heavier than on active service.
+
+"After two years, the 'big drum' died of a rheumatic fever, from beating
+a great solo in a new German Opera, and I was promoted to his place;
+for by this time I was quite recovered from the effects of my wound, and
+could use my arms as well as ever.
+
+"Some of the honorable company may remember the first night that
+Napoleon visited the Grand Opera after he was named Emperor. It was a
+glorious sight, and one can never forget it. The whole house was filled
+with generals and field-marshals: it was a grand field-day, by the glare
+of ten thousand wax-lights. And the Empress was there, and her whole
+suite, and all the prettiest women in France. Little time had I to look
+at them, though; for there was I, in the corner of the orchestra, with
+my big drum before me, on which I was to play the confounded thing that
+killed the other fellow.
+
+"It was a strange performance, sure enough: for in the midst of a great
+din and crash, came a dead pause; and then I was to strike three solemn
+bangs on the drum,--to be followed by a succession of blows, fast
+as lightning, for five minutes. This was the composer's notion of a
+battle,--distant firing! Heaven bless his heart! I was wishing he 'd
+seen some of it. This was to come on in the second act, up to which time
+I had nothing to do.
+
+"Why do I say nothing? I had to gaze at the Petit Caporal, who sat there
+in the box over my head, looking as stern and as thoughtful as ever, and
+not minding much what the Empress said, though she kept prattling into
+his ear all the time, and trying to attract his attention. _Parbleu!_ he
+was not thinking of all the nonsense before him,--his mind was on real
+battles: he had seen real smoke,--that he had! He was fatter and paler
+than he used to be; and I thought, too, his frown was darker than when
+I saw him last: but, to be sure, that was at Marengo, and he ever looked
+pleased on the field of battle. I could n't take my eyes from him: his
+fine thoughtful face, so full of determination and energy, reminded me
+of my old days of campaigning. I thought of Areola and Rivoli, of Cairo
+and the Pyramids, and the great charge at Marengo when Desaix's division
+came up,--and my heart was nigh bursting when I remembered that I wore
+the epaulette no longer. I forgot, too, where I was; and expected every
+instant to hear him call for one of the marshals, or see him stretch out
+his hand to point to a distant part of the field. And so absorbed was I
+in my reveries, that I had neither eyes nor ears for anything around
+me; when suddenly all the din of the orchestra ceased,--not a sound was
+heard; and a hand rudely shook me by the arm, while a voice whispered,
+'Now! now!'
+
+[Illustration: 303]
+
+"Mechanically I seized the drumsticks. But my eyes still were riveted
+in the Emperor,--my whole heart and soul were centred in him. Again
+the voice called to me to begin; and a low murmur of angry meaning ran
+through the orchestra.
+
+"I sprang to my legs, and in the excitement of the moment, losing all
+memory of time and place, I rolled out the _pas de charge!_
+
+"Scarce had the first _roulade_ of the well-known sounds reverberated
+through the house, when one cry of 'Vive l'Empereur!' burst forth. It
+was not a cheer; it was the heart-given outbreak of ten thousand devoted
+followers. Marshals, generals, colonels, ambassadors, ministers, all
+joined; and the vast assembly rocked to and fro like the sea in a
+storm, while Napoleon himself, slowly rising, bent his proud head in
+acknowledgment, and then sat down again amid the thundering shouts of
+acclamation. It was full twenty minutes before the piece could proceed;
+and even then momentary outbreaks of enthusiasm would occur to interrupt
+it, and continued to burst forth till the curtain fell.
+
+"Just then an aide-de-camp appeared beside the orchestra, and ordered
+me to the Emperor's box. _Satristi!_how I trembled! I did n't know what
+might come of it.
+
+"'Ah, _coquin!_ said he, as I stood ready to drop with fear at the door
+of the box, 'this has been one of thy doings, eh?'
+
+"'Yes, Sire,' muttered I in a half whisper.
+
+"'And how hast thou dared to spoil an opera in this fashion?' said he,
+frowning fiercely. 'Answer me, sirrah!'
+
+"'It was your Majesty's fault,' said I, becoming reckless of all
+consequences. 'You did n't seem to care much for all their scraping and
+blowing, and so I thought the old _roulade_ might raise you a bit. You
+used to like it once; and might still, if the times be not altered.'
+
+"'And they are not,' said he, sternly. 'Who art thou, that seem'st to
+know me thus well?'
+
+"'Old Fran�ois, that was ma�tre d'armes of the Fourth in Egypt, and who
+saved you from the stroke of a Mameluke sabre at Chebrheis.'
+
+"'What! the fellow who killed an Austrian prisoner after Marengo? Why, I
+thought thee dead.'
+
+"'Better for me I had been!' said I. 'You would n't read my petition.
+('Yes, you may frown away, General,' said I to Duroc, who kept glowering
+at me like a tiger.) I began life at the tambour; I have come down to it
+again. You can't bring me lower, _parbleu!_
+
+"The Emperor whispered something to the Empress, who turned round
+towards me and laughed; and then he made a sign for me to withdraw.
+Before I had got a dozen paces from the box, an aide-de-camp overtook
+me.
+
+"'Fran�ois,' said he, 'you are to appear before the medical commission
+to-morrow; and if their report be favorable, you are to have your old
+grade of ma�tre d'armes.'
+
+"And so it was. Not only was I restored, but they even placed me in the
+same regiment I served in during the campaigns of Egypt and Italy. The
+corps, however, was greatly changed since I knew it before; and so
+I asked the Emperor to appoint me to a voltigeur battalion, where
+discipline is not so rigid, and pleasant comrades are somewhat more
+plentiful. I had my wish, gentlemen. And now, with your permission,
+we'll drink the 'Faubourg St. Antoine,' the cradle of our arm of the
+service."
+
+In repeating Ma�tre Francois's tale, I could only wish it might have
+one half the success with my reader it met with from his comrades of the
+bivouac. This, however, I cannot look for, and must leave it and him to
+their fortunes, and now turn to follow the course of my own.
+
+Fran�ois was not the only one who felt surprised at my being able to
+resist the pleasures of a voltigeurs life; and my companion the corporal
+looked upon my determination to join the hussar brigade as one of those
+extraordinary instances of duty predominating over inclination. "Not,"
+said he, "but there may be brave fellows and good soldiers among the
+dragoons; though having a horse to ride is a sore drawback on a man's
+courage. And when one has felt the confidence of standing face to face,
+and foot to foot, with the enemy, I cannot see how he can ever bring
+himself to fight in any other fashion."
+
+"A man can accustom himself to anything, Corporal," said an old,
+hardy-looking soldier, who sat smoking with the most profound air of
+thoughtful reflection. "I remember being in the 'dromedary brigade' at
+Cairo. Few of us could keep our seats at first; and when we fell off,
+it was often hard enough to resist the Mamelukes and hold the beasts
+besides; but even that we learned with time."
+
+This explanation, little flattering as it was to the cavalry, seemed to
+convince the listeners that time, which smoothes so many difficulties,
+will even make a man content to be a dragoon.
+
+"Well, since you will not be 'of ours,'" said Fran�ois, "let us drink a
+parting cup, and say good-by, for I hear the bugle sounding the call."
+
+"A health to the 'Faubourg St. Antoine,' boys!" cried I, and a hearty
+cheer re-echoed the toast; and with many a shake-hands, and many a
+promise of welcome whenever I saw the error of my ways sufficiently to
+doff the dolman for the voltigeur's jacket, I took leave of the gallant
+Twenty-second, and set out towards Weimar.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV. BERLIN AFTER "JENA."
+
+As the battle of Austerlitz was the deathblow to the empire of Austria,
+so with the defeat at Jena did Prussia fall, and that great kingdom
+became a prey to the conquering Napoleon. Were this a fitting place,
+it might be curious to inquire into the causes which involved a ruin so
+sudden and so complete; and how a vast and highly organized army seemed
+at one fell stroke annihilated and destroyed.
+
+The victories of Jena and Auerstadt, great and decisive as they were,
+were nevertheless inadequate to such results; and if the genius of the
+Emperor had not been as prompt to follow up as to gain a battle, they
+never would have occurred. But scarcely had the terrible contest ceased,
+when he sent for the Saxon officers who were taken prisoners, and
+addressing them in a tone of kindness, declared at once that they were
+at liberty and might return to their homes, first pledging their words
+not to carry arms against France or her allies. One hundred and twenty
+officers of different grades, from lieutenant-general downwards, gave
+this promise and retired to their own country, extolling the generosity
+of Napoleon. This first step was soon followed up by another and more
+important one; negotiations were opened with the Elector of Saxony,
+and the title of king offered to him on condition of his joining the
+Confederacy of the Rhine; and thus once more the artful policy already
+pursued with regard to Bavaria in the south, was here renewed in the
+north of Germany, and with equal success.
+
+This deep-laid scheme deprived the Prussian army of eighteen thousand
+men, and that on the very moment when defeat and disaster had spread
+their demoralizing influences through the entire army. Several of their
+greatest generals were killed, many more dreadfully or fatally wounded:
+Prince Louis, Ruchel, Schmettau, among the former; the Duke of Brunswick
+and Prince Henry both severely wounded. The Duke survived but a few
+days, and these in the greatest suffering; Marshal M�llendorf, the
+veteran of nigh eighty years, had his chest pierced by a lance. Here was
+misfortune enough to cause dismay and despair; for unhappily the nation
+itself was but an army in feeling and organization, and with defeat
+every hope died out and every arm was paralyzed. The patriotism of the
+people had taken its place beneath a standard, which when once lowered
+before a conqueror, nothing more remained. Such is the destiny of a
+military monarchy: its only vitality is victory; the hour of disaster is
+its deathblow.
+
+The system of a whole corps capitulating, which the Prussians had not
+scrupled to sneer at when occurring in Austria, now took place here with
+even greater rapidity. Scarcely a day passed that some regiment did not
+lay down their arms, and surrender _sur parole_. A panic spread through
+the whole length and breadth of the land; places of undoubted strength
+were surrendered as insecure and untenable. No rest nor respite was
+allowed the vanquished: the gay plumes of the lancers fluttered over the
+vast plains in pursuit; columns of infantry poured in every direction
+through the kingdom; and the eagles glittered in every town and every
+village of conquered Prussia.
+
+Never did the spirit of Napoleon display itself more pitiless than in
+this campaign; for while in his every act he evinced a determination to
+break down and destroy the nation, the "Moniteur" at Paris teemed with
+articles in derision of the army whose bravery he should never have
+questioned. Even the gallant leaders themselves--old and scarred
+warriors--were contemptuously described as blind and infatuated
+fanatics, undeserving of clemency or consideration. Not thus should he
+have spoken of the noble Prince Louis and the brave Duke of Brunswick;
+they fought in a good cause, and they met the death of gallant soldiers.
+"I will make their nobles beg their bread upon the highways!" was
+the dreadful sentence he uttered at Weimar. And the words were never
+forgotten.
+
+The conduct and bearing of the Emperor was the more insulting from its
+contrast with that of his marshals and generals, many of whom could not
+help acknowledging in their acts the devotion and patriotism of their
+vanquished foes. Murat lost no occasion to evince this feeling; and
+sent eight colonels of his own division to carry the pall at General
+Schmettau's funeral, who was interred with all the honors due to one who
+had been the companion of the Great Frederick himself.
+
+Soult, Bernadotte, Augereau, Ney, and Davoust, with the several corps
+under their command, pursued the routed forces with untiring hostility.
+In vain did the King of Prussia address a supplicating letter asking for
+a suspension of arms. Napoleon scarcely deigned a reply, and ordered the
+advanced guard to march on Berlin.
+
+But a year before and he had issued his royal mandates from the palace
+of the Caesars; and he burned now to date his bulletins from the palace
+of the Great Frederick. And on the tenth day after the battle of Jena
+the troops of Lannes's division bivouacked in the plain around Potsdam.
+I had joined my brigade the day previous, and entered Berlin with them
+on the morning of the 23d of October.
+
+The preparations for a triumphal entry were made on the day before; and
+by noon the troops approached the capital in all the splendor of full
+equipment. First came the grenadiers of Oudinot's brigade,--one of
+the finest corps in the French army; their bright yellow facings
+and shoulder-knots had given them the _sobriquet_ of the _Grenadiers
+jaunes_: they formed part of Davonst's force at Auerstadt, and were
+opposed to the Prussian guard in the greatest shock of the entire day.
+After them came two battalions of the _Chasseurs � pied_,--a splendid
+body of infantry, the remnant of four thousand who went into battle
+on the morning of the 15th. Then followed a brigade of artillery,
+each gun-carriage surmounted by a Prussian standard. These again were
+succeeded by the red lancers of Berg, with Murat himself at their
+head; for they were his own regiment, and he felt justly proud of such
+followers: the grand duke was in all the splendor of his full dress, and
+wore a Spanish hat, looped up, with an immense brilliant in front, and
+a plume of ostrich feathers floated over his neck and shoulders. Two
+hundred and forty chosen men of the Imperial Guard marched two and
+two after these, each carrying a color taken from the enemy in battle.
+Nansouty's cuirassiers came next; they had suffered severely at Jena,
+and were obliged to muster several of their wounded men to fill up the
+gaps in their squadrons. Then there were the horse artillery brigade,
+whose uniforms and equipments, notwithstanding every effort to
+conceal it, showed the terrible effects of the great battle. General
+d'Auvergne's division, with the hussars and the light cavalry attached,
+followed. These were succeeded by the voltigeurs, and eight battalions
+of the Imperial Guard,--whose ranks were closed up with the _Grenadiers
+� cheval_, and more artillery,--in all, a force of eighteen thousand,
+the _�lite_ of the French army.
+
+Advancing in orderly time, they came,--no sound heard save the dull
+reverberation of the earth as it trembled beneath the columns, when
+the hoarse challenge to "halt" was called from rank to rank as often as
+those in the rear pressed on the leading files; but as they reached the
+Brandenburg gate, the band of each regiment burst forth, and the wide
+Platz resounded with the clang of martial music.
+
+In front of the palace stood the Emperor, surrounded by his staff, which
+was joined in succession by each general of brigade as his corps moved
+by. A simple acknowledgment of the military salute was all Napoleon gave
+as each battalion passed,--until the small party of the Imperial Guard
+appeared, bearing the captured colors. Then his proud features relaxed,
+his eye flashed and sparkled, and he lifted his chapeau straight above
+his head, and remained uncovered the whole time they were marching past.
+This was the moment when enthusiasm could no longer be restrained, and a
+cry of "Vive l'Empereur!" burst forth, that, caught up by those behind,
+rose in ten thousand echoes along the distant suburbs of Berlin.
+
+To look upon that glorious and glittering band, bronzed with battle,
+their proud faces lit up with all the pride of victory, was indeed a
+triumph; and one instinctively turned to see the looks of wondering
+and admiration such a sight must have inspired. But with what sense of
+sadness came the sudden thought: this is the proud exultation of the
+conqueror over the conquered; here come no happy faces and bright looks
+to welcome those who have rescued them from slavery; here are no voices
+calling welcome to the deliverer. No: it was a people crushed and
+trodden down; their hard-won laurels tarnished and dishonored; their
+country enslaved; their monarch a wanderer, no one knew where. Little
+thought they who raised the statue of brass to the memory of the Great
+Frederick, that the clank of French musketry would be heard around it.
+Rossbach was, indeed, avenged,--and cruelly avenged.
+
+Never did a people behave with more dignity under misfortune than the
+Prussians on the entrance of the French into their capital. The streets
+were deserted; the houses closed; the city was in mourning; and
+none stooped to the slavish adulation which might win favor with the
+conqueror. It was a triumph; but there were none to witness it. Of the
+nobles, scarce one remained in Berlin. They had fallen in battle, or
+followed the fortunes of their beaten army, now scattered and dispersed
+through the kingdom. Their wives and daughters, in deepest mourning,
+bewailed their ruined country as they would the death of a dearest
+friend. They cut off their blonde locks, and sorrowed like those without
+a hope. Their great country was to be reduced to the rank of a mere
+German province; their army disbanded; their king dethroned. Such
+was the contrast to our hour of triumph; such the sad reverse to the
+gorgeous display of our armed squadrons.
+
+Scarcely had the Emperor established his headquarters at Potsdam than
+the whole administration of the kingdom was begun to be placed under
+French rule. Prefects were appointed to different departments of the
+kingdom; a heavy contribution was imposed upon the nation; and all the
+offices of the state were subjected to the control of persons named by
+the Emperor.
+
+Among these, the first in importance was the post-office; for, while
+every precaution was taken that no interruption should occur in the
+transmission of the mails as usual, a _cabinet noir_ was established
+here, as at Paris, whose function it was to open the letters of
+suspected persons, and make copies of them; the latter, indeed, were
+often so skilfully executed as to be forwarded to the address, while the
+originals were preserved as "proofs" against parties, if it were found
+necessary to accuse them afterwards. (And here I might mention that the
+art of depositing metals in a mould by galvanic process was known and
+used in imitating and fabricating the seals of various writers, many
+years before the discovery became generally known in Europe.)
+
+The invasion of private right involved in this breach of trust gave, as
+might be supposed, the greatest offence throughout the kingdom. But the
+severity with which every case of suspicious meaning was followed up and
+punished converted the feelings of indignation and anger into those of
+fear and trepidation. For this was ever part of Napoleon's policy: the
+penalty of any offence was made to exclude the sense of ridicule its
+own littleness might have created, and men felt indisposed to jest where
+their mirth might end in melancholy.
+
+The most remarkable case, and that which more than any other impressed
+the public mind of the period, was that of the Prince de Hatzfeld, whose
+letter to the King of Prussia was opened at the post-office, and made
+the subject of a capital charge against him. Its contents were, as
+might be imagined from the channel of transmission, not such as could
+substantiate any treasonable intention on his part. A respectful homage
+to his dethroned sovereign; a detail of the mournful feeling experienced
+throughout his capital; and some few particulars of the localities
+occupied by the French troops, was the entire. And for this he was tried
+and condemned to death,--a sentence which the Emperor commanded to be
+executed before sunset that same day. Happily for the fate of the noble
+prince, as for the fair fame of Napoleon, both Duroc and Rapp were
+ardently attached to him, and at their earnest entreaties his life was
+spared. But the impression which the circumstances made upon the minds
+of the inhabitants was deep and lasting; and there was a day to come
+when all these insults were to be remembered and avenged. If I advert
+to the occurrence here, it is because I have but too good reason to bear
+memory of it, influencing, as it did, my own future fortunes.
+
+It chanced that one evening, when sitting in a caf� with some of my
+brother officers, the subject of the Prince de Hatzfeld's offence
+was mooted; and in the unguarded freedom with which one talks to his
+comrades, I expressed myself delighted at the clemency of the Emperor,
+and conceived that he could have no part in the breach of confidence
+which led to the accusation, nor countenance in any way his prosecution.
+My companions, who had little sympathy for Prussians, and none for
+aristocracy whatever, took a different view of the matter, and scrupled
+not to regret that the sentence of the court-martial had not been
+executed. The discussion grew warm between us; the more, as I was
+alone in my opinion, and assailed by several who overbore me with loud
+speaking. Once or twice, too, an obscure taunt was thrown out against
+aliens and foreigners, who, it was alleged, never could at heart forgive
+the ascendency of France and Frenchmen.
+
+To this I replied hotly, for while not taking to myself an insult which
+my conduct in the service palpably refuted, I was hurt and offended.
+Alas! I knew too well in my heart what sacrifices I had made in changing
+my country; how I had bartered all the hopes which attach to one's
+fatherland for a career of mere selfish ambition. Long since had I
+seen that the cause I fought in was not that of liberty, but despotism.
+Napoleon's glory was the dazzling light which blinded my true vision;
+and my following had something of infatuation, against which reason was
+powerless. I say that I answered these taunts with hasty temper; and
+carried away by a momentary excitement, I told them, that they it was,
+not I, who would detract from the fair renown of the Emperor.
+
+"The traits you would attribute to him," said I, "are not those of
+strength, but weakness. Is it the conqueror of Egypt, of Austria, and
+now of Prussia, who need stoop to this? We cannot be judges of his
+policy, or the great events which agitate Europe. We would pronounce
+most ignorantly on the greatness of his plans regarding the destinies of
+nations; but, on a mere question of high and honorable feeling, of manly
+honesty, why should we not speak? And here I say this act was never
+his."
+
+A smile of sardonic meaning was the only reply this speech met with; and
+one by one the officers rose and dropped off, leaving me to ponder over
+the discussion, in which I now remembered I had been betrayed into a
+warmth beyond discretion.
+
+This took place early in November; and as it was not referred to in any
+way afterwards by my comrades, I soon forgot it. My duties occupied me
+from morning till night; for General d'Auvergne, being in attendance on
+the Emperor, had handed me over for the time to the department of the
+adjutant-general of the army, where my knowledge of German was found
+useful.
+
+On the 17th of the month a general order was issued, containing the
+names of the various officers selected for promotion, as well as of
+those on whom the cross of the "Legion" was to be conferred. Need I say
+with what a thrill of exultation I read my own name among the latter,
+nor my delight at finding it followed by the words, "By order of his
+Majesty the Emperor, for a special service on the 13th October, 1806."
+This was the night before the battle; and now I saw that I had not been
+forgotten, as I feared,--here was proof of the Emperor's remembrance of
+me. Perhaps the delay was intended to test my prudence as to secrecy;
+and perhaps it was deemed fitting that my name should not appear except
+in the general list: in any case, the long-wished reward was mine,--the
+proud distinction I had desired for so many a day and night.
+
+The distribution of the "cordons" was always made the occasion of a
+grand military spectacle, and the Emperor determined that the present
+one should convey a powerful impression of the effective strength of his
+army, as well as of its perfect equipment; and accordingly orders
+were despatched to the different generals of division within twelve or
+fifteen leagues of Berlin, to march their corps to the capital. The 28th
+of November was the day fixed for this grand display, and all was bustle
+and preparation for the event.
+
+On the morning of the 22d, I received an official note from the bureau
+of the adjutant-general desiring me to wait on him before noon that same
+day. Concluding it referred to my promised promotion to the "Legion," it
+was with somewhat of a fluttered and excited feeling I found myself, at
+some few minutes after eleven o'clock, in the antechamber, which already
+was crowded with officers, some seeking, some summoned to an interview.
+
+In the midst of the buzz of conversation, which, despite the reserve
+of the place, still prevailed, I heard my name called, and followed
+an aide-de-camp along a passage into a large room, which opened into
+a smaller apartment, where, standing with his back to the fire, I
+perceived Marshal Berthier, his only companion being an officer in a
+staff uniform, busily engaged writing at a table.
+
+"You are Captain Burke, of the Eighth Hussars, I believe, sir?" said the
+marshal, reading slowly from a slip of paper he held twisted round one
+finger.
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"By birth an Irishman," continued the marshal; "entered at the
+Polytechnique in August, 1801. Am I correct?" I bowed. "Subsequently
+accused of being concerned in the conspiracy of Georges and Pichegru,"
+resumed he, as he raised his eyes slightly from the paper, and fixed
+them searchingly upon me.
+
+"Falsely so, sir," was my only reply.
+
+"You were acquitted,--that's enough: a reprimand for imprudence, and
+a slight punishment of arrest, was all. Since that time, you have
+conducted yourself, as the report of your commanding officer attests,
+with zeal and steadiness."
+
+He paused here, and seemed as if he expected me to say something; but
+as I thought the whole a most strange commencement to the ceremony of
+investing me with a cross of the Legion, I remained silent.
+
+"At Paris, when attached to the _�lite_, you appear to have visited the
+Duchess of Montserrat, and frequented her soir�es."
+
+"Once, sir; but once I was in the house of the duchess. My visit
+could scarcely have occupied as many minutes as I have spent here this
+morning."
+
+"Dined occasionally at the 'Moisson d'Or," continued the marshal, not
+noticing in any way my reply. "Well, as I believe you are now aware that
+there are no secrets with his Majesty's Government, perhaps you will
+inform me what are your relations with the Chevalier Duchesne?"
+
+For some minutes previous my mind was dwelling on that personage; and
+I answered the question in a few words, by stating the origin of our
+acquaintance, and briefly adverting to its course.
+
+"You correspond with the chevalier?" said he, interrupting.
+
+"I have never done so; nor is it likely, from the manner in which we
+parted last, that I ever shall."
+
+"This scarcely confirms that impression, sir," said the marshal, taking
+an open letter from the table and holding it up before me. "You know his
+handwriting; is that it?"
+
+"Yes; I have no doubt it is."
+
+"Well, sir, that letter belongs to you; you may take and read it.
+There is enough there, sir, to make your conduct the matter of a
+court-martial; but I am satisfied that a warning will be sufficient.
+Let this be such then. Learn, sir, that the plottings of a poor and
+mischievous party harmonize ill with the duties of a brave soldier; and
+that a captain of the Guards might choose more suitable associates than
+the dupes and double-dealers of the Faubourg St. Germain. There is your
+brevet to the 'Legion,' signed by the Emperor. I shall return it to
+his Majesty; mayhap at some future period your conduct may merit
+differently. I need hardly say that a gentleman so very little
+particular in the choice of his friends would be a most misplaced
+subject for the honor of the 'Legion.'"
+
+He waved his hand in sign for me to withdraw, and overwhelmed with
+confusion, I bowed and left the room. Nor was it till the door closed
+behind me that I felt how cruelly and unjustly I had been treated; then
+suddenly the blood rushed to my face and temples, my head seemed as
+if it would burst at either side, and forgetting every circumstance of
+place and condition, I seized the handle of the door and wrenched it
+open.
+
+"Marshal," said I, with the fearlessness of one resolved at any risk to
+vindicate his character, "I know nothing of this letter; I have not
+read one line of it. I have no further intimacy with the writer than an
+officer has with his comrade; but if I am to be the subject of espionage
+to the police,--if my chance acquaintances in the world are to be matter
+of charges against my fealty and honor,--if I, who have nothing but my
+sword and my epaulette--"
+
+When I had got thus far I saw the marshal's face turn deadly pale, while
+the officer at the table made a hurried sign to me with his finger to be
+silent. The door closed nearly at the same instant, and I turned my head
+round, and there stood the Emperor. The figure is still before me;
+he was standing still, his hands behind his back, and his low chapeau
+deeply pressed upon his brows. His gray frock was open, and looked as if
+disordered from haste.
+
+"What is this?" said he, in that hissing tone he always assumed when in
+moments of passion,--"what is this? Are we in the bureau of a minister?
+or is it the _salle de police?_ Who are you, sir?"
+
+It was not until the question had been repeated that I found courage to
+reply. But he waited not for my answer, as, snatching the open letter
+from my fingers, he resumed,--
+
+"It is not thus, sir, you should come here. Your petition or memorial--
+Ha! _parbleu!_ what is this?"
+
+At the instant his eyes fell upon the writing, and as suddenly his face
+grew almost livid. With the rapidity of lightning he seemed to peruse
+the lines. Then waving his hand, he motioned towards the door, and
+muttered,--"Wait without!"
+
+Like one awaking from a dreadful dream, I stood, endeavoring to recall
+my faculties, and assure myself how much there might be of reality in
+my wandering fancies, when I perceived that a portion of the letter
+remained between my fingers as the Emperor snatched it from my hand.
+
+A half-finished sentence was all I could make out; but its tone made me
+tremble for what the rest of the epistle might contain:--
+
+"Surpassed themselves, of course, my dear Burke; and so has the Emperor
+too. It remained for the campaign in Prussia to prove that one hundred
+and eighty-five thousand prisoners can be taken from an army numbering
+one hundred and fifty-four thousand men. As to Davoust, who really had
+all the fighting, though he wrote no bulletin, all Paris feels--"
+
+Such was the morsel I had saved; such a specimen of the insolence of the
+entire.
+
+The dreadful fact then broke suddenly upon me that this letter had been
+written by Duchesne to effect my ruin; and as I stood stupefied with
+terror, the door was suddenly opened, and the Emperor passed, out.
+His eyes were turned on me as he went, and I shrank back from their
+expression of withering anger.
+
+"Captain Burke!" said a voice from within the room, for the door
+continued open.
+
+I entered slowly, but with a firm step. My mind was made up; and in the
+force of a resolute determination, I found strength for whatever might
+happen.
+
+"It would appear, sir," said the marshal, addressing me with a stern and
+severe expression of features, "it would appear that you permit yourself
+the widest liberty in canvassing the acts of his Majesty the Emperor;
+for I find you here mentioned "--he took a paper from the table as he
+spoke--"as declaiming, in a public caf�, on the subject of the Prince de
+Hatzfeld, and expressing, in no measured terms, your disapproval of his
+imprisonment."
+
+"All that I said upon the subject, sir, so far as I can recollect, was
+in praise of the Emperor for clemency so well bestowed."
+
+"There was no high-flown sentiment on the breach of honorable confidence
+effected in opening private letters?" said the marshal, sarcastically.
+
+"Yes, sir; I do remember expressing myself strongly on that head."
+
+"I am not surprised, sir," interrupted he, "at your indignation; your
+own conscience must have prompted you on the occasion. When a gentleman
+has such correspondents as the Chevalier Duchesne, he may well feel on
+a point like this. But enough of this. I have his Majesty's orders
+regarding you, which are as follows--"
+
+"Forgive me, I beg you, sir, the liberty of interrupting you for one
+moment. I am an alien, and therefore little versed in the habits and
+usages of the land for whose service I have shed my blood; but I am sure
+a marshal of France will not refuse a kindness to an officer of the
+army, however humble his station. I merely ask the answer to one
+question."
+
+"What is it?" said the marshal, quickly.
+
+"Am I, as an officer, at liberty to resign my grade, and quit the
+service?"
+
+"Yes, _parbleu!_" said he, reddening, "yes, that you are."
+
+"Then here I do so," rejoined I, drawing my sword from its scabbard.
+"The career I can no longer follow honorably and independently, I shall
+follow no more."
+
+"Your corps, sir?" said the marshal.
+
+"The Eighth Hussars of the Guard."
+
+"Take a note of that, Gardanne. I shall spare you all unnecessary delay
+in tendering a written resignation of your rank; I accept it now. You
+leave Berlin in twenty-four hours."
+
+I bowed, and was silent.
+
+"Your passport shall be made out for Paris; you shall receive it
+to-morrow morning." He motioned with his hand towards the door as he
+concluded, and I left the room.
+
+The moment I felt myself alone, the courage which had sustained me
+throughout at once gave way, and I leaned against the wall, and covered
+my face with my hands. Yes, I knew it in my heart,--the whole dream of
+life was over; the path of glory was closed to me forever; all the hopes
+on which, in sanguine hours, I used to feed my heart, were scattered.
+And to the miseries of my exiled lot were now added the sorrows of an
+unfriended, companionless existence. The thought that no career was open
+to me came last; for at first I only remembered all I was leaving, not
+the dark future before me. Yet, when I called to mind the injustice with
+which I had been treated,--the system of espionage to which, as an alien
+more particularly, I was exposed,--I felt I had done right, and that
+to have remained in the service at such a sacrifice of my personal
+independence would have been base and unworthy.
+
+With a half-broken heart and faltering step I regained my quarters,
+where again my grief burst forth with more violence than at first.
+Every object about recalled to me the career I was leaving forever; and
+wherever my eye rested, some emblem lay to open fresh stores of sorrow.
+The pistols I carried at Elchingen, a gift from General d'Auvergne;
+an Austrian sabre I had taken from its owner, still ornamented with a
+little knot of ribbon Minette had fastened to the hilt,--hung above the
+chimney; and I could scarce look on them without tears. On the table
+still lay open the _ordre du jour_ which named me to the Legion of
+Honor; and now the humblest soldier that carried his musket in the ranks
+was my superior. Not all the principle on which I founded my resolve was
+proof against this first outburst of my sorrow.
+
+The chivalrous ardor of a soldier's life had long supplied to me the
+place of those appliances to happiness which other men possess. Each day
+I followed it the path grew dearer to me. Every bold and daring feat,
+every deed of enterprise or danger, seemed to bring me, in thought at
+least, nearer to him whose greatness was my idolatry. And now, all this
+was to be as a mere dream,--a thing which had been, and was to be no
+more.
+
+While I revolved such sad reflections, a single knock came to my door.
+I opened it, and saw a soldier of my own regiment. His dress was
+travel-stained and splashed, and he looked like one off a long journey.
+He knew me at once, and accosted me by name, as he presented a letter
+from General d'Auvergne.
+
+"You've had a smart ride," said I, as I surveyed his flushed face and
+disordered uniform.
+
+"Yes, Captain,--from the Oder. Our division is full twelve leagues from
+this. I left on yesterday morning; for the general was particular that
+the charger should not suffer on the way,--as if a beast like that would
+mind double the distance."
+
+By this time I had opened the letter, which merely contained the
+following few lines:--
+
+      Encampment on the Oder, Nov. 21, 1806.
+
+      My dear Burke,--Every new arrival here has brought me some
+      fresh intelligence of you, and of your conduct at Jena; nor
+      can I say with what pride I have heard that the Emperor has
+      included you among the list of the _d�cor�s_. This is the
+      day I often prophesied for you, and the true and only
+      refutation against the calumnies of the false-hearted and
+      the envious. I send you a Polish charger for your gala
+      review. Accept him from me; and believe that you have no
+      warmer friend, nor more affectionate, than yours,
+
+      D'Auvergne, Lieut-General.
+
+
+Before I had finished reading the letter, my eyes grew so dimmed I
+could scarcely trace the letters. Each word of kindness, every token of
+praise, now cut me to the heart. How agonizing are the congratulations
+of friends on those events in life where our own conscience bears
+reproach against us! how poignant the self-accusation that is elicited
+by undeserved eulogy! How would _he_ think of my conduct? By what means
+should I convince _him_ that no alternative remained to me? I turned
+away, lest the honest soldier should witness my trouble; and as I
+approached the window, I beheld in the courtyard beneath the beautiful
+charger which, with the full trappings of a hussar saddle, stood proudly
+flapping his deep flanks with his long silken tail. With what a thrill
+I surveyed him! How my heart leaped, as I fancied myself borne along on
+the full tide of battle, each plunge he gave responsive to the stroke of
+my sword-arm! For an instant I forgot all that had happened, and gazed
+on his magnificent crest and splendid shape with an ecstasy of delight.
+
+"Ay," said the dragoon, whose eyes were riveted in the same quarter,
+"there's not a marshal of France so well mounted; and he knows the
+trumpet-call like the oldest soldier of the troop."
+
+"You will return to-morrow," said I, recovering myself suddenly, and
+endeavoring to appear composed and at ease. "Well, then, to-night I
+shall give you an answer for the general; be here at eight o'clock."
+
+I saw that my troubled air and broken voice had not escaped the
+soldier's notice, and was glad when the door closed, and I was again
+alone.
+
+My first care was to write to the general; nor was it till after many
+efforts I succeeded to my satisfaction in conveying, in a few and simple
+words, the reasons of that step which must imbitter my future life. I
+explained how deeply continued mistrust had wounded me; how my spirit,
+as a soldier and a gentleman, revolted at the espionage established over
+my actions; that it was in weighing these insults against the wreck of
+all my hopes, I had chosen that path which had neither fame nor rank nor
+honor, but still left me an untrammelled spirit and a mind at peace with
+itself. "I have now," said I, "to begin the world anew, without one clew
+to guide me. Every illusion with which I had invested life has left me;
+I must choose both a career and a country, and bear with me from this
+nothing but the heartfelt gratitude I shall ever retain for one who
+befriended me through weal and woe, and whose memory I shall bless while
+I live."
+
+I felt relieved and more at ease when I finished this letter; the
+endeavor to set my conduct in its true light to another had also its
+effect upon my own convictions. I knew, besides, that I had sacrificed
+to my determination all my worldly prospects, and believed that where
+self-interest warred with principle, the right course could scarcely be
+doubtful.
+
+All this time, not one thought ever occurred to me of how I was to meet
+the future. It was strange; but so perfectly had the present crisis
+filled my mind, there was not room for even a glance at what was to
+come.
+
+My passport was made out for Paris, and thither I must go. So much was
+decided for me without intervention on my part; and now it only remained
+for me to dispose of the little trappings of my former estate, and take
+the road.
+
+The Jews who always accompanied the army, offered a speedy resource in
+this emergency. My anxiety to leave Berlin by daybreak, and thus avoid
+a meeting of any acquaintances there, made me accept of the sums they
+offered. To them such negotiations were of daily occurrence, and they
+well knew how to profit by them. My whole worldly wealth consisted of
+two hundred napoleons; and with this small pittance to begin life, I sat
+myself down to think whither I should turn, or what course adopt.
+
+The night passed over thus, and when day dawned, I had not closed my
+eyes. About four o'clock the diligence in which I had secured a place
+for Weimar drew up at my door. I hurried down, and mounting to a seat
+beside the _conducteur_, I buried my face in the folds of my cloak, nor
+dared to look up until we had passed beyond the precincts of the city,
+and were travelling along on the vast plain of sand which surrounds
+Berlin.
+
+The _conducteur_ was a Prussian, and divining my military capacity in my
+appearance, he maintained a cold and distant civility; never speaking,
+except when spoken to, and even then in as few words as possible. This
+was itself a relief to me; my heart was too full of its own sufferings
+to find pleasure in conversation, and I dreamed away the hours till
+nightfall.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI. A FOREST PATH.
+
+When I reached Wiemar I quitted the diligence, resolved to make the
+remainder of the journey on foot; for thus I should both economize
+the little means I possessed, and escape many of the questionings and
+inquiries to which as a traveller by public conveyance I was exposed.
+Knapsack on shoulder, then, and staff in hand, I plodded onward, and
+although frequently coming up with others on their way homeward, I
+avoided all companionship with those whom I could no longer think of as
+comrades.
+
+The two tides of population which met upon that great highway told the
+whole history of war. Here came the young soldiers, fresh enrolled
+in the conscription, glowing with ardor, and bounding with life and
+buoyancy, and mingling their village songs with warlike chants. There,
+footsore and weary, with tattered uniform and weather-beaten look,
+toiled along the tired veteran, turning as he went a glance of
+compassionate contempt on those whose wild _vivas_ burst forth in
+greeting. As for me, I could neither partake of the high hopes of
+the one, nor sympathize with the war-worn nature of the other.
+Disappointment, bitter disappointment, in every cherished expectation,
+had thrown a chill over me, and I wanted even the energy to become
+reckless. In this state, I did not dare to face the future, but in moody
+despondency reflected on the past. Was this the destiny Marie de Meudon
+predicted for me? was the ever-present thought of my mind. Is it thus I
+should appear before her?
+
+A hundred times came the thought to join the new levies as a soldier,
+to carry a musket in the ranks. But then came back in all its force
+the memory of the distrust and suspicion my services had met with: the
+conviction hourly became clearer to me, that I fought not for liberty,
+but despotism; that it was not freedom, but slavery, in whose cause I
+shed my blood.
+
+To avoid meeting with the detachments which each day occupied the road,
+I turned from the _chauss�e_ on passing Eisenach, and took a forest
+path that led through Murbach to Fulda. My path led through the Creutz
+Mountains,--a wild and unfrequented tract of country, where few cottages
+were to be seen, and scarcely a village existed. Vast forests of dark
+pines, or bleak and barren mountains, stretched away on either side; a
+few patches of miserable tillage here and there met the view; but the
+scene was one of saddening influence, and harmonized but too nearly with
+my own despondency.
+
+To reach a place of shelter for the night, I was more than once obliged
+to walk twelve leagues during the day, and had thus to set out before
+daylight. This exertion, however, brought its own reward: the stimulant
+of labor, the necessity of a task, gradually allayed the mental
+irritation I suffered under; a healthier and more manly tone of thinking
+succeeded to my former regrets; and with a heart elevated, if not
+cheered, I continued my way.
+
+The third day of my toilsome journey was drawing to a close. A mass of
+heavy and lowering clouds, dark and thunder-charged, slowly moved along
+the sky; and a low, moaning sound, that seemed to sigh along the
+ground, boded the approach of a storm. I was still three leagues from my
+halting-place, and began to deliberate within myself whether the dense
+pine-wood, which came down to the side of the road, might not afford
+a safer refuge from the hurricane than the chances of reaching a house
+before it broke forth.
+
+The shepherds who frequented these dreary tracts often erected little
+huts of bark as a shelter against the cold and severity of the wintry
+days, and to find out one of these now was my great endeavor. Scarcely
+had I formed the resolve, when I perceived a small path opening into the
+wood, at the entrance to which a piece of board nailed against the
+trunk of a tree, gave tidings that such a place of security was not far
+distant. These signs of forest life I had learned in my wanderings, and
+now strode forward with renewed vigor.
+
+The path led gradually upwards, along the mountain-side, which soon
+became so encumbered with brushwood that I had much difficulty in
+pushing my way, and at last began to doubt whether I might not have
+wandered from the track. The darkness was now complete; night had
+fallen, and a heavy crashing rain poured down upon the tree-tops, but
+could not penetrate through their tangled shelter. The wind, too,
+swept in loud gusts above, and the long threatened storm began. A
+loud, deafening roar, like that of the sea itself, arose, as the leafy
+branches bent before the blast, or snapped with sudden shock beneath
+the hurricane; clap after clap of thunder resounded, and then the rain
+descended in torrents,--the heavy drops at last, trickling from leaf to
+leaf, reaching me as I stood. Once more I pushed forward, and had not
+gone many paces when the red glare of a fire caught my eye. Steadfastly
+fastening my gaze upon the flame, I hurried on, and at length perceived
+with ecstasy that the light issued from the window of a small hovel,
+such as I have already mentioned. To gain the entrance of the hut I was
+obliged to pass the window, and could not resist the temptation to give
+a glance at the interior, whose cheerful blaze betokened habitation.
+
+It was not without surprise that, instead of the figure of a shepherd
+reposing beside his fire, I beheld that of an old man, whose dress
+bespoke the priest, kneeling in deep devotion at the foot of a small
+crucifix attached to the wall. Not all the wild sounds of the raging
+storm seemed to turn his attention from the object of his worship;
+his eyes were closed, but the head thrown backwards showed his face
+upturned, when the lips moved rapidly in prayer. Never had I beheld
+so perfect a picture of intense devotional feeling; every line in his
+marked countenance indicated the tension of a mind filled with one
+engrossing thought, while his tremulous hands, clasped before him, shook
+with the tremor of strong emotion.
+
+What a contrast to the loud warring of the elements, that peaceful
+figure, raised above earth and its troubles, in the spirit of his holy
+communing! how deeply touching the calm serenity of his holy brow, with
+the rolling crash of falling branches, and the deep baying of the storm!
+I did not dare to interrupt him; and when I did approach the door it was
+with silent step and noiseless gesture. As I stood, the old priest--for
+now I saw that he was such--concluded his prayer, and detaching his
+crucifix from the wall, he kissed it reverently, and placed it in his
+bosom; then, rising slowly from his knees, he turned towards me. A
+slight start of surprise, as quickly followed by a smile of kindly
+greeting, escaped him, while he said in French,--
+
+"You are welcome, my son; come in and share with me the shelter, for it
+is a wild night."
+
+"A wild night, indeed, Father," said I, casting my eyes around the
+little hut, where nothing indicated the appearance of habitation.
+"I could have wished you a better home than this against the storms of
+winter."
+
+"I am a traveller like yourself," said he, smiling at my mistake; "and a
+countryman, too, if I mistake not."
+
+The accents in which these words were spoken pronounced him a Frenchman,
+and a very little sufficed to ratify the terms of our companionship; and
+having thrown a fresh billet on the fire, we both seated ourselves
+before it My wallet was, fortunately, better stored than the good
+father's; and having produced its contents, we supped cheerfully, and
+like men who were not eating their first bivouac meal.
+
+"I perceive, Father," said I, as I remarked the manner in which he
+disposed his viands, "I perceive you have campaigned ere now; the habits
+of the service are not easily mistaken."
+
+"I did not need that observation of yours," replied he, laughing
+slightly, "to convince me you were a soldier; for, as you truly say,
+the camp leaves its indelible traces behind it. You are hastening on to
+Berlin, I suppose?"
+
+I blushed deeply at the question; the shame of my changed condition had
+been hitherto confined to my own heart, but now it was to be confessed
+before a stranger.
+
+"I ask your pardon, my son, for a question I had no right to ask; and
+even there, again, I but showed my soldier education. I am returning to
+France; and in seeking a short path from Eisenach, found myself where
+you see; as night was falling, well content to be so well lodged,--all
+the more, if I am to have your companionship."
+
+Few and simple as these words were, there was a tone of frankness in
+them, not less than the evidence of a certain good breeding, by which
+he apologized for his own curiosity in speaking thus freely of
+himself, that satisfied me at once; and I hastened to inform him that
+circumstances had induced me to leave the service, in which I had been a
+captain, and that I was now, like himself, returning to France.
+
+"You must not think, Father," added I, with some eagerness, "you must
+not think that other reasons than my own free will have made me cease to
+be a soldier."
+
+"It would ill become me to have borne such a suspicion," interrupted he,
+quickly. "When one so young and full of life as you are leaves the
+path where lie honor and rank and fame, he must have cause to make the
+sacrifice; for I can scarce think, that at your age, these things seem
+nought to your eyes."
+
+"You are right, Father, they are not so. They have been my guiding stars
+for many a day; alas, that they can be such no longer!"
+
+"There are higher hopes to cherish than these," said he,
+solemnly,--"higher than the loftiest longings of ambition; but we all
+of us cling to the things of life, till in their perishable nature they
+wean us off with disappointment and sorrow. From such a trial am I now
+suffering," added he, in a low voice, while the tears rose to his eyes
+and slowly coursed along his pale cheeks.
+
+There was a pause neither of us felt inclined to break, when at length
+the priest said,--
+
+"What was your corps in the service?"
+
+"The Eighth Hussars of the Guard," said I, trembling at every word.
+
+"Ah, _he_ was in the Guides," repeated he, mournfully, to himself; "you
+knew the regiment?"
+
+"Yes, they belonged to the Guard also; they wore no epaulettes, but a
+small gold arrow on the collar."
+
+"Like this," said he, unfastening the breast of his cassock, and
+taking out a small package, which, among other things, contained the
+designation of the _Corps des Guides_ in an arrow of gold embroidery.
+"Had he not beautiful hair, long and silky as a girl's?" said he, as he
+produced a lock of light and sunny brown. "Poor Alphonse! thou wouldst
+have been twenty hadst thou lived till yesterday. If I shed tears, young
+man, it is because I have lost the great earthly solace of my solitary
+life. Others have kindred and friends, have happy homes, which, even
+when bereavements come, with time will heal up the wound; I had but
+him!"
+
+"He was your nephew, perhaps?" said I, half fearing to interfere with
+his sorrow.
+
+The old man shook his head in token of dissent, while he muttered to
+himself,--
+
+"Auerstadt may be a proud memory to some; to me it is a word of sorrow
+and mourning. The story is but a short one; alas! it has but one color
+throughout:--
+
+"Count Louis de Meringues--of whom you have doubtless heard that he rode
+as postilion to the carriage of his sovereign in the celebrated flight
+to Varennes--fell by the guillotine the week after the king's trial;
+the countess was executed on the same scaffold as her husband. I was the
+priest who accompanied her at the moment; and in my arms she placed her
+only child,--an infant boy of two years. There was a cry among the crowd
+to have the child executed also, and many called out that the spawn
+would be a serpent one day, and it were better to crush it while it was
+time; but the little fellow was so handsome, and looked so winningly
+around him on the armed ranks and the glancing weapons, that even
+_their_ cruel hearts relented, and he was spared. It is to me like
+yesterday, as I remember every minute circumstance; I can recall even
+the very faces of that troubled and excited assemblage, that at one
+moment screamed aloud for blood, and at the next were convulsed with
+savage laughter.
+
+"As I forced my way through the dense array, a rude arm was stretched
+out from the mass, and a finger dripping with the gore of the scaffold
+was drawn across the boy's face, while a ruffian voice exclaimed, 'The
+Meringues were ever proud of their blood; let us see if it be redder
+than other people's.' The child laughed; and the mob, with horrid
+mockery, laughed too.
+
+"I took him home with me to my _presbyt�re_ at S�vres,--for that was my
+parish,--and we lived together in peace until the terrible decree was
+issued which proclaimed all France atheist. Then we wandered southwards,
+towards that good land which, through every vicissitude, was true to its
+faith and its king,--La Vend�e. At Lyons we were met by a party of the
+revolutionary soldiers, who, with a commissary of the Government, were
+engaged in raising young men for the conscription. Alphonse, who was
+twelve years old, felt all a boy's enthusiasm at the warlike display
+before him, and persuaded me to follow the crowd into the _Place des
+Terreaux_, where the numbers were read out.
+
+"'Paul Ducos,' cried a voice aloud, as we approached the stage on which
+the commissary and his staff were standing; 'where is this Paul Ducos?'
+
+"'I am here,' replied a fine, frank-looking youth, of some fifteen
+years; 'but my father is blind, and I cannot leave him.'
+
+"'We shall soon see that,' called out the commissary. 'Clerk, read out
+his _signalement_.'
+
+"'Paul Ducos, son of Eug�ne Ducos, formerly calling himself Count Ducos
+de la Br�che--'
+
+"'Down with the Royalists! _� bas_ the tyrants!' screamed the mob, not
+suffering the remainder to be heard.
+
+"'Approach, Paul Ducos!' said the commissary.
+
+"'Wait here, Father,' whispered the youth; 'I will come back presently.'
+
+"But the old man, a fine and venerable figure, the remnant of a noble
+race, held him fast, and, as his lips trembled, said, 'Do not leave me,
+Paul; my child, my comforter, stay near me.'
+
+"The boy looked round him for one face of kindly pity in this emergency,
+when, turning towards me, he said rapidly, 'Stand near him!' He broke
+from the old man's embrace, and rushing through the crowd, mounted the
+scaffold.
+
+"'You are drawn for the conscription, young man,' said the commissary;
+'but in consideration of your father's infirmity, a substitute will be
+accepted. Have you such?'
+
+"The boy shook his head mournfully and in silence.
+
+"'Have you any friend who would assist you here? Bethink you awhile,'
+rejoined the commissary, who, for his station and duties, was a kind and
+benevolent man.
+
+"'I have none. They have left us nothing, neither home nor friends,'
+said the youth, bitterly; 'and if it were not for his sake, I care not
+what they do with me.'
+
+"'Down with the tyrants!' yelled the mob, as they heard these haughty
+words.
+
+"'Then your fate is decreed,' resumed the commissary.
+
+"'No, not yet!' cried out Alphonse, as, breaking from my side, he gained
+the steps and mounted the platform; 'I will be his substitute!'
+
+"Oh! how shall I tell the bitter anguish of that moment, which at once
+dispelled the last remaining hope I cherished, and left me destitute
+forever. As I dashed the tears from my eyes and looked up, the two boys
+were locked in each other's arms. It was a sight to have melted any
+heart, save those around them; but bloodshed and crime had choked up
+every avenue of feeling, and left them, not men, but tigers.
+
+"'Alphonse de Meringues,' cried out the boy, in answer to a question
+regarding his name.
+
+"There is no such designation in France,' said a grim-looking,
+hard-featured man, who, wearing the tri-colored scarf, sat at the table
+beside the clerk.
+
+"'I was never called by any other,' rejoined the youth, proudly.
+
+"'Citizen Meringues,' interposed the commissary, mildly, 'what is your
+age?'
+
+"'I know not the years,' replied he; 'but I have heard that I was but an
+infant when they slew my father.'
+
+"A fierce roar of passion broke from the mob below the scaffold as they
+heard this; and again the cry broke forth, 'Down with the tyrants!'
+
+"'Art thou, then, the son of that base sycophant who rode courier to the
+Capet to Varennes?' said the hard-featured man at the table.
+
+"'Of the truest gentleman of France,' called out a loud voice from below
+the platform; 'Vive le roi!' It was the blind man who spoke, and waved
+his cap above his head.
+
+"'To the guillotine! to the guillotine!' screamed a hundred voices, in
+tones wilde than the cries of famished wolves, as, seizing the aged man,
+they tore his clothes to very rags.
+
+"In an instant all attention was turned from the platform to the scene
+below it, where, with shouts and screams of fury, the terrible mob
+yelled aloud for blood. In vain the guards endeavored to keep back the
+people, who twice rescued their victim from the hands of the soldiery;
+and already a confused murmur arose that the commissary himself was a
+traitor to the public, and favored the tyrants, when a dull, clanking
+sound rose above the tumult, and a cheer of triumph proclaimed the
+approach of the instrument of torture.
+
+"In their impetuous torrent of vengeance they had dragged the guillotine
+from the distant end of the 'Place,' where it usually stood; and there
+now still knelt the figure of a condemned man, lashed with his arms
+behind him, on the platform, awaiting the moment of his doom. Oh, that
+terrible face, whereon death had already set its seal! With glazed,
+lack-lustre eye, and cheek leaden and quivering, he gazed around on the
+fiendish countenances like one awakening from a dream, his lips parted
+as though to speak; but no sound came forth.
+
+"'Place! place for Monsieur le Marquis!' shouted a ruffian, as he
+assisted to raise the figure of the blind man up the steps; and a ribald
+yell of fiendish laughter followed the brutal jest.
+
+"'Thou art to make thy journey in most noble company,' said another to
+the culprit on the platform.
+
+"'An he see not his way in the next world better than in this, thou must
+lend him a hand, friend,' said a third. And with many a ruffian joke
+they taunted their victims, who stood on the last threshold of life.
+
+"Among the crowd upon the scaffold of the guillotine I could see the
+figure of the blind man as it leaned and fell on either side, as the
+movement of the mob bore it.
+
+"'_Parbleu!_ these Royalists would rather kneel than stand," said a
+voice, as they in vain essayed to make the old man place his feet under
+him; and ere the laughter which this rude jest excited ceased, a cry
+broke forth of--'He is dead! he is dead!' And with a heavy sumph, the
+body fell from their hands; for when their power of cruelty ended, they
+cared not for the corpse.
+
+"It was true: life was extinct, none knew how,--whether from the
+violence of the mob in its first outbreak, or that a long-suffering
+heart had burst at last; but the chord was snapped, and he whose proud
+soul lately defied the countless thousands around, now slept with the
+dead.
+
+"In a few seconds it seemed as though they felt that a power stronger
+than their own had interposed between them and their vengeance, and
+they stood almost aghast before the corpse, where no trace of blood
+proclaimed it to be their own; then, rallying from this stupor, with
+one voice they demanded that the son should atone for the crimes of the
+father.
+
+"'I am ready,' cried the youth, in a voice above the tumult. 'I did not
+deem I could be grateful to ye for aught, but I am for this.'
+
+"To no purpose did the commissary propose a delay in the sentence; he
+was unsupported by his colleagues. The passions of the mob rose
+higher and higher; the thirst for blood, unslaked, became intense and
+maddening; and they danced in frantic glee around the guillotine, while
+they chanted one of the demoniac songs of the scaffold.
+
+"In this moment, when the torrent ran in one direction, Alphonse might
+have escaped all notice, but that the condemned youth turned to embrace
+him once more before he descended from the people.
+
+"'They are so sorry to separate, it is a shame to part them,' cried a
+ruffian in the crowd.
+
+"'You forget, Citizen, that this boy is his substitute,' said the
+commissary, mildly; 'the Republic most not be cheated of its defenders.'
+
+"'Vive la R�publique!' cried the soldiers; and the cry was re-echoed by
+thousands, while amid their cheers there rose the last faint sigh of an
+expiring victim.
+
+"The scene was over; the crowd dispersed; and the soldiers marched back
+to quarters, accompanied by some hundred conscripts, among whom was
+Alphonse,--a vague, troubled expression betokening that he scarce knew
+what had happened around him.
+
+"The regiment to which he was appointed was at Toulon, and there I
+followed him. They were ordered to the north of Italy soon after,
+and thence to Egypt. Through the battlefields of Mount Tabor and the
+Pyramids I was ever beside him; on the heights of Austerlitz I stanched
+his wounds; and I laid him beneath the earth on the field of Auerstadt."
+
+The old man's voice trembled and became feeble as he finished speaking,
+and a settled expression of grief clothed his features, which were pale
+as death.
+
+"I must see S�vres once more," said he, after a pause. "I must look on
+the old houses of the village, and the little gardens, and the venerable
+church; they will be the only things to greet me there now, but I must
+gaze on them ere I close my eyes to this world and its cares."
+
+"Come, come, Father," said I; "to one who has acted so noble a part as
+yours, life is never without its own means of happiness."
+
+"I spoke not of death," replied he, mildly; "but the holy calm of a
+convent will better suit my seared and worn heart than all that the
+world calls its joys and pleasures. You, who are young and full of
+hope--"
+
+"Alas! Father, speak not thus. One can better endure the lowering skies
+of misfortune as the evening of life draws near than when the morn
+of existence is breaking. To me, with youth and health, there is no
+future,--no hope."
+
+"I will not hear you speak thus," said the priest; "fatigue and
+weariness are on you now. Wait until to-morrow,--we shall be
+fellow-travellers together; and then, if you will reveal to me your
+story, mayhap my long experience of the world may suggest comfort and
+consolation where you can see neither."
+
+The storm by this time had abated much of its violence, and across the
+moon the large clouds were wafted speedily, disclosing bright patches of
+light at every moment.
+
+"Such is our life here," said the father,--"alternating with its days of
+happiness and sorrow. Let us learn, in the dark hour of our destiny, to
+bear the glare of our better fortunes; for, believe me, that when our
+joys are greatest, so are our trials also."
+
+He ceased speaking, and I saw that soon afterwards his lips moved as if
+in prayer. I now laid myself down in my cloak beside the fire, and was
+soon buried in a sleep too sound even for a dream.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII. A CHANCE MEETING.
+
+With the good priest of S�vres I journeyed along towards the frontier of
+France, ever selecting the least frequented paths, and such as were not
+likely to be taken by the troops of soldiery which daily moved towards
+Berlin. The frankness of my companion had made me soon at ease with
+him; and I told him, without reserve, the story of my life, down to the
+decisive moment of my leaving the army.
+
+"You see, Father," said I, "how completely my career has failed; how,
+with all the ardor of a soldier, with all the devotion of a follower, I
+have adhered to the Emperor's fortunes; and yet--"
+
+"Your ambition, however great it was, could not stifle conscience. I
+can believe it well. They who go forth to the wars with high hopes and
+bounding hearts, who picture to their minds the glorious rewards of
+great achievements, should blind their eyes to the horrors and injustice
+of the cause they bleed for. Any sympathy with misfortune would sap the
+very principle of that heroism whose essence is success. Men cannot
+play the double game, even in matters of worldly ambition. Had you not
+listened to the promptings of your heart, you had been greater; had you
+not followed the dazzling glare of your hopes, you had been happier:
+both you could scarcely be. Be assured of this, my son, the triumphs
+of a country can only be enjoyed by the child of the soil; the brave
+soldier, who lends his arm to the cause, feels he has little part in the
+glory."
+
+"True, indeed,--most true; I feel it."
+
+"And were it otherwise, how unsatisfying is the thirst for that same
+glory! how endless the path that leads to it! how many regrets accompany
+it! how many ties broken! how many friendships forfeited! No, no; return
+to your own land,--to the country of your birth; some honorable career
+will always present itself to him who seeks but independence and the
+integrity of his own heart. Beneath the conquering eagles of the Emperor
+there are men of every shade of political opinion; for the conscription
+is pitiless. There are Royalists, who love their king and hate the
+usurper; there are Jacobins, who worship freedom and detest the tyrant;
+there are stern Republicans--Vend�ens, and followers of Moreau: but yet
+all are Frenchmen. 'La belle France' is the watchword that speaks to
+every heart, and patriotism is the bond between thousands. _You_ have
+no share in this; the delusion of national glory can never throw its
+deception around you. Return, then, to your country; and be assured,
+that in _her_ cause your least efforts will be more ennobling to
+yourself than the boldest deeds the hand of a mercenary ever achieved."
+
+The inborn desire to revisit my native land needed but the counsels
+of the priest to make it all-powerful; and as, day by day, I plodded
+onward, my whole thoughts turned to the chances of my escape, and
+the means by which I could accomplish my freedom; for the war still
+continued between France and England, and the blockade of the French
+ports was strictly maintained by a powerful fleet. The difficulty of the
+step only increased my desire to effect it; and a hundred projects did I
+revolve in my mind, without ever being able to fix on one where success
+seemed likely. The very resolve, however, had cheered my spirits, and
+given new courage to my heart; and an object suggested a hope,--and with
+a hope, life was no longer burdensome.
+
+Each morning now I set forward with a mind more at ease, and more open
+to receive pleasure from the varied objects which met me as I went. Not
+so my poor companion; the fatigue of the journey, added to great mental
+suffering, began to prey upon his health, and brought back an ague he
+had contracted in Egypt, from the effect of which his constitution had
+never perfectly recovered. At first the malady showed itself only in
+great depression of spirits, which made him silent for hours of the way.
+But soon it grew worse; he walked with much difficulty, took but little
+nourishment, and seemed impressed with a sad foreboding that the disease
+must be fatal.
+
+"I wanted to reach my village; my own quiet churchyard should have been
+my resting-place," said he, as he sank wearied and exhausted on a
+little bank at the roadside. "But this was only a sick man's fancy. Poor
+Alphonse lies far away in the dreary plain of Auerstadt."
+
+The sun was just setting of a clear day in December as we halted on a
+little eminence, which commanded a distant view on every side. Behind
+lay the dark forest of Germany, the tree-tops presenting their massive
+wavy surface, over which the passing clouds threw momentary shadows;
+before, but still some miles away, we could trace the Rhine, its bright
+silver current sparkling in the sun; beyond lay the great plains of
+France, and upon these the sick man's eyes rested with a steadfast gaze.
+
+"Yes!" said he, after a long silence on both sides, "the fields and the
+mountains, the sunshine and the shade, are like those of other lands;
+but the feeling which attaches the heart to country is an inborn
+sense, and the very word 'home' brings with it the whole history of our
+affections. Even to look thus at his native country is a blessing to an
+exile's heart."
+
+I scarcely dared to interrupt the reverie which succeeded these few
+words; but when I perceived that he still remained seated, his head
+between his hands and lost in meditation, I ventured to remind him that
+we were still above a league from Heimbach, the little village where we
+should pass the night, and that on a road so wild and unfrequented there
+was little hope of finding shelter any nearer.
+
+"You must lean on me, Father; the night air is fresh and bracing, and
+after a little it will revive you."
+
+The old man rose without speaking, and taking my arm, began the descent
+of the mountain. His steps, however, were tottering and uncertain, his
+breathing hurried and difficult, and his carriage indicated the very
+greatest debility.
+
+"I cannot do it, my son," said he, sinking upon the grassy bench which
+skirted the way; "you must leave me. It matters little now where this
+frail body rests; a few hours more, and the rank grass will wave above
+it and the rain beat over it unfelt. Let us part here: an old man's
+blessing for all your kindness will follow you through life, and may
+cheer you to think on hereafter."
+
+"Do you then suppose I could leave you thus?" said I, reproachfully. "Is
+it so you think of me?"
+
+"My minutes are few now, my child," replied he, more solemnly, "and I
+would pass the last moments of my life alone. Well, then, if you will
+not,--leave me now for a little, and return to me; by that time my mind
+will be calmer, and mayhap, too, my strength greater, and I may be able
+to accompany you to the village."
+
+I acceded to this proposal the more willingly, because it afforded me
+the hope of finding some means to convey him to Heimbach; and so, having
+wrapped him carefully in my cloak, I hastened down the mountain at the
+top of my speed.
+
+The zigzag path by which I went discovered to me from time to time the
+lights of the little hamlet, which twinkled star-like in the valley; and
+as I drew nearer, the confused hum of voices reached me. I listened,
+and to my amazement heard the deep, hoarse bray of a trumpet. How well
+I knew that sound! it was the night-call to gather in the stragglers.
+I stopped to listen; and now, in the stillness, could mark the tramp of
+horsemen and the clank of their equipments: again the trumpet sounded,
+and was answered by another at some distance. The road lay straight
+below me at some hundred yards off, and leaving the path, I dashed
+directly downwards just as the leading horsemen of a small detachment
+came slowly up. To their loud _Qui vive?_ I answered by giving an
+account of the sick man, and entreating the sergeant who commanded the
+party to lend assistance to convey him to the village.
+
+"Yes, _parbleu!_ that we will," said the honest soldier; "a priest who
+has made the campaign of Egypt and Austria is worthy of all our care.
+Where is he?"
+
+"About a mile from this; but the road is not practicable for a
+horseman."
+
+"Well, you shall have two of my men; they will soon bring him hither."
+And as he spoke, he ordered two troopers to dismount, who, quickly
+disencumbering themselves of their sabres, prepared to follow me.
+
+"We shall expect you at the bivouac," cried the sergeant, as he resumed
+his way; while I, eager to return, breasted the mountain with renewed
+energy.
+
+"You belong to the Guard, my friends," said I, as I paused for breath at
+a turn of the path.
+
+"The Fourth Cuirassiers of the Guard," replied the soldier I addressed;
+"Milhaud's brigade."
+
+How my heart leaped as he said these words! They were part of the
+division General d'Auvergne once commanded; it was the regiment of poor
+Pioche, too, before the dreadful day of Austerlitz.
+
+"You know the Fourth, then?" rejoined the man, as he witnessed the
+agitation of my manner.
+
+"Know the Fourth?" echoed his comrade, in a voice of half-indignant
+meaning. "_Sacrebleu!_who does not know them? Does not all the world
+know them by this time?"
+
+"It is the Fourth who wear the motto 'Dix contre un' on their caps,"
+said I, desirous to flatter the natural vanity of my companions.
+
+"Yes, Monsieur; I see you have served also."
+
+I answered by a nod, for already every word, every gesture, recalled to
+me the career I had quitted; and my regrets, so late subdued by reason
+and reflection, came thronging back, and filled ray heart to bursting.
+
+Hurrying onward now, I mounted the steep path, and soon regained the
+spot I sought. The poor father was sleeping; overcome by fatigue and
+weariness, he had fallen on the mossy bank, and lay in a deep, soft
+slumber. Lifting him gently, the strong troopers crossed their hands
+beneath, and bore him along between them. For an instant he looked up;
+but seeing me at his side, he merely pressed my hand, and closed his
+eyes again.
+
+"_Ma foi!_" said one of the dragoons, in a low voice, "I should not be
+surprised if this were the P�re Ars�ne, who served with the army in
+Italy. We used to call him 'old Scapulaire'. He was the only priest I
+ever saw in the van of a brigade. You knew him too, Auguste."
+
+"Yes, that I did," replied the other soldier. "I saw him at Elkankah,
+where one of ours was unhorsed by a Mameluke, spring forward, and
+seizing a pistol at the holster, shoot the Turk through the head, and
+then kneel down beside the dying man he was with before, and go on with
+his prayers. _Ventrebleu!_ that's what I call discipline."
+
+"Where was that, Comrade?"
+
+"At Elkankah."
+
+"At Quoreyn, rather, my friend, two leagues to the southward," whispered
+a low voice.
+
+"_Tonnerre de ciel!_" cried the two soldiers in a breath, "it is
+himself;" for the words were spoken by the priest, who was no other than
+the P�re Ars�ne they spoke of.
+
+The effort of speech and memory was, however, a mere passing one; for
+to all their questions he was now deaf, and lay apparently unconscious
+between them. On me, therefore, they turned their inquiries, but with
+little more of success; and thus we descended the mountain, eager to
+reach some place of succor for the good father.
+
+As we approached the village, I was soon made aware of the objects of
+the party who occupied it. The little street was crowded with cattle,
+bullocks, and sheep, fast wedged up amid huge wagons of forage and carts
+of corn; mounted dragoons urging on the jaded animals, regardless of
+the angry menaces or the impatient appeals incessantly making by the
+peasantry, who in great numbers had followed their stock from their
+farms.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneForagingParty121]
+
+The soldiers, who were detachments of different corps, were also
+quarrelling among themselves for their share of the spoil; and these
+altercations, in which more than once I saw a sabre flash, added to
+the discord. It was, indeed, a scene of tumult and confusion almost
+inconceivable. Here were a party of cuirassiers, carbine in hand,
+protecting a drove of sheep; around which the country people were
+standing, seemingly irresolute whether they should essay an attack,--a
+movement often prompted by the other soldiers, who hoped in the _m�l�e_
+to seize a part of the prey. Many of the oxen were bestrode by hussars
+or lancers, whose gay trappings formed a strange contrast with the
+beasts they rode on; while more than one stately horseman held a sheep
+before him on the saddle, for whose protection a cocked pistol seemed no
+ineffectual guarantee.
+
+The task of penetrating this dense and turbulent mob seemed to me almost
+impossible, and I expressed my fears to the soldiers. But they replied
+that there were too many _braves_ of Egypt there not to remember the
+P�re Ars�ne; saying which, one of the soldiers, whispering a word to
+his companion, laid the priest gently upon the ground, and then mounting
+rapidly on a forage-cart, he shouted, in a voice heard above the din,--
+
+"Comrades of the Fourth, we have found an old companion; the P�re
+Scapulaire is here. Place for the good father! place there!"
+
+A hundred loud _vivas_ welcomed this announcement; for the name was well
+known to many who never had seen the priest, and cheer after cheer for
+the _bon p�re_ now rang through this motley assemblage.
+
+To the wild confusion of a moment before the regularity of discipline
+at once succeeded, and a lane was quickly formed for the soldiers to
+advance with the priest between them, each horseman saluting as he
+passed as if to his general on parade.
+
+"To the Trauben,--the Trauben!" cried several voices, as we went
+along; and this I learned was the little inn of the village, where the
+non-commissioned officers in charge of the several parties were seated
+in council to arrange the subdivision of the booty.
+
+Had not a feeling stronger than mere personal consideration occupied me,
+I would have now left the good priest among his old comrades, with
+whom he was certain to meet kindness and protection. But I could not so
+readily part with one whom, even in the few hours of our intercourse, I
+had learned to like; and therefore, enduring as well as I was able
+the rugged insubordination of a soldiery free from the restraint of
+discipline, I followed on, and soon found myself at the door of the
+Trauben.
+
+A dismounted dragoon, with drawn sword, guarded the entrance, around
+which a group of angry peasants were gathered, loudly protesting against
+the robbery of their flocks and farmyards. It was with great difficulty
+I could persuade the sentry to suffer me to enter; and when I at last
+succeeded, I found none willing to pay any attention to my request
+regarding a billet for the priest, for unhappily his name and character
+were unknown to those to whom I addressed myself. In this dilemma I was
+deliberating what step to take, when one of the soldiers, who with such
+zealous devotion had never left us, came up to say that his corporal
+had just given up his own quarters for the good father's use; and this,
+happily, was a small summer-house in the garden at the back of the inn.
+
+"He cannot come with us himself," said the soldier, "for he is engaged
+with the forage rations, but I have got his leave to take the quarters."
+
+A small wicket beside the inn led us into a large, wildly-grown orchard,
+through which a broad path led to the summer-house in question; at
+least such we guessed to be the little building from whose windows there
+gleamed the bright glare of a cheerful fire.
+
+The door lay open into a little hall, from which two doors led
+into different chambers. Over one of these was marked in chalk
+"quartier-g�n�ral," in imitation of the title assigned to a general's
+quarters, and this the soldiers pronounced must belong to the corporal.
+I opened it accordingly and entered. The room was small and neatly
+furnished, and with the blazing wood upon the hearth, looked most
+comfortable and inviting.
+
+"Yes, we are all right here; I know his helmet,--this is it," said the
+dragoon. "So here we must leave you. You'll tell the good father it was
+two troopers of the Fourth who carried him hither, won't ye? Ay, and say
+Auguste Pr�v�t was one of them; he 'll know the name,--he nursed me in a
+fever I had in Italy."
+
+"I wish he were able to give me his blessing again," said the other; "I
+had it before that affair at Brescia, and there were four of my comrades
+killed about me, and never a shot touched me. But good-night, Comrade;
+goodnight." And so saying, having left the father at his length upon a
+couch, they made their military salute and departed.
+
+A rude-looking flagon of beer which stood on the table was the only
+thing I could discover in the chamber, save a canvas bag of tobacco
+and some pipes. I filled a goblet with the liquor and placed it to the
+priest's lips. He swallowed a little of it, and then opening his eyes,
+slowly looked around him, while he murmured to my question a faint sound
+of "Better,--much better." I knew enough of such matters to be aware
+that perfect rest and repose were the greatest aids to his recovery;
+and so, replenishing the fire, I threw myself down on the large dragoon
+cloak which lay on the floor, and prepared to pass my night where I was.
+
+The long-drawn breathings of the sleeping man, the perfect quiet and
+stillness of all around,--for though not far distant from the village,
+the thick wood of trees intercepted every sound from that quarter,--and
+my fatigue combined, soon brought on drowsiness.
+
+I struggled, so long as I was able, against the tendency; but a humming
+sound filled my ears, the objects grew fainter before my vision, and I
+sank into that half-dreamy state when consciousness remains, but clouded
+and indistinct in all its perceptions. Twice the door was opened and
+some persons entered; but though they spoke loudly, I heard not their
+words, nor could I recognize their appearance. To this succeeded a deep,
+sound sleep, the recompense of great fatigue.
+
+The falling of a piece of firewood on the hearth awoke me. I opened my
+eyes and looked about. The room had no other light than from the embers
+of the wood fire and the piece of blazing pine which had just fallen;
+but even by that uncertain glare I could see enough to amaze and confuse
+me.
+
+On the couch where I had left the priest sleeping, the old man was now
+seated, his head uncovered, and a scarf of light blue silk across his
+shoulders and falling to his feet. Before him, and kneeling, was a
+figure, of which for some minutes I in vain endeavored to ascertain the
+traits; for while in the military air of the dress there was something
+to mark the soldier, a waving mass of hair loosely falling on the back
+bespoke another sex. While I yet doubted, the flickering flame burst
+forth and showed me the small and beautiful shaped foot which from
+beneath a loose trouser peeped forth, and in the neat boot and
+tastefully ornamented spur I recognized in an instant it was a
+vivandi�re of the army,--one of those who, amid all the reckless abandon
+of the life of camps and battlefields, can yet preserve some vestige of
+coquetry and feminine grace.
+
+So strange the sight, so complete the heavy stupor of my faculties, that
+again and again I doubted whether the whole might not be the creation of
+a dream; but the well-known tones of the old man's voice soon reassured
+me, as I heard him say,--
+
+"I know it too, my child; I have followed too long the fortunes of an
+army not to feel and to sorrow for these things. But be comforted."
+
+A passionate burst of tears from her who knelt at his feet interrupted
+him here; nor did it seem that all he could speak of consolation was
+able to assuage the deep sorrow of the poor girl, whose trembling frame
+bespoke her agony.
+
+By degrees, however, she grew calmer. A deep sob or a long-drawn
+sigh alone would be heard, as the venerable father, with impassioned
+eloquence, depicted the happiness of those who sought the blessings of
+religion, and could tear themselves from the world and its ambitions.
+Warming with his theme, he descanted on the lives of those saints
+on earth whose every minute was an offering of heavenly love; and
+contrasted the holy calm of a convent with the wild revelry of the camp,
+or the more revolting carnage of the battlefield.
+
+"Speak not of these things, Father; your own voice trembles with proud
+emotion at the mention of glorious war. Tell me, oh! tell me that I may
+have hope, and yet leave not all that makes life endurable."
+
+The old man spoke again; but his tones were low, and his words seemed a
+reproof, for she bowed her head between her hands and sobbed heavily.
+
+To the long and impassioned appeal of the priest there now succeeded a
+silence, only broken by the deep-drawn sighs of her who knelt in sadness
+and penitence before him.
+
+"And his name?" said the father; "you have not told his name."
+
+A pause followed, in which not even a breathing was heard; then a low,
+murmuring sound came, and it seemed to meas though I heard my own name
+uttered. I started at the sound, and with the noise the vivandi�re
+sprang to her feet.
+
+"I heard a noise there," said she, resolutely.
+
+"It is my companion of the journey," said the priest. "Poor fellow! he
+is tired and weary; he sleeps soundly."
+
+"I did not know you had a fellow-traveller, Father."
+
+"Yes; we met in the Creutz Mountains, and since that� have wended our
+way together. A soldier--"
+
+"A soldier! Is he wounded, then?"
+
+"No, my child; he is leaving the army."
+
+"Leaving the army, and not wounded! He is old and disabled, perhaps."
+
+"Neither; he is both young and vigorous."
+
+"Shame on him, then, that he turn his back on fame and fortune, and
+leave the path that brave men tread! He never was a soldier! No, Father;
+he in whose heart the noble passion once has lived can never forget it."
+
+"Hush, child, hush!" said the priest, motioning with his hand to her to
+be silent.
+
+"Let me look on him!" said the vivandi�re, as she stooped down and took
+from the hearth a piece of lighted wood; "let me see this man, and learn
+the features of one who can be so craven of spirit, so poor of heart, as
+to fly the field, while thousands are flocking towards it."
+
+Burning with shame and indignation, I arose, just as she approached me.
+The pine-branch threw its red gleam over her bright uniform, and then
+upon her face.
+
+"Minette! Minette!" I exclaimed. But with a wild shriek she let fall the
+burning wood, and fell senseless to the ground.
+
+It was some time before, with all our care, she recovered consciousness;
+and even then, in her wild, excited glance, one might read the struggles
+of her mind to credit what had occurred. A few broken, unconnected
+phrases would escape her at intervals; and she seemed laboring to regain
+the lost clew to her recollections, when again she turned her eyes
+towards me. At the same instant, the trumpet sounded without for the
+_r�veil_, and was answered by many a call from other parties around.
+With a steadfast gaze of wonderment she fixed her look on me; and twice
+passed her hands across her eyes, as though she doubted the evidence of
+her senses.
+
+[Illustration: 346]
+
+"Minette, hear me! let me speak but one word." "There it is again,"
+cried she, as the blast rang out a second time, and the clatter of
+horsemen resounded from the street. "Adieu, sir; our roads lie not
+together. Father, your blessing; if your good counsel this night has
+not made its way to my heart, the lesson has come elsewhere. Good-by!
+good-by!" She pressed the old man's hand to her lips, and darted from
+the room.
+
+Stunned, and like one spell-bound, I could not move for a few seconds;
+and then, with a wild cry, I bounded after her through the garden.
+The wicket, however, was fastened on the outside, and it was some time
+before I could scale the wall and reach the street.
+
+The day was just breaking, but already the village was thronged with
+soldiers, who were preparing for the march, and arranging their parties
+to conduct the wagons. Hurrying on through the crowded and confused
+mass, I looked on every side for the vivandi�re; but in vain. Groups
+of different regiments passed and repassed me; but to my questions they
+returned either a jeering reply, or a mere laugh of derision. "But a few
+days ago," thought I, "and these fellows had scarce dared to address me;
+and now--" Oh, the blighting misery of that thought! I was no longer a
+soldier; the meanest horseman of his troop was my superior.
+
+I passed through the village, and reached the highroad. Before me was a
+party of dragoons, escorting a drove of cattle; I hastened after them,
+but on coming near, discovered they were a light cavalry detachment.
+Sick at heart, I leaned against a tree at the wayside, when again
+I heard the tramp of horses approaching. I looked, and saw the tall
+helmets of the Fourth, who were coming slowly along, conducting some
+large wagons, drawn by eight or ten horses. In front of the detachment
+rode a man, whose enormous stature made him at once remarkable, as well
+as the air of soldierly bearing he displayed. Beside him was Minette;
+the reins had fallen on her horse's neck, and her face was buried in her
+hands.
+
+"Ah! if I had thought that priest would have made thee so sad,
+Mademoiselle, I'd have let him spend his night beneath a wagon rather
+than in my quarters," said a deep, hollow voice I at once recognized
+as that of Pioche. "But the morning air will revive thee; so let us
+forward: by threes--open order--trot."
+
+The word was obeyed; the heavy tramp of the horses, with the dull roll
+of the wagons, drowned all other sounds The cort�ge moved on, and I was
+alone.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneDeathOfMinette127]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII. THE PENSION DE LA RUE MI-CAR�ME.
+
+When I returned to the garden, I found that the P�re Ars�ne was seized
+by an access of that dreadful malady, whose intervals of comparative
+release are but periods of dread or despondence. The tertian of Egypt,
+so fatal among the French troops, now numbered him among its victims,
+and he looked worn and exhausted, like one after weeks of illness.
+
+My first care was to present myself to the official whose business it
+was to inspect the passports, and by explaining the condition of my poor
+friend, to entreat permission to delay my journey,--at least until
+he should be somewhat recovered. The gruff old sergeant, however,
+deliberately examined my passport, and as rigidly decided that I could
+not remain. The words of the minister were clear and definite,--"Day
+by day, without halt, to the nearest frontier of France," was the
+direction; and with this I must comply. In vain I assured him that no
+personal convenience, no wish of my own, urged the request, but the duty
+of humanity towards a fellow-traveller, and one who had strong claims on
+every soldier of the Empire.
+
+"Leave him to me, Monsieur," was the only reply I could obtain; and the
+utmost favor he would grant was the permission to take leave of my poor
+friend before I started.
+
+Amid all the sufferings of his malady, I found the good priest dwelling
+in his mind on the scene with the vivandi�re,--which, perhaps, from
+the impressionable character of a sick man's temperament, had entirely
+filled his thoughts; and thus he wandered from the subject of his
+sorrows to hers, with scarcely a transition between them.
+
+When I mentioned the necessity of our parting, he seemed to feel it more
+on my account than his own.
+
+"I wished to have reached Paris with you," he repeated over and over.
+"It was not impossible I could have arranged your return home. But you
+must go down to S�vres,--the priest there, whoever he may be, will know
+of me; tell him everything without reserve. I am too ill to write, but
+if I get better soon--Well, well; that poor girl is an orphan too; and
+Alphonse was an orphan. With what misery have we struggled in France
+since this man has ruled our destinies! how have the crimes of a people
+brought their retribution to every heart and every home!--none
+too low, none too humble, to feel them. Leave this land; no blessing can
+rest upon it now. Poor thing! how worthy of a better lot she is! If this
+same officer should know,--it is not impossible. But, why do I say this?
+No, no; you'll never meet him now."
+
+He continued to mutter thus some broken and disjointed sentences,
+half-aloud, for some minutes, apparently unconscious of my presence.
+
+"He was in a regiment of the Guard. Alas! she told me which, but I
+forget it now; but his name, surely I remember his name! Well, well, it
+is a sad story. Adieu, my dear child! good-by! We have each a weary
+road before us; but my journey, although the longest, will be soonest
+accomplished. Do not forget my words to you. Your own country, and your
+country's cause, above every other; all else is the hireling's part. The
+sense of duty alone can sustain a man in the trials which fit him for
+this world, or that better one which is to follow. Adieu!" He threw his
+arm around me as he said this, and leaned exhausted and faint upon my
+shoulder.
+
+The few who journey through life with little sympathy or friendship from
+their fellow-men, may know how it rent my heart to part with one to whom
+I clung every hour closer; my throat swelled and throbbed, and I could
+only articulate a faint good-by as we parted. As the door was closing, I
+heard his voice again.
+
+"Yes, I have it now; I remember it well,--'Le Capitaine Burke.'"
+
+I started in amazement, for during all our intercourse he had never
+asked nor had I told my name, and I stood unable to speak; when he
+continued,--"You 'll think of the name,--she said, too, he was on the
+staff,--'Burke!' Poor girl!"
+
+I did not wait for more, but like one flying from some dreaded enemy I
+rushed through the garden, and gained the road, my heart torn with many
+a conflicting thought; the bitterest of all being the memory of Minette,
+the orphan girl, who alone of all the world cared for me. Oh! if strong,
+deep-rooted affection, the love of a whole heart, can raise the spirit
+above the every-day contentions of the world,--can ennoble thought,
+refine sentiments, and divest life of all its meaner traits, making a
+path of flowers among the rocks and briers of our worldly pilgrimage; so
+does the possession of affection for which we cannot give requital throw
+a gloom over the soul, for which there is no remedy. Better, a thousand
+times better, had I borne all the solitary condition of my lot,
+unrelieved by one token of regard, than think of her who had wrecked her
+fortunes on my own.
+
+With many a sad thought I plodded onward. The miles passed over seemed
+like the events in some troubled dream; and of my journey I have not a
+recollection remaining. It was late in the evening when I reached the
+Barri�re de l'�toile, and entered Paris. The long lines of lamps along
+the quays, the glittering reflection in the calm river, the subdued but
+continual hum of a great city, awoke me from my reverie, and I bethought
+me that my career of life must now begin anew, and all my energies must
+be called on to fashion out my destiny.
+
+On the morning after my arrival I presented myself, in compliance with
+the requisite form, before the minister of police. Little information
+of mine was necessary to explain the circumstances under which I was
+placed. He was already thoroughly acquainted with the whole, and seemed
+in nowise disposed to evince any undue lenity towards one who had
+voluntarily quitted the service of the Emperor.
+
+"Where do you purpose to remain, sir?" said the pr�fet, as he concluded
+a lengthened and searching scrutiny of my appearance.
+
+"In Paris," I replied, briefly.
+
+"In Paris, I suppose," said he, with a slight derisive curl of the
+lip,--"of that I should think there can be little doubt; but I wished to
+ascertain more accurately your address,--in what part of the city."
+
+"As yet I cannot tell; I am almost a stranger here. A day or two will,
+however, enable me to choose, and then I shall return here with the
+intelligence."
+
+"That is sufficient, sir; I shall expect to see you soon."
+
+He waved his hand in sign to me to withdraw, and I was but too happy to
+follow the indication. As I hastened down the stairs, and forced my way
+through the crowd of persons who awaited an audience with the pr�fet,
+I heard a voice close to my ear whisper, "A word; one word with you,
+Monsieur." Conceiving, however, it could not have been intended for me,
+to whom no face there was familiar, I passed on, and reached the court.
+
+The noise of footsteps rapidly moving on the grave behind me induced
+me to turn; and I beheld a small, miserably-dressed man, whose spare and
+wasted form bespoke the sorest trials of poverty, advancing towards me,
+hat in hand.
+
+"Will you deign me one word, Monsieur?" said he, in a voice whose tone,
+although that of entreaty, was yet remote from the habitual accent of
+one asking alms.
+
+"You must mistake me," said I, desirous to pass on; "I am unknown to
+you."
+
+"True, sir; but it is as a stranger I take the liberty of addressing
+you. I heard you say just now that you had not fixed on any place of
+abode in Paris; now, if I might venture to entreat your preference for
+this establishment, it would be too much honor for me, its poor master."
+
+Here he placed in my hands a small card, inscribed with the words,
+"Pension Bourgeoise, Rue de Mi-Car�me, Boulevard Mont Parnasse, No. 46,"
+at top; and beneath was a paragraph, setting forth the economical fact
+that a man might eat, drink, and sleep for the sum of twelve francs a
+week, enjoying the delights of "agreeable society, pleasant environs,
+and all the advantages of a country residence."
+
+It was with difficulty I could avoid a smile at the shivering figure
+who ventured to present himself as an inducement to try the fare of his
+house. Whether my eyes did wander from the card to his countenance, or
+any other gesture of mine betrayed my thoughts, the old man seemed to
+divine what was passing in my mind, and said,--
+
+"Monsieur will not pronounce on the 'pension' from the humble guise of
+its master. Let him but try it; and I promise that these poor rags, this
+miserable figure, has no type within the walls."
+
+There was a tone of deep dejection, mingled with a sense of conscious
+pride, in which he said these few words, that at once decided me not to
+grieve him by a refusal.
+
+"You may count on me, then, Monsieur," said I. "My stay here is so far
+uncertain, that it depends not altogether on myself; but for the present
+I am your guest."
+
+I took my purse from my pocket as I spoke, knowing the custom in these
+humbler boarding-houses was to pay in advance; but the old man reddened
+slightly, and motioned with his hand a refusal.
+
+"Monsieur is a captain in the Guards," said he, proudly; "no more is
+necessary."
+
+"You mistake, friend, I am no longer so; I have left the army."
+
+"Left it, _en retraite?_" said he, inquiringly.
+
+"Not so; left it at my own free will and choice. And now, perhaps, I
+had better tell you, that as I may not enjoy any considerable share of
+goodwill from the police authorities here, my presence might be less
+acceptable to your other guests, or to yourself."
+
+The old man's eyes sparkled as I spoke, and his lips moved rapidly, as
+though he were speaking to himself; then, taking my hand, he pressed it
+to his lips, and said,--
+
+"Monsieur could not be more welcome than at present. Shall we expect you
+to-day at dinner?"
+
+"Be it so. Your hour?"
+
+"Four o'clock, to the moment. Do not forget the number, 46 Monsieur
+Rubichon; the house with a large garden in front."
+
+"Till then," said I, bowing to my host, whose ceremonious politeness
+made me feel my own salute an act of rudeness in comparison.
+
+As I parted from the old man, I was glad at the relief to my own
+thoughts which even thus much of speculation afforded, and sauntered on,
+fancying many a strange conceit about the "pension" and its inhabitants.
+At last the hour drew near; and having placed my few effects in a
+cabriolet, I set out for the distant boulevard of Mont Parnasse.
+
+I remarked with pleasure, that as we went along the streets and
+thoroughfares became gradually less and less crowded; scarcely a
+carriage of any kind was to be met with. The shops were, for the most
+part, the quiet, unpretending-looking places one sees in a provincial
+town; and an air of peacefulness and retirement prevailed, strongly at
+variance with the clamor and din of the heart of the capital. This was
+more than ever so as we emerged upon the boulevard itself: on one side
+of which houses, at long straggling intervals, alone were to be seen;
+at the other, the country lay open to the view, with its orchards and
+gardens, for miles away.
+
+"_Saprelotte!_" said the driver, who, like so many of his calling, was a
+blunt son of Alsace,--"_saprelotte!_ we have come to the end of the world
+here. How do you call the strange street you are looking for?"
+
+"The Rue de Mi-Car�me."
+
+"Mi-Car�me? I 'd rather you lived there than me; that name does not
+promise much in regard to good feeding. Can this be it?"
+
+As he spoke he pointed with his whip to a narrow, deserted-looking
+street, which opened from the boulevard. The houses were old and
+dilapidated, but stood in small gardens, and seemed like the remains
+of the villa residences of the Parisians in times long past. A few more
+modern edifices, flaring with red brick fronts, were here and there
+scattered amongst them; but for all the decay and dismantlement of the
+others, they seemed like persons of rank and condition in the company of
+their inferiors.
+
+Few of the larger houses were inhabited. Large placards, "� louer,"
+on the gateways or the broken railings of the garden, set forth the
+advantages of a handsome residence, situated between court and garden;
+but the falling roofs and broken windows were in sad discordance with
+the eulogy.
+
+The unaccustomed noise of wheels, as we went along, drew many to the
+doors to stare at us, and in the gathering groups I could mark the
+astonishment so rare a spectacle as a cabriolet afforded in these
+secluded parts.
+
+"Is this the Rue Mi-Car�me?" said the driver to a boy, who stood gazing
+in perfect wonderment at our equipage.
+
+"Yes," muttered the child,--"yes. Who are you come for now?"
+
+"Come for, my little man? Not for any one. What do you mean by that?"
+
+"I thought it was the commissary," said the boy.
+
+"Ah, _sapperment!_ I knew we were in a droll neighborhood," murmured the
+driver. "It would seem they never see a cabriolet here except when it
+brings the _commissaire de police_ to look after some one."
+
+If this reflection did not tend to allay my previous doubts upon the
+nature of the locality, it certainly aided to excite my curiosity, and
+I was determined to persist in my resolution of at least seeing the
+interior of the "pension."
+
+"Here we are at last," cried the driver, throwing down his whip on the
+horse's back, as he sprang to the ground, and read aloud from a board
+fastened to a tree, "'Pension Bourgeoise. M. Rubichon, propri�taire.'
+Shall I wait for monsieur?"
+
+"No. Take out that portmanteau and cloak; I'm not going back now."
+
+A stare of most undisguised astonishment was the only reply he made, as
+he took forth my baggage, and placed it at the little gate.
+
+"You 'll be coming home at night," said he, at length; "shall I come
+to fetch you? Not to-night," repeated he, in amazement. "Well, adieu,
+Monsieur,--you know best; but I 'd not come a-pleasuring up here, if I
+was a young fellow like you."
+
+As he drove away, I turned to look at the building before me, which up
+to this time I had not sufficiently noted. It was a long, two-storied
+house, which evidently at an early period had been a mansion of no mean
+pretension. The pilasters which ornamented the windows, the balustrades
+of the parapet, and the pediment above the entrance, were still
+remaining, though in a dilapidated condition. The garden in front showed
+also some signs of that quaint taste originally borrowed from the Dutch,
+and the yew-trees still preserved some faint resemblance to the beasts
+and animals after which they had once been fashioned, though time and
+growth had altered the outlines, and given to many a goodly lion or stag
+the bristly coat of a porcupine. A little fountain, which spouted from
+a sea-monster's nostrils, was grass-grown and choked with weeds.
+Everything betokened neglect and ruin; even the sundial had fallen
+across the walk, and lay moss-grown and forgotten; as though to say that
+Time had no need of a record there. The _jalousies_, which were closed
+in every window, permitted no view of the interior; nor did anything,
+save a faint curl of light blue smoke from one chimney, give token of
+habitation.
+
+I could not help smiling to myself at the absurd fancy which had
+suffered me to feel that this deserted quarter, this lonesome dwelling,
+contained anything either adventurous or strange about it, or that
+I should find either in the "pension" or its guests wherewithal to
+interest or amuse me. With this thought I opened the wicket, and,
+crossing the garden, pulled the bell-rope that hung beside the door.
+
+The deep clanging echoed again and again to my summons, and ere it
+ceased the door was opened, and M. Rubichon himself stood before me: no
+longer, however, the M. Rubichon of the morning, in garments of worn
+and tattered poverty, but attired in a suit which, if threadbare, was
+at least clean and respectable-looking,--a white vest, and ruffles also,
+added to the air of neatness of his costume; and whether from his
+own deserts, or my surprise at the transformation, he seemed to me to
+possess the look and bearing of a true gentleman.
+
+Having welcomed me with the well-bred and easy politeness of one who
+knew the habits of society, he gave orders to a servant girl to conduct
+me to a room, adding, "May I beg of monsieur to make a rapid toilet, for
+the dinner will be served in less than ten minutes?"
+
+The M. Rubichon of the morning no more prepared me for that gentleman at
+evening than did the ruinous exterior of the dwelling for the neat and
+comely chamber into which I was now installed. The articles of furniture
+were few, but scrupulously clean; and the white curtains of the little
+bed, the cherry-wood chairs, the table, with its gray marble top,--all
+were the perfection of that propriety which gives even to humble things
+a look of elegance.
+
+I had but time to make a slight change in my dress when the bell sounded
+for dinner, and at the same instant a gentle knock came to my door. It
+was M. Rubichon, come to conduct me to the _salle_, and anxious to know
+if I were satisfied with my chamber.
+
+"In summer, Monsieur, if we shall have the happiness of possessing you
+here at that season, the view of the garden is delightful from this
+window; and,--you have not noticed it, of course, but there is a little
+stair, which descends from the window into the garden, which you will
+find a great convenience when you wish to walk. This way, now. We are a
+small party to-day, and indeed shall be for a few weeks. What name shall
+I have the honor to announce?"
+
+"Mr. Burke."
+
+"Ah! an Irish name," said he, smiling, as he threw open the door of a
+spacious but simply furnished apartment, in which about a dozen persons
+were standing or sitting around the stove.
+
+I could not help remarking, that as Monsieur Rubichon presented me to
+his other guests, my name seemed to meet a kind of recognition from each
+in turn. My host perceived this, and explained it at once by saying,--
+
+"We have a namesake of yours amongst us; not exactly at this moment,
+for he is in Normandy, but he will be back in a week or so. Madame de
+Langeac, let me present Mr. Burke."
+
+Monsieur Rubichon's guests were all persons somewhat advanced in life;
+and though in their dress evincing a most unvarying simplicity and
+economy, had yet a look of habitual good tone and breeding which could
+not be mistaken. Among these, the lady to whom I was now introduced was
+conspicuous, and in her easy and graceful reception of me, showed the
+polished manners of one accustomed to the best society.
+
+After some half-jesting observations, expressive of surprise that a
+young man--and consequently, as she deemed, a gay one--should have
+selected as his residence an unvisited quarter and a very retired house,
+she took my arm, and proceeded to the dinner-room.
+
+The dinner itself, and the table equipage, were in keeping with the
+simplicity of the whole establishment; but if the fare was humble and
+the wine of the very cheapest, all the habitudes of the very highest
+society presided at the meal, and the polished ease and elegance, so
+eminently the gift of ancient French manners, were conspicuous.
+
+There prevailed among the guests all the intimacy of a large family;
+at the same time a most courteous deference was remarkable, which never
+approached familiarity. And thus they talked lightly and pleasantly
+together of mutual friends and places they had visited; no allusion ever
+being made to the popular topics of the day,--to me a most inexplicable
+circumstance, and one which I could not avoid slightly expressing my
+astonishment at to the lady beside me. She smiled significantly at my
+remark, and merely said,--
+
+"It is so agreeable to discuss matters where there can be no great
+difference of opinion,--at least, no more than sharpens the wit of the
+speakers,--that you will rarely hear other subjects talked of here."
+
+"But have the great events which are yet passing no interest?"
+
+"Perhaps they interest too deeply to admit of much discussion," said
+she, with some earnestness of manner.
+
+"But I am myself transgressing; and, what is still worse, losing you the
+observations of Monsieur de Saint George on Madame de S�vign�."
+
+The remark was evidently made to change the current of our conversation;
+and so I accepted it,--listening to the chit-chat around me, which, from
+its novelty alone, possessed a most uncommon charm to my ears. It was
+so strange to hear the allusions to the courtiers and the beauties of
+bygone days made with all the freshness of yesterday acquaintance; and
+the stores of anecdotes about the court of Louis the Fifteenth and the
+Regency told with a piquancy that made the event seem like an occurrence
+of the morning.
+
+Before we retired to the drawing-room for coffee, I saw that the
+"pension" was a Royalist establishment, and wondered how it happened
+that I should have been selected by the host to make one of his guests.
+Yet unquestionably there seemed no reserve towards me; on the contrary,
+each evinced a tone of frankness and cordiality which made me perfectly
+at ease, and well satisfied at the fortune which led me to the Rue
+Mi-Car�me.
+
+The little parties of dominoes and piquet scattered through the _salon_;
+some formed groups to converse; the ladies resumed their embroidery; and
+all the occupations of indoor life were assumed with a readiness that
+betokened habit, and gave to the "pension" the comfortable air of a
+home.
+
+Thus passed the first evening. The next morning the party assembled at
+an early hour to breakfast; after which the gentlemen went out, and did
+not appear until dinnertime,--day succeeding day in unvarying but to me
+not unpleasing monotony. I rarely wandered from the large wilderness of
+a garden near the house, and saw weeks pass over without a thought ever
+occurring to me that life must not thus be suffered to ebb.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX. MY NAMESAKE
+
+About a month after I came to live in the "pension," I was sitting one
+evening at the window, watching, with the interest an idle man will ever
+attach to slight things,--the budding leaves of an early spring,--when I
+heard a step approach my chair, and on turning my head perceived Madame
+de Langeac. She carried her taboret in her hand, and came slowly towards
+me.
+
+"I am come to steal some of your sunshine, Monsieur Burke," said the old
+lady, smiling good-naturedly, as I rose to present a chair, "but not to
+drive you away, if you will be generous enough to keep me company."
+
+I stammered out some commonplace civility in reply, and was silent,
+for my thoughts were bent upon my future, and I was ill disposed to
+interruption.
+
+"You are fond of flowers, I have remarked," continued she, as if
+perceiving my preoccupation, and willing to relieve it by taking the
+burden of the conversation. "And it is a taste I love to witness; it
+seems to me like the evidence of a homely habit. It is only in childhood
+we learn this love; we may cultivate it in after life as we will."
+
+"My mother was passionately fond of them," said I, calling up a
+long-buried memory of home and kindred.
+
+"I thought so. These simple tastes are the inheritance a mother gives
+her child; and happily they survive every change of fortune."
+
+I sighed heavily as she spoke, for thus accidentally was touched the
+weakest chord of my heart.
+
+"And, better still," resumed she, "they are the links that unite us to
+the past, that bind the heart of manhood to infancy, that can bring down
+pride and haughtiness, and call forth guileless affection and childlike
+faith."
+
+"They are happy,"' said I, musing, "who can mingle such early memories
+with the present."
+
+"And who cannot?" interrupted she, rapidly. "Who has not felt the love
+of parents,--the halo of a home? Old as I am, even I can recall the
+little walks I trod in infancy, and the hand that used to guide me. I
+can bring up the very tones of that voice which vibrated on my heart as
+they spoke my name. But how much happier they to whom these memories
+are linked with tokens of present affection, and who, in their manhood's
+joys, can feel a father's or a mother's love!"
+
+"I was left an orphan when a mere child," said I, as though the
+observation had been specially addressed to me.
+
+"But you have brothers,--sisters, perhaps."
+
+I shook my head. "A brother, indeed; but we have never met since we were
+children."
+
+"And yet your country has not suffered the dreadful convulsion of ours;
+no social wreck has scattered those who once lived in close affection
+together. It is sad when such ties are broken. You came early to
+France, I think you told me?"
+
+"Yes, Madame. When a mere child my heart conceived a kind of devotion
+to the Emperor: his fame, his great exploits, seemed something more
+than human,--filled every thought of my brain; and to be a soldier,_his_
+soldier, was the limit of my ambition. I fancied, too, that the cause he
+asserted was that of freedom; that liberty, universal liberty, was the
+watchword that led to victory."
+
+"And you have discovered your error," interrupted she. "Alas! it were
+better to have followed the illusion. A faith once shaken leaves an
+unsettled spirit, and with such there is little energy."
+
+"And less of hope," said I, despondingly.
+
+"Not so, if there be youth. Come, you must tell me your story. It is
+from no mere curiosity I ask you; but that I have seen much of the
+world, and am better able than you to offer counsel and advice. I have
+remarked, for some time past, that you appear to have no acquaintance
+in Paris,--no friend. Let me be such. If the confidence have no other
+result, it will relieve your heart of some portion of its burden;
+besides, the others here will learn to regard you with less distrust."
+
+"And is such their feeling towards me?"
+
+"Forgive me; I did not exactly use the word I sought for. But now that
+I have ventured so far, I may as well confess that you are an object of
+the greatest interest in their eyes; nor can they divest themselves of
+the impression that some deep-laid plot had led you hither."
+
+"Had I known this before--"
+
+"You had left us. I guessed as much: I have remarked it in your
+character already, that a morbid dread of being suspected is ever
+uppermost in your thoughts; and accounted for it by supposing that you
+might have been thrown at too early an age into life. But you must
+not feel angry with us here. As for me, I have no merit in my right
+appreciation of you: Monsieur Rubichon told me how you met,--a mere
+accident, at the bureau of the pr�fet."
+
+"It was so; nor have I been able to divine why he addressed himself to
+me, nor what circumstance could have led him to believe my sentiments in
+accordance with those of his guests."
+
+"Simple enough the reason. He heard from your own lips you were a
+stranger, without any acquaintance in Paris. The police for a time
+have been somewhat frequent in their visits here, when the exclusively
+Royalist feature of the 'pension' excited some dissatisfaction. To
+overcome the impression, M. Rubichon determined to wait each day at the
+bureau of the pr�fet, and solicit at hazard among the persons there
+to patronize his house. We all here consented to the plan, feeling
+its necessity. Our good fortune sent us you. Still, you must not be
+surprised if long sorrows and much suffering have engendered suspicion,
+nor that the old followers of a king look distrustfully on the soldier
+of"--she hesitated and blushed slightly, then added, in a low voice--"of
+the Emperor."
+
+The word seemed to have cost a pang in its utterance; for she did not
+speak for several minutes after.
+
+"And these gentlemen,--am I to conclude that they cherish disaffection
+to the present Government, or harbor a hope of its downfall?"
+
+Whether some accidental expression of disdain escaped me as I said this,
+I cannot say; but Madame de Langeao quickly replied,--
+
+"They are good Frenchmen, sir, and loyal gentlemen; what they _hope_
+must be a matter for their own hearts."
+
+"I entreat your pardon, Madame, if I have said one syllable which could
+reflect upon their motives."
+
+"I forgive you readily," said she, smiling courteously; "he who has worn
+a sabre so long, may well deem its influence all-powerful. But believe
+me, young man, there is that within the heart of a nation against which
+mere force is nothing; opposed to it, armed squadrons and dense ranks
+are powerless. Devotion to a sovereign, whose claim comes hallowed by a
+long line of kings, is a faith to which religion lends its sanction and
+tradition its hope. Look on these very persons here; see, has adversity
+chilled their affection, or poverty damped their ardor? You know them
+not; but I will tell you who they are.
+
+"There, at the fire, that venerable old man with the high, bold
+forehead, he is Monsieur de Plessis (Comte Plessis de Riancourt). His
+grandfather entertained Louis the Fourteenth and his suite within his
+ch�teau; he himself was grand falconer to the king. And what is he
+now? I shame to speak it,--a fencing-master at an humble school of the
+Faubourg.
+
+"And the other opposite to him (he is stooping to pick something from
+the floor), I myself saw him kneel at the lev�e of his Majesty, and
+beheld the king assist him to rise, as he said, 'Monsieur de Maurepas, I
+would make you a duke, but that no title could be so dear to a Maurepas
+as that his ancestors have borne for six hundred years.' And he, whose
+signature was but inferior to the royal command, copies pleadings of a
+lawyer to earn his support.
+
+"And that tall man yonder, who has just risen from the table,--neither
+years nor poverty have erased the stamp of nobility from his graceful
+figure,--Comte Felix d'Ancelot, captain of the Gardes du Corps; the
+same who was left for dead on the stairs at Versailles pierced by eleven
+wounds. He gives lessons in drawing! two leagues from this, at the other
+extremity of Paris.
+
+"You ask me if they hope; what else than hope, what other comforter,
+could make such men as these live on in want and indigence, declining
+every proffer of advancement, refusing every temptation that should warp
+their allegiance? I have read of great deeds of your Emperor,--I have
+heard traits of heroism of his generals, compared to which the famed
+actions of the Crusaders paled away; but tell me if you think that all
+the glory ever won by gallant soldier, tried the courage or tested the
+stout heart like the long struggle of such men as these? And here, if I
+mistake not, comes another, not inferior to any."
+
+As she spoke, the steps of a _cal�che_ at the door were suddenly
+lowered, and a tall and powerfully built man stepped lightly out. In
+an instant we heard his footstep in the hall, and in another moment the
+door of the _salon_ opened, and M. Rubichon announced "Le G�n�ral Count
+Burke."
+
+The general had just time to divest himself of his travelling pelisse as
+he entered, and was immediately surrounded by the others, who welcomed
+him with the greatest enthusiasm.
+
+"Madame la Marquise de Langeac," said he, approaching the old lady, as
+she sat in the recess of the window, and lifted her hand to his lips,
+"I am overjoyed to see you in such health. I passed three days with
+your amiable cousin, Arnold de Rambuteau; who, like yourself, enjoys the
+happiest temperament and the most gifted mind."
+
+"If you flatter thus, General," said Madame de Langeac, "my young friend
+here will scarcely recognize in you a countryman,--a kinsman, perhaps.
+Let me present Mr. Burke."
+
+The general's face flushed, and his eyes sparkled, as taking my hand in
+both of his own, he said,--
+
+"Are you indeed from Ireland? Is your name Burke? Alas! that I cannot
+speak one word of English to you. I left my country thirty-eight years
+since, and have never revisited it."
+
+The general overwhelmed me with questions: first about my family, of
+which I could tell him little; and then of my own adventures, at which,
+to my astonishment, he never evinced those symptoms of displeasure I
+so confidently expected from an old follower of the Bourbons. This he
+continued to do, as he ate a hurried meal which was laid out for him in
+the _salon_; all the rest standing in a circle around, and pressing him
+with questions for this friend or that at every pause he made.
+
+"You see, gentlemen," cried he, as I replied to some inquiry about my
+campaign, "this is an instance of what I have so often spoken to you.
+Here is a youth who leaves his country solely for fighting sake; he
+does not care much for the epaulette, he cares less for the cause. Come,
+come, don't interrupt me; I know you better than you know yourself.
+You longed for the conflict and the struggle and the victory; and,
+_parbleu!_ we may say as we will, but you could have scarcely made a
+better selection than with his Majesty, Emperor and King, as they style
+him."
+
+This speech met with a sorry reception from the bystanders, and in the
+dissatisfied expression of their faces, a less confident speaker might
+have read his condemnation; but the general felt not this, or, if he
+did, he effectually concealed it.
+
+"You have not inquired for Gustave de Me is in," said he, looking round
+at the circle.
+
+"You have not seen him, surely?" cried several together; "we heard he
+was at Vienna."
+
+"No, _parbleu!_ he lives about a league from his old home,--the very
+house we spent our Christmas at eighteen years ago. They have made a
+barrack of his ch�teau, and thrown his park into a royal _chasse_; but
+he has built a hut on the river-side, and walks every day through his
+own ground, which he says he never saw so well stocked for many a year.
+He is as happy as ever, and loves to look out on the Seine before his
+door when the bright stream is rippling through many a broad leaf; ay,
+Messieurs, of good augury, too,--the lilies of France." He lifted a
+bumper to his lips as he spoke, and drank the toast with enthusiasm.
+
+This sudden return to loyalty, so boldly announced, served to reinstate
+him in their estimation; and once again all their former pleasure at
+his appearance came back, and again the questions poured in from every
+quarter.
+
+"And the abb�," said one; "what of him? Has he made up his mind yet?"
+
+"To be sure he has, and changed it too, at least twice every twenty-four
+hours. He is ever full of confidence and brimming with hope when the
+wind is from the eastward; but let it only come a point west, his
+spirits fall at once, and he dreams of frigates and gunboats, and the
+hulks in the Thames; and though they offered him a cardinal's hat, he 'd
+not venture out to sea."
+
+The warning looks of the bystanders, and even some signals to be
+cautious, here interrupted the speaker, who paused for a few seconds,
+and then fixed his eyes on me.
+
+"I have no fears, gentlemen, on that score. I know my countrymen well,
+though I have lived little among them. My namesake here may like the
+service of the Emperor better than that of a king,--he may prefer the
+glitter of the eagle to the war-cry of Saint Louis,--but he 'll never
+betray the private conversations nor expose the opinions expressed
+before him in all the confidence of social intercourse.
+
+"We are speaking, Mr. Burke, of an abb� who is about to visit Ireland,
+and whose fears of the English cruisers seem little reasonable to some
+of my friends here, though you can explain, perhaps, that they are not
+groundless. I forgot,--you were but a boy when you crossed that sea."
+
+"But he will go at last," said Madame de Langeac; "I suppose we may rely
+on that?"
+
+"We hope," said the general, shrugging his shoulders with an air of
+doubt, "because, when we can do nothing else, we can always hope." And
+so saying he arose from the table, and taking a courteous leave of each
+person in turn, pleading the fatigue of his journey, he retired for the
+night.
+
+I left the saloon soon after, and went to my room full of all I had
+heard, and pondering many thoughts about the abb� and his intended
+voyage. I spent a sleepless night. Thoughts of home, long lost in the
+excitement of my career, came flocking to my brain, and a desire
+to revisit my country--stronger, perhaps, because undefined in its
+object--made me restless and feverish. It was with delight I perceived
+the day dawning, and dressing myself hastily, I descended into the
+garden. To my surprise, I found General Burke already there. He was
+sauntering along slowly by himself, and seemed wrapped in meditation.
+The noise of my approach startled him, and he looked up.
+
+"Ah! my countryman,--so early astir?" said he, saluting me courteously.
+"Is this a habit of yours?"
+
+"No, sir; I cannot claim the merit of such wakefulness. But last night
+I never closed my eyes. A few words you dropped in conversation in the
+drawing-room kept possession of my heart, and even yet I cannot expel
+them."
+
+"I saw it at the time I spoke," replied the general, with a keen, quick
+glance; "you changed color twice as I mentioned the Abb� Gernon. Do you
+know him?"
+
+"No, sir; it was his intended journey, not himself, for which I felt
+interested."
+
+"You would wish to accompany him, perhaps. Well, the matter is not
+impossible; but as time presses, and we have little leisure for
+mysteries, tell me frankly why are you here?"
+
+In few words, and without a comment on any portion of my conduct, I told
+him the principal circumstances of my life, down to the decisive moment
+of my leaving the army.
+
+"After that step," said I, "feeling that no career can open to me here,
+I wish to regain my own country."
+
+"You are right," said the general, slowly; "it is your only course now.
+The venture is not without risk,--less from the English cruisers than
+the French, for the abb� is well known in England, and Ireland too;
+but his Royalist character would find slight favor with Fouch�. You are
+willing to run the risk, I suppose?"
+
+"I am."
+
+"And to travel as the abbe's servant, at least to Falaise? there the
+disguise will end."
+
+"Perfectly so."
+
+"And for this service, are you also ready to render us one in return?"
+said he, peering at me beneath his eyelashes.
+
+"If it involve the good faith I once swore to preserve towards the
+Emperor Napoleon, I refuse it at once. On such a condition, I cannot
+accept your aid."
+
+"And does your heart still linger where your pride has been so
+insulted?"
+
+"It does, it does; to be his soldier once more, I would submit to
+everything but dishonor."
+
+"In that case," said he, smiling good-naturedly, "my conscience is a
+clear one; and I may forward your escape with the satisfying reflection
+that I have diminished the enemies of his Majesty Louis the Eighteenth
+by one most inveterate follower of Napoleon. I shall ask no conditions
+of you. When are you ready?"
+
+"To-day,--now."
+
+"Let me see; to-morrow will be the 8th,--to-morrow will do. I will write
+about it at once. Meanwhile, it is as well you should not drop any hint
+of your intended departure, except to Madame de Langeac, whose secrecy
+may be relied on."
+
+"May I ask," said I, "if you run any risk in thus befriending me? It is
+an office, believe me, of little promise."
+
+"None whatever. Rarely a month passes over without some one or other
+leaving this for England. The intercourse between Rome and Ireland is
+uninterrupted, and has been so during the hottest period of the war."
+
+"This seems most unaccountable to me; I cannot understand it."
+
+"There is a key to the mystery, however," said he, smiling. "The English
+Government have confidence in the peaceful efforts of the priesthood as
+regards Ireland, and permit them to hold unlimited intercourse with the
+Holy See, which fears France and the spirit of her Emperor. The Bourbons
+look to the Church as the last hope of the Restoration. It is in the
+Catholic religion of this country, and its traditions, that monarchy
+has its root. Sap one, and you undermine the other. Legitimacy is a holy
+relic,--like any other, the priests are the guardians of it; and as for
+the present ruler of France, he trusts in the spirit of the Church to
+increase its converts, and believes that Ireland is ripening to revolt
+through the agency of the priests. Fouch� alone is not deceived. Between
+him and the Church the war is to the knife; and but for him the high
+seas would be more open than the road to Strasburg,--at least, to
+all with a shaven crown and a silk frock. Here, then, is the simple
+explanation of what seemed so difficult; and I believe you will find it
+the true one."
+
+"But two out of the three parties must be deceived," said I.
+
+"Perhaps all three are," replied he, smiling sarcastically. "There are
+some, at least, who deem the return of the rightful sovereign is more to
+be hoped from the sabre than the crosier, and think that Rome never was
+true except to Rome. As to your journey, however, its only difficulty
+or danger is the transit through France; once at the coast, and all
+is safe. Your passport shall be made out as a retired sous-officier
+returning to his home. You will take Marboeuf in the route, and I will
+give you the necessary directions for discovering the abb�."
+
+"Is it not possible," said I, "that _he_ may feel no inclination
+to encumber himself with a fellow-traveller, and particularly one a
+stranger to him?"
+
+"Have no fear on that head. Your presence, on the contrary, will give
+him courage, and we must let him suppose you accompany him at our
+suggestion."
+
+"Not with any implied knowledge or any connection with your views,
+however," said I. "This is well understood between us?"
+
+"Perfectly so. And now meet me here this evening, after coffee, and I
+will give you your final instructions, Adieu, for the present."
+
+He waved his hand and left me. Then, after walking a few paces, turned
+quickly round, and said,--
+
+"You will remember, a blouse and knapsack are indispensable for your
+equipment. Adieu!"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX. AN OLD SAILOR OF THE EMPIRE
+
+No circumstance of any interest occurred on my journey to Marboeuf; my
+passport, made out in my own name as a sous-officier on leave, secured
+me against any interruption or delay; and on the third evening I reached
+the little wayside cabaret, about a league beyond the town, where I was
+informed by the count that the abb� would await me.
+
+To my surprise, however, I discovered that the house was occupied by a
+detachment of the Marines of the Guard, proceeding from Marboeuf to the
+coast; with these, assuming the "camaraderie" of the service, I soon
+made acquaintance, and being possessed of some information about
+the army, my company was at once coveted by the sailors, who had no
+opportunity of learning the events of the campaign.
+
+The flurried manner and the over-solicitous desire of the landlord
+to please, did not escape me; and taking the first opportunity that
+offered, I followed him into his room, and closed the door behind me.
+
+"Has _he_ arrived?" said I, assuming at once the tone of one with whom
+there need be no secrecy.
+
+"Ha! you are the captain, then, and I was right?" said he, not replying
+to my question, but showing that he was aware who I was. But in an
+instant he resumed, "Alas! no, sir; the orders to have quarters ready
+for ten men reached me yesterday; and though I told his messenger that
+he might come in safety,--the marines never noticing any traveller,--he
+has evidently been afraid to venture. This is the 10th; on the 12th the
+vessel is to be off the coast; after that it will be too late."
+
+"But he may come yet."
+
+The man shook his head and sighed; then muttered half aloud, "It was a
+foolish choice to take a coward for a hazardous enterprise. The Comte de
+Chambord has been here twice to-day to see him, but in vain."
+
+"Where is he, then? at what distance from here?"
+
+"No one knows. It must be some leagues away, however, for his messenger
+seems tired and weary when he comes, and never returns the same day."
+
+"Is it not possible he may have pushed on to the coast, finding this
+place occupied?"
+
+"Ah, sir, it is plain you know him not; he has no daring like this, and
+would never seek a new path if the old were closed against him. But
+after all, it would be useless here."
+
+"How so?"
+
+"The letters have not come yet, and without them he could not leave the
+coast. Meanwhile, be cautious: take care lest your absence should be
+remarked by the men; return to them now, and if anything occur, I will
+make a signal for you."
+
+The landlord's advice was well timed, for I found that the party were
+already becoming impatient at my delay, and wondering what had caused
+it.
+
+"They say, Comrade," said a short-set, dark-featured Breton, whose black
+beard and mustache left little vestige of a human face visible,--"they
+say that the cavalry of the Guard give themselves airs with us marines,
+and that our company is not good enough for them. Is this the case?"
+
+"It is the first time I have heard the remark," replied I, "and I hope
+it may be the last; with us of the Eighth I know such a feeling never
+existed; and yet we thought ourselves not inferior to our neighbors."
+
+"Then why did you leave us just now?" grumbled out two or three in a
+breath.
+
+"You shall know that presently," said I, smiling; at the same time I
+arose and opened the door. "You may bring in the Burgundy now, Master
+Joseph; we are all ready for it."
+
+A hearty cheer welcomed this speech, and many a rude hand was stretched
+forth to grasp mine; at the same instant the host, accurately divining
+the necessity of the moment, entered with a basket containing six
+bottles, whose cobwebbed necks and crusted surface bespoke the choicest
+bin of his cellar.
+
+"_Macon!_ gentlemen," said he, drawing the cork of a flask with all the
+steadiness of hand of one accustomed to treat Burgundy properly.
+
+"Ah, _parbleu!_ a generous grape, too," said the short sailor, who spoke
+first, as he drained his glass and refilled it. "_Allons_, Comrades,
+'The Emperor! '"
+
+"The Emperor!" repeated each voice in turn, even to the poor landlord,
+whose caution was stronger than his loyalty.
+
+"The Emperor, and may Heaven preserve him!" said the dark-whiskered
+fellow.
+
+"The Emperor, and may Heaven forgive him!" said the host, who this time
+uttered the true sentiments of his heart, without knowing it.
+
+"Forgive him!" roared three or four together,--"forgive him what?"
+
+"For not making thee an admiral of the fleet," said the landlord,
+slapping the stout sailor familiarly on the shoulder.
+
+A burst of rude laughter acknowledged the success of this speech, and
+by common consent the host was elected One of the company. As the wine
+began to work upon the party, the dark fellow, whose grade of sergeant
+was merely marked by a gold cord on his cuff, and which had hitherto
+escaped my notice, assumed the leadership, and recounted some stories
+of his life; which, treating of a service so novel to me in all its
+details, were sufficiently interesting, though the materials themselves
+were slight and unimportant.
+
+One feature struck me in particular through all he said, and gave a
+character most distinctive to the service he belonged to, and totally
+unlike what I had observed among the soldiers of the army. With _them_
+the armies of all Europe were accounted the enemy,--the Austrian, the
+Russian, the Italian, and the Prussian were the foes he had met and
+conquered in so many fields of glory. The pride he felt in his triumphs
+was a great but natural sentiment; involving, however, no hatred of his
+enemy, nor any desire to disparage his courage or his skill. With the
+sailor of the Empire, however, there was but one antagonist, and that
+one he detested with his whole heart: England was a word which stirred
+his passion from its very inmost recesses, and made his blood boil
+with intense excitement. The gay insolence of the soldier, treating his
+conquest as a thing of ease and certainty, had no resemblance to the
+collected and impassioned hate of the sailor, who felt that _his_
+victories were not such as proclaimed his superiority by evidence
+incontestable. The victories on land contrasted, too, so strongly
+with even what were claimed as such at sea, that the sailors could not
+control their detestation of those who had robbed them of a share of
+their country's praise, and made the hazardous career they followed one
+of mere secondary interest in the eyes of France.
+
+A more perfect representative of this mingled jealousy and hate could
+not be found than Paul Dupont, the sous-officier in command of this
+little party. He was a Breton, and carried the ruling trait of his
+province into the most minute feature of his conduct. Bold, blunt,
+courageous, open-hearted, and fearless, but passionate to the verge of
+madness when thwarted, and unforgiving in his vengeance when insulted,
+he only believed in Brittany, and for the rest of France he cared as
+little as for Switzerland. His whole life had been spent at sea, until
+about two years previous, when from boatswain he was promoted to be a
+sergeant of the Marines of the Guard,--a step he regretted every day,
+and was now actually petitioning to be restored to his old grade, even
+at the sacrifice of pay and rank; such was the impression a short life
+ashore had made on him, and so complete his contempt for any service
+save that in blue water.
+
+"Come, old 'sea-wolf,'"--such was the sobriquet Paul went by among his
+comrades,--"thou art dull to-night," said an old sailor with a head as
+white as snow. "I haven't seen thee so low of heart this many a day."
+
+"What wonder, Comrade, if I am so?" retorted Paul, gruffly. "This shore
+service is bad enough, not to make it worse by listening to such yarns
+as these we have been hearing, about platoons and squadrons; of charges
+here and counter-marches there. _Ventre d'enfer!_ that may amuse
+those who never saw a broadside or a boarding; but as for me, look ye,
+Comrade!"--here he addressed himself to me, laying his great hand upon
+my shoulder as he spoke,--"until ye can bring your mounted lines to
+charge up to the mouth of a battery vomiting grape and roundshot, ye
+must not tell your stories before old sailors, ay, though they be only
+Marines' of the Guard, some of them."
+
+"Don't be angry with old Paul, Comrade," said the man who spoke before;
+"he does not mean to offend you."
+
+"Who told you that?" said Paul, sternly. "Why can't you sheer off, and
+leave me to' lay alongside of my enemy my own way?"
+
+"You must not call me by such a name," said I; "we all serve the
+Emperor, and have no enemies save his. Come, Paul, let us have a cup of
+wine together."
+
+"Agreed! an ye promise to tell no more tales of dragoons and hussars,
+and such like cattle, I'll drink with you. Bah! it's not Christianlike
+to fight a-horse-back,--it's only fit for Turks and Arabs; but for men
+that are made to stand fast on their own stout timbers, they have no
+need of four-footed beasts to carry them against an enemy. Here's my
+hand, Comrade; is it a bargain?"
+
+"Willingly," said I, laughing. "If you consent, instead, to tell us some
+of your own adventures, I promise faithfully not to trouble you with one
+of mine."
+
+"That's like a man," said Paul, evidently flattered by the successful
+assertion of his own superiority. "And now, if the host will let us have
+some more wine, I'm ready."
+
+"Ay, ay," cried several together; "replenish the basket once more."
+
+"This time, gentlemen, you must permit me to treat you. It is not every
+day such guests assemble under my poor roof," said the landlord, bowing
+courteously, "nor am I likely soon to pass so pleasant an evening."
+
+"That's as you please it," said Paul, carelessly. "If you are too good
+a fellow to care for money, there's three naps for the poor of the
+village; mayhap there may be an old sailor amongst them."
+
+A murmur of satisfaction at their comrade's conduct ran round the
+circle, as the host disappeared for the fresh supply of wine. In an
+instant he was back again, carrying a second basket under his arm, which
+he placed carefully on the table, saying, "Pomard of '87, gentlemen; I
+wish it were Chambertin for your sakes."
+
+"_T�te bleue!_that's what I call wine," said one, smacking his lips, as
+he tasted the generous liquor.
+
+"Yes," said Paul, "that's better than drinking the pink water they serve
+us out on service. _Morbleu!_ how we 'd fight, if they'd tap an aume of
+that when they beat to quarters."
+
+The bottle now passed freely from hand to hand; and Paul, leaning
+back in his chair, crossed his arms before him, as, with his eyes
+half closed, he seemed to be occupied in remembering some long passed
+occurrence.
+
+"Ay, Comrades," said he, after a long pause, "the landlord was not so
+far out as you may think him. I might have been, if not an admiral of
+the fleet, at least a captain or a commodore by this time, if I only
+wished it, but I wouldn't."
+
+"You wouldn't, Paul?" cried three or four in a breath. "How do you mean,
+you wouldn't? Is it that you didn't like it?"
+
+"That's it: I didn't like it," replied he, glaring around him as he
+spoke, with a look which had repressed any tendency to mirth, if such
+an inclination existed in the party. "Mayhap there are some here don't
+believe this," he continued, as if anxious to extort a contradiction
+from any one bold enough to adventure it; but none seemed disposed to
+meet his wishes. He resumed. "The way of it was this:--
+
+"We sailed from Brest, seven sail and two frigates, on a cruise, in the
+Messidor of the year '13, (it was the time of the Republic then), and
+our orders were to keep together, and afford protection to all vessels
+of our flag; and wherever an opportunity offered to engage the enemy, to
+do so, if we had a fair chance of success. There was one heavy sailer
+of the fleet, the 'Old Torch,' and by good luck I was in her; and so,
+before we were eight days out, it came on to blow a hurricane from the
+northeast, with a great sea that threatened to poop us at every stroke.
+How the others weathered it I can't say; we rolled so badly that we
+carried away our mainmast and half our bulwarks, and when day broke we
+could see nothing of the rest. We were lying floundering there in the
+trough of the sea, with nothing left but a storm-jib to keep her head
+straight, and all hands at the pumps; for in working she had opened her
+old seams, and leaked like a basket. Well, we cut away the wreck of the
+mast, and we threw twelve of our guns over,--short eighteens they were,
+and all heavy metal,--and that lightened her a bit, and we began to have
+hopes of weathering out the gale, when the word was passed of a strange
+sail to windward.
+
+"We looked, and there saw a great vessel looming, as large as a
+three-decker, coming down towards us with close-reefed topsails, but
+going through the water like a swordfish. At first we hoped it was one
+of our own; but that hope did not last long, for as she neared us we
+saw floating from the peak that confounded flag that never boded us good
+fortune. She was an English eighty-gun ship; the 'Blanche' they called
+her. _Ventrebleu!_ I didn't know how they ever got so handsome a model;
+but, I learned after, she was a French ship, and built at Toulon,--for
+you see, Comrades, they never had such craft as ours. Well, down they
+came, as if they were about to come right over us, and never once made
+a signal, nor took any notice of us whatever, till quite close; when
+a fellow from the poop-deck shouted out in French,--bad enough it was,
+too,--desiring us to keep close till the sea went down a bit, and then
+to send a boat to them. _Sacristi!_there was no more about it than that;
+and they made a prize of us at once.
+
+"But our captain was not one of that mould, and he answered by beating
+to quarters; and just as the 'Blanche' swept past, up flew our ports,
+and eight carronades threw in a fire of grape along her deck that made
+them dance to the music. _Diable!_ the fun was short, though. Round she
+came in stays like a pinnace, down helm, and passed us again; when, as
+if her sides slit open, forty guns flashed forth their flame, and sent
+us a broadside that made the craft tremble again, and left our deck one
+mass of dead and wounded. There was no help for it now. The clear
+water came gushing up the hatchways from many a shothole; the craft was
+settling fast, and so we hauled down the ensign and made the signal of
+distress. The answer was, 'Keep her afloat if you can.' But, faith, our
+fellows didn't care much to save a prize for the English, and they would
+n't lend a hand to the pumps, but crossed their arms and stood still,
+waiting for her to go down; when what did we see but two boats lowered
+from the 'Blanche' and dropped into the sea, which was then running
+mountains high. _Feu d'enfer!_ they don't know where there is danger and
+where not, these English; and that's the reason they seem so brave!
+For a minute or two we thought they were swamped, for they were hidden
+entirely; then we saw them on the top of a wave, balancing, as it might
+be; and again they disappeared, and the huge dark swell seemed to have
+swallowed them. And so we strained eyes after them, just as if our own
+danger was not as great as theirs; when suddenly a fearful cry for'ed
+was heard, and a voice called out. 'She is sinking by the head!'
+
+"And so it was. A crash like falling timber was heard above the storm
+and the sea, and the 'Torch' rolled heavily from side to side, and then
+plunged bowsprit down, and the boiling surf met over her. There was
+a wild yell; some said it was a cheer; I thought it like a drowning
+cry,--and I remember no more. That is, I have a kind of horrid dreamy
+remembrance of buffeting in the waves, and shaking off a hand that
+grasped me by the shoulder, and then feeling the water gathering over me
+as I grew more and more exhausted. But the end of it was, I came to
+my senses some hours after, and found myself in a hammock on board the
+'Blanche,' with twenty-eight of my comrades. All the rest--above two
+hundred and fifty--had perished, the captain and the officers among
+them.
+
+"The 'Blanche' was under orders for St. Domingo, and was in no way
+anxious to have our company; and before a week was over we were drafted
+into a small sloop of war, carrying eight guns, and called the 'Fawn,'
+She was bound for England with despatches from Nelson,--one of their
+English admirals they 're always talking about. This little craft could
+sail like the wind, but she was crowded with sick and invalided men from
+some foreign station, and there was not a place the size of a dog-kennel
+on board of her that was not occupied. As for us, we were only
+prisoners, and you may think they were n't very particular about
+our comforts; and so they ranged us along under the bulwarks to
+leeward,--for they would n't spoil her sailing trim by suffering us to
+sit to windward; and there we were, drenched to the skin, and shivering
+from day to dark.
+
+"Four days went over in this way, when, on the fifth, about eight
+o'clock in the morning, the lookout announced several strange sail
+in sight; and the same instant we perceived the officers setting the
+glasses to observe them. We could remark that the sight did not seem to
+please them much; but more we knew not, for we were not allowed to stand
+up nor look over the bulwarks. The lieutenant of the watch called up the
+commander; and when he came on deck he ordered the men to cram on more
+sail, and hold her head a point or so off the wind; and as soon as
+it was done, the rushing noise at the cutwater told the speed she was
+making through the sea. It was a fine day, with a fresh breeze and a
+nice curl from the water; and it was a handsome thing to see how the
+sloop bent to the gale and rose again, her canvas white as snow and
+steady as a board; and we soon knew, from the manner of the officers
+and the anxious looks they 'd give to leeward from time to time, that
+another vessel was in chase of the 'Fawn.' Not a man stirred on the deck
+save the lieutenant of the watch, who walked the quarterdeck with his
+glass in his hand; now lifting it to his eye, and now throwing a glance
+aloft to see how the sails were drawing.
+
+"'She's gaining on us, sir,' cried the boatswain, as he went aloft, to
+the lieutenant. 'Shall we ease her off a little more?'
+
+"'No, no,' said he, impatiently. 'She's coming handover-hand now. Clear
+the deck, and prepare for action.'
+
+"My heart jumped to my throat as I heard the words; and waiting until
+the lieutenant's back was turned, I stole my eyes above the bulwark,
+and beheld the tall masts and taper spars of a frigate, all covered
+with canvas, about two miles astern of us. She was a good-sized craft,
+apparently of thirty-eight guns; but what I liked best about her was the
+broad tricolor that fluttered from her masthead. Every curl that floated
+on the breeze whispered liberty to my heart.
+
+"'You know her?' said the lieutenant, laying his hand on my shoulder,
+before I was aware he was behind me. 'What is she?'
+
+"'Lend me your glass, Lieutenant, and perhaps I can tell you,' said
+I; and with that he gave the telescope into my hand, and leaned on the
+bulwark beside me. 'Ha!' said I, as soon as I caught the side of her
+hull, 'I ought to know her well; I sailed in her for two years and a
+half. She's the "Cr�ole," of thirty-eight guns, the fastest frigate in
+our navy; she has six carronades on her quarterdeck, and never goes to
+sea without three hundred and twenty men.'
+
+"'If she had three tiers of them we 'd not flinch from her,' said a
+voice behind. It was the commander himself, who was now in full uniform,
+and wore a belt with four pistols stuck around it.
+
+"There is no use in denying it,--the English prepared for action like
+brave fellows, and soon cleared the deck of everything in the way of the
+guns. But what use was it? In less than an hour the 'Cr�ole' worked to
+windward, and opened a fire from her long guns to which the other could
+make no reply. There they came plumping in,--some into the hull, some
+splintering through the bulwarks, and some crashing away through the
+rigging; and all the crew could do was to repair the mischief the
+distant cannonade was making.
+
+"'It's a cowardly way your countrymen come into action, after all,' said
+the lieutenant, as he watched the shot hopping and skipping along the
+water to leeward. 'With four times our strength, they don't bear down
+and encourage us.'
+
+"As he spoke, a shot cut the peak halyards in two, and down came the
+spar with a crash, carrying with it in its fall that ensign they 're so
+proud of. It was all we could do, prisoners as we were, not to cheer at
+this; but the faces around us did not encourage us to such a course, and
+we sat silently watching them.
+
+"The moment the accident happened, twenty stout fellows were clambering
+up the rigging, and as many more engaged to repair the mischief. But
+suddenly the commander whispered something to the lieutenant; the
+men were called down again, and the craft was let fall off the wind,
+trailing the sails and the tangled rigging over her sides.
+
+"'And the prisoners, sir?' said the lieutenant, at the close of
+something I could not hear.
+
+"'Send them below,' was the short reply.
+
+"'We cannot; the space between decks is crowded to suffocation. But here
+she comes.' And, as he spoke, the frigate came bearing down in gallant
+style, her whole deck swarming with men.
+
+"'Down, men, down!' whispered the lieutenant, and he dropped on his
+knee behind the bulwark, and motioned to the rest to kneel. And I now
+perceived that every sailor had a drawn cutlass in his hand and pistols
+in his belt, as he lay crouching on the deck.
+
+"The frigate was now so close, I could hear the commands of the officers
+on the quarterdeck, and the words 'Bas les branles'--the signal to
+board--passed from mouth to mouth. The next instant, she closed on us,
+and showed her tall sides towering above us.
+
+"'Now, men!' cried the commander of the 'Fawn,' 'now, forward! 'All who
+care to live, there's your ground,' said he, pointing to the frigate.
+'Such as like to die on a British deck, remain with me.' The boarders
+sprang up the side of the 'Cr�ole' before the crew could fasten the
+grapples. _Tonnerre de Dieu!_ what a moment it was! The fellows cheered
+like madmen, as they poured in to certain death; the lieutenant himself
+was one of the first on board, and fell back the same instant, dead upon
+his own deck. The struggle was a bloody but brief one; for a few
+minutes the English pressed our men back, and gained a footing on
+the quarterdeck, but a murderous fire from the tops cut them down in
+numbers, and they now fought, not for victory, but vengeance.
+
+"'Now, Captain, now!' screamed a youth, in a lieutenant's uniform, but
+all covered with blood, and his face gashed with a cutlass-wound, as he
+leaned over the bulwark of the 'Cr�ole,' and waved his cap in the air.
+
+"'I'm ready,' replied the English commander, and sprang down the main
+hatchway as he spoke, with a pistol in his hand. At the same instant,
+a fearful cry burst forth from the prisoners; for, with the instinct of
+despair, they guessed his desperate resolve was to blow up the vessel.
+We were tied, wrist to wrist, and the rope run through the blocks at our
+back in such a way as to prevent our moving more than a few inches. But
+what will not the fear of a dreadful death do? With one unanimous effort
+we tore the lashings in pieces, and got free. I was myself the first
+at liberty, and sprang towards the 'Creole.' Alas! they had divined
+the awful doom awaiting us, and were endeavoring to shove off at once.
+Already there were some ten or twelve feet between the vessels. I rushed
+forward to gain the bowsprit, a vague hope of escape suggesting the
+effort. As I did so, my eyes caught sight of a book, which, with his
+hat, the captain threw from him as he hastened below. I stooped down
+and put it in my bosom,--why, I know not. Life, and life only, was my
+thought at that moment. Then, with lightning's speed, I ran along the
+deck, and out on the bowsprit.
+
+"At this instant, the frigate shot ahead of us; I made a leap, the last
+effort of despair, and caught the fluke of the anchor; a friendly
+hand threw me a rope and dragged me on the deck. As I gained it, a
+thunderclap, louder than ten broadsides, broke forth, and the frigate
+fell over on one side as if sinking; while over her rigging and her
+masts flew spars and timbers, blazing and burning, amid a black smoke
+that filled the air on every side. Every man about dropped wounded
+or terrified on the deck, where they lay amid the falling fire of the
+wreck, and the terrible carnage. I wiped the blood from my eyes, for
+I was bleeding profusely from a splinter cut, and looked about me. The
+deck was a mass of dead and dying; their piercing cries and groans were
+maddening to hear. The frigate, however, was flying fast through the
+water; the 'Fawn' was gone!"
+
+"_T�te-bleue!_ he blew her up?" said three or four in a breath.
+
+Paul nodded, and resumed:--
+
+"Ay, Comrades, and the half-dozen of her crew who stood alive on our
+quarterdeck cheered the explosion as if it was a victory; and one
+fellow, as he lay bleeding on the planks, cried out, 'See, there; look,
+if our gay flag is not high above yours, as it always will be! 'And that
+time he was right, for the spar that bore it was nigh the clouds.
+
+"Well, to finish my story: In eight days we made Brest, and all of us
+who were wounded were sent on shore to the naval hospital. A sorry set
+we were; most of us disabled by splinter-wounds, and many obliged to
+suffer amputation. I was about again sooner than the rest, and was sent
+for one morning on board the admiral's ship, to give some account of the
+'Fawn,' of which they never could hear enough; and when I came to that
+part where I made my escape, they all began a-laughing at my stopping
+to take up a book at such a moment. And one of the lieutenants said,
+jokingly,--
+
+"'Well, Paul, I suppose it was the Englishman's breviary saved your
+life, was n't it?'
+
+"'No, Lieutenant,' said I; 'but you 'd be mighty proud this day to have
+that same breviary in your possession.'
+
+"'How so, good fellow?' said the admiral himself, old Villaret Joyeuse,
+who always talked like one of ourselves. 'What is this book, then, that
+is so precious?'
+
+"'I 'll show it you, sir, because I 've no fear of foul play at your
+hands; but there's not another man of the fleet I 'd let see it,' And
+with that I took it out of my breast, where I always carried it, and
+gave it to him. Ah! if you'd seen his face,--how it flushed up as he
+turned over the leaves, and how his eyes sparkled with fire!
+
+"'Paul Dupont,' said he, 'are you aware what this is?'
+
+"'Yes, Admiral,' said I, 'as well as you are.'
+
+"'Your fortune's made, then, my brave fellow,' said he, slapping me on
+the shoulder. 'The finest frigate in the English navy is a less prize
+than this.'
+
+"_Mille tonnerres!_ how the others stared at me then. But I stood
+without minding how they looked, for I was the same Paul Dupont they
+laughed at a few minutes before.
+
+"Meanwhile the admiral laid down the book on the table, and covered
+it with his cocked hat; and then taking a pen he wrote some lines on a
+piece of paper before him.
+
+"'Will that do, Paul?' said he, handing it towards me.
+
+"It was just this: 'Bureau of the Marine, Brest. Pay Paul Dupont the sum
+of ten thousand francs, for service rendered to his Imperial Majesty,
+and attested in a note by me Villaret Joyeuse, Admiral of France.'
+
+"I could scarce read the lines, Comrades, for pure passion.
+
+"'Ten thousand francs!' said I at last, as soon as I found breath,--'ten
+thousand francs!'
+
+"'What!' cried the admiral, 'not content? Well, then, thou shalt have
+more; but I have rarely met one of your cloth with so mercenary a
+spirit.'
+
+"'Stay, Admiral,' said I, as I saw him about to write a new order; 'we
+both are in an error here. You mistake me, and I you. An old admiral of
+the fleet ought to know his sailors better than to think that money is
+their highest reward; it never was so at least with Paul Dupont Let me
+have my book again.'
+
+"'Come, come, Paul; I believe I understand you now,' laid he. 'Your
+warrant shall be made out this day.'
+
+"'No, Admiral, it's too late,' said I. 'If that had come first, and from
+yourself, all well; but it looks like a bargain now, and I 'll not have
+promotion that way.'
+
+"'Mort du diable!' said he, stamping with passion. 'But they 're all
+the same; these Bretons are as brutal in their obstinacy as their own
+cattle.'
+
+"'You say true, Admiral,' said I; 'but if they're obstinate in wrong,
+they're resolute in right. You are a Breton gentleman; give me back my
+book.'
+
+"'Take it,' said he, flinging it at me, 'and let me never see your face
+again.' And with that he left the cabin, and banged the door after him
+in a rage.
+
+"And so, I went my way, Comrades, back to my ship, and served for many a
+long year after, carrying that book always in my breast, and thinking
+to myself, 'Well, what if thou art only a boatswain, Paul; thou hast
+wherewithal in thy keeping to make thee a commodore any day.'"
+
+"And what can it be, then, this book?" said the party, in a breath.
+
+"You shall see," said Paul, solemnly; "for though I have never shown it
+since, nor have I ever told the story before, here it is."
+
+With these words he drew from his bosom a small square volume, bound in
+vellum, and fastened by a clasp; lettered on the cover, "Signals of the
+Channel Fleet."
+
+This was the secret of honest Paul's life; and as he turned over the
+leaves, he expatiated with eloquent delight on the various British
+emblems which were represented there, in all their brilliant coloring.
+
+"That double streak of yellow on the black is to make all sail,
+Comrades," said he. "Whenever they see us standing out to sea you may
+remark that signal flying."
+
+"And what is this large blue flag here, with all the colored bars across
+it?" said one.
+
+"Ay," cried another, "they're very fond of that ensign; what can it be?"
+
+"Close action," growled out Paul, sullenly, who didn't fancy even the
+reflective praise this question implied to the hated rival.
+
+"_Sacrebleu!_" said a third, "they've no other to announce a victory.
+Look here; it is the same flag for both."
+
+Paul shut up the book at this, with a muttered curse, which might have
+been intended either for his comrades or the English, or both together,
+and the whole party became suddenly silent.
+
+It was now that the landlord's tact became conspicuous; for instead
+of any condoling expressions on what might have been deemed the
+unsuccessful result of Paul's career, he affected to think that the
+brave seaman was more to be envied for the possession of that volume
+than if he walked the deck an admiral of France.
+
+This flattery, aided by a fresh supply of Burgundy, had full success;
+and from story-telling the party fell to singing,--the songs being
+only a more boastful detail of their prowess at sea than their prose
+narratives; and even here Paul maintained his supremacy.
+
+Sleep, however, stronger than self-glorification and pride, fell on the
+party one by one, and they lay down at last on the tables and benches,
+and slumbered heavily.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.  A MOONLIGHT RECOGNITION
+
+I sat on my bed in the little chamber allotted me, and as the bright
+moonlight streamed along the floor, and lit up the wide landscape
+without, I hesitated within myself whether I should await the morning,
+or at once set forth on my way to the coast. It was true the abb� had
+not arrived; and without him I knew nothing of the vessel, nor where she
+lay, much less by what means I should induce the crew to receive me as
+a passenger. But my heart was fixed on gaining the coast; once there,
+I felt that the sea alone rolled between me and my country, and I had
+little doubt some means of escape would present itself.
+
+The desire to return to Ireland, long stilled, was now become a passion.
+I thought some new career must there open for me, and in its active
+vicissitudes I should make amends for the wearisome languor of my late
+life. What this novel path was to be, and where to lead, I cannot
+say; nor am I able now, in looking back, to guess by what sophistry I
+persuaded myself into this belief. It was the last ray of hope within
+me, however, and I cherished it only the more fondly for its very
+uncertainty.
+
+As I sat thus deliberating with myself what course to take, the door was
+cautiously opened, and the landlord entered.
+
+"He is come," whispered he; "and, thank Heaven! not too late."
+
+"The abb�?" inquired I.
+
+"No, not the abb�; but the Comte de Chambord. The abb� will not venture;
+but it matters not, if you will. The letters are all ready; the sloop is
+off the coast; the wind is fair--"
+
+"And not a moment to be lost," added a deep, low voice, as the figure of
+a tall man, wrapped in a travelling cloak, darkened the doorway. "Leave
+us, Pierre; this is the gentleman, I suppose?"
+
+"Yes, sir," said the landlord. "Should you need a light, I 'll bring
+one."
+
+"Thank you, friend; we can dispense with any, save what the moon affords
+us."
+
+As the door closed on the retiring figure of the host, the stranger took
+his place beside me on the bed, and in a low voice thus began:--
+
+"I only know, sir, that you have the full confidence of one of my
+stanchest and best friends, who tells me that you are willing to incur
+great risk, provided you gain the chance of reaching your native land.
+That chance--nay, I will call it that certainty--lies in my power; and,
+in return for the assistance, are you willing to do me a service?"
+
+"I served the Emperor, sir; ask me not anything unworthy of one who wore
+his epaulette. Aught else, if it be but honorable and fair, I 'll do."
+
+"I have no leisure for casuistry, nor is it my humor, sir," replied he
+angrily. "Neither do I seek any wondrous devotion at your hands. The
+service is an easy one: costs nothing at the present; involves nothing
+for the future."
+
+"The slight value you place upon it may detract but little from my
+objection," said I.
+
+"_Sacr� ciel!_" exclaimed he, in a louder voice, as he sprang from the
+bed and clasped his hands before him. "Is it to be ever thus? Is every
+step we take to be marred by some unlooked for casualty? Is the stamp
+of fear and vacillation to be on every act of our lives? This abb�, the
+creature we have made, the man whose fortune is our handiwork, could
+render but one service to our cause; and he fails us in our need. And
+now, you--"
+
+"Beware, sir, how you speak to one who has never been accustomed to
+hear his name slightingly used nor his honor impugned. With your cause,
+whatever it be, I have no sympathy. Remember that; and remember, also,
+we are strangers to each other."
+
+"No, _par Saint Denis!_ that we are not!" said he, seizing me by the
+arm, as he turned his head round, and stared me steadfastly in the face.
+"It was but this instant I deemed my fortune at the worst; and now I
+find myself mistaken. Do you know me now?" said he, throwing off his
+travelling cap, and letting his cloak fall from his shoulders to the
+ground.
+
+"De Beauvais!" exclaimed I, thunderstruck at the sight.
+
+"Yes, sir; the same De Beauvais whose fortunes you have blighted,
+whose honor you have tarnished--Interrupt me not. The mill at H�lbrun
+witnessed the latter, if even the former were an error; and now we meet
+once more."
+
+"Not as enemies, however; at least on my side. You may persist, if you
+will, in attributing to me wrongs I never inflicted. I can better bear
+the imputation, unjust though it be, than involve myself in any quarrel
+with one I feel no anger towards. I was in hopes a few hours hence might
+have seen me on my way from France forever; but here, or elsewhere, I
+will not reply to your enmity."
+
+De Beauvais made no reply as I concluded, but with his arms crossed, and
+head bent down, seemed lost in thought.
+
+"And so," said he, at length, in a slow, sad voice, "you have not found
+the service of the Usurper as full of promise as you hoped; you have
+followed his banner long enough to learn how mean a thing even ambition
+may be, and how miserably selfish is the highest aspiration of an
+adventurer!"
+
+"The Emperor was my good master," said I, sternly; "it would ill become
+me to vent my disappointment on aught save my own demerits."
+
+"I have seen as slight deservings bring a high reward, notwithstanding,"
+replied he; "ay, and win their meed of praise from lips whose eulogy was
+honor. There was a service, Burke--"
+
+"Stay, no more of this!" said I. "You are unjust to your own cause and
+to me, if you deem that the hour of baffled hopes is that in which I
+could see its justice. _You_ are true and faithful to one whose fortunes
+look darkly. I respect the fidelity, while I will not follow its
+dictates. I leave the path where fame and riches abound; I only ask you
+to believe that I do so with honor. Let us part, then."
+
+"Where do you mean to go, hence?"
+
+"I know not; a prospect of escape had led me hither. I must now bethink
+me of some other course."
+
+"Burke, I am your debtor for one kindness, at least," said De Beauvais,
+after a brief pause. "You saved my life at the risk of your own. The
+night at the Ch�teau d'Ancre should never be forgotten by me; nor had
+it been, if I did not revenge my own disappointed hopes, in not
+seducing you to our cause, upon yourself. It may be that I wrong you in
+everything as in this."
+
+"Believe me, that you do, De Beauvais."
+
+"Be it as it may, I am your debtor. I came here to-night to meet one who
+had pledged himself to perform a service. He has failed in his promise;
+will you take his place? The same means of escape shall be yours. All
+the precautions for his safety and sure conduct shall be taken in your
+behalf. I ask no pledge for the honorable discharge of what I seek at
+your hands, save your mere assent."
+
+"What is it you require of me?"
+
+"That you deliver these letters to their several addresses; that you
+do so with your own hands; that when questioned, as you may be, on the
+state of France, you will not answer as the partisan of the Usurper."
+
+"I understand you. Enough: I refuse your offer. Your zeal for the cause
+you serve must indeed be great when it blinds you to all consideration
+for one placed as I am."
+
+"It has made me forget more, sir, far more than that, as I might prove
+to you, were I to tell what my life has been for two years past. But for
+such forgetfulness there is an ample recompense, a glorious one,--the
+memory of our king." He paused at these words, and in his tremulous
+voice and excited gesture I could read the passion that worked within
+him. "Come, then; there shall be no more question of a compact between
+us. I ask no conditions, I seek for no benefits: you shall escape.
+Take my horse; my servant, who is also mounted, will accompany you to
+Beudron, where you will find fresh horses in readiness. This passport
+will prevent all interruption or delay; it is countersigned by Fouch�
+himself. At Lisieux, which you will reach by sunset, you can leave the
+cattle, and the boy of the cabaret will be your guide to the Falaise
+de Biville. The tide will ebb at eleven o'clock, and a rocket from the
+sloop will be your signal to embark."
+
+"And for this I can render nothing in return?" said I, sadly.
+
+"Yes. It may be that in your own country you will hear the followers
+of our king scoffed at and derided,--called fools or fanatics, perhaps
+worse. I would only ask of you to bear witness that they are at least
+ardent in the cause they have sworn to uphold, and firm to the faith
+to which they have pledged themselves. This is the only service you can
+render us, but it is no mean one. And now, farewell!"
+
+"Farewell, De Beauvais! But ere we separate forever, let me hear from
+your lips that you bear me no enmity; that we are friends, as we used to
+be."
+
+"Here is my hand. I care not if you injured me once; we can be friends
+now, for we are little likely to meet again as enemies. Adieu!"
+
+While De Beauvais left the room to order the horses to be in readiness,
+the landlord entered it, and seemed to busy himself most eagerly in
+preparing my knapsack for the road.
+
+"I trust you will be many a mile hence ere the day breaks," said
+he, with an anxiety I could ill comprehend, but which at the time
+I attributed to his desire for the safety of one intrusted with an
+important mission. "And now, here come the horses.'"
+
+A moment more, and I was seated in the saddle. A brief word at parting
+was all De Beauvais spoke, and turned away; and the minute after I was
+hurrying onward towards Beudron.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII. THE FALAISE DE BIVILLE.
+
+Everything occurred as De Beauvais had predicted. The authorities in the
+little villages we passed glanced at my passport, and as instantaneously
+handed it back, and we journeyed like couriers of the Emperor, without
+halt or impediment.
+
+We reached Lisieux early in the evening, where, having dismissed the
+servant and horses, I took my way on foot towards a small fishing
+village, called La Hupe, where at a certain cabaret I was to find my
+guide to Biville.
+
+The address of the sailor written on a card, and marked with a peculiar
+cipher by De Beauvais, was at once recognized by the old Norman, who
+welcomed me with a rude but kindly hospitality.
+
+"Thou art more like a man to make this venture than the last three who
+came down here," said he, as he slowly measured me with his eye from
+head to foot. "These priests they sent us never dared even to look at
+the coast, much less to descend the cliffs; but thou hast a look about
+thee of another fashion. And now, the first thing is to have something
+to eat, and I promise thee a _goutte_ of brandy will not be amiss to
+prepare thee for what is before thee."
+
+"Is there, then, so much of danger in the descent?"
+
+"Not if a man's head be steady and his hand firm; but he must have both,
+and a stout heart to guide them, or the journey is not over-pleasant.
+Art thou cool enough in time of peril to remember what has been told
+thee for thy guidance?"
+
+"Yes; I hope I can promise so much."
+
+"Then thou art all safe; so eat away, and leave the rest to me."
+
+Although the sailor's words had stimulated my curiosity in the highest
+degree, I repressed every semblance of the feeling, and ate my supper
+with a well-feigned appearance of easy indifference; while he questioned
+me about the hopes of the Bourbon party in their secret machinations,
+with a searching inquisitiveness that often nearly baffled all my
+ingenuity in reply.
+
+"Ah! _par Saint Denis!_" said he, with a deep sigh, "I see well thou
+hast small hope now; and, in truth, I feel as thou dost. When George
+Cadoudal and his brave fellows failed, where are we to look for success?
+I mind well the night he supped here."
+
+"Here, said you?"
+
+"Ay, where you sit now,--on the same seat. There was an English
+officer with him. He wore a blue uniform, and sat yonder, beneath that
+fishing-net; the others were hid along the shore."
+
+"Was it here they landed, then?"
+
+"Yes, to be sure, at the Falaise; there is not another spot to land on
+for miles along the coast."
+
+The old sailor then began a circumstantial account of the arrival of
+George and his accomplices from England; and told how they had one by
+one scaled the cliffs by means of a cord, well known in these parts,
+called the "smuggler's rope." "Thou shalt see the spot now," added he,
+"for there's the signal yonder."
+
+He pointed as he spoke to an old ruined tower, which crowned a cliff
+about half a mile distant, and from a loophole in which I could see a
+branch of ivy waving, as though moved by the wind.
+
+"And what may that mean?"
+
+"The cutter is in sight; as the wind is off shore, she 'll be able to
+come in close to-night. Indeed, if it blew from the westward, she dared
+not venture nearer, nor thou, either, go down to meet her. So, now let's
+be moving."
+
+About twenty minutes' walking brought us to the old signal-tower, on
+looking from the window of which I beheld the sea plashing full three
+hundred feet beneath. The dark rocks, fissured by time and weather, were
+abrupt as a wall, and in some places even overhung the waves that rolled
+heavily below. Masses of tangled seaweed and shells, which lay in the
+crevices of the cliffs, showed where in times of storm the wild waters
+were thrown; while lower down, amid fragments of rocks, the heavy beams
+and planks of shipwrecked vessels surged with every motion of the tide.
+
+"You cannot see the cutter now," said the old sailor,--"the setting sun
+leaves a haze over the sea; but in a few minutes more we shall see her."
+
+"I am rather looking for the pathway down this bold cliff," replied I,
+as I strained my eyes to catch something like a way to descend by.
+
+"Then throw thine eyes in this direction," said the sailor, as he
+pointed straight down beneath the window of the tower. "Seest thou that
+chain there? Well, follow it a little farther, and thou may'st mark a
+piece of timber jutting from the rock."
+
+"Yes, I see it plainly."
+
+"Well, the path thou asketh for is beneath that spar. It is a good rope
+of stout hemp, and has carried the weight of many a brave fellow before
+now."
+
+"The smuggler's rope?"
+
+"The same. Art afraid to venture, now thou seest the place?"
+
+"You'll not find me so, friend. I have seen danger as close before now,
+and did not blink it."
+
+"Mark me well, then," said he, laying his hand on my arm. "When thou
+readiest that rope, thou wilt let thyself cautiously down to a small
+projecting point of rock; we cannot see it here, but thou wilt soon
+discern it in the descent. The rope from this goes no farther, for that
+spot is nigh sixty fathom below us. From thence the cliff slopes sharply
+down about thirty or forty feet. Here thou must creep cautiously,--for
+the moss is dry and slippery at this season,--till thou nearest the
+edge. Mark me well, now: near the edge thou'lt find a large stone
+fast-rooted in the ground; and around that another rope is fastened, by
+which thou may'st reach the bottom of the precipice. There is but one
+place of peril in the whole."
+
+"The sloping bank, you mean?"
+
+"Yes; that bit will try thy nerve. Remember, if thy foot slip, there's
+nothing to stop thy fall; the cliff is rounded over the edge, and the
+blue sea beats two hundred feet below it. And see! look yonder, far away
+there! Seest thou the twinkling, as of a small star, on the water?"
+
+"The cutter will throw up a rocket, will she not?"
+
+"A rocket!" repeated he, contemptuously; "that's some landsman's story
+thou hast been listening to. A rocket would bring the whole fleet of
+boats from Tr�port on her. No, no; they know better than that: the
+faintest glimmer of a fishing-craft is all they 'll dare to show. But
+see how steadily it burns now! we must make the signal seawards."
+
+"Halloo, Joseph! a light there."
+
+A boy's voice answered from the upper part of the tower,--the same
+figure who made the signal towards the shore, and whose presence there I
+had altogether forgotten; and in a few minutes a red glare on the rocks
+below showed that the old man's command was obeyed, and the beacon
+lighted.
+
+"Ah! they see it already," cried he, triumphantly, pointing seawards;
+"they've extinguished the light now, but will show it again, from time
+to time."
+
+"But tell me, friend, how happens it that the marines of the Guard, who
+line this coast, do not perceive these signals?"
+
+"And who tells thee that they do not? They may be looking, as we are
+now, at that same craft, and watching Her as she beats in shore; but
+they know better than to betray us. Ah, _ma foi!_ the 'contrebande'
+is better than the Government. Enough for them if they catch some poor
+English prisoner now and then, and have him shot; that contents the
+Emperor, as they call him, and he thinks the service all that is brave
+and vigilant. But as to us, it is our own fault if we fall in with them;
+it would need the rocket you spoke of a while ago to shame them into it.
+There, look again,--thou seest how far in shore they've made already;
+the cutter is stealing fast along the water. Answer the signal, Joseph."
+
+The boy replenished the fire with some dry wood, and it blazed up
+brilliantly, illuminating the gray cliffs and dark rocks, on which the
+night was fast falling, but leaving all beyond its immediate sphere in
+deepest blackness.
+
+"I see not, friend, by what means I am to discover this sloping cliff,
+much less guide my way along it," said I, as I gazed over the precipice,
+and tried to penetrate the gloomy abyss below me.
+
+"Thou 'lt have the moon at full in less than two hours; and if thou 'lt
+take a friend's counsel, thou 'lt have a sleep ere that time. Lay thee
+down yonder on those rushes; I 'll awake thee when time comes for it."
+
+The rather that I resolved to obey my old guide in his every direction,
+than from any desire for slumber at such a time, I followed his advice,
+and threw myself full length in a corner of the tower. In the perfect
+stillness of the hour, the sea alone was heard, surging in slow, minute
+peals through many a deep cavern below; and then, gathering for fresh
+efforts, it swelled and beat against the stern rocks in passionate fury.
+Such sounds, heard in the silence of the night, are of the saddest; nor
+was their influence lightened by the low, monotonous chant of the old
+sailor, who, seated in a corner, began to repair a fishing-net, as he
+sang to himself some ditty of the sea.
+
+How strangely came the thought to my mind, that all the peril I once
+incurred to reach France, the hoped-for, wished-for land, I should
+again brave to escape from its shores! Every dream of boyish ambition
+dissipated, every high hope flown, I was returning to my country as poor
+and humble as I left it, but with a heart shorn of all the enthusiasm
+that gave life its coloring. In what way I could shape my future career
+I was not able even to guess; a vague leaning to some of England's
+distant colonies, some new world beyond the seas, being all my
+imagination could frame of my destiny. A sudden flash of light,
+illuminating the whole interior of the tower, startled me from my
+musings, while the sailor called out,--
+
+"Come, wake up, friend! The cutter is standing in close, and a signal to
+make haste flying from her mast."
+
+I sprang to my legs, and looked out. The sea was all freckled with the
+moonlight, and the little craft shone like silver, as the bright beams
+glanced on her white sails. The tall cliffs alone preserved their gloom,
+and threw a dark and frowning shadow over the waves beneath them.
+
+"I can see nothing close to shore," said I, pointing to the dark rocks
+beneath the window.
+
+"Thou'lt have the moon presently; she's rising above the crest of the
+hill, and then the cliffs are clear as at noonday. So, make haste! strap
+on that knapsack on your shoulder; high up, mind; and give thine arms
+full play,--that's it. Now fasten thy shoes over all; thou wert not
+about to wear them, surely?" said he in a tone almost derisive. "Take
+care, in keeping from the face of the rock, not to sway the rope; it
+wears the cordage. And, above all, mind well when thou reachest the
+cliff below; let not thy hold go before thou hast well felt thy footing.
+See, the moon is up already!"
+
+As he spoke, a vast sheet of yellow light seemed to creep over the whole
+face of the precipice, displaying every crag and projection, and making
+every spot of verdure or rock brilliant in color; while, many a fathom
+down below, the heavy waves were seen,--now rising in all their majestic
+swell, now pouring back in their thousand cataracts from every fissure
+in the precipice. So terribly distinct did each object show, so
+dreadfully was each distance marked, I felt that all its former gloom
+and darkness were not one half so thrilling as that moonlight splendor.
+
+"La bonne Marie guard thee now!" said the old seaman, as he wrung my
+hand in his strong fingers. "Be steady and cool of head, and there is
+no danger; and look not downwards till thou hast got accustomed to the
+cliff."
+
+As he said this, he opened a small door at the foot of the tower stair,
+and passing through himself, desired me to follow. I did so, and now
+found myself on a narrow ledge of rock, directly over the crag; below,
+at about ten feet, lay the chain to which the rope was attached, and to
+reach it was not the least perilous part of the undertaking. But in this
+I was assisted by the old man, who, passing a rope through a massive
+iron staple, gradually lowered me till my hand came opposite the chain.
+
+"Thou hast it now," cried he, as he saw me disengage one hand and grasp
+the iron links firmly.
+
+"Yes, all safe! Good-by, friend; good-by!"
+
+"Wait yet," cried he again. "Let not go the cord before thou thinkest
+a minute or so; I have known more than one change his mind when he felt
+himself where thou art."
+
+"Mine is made up. Farewell!"
+
+"Stay, stay!" shouted he rapidly. "See, thou hast forgotten this purse
+on the rock here; wait, and I will lower it with a cord."
+
+By this time I had grasped the chain firmly with both hands, and with
+the resolve of one who felt life depend on his own firmness, I began
+the descent. The old man's voice, as he muttered a prayer for my safety,
+grew fainter and fainter, till at length it ceased to reach my ears
+altogether.
+
+Then, for the first time, did my heart sink within me. The words of one
+human being, faint and broken by distance, suggested a sense of sympathy
+which nerved my courage and braced my arm; but the dreary silence that
+followed, only broken by the booming of the sea below, was awful beyond
+measure.
+
+Hand below hand I went, the space seeming never to lessen, as I strained
+my eyes to catch the cliff where the first rope ended. Time, as in
+some fearful dream, seemed protracted to years long; and I already
+anticipated the moment when, my strength failing, my hands would
+relinquish their hold, and I should be dashed upon the dark rocks below.
+The very sea-birds, which I startled in my descent, wheeled round my
+head, piercing the air with their shrill cries, and as if impatient for
+a prey. Above my head the frowning cliff beetled darkly; below, a depth
+unfathomable seemed to stretch, from whose black abyss arose the wild
+sounds of beating waves. More than once, too, I thought that the
+rope had given way above, and that I was actually falling through the
+air,--and held my breath in horror; then, again, the idea flashed
+upon me that death inevitable awaited me, and I fancied in the singing
+billows I could hear the wild shouts of demons rejoicing over my doom.
+
+Through all these maddening visions, the instinct to preserve my life
+held its strong sway, and I clutched the knotted rope with the eager
+grasp of a drowning man; when suddenly I felt my foot strike a rock
+beneath, and then discovered I was on the cliff of which the sailor had
+told me. In a few seconds the sense of security imparted a thrill of
+pleasure to my heart, and I uttered a prayer of thankfulness for my
+safety.
+
+But the fearful conviction of greater danger as suddenly succeeded. The
+rope I had so long trusted terminated here; the end hung listlessly on
+the rock, and from thence to the brow of the cliff nothing remained to
+afford a grip save the short moss and the dried ferns withered with the
+sun. The surface of this frightful ledge sloped rapidly towards the edge
+where was the rock around which the rope was tied.
+
+Fatigued by my previous exertion I sat down on that moss-grown cliff and
+gazed out upon the sea, along which the cutter came, proudly dashing
+the spray from her bows, and bending gracefully with every wave. She was
+standing fearlessly in, for the wind was off the land, and, as she swept
+along, I could have fancied her directly beneath my very feet.
+
+Arousing myself from the momentary stupor of my faculties, I began to
+creep down the cliff; but so slippery had the verdure become by heat,
+that I could barely sustain myself by grasping the very earth with my
+fingers. Aloud "Halloo!" was shouted from the craft, and arose in many
+an echo around me; I tried to reply, but could not. A second cheer
+saluted me, but I did not endeavor to answer it. The moment was full of
+peril. I had come to the last spot which offered a hold, and below me,
+at some feet, lay the rock, hanging, as it were, over the precipice; it
+seemed to me as though a sea-bird's weight might have sent it thundering
+into the depth beneath. The moon was on it, and I could see the rope
+coiled twice around it, and knotted carefully. What would I have given
+in that terrible minute for one tuft of grass, one slender bough, even
+enough to have sustained my weight for a second or two, until I should
+grasp the cord! But none was there.
+
+A louder cry from the cutter now rang in my ears, and the dreadful
+thought of destruction now flashed on me. I fixed my eyes on the rock to
+measure the place; and then, turning with my face towards the cliff, I
+suffered myself to slip downwards. At first I went slowly; then faster
+and faster. At last my legs passed over the brow of the precipice. I
+was falling! My head reeled. I uttered a cry, and in an agony of despair
+threw out my hands. They caught the rope. Knot after knot slipped past
+my fingers in the descent ere my senses became sufficiently clear to
+know what was occurring. But even then the instinct of self-preservation
+was stronger than reason; for I afterwards learned from the boat's crew
+with what skill I guided myself along the face of the cliff, avoiding
+every difficulty of the jagged rocks, and tracking my way like the most
+experienced climber.
+
+I stood upon a broad fiat rock, over which white sheets of foam were
+dashing. Oh, how I loved to see them curling on my feet t I could have
+kissed the bright water on which the moonbeams sported, for the moment
+of danger was passed; the shadow of a dreadful death had moved from
+my soul. What cared I now for the boiling surf that toiled and fretted
+about me? The dangers of the deep were as nothing to that I escaped
+from; and when the cutter's boat came bounding towards me, I minded
+not the oft-repeated warnings of the sailors, but plunging in, I dashed
+towards her on a retreating wave, and was dragged on board almost
+lifeless from my struggles.
+
+The red glare of the signal-fire was blazing from the old tower as we
+got under weigh. I felt my eyes riveted on it as I lay on the deck of
+the little vessel, which now stood out to sea in gallant style. It was
+my last look of France, and so I felt it.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII. THE LANDING
+
+With the crew of the cutter I had little intercourse. They were
+Jerseymen,--that hybrid race, neither French nor English,--who followed
+the trade of spies and smugglers, and were true to nothing save their
+own interests. The skipper, a coarse, ill-featured fellow, in no respect
+superior to the others, leisurely perused the letter De Beauvais gave
+me on my departure; then, tearing it slowly, threw the pieces into the
+fire.
+
+"What, then, is this?" said he, taking up a sealed packet, which I now
+for the first time perceived was fastened to my knapsack. "It seems
+meant for me; look at the address, 'Jacques Oloquette, on board the
+"Rouge Galant."'" And so saying, he broke the seal, and bent over the
+contents.
+
+"Oh," cried he, in a voice of triumphant delight, "this is a prize worth
+having,--the English signal-book!" And he held up the little volume
+which Paul Dupont had rescued from the "Fawn."
+
+"How came it here?" said I, horror-struck at the loss the poor sailor
+had sustained.
+
+"Old Martin, of the 'Star,' tells me he stole it from a marine of the
+Guard, and that it cost him twenty-four flasks of his best Pomard
+before the fellow and his companions were drunk enough to make the theft
+practicable."
+
+I remembered at once the eagerness of the landlord for my departure, and
+the hurried anxiety of his wish that morning might find me miles off on
+my journey, as well as the care he bestowed on strapping my knapsack,
+and saw how all had occurred.
+
+"I knew most of them already," continued the skipper. "But here is one
+will serve our turn well now,--the very thing we wanted, for it
+saves all delay and stoppage. That flag is the signal for Admiralty
+despatches, which are often brought by small craft like ours when they
+can't spare cruisers. We 'll soon rig it out, you 'll see, and run down
+Channel with all our canvas set."
+
+He went aft as he spoke; and in a few seconds the cutter's head was
+directed straight towards the English coast, while, crowding on more
+sail, she seemed to fly through the water.
+
+The cheering freshness of the sea-breeze, the sense of danger past,
+the hope of escape, all combining, raised my spirits and elevated my
+courage; but through all, I felt grieved beyond measure at the loss
+of poor Paul Dupont,--the prize the honest fellow valued next to life
+itself, if not above it, taken from him in the very moment of his
+exultation! Besides, I could not help feeling that suspicion must light
+on me from my sudden disappearance; and my indignation was deep, to
+think how such an imputation would tarnish the honor of that service I
+gloried in so much. "How far may such a calumny spread?" thought I. "How
+many lips may repeat the tale, and none be able to deny it?" Deep as was
+my regret at the brave Breton's loss, my anger for its consequences
+was still deeper; and I would willingly have perilled all my hope of
+reaching England to have been able to restore the book into Paul's own
+hand.
+
+These feelings did not tend to draw me closer in intimacy with the
+skipper; whose pleasure at the acquisition was only heightened by the
+subtlety of its accomplishment, and who seemed never so happy as when
+repeating some fragment of the landlord's letter, and rejoicing at the
+discomfiture the brave sailor must have experienced on discovering
+his loss. To witness the gratification a coarse nature feels in some
+unworthy but successful action, is the heaviest penalty an honorable
+mind can experience when unhappily its possessor has been in any way
+accessory to the result. With these reflections I fell off to sleep, and
+never woke till the bright sun was shining over the white-crested water,
+and the craft breasting the waves with a strong breeze upon her canvas.
+
+As we held on down Channel, we passed several ships of war beating up
+for Spithead; but our blue bunting, curiously streaked with white, was a
+signal which all acknowledged, and none ventured to retard. Thus passed
+the first day: as night was falling, we beheld the Needles on our lee,
+and with a freshening breeze, held on our course.
+
+A second morning broke. And now the sea was covered with the white sails
+of a magnificent fleet, bound for the West Indies; at least, so the
+skipper pronounced it. It was indeed a glorious sight to see the mighty
+vessels obeying the signals of the flag-ship, and shaping their course
+through the blue water as if instinct with life and reason. They were
+far seaward of us, however; for now we hugged the land, as the skipper
+was only desirous of an opportunity to land me unobserved before he
+proceeded on his own more immediate enterprise,--the smuggling of some
+hogsheads of brandy on the coasts of Ireland.
+
+Left to my own thoughts,--the memories of my past life,--I dreamed away
+the hours unconsciously, and as the time sped on, I knew not of its
+flight. Some strange sail, seen from afar off, would for an instant
+arouse my attention; but it was a mere momentary effect, and I fell back
+into my musings, as though they had never been interrupted. As I look
+back upon that voyage now, and think of the dreamy listlessness in which
+its hours were passed, I can half fancy that certain periods of our
+lives are destined to sustain the part which night performs in our daily
+existence, and by their monotony contribute to that renewal of energy
+and vigor so essential after times of labor and exertion. It seemed to
+me as though, the period of exertion past, I was regaining in rest and
+repose the power for future action; and I canvassed every act of
+the past to teach me more of my own heart, and to instruct me for my
+guidance in life after.
+
+"You can land now, whenever you please," said the skipper to me, as by a
+faint moonlight we moved along the waveless sea. "We can put you ashore
+at any moment here."
+
+I started with as much surprise as though the thought had never occurred
+to me; and without replying, I leaned over the bulwark, and gazed at the
+faint shadows of tall headlands about three miles distant.
+
+"How do you call that bluff yonder?" said I, carelessly.
+
+"Wicklow Head."
+
+"Wicklow Head! Ireland!" cried I, with a thrill of ecstasy my heart had
+never felt for many a day before. "Yes, yes; land me there,--now, at
+once!" said I, as a thousand thoughts came rushing to my mind, and hopes
+too vague for utterance, but palpable enough to cherish.
+
+With the speed their calling teaches, the crew lowered the boat, and as
+I took my place in the stern, pulled vigorously towards the shore. As
+the swift bark glided along the shallow sea, I could scarce restrain
+my impatience from springing out and rushing on land. Without family or
+friend, without one to welcome or meet me, still it was home,--the only
+home I ever had.
+
+The sharp keel grated on the beach; its sound vibrated within my heart.
+I jumped on shore; a few words of parting, and the men backed their
+oars; the boat slipped fast through the water. The cutter, too, got
+speedily under weigh again, and I was alone. Then the full torrent of my
+feelings found their channel, and I burst into tears. Oh! they were not
+tears of sorrow; neither were they the outpourings of excessive joy.
+They were the utterance of a heart loaded with its own unrelieved
+griefs, who now found sympathy on touching the very soil of home. I felt
+I was no longer friendless. Ireland, my own dear native country, would
+be to me a place of kindred and family, and I fell upon my knees, and
+blessed it.
+
+Following a little path, which led slantingly up the cliff, I reached
+the top as day was beginning to break, and gained a view of the country.
+The range of swelling hills, dotted with cottages and waving with
+wood; the fields of that emerald green one sees not in other lands;
+the hedge-rows bounding the little farms,--all so unlike the spreading
+plains of France,--struck me with delight, and it was with a rapture of
+happiness I called the land my country.
+
+Directing my steps towards Dublin, I set out at a good pace, but
+following a path which led near the cliffs, in preference to the
+highroad; for I was well aware that my appearance and dress would expose
+me to curiosity, and perhaps subject me to more serious annoyance. My
+first object was to learn some news of my brother; for although the
+ties of affection had been long since severed between us, those of blood
+still remained, and I wished to hear of, and it might be to see him,
+once more. For some miles I had kept my eyes directed towards a little
+cabin which crowned a cliff that hung over the sea; and this I reached
+at last, somewhat wearied and hungry.
+
+As I followed a little footpath which conducted to the door, a fierce
+terrier rushed out as if to attack me, but was immediately restrained
+by the voice of a man within, calling, "Down, Vicksey! down, you baste!"
+and the same moment a stout, middle-aged man appeared at the door.
+
+"Don't be afeard, sir; she's not wicked, but we're unused to strangers
+down here."
+
+"I should think so, friend, from my path," said I, throwing a glance
+at the narrow footway I had followed for some miles, over hill and
+precipice; "but I am unacquainted with the country, and was looking out
+for some house where I might obtain a breakfast."
+
+"There's a town about three miles down yonder, and a fine inn, I 'm
+tould, sir," replied he, as he scrutinized my appearance with a shrewd
+eye; "but if I might make so bould, maybe you 'd as lief not go there,
+and perhaps you 'd take share of what we have here?"
+
+"Willingly," said I, accepting the hospitable offer as freely as it was
+made, and entered the cabin at once.
+
+A good-featured countrywoman and some young children were seated at the
+table, where a large dish of potatoes and some fresh fish were smoking,
+a huge jug of milk occupying the middle of the board. The woman blushed
+as she heard that her husband had invited a gentleman to partake of his
+humble meal; but the honest fellow cared little for the simple fare he
+offered with so good a grace, and placed my chair beside his own with
+the air of one who was more anxious for his guest's comfort than caring
+what impression he himself might make upon him.
+
+After some passing words about the season and the state of the
+tides,--for my host was a fisherman,--I turned the conversation on the
+political condition of the country, avowing frankly that I had been for
+some years absent, and was ignorant of what had occurred meantime.
+
+"'Twas that same I was thinking, sir," said he, replying to the first
+and not the latter part of my remark. "When I saw your honor's face, and
+the beard you wore, I said to myself you wor a Frenchman."
+
+"You mistook there, then; I am your countryman, but have passed a good
+many years in France."
+
+"Fighting for Boney?" said he, as his eyes opened wide with surprise to
+behold one actually before him who might have served under Napoleon.
+
+"Yes, my good friend, even so; I was in the army of the Emperor."
+
+"Tare an ages! then, are they coming over here now?" cried he, almost
+gasping in his eagerness.
+
+"No, no," replied I, gravely; "and be thankful, too, for it, for your
+own and your children's sakes, that you see not a war raging in the
+fields and cities of your native land. Be assured, whatever wrongs you
+suffer,--I will not dispute their existence, for, as I told you, I am
+ignorant of the condition of the country,--but whatever they may be, you
+can pay too dearly for their remedy."
+
+"But sure they 'd be on our side, would n't they?"
+
+"Of course they would; but think you that they 'd fight your battles
+without their price? Do you believe that Frenchmen so love you here
+that they would come to shed their blood in your cause without their own
+prospect of advantage?"
+
+"They hate the English, I'm tould, as bad as we do ourselves."
+
+"They do so, and with more of justice for their hate. But that dislike
+might suffice to cause a war; it never would reward it. No, no; I know
+something of the spirit of French conquest. I glory in the bravery and
+the heroism that accomplished it; but I never wish to see my own country
+at the mercy of France. Whose soldier would you become if the Emperor
+Napoleon landed here to-morrow?--his. Whose uniform would you wear,
+whose musket carry, whose pay receive, whose orders obey?--his, and his
+only. And how long, think you, would your services be limited to home?
+What should prevent your being sent away to Egypt, to Poland, or to
+Russia? How much favor would an Irish deserter receive from a French
+court-martial, think you? No, good friend; while you have this warm roof
+to shelter you, and that broad sea is open for your industry and toil,
+never wish for foreign aid to assist you."
+
+I saw that the poor fellow was discouraged by my words, and gradually
+led him to speak of those evils for whose alleviation he looked
+to France. To my surprise, however, he descanted less on political
+grievances than those which affect the well-being of the country
+socially. It was not the severity of a Government, but the absence of
+encouragement to industry,--the neglect of the poor,--which afflicted
+him. England was no longer the tyrant; the landlord had taken her place.
+Still, with the pertinacity of ignorance, he visited all the wrongs on
+that land from which originally his first misfortunes came, and with
+perverse ingenuity would endeavor to trace out every hardship he
+suffered as arising from the ill-will and hatred the Saxon bore him.
+
+It was easy to perceive that the arguments he used were not of his own
+devising; they had been supplied by others, in whose opinion he had
+confidence; and though valueless and weak in reality, to him they were
+all-convincing and unanswerable,--not the less, perhaps, that they
+offered that value to self-love which comes from attributing any
+evils we endure to causes outside and independent of ourselves. These,
+confronted with extravagant hopes of what would ensue should national
+independence be established, formed his code; and however refuted on
+each point, a certain conviction, too deeply laid to be disturbed by any
+opposing force, remained; and in his "Well, well, God knows best!
+and maybe we'll have better luck yet," you could perceive that he was
+inaccessible to any appeal except from the quarter which ministered to
+his discontent and disaffection.
+
+One thing was clear to me from all he said, that if the spirit of open
+resistance no longer existed towards England, it was replaced by as
+determined and as rancorous hatred,--a brooding, ill-omened dislike had
+succeeded, to the full as hostile, and far less easily subdued. How it
+would end,--whether in the long-lingering fear which wastes the energies
+and saps the strength of a people, or in the conflict of a civil war,
+the prospect was equally ruinous.
+
+Sadly pondering on these things, I parted with my humble host, and set
+out towards the capital. If my conversation with the Irishman had taught
+me somewhat of the state of feeling then current in Ireland, it also
+conveyed another and very different lesson; it enabled me to take some
+account of the change years had effected in my own sentiments. As a
+boy, high-flown, vague, and unsettled ideas of national liberty and
+independence had made me look to France as the emancipator of Europe.
+As a man, I knew that the lust of conquest had extinguished the love of
+freedom in Frenchmen; that they who trusted to her did but exchange the
+dominion of their old masters for the tyranny of a new one; while such
+as boldly stepped forward in defence of their liberties, found that
+there was neither mercy nor compassion for the conquered.
+
+I had seen the Austrian prisoners and the Russian led captive through
+the streets of Paris; I had witnessed the great capital of Prussia in
+its day of mourning after Jena; and all my idolatry for the General
+scarce balanced my horror of the Emperor, whose vengeance had
+smitten two nations thus heavily: and I said within my heart, "May my
+countrymen, whatever be their day of need, never seek alliance with
+despotic France!"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV. A CHARACTER OF OLD DUBLIN
+
+It was about nine o'clock of a calm summer evening as I entered
+Dublin,--nearly the same hour at which, some ten years before, I had
+approached that city, poor, houseless, friendless; and still was I the
+same. In that great capital of my country I had not one to welcome
+me; not one who would rejoice at my coming, or feel any interest in my
+fortunes. This indeed was loneliness,--utter solitude. Still, if there
+be something which weighs heavily on the heart in the isolation of
+one like me, there is a proportionate sense of independence of his
+fellow-man that sustains the courage and gives energy to the will. I
+felt this as I mixed with the crowds that thronged the streets, and
+shrank not from the inquisitive glances which my questionable appearance
+excited as I passed.
+
+Though considerable changes had taken place in the outskirts of the
+capital since I had seen it last, the leading thoroughfares were just
+as I remembered them; and as I walked along Dame Street, and one by one
+each familiar object caught my eye, I could almost have fancied the
+long interval since I had been there before like a mere dream. National
+physiognomy, too, has a strange effect on him who has been long absent
+from his country. Each face you meet seems well known. The traits of
+features, to which the eye was once so well accustomed, awake a memory
+of individuals, and it is sometimes a moat difficult task to distinguish
+between the acquaintance and the passing stranger.
+
+This I experienced at every moment; and at length, as I stood gazing
+on the space before the Bank, and calling to mind the last scene I
+witnessed there, a tall, strongly-built man brushed close past me,
+and then turning round, fixed a steady and searching look on me. As I
+returned his stare, a sudden thought flashed upon me that I had seen
+the face before; but where, how, and when, I could not call to mind. And
+thus we stood silently confronting each other for some minutes.
+
+"I see you are a stranger here, sir," said he, touching his hat
+courteously; "can I be of service to you with any information as to the
+city?"
+
+"I was curious to know, sir," said I, still more puzzled by the voice
+than I had been by the features of the stranger, "if Miley's Hotel,
+which was somewhere in the neighborhood, exists still?"
+
+"It does, sir; but it has changed proprietors several times since you
+knew it," replied he, significantly. "The house is yonder, where you
+see that large lamp. I perceive, sir, I was mistaken in supposing you a
+foreigner. I wish you good-evening." And again saluting me, he resumed
+his way.
+
+As I crossed the street towards the hotel, I remarked that he turned as
+if to watch me, and became more than ever embarrassed as to who he might
+be.
+
+The doorway of the hotel was crowded with loungers and idlers of every
+class, from the loitering man about town to the ragged newsvendor,
+between whom, whatever disparity of condition existed, a tone of the
+most free-and-easy condition prevailed; the newsmen interpolating, amid
+the loud announcements of the latest intelligence, the reply to the
+observation beside him.
+
+One figure was conspicuous in the group. He was a short, dwarfish
+creature, with an enormous head, covered with a fell of black hair,
+falling in masses down his back and on his shoulders. A pair of
+fierce, fiery black eyes glared beneath his heavy brows; and a large,
+thick-lipped mouth moved with all the glib eloquence of his class and
+calling. Fearfully distorted legs and club feet gave to his gait a
+rolling motion, which added to the singularity of his whole appearance.
+
+Terry Regan was then at the head of his walk in Dublin; and to his
+capacious lungs and voluble tongue were committed the announcement of
+those great events which, from time to time, were given to the Irish
+public through the columns of the "Correspondent" and the "Dublin
+Journal."
+
+I soon found myself in the crowd around this celebrated character,
+who was, as usual, extolling the great value of that night's paper by
+certain brief suggestions regarding its contents.
+
+[Illustration: 410]
+
+"Here's the whole, full, and true account (bad luck to the less!) of the
+great and sanguinary battle between Boney and the Roosians; with all the
+particklars about the killed, wounded, and missing; with what Boney said
+when it was over."
+
+"What was that, Terry?"
+
+"Hould yer peace, ye spalpeen! Is it to the likes of yez I 'd be telling
+cabinet sacrets? (Here, yer honor),--'Falkner,' is it, or 'The Saunders'.
+With the report of Mr. O'Gogorman's grand speech in Ennis on the
+Catholic claims. There's, yer sowl, there's fippence worth any day ay
+the week. More be token, the letter from Jemmy O'Brien to his wife, wid
+an elegant epic poem called 'The Gauger.' Bloody news, gentlemen! bloody
+news! Won't yez sport a tester for a sight of a real battle, and
+ten thousand kilt; with 'The Whole Duty of an Informer, in two easy
+lessons.' The price of stocks and shares--Ay, Mr. O'Hara, and what
+boroughs is bringing in the market."
+
+This last sally was directed towards a large, red-faced man, who
+good-humoredly joined in the laugh against himself.
+
+"And who's this, boys?" cried the fellow, turning suddenly his piercing
+eyes on me, as I endeavored, step by step, to reach the door of the
+hotel. "Hurrool look at his beard, acushla! On my conscience, I wouldn't
+wonder if it was General Hoche himself. 'Tis late yer come, sir," said
+he, addressing me directly; "there's no fun here now at all, barrin'
+what Beresford has in the riding-house."
+
+"Get away, you ruffian!" said a well-dressed and respectable-looking
+man, somewhat past the middle of life; "how dare you permit your tongue
+to take liberties with a stranger? Allow me to make room for you, sir,"
+continued he, as he politely made an opening in the crowd, and suffered
+me to enter the house.
+
+"Ah, counsellor, dear, don't be cross," whined out the newsvendor;
+"sure, isn't it wid the bad tongue we both make our bread. And here,"
+vociferated he once more,--"and here ye have the grand dinner at the
+Lord Mayor's, wid all the speeches and toasts; wid the glorious, pious,
+and immortial memory of King William, who delivered us from Popery (by
+pitched caps), from slavery (by whipping), from brass money (by bad
+ha'pence), and from wooden shoes (by bare feet). Haven't we reason to
+bless his--? Ay, the heavens be his bed! 'Tis like Molly Crownahon's
+husband he was."
+
+"How was that, Terry?" asked a gentleman near.
+
+"Take a 'Saunders,' yer honor, and I 'll tell you."
+
+"Here, then, here's fippence; and now for the explanation."
+
+"Molly Crownahon, yer honor, was, like us poor craytures, always
+grateful and contented wid the Lord's goodness to us, even in taking
+away our chief comfort and blessing,--the darling up there on the horse!
+(Ah, 'tis an elegant sate ye have, without stirrups!) And she went
+one day to say a handful of prayers oyer his grave,--the husband's, ye
+mind,--and sure if she did, when she knelt down on the grass she sprung
+up again as quick as she went down, for the nettles was all over the
+place entirely. 'Bad scran to ye, Peter!' says she, as she rubbed her
+legs,--'bad scran to ye! living or dead, there was always a sting in
+ye.'"
+
+[Illustration: 414]
+
+As the latter part of this speech was addressed in a tone of apostrophe
+to the statue of King William, it was received by the assembled crowd
+with a roar of laughter.
+
+By this time I had entered the house, and only bethought me how little
+suited was the great hotel of the city to pretensions as humble as mine.
+It was now, however, too late to retreat, and I entered the coffee-room,
+carrying my knapsack in my hand. As I passed up the room in search of
+a vacant table, the looks of astonishment my appearance excited on each
+side were most palpable evidences that the company considered me as
+an interloper. While some contented themselves with a stare of steady
+surprise, others, less guarded in their impertinence, whispered with,
+and even winked at their neighbors, to attract attention towards me.
+
+Offensive as this unquestionably was, it amazed even more than it
+annoyed me. In France, such a display of feeling would have been
+impossible; and the humblest soldier of the army would not have been so
+received had he deemed fit to enter Beauvilliers' or V�ry's.
+
+Whether hurt at this conduct, and consequently more alive to affront
+from any quarter, or that the waiters participated in the sentiments
+of their betters, I cannot exactly say; but I certainly thought their
+manner even less equivocally betrayed the same desire of impertinence.
+This was not long a mere suspicion on my part; for on inquiring whether
+I could have a room for the night, the waiter, touching my knapsack,
+which lay on the ground beside me, with his foot, replied,--
+
+"Is this your luggage, sir?"
+
+Amazement so completely mastered my indignation at this insolence, that
+I could make no answer but by a look. This had its effect, however; and
+the fellow, without further delay, bustled off to make the inquiry.
+He returned in a few minutes with a civil message, that I could be
+accommodated, and having placed before me the simple meal I ordered,
+retired.
+
+As I sat over my supper, I could not help feeling that unless memory
+played me false, the company were little like the former frequenters
+of this house. I remembered it of old, when Bubbleton and his brother
+officers came there; and when the rooms were thronged with members
+of both Houses of Parliament,--when peers and gentlemen of the first
+families were grouped about the windows and fireplaces, and the highest
+names of the land were heard in the din of recognition; handsome
+equipages and led horses stood before the doors. But now the ragged mob
+without was scarce a less worthy successor to the brilliant display than
+were the company within to the former visitants. A tone of pretentious
+impertinence, an air of swagger and mock defiance,--the most opposite to
+the polished urbanity which once prevailed,--was now conspicuous; and
+in their loud speech and violent gesticulation, it was easy to mark
+how they had degenerated from that high standard which made the Irish
+gentleman of his day the most polished man of Europe.
+
+If in appearance and manner they fell far short of those my memory
+recalled, their conversation more markedly still displayed the long
+interval between them. Here, of old, were retailed the latest news of
+the debate,--the last brilliant thing of Grattan, or the last biting
+retort of Flood; here came, hot from debate, the great champions of
+either party to relax and recruit for fresh efforts; and in the groups
+that gathered around them you might learn how great genius can diffuse
+its influence and scatter intelligence around it,--as the Nile
+waters spread plenty and abundance wherever they flow: high and noble
+sentiments, holy aspirations and eloquent thoughts, made an atmosphere,
+to breathe which was to feel an altered nature. But now a vapid mixture
+of conceit and slang had usurped the place of these, and a tone of
+vulgar self-sufficiency unhappily too much in keeping with the externals
+of those who displayed it: the miserable contentions of different
+factions had replaced the bolder strife of opposite parties, and
+provincialism had put its stamp on everything. The nation, too, if I
+might trust my ears with what fell around me, had lost all memory of its
+once great names, and new candidates for popular favor figured in their
+places.
+
+Such were some of the changes I could mark, even as I sat. But my
+attention was speedily drawn from them by a circumstance more nearly
+concerning myself. This was the appearance in the coffee-room of the
+gentleman who first addressed me in the street.
+
+As he passed round the room, followed by a person whose inferiority was
+evident, he was recognized by most of those present, many of whom shook
+him warmly by the hand, and pressed him to join their parties. But this
+he declined, as he continued to walk slowly on, scrutinizing each face
+as he went. At last I saw his eyes turn towards me. It was scarcely a
+glance, so rapid was it, and so quickly were his looks directed to a
+different quarter; but I could mark that he whispered something to a
+person who followed, and then, after carelessly turning over a newspaper
+on the table, sauntered from the room. As he did so, the shaggy head of
+the dwarf newsvendor peeped in, and the great black eyes took a survey
+of the coffee-room, till finally they settled on me.
+
+"Ah!" cried the fellow, with a strange blending of irony and compassion
+in his voice; "be gorra, I knew how it would be,--the major has ye!" At
+this a general laugh broke out from all present, and every eye was fixed
+on me.
+
+Meanwhile the follower had taken his place nearly opposite me at the
+table, and was busily engaged examining a paper which he had taken from
+his pocket.
+
+"May I ask, sir, if your name be Burke?" said he, in a low voice, across
+the table.
+
+I started with amazement to hear my name pronounced where I believed
+myself so completely a stranger, and in my astonishment, forgot to
+answer.
+
+"I was asking, sir--" repeated he.
+
+"Yes, you are quite correct," interrupted I; "that is my name. May I beg
+to know, in return, for what purpose you make the inquiry?"
+
+"Thomas Burke, sir?" continued he, inattentive to my observation, and
+apparently about to write the name on the paper before him.
+
+I nodded, and he wrote down the words.
+
+"That saves a deal of trouble to all of us, sir," said he, as he
+finished writing. "This is a warrant for your arrest; but the major is
+quite satisfied if you can give bail for your appearance."
+
+"Arrest!" repeated I; "on what charge am I arrested?"
+
+"You'll hear in the morning, I suppose," said he, quietly. "What shall
+we say about the bail? Have you any acquaintance or friend in town?"
+
+"Neither; I am a perfect stranger here. But if you are authorized to
+arrest me, I here surrender myself at once."
+
+By this time, several persons of the coffee-room had approached the
+table, and among the rest the gentleman who so politely made way for me
+in the crowd to reach the door.
+
+"What is it, Roche?" said he, addressing the man at the table; "a
+warrant?"
+
+"Yes, sir; for this gentleman here. But we can take bail, if he has it."
+
+"I have told you already that I am a stranger, and know no one here."
+
+The gentleman threw his eyes over the warrant, and then looking me
+steadily in the face, muttered in a whisper to the officer, "Why, he
+must have been a boy, a mere child, at the time."
+
+"Very true, sir; but the major says it must be done. Maybe you'd bail
+him yourself."
+
+These words were added in a tone of half irony, as the fellow gave a sly
+look beneath his eyelashes.
+
+"I tell you, again," said I, impatient at the whole scene, "I am quite
+ready to accompany you."
+
+"Is this your name, sir?" said the strange gentleman, addressing me, as
+he pointed to the warrant.
+
+"Yes," interposed the officer, "there's no doubt about that; he gave it
+himself."
+
+"Come, come, then, Roche," said he, cajolingly; "these are not times
+for undue strictness. Let the gentleman remain where he is to-night,
+and to-morrow he will attend you. You can remain here, if you like, with
+him."
+
+"If you say so, I suppose we may do it," replied the officer, as he
+folded up the paper, and arose from the table.
+
+"Yes, yes; that's the proper course. And now," said he, addressing me,
+"will you permit me to join you while I finish this bottle of claret?"
+
+I could have no objection to so pleasant a proposal; and thus, for the
+time at least, ended this disagreeable affair.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV. AN UNFORSEEN EVIL
+
+"I perceive, sir," said the stranger, seating himself at my table, "they
+are desirous to restore an antiquated custom in regard to you. I thought
+the day of indemnities was past and gone forever."
+
+"I am ignorant to what you allude."
+
+"The authorities would make you out an emissary of France, sir,--as if
+France had not enough on her hands already, without embroiling herself
+in a quarrel from which no benefit could accrue; not to speak of the
+little likelihood that any one on such an errand would take up his
+abode, as you have, in the most public hotel of Dublin."
+
+"I have no apprehensions as to any charges they may bring against me.
+I am conscious of no crime, saving having left my country a boy, and
+returning to it a man."
+
+"You were in the service of France, then?"
+
+"Yes; since 1801 I have been a soldier."
+
+"So long? You must have been but a mere boy when you quitted Ireland.
+How have they connected you with the troubles of that period?"
+
+I hesitated for a second or two, uncertain what answer, if any, I
+should return to this abrupt question. A glance at the manly and frank
+expression of the stranger's face soon satisfied me that no unworthy
+curiosity had prompted the inquiry; and I told him in a few words,
+how, as a child, the opinions of the patriotic party had won me over to
+embark in a cause I could neither fathom nor understand. I traced out
+rapidly the few leading events of my early career down to the last
+evening I spent in Ireland. When I came to this part of my story, the
+stranger became unusually attentive, and more than once questioned
+me respecting the origin of my quarrel with Crofts, and the timely
+appearance of Darby; of whose name and character, however, I gave him no
+information, merely speaking of him as an old and attached follower of
+my family.
+
+"Since that period, then, you have not been in Ireland?" said he, as I
+concluded.
+
+"Never: nor had I any intention of returning until lately, when
+circumstances induced me to leave the Emperor's service; and from very
+uncertainty I came back here, without well knowing why."
+
+"Of course, then, you have never heard the catastrophe of your adventure
+with Crofts. It was a lucky hit for him."
+
+"How so? I don't understand you."
+
+"Simply this: Crofts was discovered in the morning, severely wounded,
+where you left him; his account being, that he had been waylaid by a
+party of rebels, who had obtained the countersign of the night, and
+passed the sentry in various disguises. You yourself--for so, at least,
+I surmise it must have been--were designated the prime mover of the
+scheme, and a Government reward was offered for your apprehension.
+Crofts was knighted, and appointed to the staff,--the reward of
+his loyalty and courage; of the exact details of which my memory is
+unfortunately little tenacious."
+
+"And the truth of the occurrence was never known?"
+
+"What I have told you is the only version current. I have reason to
+remember so much of it, for I was then, and am still, one of the legal
+advisers of the Crown, and was consulted on the case; of which, I
+confess, I always had my misgivings. There was a rage, however, for
+rewarding loyalty, as it was termed at the period, and the story went
+the round of the papers. Now, I fancy Crofts would just as soon not see
+you back again; he has made all he can of the adventure, and would as
+lief have it quietly forgotten."
+
+"But can I suffer it to rest here? Is such an imputation to lie on my
+character as he would cast on me?"
+
+"Take no steps in the matter on that score: vindication is time enough
+when the attack is made directly; besides, where should you find your
+witness? where is the third party who could prove your innocence, and
+that all you did was in self-defence? Without his testimony, your
+story would go for nothing. No, no; be well satisfied if the charge is
+suffered to sleep, which is not unlikely. Crofts would scarcely like to
+confess that his antagonist was little more than a child; his prowess
+would gain nothing by the avowal. Besides, the world goes well with him
+latterly; it is but a month ago, I think, he succeeded unexpectedly to a
+large landed property."
+
+The stranger, whose name was M'Dougall, continued to talk for some time
+longer; most kindly volunteered to advise me in the difficult position
+I found myself; and having given me his address in town, wished me a
+goodnight and departed.
+
+It was to no purpose I laid my head on my pillow. Tired and fatigued
+as I was, I could not sleep; the prospect of fresh troubles awaiting
+me made me restless and feverish, and I longed for day to break, that
+I might manfully confront whatever danger was before me, and oppose a
+stout heart to the arrows of adverse fortune. My accidental meeting with
+the stranger also reassured my courage; and I felt gratified to think
+that such _rencontres_ in life are the sunny spots which illumine our
+career in the world, the harbingers of bright days to come.
+
+This feeling was still more strongly impressed on me as I entered the
+small room on the ground-floor at the Castle, where was the secretary's
+office, and beheld M'Dougall seated in an armchair, reading the
+newspaper of the day. I could not help connecting his presence there
+with some kindly intention towards me, and already regarded him as my
+friend. Major Barton stood at the secretary's side, and whispered from
+time to time in his ear.
+
+"I have before me certain information, sir," said the secretary,
+addressing me, "that you were connected with parties who took an active
+part in the late rebellion in this country, and by them sent over to
+France to negotiate co-operation and assistance from that quarter,"
+(Barton here whispered something, and the secretary resumed), "and in
+continuance of this scheme are at present here."
+
+"I have only to observe, sir, that I left Ireland a mere boy, when,
+whatever my opinions might have been, they were, I suspect, of small
+moment to his Majesty's Government; that I have served some years in
+the French army, during which period I neither corresponded with any one
+here, nor had intercourse with any from Ireland; and lastly, that I have
+come back unaccredited by any party, not having, as I believe, a single
+acquaintance in the island."
+
+"Do you still hold a commission in the French service?"
+
+"No, sir; I resigned my grade as captain some time since."
+
+"What were your reasons for that step?"
+
+"They were of a purely personal nature, having no concern with politics
+of any sort; I should, therefore, ask of you not to demand them. I can
+only say, they reflect neither on my honor nor my loyalty."
+
+"His loyalty! Would you ask him, sir, how he applies the term, and to
+what sovereign and what government the obedience is rendered?" said
+Barton, with a half smile of malicious meaning.
+
+"Very true, Barton; the question is most pertinent."
+
+"When I said loyalty, sir," said I, in answer, "I confess I did not
+express myself as clearly as I intended. I meant, however, that as an
+Irishman, and a subject of his Majesty George the Third, as I now am, no
+act of mine in the French service ever compromised me."
+
+"Why, surely you fought against the allies of your own country?".
+
+"True, sir. I speak only with reference to the direct interests of
+England. I was the soldier of the Emperor, but never a spy under his
+Government."
+
+"Your name is amongst those who never claimed the indemnity? How is
+this?"
+
+"I never heard of it; I never knew such an act was necessary. I am not
+guilty of any crime, nor do I see any reason to seek a favor."
+
+"Well, well; the gracious intentions of the Crown lead us to look
+leniently on the past. A moderate bail for your appearance when called
+on, and your own recognizances for the same object, will suffice."
+
+"I am quite willing to do the latter; but as to bail, I repeat it, I
+have not one I could ask for such a service."
+
+"No relative? no friend?"
+
+"Come, come, young gentleman," said M'Dougall, speaking for the first
+time; "recollect yourself. Try if you can't remember some one who would
+assist you at this conjuncture."
+
+Basset was the only name I could think of; and however absurd the idea
+of a service from such a quarter, I deemed that, as my brother's agent,
+he would scarce refuse me. I thought that Barton gave a very peculiar
+grin as I mentioned the name; but my own securities being entered into,
+and a few formal questions answered, I was told I was at liberty to seek
+out the bail required.
+
+Once more in the streets, I turned my steps towards Basset's house,
+where I hoped, at all events, to learn some tidings of my brother. I
+was not long in arriving at the street, and speedily recognized the old
+house, whose cobwebbed windows and unwashed look reminded me of former
+times. The very sound of the heavy iron knocker awoke its train of
+recollections; and when the door was opened, and I saw the narrow
+hall, with its cracked lamp and damp, discolored walls, the whole
+heart-sinking with which they once inspired me came back again, and I
+thought of Tony Basset when his very name was a thing of terror to me.
+
+Mr. Basset, I was told, was at court, and I was shown into the office to
+await his return. The gloomy little den,--I knew it well, with its dirty
+shelves of dirtier papers, its old tin boxes, and its rickety desk,
+at which two meanly-dressed starveling youths were busy writing. They
+turned a rapid glance towards me as I entered; and as they resumed their
+occupation, I could hear a muttered remark upon my dress and appearance,
+the purport of which I did not catch.
+
+I sat for some time patiently, expecting Basset's arrival, but as
+the time stole by, I grew wearied with waiting, and determined on
+ascertaining, if I might, from the clerks, some intelligence concerning
+my brother.
+
+"Have you any business with Mr. Burke?" said the youth I addressed,
+while his features assumed an expression of vulgar jocularity.
+
+"Yes," was my brief reply.
+
+"Wouldn't a letter do as well as a personal interview?" said the other,
+with an air of affected courtesy.
+
+"Perhaps so," I replied, too deeply engaged in my own thoughts to mind
+their flippant impertinence.
+
+"Then mind you direct your letter 'Churchyard, Loughrea;' or, if you
+want to be particular, say 'Family vault.'"
+
+[Illustration: 426]
+
+"Is he dead? Is George dead?"
+
+"That's hard to say," interposed the other; "but they've buried him,
+that's certain."
+
+Like a stunning blow, the shock of this news left me unable to speak or
+hear. A maze of confused thoughts crossed and jostled each other in my
+brain, and I could neither collect myself nor listen to what was said
+around me. My first clear memory was of a thousand little childish
+traits of love which had passed between us. Tokens of affection long
+forgotten now rushed freshly to my mind; and he whom a moment before I
+had condemned as wanting in all brotherly feeling, I now sorrowed for
+with true grief. The low and vulgar insolence of the speakers made no
+impression on me; and when, in answer to my questions, they narrated
+the manner of his death,--a fever contracted after some debauch at
+Oxford,--I only heard the tidings, but did not notice the unfeeling tone
+it was conveyed in.
+
+My brother dead! the only one of kith or kindred belonging to me. How
+slight the tie seemed but a few moments back! what would I not give for
+it now? Then, for the first time, did I know how the heart can heap up
+its stores of consolation in secrecy, and how unconsciously the mind can
+dwell on hopes it has never confessed even to itself. How I fancied to
+myself our meeting, and thought over the long pent-up affection years of
+absence had accumulated, now flowing in a gushing stream from heart to
+heart I The grave is indeed hallowed when the grass of the churchyard
+can cover all memory save that of love. We dwell on every good gift
+of the lost one, as though no unworthy thought could cross that little
+mound of earth, the barrier between two worlds. Sad and sorrow-struck,
+I covered my face with my hands, and did not notice that Mr. Basset had
+entered, and taken his place at the desk.
+
+His voice, every harsh tone of which I well remembered, first made me
+aware of his presence. I lifted my eyes, and there he stood, little
+changed indeed since I had seen him last. The hard lines about the mouth
+had grown deeper, the brow more furrowed, and the hair more mixed with
+gray, but in other respects he was the same. As I gazed at him I could
+not help fancying that time makes less impression on men of coarse,
+unfeeling mould, than on natures of a finer temper. The world's changes
+leave no trace on the stern surface of the one, while they are wearing
+deep tracks of sorrow in the other.
+
+"Insert the advertisement again, Simms," said he, addressing one of the
+clerks, "and let it appear in some paper of the seaport towns. Among the
+Flemish or French smugglers who frequent them, there might be some one
+to give the information. They must be able to show that though Thomas
+Burke--"
+
+I started at the sound of my name. The motion surprised him; he looked
+round and perceived me. Quick and piercing as his glance was, I could
+not trace any sign of recognition; although, as he scanned my features,
+and suffered his eyes to wander over my dress, I perceived that his was
+no mere chance or cursory observation.
+
+"Well, sir," said he, at length, "is your business here with me?"
+
+"Yes; but I would speak with you in private."
+
+"Come in here, then. Meanwhile, Sam, make out that deed; for we may go
+on without the proof of demise."
+
+Few and vague as the words were, their real meaning flashed on me, and I
+perceived that Mr. Basset was engaged in the search of some evidence of
+my death, doubtless to enable the heir-at-law to succeed to the estates
+of my brother. The moment the idea struck me, I felt assured of its
+certainty, and at once determined on the plan I should adopt.
+
+"You have inserted an advertisement regarding a Mr. Burke," said I, as
+soon as the door was closed, and we were alone together. "What are the
+particular circumstances of which you desire proof?"
+
+"The place, date, and manner of his death," replied he, slowly; "for
+though informed that such occurred abroad, an authentic evidence of the
+fact will save some trouble. Circumstances to identify the individual
+with the person we mean, of course, must be offered; showing whence he
+came, his probable age, and so on. For this intelligence I am prepared
+to pay liberally; at least a hundred pounds may be thought so."
+
+"It is a question of succession to some property, I have heard."
+
+"Yes; but the information is not of such moment as you may suppose,"
+replied he, quickly, and with the wariness of his calling anticipating
+the value I might be disposed to place on my intelligence. "We are
+satisfied with the fact of the death; and even were it otherwise, the
+individual most concerned is little likely to disprove the belief, his
+own reasons will probably keep him from visiting Ireland."
+
+"Indeed!" I exclaimed, the word escaping my lips ere I could check its
+utterance.
+
+"Even so," resumed he. "But this, of course, has no interest for you.
+Your accent bespeaks you a foreigner. Have you any information to offer
+on this matter?"
+
+"Yes; if we speak of the same individual, who may have left this country
+about 1800 as a boy of some fourteen years of age, and entered the
+'�cole Polytechnique' of Paris."
+
+"Like enough. Continue, if you please; what became of him afterwards?"
+
+"He joined the French service, attained the rank of captain, and then
+left the army; came back to Ireland, and now, sir, stands before you."
+
+Mr. Basset never changed a muscle of his face as I made this
+declaration. So unmoved, so stolid was his look, that for a moment or
+two I believed him incredulous of my story. But this impression soon
+gave way, as with his eyes bent on me he said,--
+
+"I knew you, sir, I knew you the moment I passed you in the office
+without; but it might have fared ill with you to have let my recognition
+appear."
+
+"As how? I do not understand you."
+
+"My clerks there might have given information for the sake of the
+reward; and once in Newgate, there was an end to all negotiation."
+
+"You must speak more intelligibly, sir, if you wish me to comprehend
+you. I am unaware of any circumstance which should threaten me with such
+a fate."
+
+"Have you forgotten Captain Crofts,--Montague Crofts?" said Basset, in a
+low whisper, while a smile of insulting malice crossed his features.
+
+"No; I remember him well. What of him?"
+
+"What of him! He charges you with a capital felony,--a crime for which
+the laws have little pity here, whatever your French habits may have
+taught you to regard it. Yes; the attempt to assassinate an officer in
+his Majesty's service, when foiled by him in an effort to seduce the
+soldiery, is an offence which might have a place in your memory."
+
+"Can the man be base enough to make such a charge as this against me,--a
+boy, as I then was?"
+
+"You were not alone; remember that fact."
+
+"True; and most thankful am I for it. There is one, at least, can prove
+my innocence, if I can but discover him."
+
+"You will find that a matter of some difficulty. Your worthy friend and
+early preceptor was transported five years since."
+
+"Poor fellow! I could better bear to hear that he was dead."
+
+"There are many of your opinion on that head," said Basset, with a
+savage grin. "But the fellow was too cunning for all the lawyers, and
+his conviction at last was only effected by a stratagem."
+
+"A stratagem!" exclaimed I, in amazement.
+
+"It was neither more nor less. Darby was arraigned four several times,
+but always acquitted. Now it was defective evidence; now a lenient jury;
+now an informal indictment: but so was it, he escaped the meshes of the
+law, though every one knew him guilty of a hundred offences. At last
+Major Barton resolved on another expedient. Darby was arrested in Ennis;
+thrown into jail; kept four weeks in a dark cell, on prison fare; and at
+the end, one morning the hangman appeared to say his hour was come, and
+that the warrant for his execution had arrived. It was to take place,
+without judge or jury, within the four walls of the jail. The scheme
+succeeded; his courage fell, and he offered, if his life was spared, to
+plead guilty to any transportable felony for which the grand Jury would
+send up true bills. He did so, and was then undergoing the sentence."
+
+"Great heavens! and can such iniquity be tolerated in a land where men
+call themselves Christians?" exclaimed I, as I heard this to the end.
+
+"Iniquity!" repeated he, in mockery; "to rid the country of a ruffian,
+stained with every crime,--a fellow mixed up in every outrage in the
+land? Is this your notion of iniquity? Not so do I reckon it. And if I
+have told you of it now, it is that you may learn that when loyal
+and well-affected men are trusted with the execution of the laws, the
+principle of justice is of more moment than the nice distinction of
+legal subtleties. You may learn a lesson from it worth acquiring."
+
+"I! how can it affect me or my fortunes?"
+
+"More nearly than you think. I have told you of the accusation which
+hangs over your head; weigh it well, and deliberate what are your
+chances of escape. We must not waste time in discussing your innocence.
+The jury who will try the cause will be more difficult of belief than
+you suspect; neither the opinions you are charged with, your subsequent
+escape, nor your career in France, will contribute to your exculpation,
+even had you evidence to adduce in your favor. But you have not; your
+only witness is equally removed as by death itself. On what do you
+depend, then? Conscious innocence! Nine out of every ten who mount the
+scaffold proclaim the same; but I never heard that the voice that cried
+it stifled the word 'guilty.' No, sir; I tell you solemnly, you will be
+condemned!"
+
+The tone of his voice as he spoke the last few words made my very blood
+run cold. The death of a soldier on the field of battle had no terrors
+for me; but the execrated fate of a felon I could not confront. The
+pallor of my cheek, the trembling of my limbs, must have betrayed my
+emotion; for even Basset seemed to pity me, and pressed me down into a
+chair.
+
+"There is one way, however, to avoid all the danger," said he, after
+a pause; "an easy and a certain way both. You have heard of the
+advertisements for information respecting your death, which it was
+surmised had occurred abroad. Now you are unknown here,--without a
+single acquaintance to recognize or remember you; why should not you,
+under another name, come forward with these proofs? By so doing, you
+secure your own escape and can claim the reward."
+
+"What! perjure myself that I may forfeit my inheritance!"
+
+"As to the inheritance," said he, sneeringly, "your tenure does not
+promise a very long enjoyment of it."
+
+"Were it but a day,--an hour!" exclaimed I, passionately; "I will make
+no compromise with my honor. On their own heads be it who sentence an
+innocent man to death; better such, even on a scaffold, than a life of
+ignominy and vain regret."
+
+"The dark hours of a jail change men's sentiments wonderfully," said
+he, slowly. "I have known some who faced death in its wildest and most
+appalling shape, shrink from it like cowards when it came in the guise
+of a common executioner. Come, sir, be advised by me; reflect at least
+on what I have said, and if there be any path in life where a moderate
+sum may assist you--"
+
+"Peace, sir! I beg of you to be silent. It may be that your counsel is
+prompted by kindly feeling towards me; but if you would have me think
+so, say no more of this,--my mind is made up."
+
+"Wait until to-morrow, in any case; perhaps some other plan may suggest
+itself. What say you to America? Have you any objection to go there?"
+
+"Had you asked me the question an hour since, I had replied, 'None
+whatever.' Now it is different; my departure would be like the flight of
+a guilty man. I cannot do it."
+
+"Better the flight than the fate of one," muttered Basset between his
+teeth, while at the same instant the sound of voices talking loudly
+together was heard in the hall without.
+
+"Think again, before it is too late. Remember what I have told you. Your
+opinions, your career, your associates, are not such as to recommend you
+to the favorable consideration of a jury. Is your case strong enough to
+oppose all these? Sir Montague will make liberal terms; he has no desire
+to expose the calamities of a family."
+
+"Sir Montague!--of whom do you speak?"
+
+"Sir Montague Crofts," said Basset, reddening, for he had unwittingly
+suffered the name to escape his lips. "Are you ignorant that he is
+your relative? a distant one, it is true, but your nearest of kin
+notwithstanding."
+
+"And the heir to the estate?" said I, suddenly, as anew light flashed on
+my mind; "the heir, in the event of my life lapsing?"
+
+Basset nodded an assent.
+
+"You played a deep game, sir," said I, drawing a long breath; "but you
+never were near winning it."
+
+"Nor you either," said he, throwing wide the door between the two rooms;
+"I hear a voice without there, that settles the question forever."
+
+At the same instant, Major Barton entered, followed by two men.
+
+"I suspected I should find you here, sir," said he, addressing me. "You
+need scarcely trouble my worthy friend for his bail; I arrest you now
+under a warrant of felony."
+
+"A felony!" exclaimed Basset, with a counterfeited astonishment in his
+look. "Mr. Burke accused of such a crime!"
+
+I could not utter a word; indignation and shame overpowered me, and
+merely motioning with my hand that I was ready to accompany him, I
+followed to the door, at which a carriage was standing, getting into
+which we drove towards Newgate.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI. THE PERIL AVERTED
+
+If I have dwelt with unnecessary prolixity on this dark portion of my
+story, it is because the only lesson my life teaches has lain in similar
+passages. The train of evils which flows from one misdirection in early
+life,--the misfortunes which ensue from a single false and inconsiderate
+step,--frequently darken the whole subsequent career. This I now thought
+over in the solitude of my cell. However I could acquit myself of the
+crime laid to my charge, I could not so easily absolve my heart of the
+early folly which made me suppose that the regeneration of a land should
+be accomplished by the efforts of a sanguinary and bigoted rabble. To
+this error could I trace every false step I made in life,--to this cause
+attribute the long struggle I endured between my love of liberty and my
+detestation of mob rule; and yet how many years did it cost me to learn,
+that to alleviate the burdens of the oppressed may demand a greater
+exercise of tyranny than ever their rulers practised towards them. Like
+many others, I looked to France as the land of freedom; but where was
+despotism so unbounded! where the sway of one great mind so unlimited!
+They had bartered liberty for equality, and because the pressure was
+equal on all, they deemed themselves free; while the privileges of class
+with us suggested the sense of bondage to the poor man, whose actual
+freedom was yet unencumbered.
+
+Of all the daydreams of my boyhood, the ambition of military glory
+alone survived; and that lived on amid the dreary solitude of my prison,
+comforting many a lonely hour by memories of the past. The glittering
+ranks of the mounted squadrons; the deep-toned thunder of the artillery;
+the solid masses of the infantry, immovable beneath the rush of
+cavalry,--were pictures I could dwell on for hours and days, and my
+dearest wish could point to no higher destiny than to be once more a
+soldier in the ranks of France.
+
+During all this time my mind seldom reverted to the circumstances of
+my imprisonment, nor did I feel the anxiety for the result my position
+might well have suggested. The conscious sense of my innocence kept the
+flame of hope alive, without suffering it either to flicker or vary. It
+burned like a steady fire within me, and made even the dark cells of a
+jail a place of repose and tranquillity. And thus time rolled on: the
+hours of pleasure and happiness to thousands, too short and flitting for
+the enjoyments they brought. They went by also to the prisoner, as to
+one who waits on the bank of the stream, nor knows what fortune may
+await him on his voyage.
+
+A stubborn feeling of conscious right had prevented my taking even the
+ordinary steps for my defence, and the day of trial was now drawing nigh
+without any preparation on my part. I was ignorant how essential the
+habits and skill of an advocate are in the conduct of every case,
+however simple; and implicitly relied on my guiltlessness, as though men
+can read the heart of a prisoner and know its workings. M'Dougall, the
+only member of the bar I knew even by name, had accepted a judicial
+appointment in India, and was already on his way thither, so that I had
+neither friend nor adviser in my difficulty. Were it otherwise, I felt I
+could scarcely have bent my pride to that detail of petty circumstances
+which an advocate might deem essential to my vindication; and was
+actually glad to think that I should owe the assertion of my innocence
+to nothing less than the pure fact.
+
+When November at length arrived, I learned that the trial had been
+deferred to the following February; and so listless and indifferent had
+imprisonment made me, that I heard the intelligence without impatience
+or regret. The publicity of a court of justice, its exposure to the gaze
+and observation of the crowd who throng there, were subjects of more
+shrinking dread to my heart than the weight of an accusation which,
+though false, might peril my life; and for the first time I rejoiced
+that I was friendless. Yes! it brought balm and comfort to me to think
+that none would need to blush at my relationship nor weep over my fate.
+Sorrow has surely eaten deeply into our natures, when we derive pleasure
+and peace from what in happier circumstances are the sources of regret.
+
+Let me now hasten on. My reader will readily forgive me if I pass with
+rapid steps over a portion of my story, the memory of which has not yet
+lost its bitterness. The day at last came; and amid all the ceremonies
+of a prison I was marched from my cell to the dock. How strange the
+sudden revolution of feeling,--from the solitude and silence of a jail
+to the crowded court, teeming with looks of eager curiosity, dread, or
+perhaps compassion, all turned towards him, who himself, half forgetful
+of his condition, gazes on the great mass in equal astonishment and
+surprise!
+
+My thoughts at once recurred to a former moment of my life, when I stood
+accused among the Chouan prisoners before the tribunal of Paris. But
+though the proceedings were less marked by excitement and passion, the
+stern gravity of the English procedure was far more appalling; and in
+the absence of all which could stir the spirit to any effort of its own,
+it pressed with a more solemn dread on the mind of the prisoner.
+
+I have said I would not linger over this part of my life. I could not
+do so if I would. Real events, and the impressions they made upon
+me,--facts, and the passing emotions of my mind,--are strangely confused
+and commingled in my memory; and although certain minute and trivial
+things are graven in my recollection, others of moment have escaped me
+unrecorded.
+
+The usual ceremonial went forward: the jury were impanelled, and the
+clerk of the Crown read aloud the indictment, to which my plea of "Not
+guilty" was at once recorded; then the judge asked if I were provided
+with counsel, and hearing that I was not, appointed a junior barrister
+to act for me, and the trial began.
+
+I was not the first person who, accused of a crime of which he felt
+innocent, yet was so overwhelmed by the statements of imputed guilt,--so
+confused by the inextricable web of truth and falsehood, artfully
+entangled.--that he actually doubted his own convictions when opposed to
+views so strongly at variance with them.
+
+The first emotion of the prisoner is a feeling of surprise to discover,
+that one utterly a stranger--the lawyer he has perhaps never seen, whose
+name he never so much as heard of--is perfectly conversant with his
+own history, and as it were by intuition seems acquainted with his
+very thoughts and motives. Tracing out not only a line of acting but
+of devising, he conceives a story of which the accused is the hero, and
+invests his narrative with all the appliances to belief which result
+from time and place and circumstance. No wonder that the very accusation
+should strike terror into the soul; no wonder that the statement of
+guilt should cause heart-sinking to him who, conscious that all is not
+untrue, may feel that his actions can be viewed in another and very
+different light to that which conscience sheds over them.
+
+Such, so far as I remember, was the channel of my thoughts. At first
+mere astonishment at the accuracy of detail regarding my name, age,
+and condition in life, was uppermost; and then succeeded a sense of
+indignant anger at the charges laid against me; which yielded gradually
+to a feeling of confusion as the advocate continued; which again merged
+into a sort of dubious fear as I heard many trivial facts repeated,
+some of which my refreshed memory acknowledged as true, but of which
+my puzzled brain could not detect the inapplicability to sustain the
+accusation,--all ending in a chaos of bewilderment, where conscience
+itself was lost, and nothing left to guide or direct the reason.
+
+The counsel informed the jury that, although they were not placed in the
+box to try me on any charge of a political offence, they must bear in
+mind, that the murderous assault of which I was accused was merely part
+of a system organized to overthrow the Government; that, young as I then
+was, I was in intimate connection with the disaffected party which the
+mistaken leniency of the Crown had not thoroughly eradicated on the
+termination of the late rebellion, my constant companion being one whose
+crimes were already undergoing their but too merciful punishment in
+transportation for life; that, to tamper with the military, I had
+succeeded in introducing myself into the barrack, where I obtained the
+confidence of a weak-minded but good-natured officer of the regiment.
+
+"These schemes," continued he, "were but partially successful. My
+distinguished client was then an officer of the corps; and with that
+ever-watchful loyalty which has distinguished him, he determined to keep
+a vigilant eye on this intruder, who, from circumstances of youth and
+apparent innocence, already had won upon the confidence of the majority
+of the regiment. Nor was this impression a false one. An event,
+apparently little likely to unveil a treasonable intention, soon
+unmasked the true character of the prisoner and the nature of his
+mission."
+
+He then proceeded to narrate with circumstantial accuracy the night in
+the George's Street barracks, when Hilliard, Crofts, and some others
+came with Bubbleton to his quarters to decide a wager between two of the
+parties. Calling the attention of the jury to this part of the case, he
+detailed the scene which occurred; and, if I could trust my memory, not
+a phrase, not a word escaped him which had been said.
+
+"It was then, gentlemen," said he, "at that instant, that the prisoner's
+habitual caution failed him, and in an unguarded moment developed the
+full story of his guilt. Captain Bubbleton lost his wager, of which my
+client was the winner. The habits of the service are peremptory in these
+matters; it was necessary that payment should be made at once. Bubbleton
+had not the means of discharging his debt, and while he looked around
+among his comrades for assistance, the prisoner steps forward and
+supplies the sum. Mark what followed.
+
+"A sudden call of service now summoned the officers beneath; all save
+Crofts, who, not being on duty, had no necessity for accompanying them.
+The bank-note so opportunely furnished by the prisoner lay on the table;
+and this Crofts proceeded leisurely to open and examine before he left
+the room. Slowly unfolding the paper, he spread it out before him; and
+what, think you, gentlemen, did the paper display? A Bank of England
+bill for twenty pounds, you'll say, of course. Far from it, indeed! The
+paper was a French assignat, bearing the words, 'Payez au porteur la
+somme de deux mille livres.' Yes; the sum so carelessly thrown on the
+table by this youth was an order for eighty pounds, issued by the French
+Government.
+
+"Remember the period, gentlemen, when this occurred. We had just
+passed the threshold of a most fearful and sanguinary rebellion,--the
+tranquillity of the land scarce restored after a convulsion that shook
+the very constitution and the throne to their centres. The interference
+of France in the affairs of the country had not been a mere threat; her
+ships had sailed, her armies had landed, and though the bravery and the
+loyalty of our troops had made the expedition result in utter defeat
+and overthrow, the emissaries of the land of anarchy yet lingered on our
+shores, and disseminated that treason in secret which openly they dared
+not proclaim. If they were sparing of their blood, they were lavish
+of their gold; what they failed in courage they supplied in assignats.
+Large promises of gain, rich offers of booty, were rife throughout the
+land; and wherever disaffection lurked or rebellion lingered, the enemy
+of England found congenial allies. Nothing too base, nothing too
+low, for this confederacy of crime; neither was anything too lowly in
+condition or too humble in efficiency. Treason cannot choose its agents;
+it must take the tools which chance and circumstances offer: they may
+be the refuse of mankind, but if inefficient for good, they are not the
+less active for evil. Such a one was the youth who now stands a prisoner
+before you, and here was the price of his disloyalty."
+
+At these words he held up triumphantly the French assignat, and waved it
+before the eyes of the court. However little the circumstances weighed
+within me, such was the impression manifestly produced upon the jury by
+this piece of corroborative evidence, that a thrill of anxiety for the
+result ran suddenly through me.
+
+Until that moment I believed Darby had repossessed himself of the
+assignat when Crofts lay insensible on the ground; at least I remembered
+well that he stooped over him and appeared to take something from him.
+While I was puzzling my mind on this point, I did not remark that
+the lawyer was proceeding to impress on the jury the full force of
+conviction such a circumstance implied.
+
+The offer I had made to Crofts to barter the assignat for an English
+note; my urgent entreaty to have it restored to me; the arguments I had
+employed to persuade him that no suspicion could attach to my possession
+of it,--were all narrated with so little of exaggeration that I was
+actually unable to say what assertion I could object to, while I was
+conscious that the inferences sought to be drawn from them were false
+and unjust.
+
+Having displayed with consummate skill the critical position this paper
+had involved me in, he took the opportunity of contrasting the anxiety I
+evinced for my escape from my difficulty, with the temperate conduct
+of my antagonist, whose loyalty left him no other course than to retain
+possession of the note, and inquire into the circumstances by which it
+reached my hands.
+
+Irritated by the steady determination of Crofts, it was said that I
+endeavored by opprobrious epithets and insulting language to provoke
+a quarrel, which a sense of my inferiority as an antagonist rendered a
+thing impossible to be thought of. Baffled in every way, I was said to
+have rushed from the room, double-locking it on the outside, and hurried
+down the stairs and out of the barrack; not to escape, however, but with
+a purpose very different,--to return in a few moments accompanied by
+three fellows, whom I passed with the guard as men wishing to recruit.
+To ascend the stairs, unlock the door, and fall on the imprisoned
+officer, was the work of an instant. His defence, although courageous
+and resolute, was but brief. His sword being broken, he was felled by a
+blow of a bludgeon, and thus believed dead. The ruffians ransacked his
+pockets, and departed.
+
+The same countersign which admitted, passed them out as they went; and
+when morning broke the wounded man was found weltering in his blood,
+but with life still remaining, and strength enough to recount what had
+occurred. By a mere accident, it was stated, the French bank-note had
+not been consigned to his pocket, but fell during the struggle, and was
+discovered the next day on the floor.
+
+These were the leading features of an accusation, which, however
+improbable while thus briefly and boldly narrated, hung together with a
+wonderful coherence in the speech of the lawyer, supported as they were
+by the number of small circumstances corroboratory of certain immaterial
+portions of the story. Thus, the political opinions I professed; the
+doubtful--nay, equivocal--position I occupied; the intercourse with
+France or Frenchmen, as proved by the _billet de banque_; my sudden
+disappearance after the event, and my escape thither, where I continued
+to live until, as it was alleged, I believed that years had eradicated
+all trace of, if not my crime, myself,--such were the statements
+displayed with all the specious inferences of habitual plausibility, and
+to confirm which by evidence Sir Montague Crofts was called to give his
+testimony.
+
+There was a murmur of expectancy through the court as this well-known
+individual's name was pronounced; and in a few moments the throng around
+the inner bar opened, and a tall figure appeared upon the witness table.
+The same instant that I caught sight of his features he had turned his
+glance on me, and we stood for some seconds confronting each other.
+Mutual defiance seemed the gage between us; and I saw, with a thrill
+of savage pleasure, that after a minute or so his cheek flushed, and he
+averted his face and appeared ill at ease and uncomfortable.
+
+To the first questions of the lawyer he answered with evident
+constraint, and in a low, subdued voice; but soon recovering his
+self-possession, gave his testimony freely and boldly, corroborating by
+his words all the statements of his advocate. By both the court and
+the jury he was heard with attention and deference; and when he took
+a passing occasion to allude to his loyalty and attachment to the
+constitution, the senior judge interrupted him by saying,--
+
+"On that point, Sir Montague, no second opinion can exist. Your
+character for unimpeachable honor is well known to the court."
+
+The examination was brief, lasting scarcely half an hour; and when the
+young lawyer came forward to put some questions as cross-examination,
+his want of instruction and ignorance were at once seen, and the witness
+was dismissed almost immediately.
+
+Sir Montague's advocate declined calling any other witness. The regiment
+to which his client then belonged was on foreign service; but he felt
+satisfied that the case required nothing in addition to the evidence the
+jury had heard.
+
+A few moments of deliberation ensued among the members of the bench; and
+then the senior judge called on my lawyer to proceed with the defence.
+
+The young barrister rose with diffidence, and expressed in few words his
+inability to rebut the statements that had been made by any evidence in
+his power to produce. "The prisoner, my lord," said he, "has confided
+nothing to me of his case. I am ignorant of everything, save what has
+taken place in open court."
+
+"It is true, my lord," said I, interrupting. "The facts of this unhappy
+circumstance are known but to three individuals. You have already heard
+the version which one of them has given; you shall now hear mine. The
+third, whose testimony might incline the balance in my favor, is, I am
+told, no longer in this country; and I have only to discharge the debt
+I feel due to myself and to my own honor, by narrating the real
+occurrence, and leave the issue in your hands, to deal with as your
+consciences may dictate."
+
+With the steadiness of purpose truth inspires, and in few words, I
+narrated the whole of my adventure with Crofts, down to the moment of
+Darby's sudden appearance. I told of what passed between us; and how
+the altercation, that began in angry words, terminated in a personal
+struggle, where, as the weaker, I was overcome, and lay beneath the
+weapon of my antagonist, by which already I had received a severe and
+dangerous wound.
+
+"I should hesitate here, my lords," said I, "before I spoke of one who
+then came to my aid, if I did not know that he is already removed by
+a heavy sentence, both from the penalty his gallant conduct might call
+down on him, and the enmity which the prosecutor would as certainly
+pursue him with. But he is beyond the reach of either, and I may speak
+of him freely."
+
+I then told of Darby's appearance that night in the barrack, disguised
+as a ballad-singer; how in this capacity he passed the sentry, and was
+present in the room when the officers entered to decide the wager; that
+he had quitted it soon after their arrival, and only returned on hearing
+the noise of the scuffle between Crofts and myself. The struggle itself
+I remembered but imperfectly, but so far as my memory bore me out,
+recapitulated to the court.
+
+"I will relate, my lords," said I, "the few events which followed,--not
+that they can in any wise corroborate the plain statement I have made,
+nor indeed that they bear, save remotely, on the events mentioned; but
+I will do so in the hope,--a faint hope it is,--that in this court there
+might be found some one person who could add his testimony to mine, and
+say, 'This is true; to that I can myself bear witness.'"
+
+With this brief preface, I told how Darby had brought me to a house in
+an obscure street, in which a man, apparently dying, was stretched upon
+a miserable bed; that while my wound was being dressed, a car came to
+the door with the intention of conveying the sick man away somewhere.
+This, however, was deemed impossible, so near did his last hour appear;
+and in his place I was taken off, and placed on board the vessel bound
+for France.
+
+"Of my career in that country it is needless that I should speak; it
+can neither throw light upon the events which preceded it, nor have
+any interest for the court My commission as a captain of the Imperial
+Hussars may, however, testify the position that I occupied; while the
+certificate of the minister of war on the back will show that I quitted
+the service voluntarily, and with honor."
+
+"The court would advise you, sir," said the judge, "not to advert to
+circumstances which, while they contribute nothing to your exculpation,
+may have a very serious effect on the minds of the jury against you.
+Have you any witnesses to call?"
+
+"None, my lord."
+
+A pause of some minutes ensued, when the only sounds in the court were
+the whispering tones of Crofts's voice, as he said something into his
+counsel's ear. The lawyer rose.
+
+"My task, my lords," said he, "is a short one. Indeed, in all
+probability, I need not trouble either your lordships or the jury
+with an additional word on a case where the evidence so conclusively
+establishes the guilt of the accused, and where attempt to contradict
+it has been so abortive. Never, perhaps, was a story narrated within
+the walls of a court so full of improbable--might I not almost say
+impossible--events, as that of the prisoner."
+
+He then recapitulated, with rapid but accurate detail, the principal
+circumstances of my story, bestowing some brief comment on each as he
+went. He sneered at the account of the struggle, and turned the whole
+description of the contest with Crofts into ridicule,--calling on the
+jury to bestow a glance on the manly strength and vigorous proportions
+of his client, and then remember the age of his antagonist,--a boy of
+fourteen.
+
+"I forgot, gentlemen (I ask your pardon), he confesses to one
+ally,--this famous piper. I really did hope that was a name we had done
+with forever. I indulged the dream, that among the memories of an
+awful period this was never to recur; but unhappily the expectation was
+delusive. The fellow is brought once more before us; and perhaps, for
+the first time in his long life of iniquity, charged with a crime he did
+not commit." In a few sentences he explained that a large reward was at
+that very moment offered for the apprehension of Darby, who never would
+have ventured under any disguise to approach the capital, much less
+trust himself within the walls of a barrack.
+
+"The tissue of wild and inconsistent events which the prisoner has
+detailed as following the assault, deserves no attention at my hands.
+Where was this house? What was the street? Who was this doctor of which
+he speaks? And the sick man, how was he called?"
+
+"I remember his name well; it is the only one I remember among all I
+heard," said I, from the dock.
+
+"Let us hear it, then," said the lawyer, half contemptuously.
+
+"Daniel Fortescue was the name he was called by."
+
+Scarcely was the name uttered by me, when Crofts leaned back in his seat
+and became pale as death; while, stretching out his hand, he took hold
+of the lawyer's gown and drew him towards him. For a second or two he
+continued to speak with rapid utterance in the advocate's ear; and then
+covering his face with his handkerchief, leaned his head on the rail
+before him.
+
+"It is necessary, my lords," said the lawyer, "that I should explain the
+reason of my client's emotion, and at the same time unveil the baseness
+which has dictated this last effort of the prisoner, if not to injure
+the reputation, to wound the feelings, of my client. The individual
+whose name has been mentioned was the half brother of my client; and
+whose unhappy connection with the disastrous events of the year '98
+involved him in a series of calamities which ended in his death,
+which took place in the year 1800, but some months earlier than the
+circumstance which we now are investigating. The introduction of this
+unhappy man's name was, then, a malignant effort of the prisoner to
+insult the feelings of my client, on which your lordships and the jury
+will place its true value."
+
+A murmur of disapprobation ran through the crowded court as these words
+were spoken; but whether directed against me or against the comment of
+the lawyer I could not determine; nor, such was the confusion I then
+felt, could I follow the remainder of the advocate's address with
+anything like clearness. At last he concluded; and the chief justice,
+after a whispered conversation with his brethren of the bench, thus
+began:--
+
+"Gentlemen of the jury, the case which you have this day to try, to my
+mind presents but one feature of doubt and difficulty. The great fact
+for your consideration is, to determine to which of two opposite and
+conflicting testimonies you will accord your credence. On the one side
+you have the story of the prosecutor, a man of position and character,
+high in the confidence of honorable men, and invested with all the
+attributes of rank and station; on the other, you have a narrative
+strongly coherent in some parts, equally difficult to account for in
+others, given by the prisoner, whose life, even by his own showing, has
+none of those recommendations to your good opinions which are based
+on loyalty and attachment to the constitution of these realms. Both
+testimonies are unsupported by any collateral evidence. The prosecutor's
+regiment is in India, and the only witnesses he could adduce are many
+thousand miles off. The prisoner appeals also to the absent, but with
+less of reason; for if we could call this man, M'Keown, before us,--if,
+I say, we had this same Darby M'Keown in court--"
+
+A tremendous uproar in the hall without drowned the remainder of the
+sentence; and although the crier loudly proclaimed silence, and
+the bench twice interposed its authority to enforce it, the tumult
+continued, and eventually extended within the court itself, where all
+semblance of respect seemed suddenly annihilated.
+
+"If this continues one moment longer," exclaimed the chief justice, "I
+will commit to Newgate the very first disorderly person I can discover."
+
+The threat, however, did but partially calm the disturbance, which, in
+a confused murmur, prevailed from the benches of the counsel to the very
+galleries of the court.
+
+"What means this?" said the judge, in a voice of anger. "Who is it that
+dares to interfere with the administration of justice here?"
+
+"A witness,--a witness, my lord," called out several voices from the
+passage of the court; while a crowd pushed violently forward, and came
+struggling onwards till the leading figures were pressed over the inner
+bar.
+
+Again the judge repeated his question, while he made a signal for the
+officer of the court to approach him.
+
+"'Tis me, my lord," shouted a deep-toned voice from the middle of
+the crowd. "Your lordship was asking for Darby M'Keown, and it isn't
+himself's ashamed of the name!"
+
+A perfect yell of approval broke from the ragged mob, which now filled
+every avenue and passage of the court, and even jammed up the stairs
+and the entrance halls. And now, raised upon the shoulders of the crowd,
+Darby appeared, borne aloft in triumph; his broad and daring face,
+bronzed with sun and weather, glowed with a look of reckless effrontery,
+which no awe of the court nor any fear for himself was able to repress.
+
+Of my own sensations while this scene was enacting I need not speak;
+and as I gazed at the weather-beaten features of the hardy piper, it
+demanded every effort of my reason to believe in the testimony of my
+eyesight. Had he come back from death itself the surprise would scarcely
+have been greater. Meanwhile the tumult was allayed; and the lawyers on
+either side--for, now that a glimmer of hope appeared, my advocate had
+entered with spirit on his duties--were discussing the admissibility
+of evidence at the present stage of the proceedings. This point being
+speedily established in my favor, another and a graver question arose:
+how far the testimony of a convicted felon--for such the lawyer at once
+called Darby--could be received as evidence.
+
+Cases were quoted and authorities shown to prove that such cannot be
+heard as witnesses,--that they are among those whom the law pronounces
+infamous and unworthy of credit; and while the lawyer continued to pour
+forth on this topic a perfect ocean of arguments, he was interrupted by
+the court, who affirmed the opinion, and concurred in his view of the
+case.
+
+"It only remains, then, my lord," said my counsel, "for the Crown to
+establish the identity of the individual--"
+
+"Nothing easier," interposed the other.
+
+"I beg pardon; I was about to add,--and produce the record of his
+conviction."
+
+This last seemed a felling blow; for although the old lawyer never
+evinced here or at any other time the slightest appearance of
+discomfiture at any opposition, I could see by the puckering of the
+deep lines around his mouth that he felt vexed and annoyed by this new
+suggestion.
+
+An eager and animated discussion ensued, in which my advocate was
+assisted by the advice of some senior counsel; and again the point was
+ruled in my favor, and Darby M'Keown was desired to mount the table.
+
+It required all the efforts of the various officers of the court to
+repress another outbreak of mob enthusiasm at the decision; for already
+the trial had assumed a feature perfectly distinct from any common
+infraction of the law. Its political bearing had long since imparted
+a character of party warfare to the whole proceeding; and while Sir
+Montague Crofts found his well-wishers among the better dressed and more
+respectable persons present, a much more numerous body of supporters
+claimed me as their own, and in defiance of all the usages and solemnity
+of the place, did not scruple to bestow on me looks and even words of
+encouragement at every stage of the trial. Darby's appearance was the
+climax of this popular enthusiasm. There were few who had not seen,
+or at least heard of, the celebrated piper in times past. His daring
+infraction of the law; his reputed skill in evading detection; his
+acquaintance with every clew and circumstance of the late rebellion; the
+confidence he enjoyed among all the leaders--had made him a hero in a
+land where such qualities are certain of obtaining their due estimation.
+And now, the reckless effrontery of his presence as a witness in a court
+of justice while the sentence of transportation still hung over him, was
+a claim to admiration none refused to acknowledge.
+
+His air and demeanor as he took his seat on the table seemed an
+acknowledgment of the homage rendered him: for though, as he placed his
+worn and ragged hat beside his feet, and stroked down his short black
+hair on his forehead, a careless observer might have suspected him
+of feeling awed and abashed by the presence in which he sat, one more
+conversant with his countrymen would have detected in the quiet leer of
+his roguish black eye, and a certain protrusion of his thick under lip,
+that Darby was as perfectly at his ease there as the eminent judge was
+who now fixed his eyes upon him. A short, but not disrespectful nod was
+the only notice he bestowed on me; and then concealing his joined hands
+within his sleeves, and drawing his legs back beneath the chair, he
+assumed that attitude of mock humility your least bashful Irishman is so
+commonly fond of.
+
+The veteran barrister was meanwhile surveying the witness with the
+peculiar scrutiny of his caste: he looked at him through his spectacles,
+and then he stared at him above them; he measured him from head to foot,
+his eye dwelling on every little circumstance of his dress or demeanor,
+as though to catch some clew to his habits of thinking or acting.
+Never did a matador survey the brawny animal with which he was about
+to contend in skill or strength with more critical acumen than did the
+lawyer regard Darby the Blast. Nor was the object of this examination
+unaware of it; very far from this, indeed. He seemed pleased by the
+degree of attention bestowed on him, and felt all the flattery
+such notice conveyed; but while doing so, you could only detect his
+satisfaction in an occasional sidelong look of drollery, which, brief
+and fleeting as it was, had still a numerous body of admirers through
+the court, whose muttered expressions of "Divil fear ye, Darby! but
+ye 're up to them any day;" or "Faix! 't is himself cares little about
+them!" showed they had no lack of confidence in the piper.
+
+
+[Illustration: BrownDarbyInTheChair294]
+
+"Your name is M'Keown, sir?" said the lawyer, with that abruptness
+which so often succeeds in oversetting the balance of a witness's
+self-possession. "Yes, sir; Darby M'Keown." "Did you ever go by any
+other than this?" "They do call me 'Darby the Blast' betimes, av that 'a
+a name."
+
+"Is that the only other name you have been called by?" "I misremember
+rightly, it's so long since I was among friends and acquaintances; but
+if yer honor would remind me a little, maybe I could tell." "Well, were
+you ever called 'Larry the Flail?'" "Faix, I was," replied he, laughing;
+"divil a doubt of it."
+
+"How did you come by the name of 'Larry the Flail'?"
+
+"They gave me the name up at Mulhuldad there, for bating one M'Clancy
+with a flail."
+
+"A very good reason. So you got the name because you beat a certain
+M'Clancy with a flail?"
+
+"I didn't say that; I only said they gave me the name because they said
+I bate him."
+
+"Were you ever called 'Fire-the-Haggard'?"
+
+"I was, often."
+
+"For no reason, of course?"
+
+"Divil a may son. The boys said it in sport, just as they talk of yer
+honor out there in the hall."
+
+"How do you mean,--talk of me?"
+
+"Sure I heard them say myself, as I was coming in, that you wor a clever
+man and a 'cute lawyer. They do be always humbugging that way."
+
+A titter ran round the benches of the barristers at this speech, which
+was delivered with a na�ve simplicity that would deceive many.
+
+"You were a United Irishman, Mr. M'Keown, I believe?" rejoined the
+counsel, with a frown of stern intimidation.
+
+"Yes, sir; and a White Boy, and a Defender, and a Thrasher besides. I
+was in all the fun them times."
+
+"The Thrashers are the fellows, I believe, who must beat any man they
+are appointed to attack; isn't that so?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"So that, if I was mentioned to you as a person to be assaulted,
+although I had never done you any injury, you 'd not hesitate to waylay
+me?"
+
+"No, sir, I wouldn't do that. I'd not touch yer honor."
+
+"Come, come; what do you mean? Why wouldn't you touch me?"
+
+"I' d rather not tell, av it was plazing to ye."
+
+"You must tell, sir; speak out! Why wouldn't you attack me?"
+
+"They say, sir," said Darby,--and as he spoke, his voice assumed a
+peculiar lisp, meant to express great modesty,--"they say, sir, that
+when a man has a big wart on his nose there, like yer honor, it's not
+lucky to bate him, for that's the way the divil marks his own."
+
+This time the decorum of the court gave way entirely, and the unwashed
+faces which filled the avenues and passages were all expanded in open
+laughter; nor was it easy to restore order again amid the many marks of
+approval and encouragement bestowed on Darby by his numerous admirers.
+
+"Remember where you are, sir," said the judge, severely.
+
+"Yes, my lord," said Darby, with an air of submission. "'T is the first
+time I was ever in sich a situation as this. I 'm much more at my ease
+when I 'm down in the dock there; it's what I 'm most used to, God help
+me."
+
+The whining tone in which he delivered this mock lament on his
+misfortunes occasioned another outbreak of the mob, who were threatened
+with expulsion from the court if any future interruption took place.
+
+"You were, then, a member of every illegal society of the time, Mr.
+Darby?" said the lawyer, returning to the examination. "Is it not so?"
+
+"Most of them, anyhow," was the cool reply.
+
+"You took an active part in the doings of the year '98 also?"
+
+"Throth I did,--mighty active. I walked from beyant Castlecomer one day
+to Dublin to see a trial here. Be the same token, it was Mr. Curran made
+a hare of yer honor that day. Begorrah I wonder ye ever held up yer head
+after."
+
+Here a burst of laughter at the recollection seemed to escape Darby
+so naturally, that its contagious effects were felt throughout the
+assembly.
+
+"You are a wit, Mr. M'Keown, I fancy, eh?"
+
+"Bedad I 'm not, sir; very little of that same would have kept out of
+this to-day."
+
+"But you came here to serve a friend,--a very old friend, he calls you."
+
+"Does he?" said Darby, with an energy of tone and manner very different
+from what he had hitherto used. "Does Master Tom say that?"
+
+As the poor fellow's cheek flushed, and his eyes sparkled with proud
+emotion, I could perceive that the lawyer's face underwent a change
+equally rapid. A look of triumph at having at length discovered the
+assailable point of the witness's temperament now passed over his pale
+features, and gave them an expression of astonishing intelligence.
+
+"A very natural thing it is, Darby, that he should call you so. You were
+companions at an early period,--at least of his life; fellow-travellers,
+too, if I don't mistake?"
+
+Although these words were spoken in a tone of careless freedom, and
+intended to encourage Darby to some expansion on the same theme, the
+cunning fellow had recovered all his habitual self-possession, and
+merely answered, if answer it could be called,--
+
+"I was a poor man, sir, and lived by the pipes."
+
+The advocate and the witness exchanged looks at this moment, in which
+their relative positions were palpably conveyed. Each seemed to say it
+was a drawn battle; but the lawyer returned with vigor to the charge;
+desiring Darby to mention the manner in which our first acquaintance
+began, and how the intimacy was originally formed.
+
+He narrated with clearness and accuracy every step of our early
+wanderings; and while never misstating a single fact, contrived
+to exhibit my career as totally devoid of any participation in the
+treasonable doings of the period. Indeed, he laid great stress on the
+fact that my acquaintance with Charles de Meudon had withdrawn me from
+all relations with the insurgent party, between whom and the French
+allies feelings of open dislike and distrust existed. Of the scene at
+the barrack his account varied in nothing from that I had already given;
+nor was all the ingenuity of a long and intricate cross-examination able
+to shake his testimony in the most minute particular.
+
+"Of course, then, you know Sir Montague Crofts? It is quite clear that
+you cannot mistake a person with whom you had a struggle such as you
+speak of."
+
+"Faix, I'd know his skin upon a bush," said Darby, "av he was like what
+I remember him; but sure he may be changed since that. They tell me
+I'm looking ould myself; and no wonder. Hunting kangaroos wears the
+constitution terribly."
+
+"Look around the court, now, and say if he be here."
+
+Darby rose from his seat, and shading his eyes with his hand, took
+a deliberate survey of the court. Though well knowing, from past
+experience, in what part of the assembly the person he sought would
+probably be, he seized the occasion to scrutinize the features of the
+various persons, whom under no other pretence could he have examined.
+
+"It's not on the bench, sir, you need look for him," said the lawyer,
+as M'Keown remained for a considerable time with his eyes bent in that
+direction.
+
+"Bedad there's no knowing," rejoined Darby, doubtfully; "av he was
+dressed up that way, I wouldn't know him from an old ram."
+
+He turned round as he said this, and gazed steadfastly towards the bar.
+It was an anxious moment for me: should Darby make any mistake in the
+identity of Crofts, his whole testimony would be so weakened in the
+opinion of the jury as to be nearly valueless. I watched his eyes,
+therefore, as they ranged over the crowded mass, with a palpitating
+heart; and when at last his glance settled on a far part of the court,
+very distant from that occupied by Crofts, I grew almost sick with
+apprehension lest he should mistake another for him.
+
+"Well, sir," said the lawyer; "do you see him now?"
+
+"Arrah, it's humbugging me yez are," said Darby, roughly, while he threw
+himself down into his chair in apparent ill temper.
+
+A loud burst of laughter broke from the bar at this sudden ebullition of
+passion, so admirably feigned that none suspected its reality; and while
+the sounds of mirth were subsiding, Darby dropped his head, and placed
+his hand above his ear. "There it is, by gorra; there's no mistaking
+that laugh, anyhow," cried he; "there's a screech in it might plaze an
+owl." And with that he turned abruptly round and faced the bench where
+Crofts was seated. "I heard it a while ago, but I couldn't say where.
+That's the man," said he, pointing with his finger to Crofts, who seemed
+actually to cower beneath his piercing glance.
+
+"Remember, sir, you are on your solemn oath. Will you swear that the
+gentleman there is Sir Montague Crofts?"
+
+"I know nothing about Sir Montague," said Darby, composedly, while
+rising he walked over towards the edge of the table where Crofts was
+sitting, "but I'll swear that's the same Captain Crofts that I knocked
+down while he was shortening his sword to run it through Master Burke;
+and by the same token, he has a cut in the skull where he fell on the
+fender." And before the other could prevent it, he stretched out his
+hand, and placed it on the back of the crown of Crofts's head. "There it
+is, just as I tould you."
+
+The sensation these words created in the court was most striking,
+and even the old lawyer appeared overwhelmed at the united craft and
+consistency of the piper. The examination was resumed; but Darby's
+evidence tallied so accurately with my statement that its continuance
+only weakened the case for the prosecution.
+
+As the sudden flash of the lightning will sometimes disclose what in the
+long blaze of noonday has escaped the beholder, so will conviction
+break unexpectedly upon the human mind from some slight but striking
+circumstance which comes with the irresistible force of unpremeditated
+truthfulness. From that moment it was clear the jury to a man were with
+Darby. They paid implicit attention to all he said, and made notes of
+every trivial fact he mentioned; while he, as if divining the impression
+he had made, became rigorously cautious that not a particle of his
+evidence could be shaken, nor the effect of his testimony weakened by
+even a passing phrase of exaggeration. It was, indeed, a phenomenon
+worth studying, to see this fellow, whose natural disposition was the
+irrepressible love of drollery and recklessness,--whose whole heart
+seemed bent on the indulgence of his wayward, careless humor,--suddenly
+throw off every eccentricity of his character, and become a steady and
+accurate witness, delivering his evidence carefully and cautiously,
+and never suffering his own leanings to repartee, nor the badgering
+allusions of his questioner, to draw him for a moment away from the
+great object he had set before him; resisting every line, every bait,
+the cunning lawyer threw out to seduce him into that land of fancy
+so congenial to an Irishman's temperament, he was firm against
+all temptation, and even endured that severest of all tests to the
+forbearance of his country,--he suffered the laugh more than once to be
+raised at his expense, without an effort to retort on his adversary.
+
+The examination lasted three hours; and at its conclusion, every fact
+I stated had received confirmation from Darby's testimony, down to the
+moment when we left the barrack together.
+
+"Now, M'Keown," said the lawyer, "I am about to call your recollection,
+which is so wonderfully accurate that it can give you no trouble in
+remembering, to a circumstance which immediately followed the affair."
+
+As he got thus far, Crofts leaned over and drew the counsel towards
+him while he whispered some words rapidly in his ear. A brief dialogue
+ensued between them; at the conclusion of which the lawyer turned round,
+and addressing Darby, said,--
+
+"You may go down, sir; I 've done with you." "Wait a moment," said the
+young barrister on my side, who quickly perceived that the interruption
+had its secret object. "My learned friend was about to ask you
+concerning something which happened after you left the barrack; and
+although he has changed his mind on the subject, we on this side would
+be glad to hear what you have to say."
+
+Darby's eyes flashed with unwonted brilliancy; and I thought I caught
+a glance of triumphant meaning towards Crofts, as he began his recital,
+which was in substance nothing more than what the reader already knows.
+When he came to the mention of Fortescue's name, however, Crofts, whose
+excitement was increasing at each moment, lost all command over himself,
+and cried out,--
+
+"It's false! every word untrue! The man was dead at the time."
+
+The court rebuked the interruption, and Darby went on.
+
+"No, my lord; he was alive. But Mr. Crofts is not to blame, for he
+believed he was dead; and, more than that, he thought he took the sure
+way to make him so."
+
+These words produced the greatest excitement throughout the court;
+and an animated discussion ensued, how far the testimony could go to
+inculpate a party not accused. It was ruled, at last, the evidence
+should be heard, as touching the case on trial, and not immediately as
+regarded Crofts. And then Darby began a recital, of which I had never
+heard a syllable before, nor had I conceived the slightest suspicion.
+
+The story, partly told in narrative form, partly elicited by
+questioning, was briefly this.
+
+Daniel Fortescue was the son of a Roscommon gentleman of large fortune,
+of whom also Crofts was the illegitimate child. The father, a man
+of high Tory politics, had taken a most determined part against the
+patriotic party in Ireland, to which his son Daniel had shown himself,
+on more than one occasion, favorable. The consequence was, a breach of
+affection between them; widened into an actual rupture, by the old man,
+who was a widower, taking home to his house the illegitimate son, and
+announcing to his household that he would leave him everything he could
+in the world.
+
+To Daniel, the blow was all that he needed to precipitate his ruin. He
+abandoned the university, where already he had distinguished himself,
+and threw himself heart and soul into the movement of the "United
+Irish" party. At first, high hopes of an independent nation,--a separate
+kingdom, with its own train of interests, and its own sphere of power
+and influence,--was the dream of those with whom he associated. But
+as events rolled on it was found, that to mature their plans it was
+necessary to connect themselves with the masses, by whose agency the
+insurrectionary movement was to be effected; and in doing so, they
+discovered, that although theories of liberty and independence, high
+notions of pure government, may have charms for men of intellect and
+intelligence, to the mob the price of a rebellion must be paid down
+in the sterling coin of pillage and plunder,--or even, worse, the
+triumphant dominion of the depraved and the base over the educated and
+the worthy.
+
+Many who favored the patriotic cause, as it was called, became so
+disgusted at the low associates and base intercourse the game of party
+required, that they abandoned the field at once, leaving to others, less
+scrupulous or more ardent, the path they could not stoop to follow. It
+was probable that young Fortescue might have been among these, had he
+been left to the guidance of his own judgment and inclination; for, as a
+man of honor and intelligence, he could not help feeling shocked at the
+demands made by those who were the spokesmen of the people. But this
+course he was not permitted to take, owing to the influence of a man who
+had succeeded in obtaining the most absolute power over him.
+
+This was a certain Maurice Mulcahy, a well-known member of the various
+illegal clubs of the day, and originally a country schoolmaster. Mulcahy
+it was who first infected Fortescue's mind with the poison of this
+party,--now lending him volumes of the incendiary trash with which
+the press teemed; now newspapers, whose articles were headed, "Orange
+outrage on a harmless and unresisting peasantry!" or, "Another sacrifice
+of the people to the bloody vengeance of the Saxon!" By these, his
+youthful mind became interested in the fate of those he believed to be
+treated with reckless cruelty and oppression; while, as he advanced in
+years, his reason was appealed to by those great and spirit-stirring
+addresses which Grattan and Curran were continually delivering, either
+in the senate or at the bar, and wherein the most noble aspirations
+after liberty were united with sentiments breathing love of country and
+devoted patriotism. To connect the garbled and lying statements of a
+debased newspaper press with the honorable hopes and noble conceptions
+of men of mind and genius, was the fatal process of his political
+education; and never was there a time when such a delusion was more
+easy.
+
+Mulcahy, now stimulating the boyish ardor of a high-spirited youth, now
+flattering his vanity by promises of the position one of his ancient
+name and honored lineage must assume in the great national movement,
+gradually became his directing genius, swaying every resolution and
+ruling every determination of his mind. He never left his victim for a
+moment; and while thus insuring the unbounded influence he exercised, he
+gave proof of a seeming attachment, which Fortescue confidently believed
+in. Mulcahy, too, never wanted for money; alleging that the leaders of
+the plot knew the value of Fortescue's alliance, and were willing
+to advance him any sums he needed, he supplied the means of every
+extravagance a wild and careless youth indulged in, and thus riveted the
+chain of his bondage to him.
+
+When the rebellion broke out, Fortescue, like many more, was
+horror-struck at the conduct of his party. He witnessed hourly scenes
+of cruelty and bloodshed at which his heart revolted, but to avow his
+compassion for which would have cost him his life on the spot. He was
+in the stream, however, and must go with the torrent; and what will not
+stern necessity compel? Daily intimacy with the base-hearted and the
+low, hourly association with crime, and perhaps more than either,
+despair of success, broke him down completely, and with the blind
+fatuity of one predestined to evil, he became careless what happened to
+him, and indifferent to whatever fate was before him.
+
+Still, between him and his associates there lay a wide gulf. The tree,
+withered and blighted as it was, still preserved some semblance of its
+once beauty; and among that mass of bigotry and bloodshed, his nature
+shone forth conspicuously as something of a different order of being. To
+none was this superiority more insulting than to the parties themselves.
+So long as the period of devising and planning the movement of an
+insurrection lasts, the presence of a gentleman, or a man of birth
+or rank, will be hailed with acclamation and delight. Let the hour of
+acting arrive, however, and the scruples of an honorable mind, or the
+repugnance of a high-spirited nature, will be treated as cowardice by
+those who only recognized bravery in deeds of blood, and know no heroism
+save when allied to cruelty.
+
+Fortescue became suspected by his party. Hints were circulated, and
+rumors reached him, that he was watched; that it was no time for hanging
+back. He who sacrificed everything for the cause to be thus accused! He
+consulted Mulcahy; and to his utter discomfiture discovered that
+even his old ally and adviser was not devoid of doubt regarding him.
+Something must be done, and that speedily,--he cared not what. Life had
+long ceased to interest him either by hope or fear. The only tie that
+bound him to existence was the strange desire to be respected by those
+his heart sickened at the thought of.
+
+An attack was at that time planned against the house and family of a
+Wexford gentleman, whose determined opposition to the rebel movement had
+excited all their hatred. Fortescue demanded to be the leader of that
+expedition; and was immediately named to the post by those who were glad
+to have the opportunity of testing his conduct by such an emergency.
+
+The attack took place at night,--a scene of the most fearful and
+appalling cruelty, such as the historian yet records among the most
+dreadful of that dreadful period. The house was burned to the ground,
+and its inmates butchered, regardless of age or sex. In the effort to
+save a female from the flames, Fortescue was struck down by one of his
+party; while another nearly cleft his chest across with a cut of a large
+knife. He fell, covered with blood, and lay seemingly dead. When his
+party retreated, however, he summoned strength to creep under shelter of
+a ditch, and lay there till near daybreak, when he was found by another
+gang of the rebel faction, who knew nothing of the circumstances of his
+wound, and carried him away to a place of safety.
+
+For some months he lay dangerously ill. Hectic fever, consequent on long
+suffering, brought him to the very brink of the grave; and at last he
+managed by stealth to reach Dublin, where a doctor well known to
+the party resided, and under whose care he ultimately recovered, and
+succeeded at last in taking a passage to America. Meanwhile his death
+was currently believed, and Crofts was everywhere recognized as the heir
+to the fortune.
+
+Mulcahy, of whom it is necessary to speak a few words, was soon after
+apprehended on a charge of rebellion, and sentenced to transportation.
+He appealed to many who had known him, as he said, in better times,
+to speak to his character. Among others, Captain Crofts--so he then
+was--was summoned. His evidence, however, was rather injurious than
+favorable to the prisoner; and although not in any way influencing the
+sentence, was believed by the populace to have mainly contributed to its
+severity.
+
+Such was, in substance, the singular story which was now told before the
+court,--told without any effort at concealment or reserve; and to the
+proof of which M'Keown was willing to proceed at once.
+
+"This, my lord," said Darby, as he concluded, "is a good time and place
+to give back to Mr. Crofts a trifling article I took from him the night
+at the barracks. I thought it was the bank-notes I was getting; but it
+turned out better, after all."
+
+With that he produced a strong black leather pocket-book, fastened by a
+steel clasp. No sooner did Crofts behold it, than, with the spring of a
+tiger, he leaped forward and endeavored to clutch it. But Darby was on
+his guard, and immediately drew back his hand, calling out,--
+
+"No, no, sir! I didn't keep it by me eight long years to give it up that
+way. There, my lords," said he, as he handed it to the bench, "there's
+his pocket-book, with plenty of notes in it from many a one well
+known,--Maurice Mulcahy among the rest,--and you'll soon see who it was
+first tempted Fortescue to ruin, and who paid the money for doing it."
+
+A burst of horror and astonishment broke from the assembled crowd as
+Darby spoke.
+
+Then, in a loud, determined tone, "He is a perjurer!" screamed Crofts. "I
+repeat it, my lord; Fortescue is dead."
+
+"Faix! and for a dead man he has a remarkable appetite," said Darby,
+"and an elegant color in his face besides; for there he stands."
+
+And as he spoke, he pointed with his finger to a man who was leaning
+with folded arms against one of the pillars that supported the gallery.
+
+Every eye was now turned in the direction towards him; while the young
+barrister called out, "Is your name Daniel Fortescue?"
+
+But before any answer could follow, several among the lawyers, who
+had known him in his college days, and felt attachment to him, had
+surrounded and recognized him.
+
+"I am Daniel Fortescue, my lord," said the stranger. "Whatever may be
+the consequences of the avowal, I say it here, before this court,
+that every statement the witness has made regarding me is true to the
+letter."
+
+A low, faint sound, heard throughout the stillness that followed these
+words, now echoed throughout the court; and Crofts had fallen, fainting,
+over the bench behind him.
+
+A scene of tumultuous excitement now ensued, for while Crofts's friends,
+many of whom were present, assisted to carry him into the air, others
+pressed eagerly forward to catch a sight of Fortescue, who had already
+rivalled Darby himself in the estimation of the spectators.
+
+He was a tall, powerfully-built man, of about thirty-five or thirty-six,
+dressed in the blue jacket and trousers of a sailor; but neither the
+habitude of his profession nor the humble dress he wore could conceal
+the striking evidence his air and bearing indicated of condition and
+birth. As he mounted the witness table,--for it was finally agreed
+that his testimony in disproof or corroboration of M'Keown should be
+heard,--a murmur of approbation went round, partly at the daring step he
+had thus ventured on taking, and partly excited by those personal gifts
+which are ever certain to have their effect upon any crowded assembly.
+
+I need not enter into the details of his evidence, which was given in
+a frank, straightforward manner, well suited to his appearance; never
+concealing for a moment the cause he had himself embarked in, nor
+assuming any favorable coloring for actions which ingenuity and the zeal
+of party would have found subjects for encomium rather than censure.
+
+His narrative not only confirmed all that Darby asserted, but also
+disclosed the atrocious scheme by which he had been first induced to
+join the ranks of the disaffected party. This was the work of Crofts,
+who knew and felt that Fortescue was the great barrier between himself
+and a large fortune. For this purpose Mulcahy was hired; to this end the
+whole long train of perfidy laid, which eventuated in his ruin: for
+so artfully had the plot been devised, each day's occurrence rendered
+retreat more difficult, until at last it became impossible.
+
+The reader is already aware of the catastrophe which concluded his
+career in the rebel army. It only remains now to be told that he escaped
+to America, where he entered as a sailor on board a merchantman;
+and although his superior acquirements and conduct might have easily
+bettered his fortune in his new walk in life, the dread of detection
+never left his mind, and he preferred the hardships before the mast to
+the vacillation of hope and fear a more conspicuous position would have
+exposed him to.
+
+The vessel in which he served was wrecked off the coast of New Holland,
+and he and a few others of the crew were taken up by an English ship on
+her voyage outward. In a party sent on shore for water, Fortescue came
+up with Darby, who had made his escape from the convict settlement, and
+was wandering about the woods, almost dead of starvation, and scarcely
+covered with clothing. His pitiful condition, but perhaps more still,
+his native drollery, which even then was unextinguished, induced the
+sailors to yield to Fortescue's proposal, and they smuggled him on
+board in a water cask; and thus concealed, he made the entire voyage to
+England, where he landed about a fortnight before the trial. Fearful of
+being apprehended before the day, and determined at all hazards to give
+his evidence, he lay hid till the time we have already seen, when he
+suddenly came forward to my rescue.
+
+Mulcahy, who worked in the same gang with Darby, or, to use the piper's
+grandiloquent expression,--for he burst out in this occasionally,--was
+"in concatenated proximity to him," told the whole story of his own
+baseness, and loudly inveighed against Crofts for deserting him in
+his misfortunes. The pocket-book taken from Crofts by Darby amply
+corroborated this statement. It contained, besides various memoranda
+in the owner's handwriting, several letters from Mulcahy, detailing the
+progress of the conspiracy: some were in acknowledgment of considerable
+sums of money; others asking for supplies; but all confirmatory of the
+black scheme by which Fortescue's destruction was compassed.
+
+Whatever might have been the sentiments of the crowded court regarding
+the former life and opinions of Fortescue and the piper, it was clear
+that now only one impression prevailed,--a general feeling of horror at
+the complicated villany of Crofts, whose whole existence had been one
+tissue of the basest treachery.
+
+The testimony was heard with attention throughout; no cross-examination
+was entered on; and the judge, briefly adverting to the case which
+was before the jury, and from whose immediate consideration subsequent
+events had in a great measure withdrawn their minds, directed them to
+deliver a verdict of "Not guilty."
+
+The words were re-echoed by the jury, who, man for man, exclaimed these
+words aloud, amid the most deafening cheers from every side.
+
+As I walked from the dock, fatigued, worn out, and exhausted, a dozen
+hands were stretched out to seize mine; but one powerful grasp caught my
+arm, and a well-known voice called in my ear,--
+
+"An' ye wor with Boney, Master Tom? Tare and 'ounds, didn't I know you'd
+be a great man yet."
+
+At the same instant Fortescue came through the crowd towards me, with
+his hands outstretched.
+
+"We should be friends, sir," said he, "for we both have suffered from a
+common enemy. If I am at liberty to leave this--"
+
+"You are not, sir," interposed a deep voice behind. We turned and beheld
+Major Barton. "The massacre at Kil-macshogue has yet to be atoned for."
+
+Fortescue's face grew actually livid at the mention of the word, and his
+breathing became thick and short.
+
+"Here," continued Barton, "is the warrant for your committal. And you
+also, Darby," said he, turning round; "we want your company once more in
+Newgate."
+
+"Bedad, I suppose there's no use in sending an apology when friends is
+so pressing," said he, buttoning his coat as coolly as possible; "but I
+hope you 'll let the master come in to see me."
+
+"Mr. Burke shall be admitted at all times," said Barton, with an
+obsequious civility I had never witnessed in him previously.
+
+"Faix, maybe you 'll not be for letting him out so aisy," said Darby,
+dryly, for his notions of justice were tempered by a considerable dash
+of suspicion.
+
+I had only time left to press my purse into the honest fellow's hand,
+and salute Fortescue hastily, as they both were removed, under the
+custody of Barton. And I now made my way through the crowd into the
+hall, which opened a line for me as I went; a thousand welcomes meeting
+me from those who felt as anxious about the result of the trial as if a
+brother or a dear friend had been in peril.
+
+One face caught my eye as I passed; and partly from my own excitement,
+partly from its expression being so different from its habitual
+character, I could not recognize it as speedily as I ought to have done.
+Again and again it appeared; and at last, as I approached the door into
+the street, it was beside me.
+
+"If I might dare to express my congratulations," said a voice, weak
+from the tremulous anxiety of the speaker, and the shame which, real or
+affected, seemed to bow him down.
+
+"What," cried I, "Mr. Basset!" for it was the worthy man himself.
+
+"Yes, sir. Your father's old and confidential agent,--I might venture to
+say, friend,--come to see the son of his first patron occupy the station
+he has long merited."
+
+"A bad memory is the only touch of age I remark in you, sir," said I,
+endeavoring to pass on, for I was unwilling at the moment of my escape
+from a great difficulty to lose temper with so unworthy an object.
+
+"One moment, sir, just a moment," said he, in a low whisper. "You'll
+want money, probably. The November rents are not paid up; but there's a
+considerable balance to your credit. Will you take a hundred or two for
+the present?"
+
+"Take money!--money from you!" said I, shrinking back.
+
+"Your own, sir; your own estate. Do you forget," said he, with a
+miserable effort of a smile, "that you are Mr. Burke of Cromore, with a
+clear rental of four thousand a year? We gained the Cluan Bog lawsuit,
+sir," continued he. "'Twas I, sir, found the satisfaction for the bond.
+Your brother said he owed it all to Tony Basset."
+
+The two last words were all that were needed to sum up the measure of my
+disgust and I once more tried to get forward.
+
+"I know the property, sir, for thirty-eight years I was over it. Your
+father and your brother always trusted me--"
+
+"Let me pass on, Mr. Basset," said I, calmly. "I have no desire to
+become a greater object of mob curiosity. Pray let me pass on."
+
+"And for Darby M'Keown," whispered he.
+
+"What of him?" said I; for he had touched the most anxious chord of my
+heart at that instant.
+
+"I'll have him free; he shall be at liberty in forty-eight hours for
+you. I have the whole papers by me; and a statement to the privy council
+will obtain his liberation."
+
+"Do this," said I, "and I 'll forgive more of your treatment of me than
+I could on any other plea."
+
+"May I call on you this evening, or to-morrow morning, at your hotel?
+Where do you stop, sir?"
+
+"This evening be it, if it hasten M'Keown's liberation. Remember,
+however, Mr. Basset, I'll hold no converse with you on any other subject
+till that be settled, and to my perfect satisfaction."
+
+"A bargain, sir," said he, with a grin of satisfaction; and dropping
+back, he suffered me to proceed.
+
+Along the quays I went, and down Dame Street, accompanied by a great mob
+of people, who thought in my acquittal they had gained a triumph. For
+so it was; every case had its political feature, and seemed to be
+intimately connected with the objects of one party or the other.
+Partisan cheers,--the watchwords of faction,--were uttered as I went,
+and I was made to suffer that least satisfactory of all conditions,
+which bestows notoriety without fame, and popularity without merit.
+
+As I entered the hotel, I recognized many of the persons I had seen
+there before; but their looks were no longer thrown towards me with the
+impertinence they then assumed. On the contrary, a studied desire to
+evince courtesy and politeness was evident. "How strange is it!" thought
+I; "how differently does the whole world smile to the rich man and to
+the poor!" Here were many who could in nowise derive advantage from my
+altered condition,--as perfectly independent of me as I of them; and
+yet even they showed that degree of deference in their manner which the
+expectant bestows upon a patron. So it is, however. The position which
+wealth confers is recognized by all; the individual who fills it is but
+an attribute of the station.
+
+Life had, indeed, opened on me with a new and very different aspect; and
+I felt, as I indulged in the daydreams which the sudden possession of
+fortune excites, that to enjoy thoroughly the blessings of independence,
+one must have experienced, as I had, the hard pressure of adversity. It
+seemed to me that the long road of gloomy fate had at length reached its
+turning point, and that I should now travel along a calmer and happier
+path. Thoughts of the new career that lay before me were blended with
+the memories of the past; hopes they were, but dashed with the shadows
+which a blighted affection will throw over the whole stream of life.
+Still that evening was one of happiness; not of that excited pleasure
+derived from the attainment of a long coveted object, but the calmer
+enjoyment felt in the safety of the haven by him who has experienced the
+hurricane and the storm.
+
+With such thoughts I went to rest, and laid my head on my pillow in
+thoughtfulness and peace. In my dreams my troubles still lingered. But
+who regrets the anxious minutes of a vision which wakening thoughts
+dispel? Are they not rather the mountain shadows that serve to brighten
+the gleam of the sunlight in the plain?
+
+It was thus the morning broke for me, with all the ecstasy of danger
+passed, and all the crowding hopes of a happy future. The hundred
+speculations which in poverty I had formed for the comfort of the poor
+and the humble might now be realized; and I fancied myself the centre of
+a happy peasantry, confiding and contented. It would be hard, indeed,
+to forget "the camp and the tented field" in the peaceful paths of a
+country life. But simple duties are often as engrossing as those of a
+higher order, and bring a reward not less grateful to the heart; and I
+flattered myself to think my ambition reached not above them.
+
+The moments in which such daydreams are indulged are the very happiest
+of a lifetime. The hopes which are based on the benefits we may render
+to others are sources of elevation to ourselves; and such motives purify
+the soul, and exalt the mind to a pitch far above the petty ambitions of
+the world.
+
+To myself, and to my own enjoyments, wealth could contribute less than
+to most men. The simple habits of a soldier's life satisfied every wish
+of my mind. The luxuries which custom makes necessary to others I never
+knew; and I formed my resolution not to wander from this path of humble,
+inexpensive tastes, so that the stream of charity might flow the wider.
+
+These were my waking thoughts. Alas, how little do we ever realize of
+such speculations! and how few glide down the stream of life unswayed by
+the eddies and crosscurrents of fortune! The higher we build the temple
+of our hopes, the more surely will it topple to its fall. Who shall say
+that our greatest enjoyment is not in raising the pile, and our happiest
+hours the full abandonment to those hopes our calmer reason never
+ratified?
+
+As yet it had not occurred to me to think what position the world might
+concede to one whose life had been passed like mine, nor did I bestow a
+care upon a matter whereon so much of future happiness depended. These,
+however, were considerations which could not be long averted. How they
+came, and in what manner they were met must remain for a future chapter
+of my history.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII. HASTY RESOLUTION
+
+In my last chapter I brought my reader to that portion of my story
+which formed the turning-point of my destiny. And here I might, perhaps,
+conclude these brief memoirs of an early life, whose chief object was
+to point out the results of a hasty and rash judgment, which, formed in
+mere boyhood, exerted its influence throughout the entire of a lifetime.
+Only one incident remains still to be told; and I shall not trespass on
+the good-natured patience of my readers by any delay in the narrative.
+
+From being poor, houseless, and unknown, a sudden turn of fortune
+had made me wealthy and conspicuous in station; the owner of a large
+estate,--almost a lead-ing man in my native county. My influence was
+sufficient to procure the liberation of M'Keown; and my interference in
+his behalf mainly contributed to procure for Fortescue the royal pardon.
+The world, as the phrase is, went with me; and the good luck which
+attended every step I took and every plan I engaged in was become a
+proverb among my neighbors.
+
+Let not any one suppose I was unmindful or ungrateful, if I confess,
+that even with all these I was not happy. No: the tranquil mind, the
+spirit at ease with itself, cannot exist where the sense of duty is not.
+The impulse which swayed my boyish heart still moved the ambition of the
+man. The pursuits I should have deemed the noblest and the purest seemed
+to me uninteresting and ignoble; the associations I ought to have
+felt the happiest and the highest appeared to me vulgar, and low, and
+commonplace. I was disappointed in my early dream of liberty, and
+had found tyranny where I looked for freedom, and intolerance where I
+expected enlightenment; but if so, I recurred with tenfold enthusiasm to
+the career of the soldier, whose glories were ever before me. That
+noble path had not deceived me; far from it. Its wild and whirlwind
+excitement, its hazardous enterprise, its ever-present dangers, were
+stimulants I loved and gloried in. All the chances and changes of a
+peaceful life were poor and mean compared to the hourly vicissitudes of
+war. I knew not then, it is true, how much of enjoyment I derived from
+forgetful ness; how many of my springs of happiness flowed from that
+preoccupation which prevented my dwelling on the only passion that ever
+stirred my heart,--my love for one whose love was hopeless.
+
+How thoroughly will the character of an early love tinge the whole of a
+life! Our affections are like flowers,--they derive their sweetness and
+their bloom from the soil in which they grow: some, budding in joy and
+gladness, amid the tinkling plash of a glittering fountain, live on ever
+bright and beautiful; others, struggling on amid thorns and wild
+weeds, overshadowed by gloom, preserve their early impressions to the
+last,--their very sweetness tells of sadness.
+
+To conquer the memory of this hopeless passion, I tried a hundred ways.
+I endeavored, by giving myself up to the duties of a country gentleman,
+to become absorbed in all the cares and pursuits which had such interest
+for my neighbors. Failing in this, I became a sportsman; I kept horses
+and dogs, and entered, with all the zest mere determination can impart,
+upon that life of manly exertion, so full of pleasure to thousands. But
+here again without succeeding.
+
+I went into society; but soon retired from it, on finding, that among
+the class of my equals the prestige of my early life had still tracked
+me. I was in their eyes a rebel, whose better fortune had saved him
+from the fate of his companions. My youth had given no guarantee for my
+manhood; and I was not trusted. Baffled in every endeavor to obliterate
+my secret grief, I recurred to it now, as though privileged by fate,
+to indulge a memory nothing could efface. I abandoned all the petty
+appliances by which I sought to shut out the past, and gave myself up in
+full abandonment to the luxury of my melancholy.
+
+Living entirely within the walls of my demesne, never seen by my
+neighbors, not making nor receiving visits, I appeared to many a
+heartless recluse, whose misanthropy sought indulgence in solitude;
+others, less harshly, judged me as one whose unhappy entrance on life
+had unfitted him for the station to which fortune had elevated him. By
+both I was soon forgotten.
+
+The peasantry were less ungenerous, and more just. They saw in me one
+who felt acutely for the privations they were suffering; yet never gave
+them that cheap, delusive hope, that legislative changes will touch
+social evils,--that the acts of a parliament will penetrate the thousand
+tortuous windings of a poor man's destiny. They found in me a friend and
+an adviser. They only-wondered at one thing,--how any man could feel for
+the poor, and not hate the rich. So long had the struggle lasted between
+affluence and misery, they could not understand a compromise.
+
+Bitter as their poverty had been, it never extinguished the poetry of
+their lives. They were hungry and naked; but they held to their ancient
+traditions, and they built on them great hopes for the future. The old
+family names, the time-honored memories of place, the famous deeds
+of ancestors, made an ideal existence powerful enough to exclude the
+pressure of actual daily evils; and they argued from what had been to
+what might be, with a persistency of hope it seemed almost cruel to
+destroy. So deeply were these thoughts engrained into their natures,
+they felt him but half their friend who ventured to despise them. The
+relief of present poverty, the succor of actual suffering, became in
+their eyes an effort of mere passing kindness. They looked to some great
+amelioration of condition, some wondrous change, some restoration to an
+imaginary standard of independence and comfort, which all the efforts
+of common interference fell sadly short of; and thus they strained their
+gaze to a government, a ruling power, for a boon undefined, unknown, and
+illimitable.
+
+To expectations like these advice and slight assistance are as the mere
+drop of water to the parched tongue of thirst; and so I found it. I
+could neither encourage them in their hopes of such legislative changes
+as would greatly ameliorate their condition, nor flatter them in the
+delusion that none of their misfortunes were of home origin; and thus,
+if they felt gratitude for many kindnesses, they reposed no confidence
+in my opinion. The trading patriot, who promised much while he pocketed
+their hard-earned savings; the rabid newspaper writer, who libelled
+the Government and denounced the landlord,--were their standards of
+sympathy; and he who fell short of either was not their friend.
+
+In a word, the social state of the people was rotten to its very core.
+Their highest qualities, degraded by the combined force of poverty,
+misrule, and superstition, had become sources of crime and misery. They
+had suffered so long and so much, their patience was exhausted; and they
+preferred the prospect of any violent convulsion which might change the
+face of the land, whatever dangers it might come with, to a slow and
+gradual improvement of condition, however safe and certain.
+
+To win their confidence at the only price they would accord it, I never
+could consent to; and without it I was almost powerless for good.
+Here again, therefore, did I find closed against me another avenue for
+exertion; and the only one of all I could have felt a fitting sphere
+for my labor. The violence of their own passionate natures, the headlong
+impulses by which they suffered themselves to be swayed, left them no
+power of judgment regarding those whose views were more moderate and
+temperate. They could understand the high Tory landlord, whom they
+invested with every attribute of tyranny, as their open, candid
+opponent; they could see a warm friend in the violent mob-orator of the
+day; but they recognized no trait of kindness in him who would rather
+see them fed than flattered, and behold them in the enjoyment of comfort
+sooner than in the ecstasy of triumph.
+
+From "Darby the Blast"--for he was now a member of my household--I
+learned the light in which I was regarded by the people, and heard the
+dissatisfaction they expressed that one who "sarved Boney" should not
+be ready to head a rising, if need be. Thus was I in a false position
+on every side. Mistrusted by all, because I would neither enter into the
+exaggerations of party, nor become blind to the truth my senses revealed
+before me, my sphere of utility was narrowed to the discharge of the
+mere duties of common charity and benevolence, and my presence among my
+tenantry no more productive of benefit than if I had left my purse as my
+representative.
+
+Years rolled on, and in the noiseless track of time I forgot its flight.
+I now had grown so wedded to the habits of my solitary life, that its
+very monotony was a source of pleasure. I had intrenched myself within a
+little circle of enjoyments, and among my books and in my walks my days
+went pleasantly over.
+
+For a long time, I did not dare to read the daily papers, nor learn the
+great events which agitated Europe. I tried to think that an interval of
+repose would leave me indifferent to their mention; and so rigidly did I
+abstain from indulging my curiosity, that the burning of Moscow, and the
+commencement of the dreadful retreat which followed, was the first fact
+I read of.
+
+From the moment I gave way, the passion for intelligence from France
+became a perfect mania. Where were the different corps of the "Grand
+Army"? where the Emperor himself? by what great stroke of genius would
+he emerge from the difficulties around him, and deal one of his fatal
+blows on the enemy?--were the questions which met me as I awoke, and
+tortured me during the day.
+
+Each movement of that terrible retreat I followed in the gazettes with
+an anxiety verging on insanity. I tracked the long journey on the map,
+and as I counted towns and villages, dreary deserts of snow, and vast
+rivers to be traversed, my heart grew faint to think how many a brave
+soldier would never reach that fair France for whose glory he had shed
+his best blood. Disaster followed disaster; and as the news reached
+England, came accounts of those great defections which weakened the
+force of the "Grand Army," and deranged the places formed for its
+retiring movements.
+
+They who can recall to mind the time I speak of, will remember the
+effect produced in England by the daily accounts from the seat of war;
+how heavily fell the blows of that altered fortune which once rested on
+the eagles of France; how each new bulletin announced another feature of
+misfortune,--some shattered remnant of a great _corps d'arm�e_ cut off
+by Cossacks,--some dreadful battle engaged against superior numbers, and
+fought with desperation, not for victory, but the liberty to retreat.
+Great names were mentioned among the slain, and the proudest chivalry of
+Gaul left to perish on the far-off steppes of Russia.
+
+Such were the fearful tales men read of that terrible campaign; and the
+joy in England was great, to hear that the most powerful of her enemies
+had at length experienced the full bitterness of defeat. While men vied
+with one another in stories of the misfortunes of the Emperor,--when
+each post added another to the long catalogue of disasters to the "Grand
+Army,"--I sat in my lonely house, in a remote part of Ireland, brooding
+over the sad reverses of him who still formed my ideal of a hero.
+
+I thought how, amid the crumbling ruins of his splendid force, his great
+soul would survive the crash that made all others despair; that each
+new evil would suggest its remedy as it arose, and the mind that never
+failed in expedient would shine out more brilliantly through the gloom
+of darkening fortune than even it had done in the noonday splendor
+of success. When all others could only see the tremendous energy of
+despair, I thought I could recognize those glorious outbursts of heroism
+by which a French army sought and won the favor of their Emperor. The
+routed and straggling bodies which hurried along in seeming disorder, I
+gloried to perceive could assume all the port and bearing of soldiers at
+the approach of danger, and form their ranks at the wild "houra" of the
+Cossack as steadily as in the proudest day of their prosperity.
+
+The retreat continued: the horrible suffering of a Russian winter added
+to the carnage of a battle-tide, which flowed unceasingly from the
+ruined walls of the Kremlin to the banks of the Vistula: the battle of
+Borisow and the passage of the Berezina followed fast on each other.
+And now we heard that the Emperor had surrendered the chief command
+to Murat, and was hastening back to France with lightning speed; for
+already the day of his evil fortune had thrown its shadow over the
+capital. No longer reckoned by tens of thousands, that vast army had now
+dwindled down to divisions of a few hundred men. The Old Guard scarce
+exceeded one thousand; and of twenty entire regiments of cavalry,
+Murat mustered a single squadron as a bodyguard. Crowds of wounded and
+mutilated men dragged their weary limbs along over the hardened snow,
+or through dense pine forests where no villages were to be met with,--a
+fatuous determination to strive to reach France, the only impulse
+surviving amid all their sufferings.
+
+With the defections of D'York and Massenbach, then began that new
+feature of disaster which was so soon to burst forth with all the fell
+fury of long pent-up hatred. The nationality of Germany--so long, so
+cruelly insulted--now saw the day of retribution arrive. Misfortune
+hastened misfortune, and defeat engendered treason in the ranks of the
+Emperor's allies. Murat, too, the favorite of Napoleon, the king of his
+creation, deserted him now, and fled ignominiously from the command of
+the army.
+
+"The Elbe! the Elbe!" was now the cry amid the shattered ranks of that
+army which but a year before saw no limit to its glorious path. The Elbe
+was the only line remaining which promised a moment's repose from the
+fatigues and privations of months long. Along that road the army could
+halt, and stem the tide of pursuit, however hotly it pressed. The
+Prussians had already united with the Russians; the defection of Austria
+could not be long distant; Saxony was appealed to, as a member of the
+German family, to join in arms against the Tyrant; and the wild "houra"
+of the Cossack now blended with the loud "Vorwarts" of injured Prussia.
+
+"Where shall he seek succor now? What remains to him in this last
+eventful struggle? How shall the Emperor call back to life the legions
+by whose valor his great victories were gained, and Europe made a vassal
+at the foot of his throne?" Such was the thought that never left me day
+or night. Ever present before me was his calm brow, and his face paler,
+but not less handsome, than its wont. I could recall his rapid glance;
+the quick and hurried motion of his hand; his short and thick utterance,
+as words of command fell from his lips; and his smile, as he heard some
+intelligence with pleasure.
+
+I could not sleep,--scarcely could I eat. A feverish excitement burned
+through my frame, and my parched tongue and hot hand told how the very
+springs of health were dried up within me. I walked with hurried steps
+from place to place; now muttering the words of some despatch, now
+fancying that I was sent with orders for a movement of troops. As I
+rode, I spurred my horse to a gallop, and in my heated imagination
+believed I was in presence of the enemy, and preparing for the fray.
+Great as my exhaustion frequently was, weariness brought no rest. Often
+I returned home at evening, overcome by fatigue; but a sleepless night,
+tortured with anxieties and harassed with doubts and fears, followed,
+and I awoke to pursue the same path, till in my weakened frame and
+hectic cheek the signs of illness could no longer be mistaken.
+
+Terrified at the ravages a few weeks had made in my health, and fearful
+what secret malady was preying upon me, Darby, without asking any leave
+from me, left the house one morning at daybreak, and returned with the
+physician of the neighboring town. I was about to mount my horse, when I
+saw them coming up the avenue, and immediately guessed the object of the
+visit. A moment was enough to decide me as to the course to pursue;
+for well knowing how disposed the world ever is to stamp the impress
+of wandering intellect on any habit of mere eccentricity, I resolved to
+receive the doctor as though I was glad of his coming, and consult with
+him regarding my state. This would at least refute such a scandal, by
+enlisting the physician among the allies of my cause.
+
+By good fortune, Dr. Clibborn was a man of shrewd common sense, as well
+as a physician of no mean skill.
+
+In the brief conversation we held together, I perceived, that while he
+paid all requisite attention to any detail which implied the existence
+of malady, his questions were more pointedly directed to the possibility
+of some mental cause of irritation,--the source of my ailment. I could
+see, however, that his opinion inclined to the belief that the events of
+the trial had left their indelible traces on my mind; which, inducing
+me to adopt a life of isolation and retirement, had now produced the
+effects he witnessed.
+
+I was not sorry at this mistake on his part. By suffering him to
+indulge in this delusive impression, I saved myself all the trouble of
+concealing my real feelings, which I had no desire to expose before him.
+I permitted him, therefore, to reason with me on the groundless notions
+he supposed I had conceived of the world's feeling regarding me,
+and heard him patiently as he detailed the course of public duty, by
+fulfilling which I should occupy my fitting place in society, and best
+consult my own health and happiness.
+
+"There are," said he, "certain fixed impressions, which I would not so
+combat. It was but yesterday, for instance, I yielded to the wish of
+an old general officer, who has served upwards of half a century, and
+desires once more to put himself at the head of his regiment. His
+heart was bent on it. I saw that though he might consent to abandon his
+purpose, I was not so sure his mind might bear the disappointment; for
+the intellect will sometimes go astray in endeavoring to retrace its
+steps. So I thought it better to concede what might cost more in the
+refusal."
+
+The last words of the doctor remained in my head long after he took his
+leave, and I could not avoid applying them to my own case. Was not _my_
+impression of this nature? Were not _my_ thoughts all centred on one
+theme as fixedly as the officer's of whom he spoke? Could I, by any
+effort of my reason or my will, control my wandering fancies, and call
+them back to the dull realities amongst which I lived?
+
+These were ever recurring to me, and always with the same reply. It is
+in vain to struggle against an impulse which has swallowed up all other
+ambitions. My heart is among the glittering ranks and neighing squadrons
+of France; I would be there once more; I would follow that career which
+first stirred the proudest hopes I ever cherished.
+
+That same evening the mail brought the news that Eug�ne Beauharnais had
+fallen back on Magdeburg, and sent repeated despatches to the Emperor,
+entreating his immediate presence among the troops, whom nothing but
+Napoleon himself in the midst of them could restore to their wonted
+bravery and determination. The reply of Napoleon was briefly,--
+
+"I am coming; and all who love me, follow me."
+
+How the words rang in my ears,--"_Tous ceux qui m'aiment!_" I heard
+them in every rustling of the wind and motion of the leaves against the
+window; they were whispered to my sense by every avenue of my brain;
+and I sat no longer occupied in reading as usual, but with folded arms,
+repeating word by word the brief sentence.
+
+It was midnight. All was still and silent through the house; no servant
+stirred, and the very wind was hushed to a perfect calm. I was sitting
+in my library, when the words I have repeated seemed spoken in a low,
+clear voice beside me. I started up: the perspiration broke over my
+forehead and fell upon my cheek with terror; for I knew I was alone, and
+the fearful thought flashed on me,--this may be madness! For a second or
+two the agony of the idea was almost insupportable. Then came a resolve
+as sudden. I opened my desk, and took from it all the ready money I
+possessed; I wrote a few hurried lines to my agent; and then, making my
+way noiselessly to the stable, I saddled my horse and led him out.
+
+In two hours I was nearly twenty miles on my way to Dublin. Day was
+breaking as I entered the capital. I made no delay there; but taking
+fresh horses, started for Skerries, where I knew the fishermen of the
+coast resorted.
+
+"One hundred pounds to the man who will land me on the coast of France
+or Holland," said I to a group that were preparing their nets on the
+shore.
+
+A look of incredulity was the only reply. A very few words, however,
+settled the bargain. Ere half an hour I was on board. The wind
+freshened, and we stood out to sea.
+
+"Let the breeze keep to this," said the skipper, "and we'll make the
+voyage quickly."
+
+Both wind and tide were in our favor. We held down Channel rapidly; and
+I saw the blue hills grow fainter and fainter, till the eye could but
+detect a gray cloud on the horizon, which at last disappeared in the
+bright sun of noon, and a wide waste of blue water lay on every side.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE LAST CAMPAIGN
+
+The snow, half melted with the heavy rains, lay still deeply on the
+roads, and a dark, lowering sky stretched above, as I harried onwards,
+with all the speed I could, towards the east of France.
+
+Already the Allies had passed the Rhine. Schwartzen-berg in the south,
+Blucher in the east, and Bernadotte on the Flemish frontier, were
+conveying their vast armies to bear down on him whom singly none had
+dared to encounter. All France was in arms, and every step was turned
+eastwards. Immense troops of conscripts, many scarce of the age of
+boyhood, crowded the highways. The veterans themselves were enrolled
+once more, and formed battalions for the defence of their native
+land. Every town and village was a garrison. The deep-toned rolling
+of ammunition wagons and the heavy tramp of horses sounded through
+the nights long. War, terrible war, spoke from every object around.
+Strongholds were strengthening, regiments brigading, cavalry organizing
+on all sides.
+
+No longer, however, did I witness the wild enthusiasm which I so
+well remembered among the soldiers of the army. Here were no glorious
+outbreaks of that daring spirit which so marked the Frenchman, and made
+him almost irresistible in arms. A sad and gloomy silence prevailed:
+a look of fierce but hopeless determination was over all. They marched
+like men going to death, but with the step and bearing of heroes.
+
+I entered the little town of Verviers. The day was breaking, but the
+troops were under arms. The Emperor had but just taken his departure
+for Ch�lons-sur-Marne. They told me of it as I changed horses,--not
+with that fierce pride which a mere passing glance at the great Napoleon
+would once have evoked; they spoke of him without emotion. I asked if he
+were paler or thinner than his wont: they did not know. They said that
+he travelled post, but that his staff were on horseback. From this I
+gathered that he was either ill, or in that frame of mind in which he
+preferred to be alone. While I was yet speaking, an officer of Engineers
+came up to the carriage, and called out,--
+
+"Unharness these horses, and bring them down to the barracks. These,
+sir," said he, turning towards me, "are not times to admit of ceremony.
+We have eighteen guns to move, and want cattle."
+
+"Enough, sir," said I. "I am not here to retard your movements, but if
+I can, to forward them. Can I, as a volunteer, be of any service at this
+moment?"
+
+"Have you served before? Of course you have, though. In what arm?"
+
+"As a Hussar of the Guard, for some years."
+
+"Come along with me; I 'll bring you to the general at once."
+
+Re-entering the inn, the officer preceded me up stairs, and after a
+moment's delay, introduced me into the presence of General Letort, then
+commanding a cavalry brigade.
+
+"I have heard your request, sir. Where is your commission? Have you got
+it with you?"
+
+I handed it to him in silence. He examined it rapidly; and then turning
+the reverse, read the few lines inscribed by the minister of war.
+
+"I could have given you a post this day, sir, this very hour," said
+he, "but for a blunder of our commissariat people. There's a troop here
+waiting for a re-mount, but the order has not come down from Paris; and
+our officials here will not advance the money till it arrives, as if
+these were times for such punctilio. They are to form part of General
+Kellermann's force, which is sadly deficient. Remain here, however, and
+perhaps by to-morrow--"
+
+"How much may the sum be, sir?" asked I, interrupting.
+
+The general almost started with surprise at the abruptness of my
+question, and in a tone of half reproof answered,--
+
+"The amount required is beside the matter, sir; unless," added he,
+sarcastically, "you are disposed to advance it yourself."
+
+"Such was the object of my question," said I, calmly, and determining
+not to notice the manner he had assumed.
+
+"_Parbleu!_" exclaimed he, "that is very different. Twenty thousand
+francs, however, is a considerable sum."
+
+"I have as much, and something more, if need be, in my carriage,--if
+English gold be no objection."
+
+"No, _pardie!_ that it is not," cried he, laughing; "I only wish we saw
+more of it. Are you serious in all this?"
+
+The best reply to his question was to hasten down stairs and return with
+two small canvas bags in my hands.
+
+"Here are one thousand guineas," said I, laying them on the table.
+
+While one of the general's aides-de-camp was counting and examining the
+gold, I repeated at his request the circumstances which brought me once
+again to France to serve under the banner of the Emperor.
+
+"And your name, sir," said he, as he seated himself to write, "is Thomas
+Burke, ci-devant captain of the Eighth Hussars of the Guard. Well, I can
+promise you the restoration of your old grade. Meanwhile, you must
+take command of these fellows. They are mere partisan troops, hurriedly
+raised, and ill organized; but I'll give you a letter to General
+Damr�mont at Chalons, and he 'll attend to you."
+
+"It is not a position for myself I seek, General," said I. "Wherever I
+can best serve the Emperor, there only I desire to be."
+
+"I have ventured to leave that point to General Damr�mont," said he,
+smiling. "Your motives do not require much explanation. Let us to
+breakfast now, and by noon we shall have everything in readiness for
+your departure."
+
+Thus rapidly, and as it were by the merest accident, was I again become
+a soldier of the Emperor; and that same day was once more at the head of
+a squadron, on my way to Ch�lons. My troop were, indeed, very unlike
+the splendid array of my old Hussars of the Guard. They were hurriedly
+raised, and not over well equipped, but still they were stout-looking,
+hardy peasants, who, whatever deficiency of drill they might display, I
+knew well would exhibit no lack of courage before an enemy.
+
+On reaching Ch�lons, I found that General Damr�mont had left with the
+staff for Vitry only a few hours before; and so I reported myself to the
+officer commanding the town, and was ordered by him to join the cavalry
+brigade then advancing on Vitry.
+
+Had I time at this moment, I could not help devoting some minutes to
+an account of that strange and motley mass which then were brigaded
+as Imperial cavalry. Dragoons of every class, heavy and
+light-armed,--grenadiers � cheval and hussars, cuirassiers, carbineers,
+and lancers,--were all, pell-mell, mixed up confusedly together, and
+hurried onwards; some to join their respective corps if they could find
+them, but all prepared to serve wherever their sabres might be
+called for. It was confusion to the last degree; but a tumult without
+enthusiasm or impulse. The superior officers, who were well acquainted
+with the state of events, made no secret of their gloomy forebodings;
+the juniors lacked energy in a cause where they saw no field for
+advancement; and the soldiers, always prepared to imbibe their feelings
+from their officers, seemed alike sad and dispirited.
+
+What a change was this from the wild and joyous spirit which once
+animated every grade and class,--from the generous enthusiasm that
+once warmed each bold heart, and made every soldier a hero! Alas! the
+terrible consequences of long defeat were on all. The tide of battle
+that rolled disastrously from the ruined walls of the Kremlin still
+swept along towards the great Palace of the Tuileries. Germany had
+witnessed the destruction of two mighty armies; the third and last was
+now awaiting the eventful struggle on the very soil of their country.
+The tide of fugitives, which preceded the retiring columns of Victor and
+Ney, met the advancing bodies of the conscripts, and spread dismay and
+consternation as they went.
+
+The dejection was but the shadow of the last approaching disaster.
+
+On the night of the 27th January, the cavalry brigade with which I was
+received orders to march by the Forest of Bar on Brienne, where Bl�cher
+was stationed in no expectation of being attacked. The movement,
+notwithstanding the heavy roads, was made with great rapidity; and by
+noon on the following day we came up with the main body of the army in
+full march against the enemy.
+
+Then once more did I recognize the old spirit of the army. Joyous
+songs and gay cheers were heard from the different corps we passed.
+The announcement of a speedy meeting with the Prussians had infused new
+vigor among the troops. We were emerging from the deep shade of the wood
+into a valley, where a light infantry regiment were bivouacked. Their
+fires were formed in a wide circle, and the cooking went merrily on,
+amid the pleasant song and jocund cries.
+
+Our own brief halt was just concluded, when the bugles sounded to resume
+the march; and I stood for a moment admiring the merry gambols of
+the infantry, when an air I well remembered was chanted forth in full
+chorus. But my memory was not left long in doubt as to where and how
+these sounds were first heard. The wild uproar at once recalled both, as
+they sang out,--
+
+"Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!"
+
+No sooner did I hear the words, than I spurred my horse forward and rode
+down towards them.
+
+"What regiment's yours, Comrade?" said I, to a fellow hurrying to the
+ranks.
+
+"The Fifth, mon officier," said he, "Voltigeurs of the Line."
+
+"Have you a certain Fran�ois, a ma�tre d'armes, still among you?"
+
+"Yes, that we have. There he is yonder, beating time to the roulade."
+
+I looked in the direction he pointed, and there stood my old friend. He
+was advanced in front of a company, and with the air of a tambour-major
+he seemed as if he was giving time to the melody.
+
+"Ah, _sacr�_ conscripts that ye are!" cried he, as with his fist
+clenched he gesticulated fiercely towards them; "can't ye keep the
+measure? Once, now, and all together:--
+
+"'Picardy first, and then--."
+
+"Halloo, Ma�tre Fran�ois! can you remember an old friend?"
+
+The little man turned suddenly, and bringing his hand to the salute,
+remained stiff and erect, as if on parade.
+
+"Connais pas, mon capitaine," was his answer, after a considerable
+pause.
+
+"What! not know me!--me, whom you made one of your own gallant company,
+calling me 'Burke of Ours'?"
+
+"Ah, _par la barbe de Saint Pierre!_ is this my dear comrade of the
+Eighth? Why, where have you been? They said you left us forever and
+aye."
+
+"I tried it, Fran�ois; but it wouldn't do."
+
+"Mille bombes!" said he; "but you 're back in pleasant times,--to see
+the Cossacks learning to drink champagne, and leave us to pay the score.
+Come along, however; take your old place here. You are free to choose
+now, and needn't be a dragoon any longer; not but that your old general
+will be glad to see you again."
+
+"General d'Auvergne! Where is he now?"
+
+"With the light cavalry brigade, in front; I saw him pass here two hours
+since."
+
+"And how looks he, Fran�ois?"
+
+"A little stooped, or so, more than you knew him; but his seat in the
+saddle seems just as firm. _Ventrebleu!_ if he 'd been a voltigeur, he
+'d be a good man these ten years to come."
+
+Delighted to learn that I was so near my dearest and oldest friend
+in the world, I shook Francois's hand, and parted; but not without a
+pledge, that whenever I joined the infantry, the Fifth Voltigeurs of the
+Line were to have the preference.
+
+As we advanced towards Brienne the distant thunder of large guns was
+heard; which gradually grew louder and more sustained, and betokened
+that the battle had already begun. The roads, blocked up with dense
+masses of infantry and long trains of wagons, prevented our rapid
+advance; and when we tried the fields at either side, the soil, cut up
+with recent rains, made us sink to the very girths of our horses. Still,
+order after order came for the troops to press forward, and every effort
+was made to obey the command.
+
+It was five o'clock as we debouched into the plain, and beheld the
+fields whereon the battle had been contested; for already the enemy were
+retiring, and the French troops in eager pursuit. Behind, however, lay
+the town of Brienne, still held by the Russians, but now little
+better than a heap of smoking ruins, the tremendous fire of the French
+artillery having reduced the place to ashes. Conspicuous above all rose
+the dismantled walls of the ancient military college; the school where
+Napoleon had learned his first lesson in war, where first he essayed
+to point those guns which now with such fearful havoc he turned against
+itself. What a strange, sad Subject of contemplation for him who now
+gazed on it! On either side, the fire of the artillery continued till
+nightfall; but the Russians still held the town. A few straggling shots
+closed the combat; and darkness now spread over the wide plain, save
+where the watchfires marked out the position of the French troops.
+
+A sudden flash of lurid flame, however, threw its gleam over the town,
+and a wild cheer was heard rising above the clatter of musketry. It
+was a surprise party of grenadiers, who had forced their way into the
+grounds of the old ch�teau, where Bl�cher held his headquarters. Louder
+and louder grew the firing, and a red glare in the dark sky told how
+the battle was raging. Up that steep street, at the top of which the
+venerable ch�teau stood, poured the infantry columns in a run. The
+struggle was short. The dull sound of the Russian drum soon proclaimed
+a retreat; and a rocket darting through the black sky announced to the
+Emperor that the position had been won.
+
+The next day the Emperor fixed his headquarters at the ch�teau, and
+a battalion of the guard bivouacked in the park around it. I had sent
+forward the letter to G�n�ral Damr�mont, and was wondering when and
+in what terms the reply might come, when the general himself rode up,
+accompanied by a single aide-de-camp.
+
+"I have had the opportunity, sir, to speak of your conduct in the proper
+quarter," said he, courteously; "and the result is, your appointment as
+major of the Tenth Hussars, or, if you prefer it, the staff."
+
+"Wherever, sir, my humble services can best be employed. I have no other
+wish."
+
+"Then take the regimental rank," said he; "your brigade will see enough
+of hot work ere long. And now push forward to M�zi�res, where you'll
+find your regiment. They have received orders to march to-morrow,
+early."
+
+I was not sorry to be relieved from the command of my irregular horse,
+who went by the title of "brigands" in the army generally; though, if
+the truth were to be told, the reproach on the score of honesty came ill
+from those who conferred it. Still, it was a more gratifying position to
+hold a rank in a regiment of regular cavalry, and one whose reputation
+was second to none in the service.
+
+"I wish to present myself to the colonel in command, sir," said I,
+addressing an officer, who with two or three others stood chatting at
+the door of a cottage.
+
+"You 'll find him here, sir," said he, pointing to the hut. But, as he
+spoke, the clank of a sabre was heard, and at the same instant a tall,
+soldierlike figure stooped beneath the low doorway, and came forth.
+
+"The colonel of the Tenth, I presume?" said I, handing the despatch from
+General Damr�mont.
+
+"What! my old college friend and companion!" cried the colonel, as he
+stepped back in amazement. "Have I such good fortune as to see you in my
+regiment?"
+
+"Can it be really so?" said I, in equal astonishment. "Are you Tascher?"
+
+"Yes, my dear friend; the same Tascher you used to disarm so easily
+at college,--a colonel at last. But why are you not at the head of a
+regiment long since? Oh! I forgot, though," said he, in some confusion;
+"I heard all about it. But come in here; I've no better quarters to
+offer you, but such as it is, make it yours."
+
+My old companion of the Polytechnique was, indeed, little altered by
+time,--careless, inconsiderate, and good-hearted as ever. He told me
+that he had only gained the command of the regiment a few weeks before;
+"and," added he, "if matters mend not soon, I am scarcely like to hold
+it much longer. The despatches just received tell that the Allies are
+concentrating at Trannes; and if so, we shall have a battle against
+overwhelming odds. No matter, Burke; you have got into a famous
+corps,--they fight splendidly, and my excellent uncle, his Majesty,
+loves to indulge their predilection."
+
+I passed the day with Tascher, chatting over our respective fortunes;
+and in discussing the past and the future the greater part of the night
+went over. Before dawn, however, we were on the march towards Chaumi�re,
+whither the army was directed, and the Emperor himself then stationed.
+
+It was the 1st of February, and the weather was dark, lowering, and
+gloomy. A cold wind drove the snowdrift in fitful gusts before it, and
+the deep roads made our progress slow and difficult. As our line
+of advance, however, was not that by which the other divisions were
+marching, it was already past noon before we knew that the enemy was but
+three leagues distant. On advancing farther, we heard the faint sounds
+of a cannonade; and then they grew louder and louder, till the whole air
+seemed tremulous with the concussion.
+
+"A heavy fire, Colonel," said a veteran officer of the regiment. "I
+should guess there are not less than eighty or a hundred guns engaged."
+
+"Press on, men! press on!" cried Tascher. "When his Majesty provides
+such music, it's scarcely polite to be late."
+
+At a quick trot we came on, and about three o'clock debouched in the
+plain behind Oudinot's battalions of reserve, which were formed in two
+dense columns, about a hundred yards apart.
+
+"Hussars to the front!" cried an aide-de-camp, as he galloped past, and
+waved his cap in the direction of the space between the columns.
+
+In separate squadrons we penetrated through the defile, and came out
+on an open plain behind the centre of the first line. The ground was
+sufficiently elevated here, so that I could overlook the front line; but
+all I could see was a dense, heavy smoke, which intervened between the
+two positions, in the midst of which, and directly in front, a village
+lay. Towards this, three columns of infantry were converging, and around
+the sounds of battle were raging. This was La Giberie: the hamlet formed
+the key of the French position, and had been twice carried by, and twice
+regained from, the Allies. As I looked, the supporting columns halted,
+wheeled, and retired; while a tremendous shower of grape was poured
+upon them from the village, which now seemed to have been retaken by the
+Allies.
+
+"Cavalry to the front!" was now the order; and a force of six thousand
+sabres advanced from between the battalions, and formed for attack. It
+was Nansouty who led them, and his heavy cuirassiers were in the van;
+and then came the grenadiers � cheval; ours was the third, in column.
+As each regiment debouched, the word "Charge!" rang out, and forward we
+went. The snow drifting straight against us, we could see nothing; nor
+was I conscious of any check to our course till the shaking of the
+vast column in front and then the opening of the squadrons denoted
+resistance, when suddenly a flash flared out, and a hurricane of
+cannon-shot tore through our dense files. Then I knew that we were
+attacking a battery of guns,--and not till then. Mad cheers and cries
+of wounded men burst forth upon the air, with the clashing din of sabres
+and small-arms; the mass of cavalry appeared to heave and throb like
+some great monster in its agony. The trumpet to retreat sounded, and we
+galloped back to our lines, leaving above five hundred dead behind us,
+on a field where I had not yet seen the enemy.
+
+Meanwhile the Russians were assembling a mighty force around the
+village; for now the cannonade opened with tenfold vigor in front,
+and fresh guns were called up to reply to the fire. Hitherto all was
+shrouded in the blue smoke of the artillery and the dense flakes of the
+snowdrift, when suddenly a storm of wind swept past, carrying with it
+both sleet and smoke; and now, within less than five hundred yards,
+we beheld the Allied armies in front of us. Two of the three villages,
+which formed our advanced position, already had been carried; and
+towards the third, La Bothi�re, they were advancing quickly.
+
+Ney's corps, ordered up to its defence, rushed boldly on, and the
+clattering musketry announced that they were engaged; while twelve guns
+were moved up in full gallop to their support, and opened their fire at
+once. Scarce had they done so, when a wild hurrah was heard; and like
+a whirlwind, a vast mass of cavalry,--the Cossacks of the Don and the
+Uhlans of the South, commingled and mixed,--bear down on the guns.
+The struggle is for life or death; no quarter given. Ney recalls his
+columns, and the guns are lost.
+
+"Who shall bring the Emperor the tidings?" said Tascher, as his voice
+trembled with excitement. "I'd rather storm the battery single-handed
+than do it."
+
+"He has seen worse than that already to-day," said an aide-de-camp at
+our side. "He has seen Lahorie's squadrons of the Dragoons of the Guard
+cut to pieces by the Russian horse."
+
+"The Guard! the Guard!" repeated Tascher, in accents where doubt and
+despair were blended.
+
+"There goes another battalion to certain death!" muttered the
+aide-de-camp, as he pointed to a column of grenadiers emerging from the
+front line; "see,--I knew it well,--they are moving on La Bothi�re. But
+here comes the Emperor."
+
+Before I could detect the figure among the crowd, the staff tore rapidly
+past, followed by a long train of cavalry moving towards the left.
+
+"His favorite stroke," said Tascher: "an infantry advance, and a
+flank movement with cavalry." And as the words escaped him, we saw the
+horsemen bearing down at top speed towards the village.
+
+But now we could look no longer; our brigade was ordered to support the
+attack, and we advanced at a trot. The enemy saw the movement, and a
+great mass of cavalry were thrown out to meet it.
+
+"Here they come!" was the cry repeated by three or four together, and
+the earth shook as the squadrons came down.
+
+Our column dashed forward to meet them; when suddenly through the drift
+we beheld a mass of fugitives, scattered and broken, approaching: they
+were our own cavalry, routed in the attempt on the flank, now flying to
+the rear, broken and disordered.
+
+Before we could cover their retreat, the enemy were upon us. The shock
+was dreadful, and for some minutes carried all before it; but then
+rallying, the brave horsemen of France closed up and faced the foe. How
+vain all the efforts of the redoubted warrior of the Dnieper and the
+Wolga against the stern soldier of Napoleon! Their sabres flashed like
+lightning glances, and as fatally bore down on all before them; and as
+the routed squadrons fell back, the wild cheers of "Vive l'Empereur!"
+told that at least one great moment of success atoned for the
+misfortunes of the day.
+
+"His Majesty saw your charge, Colonel," said a general officer to
+Tascher as he rode back at the head of a squadron. "So gallant a thing
+as that never goes unrewarded."
+
+Tascher's cheek flushed as he bowed in acknowledgment of the praise; but
+I heard him mutter to himself the same instant, "Too late! too late!"
+Fatal words they were,--the presage of the mishap they threatened!
+
+A great attack on La Rothi�re was now preparing. It was to be made
+by Napoleon's favorite manoeuvre of cavalry, artillery, and infantry
+combined, each supporting and sustaining the other. Eighteen guns,
+with three thousand sabres, and two columns of infantry numbering four
+thousand each, were drawn up in readiness for the moment to move. Ney
+received orders to lead them, and now they issued forth into the plain.
+
+Our own impatience at not being of the number was quickly merged in
+intense anxiety for the result. It was a gorgeous thing, indeed, to see
+that mighty mass unravelling itself,--the guns galloping madly to the
+front, supported on either flank by cavalry; while, masked behind,
+marched the black columns of infantry, their tall shakos nodding like
+the tree-tops of a forest. The snow was now falling fast, and the
+figures grew fainter and fainter, and all that remained within our view
+was the tail of the columns, which were only disengaging themselves from
+the lines.
+
+A deafening cannonade opened from the Allied artillery on the advance,
+unreplied to by our guns, which were ordered not to fire until within
+half range of the enemy. Suddenly a figure is seen emerging from the
+heavy snowdrift at the full speed of his horse; another, and another,
+follow him in quick succession. They make for the position of the
+Emperor. "What can it be?" cries each, in horrible suspense; "see, the
+columns have halted!"
+
+Dreadful tidings! The guns are embedded in the soft ground,--the horses
+cannot stir them; one-half of the distance is scarcely won, and there
+they are beneath the withering cannonade of the Allied guns, powerless
+and immovable! Cavalry are dismounted, and the horses harnessed to the
+teams: all in vain! the wheels sink deeper in the miry earth. And now
+the enemy have found out the range, and their shot are sweeping through
+the dense mass with frightful slaughter. Again the aides-de-camp hasten
+to the rear for orders. But Ney can wait no longer; he launches his
+cavalry at the foe, and orders up the infantry to follow.
+
+Meanwhile a great cloud of cavalry issues from the Allied lines, and
+directs its course towards the flank of the column: the Emperor sees
+the danger, and despatches one of his staff to prepare them to receive
+cavalry. Too late! too late!--the snowdrift has concealed the advance,
+and the wild horsemen of the desert ride down on the brave ranks.
+Disorder and confusion ensue; the column breaks and scatters. The
+lancers pursue the fugitives through the plain; and before the very eyes
+of the Emperor, the Guard--his Guard--are sabred and routed.
+
+"What is to become of our cavalry?" is now the cry, for they have
+advanced unsupported against the village. Dreadful moment of suspense!
+None can see them; the guns lie deserted, alike by friend and foe.
+Who dares approach them now? "They are cheering yonder," exclaimed an
+officer: "I hear them again."
+
+"Hussars, to the front!" calls out Damr�mont,--"to your comrades'
+rescue! Men, yonder!" and he points in the direction of the village.
+
+Like an eagle on the swoop, the swift squadrons skim the plain, and
+mount the slope beyond it. The drift clears, and what a spectacle is
+before us! The cavalry are dismounted; their horses, dead or dying,
+cumber the ground; the men, sabre in hand, have attacked the village by
+assault. Two of the enemy's guns are taken and turned against them,
+and the walls are won in many places. An opening in the enclosure of a
+farmyard admits our leading squadron, and in an instant we have taken
+them in flank and rear.
+
+The Russians will neither retreat nor surrender, and the carnage is
+awful; for though overpowered by numbers, they still continue the
+slaughter, and deal death while dying. The chief farmhouse of the
+village has been carried by our troops, but the enemy still holds the
+garden: the low hedge offers a slight obstacle, and over it we dash, and
+down upon them ride the gallant Tenth with cheers of victory.
+
+At this instant the crashing sound of cannon-shot among masonry is
+heard. It is the Allied artillery, which, regardless of their own
+troops, has opened on the village. Every discharge tells; the range is
+at quarter distance, and whole files fall at every fire. The trumpet
+sounds a retreat; and I am endeavoring to collect my scattered
+followers, when my eye falls on the aigulet of a general officer among
+the heap of dead; and at the same time I perceive that some old and
+gallant officer has fallen sword in hand, for his long white hair is
+strewn loosely across his face.
+
+I spring down from my horse and push back the snowy locks, and with
+a shriek of horror I recognize the friend of my heart,--General
+d'Auvergne. I lift him in my arms, and search for the wound. Alas! a
+grapeshot had torn through his chest, and cut asunder that noble heart
+whose every beat was honor. Though still warm, no ray of life remained:
+the hand I had so often grasped in friendship, I wrung now in the last
+energy of despair, and fell upon the corpse in the agony of my grief.
+
+The night was falling fast. All was still around me; none remained near;
+the village was deserted. The deafening din of the cannonade continued,
+and at times some straggling shot crashed through the crumbling walls,
+and brought them thundering to the earth; but all had fled. By the pale
+crescent of a new moon I dug a grave beneath the ruined wall of the
+farmhouse. The labor was long and tedious; but my breaking heart took no
+note of time. My task completed, I sat down beside the grave, and taking
+his now cold hand in mine, pressed it to my lips. Oh, could I have
+shared that narrow bed of clay, what rapture would it have brought to my
+sorrowing soul! I lifted the body and laid it gently in the earth; and
+as I arose, I found that something had entangled itself in my uniform,
+and held me. It seemed a locket, which he wore by a ribbon round his
+neck. I detached it from its place, and put it in my bosom. One lock of
+the snowy hair I severed from his noble head, and then covered up the
+grave. "Adieu forever!" I muttered, as I wandered from the spot.
+
+It was the death of a true D'Auvergne,--"on the field of battle!"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX. THE BRIDGE OF MONTEREAU
+
+Ere I left the village, a shower of shells was thrown into it from the
+French lines, and in a few minutes the whole blazed up in a red flame,
+and threw a wide glare over the battlefield. Spurring my horse to
+his speed, I galloped onward, and now discovered that our troops were
+retiring in all haste. The Allies had won the battle, and we were
+falling back on Brienne.
+
+Leaving seventy-three guns in the hands of the enemy, above one thousand
+prisoners, and six thousand killed in battle, Napoleon drew off his
+shattered forces, and marched through the long darkness of a winter's
+night. Thus ended the battle of Arcis-sur-Aube,--the most fatal for the
+hopes of the Emperor since the dreadful day of Leipzic.
+
+From that hour Fortune seemed to frown on those whose arms she had so
+often crowned with victory; and he himself, the mighty leader of so
+many conquering hosts, stood at the window of the ch�teau at Brienne
+the whole night long, dreading lest the enemy should be on his track.
+He whose battles were wont to be the ovations of a conqueror, now beheld
+with joy his masses retiring unpursued.
+
+Why should I dwell on a career of disaster, or linger on the expiring
+moments of a mighty Empire? Of what avail now are the reinforcements
+which arrived to our aid,--the veteran legions of the Peninsula? The cry
+is ever, "Too late! too late!" Dreadful words, heard at every moment!
+sad omens of an army devoted and despairing!
+
+From Brienne we retreat to Troyes; from thence to Bar-sur-Aube,--ever
+nearer and nearer to that capital to which the Allies tend with wild
+shouts of triumph. On the last day of February our headquarters are at
+Nogent, not thirty leagues from Paris,--Nogent, with the great forest
+of Fontainebleau on its left; and Meaux, the ancient bishopric of the
+Monarchy, on its right; and behind that screen, Paris!
+
+Leaving Bourmont in command of the line which holds the Austrians in
+check, the Emperor himself hastens to oppose Bl�cher,--the most intrepid
+and the most daring of all his enemies. A cross-march in the depth of
+winter, with the ground covered with half-frozen snow, will bring him
+on the flank of the Prussian army. It is dared! Dangers and difficulties
+beset every step; the artillery are almost lost, the cavalry exhausted.
+But the cry of "The enemy!" rouses every energy: they debouch on the
+plain of Champ-Aubert, to fall on the moving column of the Russians
+under Alsufief. Glorious stroke of fate! Victory again caresses the
+spoiled child of fortune: the enemy is routed, and retires on Montmirail
+and Ch�lons. The advanced army of the Prussians hear the cannonade, and
+fall back to support the Allies on Montmirail. But the Emperor already
+awaits them with the battalions of the Old Guard, and another great
+battle ends in victory. Areola and Rivoli were again remembered, and
+recalled by victories not less glorious; and once more hope returned to
+the ranks it seemed to have quitted forever. Another dreadful blow is
+aimed at Blucher's columns; Marmont attacks them at Vaux-Champs, and the
+army of Silesia falls back beaten.
+
+And now the Emperor hastens towards Nogent, where he has left Bourmont
+in front of the Austrians. "Too late! too late!" is again the cry,--the
+columns of Oudinot and Victor are already in retreat. Schwartzenberg,
+with a force triple their own, advances on the plains of the Seine; the
+Cossacks bivouac in the forest of Fontainebleau. Staff-officers hurry
+onward with the news that the Emperor is approaching; the victorious
+army which had subdued Blucher is on the march, reinforced by the
+veteran cavalry of Spain and the tried legions of the Peninsula. They
+halt, and form in battle. The Allies arrest their steps at Nangis, and
+again are beaten: Nangis becomes another name of glory to the ears of
+Frenchmen.
+
+Let me rest one instant in this rapid recital of a week whose great
+deeds not even Napoleon's life can show the equal of,--the last flash of
+the lamp of glory ere it darkened forever.
+
+Three days had elapsed from the sad hour in which I laid my dearest
+friend in his grave, ere I opened the locket I had taken from his
+bosom. The wild work of war mingled its mad excitement in my brain with
+thoughts of deep sorrow; and I lived in a kind of fevered dream, and
+hurried from the affliction which beset me into the torrent of danger.
+
+The gambler who cares not to win rarely loses, so he that seeks death
+in battle comes unscathed through every danger. Each day I threw myself
+headlong into some post where escape seemed scarcely possible; but
+recklessness has its own armor of safety. On the field of Montmirail I
+was reported to the Emperor; and for an attack on the Austrian rearguard
+at Melun made colonel of a cuirassier regiment on the field of battle.
+Such promotions rained on every side: hundreds were falling each day;
+many regiments were commanded by officers of twenty-three or twenty-four
+years of age. Few expected to carry their new epaulettes beyond the
+engagement they gained them in; none believed the Empire itself could
+survive the struggle. Each played for a mighty stake; few cared to
+outlive the game itself. The Emperor showered down favors on the heads
+which each battlefield laid low.
+
+It was on the return from Melun I first opened the locket, which I
+continued to wear around my neck. In the full expansion of a momentary
+triumph to see myself at the head of a regiment, I thought of him who
+would have participated in my pride. I was sitting in the doorway of a
+little cabaret on the roadside, my squadrons picketed around me, for
+a brief halt; and as my thoughts recurred to the brave D'Auvergne, I
+withdrew the locket from my bosom. It was a small oval case of gold,
+opening by a spring. I touched this, and as I did so, the locket sprang
+open, and displayed before me a miniature of Marie de Meudon. Yes!
+beautiful as I had seen her in the forest of Versailles: her dark hair
+clustering around her noble brow,--and her eyes, so full of tender
+loveliness, shadowed by their deep fringes,--were there as I remembered
+them; the lips were half parted, as though the artist had caught the
+speaking expression,--and as-I gazed, I could fancy that voice, so
+musically sweet, still ringing in my ears. I could not look on it
+enough: the features recalled the scenes when first I met her; and the
+strong current of love, against which so long I struggled and contended,
+flowed on with tenfold force once more. Should we ever meet again,--and
+how? were the questions which rushed to my mind, and to which hope and
+fear dictated the replies.
+
+The locket was a present from the Empress to the general,--at least,
+so I interpreted an inscription on the back; and this--shall I confess
+it?--brought pleasure to my heart. Like one whose bosom bore some
+wondrous amulet, some charm against the approach of danger, I now rode
+at the head of my gallant band. Life had grown dearer to me, without
+death becoming more dreaded. Her image next my heart made me feel as if
+I should combat beneath her very eyes, and I burned to acquit myself
+as became one who loved her. A wild, half frantic joy animated me as I
+went, and was caught by the gay companions around me.
+
+At midnight a despatch reached me, ordering me to hasten forward by a
+forced march to Montereau, the bridge of which town was a post of the
+greatest importance, and must be held against the Austrians till Victor
+could come up. We lost not a moment. It was a calm frosty night, with a
+bright moon, and we hastened along without halting. About an hour before
+daybreak we were met by a cavalry patrol, who informed us that G�rard
+and Victor had both arrived, but too late: Montereau was held by the
+Wurtemberg troops, who garrisoned the village, and defended the bridge
+with a strong force of artillery; twice the French troops had been
+beaten back with tremendous loss, and all looked for the morrow to renew
+the encounter. We continued our journey; and, as the sun was rising,
+discovered, at a distance on the road beside the river, the mass of an
+infantry column: it was the Emperor himself, come up with the Guard, to
+attack the position.
+
+Already the preparations for a fierce assault were in progress. A
+battery of twelve guns was posted on a height to command the bridge;
+another, somewhat more distant, overlooked the village itself. Different
+bodies of infantry and cavalry were disposed wherever shelter presented
+itself, and ready for the command to move forward. The approach to the
+bridge was by a wide road, which lay for some distance along the river
+bank; and this was deeply channelled by the enemy's artillery, which,
+stationed on and above the bridge, seemed to defy any attempt to
+advance.
+
+Never, indeed, did an enterprise seem more full of danger. Every house
+which looked on the bridge was crenelated for small-arms, and garrisoned
+by sharpshooters,--the fierce Jager of Germany, whose rifles are the
+boast of the Vaterland. Cannon bristled along the heights; their wide
+mouths pointed to that devoted spot, already the grave of hundreds.
+Withdrawn under cover of a steep hill, my regiment was halted, with two
+other heavy cavalry corps, awaiting orders; and from the crest of the
+ridge I could observe the first movements of the fight.
+
+As usual, a fierce cannonade was opened from either side; which,
+directed mainly against the artillery itself, merely resulted in
+dismantling a stray battery here and there, without further damage. At
+last the hoarse roll of a drum was heard, and the head of an infantry
+column was seen advancing up the road. They passed beneath a rock on
+which a little group of officers were standing, and as they went a cheer
+of "Vive l'Empereur!" broke from them. I strained my eyes towards
+the place, for now I knew the Emperor himself was there. I could
+not, however, detect him in the crowd, who all waved their hats in
+encouragement to the troops.
+
+On they went, descending a steep declivity of the highroad to the
+bridge. Suddenly the cannonade redoubles from the side of the enemy;
+the shot whistles through the air, while ten thousand muskets peal forth
+together. I rivet my eyes to watch the column. But what is my horror to
+perceive that none appear upon the ridge! The masses move up; they
+mount the ascent; they disappear behind it; and then are lost to sight
+forever. Not one escapes the dreadful havoc of the guns, which from a
+distance of less than two hundred yards enfilades the bridge.
+
+But still they moved up. I could hear, from where � lay, the commands
+of the officers, as they gave the word to their companies: no fear nor
+hesitation,--there they went to death; in less than fifteen minutes
+twelve hundred fell, dead or wounded. And at last the signal to fall
+back was given, and the shattered fragment of a column reeled back
+behind the ridge. Again the cannonade opened, and increasing on both
+sides, was maintained for above an hour without intermission. During
+this, our guns did tremendous execution on the village, but without
+effecting anything of importance respecting the bridge.
+
+The Grenadiers of the Guard had reached the scene of combat, by forced
+marches, from Nangis; and after a brief time to recruit their strength,
+were now ordered up. What a splendid force that massive column,
+conspicuous by their scarlet shoulder-knots and tall shakos of black
+bearskin! with what confidence they move! They halt beneath the rock.
+The Emperor is there too. And see! the officer who stands beside him
+descends from the height, and puts himself at the head of the column:
+it is Guyot, the colonel of the battalion; he waves his plumed hat in
+answer to the Emperor,--that salute is the last he shall ever give on
+earth.
+
+The drums roll out; but the hoarse shout of "En avant!" drowns their
+tumult. On they rush; they are over the height; they disappear down the
+descent. And see! there they are on the bridge! "Vive la Garde!" shouted
+ten thousand of their comrades, who watch them from the heights; "Vive
+la Garde!" is echoed from the tall cliffs beyond the river. The column
+moves on, and already reaches the middle of the bridge, when eighteen
+guns throw their fire into it: the blue smoke rolls down the rocky
+heights and settles on the bridge, broken here and there by flashes,
+like the forked gleam of lightning; the cloud passes oyer; the bridge is
+empty, save of dead and dying: the Grenadiers of the Guard are no more!
+
+"What heart is his who gives his fellow-men to death like this!" was my
+exclamation as I witnessed this terrible struggle.
+
+"The Cuirassiers and Carbineers of the Guard to form by threes in column
+of attack!" shouted an aide-de-camp, as he rode up to where I lay. And
+no more thought had I of _his_ motives, who now opened the path of glory
+to myself.
+
+The squadrons were arrayed under cover of the ridge; the shot and shells
+from the enemy's batteries flew thickly over us,--a presage of the storm
+we were about to meet. The order to mount was given; and as the men
+sprang into their saddles, a group of horsemen galloped rapidly round
+the angle of the cliff, and approached. One glance showed me it was the
+Emperor and his staff.
+
+"Cuirassiers of the Guard," said he, as with raised chapeau he saluted
+his brave followers, "I have ordered two battalions to carry that
+bridge; they have failed. Let those who never fail advance to the storm.
+Montereau shall be inscribed on your helmets, men, when I see you on
+yonder heights. Go forward!"
+
+"Forward! forward!" shouted the mailed ranks, half maddened by the
+exciting presence of Napoleon.
+
+The force was formed in four separate columns of attack: the First
+Cuirassiers leading; followed by the Carbineers of the Guard; then my
+own regiment; and lastly, the Fourth, the corps of poor Pioche. What
+would I have given to know he was there! But there was not time for such
+inquiry now. The squadrons were ready awaiting the moment to dash on.
+
+A loud detonation of nigh twenty guns shook the earth; and in the smoke
+that rolled from them the bridge was concealed from view. A trumpet
+sounded, and the cry of "Charge!" followed. The mass sprang forth. What
+a cheer was theirs as they swept past! The cannonade opens again;
+the whole ground trembles. The musketry follows; and the clatter of a
+thousand sabres mingles with the war-cries of the combatants. It is but
+brief,--the tumult is already subsiding.
+
+And now comes the order for the carbineers to move up; the cuirassiers
+have been cut to pieces. A few, mangled and bleeding, have reeled back
+behind the hill; but the regiment is gone!
+
+"Where are the troops of Wagram and Eylau?" said the Emperor, in
+bitterness, as he saw the one broken squadron, sole remnant of a gallant
+corps, reeling, bloodstained and dying, to the rear. "Where is that
+cavalry that carried the Russian battery at Moskowa? You are not what
+you once were!"
+
+This cruel taunt, at the very moment when the earth was steeped in the
+blood of his brave soldiers, was heard in mournful silence. None spoke a
+word, but with clenched lip and clasped hand sat waiting the command
+to charge. It came; but no cheer followed. The carbineers dashed on,
+prepared to die: what death so dreadful as the cold irony of Napoleon!
+
+"En avant! cuirassiers of the Tenth," called out the Emperor, as the
+last squadrons of the carbineers went by, "support your comrades! Follow
+up there, men of the Fourth! I must have that bridge."
+
+And now the whole line moved up. As we turned the cliff in full trot,
+the scene of combat lay before us: the terrible bridge now actually
+choked up with dead and wounded, the very battlements strewn with
+corpses. In an instant the carbineers were upon it; and struggling
+through the mass of carnage, they rode onward. Like men goaded to
+despair, they pressed on, and actually reached the archway beyond,
+which, defended by a strong gate, closed up the way. Whole files now
+fell at every discharge; but others took their places, to fall as
+rapidly beneath the murderous musketry.
+
+"A petard to the gate!" is now the cry,--"a petard, and the bridge is
+won!"
+
+Quick as lightning, four sappers of the Guard rush across the road and
+gain the bridge. They carry some thing between them, but soon are lost
+in the dense masses of the horse. The enemy's fire redoubles; the bridge
+crashes beneath the cannonade, when a loud shout is raised,--
+
+"Let the cavalry fall back!"
+
+A cheer of triumph breaks from the town as they behold the retiring
+squadrons; they know not that the petard is now attached to the gate,
+and that the horsemen are merely withdrawn for the explosion.
+
+The bridge is cleared, and every eye is turned to watch the discharge
+which shall break the strong door, and leave the passage open. But
+unhappily the fuze has missed, and the great engine lies inert and
+inactive. What is to be done? The cavalry cannot venture to approach the
+spot, which at any moment may explode with ruin on every side; and thus
+the bridge is rendered impregnable by our own fault.
+
+"Fatality upon fatality!" is the exclamation of Napoleon, as he heard
+the tidings. "This to the man who puts a match to the fuze!" said he, as
+he detaches the great cross of the Legion from his breast, and holds it
+aloft.
+
+With one spring I jump from my saddle, and dash at the burning match a
+gunner is holding near me. A rush is made by several others; but I am
+fleetest of foot, and before they reach the road I am on the bridge. The
+enemy has not seen me, and I am half-way across before a shot is aimed
+at me. Even then a surprise seems to arrest their fire, for it is a
+single ball whizzes past. I see the train; I kneel down; the fuze is
+faint, and I stoop to blow it; and then my action is perceived, and
+a shattering volley sweeps the bridge. The high projecting parapet
+protects me, and I am unhurt. But the fuze will not take: horrible
+moment of agonizing suspense,--the powder is clotted with blood,
+and will not ignite! I remember that my pistols are in my belt, and
+detaching one, I draw the charge, and scatter the fresh powder along the
+line. My shelter still saves me, though the balls are crashing like hail
+around me. It takes, it takes! the powder spits and flashes, and a loud
+cry from my comrades bursts out, "Come back! come back!"
+
+Forgetting everything in the intense anxiety of the moment, I spring to
+my legs; but scarce is my head above the parapet when a bullet strikes
+me in the chest. I fall covered with blood.
+
+"Save him! save him!" is the cry of a thousand voices; and a rush is
+made upon the bridge. The musketry opens on these brave fellows, and
+they fall back wounded and discouraged.
+
+[Illustration: 504]
+
+Crouching beneath the parapet, I try to stanch my wound; but the blood
+is gushing in torrents, my senses are reeling, the objects around grow
+dimmer, the noise seems fainter. But suddenly I feel a hand upon my
+neck, and at the same instant a flask is pressed to my lips. I drink,
+and the wine rallies me; the bleeding is stopped. My eyes open again;
+and dare I trust their evidence? Who is it that now shelters beneath the
+parapet beside me? Minette, the vivandi�re! her handsome face flushed,
+her eyes wild with excitement, and her brown hair in great tangled
+masses on her back and shoulders.
+
+"Minette, is it indeed thee?" said I, pressing her hand to my lips.
+
+"I knew you at the head of your regiment some days ago, and I thought we
+should meet ere long. But lie still; we are safe here. The fire slackens
+too; they have fallen back since the gate was forced."
+
+"Is the gate forced, Minette?"
+
+"Ay, the petard has done its work; but the columns are not come up. Lie
+still till they pass."
+
+"Dear, dear girl! what a brave heart is thine!" said I, gazing on her
+beautiful features, tenfold handsomer from the expression which her
+heroism had lent them.
+
+"You would surely adventure as much for me," said she, half-timidly, as
+she pressed her handkerchief against the wound, which still oozed blood.
+
+The action entangled her fingers in a ribbon. She tried to extricate
+them; and the locket fell out, opening by accident at the same moment.
+With a convulsive energy she clasped the miniature in both hands, and
+riveted her eyes upon it. The look was wild as that of madness itself,
+and her features grew stiff as she gazed, while the pallor of death
+overspread them. It was scarce the action of a second; in another, she
+flung back the picture from her and sprang to her feet. One glance
+she gave me, fleeting as the lightning flash, but how full of storied
+sorrow!
+
+The moment after she was in the middle of the bridge. She waved her cap
+wildly above her head, and beckoned to the column to come on. A cheer
+answered her. The mass rushed forward; the fire again pealed forth; a
+shriek pierced the din of all the battle, and the leading files halt.
+Four grenadiers fall back to the rear, carrying a body between them:
+it is the corpse of Minette the vivandi�re, who has received her
+death-wound!
+
+[Illustration: 506]
+
+The same evening saw me the occupant of a bed in the ambulance of the
+Guard. Dreadful as the suffering of my wound was, I carried a deeper one
+within my heart.
+
+"The Emperor has given you his own cross of the Legion, sir," said the
+surgeon, endeavoring to rally me from a dejection whose source he knew
+not.
+
+"He has made him a general of brigade, too," said a voice behind him.
+
+It was General Letort who spoke; he had that moment come from the
+Emperor with the tidings. I buried my head beneath my hands, and felt as
+though my heart was bursting.
+
+"That was a gallant girl, that vivandi�re," said the rough old general;
+"she must have had a soldier's heart within that corsage. _Parbleu!_ I'd
+rather not have another such in my brigade, though, after what happened
+this evening."
+
+"What is it you speak of?" said I, faintly.
+
+"They gave her a military funeral this evening,--the Fourth Cuirassiers.
+The Emperor gave his permission, and sent General Degeon of the staff
+to be present. And when they placed her in the grave, one of the
+soldiers,--a corporal, I believe,--kneeled down to kiss her before they
+covered in the earth; and when he had done so, he lay slowly down on his
+face on the grass. 'He has fainted,' said one of his comrades; and they
+turned him on his back. _Morbleu!_ it was worse than that: he was stone
+dead,--one of the very finest fellows of the regiment!"
+
+"Yes, yes! I know him," muttered I, endeavoring to smother my emotion.
+
+The general looked at me as if my mind was wandering, and briefly
+added,--
+
+"And so they laid them in the same grave, and the same fusillade gave
+the last honors to both."
+
+"Your story has affected my patient overmuch, General," said the doctor;
+"you must leave him to himself for some time."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XL. FONTAINEBLEAU
+
+An order from Berthier, written at the command of the Emperor, admitted
+me into the ancient Palace of Fontainebleau, where I lay for upwards
+of two months under my wound. Twice had fever nearly brought me to
+the grave; but youth and unimpaired health succored me, and I rallied
+through all. A surgeon of the staff accompanied me, and by his kind
+companionship, not less than by his skill, did I recover from an illness
+where sorrow had made an iron inroad not less deep than disease.
+
+In my little chamber, which looked out upon the courtyard of the Palace,
+I passed my days, thinking over the past and all its vicissitudes. Each
+day we learned some intelligence either from the seat of war or from
+Paris: defeat in one, treason and disaffection in the other, were
+rapidly hastening the downfall of the mightiest Empire the genius of
+man had ever constructed. Champ-Aubert, Montmirail, and Montereau, great
+victories as they were, retarded not the current of events. "The week of
+glory" brought not hope to a cause predestined to ruin.
+
+It was the latter end of March. For some days previous the surgeon had
+left me to visit an outpost ambulance near Melun, and I was alone. My
+strength, however, enabled me to sit up at my window; and even in this
+slight pleasure my wearied senses found enjoyment, after the tedious
+hours of a sickbed. The evening was calm, and for the season mild and
+summerlike. The shrubs were putting forth their first leaves, and around
+the marble fountains the spring flowers were already showing signs
+of blossom. The setting sun made the tall shadows of the ancient
+beech-trees stretch across the wide court, where all was still as at
+midnight. No inhabitant of the Palace was about; not a servant moved,
+not a footstep was heard.
+
+It was a moment of such perfect stillness as leads the mind to reverie;
+and my thoughts wandered away to that distant time when gay cavaliers
+and stately dames trod those spacious terraces,--when tales of chivalry
+and love mingled with the plashing sounds of those bright fountains, and
+the fair moon looked down on more lovely forms than even those graceful
+marbles around. I fancied the time when the horn of the chasseur was
+heard-echoing through those vast courts, its last notes lost in the
+merry voices of the cortege round the monarch. And then I called up
+the brilliant group, with caracoling steeds and gay housings, proudly
+advancing up that great avenue to the royal entrance, and pictured the
+ancient ceremonial that awaited his coming,--the descendant of a long
+line of kings. The frank and kingly Francis, the valiant Henry the
+Fourth, the "Grand Monarch" himself,--all passed in review before my
+mind as once they lived, and moved, and spoke in that stately pile.
+
+The sun had set: the mingled shadows threw their gloom over the wide
+court, and one wing of the Palace was in' deep shade, when suddenly I
+heard the roll of wheels and the tramp of horses on the distant road.
+I listened attentively. They were coming near; I could hear the tread of
+many together; and my practised ear could detect the clank of dragoons,
+as their sabres and sabretasches jingled against the horses' flanks.
+"Some hurried news from the Emperor," thought I; "perhaps some marshal
+wounded, and about to be conveyed to the Palace." The same instant the
+guard at the distant entrance beat to arms, and an equipage drawn by
+six horses dashed in at full gallop; a second followed as fast, with a
+peloton of dragoons at the side. My anxiety increased. "What if it were
+the Emperor himself!" thought I. But as the idea flashed across me,
+it yielded at once on seeing that the carriages did not draw up at the
+grand stair, but passed on to a low and private door at the distant wing
+of the Palace.
+
+The bustle of the cortege arriving was but a moment's work. The
+carriages moved rapidly away, the dragoons disappeared, and all was as
+still as before, leaving me to ponder over the whole, and actually ask
+myself could it have been reality? I opened my door to listen; but not a
+sound awoke the echo of the long corridors. One could have fancied that
+no living thing was beneath that wide roof, so silent was all around.
+
+A strange feeling of anxiety,--the dread of something undefined, I knew
+not what, or whence coming,--was over me, and my nerves, long irritable
+from illness, became now jarringly sensitive, and banished all thought
+of sleep. Wild fancies and incoherent ideas crossed my mind, and made me
+restless and uneasy. I felt, too, as if the night were unusually close
+and sultry, and I opened my window to admit the air. Scarcely had I
+drawn the curtain aside, when my eye rested on a long line of light,
+that, issuing from a window on the ground-floor of the Palace, threw its
+bright gleam far across the courtyard.
+
+It was in the same wing where the carriages drew up. It must be so;
+some officer of rank, wounded in a late battle, was brought there. "Poor
+fellow!" thought I; "what suffering may he be enduring amid all the
+peace-fulness and calm of this tranquil spot! Who can it be?" was
+the ever-recurring question to my mind; for my impression had already
+strengthened itself to a conviction.
+
+The hours went on; the light shone steadily as at first, and the
+stillness was unbroken. Wearied with thinking, and half forgetful of my
+weakness, I tottered along the corridor, descended the grand stair, and
+passed out into the court. How refreshing did the night air feel! how
+sweet the fair odors of the spring, as, wafted by the motion of the
+_jet d'eau_, they were diffused around! The first steps of recovery from
+severe sickness have a strange thrill of youthfulness about them. Our
+senses seem once more to revel in the simple enjoyments of early days,
+and to feel that their greatest delight lies in the associations which
+gave pleasure to childhood. Weaned from the world's contentions, we seem
+to have been lifted for the time above the meaner cares and ambitions
+of life, and love to linger a little longer in that ideal state of
+happiness calm thoughts bestow; and thus the interval that brings back
+health to the body restores freshness to the heart, and purified in
+thought, we come forth hoping for better things, and striving for
+them with all the generous ardor of early years. How happy was I as I
+wandered in that garden! how full of gratitude to feel the current of
+health once more come back in all my veins,--the sense of enjoyment
+which flows from every object of the fair world restored to me, after so
+many dangers and escapes!
+
+As I moved slowly through the terraced court, my eye was constantly
+attracted to the small and starlike light which glimmered through
+the darkness; and I turned to it at last, impelled by a feeling of
+undefinable sympathy. Following a narrow path, I drew near to a little
+garden, which once contained some rare flowers. They had been favorites
+of poor Josephine in times past; but the hour was over in which that
+gave them a claim to care and attention, and now they were wild grown
+and tangled, and almost concealed the narrow walk which led to the
+doorway.
+
+I reached this at length; and as I stood, the faint moonlight, slanting
+beneath a cloud, fell upon a bright and glistening object almost at my
+feet. I stepped back, and looked fixedly at it. It was the figure of
+a man sleeping across the entrance of the porch. He was dressed
+in Mameluke fashion; but his gay trappings and rich costume were
+travel-stained and splashed. His unsheathed cimeter lay grasped in one
+hand, and a Turkish pistol seemed to have fallen from the other.
+
+Even by the imperfect light I recognized Rustan, the favorite Mameluke
+of the Emperor, who always slept at the door of his tent and his
+chamber,--his chosen bodyguard. Napoleon must then be here; his equipage
+it was which arrived so hurriedly; his the light which burned through
+the stillness of the night. As these thoughts followed fast on one
+another, I almost trembled to think how nearly I had ventured on his
+presence, where none dared to approach unbidden. To retire quickly and
+noiselessly was now my care. But my first step entangled my foot; I
+stumbled. The noise awoke the sleeping Turk, and with a loud cry for the
+guard he sprang to his feet.
+
+"La garde!" called he a second time, forgetting in his surprise that
+none was there. But then with a spring he seized me by the arm, and as
+his shining weapon gleamed above my head, demanded who I was, and for
+what purpose there.
+
+The first words of my reply were scarcely uttered, when a small door was
+opened within the vestibule, and the Emperor appeared. Late as was the
+hour, he was dressed, and even wore his sword at his side.
+
+"What means this? Who are you, sir?" was the quick, sharp question he
+addressed to me.
+
+A few words--the fewest in which I could convey it--told my story, and
+expressed my sorrow, that in the sick man's fancy of a moonlight walk I
+should have disturbed his Majesty.
+
+"I thought, Sire," added I, "that your Majesty was many a league distant
+with the army--"
+
+"There is no army, sir," interrupted he, with a rapid gesture of his
+hand; "to-morrow there will be no Emperor. Go, sir; go, while it is yet
+the time. Offer your sword and your services where so many others, more
+exalted than yourself, have done. This is the day of desertion; see that
+you take advantage of it."
+
+"Had my name and rank been less humble, they would have assured your
+Majesty how little I merited this reproach."
+
+"I am sorry to have offended you," replied he, in a voice of
+inexpressible softness. "You led the assault at Montereau? I remember
+you now. I should have given you your brigade, had I--" He stopped
+here suddenly, while an expression of suffering passed across his pale
+features; he rallied from it, however, in an instant, and resumed, "I
+should have known you earlier; it is too late! Adieu!"
+
+He inclined his head slightly as he spoke, and extended his hand. I
+pressed it fervently to my lips, and would have spoken, but I could not.
+The moment after he was gone.
+
+[Illustration: BrownePartingScene ]
+
+It is too late! too late!--the same terrible words which were uttered
+beneath the blackened walls of Moscow; repeated at every new disaster of
+that dreadful retreat; now spoken by him whose fortune they predicted.
+Too late!--the exclamation of the proud marshal, harassed by
+unsuccessful efforts to avert the destiny he saw inevitable. Too
+late!--the cry of the wearied soldier. Too late!--the fatal expression
+of the Czar when the brave and faithful Macdonald urged the succession
+of the King of Rome and the regency of the Empress.
+
+Wearied with a wakeful night, I fell into a slumber towards morning,
+when I started suddenly at the roll of drums in the court beneath. In
+an instant I was at my window. What was my astonishment to perceive that
+the courtyard was filled with troops! The Grenadiers of the Guard were
+ranged in order of battle, with several squadrons of the chasseurs and
+the horse artillery; while a staff of general officers stood in
+the midst, among whom I recognized Belliard, Montesquieu, and
+Turenne,--great names, and worthy to be recorded for an act of faithful
+devotion. The Duc de Bassano was there too, in deep mourning; his pale
+and careworn face attesting the grief within his heart.
+
+The roll of the drums continued; the deep, unbroken murmur of the salute
+went on from one end of the line to the other. It ceased; and ere I
+could question the reason, the various staff-officers became uncovered,
+and stood in attitudes of respectful attention, and the Emperor
+himself slowly, step by step, descended the wide stair of the "Cheval
+Blanc,"--as the grand terrace was styled,--and advanced towards the
+troops. At the same instant the whole line presented arms, and the drums
+beat the salute. They ceased, and Napoleon raised his hand to command
+silence, and throughout that crowded mass not a whisper was heard.
+
+I could perceive that he was speaking, but the words did not reach me.
+Eloquent and burning words they were, and to be recorded in history
+to the remotest ages. I now saw that he had finished, as General Petit
+sprang forward with the eagle of the First Regiment of the Guards, and
+presented it to him. The Emperor pressed it fervently to his lips,
+and then threw his arms round Petit's neck; while suddenly disengaging
+himself, he took the tattered flag that waved above him, and kissed it
+twice. Unable to bear up any longer, the worn, hard-featured veterans
+sobbed aloud like children, and turned away their faces to conceal their
+emotion. No cry of "Vive l'Empereur!" resounded now through those ranks
+where each had willingly shed his heart's blood for him. Sorrow had
+usurped the place of enthusiasm, and they stood overwhelmed by grief.
+
+A tall and soldierlike figure, with head uncovered, approached the
+Emperor, and said a few words. Napoleon waved his hand towards the
+troops, and from the ranks many rushed towards him, and fell on their
+knees before him. He passed his hand across his face and turned away. My
+eyes grew dim; a misty vapor shut out every object, and I felt as though
+the very lids were bursting. The great tramp of horses startled me, and
+then came the roll of wheels. I looked up: an equipage was passing from
+the gate, a peloton of dragoons escorted it; a second followed at full
+speed. The colonels formed their men; the word to march was given; the
+drums beat out; the grenadiers moved on; the chasseurs succeeded; and
+last the artillery rolled heavily up. The court was deserted; not a man
+remained: all, all were gone! The Empire was ended; and the Emperor, the
+mighty genius who created it, on his way to exile!
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI. THE CONCLUSION
+
+France never appeared to less advantage in the eyes of Europe than at
+the period I speak of. Scarcely had the proud star of Napoleon set, when
+the whole current of popular favor flowed along with those whom, but a
+few days before, they accounted their greatest enemies. The Russians and
+the Prussians, whom they lampooned and derided, they now flattered and
+fawned on. They deemed no adulation servile enough to lay at the feet
+of their conquerors,--not esteeming the exaltation of their victors
+sufficient, unless purchased at the sacrifice of their own honor as a
+nation.
+
+The struggle was no longer who should be first in glory, but who
+foremost in desertion of him and his fortunes whose word had made
+them. The marshals he had created, the generals he had decorated, the
+ministers and princes he had endowed with wealth and territory, now
+turned from him in his hour of misfortune, to court the favor of one
+against whom every act of their former lives was directed.
+
+These men, whose very titles recalled the fields of glory to which he
+led them, now hastened to the Tuileries to proffer an allegiance to a
+monarch they neither loved nor respected. Sad and humiliating spectacle!
+The long pent-up hatred of the Royalists found a natural vent in this
+moment of triumphant success. Chateaubriand, Constant, and Madame de
+Sta�l led the way to those declarations of the press which denounced
+Napoleon as the greatest of earthly tyrants; and inveighed even against
+his greatness and his genius, as though malevolence could produce
+oblivion.
+
+All Paris was in a ferment of excitement,--not the troubled agitation of
+a people whose capital owned the presence of a conquering army, but the
+tumultuous joy of a nation intoxicated with pleasure. F�tes and
+balls, gay processions and public demonstrations of rejoicing, met one
+everywhere; and ingenuity was taxed to invent flatteries for the
+very nations whom, but a week past, they scoffed at as barbarians and
+Scythians.
+
+Sickened and disgusted with the fickleness of mankind, I knew not where
+to turn. My wound had brought on a low, lingering fever, accompanied
+by extreme debility, increased in all likelihood by the harassing
+reflections every object around suggested. I could not venture abroad
+without meeting some evidence of that exuberant triumph by which
+treachery hopes to cover its own baseness; besides, the reputation of
+being a Napoleonist was now a mark for insult and indignity from those
+who never dared to avow an opinion until the tide of fortune had turned
+in their favor. The white cockade had replaced the tricolor; every
+emblem of the Empire was abolished; and that uniform, to wear which
+was once a mark of honorable distinction, was now become a signal for
+insult.
+
+I was returning one evening from a solitary ramble in the neighborhood
+of Paris,--for, by some strange fatality, I could not tear myself away
+from the scenes to which the most eventful portions of my life were
+attached,--and at length reached the Boulevard Montmartre, just as
+the leading squadrons of a cavalry regiment were advancing up the wide
+thoroughfare. I had hitherto avoided every occasion of witnessing
+any military display which should recall the past; but now the rapid
+gathering of the crowd to see the soldiers pass prevented my escape, and
+I was obliged to wait patiently until the cortege should move forward.
+
+They came on in dense column,--the brave Chasseurs of the Guard, the
+bronzed warriors of Jena and Wigram; but to my eyes they seemed sterner
+and sadder than their wont, and heeded not the loud "vivas" of the
+mob around them. Where were their eagles? Alas! the white banner that
+floated over their heads was a poor substitute for the proud ensign
+they had so often followed to victory. And here weie the dragoons,--old
+Kellermann's brave troopers; their proud glances were changed to a
+mournful gaze upon that crowd whose cheers they once felt proud of: and
+there, the artillery, that glorious corps which he loved so well,--did
+not the roll of their guns sound sorrowfully on the ear!
+
+They passed! And then came on a strange cortege of mounted
+cavaliers,--old and withered men, in uniforms of quaint antique fashion,
+their chapeaux decorated with great cockades of white ribbon, and their
+sword-knots garnished with similar ornaments; the order of St. Louis
+glittered on each breast, and in their bearing you might read the air of
+men who were enjoying a long-wished-for and long-expected triumph. These
+were the old seigneurs of the Monarchy; and truly they were not wanting
+in that look of nobility their ancient blood bestowed. Their features
+were proud; their glance elated; their very port and bearing spoke that
+consciousness of superiority, to crush which had cost all the horrors
+and bloodshed of a terrible Revolution. How strange! it seemed as if
+many of their faces were familiar to me,--I knew them well; but where,
+and how, my memory could not trace. Yes, now I could recall it: they
+were the frequenters of the old "Pension of the Rue de Mi-Car�me,"--the
+same men I had seen in their day of adversity, bearing up with noble
+pride against the ills of fortune. There they were, revelling in the
+long-sought-after restoration of their former state. Were they not more
+worthy of admiration in their hour of patient and faithful watching,
+than in this the period of their triumph?
+
+The pressure of the crowd obliged the cavalcade to halt. And now the air
+resounded with the cries of "Vive le Roi!"--the long-forgotten cheer
+of loyalty. Thousands re-echoed the shout, and the horsemen waved their
+hats in exultation. "Vive le Roi!" cried the mob, as though the voices
+had not called "Vive l'Empereur!" but yesterday.
+
+"Down with the Napoleonist,--down with him!" screamed a savage-looking
+fellow, who, jammed up in the crowd, pointed towards me, as I stood a
+mere spectator of the scene.
+
+"Cry 'Vive le Roi!' at once," whispered a voice near me, "or the
+consequences may be serious. The mob is ungovernable at a moment like
+this."
+
+A dozen voices shouted out at the same time, "Down with him! down with
+him!"
+
+"Off with your hat, sir!" said a rude-looking fellow beside me, as he
+raised his hand to remove it.
+
+"At your peril!" said I, as I clenched my hand, and prepared to strike
+him down the moment he should touch me.
+
+The words were not well uttered, when the crowd closed on me, and a
+hundred arms were stretched out to attack me. In vain all my efforts to
+resist. My hat was torn from my head, and assailed on every side, I was
+dragged into the middle of the street, amid wild cries of vengeance and
+taunting insults. It was then, as I lay overcome by numbers, that a loud
+cry to fall back issued from the cavalcade, and a horseman, sword in
+hand, dashed upon the mob, slashing on every side as he went, mounted
+on a high-mettled horse. He cleared the dense mass with the speed of
+lightning, and drove back my assailants.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneBeauvais341]
+
+"Catch my horse's mane," said he, hurriedly. "Hold fast for a few
+seconds, and you are safe."
+
+Following the advice, I held firmly by the long mane of his charger,
+while, clearing away the mob on either side, he protected me by his
+drawn sabre above my head.
+
+"Safe this time!" said he, as we arrived within the ranks. And then
+turning round, so as to face me, added, "Safe! and my debt acquitted.
+You saved my life once; and though the peril seemed less imminent now,
+trust me, yours had not escaped the fury of that multitude without me."
+
+"What! Henri de Beauvais! Do we meet again?"
+
+"Yes; but with altered fortune, Burke. Our king, as the words of our
+Garde �cossaise song says,--our king 'has got his own again.' The day
+of loyalty has again dawned on France, and a grateful people may carry
+their enthusiasm for the Restoration, even as far as vengeance on their
+opponents, and yet not merit much reproach. But no more of this. We can
+be friends now; or if not, it must be your fault."
+
+"I am not too proud, De Beauvais, either to accept or acknowledge a
+favor at your hands."
+
+"Then we are friends," said he, joyfully. "And in the name of
+friendship, let me beg of you to place this _cordon_ in your hat." And
+so saying, he detached the cockade of white ribbon he wore from his own,
+and held it towards me. "Well, then, at least remove the tricolor; it
+can but expose you to insult. Remember, Burke, its day is over."
+
+"I am not likely to forget it," replied I, sadly.
+
+"Monsieur le Colonel, his royal highness wishes to speak with you," said
+an aide-de-camp, riding up beside De Beauvais's horse.
+
+"Take care of this gentleman for me," said De Beauvais, pointing to me;
+and then, wheeling round his horse, he galloped at full speed to the
+rear.
+
+"I will spare you all trouble on my account, sir," said I. "My way lies
+yonder, and at present I see no obstacle to my pursuing it."
+
+"Let me at least send an escort with you."
+
+I thanked him and declined the offer; and leaving the ranks of the
+procession, mingled with the crowd, and in a few minutes after reached
+my hotel without further molestation. The hour was come, I saw plainly,
+in which I must leave France. Not only was every tie which bound me to
+that land severed, but to remain was only to oppose myself singly to
+the downward current of popular opinion which now threatened to overturn
+every landmark and vestige of the Empire. Up to this moment, I never
+confessed to my heart with what secret hope I had prolonged each day of
+my stay,--how I cherished within me the expectation that I should once
+again, though but for an instant, see her who lived in all my thoughts,
+and, unknown to my self, formed the mainspring of all my actions!
+
+This hope only became confessed when about to leave me forever.
+
+As I busied myself in the preparations for departure, a note arrived
+from De Beauvais, stating that he desired particularly to see and confer
+with me that same evening, and requesting me on no account to be from
+home, as his business was most pressing. I felt little curiosity to
+know to what he might allude, and saw him enter my room some hours later
+without a single particle of anxiety as to his communication.
+
+"I am come, Burke," said he, after a few commonplaces had been exchanged
+between us,--"I am come, Burke, on a mission which I hope you will
+believe the sincerest regard for you has prompted me to undertake, and
+which, whatever objections it may meet with from you, none can arise, I
+am certain, on the score of his fidelity who now makes this proposition
+to you. To be brief: the Count d'Artois has sent me to offer you your
+grade and rank in the army of his Majesty Louis the Eighteenth. Your
+last gazette was as colonel; but there is a rumor you should have
+received your appointment as general of brigade. There will be little
+difficulty in arranging your brevet on that understanding; for your
+services, brief as they were, have not been unnoticed. Marshal Ney
+himself bears testimony to your conduct at Montereau; and your name
+twice occurs on the list of the minister of war for promotion.
+Strange claims these, you will say, to recompense from the rightful
+sovereign of France, gained as they were in the service of the Usurper!
+But it is the prerogative of legitimacy to be great and noble-minded,
+and to recognize true desert wherever it occurs. Come, what say you?
+Does this proposal meet your wishes?"
+
+"If to surpass my expectations, and flatter my pride, were to convince
+my reason, and change my estimation of what is loyal and true, I should
+say, 'Yes, De Beauvais; the proposition does meet my wishes.' But not
+so. I wore these epaulettes first in my admiration of him whose fortunes
+I have followed to the last. My pride, my glory, were to be his soldier;
+that can be no longer, and the sword I drew in his cause shall never be
+unsheathed in another's."
+
+"Are you ignorant that such arguments apply with equal force to all
+those great men who have, within these few weeks past, sworn allegiance
+to his Majesty? What say you to the list of marshals, not one of whom
+has refused the graciously offered favor of his Majesty? Are Ney, Soult,
+Augereau, Macdonald, and Marmont nothing as examples?"
+
+"I will not say so, De Beauvais; but this I will say, they had had both
+more respect and esteem from me had they done otherwise. If they were
+true to the Emperor, they can scarce be loyal to the King."
+
+"Can you not distinguish between the forced services exacted by a tyrant
+and the noble duty rendered to a rightful sovereign?"
+
+"I can better estimate the fascinations which lead men to follow a hero,
+than to be the parade-soldier around the gilded gates of a palace."
+
+De Beauvais's cheek flashed scarlet, and his voice was agitated, as he
+replied,--
+
+"The nobles of France, sir, have shown themselves as high in deeds of
+chivalry and heroism as they have ever been in the accomplishments of
+true-born gentlemen."
+
+"Pardon me, De Beauvais! I meant no imputation of them and their
+motives. There is every reason why you and your gallant companions
+should enjoy the favors of that crown your efforts have placed upon the
+head of the King of France. Your true and fitting station is around the
+throne your bravery and devotion have restored. But as for us,--we
+who have fought and marched, have perilled limb and life, to raise
+the fortune and elevate the glory of him who was the enemy of that
+sovereign,--how can we be participators in the triumph we labored to
+avert, and rejoice in a consummation we would have died rather than
+witness?"
+
+"But it has come; the fates have decided against you. The cause you
+would serve is not merely unfortunate,--it is extinct; the Empire has
+left no banner behind it. Come, then, and rally round one whose boast it
+is to number among its followers the high-born and the noble,--to assert
+the supremacy of rank and worth above the claim of the base and low."
+
+"I cannot; I must not."
+
+"At least, you will wait on the Comte d'Artois. You must see his royal
+highness, and thank him for his gracious intentions."
+
+"I know what that means, De Beauvais; I have heard that few can resist
+the graceful fascinations of the prince's manner. I shall certainly not
+fear to encounter them, however dangerous to my principles."
+
+"But not to refuse his royal highness?" said he, quickly. "I trust you
+will not do that."
+
+"You would not have me yield to the flattery of a prince's notice what I
+refuse to the solicitations of a friend, would you?"
+
+"And such is your intention,--your fixed intention?"
+
+"Undoubtedly it is."
+
+De Beauvais turned away impatiently, and leaned on the window for some
+minutes. Then, after a pause, and in a slow and measured voice, added,--
+
+"You are known to the Court, Burke, by other channels than those I have
+mentioned. Your prospects of advancement would be most brilliant, if you
+accept this offer: I scarcely know to what they may not aspire. Reflect
+for a moment or two. There is no desertion,--no falling off here.
+Remember that the Empire was a vision, and like a dream it has passed
+away. Where there is no cause, there can be no fealty."
+
+"It is but a sorry memory, De Beauvais, that only retains while there
+are benefits to receive; mine is a more tenacious one."
+
+"Then my mission is ended," cried he, taking up his hat. "I may mention
+to his royal highness that you intend returning to England; that you
+are indisposed to service at present. It is unnecessary to state more
+accurately the views you entertain?"
+
+"I leave the matter completely to your discretion."
+
+"Adieu, then. Our roads lie widely apart, Burke; and I for one regret
+it deeply. It only remains that I should give you this note; which I
+promised to deliver into your hands in the event of your declining to
+accept the prince's offer."
+
+He blushed deeply, as he placed a small sealed note in my fingers; and
+as if anxious to get away, pressed my hand hurriedly, and left the room.
+
+My curiosity to learn the contents of the billet made me tear it open at
+once; but it was not before I had perused it several times that I could
+credit the lines before me. They were but few, and ran thus:--
+
+      Dear Sir,--May I request the honor of a visit from you this
+      evening at the H�tel de Grammont?
+
+      Truly yours,
+
+      Marie d'Auvergne, n�e De Meudon.
+
+      Colonel Burke.
+
+How did I read these lines over again and again!--now interpreting them
+as messengers of future hope; now fearing they might exclude every ray
+of it forever. One solution recurred to me at every moment, and tortured
+me to the very soul. Her family had all been Royalists. The mere
+accidents of youth had thrown her brother into the army, and herself
+into the Court of the Empire, where personal devotion and attachment to
+the Empress had retained her. What if she should exert her influence to
+induce me to accept the prince's offer? How could I resist a request,
+perhaps an entreaty, from her? The more I reflected over it, the more
+firmly this opinion gained ground with me, and the more deeply did I
+grieve over a position environed by such difficulty; and ardently as I
+longed for the moment of meeting her once more, the desire was tempered
+by a fear that the meeting should be our last.
+
+The eventful moment of my destiny arrived, and found me at the door of
+the H�tel de Grammont. A valet in waiting for my arrival conducted me to
+a _salon_, saying the countess would appear in a few moments.
+
+What an anxious interval was that! I tried to occupy myself with
+the objects around, and distract my attention from the approaching
+interview; but every sound startled me, and I turned at each instant
+towards the door by which I expected her to enter.
+
+The time appeared to drag heavily on,--minutes became like hours; and
+yet no one appeared. My impatience had reached its climax, when I heard
+my name spoken in a low soft voice. I turned, and she was before me.
+
+She was dressed in deep mourning, and looked paler, perhaps thinner,
+than I had ever seen her,--but not less beautiful. Whether prompted by
+her own feelings at the moment, or called up by my unconsciously fixed
+look, she blushed deeply as our eyes met.
+
+"I was about to leave France, Colonel," said she, as soon as we were
+seated, "when I heard from my cousin, De Beauvais, that you were here,
+and delayed my departure to have the opportunity of seeing you."
+
+She paused here, and drew a deep breath to continue; but leaning her
+head on her hand, she seemed to have fallen into a reverie for some
+minutes, from which she started suddenly, by saying,--
+
+"His royal highness has offered you your grade in the service, I
+understand?"
+
+"Yes, Madame; so my friend De Beauvais informs me."
+
+"And you have refused,--is it not so?"
+
+"Even so, Madame."
+
+"How is this, sir? Are you so weary of a soldier's life, that you would
+leave it thus early?"
+
+"This was not the reason, Madame."
+
+"You loved the Emperor, sir," said she, hastily, and with a tone of
+almost passionate eagerness, "even as I loved my dear, kind mistress;
+and you felt allegiance to be too sacred a thing to be bartered at a
+moment's notice. Is this the true explanation?"
+
+"I am proud to say, you have read my motives; such were they."
+
+"Why are there not many more to act thus?" cried she, vehemently. "Why
+do not the great names _he_ made glorious, become greater by fidelity
+than ever they were by heroism? There was one, sir, who, had he lived,
+had given this example to the world."
+
+"True, most true, Madame. But was not his fate happier than to have
+survived for this?"
+
+A long pause, unbroken by a word on either side, followed; when at last
+she said,--
+
+"I had left with De Beauvais some few relics of my dear brother, hoping
+you would accept them for his sake. General d'Auvergne's sword,--the
+same he wore at Jena,--he desired might be conveyed to you when you left
+the service. These, and this ring," said she, endeavoring to withdraw a
+rich brilliant from her finger, "are the few souvenirs I would ask you
+to keep for their sakes, and for mine. You mean to return to England,
+sir?"
+
+"Yes, Madame; that is, I had intended,--I know not now whither I shall
+go. Country has few ties for one like me."
+
+"I, too, must be a wanderer," said she, half musingly, while still
+she endeavored to remove the ring from her finger. "I find," said she,
+smiling, "I must give you another keepsake; this will not leave me."
+
+"Give it me, then, where it is," said I. "Yes, Marie! the devotion of a
+heart, wholly yours, should not go unrewarded. To you I owe all that
+my life has known of happiness,--to memory of you, every high and noble
+hope. Let me not, after years of such affection, lose the guiding star
+of my existence,--all that I have lived for, all that I love!"
+
+These words, poured forth with all the passionate energy which a last
+hope inspires, were followed by a story of my long-concealed love. I
+know not how incoherently the tale was told; I cannot say how often
+I interrupted my own recital by some appeal to the past,--some
+half-uttered hope that she had seen the passion which burned within me.
+I can but remember the bursting feeling of my bosom, as she placed her
+hand in mine, and said,--
+
+"It is yours!"
+
+These words ended the story of a life whose trials were many, and
+encountered at an age in which few have braved the world's cares.
+The lessons I had learned, however, were acquired in that
+school,--adversity,--where few are taught in vain; and if the morning of
+my life broke in clouds and shadow, the noon has been not less peaceful
+and bright. And the evening, as it draws near, comes with an aspect of
+calm tranquillity, ample enough to recompense every vicissitude of those
+early days when the waves of fortune were roughest.
+
+
+
+
+A PARTING WORD.
+
+
+      Dear Friends,--Time has hallowed the custom of a word at
+      parting, and I am unwilling to relinquish the privilege. In
+      the tale I have just concluded, my endeavor was to portray,
+      with as little aid from fiction as might be, some lights and
+      shadows of the most wonderful and eventful period of modern
+      history,--the empire of Napoleon. The character I selected
+      for my hero was not all imaginary, neither were many of the
+      scenes, which bear less apparent proofs of reality. The
+      subject was one long meditated on before undertaken; but as
+      the work proceeded, I felt at some places, the difficulty of
+      creating interest for persons, and incidents removed both by
+      time and country from my reader; and at others, my own
+      inadequacy to an effort, which mere zeal could never
+      accomplish. These causes induced me to deviate from the plan
+      I originally set down for my guidance; and combined with
+      failing health, have rendered what might have been a matter
+      of interest and amusement to the writer, a task of labor and
+      anxiety.
+
+      It is the first time I have had to ask my reader's
+      indulgence on such grounds; nor should I now allude to it,
+      save as affording the only apology I can render for the many
+      defects in a story, which, in defiance of me, took its
+      coloring from my own mind at the period, rather from the
+      reflex of the events I related.
+
+      The moral of my tale is simple,--the fatal influence crude
+      and uncertain notions of liberty will exercise over a
+      career, which, under happier direction of its energies, had
+      won honor and distinction, and the impolicy of the effort,
+      to substitute an adopted for a natural allegiance.
+
+      My estimate of Napoleon may seem to some to partake of
+      exaggeration; but I have carefully distinguished between the
+      Hero and the Emperor, and have not suffered my unqualified
+      admiration of the one to carry me on to any blind devotion
+      of the other.
+
+      Having begun this catalogue of excuses and explanations, I
+      know not where to stop. So, once more asking forgiveness for
+      all the errors of these volumes, I beg to subscribe myself,
+      in great respect and esteem,
+
+      Your humble and obedient servant,
+
+      Harry Lorrequer.
+
+      Templeogue House,
+
+      August 26th, 1844.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
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+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" />
+    <title>
+      Tom Burke of 'Ours' by Charles Lever
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve">
+
+    body { margin:5%; text-align:justify}
+    P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; }
+    H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; }
+    hr  { width: 50%; text-align: center;}
+    .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; }
+    blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;}
+    .mynote    {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;}
+    .toc       { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;}
+    .toc2      { margin-left: 20%;}
+    div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; }
+    .figleft   {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;}
+    .figright  {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;}
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+  </head>
+  <body>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II (of II), by
+Charles James Lever
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II (of II)
+
+Author: Charles James Lever
+
+Illustrator: Phiz.
+
+Release Date: April 6, 2010 [EBook #31902]
+Last Updated: February 27, 2018
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM BURKE II ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <h1>
+      TOM BURKE OF &ldquo;OURS&rdquo;
+     </h1>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      By Charles Lever
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <h3>
+      With Illustrations By Phiz. and H. Browne
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <h3>
+      In Two Volumes, Vol. II.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="mynote">
+      <p>
+        <b>Transcriber's Note</b>: Two print editions have been used for this
+        Project Gutenberg Edition of &ldquo;Tom Burke of 'Ours'&rdquo;: The Little Brown
+        edition (Boston) of 1913 with illustrations by Phiz; and the Chapman and
+        Hall editon (London) of 1853 with illustrations by Browne. Illegible and
+        missing pages were found in both print editions.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        DW
+      </p>
+      <br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <table summary="" border="3" cellpadding="0">
+      <tbody>
+        <tr>
+          <td>
+            &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a
+            href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31901/31901-h/31901-h.htm"><b>VOLUME
+            ONE</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</a>
+          </td>
+          <td>
+          </td>
+        </tr>
+      </tbody>
+    </table>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page121.jpg" alt="frontispiece2" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/titlepage2.jpg" alt="titlepage2" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <blockquote>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big>
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        <br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> <b>TOM BURKE OF &ldquo;OURS"</b> </a><br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE SICK LEAVE <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;LINTZ <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;AUSTERLITZ <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE FIELD AT
+        MIDNIGHT <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A
+        MAÎTRE D'ARMES <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        MILL ON THE HOLITSCH ROAD <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER
+        VII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE ARMISTICE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0008">
+        CHAPTER VIII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE COMPAGNIE D'ELITE <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;PARIS IN 1800 <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE HÔTEL DE CLICHY
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A SALLE
+        DE POLICE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        RETURN OF THE WOUNDED <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII.
+        </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE CHEVALIER <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0014">
+        CHAPTER XIV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A BOYISH REMINISCENCE <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A GOOD-BY <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;AN OLD FRIEND
+        UNCHANGED <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        RUE DES CAPUCINES <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER XVIII.
+        </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE MOISSON d'OR <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0019">
+        CHAPTER XIX. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE TWO SOIREES <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER XX. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A SUDDEN DEPARTURE
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER XXI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        SUMMIT OF THE LANDGRAFENBERG <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER
+        XXII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;L'HOMME ROUGE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0023">
+        CHAPTER XXII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;JENA AND AUERSTÄDT <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0024"> CHAPTER XXIV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A FRAGMENT OF A
+        MAÎTRE d'ARMES EXPERIENCES <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER
+        XXV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;BERLIN AFTER &ldquo;JENA.&rdquo; <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0026"> CHAPTER XXVI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A FOREST PATH <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0027"> CHAPTER XXVII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A CHANCE MEETING
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0028"> CHAPTER XXVIII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        PENSION DE LA RUE MI-CARÊME <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0029"> CHAPTER
+        XXIX. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;MY NAMESAKE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0030">
+        CHAPTER XXX. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;AN OLD SAILOR OF THE EMPIRE <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0031"> CHAPTER XXXI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A MOONLIGHT
+        RECOGNITION <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0032"> CHAPTER XXXII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        FALAISE DE BIVILLE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0033"> CHAPTER XXXIII.
+        </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE LANDING <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0034"> CHAPTER
+        XXXIV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A CHARACTER OF OLD DUBLIN <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0035"> CHAPTER XXXV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;AN UNFORSEEN EVIL
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0036"> CHAPTER XXXVI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        PERIL AVERTED <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0037"> CHAPTER XXXVII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;HASTY
+        RESOLUTION <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0038"> CHAPTER XXXVIII. &nbsp;&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        LAST CAMPAIGN <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0039"> CHAPTER XXXIX. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        BRIDGE OF MONTEREAU <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0040"> CHAPTER XL. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;FONTAINEBLEAU
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0041"> CHAPTER XLI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        CONCLUSION <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0043"> A PARTING WORD. </a>
+        <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <big><b>ILLUSTRATIONS</b></big>
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        <br />
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0001"> Browne: Murat and Minnette </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0002"> Phiz: Bivwac After the Battle </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0003"> Browne: Bivwac After the Battle </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0004"> Phiz: Locomotive Chair </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0005"> Browne: Locomotive Chair </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0006"> Phiz: The Scrimmage </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0007"> Phiz: The Dance </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0008"> Phiz: Minnette Receives Cross of the Legion
+        </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0009"> Browne: Minnette Receives Cross of the Legion
+        </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0010"> Phiz: Minnette </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0011"> Browne: The Drummer Boy </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0012"> Phiz: Moisson </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0013"> Phiz: A Slight Mistake </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0014"> Phiz: Cut and Run </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0015"> Phiz: The Big Drum </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0016"> Browne: The Foraging Party </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0017"> Phiz: The Summer House </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0019"> Phiz: The Newsvendor </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0020"> Phiz: There was Always a Sting in ye </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0021"> Phiz: The Law Office </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0022"> Brown: Darby in the Chair </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0023"> Phiz: Minnette at the Bridge </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0024"> Phiz: Death of Minnette </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0018"> Browne: Death of Minnette </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0025"> Browne: Parting from Napoleon </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0026"> Browne: Henri Beauvais </a>
+      </p>
+    </blockquote>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h1>
+      TOM BURKE OF &ldquo;OURS&rdquo;
+     </h1>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER I. THE SICK LEAVE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it, Minette?&rdquo; said I, for the third time, as I saw her lean her
+      head from out the narrow casement, and look down into the valley beside
+      the river; &ldquo;what do you see there?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I see a regiment of infantry coming along the road from Ulm,&rdquo; said she,
+      after a pause; &ldquo;and now I perceive the lancers are following them, and the
+      artillery too. Ah! and farther again, I see a great cloud of dust. <i>Mère
+      de Ciél!</i> how tired and weary they all look! It surely cannot be a
+      march in retreat; and, now that I think of it, they have no baggage, nor
+      any wagons with them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That was a bugle call, Minette! Did you not hear it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, it's a halt for a few minutes. Poor fellows! they are sadly
+      exhausted; they cannot even reach the side of the way, but are lying down
+      on the very road. I can bear it no longer. I must find out what it all
+      means.&rdquo; So saying, she threw round her a mantle which, Spanish fashion,
+      she wore over her head, and hurried from the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some time I waited patiently for her return; but when half an hour
+      elapsed, I arose and crept to the window. A succession of rocky precipices
+      descended from the terrace on which the house stood, down to the very edge
+      of the Danube, and from the point where I sat the view extended for miles
+      in every direction. What, then, was my astonishment to see the wide plain,
+      not marked by regular columns in marching array, but covered with
+      straggling detachments, hurrying onward as if without order or discipline.
+      Here was an infantry battalion mixed up with a cavalry corps, the
+      foot-soldiers endeavoring to keep up with the ambling trot of the
+      dragoons; there, the ammunition wagons were covered with weary soldiers,
+      too tired to march. Most of the men were without their firelocks, which
+      were piled in a confused heap on the limbers of the guns. No merry chant,
+      no burst of warlike music, cheered them on. They seemed like the scattered
+      fragments of a routed army hurrying onward in search of some place of
+      refuge,-sad and spiritless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can he have been beaten?&rdquo; was the fearful thought that flashed across me
+      as I gazed. &ldquo;Have the bold legions that were never vanquished succumbed at
+      last? Oh, no, no! I'll not believe it.&rdquo; And while a glow of fever warmed
+      my whole blood, I buckled on my sabre, and taking my shako, prepared to
+      issue forth. Scarcely had I reached the door, with tottering limbs, when I
+      saw Minette dashing up the steep street at the top speed of her pony,
+      while she flourished above her head a great placard, and waved it to and
+      fro.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The news! the news!&rdquo; cried I, bursting with anxiety. &ldquo;Are they advancing;
+      or is it a retreat?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Read that!&rdquo; said she, throwing me a large sheet of paper, headed with the
+      words, &ldquo;Proclamation! la Grande Armée!&rdquo; in huge letters,-&ldquo;read that! for
+      I've no breath left to tell you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Soldiers!&mdash;The campaign so gloriously begun will soon be completed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One victory, and the Austrian empire, so great but a week since, will be
+      humbled in the dust. Hasten on, then! Forced marches, by day and night,
+      will attest your eagerness to meet the enemy; and let the endeavor of each
+      regiment be to arrive soonest on the field of battle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette! dearest Minette!&rdquo; said I, as I threw my arms around her neck,
+      &ldquo;this is indeed good news.&rdquo; &ldquo;Gently, gently, Monsieur!&rdquo; said she, smiling,
+      while she disengaged herself from my sudden embrace. &ldquo;Very good news,
+      without doubt; but I don't think that there is any mention in the bulletin
+      about embracing the vivandières of the army.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At a moment like this, Minette&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The best thing to do is, to make up one's baggage and join the march,&rdquo;
+       said she, very steadily, proceeding at the same time to put her plan into
+      execution.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While I gave her all assistance in my power, the doctor entered to inform
+      us that all the wounded who were then not sufficiently restored to return
+      to duty were to be conveyed to Munich, where general military hospitals
+      had been established; and that he himself had received orders to repair
+      thither with his sick detachment, in which my name was enrolled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You'll keep your old friend, François, company, Lieutenant Burke; he is
+      able to move at last.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;François!&rdquo; said I, in ecstasy; &ldquo;and will he indeed recover?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have little doubt of it; though certainly he's not likely to practise
+      as maître d'armes again. You 've spoiled his tierce, though not before it
+      cost the army some of the prettiest fellows I ever saw. But as to yourself&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for me, I 'll march with the army. I feel perfectly recovered; my arm&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! as for monsieur's arms,&rdquo; said mademoiselle, &ldquo;I'll answer for it, they
+      are quite at his Majesty's service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed!&rdquo; said the doctor, knowingly; &ldquo;I thought it would come to that.
+      Well, well, Mademoiselle, don't look saucy; let us part good friends for
+      once in our lives.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hate being reconciled to a surgeon,&rdquo; said she, pettishly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why so, I pray?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, you know, when one quarrels with an officer, the poor fellow may be
+      killed before one sees him again; and it's always a sad thought, that. But
+      your doctor, nothing ever happens to him; you're sure to see him, with his
+      white apron and his horrid weapons, a hundred times after, and one is
+      always sorry for having forgiven such a cruel wretch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, Mademoiselle, you bear us all an ill-will for the fault of
+      one, and that's not fair. It was the hospital aide of the Sixth, Monsieur,
+      (a handsome fellow, too), who did not fall in love with her after her
+      wound,&mdash;a slight scratch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A slight scratch, do you call it?&rdquo; said I, indignantly, as I perceived
+      the poor girl's eyes fill at the raillery of her tormentor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! monsieur has seen it, then?&rdquo; said he, maliciously. &ldquo;A thousand
+      pardons. I have the honor to wish you both adieu.&rdquo; And with that, and a
+      smile of the most impertinent meaning, he took his leave.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How silly to be vexed for so little, Minette!&rdquo; said I, approaching and
+      endeavoring to console her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, but to call my wound a scratch!&rdquo; said she. &ldquo;Was it not too bad? and
+      I the only vivandière of the army that ever felt a bullet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And with that she turned away her head; but I could see, as she wiped her
+      eyes, that she cared less for the sarcasm on her wounded shoulder than the
+      insult to her wounded heart. Poor girl! she looked sick and pale the whole
+      day after.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We learned in the course of the day that some cavalry detachments would
+      pass early on the morrow, thus allowing us sufficient time to provide
+      ourselves with horses, and make our other arrangements for the march.
+      These we succeeded in doing to our satisfaction; I being fortunate enough
+      to secure the charger of an Austrian prisoner, mademoiselle being already
+      admirably mounted with her palfrey. Occupied with these details, the day
+      passed rapidly over, and the hour for supper drew near without my feeling
+      how the time slipped past.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0001" id="linkimage-0001">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page003.jpg" alt="Brownemuratandminettepage003 "   width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      At last the welcome meal made its appearance, and with it mademoiselle
+      herself. I could not help remarking that her toilette displayed a more
+      than common attention: her neat Parisian cap; her collar, with its deep
+      Valenciennes lace; and her <i>tablier</i>, so coquettishly embroidered,&mdash;were
+      all signs of an unusual degree of care; and though she was pale and in low
+      spirits, I never saw her look so pretty. All my efforts to make her
+      converse were, however, in vain. Some secret weight lay heavily on her
+      spirits, and not even the stirring topics of the coming campaign could
+      awaken one spark of her enthusiasm. She evaded, too, every allusion to the
+      following day's march, or answered my questions about it with evident
+      constraint. Tired at last with endeavoring to overcome her silent mood, I
+      affected an air of chagrin, thinking to pique her by it; but she merely
+      remarked that I appeared weary, and that, as I had a long journey before
+      me, it were as well I should retire early.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The marked coolness of her manner at this moment struck me so forcibly
+      that I began really to feel some portion of the ill-temper I affected, and
+      with the crossness of an over-petted child, I arose to withdraw at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-by, Monsieur; good-night, I mean,&rdquo; said she, blushing slightly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-night, Mademoiselle,&rdquo; said I, taking her hand coldly as I spoke. &ldquo;I
+      trust I may find you in better spirits to-morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-night,&mdash;adieu!&rdquo; said she, hastily; and before I could add a
+      word she was gone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is a strange girl,&rdquo; thought I, as I found myself alone, and tortured
+      my mind to think whether anything I could have dropped had offended her.
+      But no: we had parted a few hours before the best friends in the world;
+      nothing had then occurred to which I could attribute this sudden change. I
+      had often remarked the variable character of her disposition,&mdash;the
+      flashes of gayety mingled with outbursts of sorrow; the playful moods of
+      fancy alternating with moments of deep melancholy; and, after all, this
+      might be one of them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With these thoughts I threw myself on my bed, but could not sleep. At one
+      minute my brain went on puzzling about Minette and her sorrow; at the next
+      I reproached myself for my own harsh, unfeeling manner to the poor girl,
+      and was actually on the eve of arising to seek her and ask her pardon. At
+      last sleep came, and dreams too; but, strange enough, they were of the
+      distant land of my boyhood and the hours of my youth; of the old house in
+      which I was born, and its well-remembered rooms. I thought I was standing
+      before my father, while he scolded me for some youthful transgression; I
+      heard his words as though they were really spoken, as he told me that I
+      should be an outcast and a wanderer, without a friend, a house, or home;
+      that while others reaped wealth and honors, I was destined to be a
+      castaway: and in the torrent of my grief I awoke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was night,&mdash;dark, silent night. A few stars were shining in the
+      sky, but the earth was wrapped in shadow; and as I opened my window to let
+      the fresh breeze calm my fevered forehead, the deep precipice beneath me
+      seemed a vast gulf of yawning blackness. At a great distance off I could
+      see the watchfires of some soldiers bivouacking in the plain; and even
+      that much comforted my saddened heart, as it aroused me to the thoughts of
+      the campaign before me. But again my thoughts recurred to my dream, which
+      I could not help feeling as a sort of prediction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When our sleep leaves its strong track in our waking moments, we dread to
+      sleep again for fear the whole vision should come back; and thus I sat
+      down beside the window, and fell into a long train of thought. The images
+      of my dream were uppermost in my mind; and every little incident of
+      childhood, long lost to memory, came now fresh before me,&mdash;the
+      sorrows of my schoolboy years, unrelieved by the sense of love awaiting me
+      at home; the clinging to all who seemed to feel or care for me; and the
+      heart-sickening sorrow when I found that what I mistook for affection was
+      merely pity: all save one,&mdash;my mother! Her mild, sad looks, so seldom
+      cheered by a ray of pleasure,&mdash;I remember well how they fell on me!
+      with such a thrilling sensation at my heart, and such a gush of
+      thankfulness, as I felt then! Oh! if they who live with children knew how
+      needful it is to open their hearts to all the little sorrows and woes of
+      infant life; to teach confidence and to feed hope; to train up the
+      creeping tendrils of young desire, and not to suffer them to lie
+      straggling and tangled on the earth,&mdash;what a happier destiny would
+      fall to the lot of many whose misfortunes in late life date from the
+      crushed spirit of childhood!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My mother I&mdash;I thought of her as she would bend oyer me at night, her
+      last kiss pressed on my brow,&mdash;the healing balm of some sorrow for
+      which my sobs were still breaking,&mdash;her pale, worn cheek, her white
+      dress, her hand so bloodless and transparent, the very emblem of her
+      malady. The tears started to my eyes and rolled heavily along my cheek, my
+      chest heaved, and my heart beat till I could hear it. At this moment a
+      slight rustle stirred the leaves: I listened, for the night was calm and
+      still; not a breeze moved. Again I heard it close beside the window, on
+      the little terrace which ran along the building, and occupied the narrow
+      space beside the edge of the rock. Before I could imagine what it meant, a
+      figure in white glided from the shade of the trees and approached the
+      window. So excited was my mind, so wrought up my imagination by the
+      circumstances of my dream and the thoughts that followed, that I cried
+      out, in a voice of ecstasy, &ldquo;My mother!&rdquo; Suddenly the apparition stood
+      still, and then as rapidly retreated, and was lost to view in the dark
+      foliage. Maddened with intense excitement, I sprang from the window, and
+      leaped out on the terrace. I called aloud; I ran about wildly, unmindful
+      of the fearful precipice that yawned beside me. I searched every bush, I
+      crept beneath each tree, but nothing could I detect. The cold perspiration
+      poured down my face; my limbs trembled with a strange dread of I knew not
+      what. I felt as if madness was creeping over me, and I struggled with the
+      thought and tried to calm my troubled brain. Wearied and faint, I gave up
+      the pursuit at last, and, throwing myself on my bed, I sank exhausted into
+      the heavy slumber which only tired nature knows.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Sous-Lieutenant Burke,&rdquo; said a gruff voice, awakening me suddenly
+      from my sleep, while by the light of a lantern he held in his hand I
+      recognized the figure of an orderly sergeant in full equipment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes. What then?&rdquo; said I, in some amazement at the summons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is the order of march, sir, for the invalid detachment under your
+      command.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so? I have no orders.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are here, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, he presented me with a letter from the assistant-adjutant of
+      the corps, with instructions for the conduct of forty men, invalided from
+      different regiments, and now on their way to Lintz. The paper was
+      perfectly regular, setting forth the names of the soldiers and their
+      several corps, together with the daily marches, the halts, and distances.
+      My only surprise was how this service so suddenly devolved on me, whose
+      recovery could only have been reported a few hours before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When shall I muster the detachment, sir?&rdquo; said the sergeant, interrupting
+      me in the midst of my speculations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now,&mdash;at once. It is past five o'clock. I see Langenau is mentioned
+      as the first halting-place; we can reach it by eight.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The moment the sergeant withdrew, I arose and dressed for the road,
+      anxious to inform mademoiselle as early as possible of this sudden order
+      of march. When I entered the <i>salon</i>, I found to my surprise that the
+      breakfast table was all laid and everything ready. &ldquo;What can this mean?&rdquo;
+       said I; &ldquo;has she heard it already?&rdquo; At the same instant I caught sight of
+      the door of her chamber lying wide open. I approached, and looked in. The
+      room was empty; the various trunks and boxes, the little relics of
+      military glory I remembered to have seen with her, were all gone. Minette
+      had departed; when or whither, I knew not. I hurried through the building,
+      from room to room, without meeting any one. The door was open, and I
+      passed out into the dark street, where all was still and silent as the
+      grave. I hastened to the stable: my horse, ready equipped and saddled, was
+      feeding; but the stall beside him was empty,&mdash;the pony of the
+      vivandière was gone. While many a thought flashed on my brain as to her
+      fate, I tortured my mind to remember each circumstance of our last
+      meeting,&mdash;every word and every look; and as I called to my memory the
+      pettish anger of my manner towards her, I grew sick at heart, and hated
+      myself for my own cold ingratitude. All her little acts of kindness, her
+      tender care, her unwearying good-nature, were before me. I thought of her
+      as I had seen her often in the silence of the night, when, waking from
+      some sleep of pain, she sat beside my bed, her hand pressed on my heated
+      forehead; her low, clear voice was in my ear; her soft, mild look, beaming
+      with hope and tender pity. Poor Minette! had I then offended you? was such
+      the return I made for all your kindness?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The men are ready, sir,&rdquo; said the sergeant, entering at the moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is gone,&rdquo; said I, following out my own sad train of thought, and
+      pointing to the vacant stall where her pony used to stand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mademoiselle Minette&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, what of her&mdash;where is she?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Marched with the cuirassier brigade that passed here last night at twelve
+      o'clock. She seemed very ill, sir, and the officer made her sit on one of
+      the wagons.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Which road did they take? »
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They crossed the river, and moved away towards the forest. I think I
+      heard the troop-sergeant say something about Salzburg and the Tyrol.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I made no answer, but stood mute and stupefied; when I was again recalled
+      to thought by his asking if my baggage was ready for the wagons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a sullen apathy I pointed out my trunks in silence, and throwing one
+      last look on the room, the scene of my former suffering, and of much
+      pleasure too, I mounted my horse, and gave the word to move forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we passed from the gate, I stopped to question the sous-officier as to
+      the route of the cuirassier division. But he could only repeat what the
+      sergeant had already told me; adding, there were several men slightly
+      wounded in the squadrons, for they had been engaged twice within the week.
+      The gates closed! and we were on the highroad.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER II. LINTZ
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      As day was breaking, we came up with a strong detachment of the cavalry of
+      the Guard proceeding to join Bessiere's division at Lintz. From them we
+      learned that the main body of the army was already far in advance, several
+      entire corps having marched from Lintz with the supposed intention of
+      occupying Vienna. Ney's division, it was said, was also bearing down from
+      the Tyrol; Davoust and Mortier were advancing by the left bank of the
+      Danube; whilst Lannes and Murat, with an overwhelming force of light
+      troops, had pushed forward two days' march in advance on their way to the
+      capital. The fate of Ulm was already predicted for the Austrian city, and
+      each day's intelligence seemed to make it only the more inevitable.
+      Meanwhile the Emperor Francis had abandoned the capital, and retreated on
+      Brunn, a fortified town in Moravia, there to await the arrival of his
+      ally, Alexander, hourly expected from Berlin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As day after day we pressed forward, our numbers continued to increase. A
+      motley force, indeed, did we present: cavalry of every sort, from the
+      steel-clad cuirassier to the gay hussar, dragoons, chasseurs, guides, and
+      light cavalry, all mixed up together, and all eagerly recounting the
+      several experiences of the campaign as it fell under their eyes in
+      different quarters. From none, however, could I learn any tidings of
+      Minette; for though known to many there, the detachment she had joined had
+      taken a southerly direction, and was not crossed by any of the others on
+      their march. The General d'Auvergne, I heard, was with the headquarters of
+      the Emperor, then established at the monastery of Molk, on the Danube.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the evening of the 13th of November we arrived at Lintz, the capital of
+      Upper Austria, but at the time I speak of one vast barrack. Thirty-eight
+      thousand troops of all arms were within its walls; not subject to the
+      rigid discipline and regular command of a garrison town, but bivouacking
+      in the open streets and squares. Tables were spread in the thoroughfares,
+      at which the divisions as they arrived took their places, and after
+      refreshing themselves, moved on to make way for others. The great churches
+      were strewn with forage, and filled with the horses of the cavalry; there
+      might be seen the lumbering steeds of the cuirassier, eating their corn
+      from the richly-carved box of a confessional; here lay the travel-stained
+      figure of a dragoon, stretched asleep across the steps of the altar. The
+      little chapelries, where the foot of the penitent awoke no echo as it
+      passed, now rung with the coarse jest and reckless ribaldry of the
+      soldiers; parties caroused in the little sacristies; and the rude chorus
+      of a drinking song now vibrated through the groined roof where only the
+      sacred notes of the organ had been heard to peal. The Hôtel de Ville was
+      the quartier-général, where the generals of divisions were assembled, and
+      from which the orderlies rode forth at every moment with despatches. The
+      one cry, &ldquo;Forward!&rdquo; was heard everywhere. They who before had claimed
+      leave for slight wounds or illness, were now seen among their comrades
+      with bandaged arms and patched faces, eager to press on. Many whose
+      regiments were in advance became incorporated for the time with other
+      corps; and dismounted dragoons were often to be met with, marching with
+      the infantry and mounting guard in turn. Everything bespoke haste. The
+      regiments which arrived at night frequently moved off before day broke.
+      The cavalry often were provided with fresh horses to press forward,
+      leaving their own for the corps that were to follow. A great flotilla,
+      provided with all the necessaries for an army on the march, moved along
+      the Danube, and accompanied the troops each day. In a word, every
+      expedient was practised which could hasten the movement of the army;
+      justifying the remark so often repeated among the soldiers at the time,
+      &ldquo;Le Petit Caporal makes more use of our legs than our bayonets in this
+      campaign.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On the same evening we arrived came the news of the surprise of Vienna by
+      Murat. Never was there such joy as this announcement spread through the
+      army. The act itself was one of those daring feats which only such as he
+      could venture on, and indeed at first seemed so miraculous that many
+      refused to credit it. Prince Auersberg, to whom the great bridge of the
+      Danube was intrusted, had prepared everything for its destruction in the
+      event of attack. The whole line of woodwork was laid with combustibles;
+      trains were set, the matches burning; a strong battery of twelve guns,
+      posted to command the bridge, occupied the height on the right bank, and
+      the Austrian gunners lay, match in hand, beside their pieces: but a word
+      was needed, and the whole work was in a blaze.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was the state of matters when Sebastiani pushed through the faubourg
+      of the Leopoldstadt at the head of a strong cavalry detachment, supported
+      by some grenadiers of the Guard, and by Murat's orders, concealed his
+      force among the narrow streets which lead to the bridge from the left bank
+      of the Danube. This done, Lannes and Murat advanced carelessly along the
+      bridge, which, from the frequent passage of couriers between the two
+      headquarters, had become a species of promenade, where the officers of
+      either side met to converse on the fortunes of the campaign. Dressed
+      simply as officers of the staff, they strolled along till they came
+      actually beneath the Austrian battery; and then entered into conversation
+      with the Austrian officers, assuring them that the armistice was signed,
+      and peace already proclaimed between the two countries.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Austrians, trusting to their story, and much interested by what they
+      heard, descended from the mound, and joining them, proceeded to walk
+      backwards and forwards along the bridge, conversing on the probable
+      consequences of the treaty; when suddenly turning round by chance, as they
+      walked towards the right bank, they saw the head of a grenadier column
+      approaching at the quick step. The thought of treachery crossed their
+      minds; and one of them, rushing to the side of the bridge, called out to
+      the artillerymen to fire. A movement was seen in the battery, the matches
+      were uplifted, when Murat, dashing forward, cried aloud, &ldquo;Reserve your
+      fire; there is nothing to fear!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The same instant the Austrian officers were surrounded; the sappers
+      rushing on the bridge cleared away the combustibles, and cut off the
+      trains; and the cavalry, till now in concealment, pushing forward at a
+      gallop, crossed the bridge, followed by the grenadiers in a run,&mdash;before
+      the Austrians, who saw their own officers mingled with the French, could
+      decide on what was to be done,&mdash;while Murat, springing on his horse,
+      dashed forward at the head of the dragoons; and before five minutes
+      elapsed the battery was stormed, the gunners captured, and Vienna won.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Never was there a <i>coup de main</i> more hardy than this, whether we
+      look to the danger of the deed itself, or the insignificant force by which
+      it was accomplished. A few horsemen and some companies of foot, led on by
+      an heroic chief, thus turned the whole fortune of Europe; for, by securing
+      this bridge, Napoleon enabled himself, as circumstances might warrant, to
+      unite the different corps of his army on the right or left banks of the
+      Danube, and either direct his operations against the Russians, or the
+      Austrians under the Archduke Charles, as he pleased.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The treachery by which the bold deed was made successful, was, alas!
+      deemed no stain on the achievement. But one rule of judgment existed in
+      the Imperial army: Was the advantage on the side of France, and to the
+      honor of her arms? That covered every flaw, no matter whether inflicted by
+      duplicity or breach of faith. The habit of healing all wounds of
+      conscience by a bulletin had become so general, that men would not trust
+      to the guidance of their own reason till confirmed by some Imperial
+      proclamation; and when the Emperor declared a battle gained and glory
+      achieved, who would gainsay him? If this blind, headlong confidence tended
+      to lower the <i>morale</i> of the nation, in an equal degree did it make
+      them conquerors in the field; and thus&mdash;by a strange decree of
+      Providence, would it seem&mdash;were they preparing for themselves the
+      terrible reverse of fortune which, when the destinies of their leader
+      became clouded and their confidence in him shaken, was to fall on a people
+      who lived only in the mad intoxication of victory, and knew not the
+      sterner virtues that can combat with defeat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But so was it. Napoleon commanded the legions and described their
+      achievements; he led them to the charge and he apportioned their glory;
+      the heroism of the soldier had no existence until acknowledged by the
+      proclamation after the battle; the valor of the general wanted
+      confirmation till sealed by his approval. To fight beneath his eyes was
+      the greatest glory a regiment could wish for; to win one word from him was
+      fame itself forever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If I dwell on these thoughts here, it is because I now felt for the first
+      time the sad deception I had practised on myself; and how little could I
+      hope to realize in my soldier's life the treasured aspirations of my
+      boyhood Î Was this, then, indeed the career I had pictured to my mind,&mdash;the
+      chivalrous path of honor? Was this the bold assertion of freedom I so
+      often dreamed of? How few of that armed host knew anything of the causes
+      of the war,&mdash;how much fewer still cared for them! No sentiment of
+      patriotism, no devotion to the interests of liberty or humanity, prompted
+      us on. Yet these were the thoughts first led me to the career of arms;
+      such ambitious promptings first made my heart glow with the enthusiasm of
+      a soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This gloomy disappointment made me low-spirited and sad. Nor can I say
+      where such reflections might not have led me, when suddenly a change came
+      over my thoughts by seeing a wounded soldier, who had just arrived from
+      Mortier's division, with news of a fierce encounter they had sustained
+      against Kutusof's Russians. The poor fellow was carried past in a litter,&mdash;his
+      arm had been amputated that same morning, and a frightful shot-wound had
+      carried away part of his cheek; still, amid all his suffering, his eye was
+      brilliant, and a smile of proud meaning was on his lips.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lift it up, Guillaume; let me see it again,&rdquo; said he, as they bore him
+      along the crowded street.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it he wishes?&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;The poor fellow is asking for something.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, mon lieutenant. It is the <i>sabre d'honneur</i> the Emperor gave
+      him this morning. He likes to look at it every now and then; he says he
+      doesn't mind the pain when he sees that before him. <i>And it is natural,
+      too.</i>&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such is glory!&rdquo; said I to myself; &ldquo;and he who feels this in his heart has
+      no room for other thoughts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, give to me the trumpet's blast, And the champ of the charger
+      prancing; Or the whiz of the grape-shot flying past, That 'a music meet
+      for dancing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tralararalal&rdquo; sang a wild-looking voltigeur, as he capered along the
+      street, keeping time to his rude song with the tramp of his feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! there goes a fellow from the Faubourg!&rdquo; said an officer near me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Faubourg?&rdquo; repeated I, asking for explanation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, to be sure. The Faubourg St. Antoine supplies all the reckless
+      devils of the army; one of them would corrupt a regiment, and so, the best
+      thing to do is to keep them as much together as possible. The voltigeurs
+      have little else; and proof is, they are the cleverest corps in the
+      service, and if they could be kept from picking and stealing, lying,
+      drinking, and gambling, there's not a man might not be a general of
+      division in time. There goes another!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, a fellow passed by with a goose under his arm, followed by a
+      woman most vociferously demanding restitution; while he only amused
+      himself by replying with a mock courtesy, deploring in sad terms the
+      unhappy necessities of war and the cruel hardships of a campaign.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It's no use punishing those fellows,&rdquo; said the officer. &ldquo;They desert in
+      whole companies if you send one to the <i>salle de police</i>; and so we
+      have only one resource, which is, to throw them pretty much in advance,
+      and leave their chastisement to the enemy. And, sooth to say, they ask for
+      nothing better themselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus, even these fellows seemed to have their own sentiment of glory,&mdash;a
+      problem which the more I reasoned over the more puzzled did I become.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While a hundred conjectures were hourly in circulation, none save those
+      immediately about the person of Napoleon could possibly divine the quarter
+      where the great blow was to be struck, although all were in expectation of
+      the orders to prepare for battle. News would reach us of marchings and
+      counter-marchings; of smart skirmishes here, and prisoners taken there;
+      yet could we not form the slightest conception of where the chief force of
+      the enemy lay, nor what the direction to which our own army was pointed.
+      Indeed, our troops seemed to scatter on every side. Marmont, with a strong
+      force, was despatched towards Gratz, where it was said the Archduke
+      Charles was at the head of a considerable army; Davoust moved on Hungary,
+      and occupied Presburg; Bernadotte retraced his steps towards the Upper
+      Danube, to hold the Archduke Frederick in check, who had escaped from Ulm
+      with ten thousand men; Mortiers corps, harassed and broken by the
+      engagement with Kutusof, were barely sufficient to garrison Vienna; while
+      Soult, Lannes, and Murat pushed forward towards Moravia, with a strong
+      cavalry force and some battalions of the Guard. In fact, the whole army
+      was scattered like an exploded shell; nor could we see the means by which
+      its wide extended fragments were to be united at a moment, much less
+      divine the spot to which their combined force was to be directed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Had these Russians been fabulous creatures of a legend, instead of men of
+      mortal mould, they could scarcely have been endowed with more attributes
+      of ubiquity than we conferred on them. Sometimes we believed them at one
+      side of the Danube, sometimes at the other; now we heard of them as
+      retreating by forced marches into their native fastnesses, now as encamped
+      in the mountain regions of Moravia. Yesterday came the news that they laid
+      down their arms and surrendered as prisoners of war; to-day we heard of
+      them as having forced back our advanced posts and carried off several
+      squadrons as prisoners.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At length came the positive information that the allied armies were in
+      cantonments around Olmutz; while Napoleon had pushed forward to Brunn, a
+      place of considerable strength, communicating by the highroad with the
+      Russian headquarters. It was no longer doubtful, then, where the great
+      game was to be decided, and thither the various battalions were now
+      directed by marches day and night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the 29th of November our united detachments, now numbering several
+      hundred men, arrived at Brunn. I lost no time in repairing to
+      headquarters, where I found General d'Auvergne deeply engaged with the
+      details of the force under his command: his brigade had been placed under
+      the orders of Murat; and it was well known the prince gave little rest or
+      respite to those under his command. From him I learned that three days of
+      unsuccessful negotiation had just passed over, and that the Emperor had
+      now resolved on a great battle. Indeed, every moment was critical. Russia
+      had assumed a decidedly hostile aspect; the Swedes were moving to the
+      south; the Archduke Charles, by a circuitous route, was on the march to
+      join the Russian army, to whose aid fresh reinforcements were daily
+      arriving, and Benningsen was hourly expected with more. Under these
+      circumstances a battle was inevitable; and such a one, as, by its result,
+      must conclude the war.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This much did I learn from the old general as we rode over the field
+      together; examining with caution the nature of the ground, and where it
+      offered facilities, and where it presented obstacles, to the movement of
+      cavalry. Such were the orders issued that morning by Napoleon to the
+      generals of brigade, who might now be seen with their staffs traversing
+      the plain in every direction. As we moved along we could discover in the
+      distance the dark columns of the enemy marching, not towards us, but in a
+      southerly direction towards our extreme right. This movement attracted the
+      attention of several others, and more than one aide-de-camp was despatched
+      to Brunn to carry the intelligence to the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The same evening couriers departed in every direction to Bernadotte and
+      Davoust to hasten forward at once; even Mortier, with his mangled
+      division, was ordered to abandon Vienna to a division of Marmont's army,
+      and move on to Brunn. And now the great work of concentration began.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile the Russians advanced, and on the 30th drove in an advanced
+      post, and compelled our cavalry to fall back behind our position. The
+      following morning the allies resumed their flank movement. And now no
+      doubt could be entertained of their plan; which was, by turning our right,
+      to cut us off from our supporting columns resting at Vienna, and throw our
+      retreat back upon the mountainous districts of Bohemia. In this way five
+      massive columns moved past us scarce half a league distant from our
+      advanced posts, numbering eighty thousand men, of which fifteen were
+      cavalry in the most perfect condition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our position was in advance of the fortress of Brunn; the headquarters of
+      the Emperor occupied a rising piece of ground, at the base of which flowed
+      a small stream, a tributary to some of the numerous ponds by which the
+      field was intersected. The entire ground in our front was indeed a
+      succession of these small lakes, with villages interspersed, and
+      occasionally some stunted woods; great morasses extended around these
+      ponds, through which led the highroads or such bypaths as conducted from
+      one village to another. Here and there were plains where cavalry might act
+      with safety, but rarely in large bodies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our right rested on the lake of Moeritz, where Soult's division was
+      stationed; behind which, thrown back in such a manner as to escape the
+      observation of the enemy, was Davoust's corps, the reserve occupying a
+      cliff of ground beside the convent of Eeygern. Our left, under Lannes,
+      occupied the hill of Santon,&mdash;a wooded eminence, the last of a long
+      chain of mountains running east and west. Above, and on the crest of the
+      height, a powerful park of artillery was posted, and defended by strong
+      intrenchments. A powerful cavalry corps was placed at the bottom of the
+      mountain. Next came Bernadotte's division, separated by the highroad from
+      Brunn to Olmutz from the division under Murat, which, besides his own
+      cavalry, contained Oudinot's grenadiers and Bessière's battalions of the
+      Imperial Guard; the centre and right being formed of Soult's division, the
+      strongest of all; the reserve, consisting of several battalions of the
+      Guard and a strong force of artillery, being under the immediate orders of
+      Napoleon, to be employed wherever circumstances demanded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These were the dispositions for the coming battle, made with all the
+      precision of troops moving on parade; and such was the discipline of the
+      army at Boulogne, and so perfectly arranged the plans of the Emperor, that
+      the ground of every regiment was marked out, and each corps moved into its
+      allotted space with the regularity of some piece of mechanism.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER III. AUSTERLITZ
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The dispositions for the battle of Austerlitz occupied the entire day.
+      From sunrise Napoleon was on horse-back, visiting every position; he
+      examined each battery with the skill of an old officer of artillery; and
+      frequently dismounting from his horse, carefully noted the slightest
+      peculiarities of the ground,&mdash;remarking to his staff, with an
+      accuracy which the event showed to be prophetic, the nature of the
+      struggle, as the various circumstances of the field indicated them to his
+      practised mind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was already late when he turned his horse's head towards the bivouac
+      hut,&mdash;a rude shelter of straw,&mdash;and rode slowly through the
+      midst of that great army. The <i>ordre du jour</i>, written at his own
+      dictation, had just been distributed among the soldiers; and now around
+      every watchfire the groups were kneeling to read the spirit-stirring lines
+      by which he so well knew how to excite the enthusiasm of his followers.
+      They were told that &ldquo;the enemy were the same Russian battalions they had
+      already beaten at Hollabrunn, and on whose flying traces they had been
+      marching ever since.&rdquo; &ldquo;They will endeavor,&rdquo; said the proclamation, &ldquo;to
+      turn our right, but in doing so they must open their flank to us: need I
+      say what will be the result? Soldiers, so long as with your accustomed
+      valor you deal death and destruction in their ranks, so long shall I
+      remain beyond the reach of fire; but let the victory prove, even for a
+      moment, doubtful, your Emperor shall be in the midst of you. This day must
+      decide forever the honor of the infantry of France. Let no man leave his
+      ranks to succor the wounded,&mdash;they shall be cared for by one who
+      never forgets his soldiers,&mdash;and with this victory the campaign is
+      ended!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Never were lines better calculated to stimulate the energy and flatter the
+      pride of those to whom they were addressed. It was a novel thing in a
+      general to communicate to his army the plan of his intended battle, and
+      perhaps to any other than a French army the disclosure would not have been
+      rated as such a favor; but their warlike spirit and military intelligence
+      have ever been most remarkably united, and the men were delighted with
+      such a proof of confidence and esteem.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A dull roar, like the sound of the distant sea, swelled along the lines
+      from the far right, where the Convent of Reygern stood, and growing louder
+      by degrees, proclaimed that the Emperor was coming. It was already dark,
+      but he was quickly recognized by the troops, and with one burst of
+      enthusiasm they seized upon the straw of their bivouacs, and setting fire
+      to it, held the blazing masses above their heads, waving them wildly to
+      and fro, amid the cries of &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; For above a league along the
+      plain the red light flashed and glowed, marking out beneath it the dense
+      squares and squadrons of armed warriors. It was the anniversary of
+      Napoleon's coronation; and such was the fête by which they celebrated the
+      day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Emperor rode through the ranks uncovered. Never did a prouder smile
+      light up his features, while thronging around him the veterans of the
+      Guard struggled to catch even a passing glance at him. &ldquo;Do but look at us
+      tomorrow, and keep beyond the reach of shot,&rdquo; said a <i>grognard</i>,
+      stepping forward; &ldquo;we'll bring their cannon and their colors, and lay them
+      at thy feet.&rdquo; The marshals themselves, the hardened veterans of so many
+      fights, could not restrain their enthusiasm; and proffers of devotion unto
+      death accompanied him as he went.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last all was silent in the encampment; the soldiers slept beside their
+      watchfires, and save the tramp of a patrol or the <i>qui vive</i>? of the
+      sentinels, all was still. The night was cold and sharp; a cutting wind
+      blew across the plain, which gave way to a thick mist,&mdash;so thick, the
+      sentries could scarcely see a dozen paces off.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I sat in my little hovel of straw,&mdash;my mind far too much excited for
+      sleep,&mdash;watching the stars as they peeped out one by one, piercing
+      the gray mist, until at last the air became thin and clear, and a frosty
+      atmosphere succeeded to the weighty fog; and now I could trace out the
+      vast columns, as they lay thickly strewn along the plain. The old general,
+      wrapped in his cloak, slept soundly on his straw couch; his deep-drawn
+      breathing showed that his rest was unbroken. How slowly did the time seem
+      to creep along! I thought it must be nigh morning, and it was only a
+      little more than midnight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our position was a small rising ground about a mile in front of the left
+      centre, and communicating with the enemy's line by a narrow road between
+      the marshes. This had been defended by a battery of four guns, with a
+      stockade in front; and along it now, for a considerable distance, a chain
+      of sentinels were placed, who should communicate any movement that they
+      observed in the Russian lines, of which I was charged to convey the
+      earliest intelligence to the quartier-général. This duty alone would have
+      kept me in a state of anxiety, had not the frame of my mind already so
+      disposed me; and I could not avoid creeping out from time to time, to peer
+      through the gloom in the direction of the enemy's camp, and listen with an
+      eager ear for any sounds from that quarter. At last I heard the sound of a
+      voice at some distance off; then, a few minutes after, the hurried step of
+      feet, and a voltigeur came up, breathless with haste: &ldquo;The Russians were
+      in motion towards the right. Our advanced posts could hear the roll of
+      guns and tumbrels moving along the plain, and it was evident their columns
+      were in march.&rdquo; I knelt down and placed my ear to the ground, and almost
+      started at the distinctness with which I could hear the dull sound of the
+      large guns as they were dragged along; the earth seemed to tremble beneath
+      them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I awoke the general at once, who, resting on his arm, coolly heard my
+      report; and having directed me to hasten to headquarters with the news,
+      lay back again, and was asleep before I was in my saddle. At the top speed
+      of my horse I galloped to the rear, winding my way between the battalions,
+      till I came to a gentle rising ground, where, by the light of several
+      large fires that blazed in a circle I could see the dismounted troopers of
+      the <i>chasseurs à cheval</i>, who always formed the Imperial Bodyguard.
+      Having given the word, I was desired by the officer of the watch to
+      dismount, and following him, I passed forward to a space in the middle of
+      the circle, where, under shelter of some sheaves of straw piled over each
+      other, sat three officers, smoking beside a fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! here comes news of some sort,&rdquo; said a voice I knew at once to be
+      Murat's. &ldquo;Well, sir, what is't?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Russian columns are in motion, Monsieur le Maréchal; the artillery
+      moving rapidly towards our right.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Diantre!</i> it's not much more than midnight! Davoust, shall we awake
+      the Emperor?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; said a harsh voice, as a shrivelled, hard-featured man turned
+      round from the blaze, and showing a head covered by a coarse woollen cap,
+      looked far more like a pirate than a marshal of France; &ldquo;they 'll not
+      attack before day breaks. Go back,&rdquo; said he, addressing me; &ldquo;observe the
+      position well, and if there be any general movement towards the southward,
+      you may report it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By the time I regained my post, all was in silence once more; either the
+      Russians had arrested their march, or already their columns were out of
+      hearing,&mdash;not a gleam of light could I perceive along their entire
+      position. And now, worn out with watching, I threw myself down among the
+      straw, and slept soundly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There! there! that's the third!&rdquo; said General d'Auvergne, shaking me by
+      the shoulder; &ldquo;there again! Don't you hear the guns?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I listened, and could just distinguish the faint booming sound of far-off
+      artillery coming up from the extreme right of our position. It was still
+      but three o'clock, and although the sky was thick with stars, perfectly
+      dark in the valley. Meanwhile we could bear the galloping of cavalry quite
+      distinctly in the same direction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mount, Burke, and back to the quartier-général! But you need not; here
+      comes some of the staff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, D'Auvergne,&rdquo; cried a voice whose tones were strange to me, &ldquo;they
+      meditate a night attack, it would seem; or is it only trying the range of
+      their guns?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think the latter, Monsieur le Maréchal, for I heard no small arms; and,
+      even now, all is quiet again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe you are right,&rdquo; said he, moving slowly forward, while a number
+      of officers followed at a little distance. &ldquo;You see, D'Auvergne, how
+      correctly the Emperor judged their intentions. The brunt of the battle
+      will be about Reygern. But there! don't you hear bugles in the valley?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, the music of our tirailleurs' bugles arose from the glen in
+      front of our centre, where, in a thick beech-wood, the light infantry
+      regiments were posted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it, D'Esterre?&rdquo; said he to an officer who galloped up at the
+      moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say the Russian Guard, sir, is moving to the front; our skirmishers
+      have orders to fall back without firing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he heard this, the Marshal Bernadotte&mdash;for it was he&mdash;turned
+      his horse suddenly round, and rode back, followed by his staff. And now
+      the drums beat to quarters along the line, and the hoarse trumpets of the
+      cavalry might be heard summoning the squadrons throughout the field; while
+      between the squares, and in the intervals of the battalions, single
+      horsemen galloped past with orders. Soult's division, which extended for
+      nearly a league to our right, was the first to move, and it seemed like
+      one vast shadow creeping along the earth, as column beside column marched
+      steadily onward. Our brigade had not as yet received orders, but the men
+      were in readiness beside the horses, and only waiting for the word to
+      mount.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The suspense of the moment was fearful. All that I had ever dreamed or
+      pictured to myself of a soldier's enthusiasm was faint and weak, compared
+      to the rush of sensations I now experienced. There must be a magic power
+      of ecstasy in the approach of danger,&mdash;some secret sense of bounding
+      delight, mingled with the chances of a battle,&mdash;that renders one
+      intoxicated with excitement. Each booming gun I heard sent a wild throb
+      through me, and I panted for the word &ldquo;Forward!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Column after column moved past us, and disappeared in the dip of ground
+      beneath; and as we saw the close battalions filling the wide plain in
+      front, we sighed to think that it was destined to be the day of glory
+      peculiarly to the infantry. Wherever the nature of the field permitted
+      shelter or the woods afforded cover, our troops were sent immediately to
+      occupy. The great manoeuvre of the day was to be the piercing of the
+      enemy's centre whenever he should weaken that point by the endeavor to
+      turn our right flank.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A faint streak of gray light was marking the horizon when the single guns
+      which we had heard at intervals ceased; and then, after a short pause, a
+      long, loud roll of artillery issued from the distant right, followed by
+      the crackling din of small-arms, which increased at every moment, and now
+      swelled into an uninterrupted noise, through which the large guns pealed
+      from time to time. A red glare, obscured now and then by means of black
+      smoke, lit up the sky in that quarter, where already the battle was raging
+      fiercely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The narrow causeway between the two small lakes in our front conducted to
+      an open space of ground, about a cannon-shot from the Russian line; and
+      this we were now ordered to occupy, to be prepared to act as support to
+      the infantry of Soult's left, whenever the attack began. As we debouched
+      into the plain, I beheld a group of horsemen, who, wrapped up in their
+      cloaks, sat motionless in their saddles, calmly regarding the squadrons as
+      they issued from the wood: these were Murat and his staff, to whom was
+      committed the attack on the Russian Guard. His division consisted of the
+      hussars and chasseurs under Kellermann, the cuirassiers of D'Auvergne, and
+      the heavy dragoons of Nansouty,&mdash;making a force of eight thousand
+      sabres, supported by twenty pieces of field artillery. Again were we
+      ordered to dismount, for although the battle continued to rage on the
+      right, the whole of the centre and left were unengaged.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus stood we as the sun arose,&mdash;that &ldquo;Sun of Austerlitz!&rdquo; so often
+      appealed to and apostrophized by Napoleon as gilding the greatest of his
+      glories. The mist from the lakes shut out the prospect of the enemy's
+      lines at first; but gradually this moved away, and we could perceive the
+      dark columns of the Russians, as they moved rapidly along the side of the
+      Pratzen, and continued to pour their thousands towards Reygern.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last the roar of musketry swelled louder and nearer, and an officer
+      galloping past told us that Soult's right had been called up to support
+      Davoust's division. This did not look well; it proved the Russians had
+      pressed our lines closely, and we waited impatiently to hear further
+      intelligence. It was evident, too, that our right was suffering severely,
+      otherwise the attack on the centre would not have been delayed. Just then
+      a wild cheer to the front drew our attention thither, and we saw the heads
+      of three immense columns&mdash;Soult's division&mdash;advancing at a run
+      towards the enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Par Saint Louis</i>,&rdquo; cried General d'Auvergne, as he directed his
+      telescope on the Russian line, &ldquo;those fellows have lost their senses! See
+      if they have not moved their artillery away from the Pratzen, and weakened
+      their centre more and more! Soult sees it: mark how he presses his columns
+      on! There they go, faster and faster! But look! there's a movement yonder,&mdash;the
+      Russians perceive their mistake.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mount!&rdquo; was now heard from squadron to squadron; while dashing along the
+      line like a thunderbolt, Murat rode far in advance of his staff, the men
+      cheering him as he went.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There!&rdquo; cried D'Auvergne, as he pointed with his finger, &ldquo;that column
+      with the yellow shoulder-knots,&mdash;that's Vandamme's brigade of light
+      infantry; see how they rush on, eager to be first up with the enemy. But
+      St. Hilaire's grenadiers have got the start of them, and are already at
+      the foot of the hill. It is a race between them!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And so had it become. The two columns advanced, cheering wildly; while the
+      officers, waving their caps, led them on, and others rode along the flanks
+      urging the men forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The order now came for our squadrons to form in charging sections, leaving
+      spaces for the light artillery between. This done, we moved slowly forward
+      at a walk, the guns keeping step by step beside us. A few minutes after,
+      we lost sight of the attacking columns; but the crashing fire told us they
+      were engaged, and that already the great struggle had begun.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For above an hour we remained thus; every stir, every word loud spoken,
+      seeming to our impatience like the order to move. At last, the squadrons
+      to our right were seen to advance; and then a tremulous motion of the
+      whole line showed that the horses themselves participated in the eagerness
+      of the moment; and, at last, the word came for the cuirassiers to move up.
+      In less than a hundred yards we were halted again; and I heard an
+      aide-de-camp telling General d'Auvergne that Davoust had suffered
+      immensely on the right; that his division, although reinforced, had fallen
+      back behind Reygern, and all now depended on the attack of Soult's
+      columns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I heard no more, for now the whole line advanced in trot, and as our
+      formation showed an unbroken front, the word came,&mdash;&ldquo;Faster!&rdquo; and
+      &ldquo;Faster!&rdquo; As we emerged from the low ground we saw Soult's column already
+      half way up the ascent; they seemed like a great wedge driven into the
+      enemy's centre, which, opening as they advanced, presented two surfaces of
+      fire to their attack.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The battery yonder has opened its fire on our line,&rdquo; said D'Auvergne; &ldquo;we
+      cannot remain where we are.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forward!&mdash;charge!&rdquo; came the word from front to rear, and squadron
+      after squadron dashed madly up the ascent. The one word only, &ldquo;Charge!&rdquo;
+       kept ringing through my head; all else was drowned in the terrible din of
+      the advance. An Austrian brigade of light cavalry issued forth as we came
+      up, but soon fell back under the overwhelming pressure of our force. And
+      now we came down upon the squares of the red-brown Russian infantry.
+      Volley after volley sent back our leading squadrons, wounded and repulsed,
+      when, unlimbering with the speed of lightning, the horse artillery poured
+      in a discharge of grapeshot. The ranks wavered, and through their cleft
+      spaces of dead and dying our cuirassiers dashed in, sabring all before
+      them. In vain the infantry tried to form again: successive discharges of
+      grape, followed by cavalry attacks, broke through their firmest ranks; and
+      at last retreating, they fell back under cover of a tremendous battery of
+      field-guns, which, opening their fire, compelled us to retire into the
+      wood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nor were we long inactive. Bernadotte's division was now engaged on our
+      left, and a pressing demand came for cavalry to support them. Again we
+      mounted the hill, and came in sight of the Russian Guard, led on by the
+      Grand-Duke Constantino himself,&mdash;a splendid body of men, conspicuous
+      for their size and the splendor of their equipment. Such, however, was the
+      impetuous torrent of our attack that they were broken in an instant; and
+      notwithstanding their courage and devotion, fresh masses of our dragoons
+      kept pouring down upon them, and they were sabred, almost to a man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While we were thus engaged, the battle became general from left to right,
+      and the earth shook beneath the thundering sounds of two hundred great
+      guns. Our position, for a moment victorious, soon changed; for having
+      followed the retreating squadrons too far, the waves closed behind us, and
+      we now saw that a dense cloud of Austrian and Russian cavalry were forming
+      in our rear. An instant of hesitation would have been fatal. It was then
+      that a tall and splendidly-dressed horseman broke from the line, and with
+      a cry to &ldquo;Follow!&rdquo; rode straight at the enemy. It was Murat himself, sabre
+      in hand, who, clearing his way through the Russians, opened a path for us.
+      A few minutes after we had gained the wood; but one third of our force had
+      fallen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cavalry! cavalry!&rdquo; cried a field-officer, riding down at headlong speed,
+      his face covered with blood from a sabre-cut, &ldquo;to the front!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The order was given to advance at a gallop; and we found ourselves next
+      instant hand to hand with the Russian dragoons, who having swept along the
+      flank of Bernadotte's division, were sabring them on all sides. On we
+      went, reinforced by Nansouty and his carabineers, a body of nigh seven
+      thousand men. It was a torrent no force could stem. The tide of victory
+      was with us; and we swept along, wave after wave, the infantry advancing
+      in line for miles at either side, while whole brigades of artillery kept
+      up a murderous fire without ceasing. Entire columns of the enemy
+      surrendered as prisoners; guns were captured at each instant; and only by
+      a miracle did the Grand-Duke escape our hussars, who followed him till he
+      was lost to view in the flying ranks of the allies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we gained the crest of the hill, we were in time to see Soult's
+      victorious columns driving the enemy before them; while the Imperial
+      Guard, up to that moment unengaged, reinforced the grenadiers on the
+      right, and broke through the Russians on every side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The attempt to outflank us on the right we had perfectly retorted on the
+      left; where Lannes's division, overlapping the line, pressed them on two
+      sides, and drove them back, still fighting, into the plain, which, with a
+      lake, separated the allied armies from the village of Austerlitz. And here
+      took place the most dreadful occurrence of the day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two roads which led through the lake were soon so encumbered and
+      blocked up by ammunition wagons and carts that they became impassable; and
+      as the masses of the fugitives thickened, they spread over the lake, which
+      happened to be frozen. It was at this time that the Emperor came up, and
+      seeing the cavalry halted, and no longer in pursuit of the flying columns,
+      ordered up twelve pieces of the artillery of the Imperial Guard, which,
+      from the crest of the hill, opened a murderous fire on them. The slaughter
+      was fearful as the discharges of grape and round shot cut channels through
+      the jammed-up mass, and tore the dense columns, as it were, into
+      fragments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dreadful as the scene was, what followed far exceeded it in horror; for
+      soon the shells began to explode beneath the ice, which now, with a
+      succession of reports louder than thunder, gave way. In an instant whole
+      regiments were ingulfed, and amid the wildest cries of despair, thousands
+      sank never to appear again, while the deafening artillery mercilessly
+      played upon them, till over that broad surface no living thing was seen to
+      move, while beneath was the sepulchre of five thousand men. About seven
+      thousand reached Austerlitz by another road to the northward; but even
+      these had not escaped, save for a mistake of Bernadotte, who most
+      unaccountably, as it was said, halted his division on the heights. Had it
+      not been for this, not a soldier of the Russian right wing had been saved.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The reserve cavalry and the dragoons of the Guard were now called up from
+      the pursuit, and I saw my own regiment pass close by me, as I stood amid
+      the staff round Murat. The men were fresh and eager for the fray; yet how
+      many fell in that pursuit, even after the victory! The Russian batteries
+      continued their fire to the last. The cannoneers were cut down beside
+      their guns, and the cavalry made repeated charges on our advancing
+      squadrons; nor was it till late in the day they fell back, leaving two
+      thirds of their force dead or wounded on the field of battle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On every side now were to be seen the flying columns of the allies, hotly
+      followed by the victorious French. The guns still thundered at intervals;
+      but the loud roar of battle was subdued to the crashing din of charging
+      squadrons, and the distant cries of the vanquishers and the vanquished.
+      Around and about lay the wounded in all the fearful attitudes of
+      suffering; and as we were fully a league in advance of our original
+      position, no succor had yet arrived for the poor fellows whose courage had
+      carried them into the very squares of the enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Most of the staff&mdash;myself among the number&mdash;were despatched to
+      the rear for assistance. I remember, as I rode along at my fastest speed,
+      between the columns of infantry and the fragments of artillery which
+      covered the grounds, that a <i>peloton</i> of dragoons came thundering
+      past, while a voice shouted out &ldquo;Place! place!&rdquo; Supposing it was the
+      Emperor himself, I drew up to one side, and uncovering my head, sat in
+      patience till he had passed, when, with the speed of four horses urged to
+      their utmost, a calèche flew by, two men dressed like couriers seated on
+      the box. They made for the highroad towards Vienna, and soon disappeared
+      in the distance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What can it mean?&rdquo; said I, to an officer beside me; &ldquo;not his Majesty,
+      surely?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; replied he, smiling: &ldquo;it is General Lebrun on his way to Paris
+      with the news of the victory. The Emperor is down at Reygern yonder, where
+      he has just written the bulletin. I warrant you he follows that calèche
+      with his eye; he'd rather see a battery of guns carried off by the enemy
+      than an axle break there this moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus closed the great day of Austerlitz&mdash;a hundred cannons,
+      forty-three thousand prisoners, and thirty-two colors being the spoils of
+      this the greatest of even Napoleon's victories.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IV. THE FIELD AT MIDNIGHT.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      We passed the night on the field of battle,&mdash;a night dark and
+      starless. The heavens were, indeed, clothed with black, and a heavy
+      atmosphere, lowering and gloomy, spread like a pall over the dead and the
+      dying. Not a breath of air moved; and the groans of the wounded sighed
+      through the stillness with a melancholy cadence no words can convey. Far
+      away in the distance the moving lights marked where fatigue parties went
+      in search of their comrades. The Emperor himself did not leave the saddle
+      till nigh morning; he went, followed by an ambulance, hither and thither
+      over the plain, recalling the names of the several regiments, enumerating
+      their deeds of prowess, and even asking for many of the soldiers by name.
+      He ordered large fires to be lighted throughout the field, and where
+      medical assistance could not be procured, the officers of the staff might
+      be seen covering the wounded with greatcoats and cloaks, and rendering
+      them such aid as lay in their power.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dreadful as the picture was,&mdash;fearful reverse to the gorgeous
+      splendor of the vast army the morning sun had shone upon, and in the pride
+      of strength and spirit,&mdash;yet even here was there much to make one
+      feel that war is not bereft of its humanizing influences. How many a
+      soldier did I see that night, blackened with powder, his clothes torn and
+      ragged with shot, sitting beside a wounded comrade&mdash;now wetting his
+      lips with a cool draught, now cheering his heart with words of comfort!
+      Many, though wounded, were tending others less able to assist themselves.
+      Acts of kindness and self-devotion&mdash;not less in number than those of
+      heroism and courage&mdash;were met with at every step; while among the
+      sufferers there lived a spirit of enthusiasm that seemed to lighten the
+      worst pang of their agony. Many would cry out, as I passed, to know the
+      fate of the day, and what became of this regiment or of that battalion.
+      Others could but articulate a faint &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; which in the
+      intervals of pain they kept repeating, as though it were a charm against
+      suffering; while one question met me every instant,&mdash;&ldquo;What says the
+      Petit Caporal? Is he content with us?&rdquo; None were insensible to the
+      glorious issue of that day; nor amid all the agony of death, dealt out in
+      every shape of horror and misery, did I hear one word of anger or rebuke
+      to him for whose ambition they had shed their heart's blood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0002" id="linkimage-0002">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/050.jpg" alt="050 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0003" id="linkimage-0003">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page027.jpg" alt="Brownebivwacafterbattle027 "   width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Having secured a fresh horse, I rode forward in the direction of
+      Austerlitz, where our cavalry, met by the chevaliers of the Russian
+      Imperial Guard, sustained the greatest check and the most considerable
+      loss of the day. The old dragoon who accompanied me warned me I should
+      find few, if any, of our comrades living there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ventrebleu!</i> lieutenant, you can't expect it. The first four
+      squadrons went down like one man; for when our fellows fell wounded from
+      their horses, they always sabred or shot them as they lay.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I found this information but too correct. Lines of dead men lay beside
+      their horses, ranged as they stood in battle, while before them lay the
+      bodies of the Russian Guard, their gorgeous uniform all slashed with gold,
+      marking them out amid the dull russet costumes of their comrades. In many
+      places were they intermingled, and showed where a hand-to-hand combat had
+      been fought; and I saw two clasped rigidly in each other's grasp, who had
+      evidently been shot by others while struggling for the mastery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I told you, mon lieutenant, it was useless to come here; this was <i>à la
+      mort</i> while it lasted; and if it had continued much longer in the same
+      fashion, it's hard to say which of us had been going over the field now
+      with lanterns.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Too true, indeed! Not one wounded man did we meet with, nor did one human
+      voice break the silence around us. &ldquo;Perhaps,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;they may have
+      already carried up the wounded to the village yonder; I see a great blaze
+      of light there. Bide forward, and learn if it be so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When I had dismissed the orderly, I dismounted from my horse, and walked
+      carefully along the ridge of ground, anxious to ascertain if any poor
+      fellow still remained alive amid that dreadful heap of dead. A low
+      brushwood covered the ground in certain places; and here I perceived but
+      few of the cavalry had penetrated, while the infantry were all tirailleurs
+      of the Russian Guard, bayoneted by our advancing columns. As I approached
+      the lake the ground became more rugged and uneven; and I was about to turn
+      back, when my eye caught the faint glimmering of a light reflected in the
+      water. Picketing my horse where he stood, I advanced alone towards the
+      light, which I saw now was at the foot of a little rocky crag beside the
+      lake. As I drew near, I stopped to listen, and could distinctly hear the
+      deep tones of a man's voice, as if broken at intervals by pain, while in
+      his accents I thought I could trace a tone of indignant passion rather
+      than of bodily suffering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Leave me, leave me where I am,&rdquo; cried he, peevishly. &ldquo;I thought I might
+      have had my last few moments tranquil, when I staggered thus far.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, Comrade!&rdquo; said another, in a voice of comforting; &ldquo;come, thou
+      wert never faint-hearted before. Thou hast had thy share of bruises, and
+      cared little about them too. Art dry?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; give me another drink. Ah!&rdquo; cried he, in an excited tone, &ldquo;they
+      can't stand before the cuirassiers of the Guard. <i>Sacrebleu!</i> how
+      proud the Petit Caporal will be of this day!&rdquo; Then, dropping his voice, he
+      muttered, &ldquo;What care I who's proud? I have my billet, and must be going.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not so, <i>mon enfant</i>; thou'lt have the cross for thy day's work. He
+      knows thee well; I saw him smile to-day when thou madest the salute in
+      passing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Didst thou that?&rdquo; said the wounded man, with eagerness; &ldquo;did he smile?
+      Ah, villain! how you can allure men to shed their heart's blood by a
+      smile! He knows me! That he ought, and, if he but knew how I lay here now,
+      he 'd send the best surgeon of his staff to look after me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That he would, and that he will; courage, and cheer up.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no; I don't care for it now. I'll never go back to the regiment
+      again; I could n't do it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke the last words his voice became fainter and fainter, and at
+      last was lost in a hiccup; partly, as it seemed, from emotion, and partly
+      from bodily suffering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Qui vive?</i>&rdquo; cried his companion, as the clash of my sabre announced
+      my approach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An officer of the Eighth Hussars,&rdquo; said I, in a low voice, fearing to
+      disturb the wounded man, as he lay with his head sunk on his knees.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Too late, Comrade! too late,&rdquo; said he, in a stifled tone; &ldquo;the order of
+      route has come. I must away.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A brave cuirassier of the Guard should never say so while he has a chance
+      left to serve his Emperor in another field of battle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur! vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; shouted he, madly, as he lifted his
+      helmet and tried to wave it above his head. But the exertion brought on a
+      violent fit of coughing, which choked his utterance, while a torrent of
+      red blood gushed from his mouth, and deluged his neck and chest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>mon Dieu!</i> that cry has been his death,&rdquo; said the other,
+      wringing his hands in utter misery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is he wounded?&rdquo; said I, kneeling down beside the sick man, who now
+      lay, half on his face, upon the grass.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In the chest, through the lung,&rdquo; whispered the other. &ldquo;He doesn't know
+      the doctor saw him; it was he told me there was no hope. 'You may leave
+      him,' said he; 'an hour or two more are all that 's left him;' as if I
+      could leave a comrade we all loved. My poor fellow, it is a sad day for
+      the old Fourth when thou art taken from them!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! was he of the Fourth, then?&rdquo; said I, remembering the regiment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, <i>parbleu!</i> and though but a corporal, he was well known
+      throughout the army. Pioche&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pioche!&rdquo; cried I, in agony; &ldquo;is this Pioche?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here,&rdquo; said the wounded man, hearing the name, and answering as if on
+      parade,&mdash;&ldquo;here, mon commandant! but too faint, I 'm afraid, for duty.
+      I feel weak to-day,&rdquo; said he, as he pressed his hand upon his side, and
+      then slowly sank back against the rock, and dropped his arms at either
+      side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;we must lose no time. Let us carry him to the rear. If
+      nothing else can be done, he 'll meet with care&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hush! mon lieutenant! don't let him hear you speak of that. He stormed
+      and swore so much when the ambulance passed, and they wanted to bring him
+      along, that it brought on a coughing fit, just like what you saw, and he
+      lay in a faint for half an hour after. He vows he 'll never stir from
+      where he is. Truth is, Commandant,&rdquo; said he, in the lowest whisper, &ldquo;he is
+      determined to die. When his squadron fell back from the Russian square, he
+      rode on their bayonets, and cut at the men while the artillery was playing
+      all about him. He told me this morning he 'd never leave the field.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor fellow! what was the meaning of this sad resolution?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ma foi!</i> a mere trifle, after all,&rdquo; said the other, shrugging his
+      shoulders, and making a true French grimace of contempt. &ldquo;You 'll smile
+      when I tell you; but he takes it to heart, poor fellow. His mistress has
+      been false to him,&mdash;no great matter that, you 'd say,&mdash;but so it
+      is, and nothing more. See how still he lies now! is he sleeping?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fear not; he looks exhausted from loss of blood. Come, we must have him
+      out of this; here comes my orderly to assist us. If we carry him to the
+      road I 'll find a carriage of some sort.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I said this in a tone of command, to silence any scruples he might still
+      have about obeying his comrade in preference to the orders of an officer.
+      He obeyed with the instinct of discipline, and proceeded to fold his cloak
+      in such a manner that we could carry the wounded man between us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The poor corporal, too weak to resist us, faint from bleeding and
+      semi-stupid, suffered himself to be lifted upon the cloak, and never
+      uttered a word or a cry as we bore him along between us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We had not proceeded far when we came up with a convoy, conducting several
+      carts with the wounded to the convent of Reygern, which had now been
+      fitted up as an hospital. On one of these we secured a place for our poor
+      friend, and walked along beside him towards the convent. As we went along
+      I questioned his comrade closely on the point; and he told me that Pioche
+      had resolved never to survive the battle, and had taken leave of his
+      friends the evening before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; added he, with energy, &ldquo;mademoiselle is pretty
+      enough,&mdash;there 's no denying that; but her head is turned by flattery
+      and soft speeches. All the gay young fellows of the hussar regiment, the
+      aides-de-camp,&mdash;ay, and some of the generals, too,&mdash;have paid
+      her so much attention that it could not be expected she'd care for a poor
+      corporal. Not but that Pioche is a brave fellow and a fine soldier. <i>Sapristi!</i>
+      he 'd be no discredit to any girl's choice. But Minette&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette, the vivandière?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, to be sure, mon lieutenant; I'd warrant you must have known her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What of her? where is she?&rdquo; said I, burning with impatience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She's with the wounded, up at Reygern yonder. They sent for her to
+      Heilbrunn yesterday, where she was with the reserve battalions. <i>Ma foi!</i>
+      you don't think our fellows would do without Minette at the ambulance,
+      where there was a battle to be fought. They say they'd hard work enough to
+      make her come up. After all, she's a strange girl; that she is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How was that? Has she taken offence with the Fourth?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, that is not it; she likes the old regiment in her heart. I'd never
+      believe she didn't; but&rdquo; (here he dropped his voice to a low whisper, as
+      if dreading to be overheard by the wounded man), &ldquo;but they say&mdash;who
+      knows if it's true?&mdash;that when she was left behind at Ulm or
+      Elchingen, or somewhere up there on the Danube, that there was a young
+      fellow&mdash;I heard his name, too, but I forget it&mdash;who was brought
+      in badly wounded, and that mademoiselle was left to watch and nurse him.
+      He got well in time, for the thing was not so serious as they thought. And
+      what do you think was the return he made the poor girl? He seduced her!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It's false! false as hell!&rdquo; cried I, bursting with passion. &ldquo;Who has
+      dared to spread such a calumny?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don't be angry, mon lieutenant; there are plenty to answer for the
+      report. And if it was yourself&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; it was by <i>my</i> bedside she watched; it was to <i>me</i> she
+      gave that care and kindness by which I recovered from a dangerous wound.
+      But so far from this base requital&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why did she leave you, then, and march night and day with the chasseur
+      brigade into the Tyrol? Why did she tell her friends that she'd never see
+      the old Fourth again? Why did she fret herself into an illness&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did she do this, poor girl?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, that she did. But, mayhap, you never heard of all this. I can only
+      say, mon lieutenant, that you'd be safer in a broken square, charged by a
+      heavy squadron, than among the Fourth, after what you 've done.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I turned indignantly from him without a reply; for while my pride revolted
+      at answering an accusation from such a quarter, my mind was harassed by
+      the sad fate of poor Minette, and perplexed how to account for her sudden
+      departure. My silence at once arrested my companion's speech, and we
+      walked along the remainder of the way without a word on either side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The day was just breaking when the first wagon of the convoy entered the
+      gates of the convent. It was an enormous mass of building, originally
+      destined for the reception of about three thousand persons; for, in
+      addition to the priestly inhabitants, there were two great hospitals and
+      several schools included within the walls. This, before the battle, had
+      been tenanted by the staffs of many general officers and the corps of
+      engineers and sappers, but now was entirely devoted to the wounded of
+      either army; for Austrians and Russians were everywhere to be met with,
+      receiving equal care and attention with our own troops.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the first time I had witnessed a military hospital after a battle,
+      and the impression was too fearful to be ever forgotten by me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The great chambers and spacious rooms of the convent were soon found
+      inadequate for the numbers who arrived; and already the long corridors and
+      passages of the building were crowded with beds, between which a narrow
+      path scarcely permitted one person to pass. Here, promiscuously, without
+      regard to rank, officers in command lay side by side with the meanest
+      privates, awaiting the turn of medical aid, as no other order was observed
+      than the necessities of each case demanded. A black mark above the bed,
+      indicating that the patient's state was hopeless, proclaimed that no
+      further attention need be bestowed; while the same mark, with a white bar
+      across it, implied that it was a case for operation. In this way the
+      surgeons who arrived at each moment from different corps of the army
+      discovered, at a glance, where their services were required, and not a
+      minute's time was lost.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dreadful operations of surgery&mdash;for which, in the events of
+      every-day life, every provision of delicate secrecy, and every minute
+      detail which can alleviate dread, are so rigidly studied,&mdash;were here
+      going forward on every side; the horrible preparations moved from bed to
+      bed with a rapidity which showed that where suffering so abounded there
+      was no time for sympathy; and the surgeons, with arms bare to the shoulder
+      and bedaubed with blood, toiled away as though life no longer moved in the
+      creeping flesh beneath the knife, and human agony spoke not aloud with
+      every motion of their hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Place there! move forward!&rdquo; said an hospital surgeon, as they carried up
+      the litter on which Pioche lay stretched and senseless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What's this?&rdquo; cried a surgeon, leaning forward, and placing his hand on
+      the sick man's pulse. &ldquo;Ah! take him back again; it 's all over there!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, no!&rdquo; cried I, in agony, &ldquo;it can scarcely be; they lifted him alive
+      from the wagon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He's not dead, sir,&rdquo; replied the surgeon, in a whisper, &ldquo;but he will soon
+      be; there's internal bleeding going on from that wound, and a few hours,
+      or less perhaps must close the scene.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can nothing be done? nothing?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fear not.&rdquo; He opened the jacket of the wounded man as he spoke, and
+      slitting the inner clothes asunder with a quick stroke of his scissors,
+      disclosed a tremendous sabre-wound in the side. &ldquo;That is not the worst,&rdquo;
+       said he. &ldquo;Look here,&rdquo; pointing to a small bluish mark of a bullet hole
+      above it; &ldquo;here lies the mischief.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      An hospital aid whispered something at the instant in the surgeon's ear,
+      to which he quickly replied, &ldquo;When?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This instant, sir; the ligature slipped, and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remove him,&rdquo; was the reply. &ldquo;Now, sir, I have a bed for your poor fellow
+      here; but I have little hope to give you. His pulse is stronger, otherwise
+      the endeavor would be lost time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While they carried the litter forward, I perceived that another party were
+      lifting from a bed near a figure, over whose face the sheet was carelessly
+      thrown. I guessed from the gestures that the form they lifted was
+      lifeless; the heavy sumph of the body upon the ground showed it beyond a
+      doubt. The bearers replaced the dead man by the dying body of poor Pioche;
+      and from a vague feeling of curiosity, I stooped down and drew back the
+      sheet from the face of the corpse. As I did so, my limbs trembled, and I
+      leaned back almost fainting against the wall. Pale with the pallor of
+      death, but scarcely altered from life, I beheld the dead features of
+      Amédée Pichot, the captain whose insolence had left an unsettled quarrel
+      between us. The man for whose coming I waited to expiate an open insult,
+      now lay cold and lifeless at my feet. What a rush of sensations passed
+      through my mind as I gazed on that motionless mass! and oh, what gratitude
+      my heart gushed to think that he did not fall by <i>my</i> hand!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A brave soldier, but a quarrelsome friend,&rdquo; said the surgeon, stooping
+      down to examine the wound, with all the indifference of a man who regarded
+      life as a mere problem. &ldquo;It was a cannon-shot carried it off.&rdquo; As he said
+      this, he disclosed the mangled remains of a limb, torn from the trunk too
+      high to permit of amputation. &ldquo;Poor Amédée! it was the death he always
+      wished for. It was a strange horror he had of falling by the hand of an
+      adversary, rather than being carried off thus. And now for the
+      cuirassier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, he turned towards the bed on which Pioche lav, still as death
+      itself. A few minutes' careful investigation of the case enabled him to
+      pronounce that although the chances were many against recovery, yet it was
+      not altogether hopeless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All will depend on the care of whoever watches him,&rdquo; said the surgeon.
+      &ldquo;Symptoms will arise, requiring prompt attention and a change in
+      treatment; and this is one of those cases where a nurse is worth a hundred
+      doctors. Who takes charge of this bed?&rdquo; he called aloud.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette, Monsieur,&rdquo; said a sergeant. &ldquo;She has lain down to take a little
+      rest, for she was quite worn out with fatigue.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Me voici!&rdquo; said a silvery voice I knew at once to be hers. And the same
+      instant she pierced the crowd around the bed, and approached the patient.
+      No sooner had she beheld the features of the sick man than she reeled
+      back, and grasped the arms of the persons on either side. For a few
+      seconds she stood, with her hands pressed upon her face, and when she
+      withdrew them, her features were almost ghastly in their hue, while, with
+      a great effort over her emotion, she said, in a low voice, &ldquo;Can he
+      recover?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Minette!&rdquo; replied the surgeon, &ldquo;and will, if care avail anything.
+      Just hear me for a moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With that he drew her to one side, and commenced to explain the treatment
+      he proposed to adopt. As he spoke, her cloak, which up to this instant she
+      wore, dropped from her shoulders, and she stood there in the dress of the
+      vivandière: a short frock coat, of light blue, with a thin gold braid upon
+      the collar and the sleeve; loose trousers of white jean, strapped beneath
+      her boots; a silk sash of scarlet and gold entwined was fastened round her
+      waist, and fell in a long fringe at her side; while a cap of blue cloth,
+      with a gold band and tassel, hung by a hook at her girdle. Simple as was
+      the dress, it displayed to perfection the symmetry of her figure and her
+      carriage, and suited the character of her air and gesture, which, abrupt
+      and impatient at times, was almost boyish in the wayward freedom of her
+      action.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The surgeon soon finished his directions, the crowd separated, and Minette
+      alone remained by the sick man's bed. For some minutes her cares did not
+      permit her to look up; but when she did, a slight cry broke from her, and
+      she sank down upon the seat at the bedside.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette, dear Minette, you are not angry with me?&rdquo; said I, in a low and
+      trembling tone. &ldquo;I have not done aught to displease you,&mdash;have I so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She answered not a word, but a blush of the deepest scarlet suffused her
+      face and temples, and her bosom heaved almost convulsively.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To you I owe my life,&rdquo; continued I, with earnestness; &ldquo;nay more, I owe
+      the kindness which made of a sick-bed a place of pleasant thoughts and
+      happy memories. Can I, then, have offended you, while my whole heart was
+      bursting with gratitude?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A paleness, more striking than the blush that preceded it, now stole over
+      her features, but she uttered not a word. Her eyes turned from me and fell
+      upon her own figure, and I saw the tears till up and roll slowly along her
+      cheeks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why did you leave me, Minette?&rdquo; said I, wound up by her obstinate silence
+      beyond further endurance. &ldquo;Did the few words of impatience&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, no!&rdquo; broke she in, &ldquo;not that! not that!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What then? Tell me, for Heaven's sake, how have I earned your
+      displeasure? Believe me, I have met with too little kindness in my way
+      through life, not to feel poignantly the loss of a friend. What was it, I
+      beseech you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, do not ask me!&rdquo; cried she, with streaming eyes; &ldquo;do not, I beg of
+      you. Enough that you know&mdash;and this I swear to you,&mdash;that no
+      fault of yours was in question. You were always good and always kind to
+      me,&mdash;too kind, too good,&mdash;but not even your teaching could alter
+      the waywardness of my nature. Speak of this no more, I ask you, as the
+      greatest favor you can bestow on me. See here,&rdquo; cried she, while her lips
+      trembled with emotion; &ldquo;I have need of all my courage to be of use to him;
+      and you will not, I am sure, render me unequal to my task.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But we are friends, Minette; friends as before,&rdquo; said I, taking her hand,
+      and pressing it within mine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, friends!&rdquo; muttered she, in a broken voice, while she turned her head
+      from me. &ldquo;Adieu! Monsieur, adieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adieu, then, since you wish it so, Minette! But whatever your secret
+      reason for this change towards me, you never can alter the deep-rooted
+      feeling of my heart, which makes me know myself your friend forever.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The more I thought of Minette's conduct, the more puzzled I was. No
+      jealousy on the part of Pioche could explain her abrupt departure from
+      Elchingen, and her resolve never to rejoin the Fourth. She was, indeed, a
+      strange girl, wayward and self-willed; but her impulses all had their
+      source in high feelings of honor and exalted pride. It might have been
+      that some chance expression had given her offence; yet she denied this.
+      But still, her former frankness was gone, and a sense of coldness, if not
+      distrust, had usurped its place. I could make nothing of it. One thing
+      alone did I feel convinced of,&mdash;she did not love Pioche. Poor fellow!
+      with all the fine traits of his honest nature, the manly simplicity and
+      openness of his character, he had not those arts of pleasing which win
+      their way with a woman's mind. Besides that, Minette, from habit and tone
+      of voice, had imbibed feelings and ideas of a very different class in
+      society, and with a feminine tact, had contrived to form acquaintance
+      with, and a relish for, the tastes and pleasures of the cultivated World.
+      The total subversion of all social order effected by the Revolution had
+      opened the path of ambition in life equally to women as to men; and all
+      the endeavors of the Consulate and the Empire had not sobered down the
+      minds of France to their former condition. The sergeant to-day saw no
+      reason why he might not wear his epaulettes to-morrow, and in time
+      exchange his shako even for a crown; and so the vivandière, whose life was
+      passed in the intoxicating atmosphere of glory, might well dream of
+      greatness which should be hers hereafter, and of the time when, as the
+      wife of a marshal or a peer of France, she would walk the <i>salons</i> of
+      the Tuileries as proudly as the daughter of a Rohan or a Tavanne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was, then, nothing vain or presumptuous in the boldest flight of
+      ambition. However glittering the goal, it was beyond the reach of none;
+      and the hopes which, in better-ordered communities, had been deemed
+      absurd, seemed here but fair and reasonable. And from this element alone
+      proceeded some of the greatest actions, and by far the greatest portion of
+      the unhappiness, of the period. The mind of the nation was unfixed; men
+      had not as yet resolved themselves into those grades and classes, by the
+      means of which public opinion is brought to bear upon individuals from
+      those of his own condition. Each was a law unto himself, suggesting his
+      own means of advancement and estimating his own powers of success; and the
+      result was, a general scramble for rank, dignity, and honors, the
+      unfitness of the possessor for which, when attained, brought neither
+      contempt nor derision. The epaulette was noblesse; the shako, a coronet.
+      What wonder, then, if she, whose personal attractions were so great, and
+      whose manners and tone of thought were so much above her condition, had
+      felt the stirrings of that ambition within her heart which now appeared to
+      be the moving spirit of the nation!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Lost in such thoughts, I turned homewards towards my quarters, and was
+      already some distance from the convent when a dragoon galloped up to my
+      side, and asked eagerly if I were the surgeon of the Sixth Grenadiers. As
+      I replied in the negative, he muttered something between his teeth, and
+      added louder, &ldquo;The poor general; it will be too late after all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, and before I could question him further, he set spurs to his
+      horse, and dashing onwards, soon disappeared in the darkness of the night.
+      A few minutes afterwards I beheld a number of lanterns straight before me
+      on the narrow road, and as I came nearer, a sentinel called out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Halt there! stand!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I gave my name and rank, when the man, advancing towards me, said in a
+      half whisper,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is our general, sir; they say he cannot be brought any farther, and
+      they must perform the operation here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier's voice trembled at every word, and he could scarcely falter
+      out, in reply to my question, the name of the wounded officer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General St. Hilaire, sir, who led the grenadiers on the Pratzen,&rdquo; said
+      the poor fellow, his sorrow struggling with his pride.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I pressed forward; and there on a litter lay the figure of a large and
+      singularly fine-looking man. His coat, which was covered with orders, lay
+      open, and discovered a shirt stained and clotted with blood; but his most
+      dangerous wound was from a grapeshot in the thigh, which shattered the
+      bone, and necessitated amputation. A young staff surgeon, the only medical
+      man present, was kneeling at his side, and occupied in compressing some
+      wounded vessels to arrest the bleeding, which, at the slightest stir of
+      the patient, broke out anew. The remainder of the group were grenadiers of
+      his own regiment, in whose sad and sorrow-struck faces one might read the
+      affection his men invariably bore him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is he coming? can you hear any one coming?&rdquo; said the young surgeon, in an
+      anxious whisper to the soldier beside him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir; but he cannot be far off now,&rdquo; replied the man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall I ride back to Reygern for assistance?&rdquo; said I, in a low voice, to
+      the surgeon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thank you, sir,&rdquo; said the wounded man, in a low, calm tone,&mdash;for
+      with the quick ear of suffering he had overheard my question,&mdash;&ldquo;I
+      thank you, but my orderly has already been sent thither. If you could
+      relieve my young friend here from his fatiguing duty for a little, you
+      would render us both a service. I am truly grieved to see him so much
+      exhausted.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, sir!&rdquo; stammered the youth, as the tears ran fast down his cheeks;
+      &ldquo;this is my place. I will not leave it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Kind fellow!&rdquo; muttered the general, as he pressed his hand gently on the
+      young man's arm; &ldquo;I can bear this better than you can.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, here he comes now,&rdquo; said the sentinel; and the same moment a man
+      dismounted from his horse, and came forward towards us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was Louis, the surgeon of the Emperor himself, despatched by Napoleon
+      the moment he heard of the event. At any other moment, perhaps, the abrupt
+      demeanor of this celebrated surgeon would have savored little of delicacy
+      or feeling; nor even then could I forgive the sudden announcement in which
+      he conveyed to the sufferer that immediate amputation must be performed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No chance left but this, Louis?&rdquo; said the general.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;None, sir,&rdquo; replied the doctor, while he unlocked an instrument case, and
+      busied himself in preparation for the operation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can you defer it a little; an hour or two, I mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An hour, perhaps; not more, certainly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But am I certain of your services then, Louis?&rdquo; said the general, trying
+      to smile. &ldquo;You know I always promised myself your aid when this hour
+      came.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall return in an hour,&rdquo; replied the doctor, pulling out his watch; &ldquo;I
+      am going to Rapp's quarters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor Rapp! is he wounded?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A mere sabre-cut; but Sebastiani has suffered more severely. Now then,
+      Lanusse,&rdquo; said he, addressing the young surgeon, &ldquo;you remain here.
+      Continue as you are doing, and in an hour&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In an hour,&rdquo; echoed the wounded man, with a shudder, as though the
+      anticipation of the dreadful event had thrilled through his very heart.
+      Nor was it till the retiring sounds of the surgeon's horse had died away
+      in the distance that his features recovered their former calm and tranquil
+      expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A prompt fellow is Louis,&rdquo; said he, after a pause; &ldquo;and though one might
+      like somewhat more courtesy in the Faubourg, yet on the field of battle it
+      is all for the best; this is no place nor time for compliments.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The young man answered not a word, either not daring to criticise too
+      harshly his superior, or perhaps his emotion at the moment was too strong
+      for utterance. In reply to my offer to remain with him, however, he
+      thanked me heartily, and seemed gratified that he was not to be left alone
+      in such a trying emergency.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; said St. Hilaire, after a pause, &ldquo;I have asked for time, and am
+      already forgetting how to employ it. Who can write here? Can you,
+      Guilbert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, no, sir!&rdquo; said a dark grenadier, blushing to the very eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you will permit a stranger, sir,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;I will be but too proud and
+      too happy to render you any assistance in my power. I am on the staff of
+      General d'Auvergne, and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A French officer, sir,&rdquo; interrupted he; &ldquo;quite enough. I ask for no other
+      guerdon of your honor. Sit down here, then, and&mdash;But first try if you
+      can discover a pocket-book in my sabretache; I hope it has not been lost.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here it is, General,&rdquo; said a soldier, coming forward with it; &ldquo;I found it
+      on the ground beside you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, I will ask you to write down from my dictation a few lines,
+      which, should this affair,&rdquo;&mdash;he faltered slightly here,&mdash;&ldquo;this
+      affair prove unfortunate, you will undertake to convey, by some means or
+      other, to the address I shall give you in Paris. It is not a will, I
+      assure you,&rdquo; continued he with a faint smile. &ldquo;I have no wealth to leave;
+      but I know his Majesty too well to fear anything on that score. But my
+      children, I wish to give some few directions&mdash;&rdquo; Here he stopped for
+      several minutes, and then, in a calm voice, added, &ldquo;Whenever you are
+      ready.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was with a suffering spirit and a faltering hand I wrote down, from his
+      dictation, some short sentences addressed to each member of his family. Of
+      these it is not my intention to speak, save in one instance, where St.
+      Hilaire himself evinced a wish that his sentiments should not be a matter
+      of secrecy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I desire,&rdquo; said he, in a firm tone of voice, as he turned round and
+      addressed the soldiers on either side of him,&mdash;&ldquo;I desire that my son,
+      now at the Polytechnique, should serve the Emperor better than, and as
+      faithfully as, his father has done, if his Majesty will graciously permit
+      him to do so, in the grenadier battalion, which I have long commanded; it
+      will be the greatest favor I can ask of him.&rdquo; A low murmur of grief, no
+      longer repressible, ran through the little group around the litter. &ldquo;The
+      grenadiers of the Sixth,&rdquo; continued he, proudly, while for an instant his
+      pale features flushed up, &ldquo;will not love him the less for the name he
+      bears. Come, come, men! do not give way thus; what will my kind young
+      friend here say of us, when he joins the hussar brigade? This is not their
+      ordinary mood, believe me,&rdquo; said he, addressing me. &ldquo;The Russian Guard
+      would give a very different account of them; they are stouter fellows at
+      the <i>pas dé charge</i> than around the litter of a wounded comrade.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While he was yet speaking, Louis returned, followed by two officers, one
+      of whom, notwithstanding his efforts at concealment, I recognized to be
+      Marshal Murat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must remove him, if it be possible,&rdquo; said the surgeon, in a whisper.
+      &ldquo;And yet the slightest motion is to be dreaded.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May I speak to him?&rdquo; said Murat, in a low voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, that you may,&rdquo; replied Louis, who now pushed his way forward and
+      approached the litter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, so soon!&rdquo; said the wounded man, looking up; &ldquo;a man of your word,
+      Louis. And how is Rapp? Nothing in this fashion, I hope,&rdquo; added he,
+      pointing to his fractured limb with a sickly smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; replied the surgeon. &ldquo;But here is Marshal Murat come to inquire
+      after you, from the Emperor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A flush of pride lit up St. Hilaire's features as he heard this, and he
+      asked eagerly, &ldquo;Where, where?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must remove you, St. Hilaire,&rdquo; said Murat, endeavoring to speak
+      calmly, when it was evident his feelings were highly excited; &ldquo;Louis says
+      you must not remain here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you like, Marshal. What says his Majesty? Is the affair as decisive as
+      he looked for?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Far more so. The allied army is destroyed; the campaign is ended.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, then, this is not so bad as I deemed it,&rdquo; rejoined St. Hilaire,
+      with a tone of almost gayety; &ldquo;I can afford to be invalided if the Emperor
+      has no further occasion for me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While these few words were interchanging, Louis had applied a tourniquet
+      around the wounded limb, and having given the soldiers directions how they
+      were to step, so as not to disturb or displace the shattered bones, he
+      took his place beside the litter, and said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are ready now, General.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      They lifted the litter as he spoke, and moved slowly forward. Murat
+      pressed the hand St. Hilaire extended to him without a word; and then,
+      turning his head away, suffered the party to pass on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before we reached Beygern, the wounded general had fallen into a heavy
+      sleep, from which he did not awake as they laid him on the bed in the
+      hospital.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-night, sir,&mdash;or rather, good-morning,&rdquo; said Louis to me, as I
+      turned to leave the spot. &ldquo;We may chance to have better news for you than
+      we anticipated, when you visit us here again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And so we parted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER V. A MAÎTRE D'ARMES.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The day after the battle of Austerlitz the Prince of Lichtenstein arrived
+      in our camp, with, as it was rumored, proposals for a peace. The
+      negotiations, whatever they were, were strictly secret, not even the
+      marshals themselves being admitted to Napoleon's confidence on this
+      occasion. Soon after mid-day, a great body of the Guard who had been in
+      reserve the previous day were drawn up in order of battle, presenting an
+      array of several thousand men, whose dress, look, and equipment, fresh as
+      if on parade before the Tuileries, could not fail to strike the Austrian
+      envoy with amazement. Everything that could indicate the appearance of
+      suffering, or even fatigue, among the troops, was sedulously kept out of
+      view. Such of the cavalry regiments as suffered least in the battle were
+      under arms; while the generals of division received orders to have their
+      respective staffs fully equipped and mounted, as if on a day of review.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was late in the afternoon when the word was passed along the lines to
+      stand to arms; and the moment after a <i>calèche</i>, drawn by six horses,
+      passed in full gallop, and took the road towards Austerlitz. The return of
+      the Austrian envoy set a thousand conjectures in motion, and all were
+      eager to find out what had been the result of his mission.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must soon learn it all,&rdquo; said an old colonel of artillery near me. &ldquo;If
+      the game be war, we shall be called up to assist Davoust's movement on
+      Göding. The Russians have but one line of retreat, and that is already in
+      our possession.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot for the life of me understand the Emperor's inaction,&rdquo; said a
+      younger officer; &ldquo;here we remain just as if nothing had been done. One
+      would suppose that a Russian army stood in full force before us, and that
+      we had not gained a tremendous battle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Depend on it, Auguste,&rdquo; said the old officer, smiling, &ldquo;his Majesty is
+      not the man to let slip his golden opportunities. If we don't advance, it
+      is because it is safer to remain where we are.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Safer than pursue a flying enemy?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Even so. It is not Russia, nor Austria, we have in the field against us;
+      but Europe,&mdash;the world.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With all my heart,&rdquo; retorted the other, boldly; &ldquo;nor do I think the odds
+      unfair. All I would ask is, the General Bonaparte of Cairo or Marengo, and
+      not the purple-clad Emperor of the Tuileries.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not while the plain is yet reeking with the blood of Austerlitz
+      that such a reproach should be spoken,&rdquo; said I, indignantly. &ldquo;Never was
+      Bonaparte greater than Napoleon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur has served in Egypt?&rdquo; said the young man, contemptuously, while
+      he measured me from head to foot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Would that I had! Would that I could give whatever years I may have
+      before me, for those whose every day shall live in history!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, young man,&rdquo; said the old colonel; &ldquo;they were glorious
+      times, and a worthy prelude to the greatness that followed them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A bright promise of the future,&mdash;never to come,&rdquo; rejoined the
+      younger, with a flash of anger on his cheek.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu</i>, sir, you speak boldly!&rdquo; said a harsh, low voice from
+      behind. We turned: it was Napoleon, dressed in a gray coat, all covered
+      with fur, and looking like one of the couriers of the army. &ldquo;I did not
+      know my measures were so freely canvassed as I find them. Who are you,
+      sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Legrange, Sire, chef d'escadron of the Second Voltigeurs,&rdquo; said the young
+      man, trembling from head to foot while he uncovered his head, and stood,
+      cap in hand, before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since when, sir, have I called you into my counsels and asked your
+      advice? or what is it in your position which entitles you to question one
+      in mine? Duroc, come here. Your sword, sir!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The young man let fall his shako from his hand, and laid it on his
+      sword-hilt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah!&rdquo; cried the Emperor, suddenly; &ldquo;what became of your right arm?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I left it at Aboukir, Sire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Napoleon muttered something between his teeth; then added, aloud,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, sir, you are not the first whose hand has saved his head. Return to
+      your duty, and, mark me! be satisfied with doing yours, and leave me to
+      mine. And you, sir,&rdquo; said he, turning towards me, and using the same harsh
+      tone of voice, &ldquo;I should know your face.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lieutenant Burke, of the Eighth Hussars.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! I remember,&mdash;the Chouanist. So, sir, it seems that I stand
+      somewhat higher in your esteem than when you kept company with Messieurs
+      Georges and Pichegru, eh?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, Sire; your Majesty ever occupied the first place in my admiration and
+      devotion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Sacristi!</i> then you took a strange way to show it when first I had
+      the pleasure of your acquaintance. You are on General St. Hilaire's
+      staff?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General d'Auvergne's, Sire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True. D'Auvergne, a word with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He turned and whispered something to the old general, who during the whole
+      colloquy stood at his back, anxious but not daring to interpose a word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well,&rdquo; said Napoleon, in a voice of much kinder accent, &ldquo;I am
+      satisfied. Your general, sir, reports favorably of your zeal and capacity.
+      I do not desire to let your former conduct prove any bar to your
+      advancement; and on his recommendation, of which I trust you may prove
+      yourself worthy, I name you to a troop in your own regiment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And still to serve on my staff?&rdquo; said the general, half questioning the
+      Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you wish it, D'Auvergne.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With that he moved forward ere I could do more than express my gratitude
+      by a respectful bow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I told you, Burke, the time would come for this,&rdquo; said D'Auvergne, as he
+      pressed my hand warmly, and followed the cortege of the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hitherto I had lived an almost isolated life. My staff duties had so
+      separated me from my brother officers that I only knew them by name; while
+      the other aides-de-camp of the general were men much older than myself,
+      and with none of them had I formed any intimacy whatever. It was not
+      without a sense of this loneliness that I now thought over my promotion.
+      The absence of those who sympathize with our moments of joy and sorrow
+      reduces our enjoyment to a narrow limit indeed. The only one of all I knew
+      who would really have felt happy in my advancement was poor Pioche. He was
+      beyond every thought of pleasure or grief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus reflecting, I turned towards my quarters at Brunn. It was evening:
+      the watchfires were lighted, and round them sat groups of soldiers at
+      their supper, chatting away pleasantly, and recounting the events of the
+      battle. Many had been slightly wounded, and by their bandaged foreheads
+      and disabled arms claimed a marked pre-eminence above the rest. A straw
+      bivouac, with its great blazing fire in front, would denote some officer's
+      quarters; and here were generally some eight or ten assembled, while the
+      savory odor of some smoking dish, and the merry laughter, proclaimed that
+      feasting was not excluded from the life of a campaign.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I passed one of these I heard the tones of a voice which, well known,
+      had somehow not been heard by me for many a day before. Who could it be? I
+      listened, but in vain. I asked myself whose was it. I dismounted, and
+      leading my horse by the bridle, passed before the hut. The strong light of
+      the blazing wood lit up the interior, and showed me a party of about a
+      dozen officers, seated and lying on a heap of straw, occupied in
+      discussing a supper, which, however wanting in all the elegancies of table
+      equipment, even where I stood had a most appetizing odor. Various drinking
+      vessels, some of them silver, passed from hand to hand rapidly; and the
+      clinking of cups proclaimed that, although of different regiments,&mdash;as
+      I saw they were,&mdash;a kindly feeling united them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, François,&rdquo; said the same voice, whose accents were so familiar to
+      me without my being able to say why,&mdash;&ldquo;well, Francois, you have not
+      told us how it happened.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Easily enough,&rdquo; said another; &ldquo;he broke my blade in his back, and gave
+      point afterwards and ran me through the chest.&rdquo; It was the maître d'armes
+      of the Fourth, my old antagonist, who said this, and I drew near to hear
+      the remainder. &ldquo;You could not call the thing unfair,&rdquo; continued he; &ldquo;but,
+      after all, no one ever heard of such a <i>passe</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I could have told you of it, though,&rdquo; rejoined the other; &ldquo;for I remember
+      once, in the fencing school at the Polytechnique, I saw him catch his
+      antagonist's blade in his sleeve, and when he had it secure, snap it
+      across, and then thrust home with his own. <i>Parbleu!</i> he lost a coat
+      by it; and I believe, at the time, poor fellow, he could ill spare it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This story, which was told of myself, was an incident which occurred in a
+      school duel, and was only known to two or three others; and again was I
+      puzzled to think which of my former companions the speaker could be. My
+      curiosity was now stronger than aught else; and so, affecting to seek a
+      light for my cigar, I approached the blaze.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Halloo, Comrade! a cup of wine with you,&rdquo; cried out a voice from within;
+      &ldquo;Melniker is no bad drinking&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When Chambertin can't be had,&rdquo; said another, handing me a goblet of red
+      wine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Par Saint Denis!</i> it's the very man himself,&rdquo; shouted a third.
+      &ldquo;Why, Burke, my old comrade, do you forget Tascher?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; said I, in amazement, turning from one to the other of the
+      mustached faces, and unable to discover my former friend, while they
+      laughed loud and long at my embarrassment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Make way for him there; make way, lads! Come, Burke, here's your place,&rdquo;
+       said he, stretching out his hand and pressing me down beside him on the
+      straw. &ldquo;So you did not remember me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In truth, there was enough of change in his appearance since last I saw
+      him to warrant my forgetfulness. A dark, bushy beard, worn cuirassier
+      fashion, around the mouth and high on the cheeks, almost concealed his
+      face, while in figure he had grown both taller and stouter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Art colonel of the Eighth Regiment?&rdquo; said he, laughing; &ldquo;you know I
+      promised you were to be, when we were to meet again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; but, if I mistake not,&rdquo; said a hussar officer opposite, &ldquo;monsieur is
+      in the way to become so. Were you not named to a troop, about half an hour
+      ago, by the Emperor himself?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes!&rdquo; said I, with an effort to suppress my pride.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Diantre bleu!</i>&rdquo; exclaimed Tascher, &ldquo;what good fortune you always
+      have I I wish you joy of it, with all my heart. I say, Comrades, let us
+      drown his commission for him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agreed! agreed!&rdquo; cried they all in a breath. &ldquo;Francois will make us a
+      bowl of punch for the occasion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Most willingly,&rdquo; said the little maître d'armes. &ldquo;Monsieur le Capitaine,
+      I am sure, bears me no ill-will for our little affair. I thought not,&rdquo;
+       added he, seizing my hand in both his. &ldquo;<i>Ma foi!</i> you spoiled my
+      tierce for me; I shall never be the same man again. Now, gentlemen, pass
+      down the brandy, and let the man with most credit go seek for sugar at the
+      canteen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While François commenced his operations, Tascher proceeded to recount to
+      me the miserable life he had spent in garrison towns, till the outbreak of
+      the campaign had called him on active service.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was no use that I asked the Empress to intercede for me, and get me
+      appointed to another regiment; being the nephew of Napoleon seemed to set
+      a complete bar to my advancement. Even now,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;my name has been
+      sent forward by my colonel for promotion, and I wager you fifty Naps I
+      shall be passed over.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what if you be?&rdquo; said a huge, heavy-browed major beside him; &ldquo;what
+      great hardship is it to be a lieutenant in the cuirassiers at two and
+      twenty? I was a sergeant ten years later.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; cried another, &ldquo;I won my epaulettes at Cairo, when
+      three officers were reported living, in a whole regiment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure,&rdquo; said François, looking up from his operation of
+      lemon-squeezing; &ldquo;here am I, a maître d'armes, after twenty-six years'
+      service; and there's Davoust, who never could stand before me, he's a
+      general of brigade.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The whole party laughed aloud at the grievances of Maître Francois, whose
+      seriousness on the subject was perfectly real.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah; you may laugh,&rdquo; said he, half in pique; &ldquo;but what a mere accident can
+      determine a man's fortune in life! Would Junot there be a major-general
+      to-day if he did not measure six feet without his boots? We were at school
+      together, and, <i>ma foi!</i> he was always at the bottom of the class.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so, Francois, it was your size, then, that stopped your promotion?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course it was. When a man is but five feet&mdash;with high heels, too&mdash;he
+      can only be advanced as a maître d'armes. <i>Parbleu!</i> what should I be
+      now if I had only grown a little taller?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is all better as it is,&rdquo; growled out an old captain, between the puffs
+      of his meerschaum. &ldquo;If thou wert an inch bigger, there would be' no living
+      in the same brigade with thee.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For all that,&rdquo; rejoined Maître François, &ldquo;I have put many a pretty fellow
+      his full length on the grass.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How many duels, François, did you tell us, the other evening, that you
+      fought in the Twenty-second?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Seventy-eight!&rdquo; said the little man; &ldquo;not to speak of two affairs which,
+      I am ashamed to confess, were with the broadsword; but they were fellows
+      from Alsace, and they knew no better.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Tonnerre de ciel!</i>&rdquo; cried the major, &ldquo;a little devil like that is a
+      perfect plague in a regiment. I remember we had a fellow called Piccotin&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! Piccotin; poor Piccotin! We were foster-brothers,&rdquo; interrupted
+      Francois; &ldquo;we were both from Châlons-sur-Marne.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Egad! I 'd have sworn you were,&rdquo; rejoined the major. &ldquo;One might have
+      thought ye were twins.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;People often said so,&rdquo; responded François, with as much composure as
+      though a compliment had been intended. &ldquo;We both had the same colored hair
+      and eyes, the same military air, and gave the <i>passe en tierce</i>
+      always outside the guard exactly in the same way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What became of Piccotin?&rdquo; asked the major. &ldquo;He left us at Lyons.&rdquo; &ldquo;You
+      never heard, then, what became of him?&rdquo; &ldquo;No. We knew he joined the <i>chasseurs
+      à pied</i>.&rdquo; &ldquo;I can tell you, then,&rdquo; said Francois; &ldquo;no one knows better.
+      I parted from Piccotin when we were ordered to Egypt. We did our best to
+      obtain service in the same brigade, for we were like brothers, but we
+      could not manage it; and so, with sad hearts, we separated,&mdash;he to
+      return to France, I to sail for Alexandria. This was in the spring of
+      1798, or, as we called it, the year Six of the Republic. For three years
+      we never met; but when the eighth demi-brigade returned from Egypt, we
+      went into garrison at Bayonne, and the first man I saw on the ramparts was
+      Piccotin himself. There was no mistaking him; you know the way he had of
+      walking with a long stride, rising on his instep at every step, squaring
+      his elbows, and turning his head from side to side, just to see if any one
+      was pleased to smile, or even so much as to look closely at him. Ah, <i>ma
+      foi!</i> little Piccotin knew how to treat such as well as any one.
+      Methinks I see him approaching his man with a slide and a bow, and then,
+      taking off his cap, I hear him say, in his mildest tone, 'Monsieur
+      assuredly did not intend that stare and that grimace for me. I know I must
+      have deceived myself. Monsieur is only a fool; he never meant to be
+      impertinent.' Then, <i>parbleu!</i> what a storm would come on, and how
+      cool was Piccotin the whole time! How scrupulously timid he would be of
+      misspelling the gentleman's name, or misplacing an accent over it! How
+      delicately he would inquire his address, as if the curiosity was only
+      pardonable I And then with what courtesy he would take his leave, retiring
+      half a dozen paces before he ventured to turn his back on the man he was
+      determined to kill next morning!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite true; perfectly true, Francois,&rdquo; said the major; &ldquo;Piccotin did the
+      thing with the most admirable temper and good-breeding.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That was the tone of Chalons when we were both boys,&rdquo; said François,
+      proudly; &ldquo;he and I were reared together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He finished a bumper of wine as he made this satisfactory explanation, and
+      looked round at the company with the air of a conqueror.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Piccotin saw me as quickly as I perceived him, and the minute after we
+      were in each other's arms. 'Ah! <i>mon cher!</i> how many?' said he to me,
+      as soon as the first burst of enthusiasm had subsided.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Only eighteen,' said I, sadly; 'but two were Mamelukes of the Guard.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Thou wert ever fortunate, François,' he replied, wiping his eyes with
+      emotion; 'I have never pinked any but Christians.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Come, come,' said I, 'don't be down-hearted; good times are coming. They
+      say Le Petit Caporal will have us in England soon.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Mayhap,' said he, sorrowfully, for he could not get over my Turks. Well,
+      in order to cheer him up a little, I proposed that we should go and sup
+      together at the 'Grenadier Rouge;' and away we went accordingly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would amuse you, perhaps,&rdquo; said Maître François, &ldquo;were I to tell some
+      of the stories we related to each other at night. We both had had our
+      share of adventure since we met, and some droll ones among the number.
+      However, that is not the question at present. We sat late; so late that
+      they came to close the café at last, and we were obliged to depart. You
+      know the 'Grenadier Rouge,' don't you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I know it well,&rdquo; replied the major; &ldquo;it's over the glacis, about a
+      mile outside the barrier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just so; and there's a pleasant walk across the glacis to the gate. As
+      Piccotin and I set out together on our way to the town, the night was calm
+      and mild; a soft moonlight shed a silvery tint over every object, and left
+      the stately poplars to throw a still longer shadow on the smooth grass.
+      For some time we walked along without speaking; the silence of the night,
+      the fragrant air, the mellow light, were all soft and tranquillizing
+      influences, and we sank each into his own reflections.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When we reached the middle of the plain,&mdash;you know the spot, I'm
+      sure; there's a little bronze fountain, with four cedars round it,&rdquo; (the
+      major nodded, and he resumed),&mdash;&ldquo;Piccotin came to a sudden halt, and
+      seizing my hand in both of his, said, 'François, canst thou guess what I
+      'm thinking of?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I looked at him, and I looked around me, and after a few seconds' pause I
+      answered, 'Yes, Piccotin, I know it; it is a lovely spot.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Never was anything like it!' cried he, in a rapture; 'look at the turf,
+      smooth as velvet, and yet soft to the foot; see the trees, how they fall
+      back to give the light admittance; and there, that little fountain, if one
+      felt thirsty, eh! What say you?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Agreed,' said I, grasping him by both hands; 'for this once; once only,
+      Piccotin.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Only once, François; a few passes, and no more.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Just so; the first touch.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Exactly; the first touch,' said he, as, taking off his cloak, and
+      folding it neatly, he laid it on the grass.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was a strange thing, but in all our lives, from earliest boyhood up,
+      we never had measured swords together; and though we were both maîtres
+      d'armes, we never crossed blades, even in jest. Often and often had our
+      comrades pitted us against each other, and laid wagers on the result, but
+      we never would consent to meet; I cannot say why. It was not fear; I know
+      not how to account for it, but such was the fact.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What blade do you wear, François?' said he, approaching me, as I
+      arranged my jacket and vest, with my cap, on the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'A Rouen steel,' said I; 'too limber for most men, but I am so accustomed
+      to it, I prefer it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah! a pretty weapon indeed,' said he, drawing it from the scabbard, and
+      making one or two passes with it against an elder trunk. 'Was this the
+      blade you had with you in Egypt?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes; I have worn none other for eight years.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, <i>ma foi!</i> those Mamelukes. How I envy you those Mamelukes!' he
+      muttered to himself, as he walked back to his place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Move a little, a very little, to the left; there's a shadow from that
+      tree. Can you see me well?' said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Perfectly; are you ready? Well; <i>en garde!</i>'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Piccotin's forte, I soon saw, lay in the long meditated attack, where
+      each movement was part of an artfully devised series; and I perceived that
+      he suffered his adversary to gain several trifling advantages, by way of
+      giving him a false confidence, biding his own time to play off the scores.
+      In this description of fence he was more than my equal. <i>My</i> strength
+      was in the skirmishing passages, where most men lunge at random; then, no
+      matter how confused the rally, I was as cool as in the salute.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For some time I permitted him to play his game out; and certainly nothing
+      could be more beautiful than his passes over the hilt. Twice he planted
+      his point within an inch of my bosom; and nothing but a spring backwards
+      would have saved me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At length, after a long-contested struggle, he made a feint within, and
+      then without, the guard, and succeeded in touching my sword-arm, above the
+      wrist.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'A touch, I believe,' said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'A mere nothing,' said I; for although I felt the blood running down my
+      sleeve, and oozing between my fingers, I was annoyed to think he had made
+      the first hit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, François, these Mamelukes were not of the première force, after all.
+      I have only been jesting all this time; see here.' With that he closed on
+      me, in a very different style from his former attack. Pushing and parrying
+      with the rapidity of lightning, he evinced a skill in 'skirmish' I did not
+      believe him possessed of. In this, however, I was his master; and in a few
+      seconds gave him my point sharply, but not deeply, in the shoulder.
+      Instead of dropping his weapon when he received mine, he returned the
+      thrust. I parried it, and touched him again, a little lower down. He
+      winced this time, and muttered something I could not catch. 'You shall
+      have it now,' said he, aloud; 'I owe you this,&mdash;and this.' True to
+      his word, he twice pierced me in the back, outside the guard. Encouraged
+      by success, he again closed on me; while I, piqued by his last assault,
+      advanced to meet him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Our tempers were both excited; but his far more than mine. The struggle
+      was a severe one. Three several times his blade passed between my arm and
+      my body; and at last after a desperate rally, he dropped on one knee, and
+      gave me the point here, beneath the chest. Before he could extricate his
+      blade, I plunged mine into his chest, and pushed till I heard the hilt
+      come clink against his ribs. The blood spurted upwards, over my face and
+      breast, as he fell backwards. I wiped it hurriedly from my eyes, and bent
+      over him. He gave a shudder and a little faint moan, and all was still.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You killed him?&rdquo; cried out three or four of us together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ma foi!</i> yes. The 'coup' was mortal; he never stirred after. As for
+      me,&rdquo; continued Francois, &ldquo;I surrendered myself a prisoner to the officer
+      on guard at the gate. I was tried ten days after by a military commission,
+      and acquitted. My own evidence was my accusation and my defence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ventrebleu!</i> had I been on the court-martial, you had not been here
+      to tell the story,&rdquo; said the old major, as his face became almost purple
+      with passion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nonsense!&rdquo; said Tascher, jeeringly. &ldquo;What signifies a maître d'armes the
+      more or the less?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur will probably explain himself,&rdquo; said François, with one of his
+      cold smiles of excessive deference.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is exactly what I mean to do, François.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, sirs, none of this,&rdquo; broke in the major. &ldquo;Lieutenant Tascher, you
+      may not fancy being placed under an arrest when the enemy is in the field.
+      Master Francois, do you forget the sentence of a court-martial is hanging
+      over your head for an affair at Elchingen, where you insulted a young
+      officer of the hussars?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In that case I must be permitted to say that Maître François conducted
+      himself like a man of honor,&rdquo; said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i> and got the worst of it besides,&rdquo; cried he, placing his
+      hand on his hip. The tone of his voice as he said this, and the grimace he
+      made, restored the party once more to good-humor, and we chatted away
+      pleasantly till day was breaking.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Tascher strolled along with me towards my quarters, I was rejoiced to
+      discover that he had never heard of my name as being mixed up in the
+      Chouan conspiracy; nor was he aware with how little reason he believed me
+      to be favored by fortune.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I received, however, all his congratulations without any desire to
+      undeceive him. Already had I learned the worldly lesson, that while
+      friends cling closer in adversity, your mere acquaintance deems your
+      popularity your greatest merit; and I at length perceived that, however
+      ungenial in many respects the companionship, the life of isolation I led
+      had rendered me suspected by others, and in a career, too, where frankness
+      was considered the first of virtues.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I assented at once with pleasure to the prospect of our meeting frequently
+      while in camp. My own regiment had joined Davoust's corps, and I was glad
+      to have the society of some others of my own age, if only to wean myself
+      from my habits of solitude. While I formed these plans for the future, I
+      little anticipated what events were in store for me, nor how soon I should
+      be thrown among scenes and people totally different from those with which
+      I had ever mixed before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You mess with us, then, Burke,&mdash;that's agreed,&rdquo; said Tascher. &ldquo;They
+      're excellent fellows, these cuirassiers of ours, and I know you 'll like
+      them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With this promise we parted, hoping to meet on the morrow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VI. THE MILL ON THE HOLITSCH ROAD
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      At an early hour on the morning of the 4th came orders for the &ldquo;Garde à
+      Cheval&rdquo; to hold themselves in readiness, with two squadrons of the
+      carabineers, on the road to Holitsch; part of this force being under the
+      command of General d'Auvergne. We found ourselves fully equipped and in
+      waiting soon after eight o'clock. From the &ldquo;tenue&rdquo; and appearance of the
+      troops, it was evident that no measure of active service was contemplated;
+      yet, if a review were intended, we could not guess why so small a force
+      had been selected. As usual on such occasions, many conjectures were
+      hazarded, and a hundred explanations passed current,&mdash;one scarcely a
+      whit better than the other, when at last we perceived a peloton of
+      dragoons advancing towards us at a brisk trot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The word was passed to close up and draw swords; and scarcely was it
+      obeyed when the staff of the Emperor came up. They were all in the full
+      blaze of their gala uniforms, brilliant with crosses and decorations.
+      Napoleon alone wore the simple costume of the &ldquo;Chasseurs of the Garde,&rdquo;
+       with the decoration of the Legion; but his proud look and his flashing eye
+      made him conspicuous above them all. He was mounted on his favorite
+      charger &ldquo;Marengo,&rdquo; and seemed to enjoy the high spirit of the mettled
+      animal, as he tossed his long mane about, and lashed his sides with his
+      great silken tail.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the cortége passed we closed up the rear, and followed at a sharp pace,
+      more than ever puzzled to divine what was going forward. After about two
+      hours' riding, during which we never drew bridle, we saw a party of
+      staff-officers in front, who, saluting the Emperor, joined the cortége. At
+      the same instant General d'Auvergne passed close beside me, and whispered
+      in my ear. &ldquo;Bernadotte has just come up, and been most coldly received.&rdquo; I
+      wished to ask him what was the object of the whole movement, but he was
+      gone before I could do so. In less than a quarter of an hour afterwards we
+      left the highroad, and entered upon a large plain, where the only object I
+      could perceive was an old mill, ruined and dilapidated. Towards this the
+      imperial staff rode forward, while the peloton in front wheeled about, and
+      rode to the rear of our squadrons. The next moment we were halted, and
+      drawn up in order of battle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While these movements were going forward, I remarked that the Emperor had
+      dismounted from his horse and dismissed his staff, all save Marshal
+      Berthier, who stood at a little distance from him. Several dismounted
+      dragoons were employed in lighting two immense fires,&mdash;a process
+      which Napoleon appeared to watch with great interest for a second or two;
+      and then, taking out his glass, he remained for several minutes intently
+      surveying the great road to Holitsch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In this direction at once every eye was turned; but nothing could we see.
+      The road led through a wide open country for some miles, and at last
+      disappeared in the recesses of a dark pine wood, that covered the horizon
+      for miles on either side. Meanwhile Napoleon, with his hands clasped
+      behind his back, walked hurriedly backwards and forwards beside the
+      blazing fires, stopping at intervals to look along the road, and then
+      resuming his walk as before. He was not more than two hundred paces from
+      where we stood, and I could mark well his gesture of impatience, as he
+      closed his glass each time, after looking in vain towards Holitsch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say, Burke,&rdquo; whispered one of my brother officers beside me, &ldquo;I should
+      not fancy being the man who keeps him waiting in that fashion. Look at
+      Berthier, how he keeps aloof; he knows that something is brewing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What can it all mean?&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;Who can he be expecting here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say now,&rdquo; whispered my companion, &ldquo;that Davoust cannot hold the
+      bridge of Goding, and must fall back before the Russian column; and that
+      Napoleon has invited Alexander to a conference here to gain time to
+      reinforce Davoust.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Exactly; but the Czar is too wily an enemy for that to succeed; and
+      probably hence the delay, which appears to irritate him now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The supposition, more plausible than most of those I heard before, was
+      still contradicted by the account of the Emperor Alexander's retreat; and
+      again was I at a loss to reconcile these discrepancies, when I beheld
+      Napoleon, with his glass to his eye, motion with his hand for Berthier to
+      come forward. I turned towards the road, and now could distinguish in the
+      distance a dark object moving towards us. A few minutes after the sun
+      shone out, and I remarked the glitter of arms, stretching in a long line;
+      while my companion, with the aid of a glass, called out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I see them plainly; they are lancers. The escort are Hungarians, and
+      there's a <i>calèche</i>, with four horses in front.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Emperor stood motionless, his arms folded on his breast, and his head
+      a little leaned forward, exactly as I have seen him represented in so many
+      pictures and statues. His eyes were thrown downwards; and as he stirred
+      the blazing wood with his foot, one could easily perceive how intensely
+      his mind was occupied with deep thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The clattering sound of cavalry now turned my attention to another
+      quarter; and I saw, exactly in front of us, and about five hundred paces
+      off, a regiment of Hungarian Hussars, and some squadrons of Hulans drawn
+      up. I had little time to mark their gorgeous equipment and splendid
+      uniform, for already the <i>calèche</i> had drawn up at the roadside, and
+      Prince John of Lichtenstein, descending, took off his chapeau, and offered
+      his arm to assist another to alight. Slowly, and, as it seemed, with
+      effort, a tall thin figure, in the white uniform of the Austrian Guard,
+      stepped from the carriage to the ground. The same instant the officers of
+      the staff fell back, and I saw Napoleon advance with open arms to embrace
+      him. The Austrian emperor&mdash;for it was Francis himself&mdash;seemed
+      scarcely able to control the emotion he felt at this moment; and we could
+      see that his head rested for several seconds on Napoleon's shoulder. And
+      what a moment must that have been! How deeply must the pride of the
+      descendant of the Cæsars have felt the humiliation which made him thus a
+      suppliant before one he deemed a mere Corsican adventurer! What a pang it
+      must have cost his haughty spirit as he uttered the words, <i>Mon frère!</i>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As they walked side by side towards the plateau, where the fires were
+      lighted, it was easy to mark that Napoleon was the speaker, while Francis
+      merely bowed from time to time, or made a gesture of seeming assent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the Emperor arrived at the place of conference, we fell back some fifty
+      yards; and although the air was still and frosty, and the silence was
+      perfect around, we could not catch a word on either side. After about an
+      hour the conversation appeared to assume a tone of gayety and good-humor,
+      and we could hear the sovereigns laughing repeatedly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The conference lasted for above two hours, when once more the emperors
+      embraced, and, as we thought, with more cordiality, and separated; the
+      Emperor of Austria returning, accompanied by Prince Lichtenstein; while
+      Napoleon stood for some minutes beside the fire as if musing, and then,
+      beckoning his staff to follow, he walked towards the highroad.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had the Austrian emperor reached his carriage, when Savary,
+      bareheaded and breathless, stood beside the door of it. He was the bearer
+      of a message from Napoleon. The next moment the <i>calèche</i> started,
+      accompanied by Savary, who, with a single aide-de-camp, took the road
+      towards the Austrian headquarters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Napoleon was about to mount his horse, I saw General d'Auvergne move
+      forward towards him. A few words passed between them; and then the
+      general, riding up to where I stood, said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Burke, you are to remain here, and if any orders arrive from General
+      Savary, hasten with them to the headquarters of his Majesty. In twelve
+      hours you will be relieved.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, he galloped back to the imperial staff; and soon after the
+      squadrons defiled into the road, the cortége dashed forward, and all that
+      remained of that memorable scene was the dying embers of the fires beside
+      which the fate of Europe was decided.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old mill of Holitsch had been deserted when the Austrian and Russian
+      columns took up their position before Austerlitz. The miller and his
+      household fled at the first news of the advance, and had not dared to
+      return. It was a solitary spot at best: a wild heath, without shelter of
+      any kind, stretched away for miles on all sides; but now, in its utter
+      loneliness, it was the most miserable-looking place that can be conceived.
+      While, therefore, I contented myself with the hope that my stay there
+      might not be long, I resolved to do what I could to render my quarters
+      more comfortable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My first care was my horse, which I picketed in the kitchen, where I was
+      happy to find an abundant supply of firewood; my next, was to explore the
+      remainder of the concern, in which I discovered traces of its having been
+      already occupied by the allied troops,&mdash;rude caricatures of the
+      French army in full <i>déroute</i>, before terrible-looking dragoons in
+      Austrian and Russian uniforms, ornamented the walls in many parts; whole
+      columns of French prisoners were depicted begging their lives from a
+      single Austrian grenadier; and one figure, which it could be easily
+      discovered was intended for Napoleon himself, was about to be hanged upon
+      a tree, to the very marked satisfaction, as it would seem, of a group of
+      Russian officers, who stood by, laughing. It is easy to smile at the
+      ridicule of which fortune has thwarted the application and so I amused
+      myself a good while by contemplating these grotesque frescos.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But a more welcome sight still awaited me, in a small chamber at the top
+      of the building, where, in large letters, written with chalk on the door,
+      I read, &ldquo;Rittmeister von Oxenhausen's quarters.&rdquo; Here, to my exceeding
+      delight, I discovered a neatly-furnished chamber, with a bed, sofa, and,
+      better still, a table, on which the remains of the Rittmeister's sapper
+      yet stood,&mdash;a goodly ham, the greater part of a capon, a loaf of
+      wheaten bread, and an earthenware crock, with a lid of brass, containing
+      about two bottles of Austrian red wine. This was a most agreeable surprise
+      to me,&mdash;a pleasant exchange from the meagre meal of bread and cheese
+      I had but time to procure from a sergeant of my troop at parting. It need
+      not be supposed that I hesitated long about becoming the Rittmeister's
+      successor; and so I drew the chair to the table, and the table nearer to
+      the fire,&mdash;for, singularly enough, the embers of a wood fire still
+      slumbered on the hearth. Having taken the keen edge off an appetite the
+      cold air had whetted to the sharpest, I began an inspection of my
+      quarters, first having replenished the fire with some logs of wood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chamber was an octagon, with five windows in as many of the faces, a
+      fireplace and two doors occupying the other three. One of the doors&mdash;that
+      by which I entered,&mdash;opened from the stairs; the other led into a
+      granary, or something of that nature,&mdash;at least, so I conjectured,
+      from a heap of sacks which littered the floor, and filled one corner
+      completely. As I could not discover any corn, I resolved on sharing my
+      loaf with my horse,&mdash;a meal every campaigning steed is well
+      accustomed to make. And now, returning to my little chamber, I resumed my
+      supper with all the satisfaction of one who felt he had made his rounds of
+      duty, and might enjoy repose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I knew the Château de Holitsch, where the Emperor Francis held his
+      quarters, was some six leagues distant, I guessed that General Savary was
+      not likely to return from his mission before morning at very soonest; and
+      so it behooved me to make my arrangements for passing the night where I
+      was. Having, then, looked to my horse, for whose bedding I made free with
+      some dozen of the corn-sacks in the granary, I brought up to my own
+      quarters a supply of wood; and having fastened the door, and secured the
+      windows as well as I was able, I lit my meerschaum, and lay down before
+      the fire in as happy a frame of mind as need be.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Indeed, I began to fancy that fortune had done tormenting, and was now
+      about to treat me more kindly. The notice of the Emperor had relieved my
+      heart of a load which never ceased to press on it, and I could not help
+      feeling that a fairer prospect was opening before me. It is true, time and
+      misfortune had both blunted the ardor of enthusiasm with which I started
+      in life; the daring aspirations after liberty, the high-souled desire for
+      personal distinction, had subsided into calmer hopes and less ambitious
+      yearnings. Young as I yet was, I experienced in myself that change of
+      sentiment and feeling which comes upon other men later on in life; and I
+      was gradually reconciling myself to that sense of duty which teaches a man
+      well to play his part, in whatever station he may be called to act, rather
+      than indulge in those overweening wishes for pre-eminence, which in their
+      accomplishment are so often disappointing, and in their failure a source
+      of regret and unhappiness. These feelings were impressed on me more by the
+      force of events than by any process of my own reasoning. The career in
+      which I first started as a boy had led to nothing but misfortune. The
+      affection I conceived for one,&mdash;the only one I ever loved,&mdash;was
+      destined equally to end unhappily. The passion for liberty, in which all
+      my first aspirations were centred, had met the rude shocks which my own
+      convictions suggested; and now I perceived that I must begin life anew,
+      endeavoring to forget the influences whose shadows darkened my early days,
+      and carve out my destiny in a very different path from what I once
+      intended.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These were my last waking thoughts, as my head sank on my arm, and I fell
+      into a deep sleep. The falling of a log from the fire awoke me suddenly. I
+      rubbed my eyes, and for a second or two could not remember where I was. At
+      length I became clearer in mind, and looking at my watch, perceived it was
+      but two o'clock. As the flame of the replenished fire threw its light
+      through the room, I remarked that the door into the granary stood ajar.
+      This struck me as strange. I thought I could remember shutting it before I
+      went to sleep. Yes,&mdash;I recollected perfectly placing a chair against
+      it, as the latch was bad, and a draught of cold air came in that way; and
+      now the chair was pushed back into the room, and the door lay open. A
+      vague feeling, half suspicion, half curiosity, kept me thinking of the
+      circumstance, when by chance&mdash;the merest chance&mdash;my eyes fell
+      upon the table where I had left my sabre and my pistols. What was my
+      amazement to find that one of the latter&mdash;that which lay nearest the
+      door&mdash;was missing!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In an instant I was on my feet. Nothing can combat drowsiness like the
+      sense of fear; and I became perfectly awake in a moment. Examining the
+      room with caution, I found everything in the same state as I had left it,
+      save the door and the missing pistol. The granary alone, then, could be
+      the shelter of the invader, whoever he might be. What was to be done? I
+      was totally unprovided with light, save what the fire afforded; and even
+      were it otherwise, I should expose myself by carrying one, long before I
+      could hope to detect a concealed enemy. The best plan I could hit upon
+      seemed to secure the door once more; and then, placing myself in such a
+      position as not to be commanded by it again, to wait for morning
+      patiently. This then, I did at once; and having examined my remaining
+      pistol, and found the charge and priming all safe, I drew my sabre, and
+      sat down between the door and the window, but so that it should open
+      against me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Few sensations are more acutely painful than the exercise of the hearing
+      when pushed to intensity. The unceasing effort to catch the slightest
+      sound soon becomes fatigue, and as the organ grows weary, the mental
+      anxiety grows more acute; and then begins a struggle between the failing
+      sense and the excited brain. The spectral images of the eye in fever are
+      not one half so terrible as the strange discordant tones that jar upon the
+      tympanum in such a state as this. Each inanimate object seems endowed with
+      its own power of voice, and whispering noises come stealing through the
+      dead silence of midnight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In this state of almost frenzied anxiety I sat long,&mdash;my eyes turned
+      towards the door, which oftentimes I fancied I could perceive to move. At
+      length the thought occurred to me, that by affecting sleep, if any one lay
+      concealed within whose object was to enter the room, this would probably
+      induce him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0004" id="linkimage-0004">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/089.jpg" alt="089 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0005" id="linkimage-0005">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page055.jpg" alt="Brownelocomotivechair055 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      I had not long to wait for the success of my scheme. The long-drawn
+      breathing of my seeming slumber was not continued for more than a few
+      minutes, when I saw the door slowly, almost imperceptibly, move. At first
+      it stirred inch by inch; then gradually it opened wider and wider till it
+      met the obstacle of the chair. There now came a pause of several seconds,
+      during which it demanded all my efforts to sustain my part,&mdash;the
+      throbbing at my throat and temples increasing almost beyond endurance, and
+      the impulse to dash forward, and flinging wide the door, confront my
+      enemy, being nearly too much for my resistance. Again it moved noiselessly
+      as before; and then a hand stole out, and, laying hold of the chair,
+      pushed it slowly backwards. The gray light of the breaking day fell upon
+      the spot, and I could see that the cuff of the coat was laced with gold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This time my anxiety became intense. Another second or two and I should be
+      engaged in the conflict,&mdash;I knew not against how many. I clutched my
+      sabre more fairly in my grasp, as my breathing grew thicker and shorter.
+      The chair still continued to slide silently into the room, and already the
+      arm of the man within protruded. Now was the moment, or never; and with a
+      spring, I threw myself on it, and, pinioning the wrist in my hands, held
+      it down upon the floor while I opposed my weight against the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0006" id="linkimage-0006">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/090.jpg" alt="090 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Quick as lightning the other hand appeared, armed with a pistol; and I had
+      but a moment to crouch my head nearly to the ground when a bullet whizzed
+      past and smashed through the window behind me, while with a crash the
+      frail door gave way to a strong push, and a man sprang fiercely forward to
+      seize me by the throat. Jumping backward, I recovered my feet; but before
+      I could raise my pistol he made a spring at me, and we both rolled
+      together on the floor. On the pistol both our hands met, and the struggle
+      was for the weapon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Twice was it pointed at my heart; but my hand held the lock, and not all
+      his efforts could unclasp it. At last I freed my right hand from the
+      sword-knot of my sabre, and striking him with my clenched knuckles on the
+      forehead, threw him back. His grasp relaxed at the instant, and I wrenched
+      the pistol from his fingers, and placed the muzzle against his chest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Another second and he would have rolled a corpse before me, when, to my
+      horror and amazement, I saw in my antagonist my once friend, <i>Henri de
+      Beauvais</i>. I flung the weapon from me, as I cried out, &ldquo;De Beauvais,
+      forgive me! forgive me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A deathly paleness came over his features; his eyes grew glazed and filmy,
+      and with a low groan he fell fainting on the floor. I bathed his temples
+      with water; I moistened his pale lips; I rubbed his clammy fingers. But it
+      was long before he rallied; and when he did come to himself and looked up,
+      he closed his eyes again, as though the sight of me was worse than death
+      itself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, Henri!&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;a cup of wine, my friend, and you will be better
+      presently. Thank God, this has not ended as it might.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He raised his eyes towards me, but with a look of proud and unforgiving
+      sternness, while he uttered not a word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is unfair to blame me, De Beauvais, for this,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;Once more I
+      say, forgive me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      His lips moved, and some sounds came forth, but I could not hear the
+      words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There, there,&rdquo; cried I; &ldquo;it's past and over now. Here is my hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You struck me with that hand,&rdquo; said he, in a deep, distinct voice, as
+      though every word came from the very bottom of his chest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And if I did, Henri, my own life was on the blow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh that you had taken mine with it!&rdquo; said he, with a bitterness I can
+      never forget. &ldquo;I am the first of my name that ever received a blow; would
+      I were to be the last!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You forget, De Beauvais&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir; I forget nothing. Be assured, too, I never shall forget this
+      night. With any other than yourself I should not despair of that atonement
+      for an injury which alone can wash out such a stain; but <i>you</i>,&mdash;I
+      know you well,&mdash;<i>you</i> will not give me this.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, De Beauvais; I will not,&rdquo; said I, calmly. &ldquo;Sorry am I that
+      even an accident should have brought us into collision. It is a mischance
+      I feel deeply, and shall for many a day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I, sir,&rdquo; cried he, as, starting up, his eyes flashed with passion and
+      his cheek grew scarlet,&mdash;&ldquo;and I, sir!&mdash;what are to be my
+      feelings? Think you, that because I am an exile and an outcast,&mdash;forced
+      by misfortune to wear the livery of one who is not my rightful sovereign,&mdash;that
+      my sense of personal honor is the less, and that the mark of an insult is
+      not as blood-stained on my conscience as ever it was?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing but passion could blind you to the fact that there can be no
+      insult where no intention could exist.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Spare me your casuistry, sir,&rdquo; replied he, with an insolent wave of his
+      hand, while he sank into a chair, and laid his head upon the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For an instant my temper, provoked beyond endurance, was about to give
+      way, when I perceived that a handkerchief was bound tightly around his leg
+      above the knee, where a great stain of blood marked his trouser. The
+      thought of his being wounded banished every particle of resentment, and
+      laying my hand on his shoulder, I said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;De Beauvais, I know not one but yourself to whom I would three times say,
+      forgive me. But we were friends once, when we were both happier. For the
+      sake of him who is no more,&mdash;poor Charles de Meudon&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A traitor, sir,&mdash;a base traitor to the king of his fathers!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This I will not endure!&rdquo; said I, passionately. &ldquo;No one shall dare&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dare!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, dare, sir!&mdash;such was the word. To asperse the memory of one like
+      him is to dare that which no man can, with truth and honor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, sir, I'm ready,&rdquo; said Be Beauvais, rising, and pointing to the
+      door, &ldquo;Sortons!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      No one who has not heard that one word pronounced by the lips of a
+      Frenchman can conceive how much of savage enmity and deadly purpose it
+      implies. It is the challenge which, if unaccepted, stamps cowardice
+      forever on the man who declines it: from that hour all equality ceases
+      between those whom a combat had placed on the same footing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sortons!&rdquo; The word rang in my ears, and tingled through my very heart,
+      while a host of different impulses swayed me,&mdash;shame, sorrow, wounded
+      pride, all struggling for the mastery: but above them all, a better and a
+      higher spirit,&mdash;the firm resolve, come what would, to suffer no
+      provocation De Beauvais could offer, to make me stand opposite to him as
+      an enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What am I to think, sir?&rdquo; said he, with a voice scarcely articulate from
+      passion,&mdash;&ldquo;what am I to think of your hesitation? or why do you stand
+      inactive here? Is it that you are meditating what new insult can be added
+      to those you have heaped on me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir,&rdquo; I replied, firmly; &ldquo;so far from thinking of offence, I am but
+      too sorry for the words I have already spoken. I should have remembered,
+      and remembering, should have made allowance for, the strength of partisan
+      feelings, which have their origin in a noble, but, as I believe, a
+      mistaken source.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed!&rdquo; interrupted he, in mockery. &ldquo;Is it, then, come to this? Am I, a
+      Frenchman born, to be lectured on my loyalty and allegiance by a foreign
+      mercenary?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not even that taunt, De Beauvais, shall avail you anything. I am firm in
+      my resolve.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Pardieu!</i> then,&rdquo; cried he, with savage energy, &ldquo;there remains but
+      this!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, he leaped from his chair, and sprang towards me. In so doing,
+      however, his knee struck the table, and with a groan of agony, he reeled
+      back and fell on the floor, while from his reopened wound a torrent of
+      blood gushed out and deluged the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For a second or two he motioned me away with his hand; but as his weakness
+      increased, he lay passive and unresisting, and suffered me to arrest the
+      bleeding by such means as I was able to practise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was a long time ere I could stanch the gaping orifice, which had been
+      inflicted by a sabre, and cut clean through the high boot and deep into
+      the thigh. Fortunately for his recovery, he had himself succeeded in
+      getting off the boot before, and the wound lay open to my surgical skill.
+      Lifting him cautiously in my arms, I laid him on the bed, and moistened
+      his lips with a little wine. Still the debility continued,&mdash;no signs
+      of returning strength were there; but his features, pale and fallen, were
+      glazed with a cold sweat that hung in heavy drops upon his brow and
+      forehead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Never was agony like mine. I saw his life was ebbing fast; the respiration
+      was growing fainter and more irregular; his pulse could scarce be felt;
+      yet dare I not leave my post to seek for assistance. A hundred thoughts
+      whirled through my puzzled brain, and among the rest, the self-accusing
+      one that I was the cause of his death. &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; thought I, &ldquo;better far to
+      have stood before his pistol, at all the hazard of my life, than see him
+      thus.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In an instant all his angry speeches and his insulting gestures were
+      forgotten. He looked so like what I once knew him, that my mind was
+      wandering back again to former scenes and times, and all resentment was
+      lost in the flood of memory. Poor fellow! what a sad destiny was his!
+      fighting against the arms of his country,&mdash;a mourner over the
+      triumphs of his native land! Alien that I was, this pang at least was
+      spared me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As these thoughts crossed my mind, I felt him press my hand. Overjoyed, I
+      knelt down and whispered some words in his ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; muttered he, in a low, plaintive tone; &ldquo;not all lost,&mdash;not
+      all! La Vendee yet remains!&rdquo; He was dreaming.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VII. THE ARMISTICE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      As I sat thus watching with steadfast gaze the features of the sleeping
+      man, I heard the clattering of a horse's hoofs on the pavement beneath,
+      and the next moment the heavy step of some one ascending the stairs.
+      Suddenly the door was flung wide open, and an officer in the handsome
+      uniform of the Austrian Imperial Guard entered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excuse this scant ceremony, Monsieur,&rdquo; said he, bowing with much
+      courtesy, &ldquo;but I almost despaired of finding you out. I come from Holitsch
+      with despatches for your Emperor; they are most pressing, as I believe
+      this note will inform you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While I threw my eye over the few lines addressed by General Savary to the
+      officer in waiting at Holitsch, and commanding the utmost speed in
+      forwarding the despatch that accompanied them, the officer drew near the
+      bed where De Beauvais was lying.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Mère de ciel</i>, it is the count!&rdquo; cried he, starting back with
+      astonishment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said I, interrupting him; &ldquo;I found him here on my arrival. He is
+      badly wounded, and should be removed at once. How can this be done?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Easily. I 'll despatch my orderly at once to Holitsch, and remain here
+      till he return.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But if our troops advance?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no! we're all safe on that score; the armistice is signed. The very
+      despatch in your hands, I believe, concludes the treaty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This warned me that I was delaying too long the important duty intrusted
+      to me, and with a hurried entreaty to the Austrian not to leave De
+      Beauvais, I hastened down the stairs, and proceeded to saddle for the
+      road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One word, Monsieur,&rdquo; said the officer, as I was in the act of mounting.
+      &ldquo;May I ask the name of him to whom my brother officers owe the life of a
+      comrade much beloved?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My name is Burke; and yours, Monsieur?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Berghausen, <i>chef d'escadron</i> of the Imperial Guard. If ever you
+      should come to Vienna&mdash;&rdquo; But I lost the words that followed, as,
+      spurring my horse to a gallop, I set out towards the headquarters of the
+      Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I rode forward, my eyes were ever anxiously bent in the direction of
+      our camp, not knowing at what moment I might see the advance of a column
+      along the road, and dreading lest, before the despatches should reach the
+      Emperor's house, the advanced vedettes should capture the little party at
+      Holitsch. At no period of his career was Napoleon more incensed against
+      the adherents of the Bourbons; and if De Beauvais should fall into his
+      hands, I was well aware that nothing could save him. The Emperor always
+      connected in his mind&mdash;and with good reason, too&mdash;the
+      machinations of the Royalists with the plans of the English Government. He
+      knew that the land which afforded the asylum to their king was the refuge
+      of the others also; and many of the heaviest denunciations against the
+      &ldquo;perfide Albion&rdquo; had no other source than the dread, of which he could
+      never divest himself, that the legitimate monarch would one day be
+      restored to France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While such were Napoleon's feelings, the death of the Duc d'Enghien had
+      heightened the hatred of the Bourbonists to a pitch little short of
+      madness. My own unhappy experience made me more than ever fearful of being
+      in any way implicated with the members of this party, and I rode on as
+      though life itself depended on my reaching the imperial headquarters some
+      few minutes earlier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I approached the camp, I was overjoyed to find that no movement was in
+      contemplation. The men were engaged in cleaning their arms and
+      accoutrements, restoring the broken wagons and gun-carriages, and
+      repairing, as far as might be, the disorders of the day of battle. The
+      officers stood in groups here and there, chatting at their ease; while the
+      only men under arms were the new conscript? just arrived from France,&mdash;a
+      force of some thousands,&mdash;brought by forced marches from the banks of
+      the Rhine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The crowd of officers near the headquarters of the Emperor pressed closely
+      about me as I descended from my horse, eager to learn what information I
+      brought from Holitsch; for they were not aware that I had been stationed
+      nearly half-way on the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, Burke,&rdquo; said General d'Auvergne, as he drew his arm within mine,
+      &ldquo;your coming has been anxiously looked for this morning. I trust the
+      despatches you carry may, if not Contradict, at least explain what has
+      occurred.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is this the officer from Holitsch?&rdquo; said the aide-decamp of the Emperor,
+      coming hurriedly forward. &ldquo;The despatch, sir!&rdquo; cried he; and the next
+      moment hastened to the little hut which Napoleon occupied as his bivouac.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The only other person in the open space where I stood was an officer of
+      the lancers, whose splashed and travel-stained dress seemed to say he had
+      been employed like myself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fancy, Monsieur,&rdquo; said he, bowing, &ldquo;that you have had a sharp ride also
+      this morning. I have just arrived from Göding&mdash;four leagues&mdash;in
+      less than an hour; and with all that, too late, I believe, to remedy what
+      has occurred.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, then, has happened?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Davoust has been tricked into an armistice, and suffered the Russians to
+      pass the bridge. The Emperor Alexander has taken advantage of the
+      negotiations with Austria, and got his army clear through; so, at least,
+      it would seem. I saw Napoleon tear the despatch into fragments, and stamp
+      his foot upon them. But here he comes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The words were scarcely spoken when the Emperor came rapidly up, followed
+      by his staff. He wore a gray surtout, trimmed with dark fur, and had his
+      hands clasped within the cuffs of the coat. His face was pale as death,
+      and save a slight contraction of his brows, there was nothing to show any
+      appearance of displeasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who brought the despatch from Göding?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did, Sire,&rdquo; said the officer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How are the roads, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Much cut up, and in one place a torrent has carried away part of a
+      bridge.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I knew it,&mdash;I knew it,&rdquo; said he, bitterly; &ldquo;it is too late. Duroc,&rdquo;
+       cried he, while the words seemed to come forth with a hissing sound, &ldquo;did
+      I not tell you, 'Grattez le Russe, et vous trouverez le Tartare!'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The words were graven in my memory from that hour; even yet, I can recall
+      the very accents as when I heard them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you, sir,&rdquo; said he, turning suddenly towards me, &ldquo;you came from
+      General Savary. Return to him with this letter. Have you written, Duroc?
+      Well, you'll deliver this to General Savary at Holitsch. He may require
+      you to proceed to Göding. Are you well mounted?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Sire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, then, sir. I made you a captain yesterday; let us see if you can
+      win your spurs to-day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      From the time I received the despatch to that in which I was in the saddle
+      not more than five minutes elapsed. The idea of being chosen by the
+      Emperor himself for a service was a proud one, and I resolved to acquit
+      myself with credit. With what concert does one's heart beat to the free
+      stride of a mettled charger! how does each bold plunge warm the blood and
+      stir up the spirits! and as, careering free over hill and valley, we pass
+      in our flight the clouds that drift above, how does the sense of freedom,
+      realized as it is, impart a feeling of ecstasy to our minds! Our thoughts,
+      revelling on the wayward liberty our course suggests, rise free and
+      untrammelled from the doubts and cares of every-day life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Onward I went, and soon the old mill came in sight, rearing its ruined
+      head amid the black desolation of the plain. I could not resist the
+      impulse to see what had become of De Beauvais; and leading my horse into
+      the kitchen, I hastened up the stairs and through the rooms. But all were
+      deserted; the little chamber lay open, the granary too; but no one was
+      there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a mind relieved, in a great measure, from anxiety, I remounted and
+      continued my way; and soon entered the dark woods of Holitsch. The château
+      and demesne were a private estate of the Emperor Francis, and once formed
+      a favorite resort of Joseph the Second in his hunting excursions. The
+      château itself was a large, irregular mass of building, but still, with
+      all its incongruity of architecture, not devoid of picturesque effect,&mdash;and
+      the older portion of it was even handsome. While I stood in front of a
+      long terrace, on which several windows opened from a gallery that ran
+      along one side of the château, I was somewhat surprised that no guard was
+      to be seen, nor even a single sentinel on duty. I dismounted, and leading
+      my horse, approached the avenue that led up between a double range of
+      statues to the door. An old man, dressed in the slouched hat and light
+      blue jacket of a Bohemian peasant, was busily engaged in wrapping matting
+      around some shrubs, to protect them from the frost. A little boy&mdash;his
+      second self in costume&mdash;stood beside him with his pruning-knife, and
+      stared at me with a kind of stupid wonder as I approached. With some
+      difficulty I made out from the old man that the Emperor occupied a smaller
+      building called the Kaiser-Lust, about half a league distant in the
+      forest, having given strict orders that no one was to approach the château
+      nor its immediate grounds. It was his favorite retreat, and perhaps he did
+      not wish it should be associated in his mind with a period of such
+      misfortune. The old peasant continued his occupation while he spoke, never
+      lifting his head from his work, and seeming all absorbed in the necessity
+      of what he was engaged in. As I inquired the nearest road to the imperial
+      quarters, he employed me to assist him for a moment in his task by holding
+      one end of the matting, with which he was now about to envelop a marble
+      statue of Maria Theresa.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I could not refuse a request so naturally proffered; and while I did so, a
+      little wicket opened at a short distance off, and a tall man, in a gray
+      surtout and a plain cocked hat without a feather, came forward. He held a
+      riding-whip in his hand, and seemed, from his splashed equipment, to have
+      just descended from the saddle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, Fritz,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;I hope the frost has done us no mischief?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old gardener turned round at the words, and, touching his hat
+      respectfully, continued his work, while he replied,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, Mein Herr; it was but a white hoar, and everything has escaped well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And whom have you got here for an assistant, may I ask?&rdquo; said he,
+      pointing to me, whom he now saw for the first time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the question was asked in German, although I understood it I left the
+      reply to the gardener.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;God knows!&rdquo; said the old fellow, in a tone of easy indifference; &ldquo;I think
+      he must be a soldier of some sort.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The other smiled at the remark, and, turning towards me, said, in French,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are, perhaps, unaware, sir, being a stranger, that it is the Emperor
+      of Austria's desire this château should not be intruded on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My offending, sir,&rdquo; interrupted I, &ldquo;was purely accidental. I am the
+      bearer of despatches for General Savary; and having stopped to inquire
+      from this honest man&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The general has taken his departure for Göding,&rdquo; he broke in, without
+      paying further attention to my explanation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For Goding! and may I ask what distance that may be?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Scarcely a league, if you can hit upon the right path; the road lies
+      yonder, where you see that dead fir-tree.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thank you, sir,&rdquo; said I, touching my hat; &ldquo;and must now ask my friend
+      here to release me,&mdash;my orders are of moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may find some difficulty in the wood, after all,&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;I 'll
+      send my groom part of the way with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Before I could proffer my thanks suitably for such an unexpected
+      politeness, he had disappeared in the garden through which he entered a
+      few minutes before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say, my worthy friend, tell me the name of that gentleman; he's one of
+      the Emperor's staff, if I mistake not. I 'm certain I 've seen the face
+      before.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you had,&rdquo; said the old fellow, laughing, &ldquo;you could scarcely forget
+      him; old Frantzerl is just the same these twenty years.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whom did you say?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Before he could reply, the other was at my side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, sir,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;he will conduct you to the highroad. I wish you a
+      good journey.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words were uttered in a tone somewhat more haughty than his previous
+      ones; and contenting myself with a civil acknowledgment of his attention,
+      I bowed and returned to my horse, which the little peasant child had been
+      holding.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This way, Monsieur,&rdquo; said the groom, who, dressed in a plain dark brown
+      livery, was mounted on a horse of great size and symmetry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, he dashed forward at a gallop which all my efforts could not
+      succeed in overtaking. In less than ten minutes the man halted, and,
+      waiting till I came up, he pointed to a gentle acclivity before me, across
+      which the highroad led.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There lies the road, sir; continue your speed, and in twenty minutes you
+      reach Göding.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One word,&rdquo; said I, drawing forth my purse as I spoke,&mdash;&ldquo;one word.
+      Tell me, who is your master?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The groom smiled, slightly touched his hat, and without uttering a word,
+      wheeled round his horse, and before I could repeat my question, was far on
+      his road back to the château.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before me lay the river, and the little bridge of Göding, across which now
+      the Russian columns were marching in rapid but compact order. Their
+      cavalry had nearly all passed, and was drawn with some field-guns along
+      the bank; while at half-cannon-shot distance, the corps of Davoust were
+      drawn up in order of battle, and standing spectators of the scene. On an
+      eminence of the field a splendid staff were assembled, accompanied by a
+      troop of Tartar horsemen, whose gay colors and strange equipment were a
+      remarkable feature of the picture; and here, I learned, the Emperor
+      Alexander then was, accompanied by General Savary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I drew near, my French uniform caught the eye of the latter, and he
+      cantered forward to meet me. Tearing open the despatch with eagerness, he
+      rapidly perused the few lines it contained; then, seizing me by the arm in
+      his-strong grasp, he exclaimed,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look yonder, sir! You see their columns extending to Serritz. Go back and
+      tell his Majesty. But no; my own mission here is ended. You may return to
+      Austerlitz.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, he rode back to the group around the Emperor, where I saw him a
+      few minutes after addressing his Majesty; and then, after a formal
+      leave-taking, turn his horse's head and set out towards Brunn.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I retraced my steps towards the camp, I began to muse over the events
+      which had just occurred; and even by the imperfect glimpses I could catch
+      of the negotiations, could perceive that the Czar had out-manoeuvred
+      Napoleon. It is true, I was not aware by what means the success had been
+      obtained; nor was it for many a year after that I became cognizant of the
+      few autograph lines by which Alexander induced Davoust to suspend his
+      operations, under the pretence that the Austrian armistice included the
+      Russian army. It was an unworthy act and ill befitting one whose high
+      personal courage and chivalrous bearing gave promise of better things.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VIII. THE COMPAGNIE D'ELITE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      With whatever triumphant feelings the Emperor Napoleon may have witnessed
+      the glorious termination of this brief campaign, to the young officers of
+      the army it brought anything rather than satisfaction, and the news of the
+      armistice was received in the camp with gloom and discontent. The
+      brilliant action at Elchingen, and the great victory at Austerlitz, were
+      hailed as a glorious presage of future successes, for which the
+      high-sounding phrases of a bulletin were deemed but a poor requital. A
+      great proportion of the army were new levies, who had not seen service,
+      and felt proportionably desirous for opportunities of distinction; and to
+      them the promise of a triumphant return to France was a miserable exchange
+      for those battlefields on which they dreamed they should win honor and
+      fame, and from whence they hoped to date their rise of fortune. Little did
+      we guess, that while words of peace and avowals of moderation were on his
+      lips, Napoleon was at that very moment meditating on the opening of that
+      great campaign, which, beginning at Jena, was to end in the most bloody
+      and long sustained of all his wars.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nothing, however, was now talked of but the fêtes which awaited us on our
+      return to Paris,&mdash;while liberal grants of money were made to all the
+      wounded, and no effort was spared which should mark that feeling of the
+      Emperor's, which so conspicuously opened his bulletin, in the emphatic
+      words, &ldquo;Soldiers, I am content with you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Napoleon well understood, and indeed appeared to have anticipated, the
+      disappointment the army would experience at this sudden cessation of
+      hostilities; and endeavored now to divert the torrent of their enthusiasm
+      into another and a safer channel. The bulk of the army were cantoned
+      around Brunn and Olmutz; some picked regiments were recalled to Vienna,
+      where the Emperor was soon expected to establish his headquarters; while
+      many of those who had suffered most severely from forced marches and
+      fatigues were formed into corps of escort to accompany the Russian
+      prisoners&mdash;sixteen thousand in number&mdash;on their way to France;
+      and lastly, a <i>compagnie d'élite</i>, as it was called, was selected to
+      carry to the Senate the glorious spoils of victory,&mdash;forty-five
+      standards taken on the field of Austerlitz, and now destined to grace the
+      Palace of the Luxembourg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I had scarcely seated myself to the humble supper of my bivouac, when an
+      orderly came to command me to General d'Auvergne's quarters. The little
+      sitting-room he occupied, in a peasant hut, was so filled with officers
+      that it was some time before I could approach him; and my impatience was
+      not lessened by more than once hearing my name mentioned aloud,&mdash;a
+      circumstance not a little trying to a young man in the presence of his
+      superiors in station.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But here he is,&rdquo; said the general, beckoning to me to come forward.
+      &ldquo;Burke, his Majesty has most graciously permitted me to include your name
+      in the <i>compagnie d'élite</i>,&mdash;a testimony of his satisfaction
+      you've every reason to be proud of. And just at the moment I was about to
+      communicate the fact to you, I have received a message from Marshal Murat,
+      requesting that I may permit you to serve on his own staff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Captain,&rdquo; said an officer in the uniform of a colonel,&mdash;it was
+      the first time I had been addressed by my new title, and I cannot express
+      what a thrill of pleasure the word gave me,&mdash;&ldquo;Marshal Murat witnessed
+      with pleasure the alacrity and steadiness of your conduct on the 2d, and
+      has sent me with an offer which I fancy few officers would not deem a
+      flattering one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unquestionably it is, Colonel,&rdquo; said General d'Auvergne; &ldquo;nay, more, I
+      will say I regard it as the making of a young man's fortune, thus early in
+      his career to have attracted such high notice. But I must be passive here;
+      Captain Burke shall decide for himself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In that case, sir, I shall cause you but little delay, if you will still
+      permit me to serve on your own staff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But stay, my boy, do not be rash in this affair. I will not insult your
+      better feeling by dwelling on the little power I possess, and the very
+      great enjoyed by Marshal Murat, of serving your interests; but I must say,
+      that with him, and on his personal staff, opportunities of distinction&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And here I must interpose,&rdquo; said the colonel, smiling courteously: &ldquo;with
+      no officer in this army can a man expect to see service, in its boldest
+      and most heroic colors, rather than with General d'Auvergne.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it,&mdash;I feel it, too; and with him, if he will allow me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough, my dear boy,&rdquo; said the old man, grasping my hand in his.
+      &ldquo;Colonel, you must explain to the marshal how stands this matter; and he
+      is too kind of heart and too noble of soul to think the worse of any of us
+      for our obstinacy. And now, my young friend, make your arrangements to
+      join the <i>compagnie d'élite</i>; they march to-morrow afternoon,&mdash;and
+      this is a service you cannot decline. Leave me to make your
+      acknowledgments to the marshal, and lose no more time here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Short as had been my absence from my quarters, when I re-entered, I
+      descried Tascher seated at the table, and busily employed in discussing
+      the last fragments of my supper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, my dear friend,&rdquo; said he, speaking with his mouth full,&mdash;&ldquo;you
+      see what it is to have a <i>salmi</i> for supper. I sat eating a
+      confounded mess of black bread, and blacker veal, for fifteen minutes,
+      when the breeze brought me the odor of your delicious <i>plat</i>. It was
+      in vain I summoned all my virtue to resist it; if there ever was a dish
+      made to seduce a subaltern on service, it is this. But, I say, won't you
+      eat something?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fear not,&rdquo; said I, half angrily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why?&rdquo; replied he. &ldquo;See what a capital wing that is,&mdash;a little
+      bare, to be sure; and there's the back of a pigeon. <i>Ma foi!</i> you
+      have no reason to complain. I say, is it true you are named among the <i>compagnie
+      d'élite</i>?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I nodded, and ate on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Diable!</i> there never was such fortune. What a glorious exchange for
+      this confounded swamp, with its everlasting drill from morning to night,&mdash;shivering
+      under arms for four hours, and shaking with the ague the rest of the day
+      after,&mdash;marching, mid-leg in water, half frozen, and trying quick
+      movements, when the very blood is in icicles! And then you 'll be enjoying
+      Paris,&mdash;delightful Paris!&mdash;dining at the 'Rocher,' supping at
+      the 'Cadran,' lounging into the <i>salons</i>, at the very time we shall
+      be hiding ourselves amidst the straw of our bivouacs. I go mad to think of
+      it. And, what's worse than all, there you sit, as little elated as if the
+      whole thing were only the most natural in the world. I believe, on my
+      word, you 'd not condescend to be surprised if you were gazetted Maréchal
+      de France in to-morrow's gazette.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When I can bear, without testifying too much astonishment, to see my
+      supper eaten by the man who does nothing but rate me into the bargain,
+      perhaps I may plume myself on some equanimity of temper.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Confound your equanimity! It's very easy to be satisfied when one has
+      everything his own way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so, Tascher, you deem me such a fortunate fellow?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That I do,&rdquo; replied he, quickly. &ldquo;You have had more good luck, and made
+      less of it, than any one I ever knew. What a career you had before you
+      when we met first! There was that pretty girl at the Tuileries quite ready
+      to fall in love with you; I know it, because she rather took an air of
+      coldness with me. Well, you let her be carried off by an old general, with
+      a white head and a queue,&mdash;unquestionably a bit of pique on her part.
+      Then, somehow or other, you contrived to pink the best swordsman of the
+      army, little François there; and I never heard that the circumstance
+      gained you a single conquest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite true, my friend,&rdquo; said I, laughing; &ldquo;I confess it all. And, what is
+      far worse, I acknowledge that until this moment I did not even know the
+      advantages I was wilfully wasting.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And even now,&rdquo; continued he, not minding my interruption,&mdash;&ldquo;even
+      now, you are about to return to Paris as one of the <i>élite</i>. Well, I
+      'll wager twenty Naps that the only civil speeches you 'll hear will be
+      from some musty old senators at the Luxembourg. Oh dear! if my amiable
+      aunt, the Empress, would only induce my most benevolent uncle, the
+      Emperor, to put me on that same list, depend upon it you 'd hear of
+      Lieutenant Tascher in the 'Faubourg St. Honoré.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you seem to forget,&rdquo; said I, half piqued at last by the impertinence
+      of his tone, &ldquo;that I have neither friends nor acquaintances; that,
+      although a Frenchman by service, I am not so by birth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I,&mdash;what am I?&rdquo; interrupted he. &ldquo;A Creole, come from Heaven
+      knows what far-away place beyond seas; that there never was a man with
+      more expensive tastes, and smaller means to supply them,&mdash;with worse
+      prospects, and better connections; in short, a kind of live antithesis.
+      And yet, with all that, exchange places with me now, and see if, before a
+      fortnight elapse, I have not more dinner invitations than any officer of
+      the same grade within the Boulevards; watch if the prettiest girl at Paris
+      is not at my side in the Opera. But here comes your official appointment,
+      I take it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he said this, an orderly of the &ldquo;Garde&rdquo; delivered a sealed packet into
+      my hands, which, on opening, I discovered was a letter from General Duroc,
+      wherein I read, that &ldquo;it was the wish of his Majesty, Emperor and King,
+      that I, his well-beloved Thomas Burke, in conformity with certain
+      instructions to be afterwards made known to me, should proceed with the <i>compagnie
+      d'élite</i> to Paris, then and there&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As I read thus far aloud, Tascher interrupted me, snatching the paper from
+      my hands, and continued thus:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then and there to mope, muse, and be <i>ennuyé</i> until such time as
+      active service may again recall him to the army. My dear Burke, I am
+      really sorry for you. Wars and campaigning may be&mdash;indeed they are&mdash;very
+      fine things; but as the means, not the end. His Majesty, my uncle,&mdash;whom
+      may Heaven preserve and soften his heart to his relations!&mdash;loves
+      them for their own sake; but we,&mdash;you and I, for instance,&mdash;what
+      possible reason can we have for risking our bones, and getting our flesh
+      mangled, save the hope of promotion? And to what end that same promotion,
+      if not for a wider sphere of pleasure and enjoyment? Think what a career a
+      colonel, at our age, would have in Paris!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, Tascher, I will not believe you in all this. If there were not
+      something higher to reward one for the fatigues and dangers of a campaign
+      than the mere sensual delights you allude to, I, for one, would soon doff
+      the epaulettes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are impracticable,&rdquo; said he, half angrily; &ldquo;but it is as much from
+      the isolation in which you have lived as any conviction on the subject.
+      You must let me introduce you to some relatives of mine in Paris. They
+      will be delighted to know you; for, as one of the <i>compagnie d'élite</i>,
+      you might figure as a very respectable 'lion' for two, nay, three entire
+      evenings. And you will have the <i>entrée</i> to the pleasantest house in
+      Paris; they receive every evening, and all the best people resort there. I
+      only exact one condition.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that is&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must not make love to Pauline. That you will fall in love with her
+      yourself is a fact I can't help,&mdash;nor you either. But no advance on
+      your part; promise me that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In such case, Tascher, it were best for all parties I should not know the
+      lady. I have no fancy, believe me, for being smitten whether I will or
+      no.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I see, Master Burke, there is a bit of impertinence in all this. You
+      sneer at my warnings about <i>la belle cousine</i>; now, I am determined
+      you shall see her at least. Besides, you must do me a service with the
+      countess I have had the bad luck to be for some time out of favor with my
+      aunt Josephine,&mdash;some trumpery debts of mine they make a work about
+      at the Tuileries. Well, perhaps you could persuade Madame de Lacostellerie
+      to take up my cause; she has great influence with the Empress, and can
+      make her do what she pleases. And, if I must confess it, it was this
+      brought me over to your quarters tonight; and I ate your supper just to
+      pass away time till you came back again. You 'll not refuse me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly not. But reflect for a moment, Tascher, and you will see that
+      no man was ever less intended for a diplomate. It is only a few minutes
+      since you laughed at my solitary habits and hermit propensities.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I've thought of all that, Burke, and am not a whit discouraged. On the
+      contrary, you are the more likely to think of my affairs because you have
+      none of your own; and I don't know any one but yourself I should fancy to
+      meet Pauline frequently and on terms of intimacy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This, at least, is not a compliment,&rdquo; said I, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He shrugged his shoulders, and threw up his eyebrows with a French
+      expression, as though to say, it can't be helped; and then continued:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And now remember, Burke, I count on you. Get me out of this confounded
+      place; I 'd rather be back at Toulon again, if need be. And as I shall not
+      see you again before you leave, farewell. I 'll send the letter for the
+      countess early to-morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      We shook hands warmly and parted: he to return to his quarters; and I to
+      sit down beside my fire, and muse over the events that had just occurred,
+      and think of Tascher himself, whose character had never been so plainly
+      exposed to me before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If De Beauvais, with his hot-headed impetuosity, his mad devotion to the
+      cause of the Legitimists, was a type of the followers of the Bourbons; so,
+      in all the easy indifference and quiet selfishness of his nature, was
+      Tascher a specimen of another class of his countrymen,&mdash;a class
+      which, wrapped up in its own circle of egotistical enjoyments, believed
+      Paris the only habitable spot of the whole globe. Without any striking
+      traits of character, or any very decided vices, they led a life of
+      pleasure and amusement, rendering every one and everything around them, so
+      far as they were able, subservient to their own plane and wishes; and
+      perfectly unconscious the while how glaring their selfishness had become,
+      and how palpable, even to the least observant, was the self-indulgence
+      they practised on every occasion. Without cleverness or tact enough to
+      conceal their failings, they believed they imposed on others because they
+      imposed on themselves,&mdash;just as the child deems himself unseen when
+      he closes his eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josephine's followers were, many of them, like this, and formed a striking
+      contrast to the young men of the Napoleonite party, who, infatuated by the
+      glorious successes of their chief, deemed the career of arms alone
+      honorable. St. Cyr and the Polytechnique were the nurseries of these,&mdash;the
+      principles instilled there were perpetuated in after life; and however
+      exaggerated their ideas of France and her destiny, their undoubted heroism
+      and devotion might well have palliated even heavier errors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was in ruminating thus over the different characters of the few I had
+      ever known intimately, that I came to think seriously on my own condition,
+      which, for many a day before, I had rather avoided than sought to reflect
+      on. I felt,&mdash;as how many must have done!&mdash;that the bond of a
+      common country, the inborn patriotism of the native of the soil, is the
+      great resource on which men fall back when they devote themselves to the
+      career of arms; that the alien's position, disguise it how he will, is
+      that of the mere mercenary. How can he identify himself with interests on
+      which he is but half-informed, or feel attachment to a land wherein he has
+      neither hearth nor home? In the very glory he wins he can scarce
+      participate. In a word, his is a false position, which no events nor
+      accidents of fortune can turn to good account, and he must rest satisfied
+      with a life of isolation and estrangement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I felt how readily, if I had been a Frenchman born, I could have excused
+      and palliated to my conscience many things which now were matters of
+      reproach. Aggressive war had lost its horrors in the glory of enlarged
+      dominions; the greatness of France and the honor of her arms had made me
+      readily forget the miseries entailed on other nations by her lust of
+      conquest. But I&mdash;the stranger, the alien&mdash;had no part in the
+      inheritance of glory; and personal ambition,&mdash;what means it, save to
+      stand high amongst those we once looked up to as superiors? For me there
+      were no traditions of a childhood passed amid great names, revered and
+      worshipped; no early teachings of illustrious examples beside the paternal
+      hearth. And yet there was one, although lost to me forever, before whose
+      eyes I would gladly seem to hold a high place. Yes! could I but think that
+      she had not forgotten me,&mdash;would hear my name with interest, or feel
+      one throb of pleasure if I were spoken of with honor,&mdash;I asked no
+      more!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A letter, Monsieur le Capitaine,&rdquo; said my servant, as he deposited a
+      package on my table. Supposing it was the epistle of which Tascher spoke,
+      I paid but slight attention to it, when by chance I remarked it was in
+      General d'Auvergne's handwriting. I opened it at once, and read as
+      follows:&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      Bivouac, 11 o'clock.
+
+      My dear Burke,&mdash;No one ever set off for Paris without being
+      troubled with commissions for his country friends, and you
+      must not escape the ills of common humanity. Happily for
+      you, however, the debt is easily acquitted; I have neither
+      undiscovered shades of silk to be matched, nor impossible
+      bargains to be effected. I shall simply beg of you to
+      deliver with your own hand the enclosed letter to its
+      address at the Tuileries; adding, if you think fit, the
+      civil attentions of a visit.
+
+      We shall both, in all likelihood, be much hurried when we
+      meet to-morrow,&mdash;for I also have received orders to march,&mdash;
+      so that I take the present opportunity to enclose you a
+      check on Paris for a trifle in advance of your pay;
+      remembering too well, in my own aide-de-camp days, the
+      dilatory habits of the War Office with new captains.
+
+      Yours ever, dear Burke,
+
+      D'Auvergne, Lieut-General.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The letter of which he spoke had fallen on the table, where I now read the
+      address,&mdash;&ldquo;À Madame la Comtesse d'Auvergne, née Comtesse de Meudon,
+      dame d'honneur de S. M. l'Impératrice.&rdquo; As I read these lines, I felt my
+      face grow burning hot, my cheeks flushed up, and I could scarcely have
+      been more excited were I actually in her presence to whom the letter was
+      destined. The poor general's kind note, his check for eight thousand
+      francs, lay there: I forgot them both, and sat still, spelling over the
+      letters of that name so woven in my destiny. I thought of the first night
+      I had ever heard it, when, a mere boy, I wept over her sorrows, and
+      grieved for her whose fate was so soon to throw its shadow over my own.
+      But in a moment all gave way before the one thought,&mdash;I should see
+      her again, speak to her and hear her voice. It is true, she was the wife
+      of another: but as Marie de Meudon, our destinies were as wide apart;
+      under no circumstances could she have been mine, nor did I ever dare to
+      hope it. My love to her&mdash;for it was such, ardent and passionate&mdash;was
+      more the devotion of some worshipper at a shrine than an affection that
+      sought return. The friendless soldier of fortune, poor, unknown, uncared
+      for,&mdash;how could he raise his thoughts to one for whose hand the
+      noblest and the bravest were suitors in vain? Yet, with all this, how my
+      heart throbbed to think that we should meet again! Nor was the thought
+      less stirring that I felt, that even in the short interval of absence I
+      had won praise from him for whom her admiration was equal to my own. With
+      all the turmoil of my hopes and fears I felt a rush of pleasure at my
+      heart; and when I slept, it was to dream of happy days to come, and a
+      future far brighter than the past.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My first thought when morning broke was to ride over to Beygern, to learn
+      the fate of my wounded friends. On my way thither I fell in with several
+      officers bound on a similar errand, for already the convent had become the
+      great hospital to which the sufferers were brought from every part of the
+      camp. As we went along, I was much struck by the depression of spirit so
+      remarkable everywhere. The battle over, all the martial enthusiasm seemed
+      to have evaporated: many grumbled at the tiresome prospect of a winter in
+      country quarters, or cantoned in the field; some regretted the briefness
+      of the campaign; while others again complained that to return to France
+      after so little of active service would only expose them to ridicule from
+      their companions who had seen Italy and Egypt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Spare your sorrows on that score, my young friends,&rdquo; said a colonel, who
+      listened patiently to the complaints around him; &ldquo;we shall not see the
+      dome of the Invalides for some time yet. Except the <i>compagnie d'élite</i>,
+      I fancy few of us will figure on the Boulevards.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There, again,&rdquo; cried another: &ldquo;I never heard anything so unfair as that
+      <i>compagnie d'élite</i>; they have been, with two solitary exceptions,
+      taken from the cavalry. Austerlitz was to be the day of honor for the
+      infantry of France, said the bulletin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so it was,&rdquo; interrupted a little dark-eyed major; &ldquo;and I suppose his
+      Majesty thought we had enough of it on the field, and did not wish to
+      surfeit us with glory. But I ask pardon,&rdquo; said he, turning towards me;
+      &ldquo;monsieur is, if I mistake not, named one of the <i>élite</i>?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As I replied in the affirmative, I observed all eyes turned towards me;
+      but not with any kindly expression,&mdash;far from it. I saw that there
+      was a deliberate canvass of me, as though to see by my outward man how I
+      could possibly deserve such a favor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can you explain to us, Monsieur,&rdquo; said the little major to me, &ldquo;on what
+      principle the <i>élite</i> were chosen? For we have a thousand
+      contradictory reports in the camp: some say by ballot; some, that it was
+      only those who never soiled their jackets in the affair of the other day,
+      and looked fresh and smart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A burst of laughter from the rest interrupted the major's speech, for its
+      impertinence was quite sufficient to secure it many admirers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe, sir,&rdquo; said I, angrily, &ldquo;I can show you some reasons against
+      the selection of certain persons.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As I got thus far, an officer whispered something into the major's ear,
+      who, with a roar of laughing, exclaimed,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A thousand pardons! ten thousand, <i>parbleu!</i> I did n't know you. It
+      was monsieur pinked François, the maître d'armes? Yes, yes; don't deny
+      it,&rdquo; said he, as I made no reply whatever to a question I believed quite
+      irrelevant to the occasion,&mdash;&ldquo;don't deny it. That lunge over the
+      guard was a thing to be proud of; and, by Jove! you shall not practise it
+      at my expense.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This speech excited great amusement among the party, who seemed to
+      coincide perfectly with the reasoning of the speaker; while I myself
+      remained silent, unable to decide whether I ought to be annoyed or the
+      reverse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, Monsieur,&rdquo; resumed the major, addressing me with courtesy, &ldquo;I
+      ask-pardon for the liberty of my speech. By Saint Denis! if all the <i>compagnie
+      d'élite</i> have the same skill of fence, I 'll not question their
+      appointment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The candor of the avowal was too much for my gravity, and I now joined in
+      the mirth of his companions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If I have mentioned so trivial an incident as this here, it is because I
+      wish to mark, even thus passingly, a trait of French military life. The
+      singular confession of a man who regretted his impertinence because he
+      discovered his adversary was a better swordsman, would, under any other
+      code or in any other country, have argued poltroonery. Not so here; no one
+      for a moment suspected his comrade's courage, nor could any circumstance
+      arise to make it doubtful save an actual instance of cowardice. The
+      inequality of the combat was reason enough for not engaging in it: the
+      odds were unfair, because duelling was like a game where each party was to
+      have an equal chance; and hence no shame was felt at declining a contest
+      where this inequality existed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such a system, it is obvious, could not have prevailed in communities
+      where duelling was only resorted to in extreme cases; but here it was an
+      every-day occurrence, and often formed but a brief interval, scarce
+      interrupting the current of an old friendship. Any resentful spirit, any
+      long-continued dislike to the party with whom you once fought, would have
+      been denounced as unofficer-like and ungenerous; and every day saw men
+      walking arm-inarm in closest intimacy, who but the morning before stood
+      opposed to each other's weapons. I now perceived the truth of what Minette
+      had once said, and which at the time I but imperfectly comprehended.
+      &ldquo;Maître François will be less troublesome in future; and you, Lieutenant,
+      will have an easier life also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Halt there!&rdquo; shouted a sentry, as we approached the narrow causeway that
+      led up to the convent. We now discovered, that by a general order no one
+      was permitted to approach the hospital save such as were provided with a
+      leave from the medical staff. A bulletin of the deaths was daily published
+      on the guard-house, except which no other information was afforded of the
+      condition of the wounded; and to this we turned eagerly, and with anxious
+      hearts, lest we might read the name of some friend lost forever. I ran
+      over with a rapid glance the list, where neither St. Hilaire nor poor
+      Pioche occurred; and then, setting spurs to my horse, hurried back to my
+      quarters at the top of my speed. When I arrived, the preparations for the
+      departure of the <i>élite</i> were already in progress, and I had but time
+      to make my few arrangements for the road when the order came to join my
+      comrades.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IX. PARIS IN 1800
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      A portion of the Luxembourg was devoted to the reception of the <i>compagnie
+      d'élite</i> for whom a household on the most liberal scale was provided, a
+      splendid table maintained, and all that wealth and the taste of a
+      voluptuous age could suggest, procured, to make their life one of daily
+      magnificence and pleasure. Daru himself, the especial favorite of the
+      Emperor, took the head of the table each day, to which generally some of
+      the ministers were invited; while the &ldquo;Moniteur&rdquo; of every morning
+      chronicled the festivities, giving <i>éclat</i> to the most minute
+      circumstance, and making Paris re-echo to the glories of him of whose fame
+      they were but the messengers. The most costly equipages, saddle-horses of
+      great price, grooms in gorgeous liveries, all that could attract notice
+      and admiration, were put in requisition; while ceremonies of pomp went
+      forward day by day, and the deputation received in state the
+      congratulatory visits of different departments of the Government.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While thus this homage was paid to the semblance of Napoleon's glory, his
+      progress through Germany was one grand triumphal procession. One day we
+      read of his arrival at Munich, whither the Empress had gone to meet him.
+      There he was welcomed with the most frantic enthusiasm: he had restored to
+      them their army almost without loss, and covered with laurels; he had
+      elevated their elector to a throne; while he cemented the friendship
+      between the two nations by the marriage of Eugène Beauharnais with the
+      Princess of Bavaria. Another account would tell us of sixteen thousand
+      Russian prisoners on their way to France, accompanied by two thousand
+      cannon taken from the Austrians. All that could excite national enthusiasm
+      and gratify national vanity was detailed by the Government press, and
+      popular excitement raised to a higher pitch than in the wildest periods of
+      the Revolution.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hourly was his arrival looked forward to with anxiety and impatience.
+      Fêtes on the most splendid scale of magnificence were in preparation, and
+      the public bodies of Paris held meetings to concert measures for his
+      triumphal reception. At last a telegraphic despatch announced his arrival
+      at Strasburg. He crossed the Rhine at the very place where, exactly one
+      hundred days before, he passed over on his march against the Austrians;
+      one hundred days of such glory as not even his career had equalled,&mdash;Ulm
+      and Austerlitz, vanquished Russia, and ruined Austria the trophies of this
+      brief space! Never had his genius shone with greater splendor; never had
+      Fortune shown herself 'more the companion of his destiny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Each hour was now counted, and every thought turned to the day when he
+      might be expected to arrive; and on the 24th came the intelligence that
+      the Emperor was approaching Paris. He had halted part of a day at Nancy to
+      review some regiments of cavalry, and now might be expected in less than
+      twenty-four hours. The next morning all Paris awoke at an early hour; when
+      what was the surprise and disappointment to see the great flag floating
+      from the pavilion of the Tuileries! His Majesty had arrived during the
+      night, when, at once sending for the Minister of Finance, he proceeded,
+      without taking a moment's repose, to examine into the dreadful crisis
+      which threatened the Bank of France and the very existence of the
+      Government.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At eleven, the Council of State were assembled at the Tuileries; and at
+      twelve, a proclamation, dispersed through Paris, announced that M. Molien
+      was appointed minister, and M. Marbois was dismissed from his office. The
+      rapidity of these changes, and the avoidance of all public homage by the
+      Emperor, threw for several days a cast of gloom over the whole city; which
+      was soon dissipated by the reappearance of Napoleon, and the publication
+      of that celebrated report by M. Champagny in which the glories of France&mdash;her
+      victories, her acquisitions in wealth, territory, and influence&mdash;were
+      recited in terms whose adulation it would be now difficult to digest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From that moment the festivities of Paris commenced, and with a splendor
+      unsurpassed by any period of the Empire. It was the Augustan era of
+      Napoleon's life in all that concerned the fine arts; for literature,
+      unhappily, did not flourish at any time beneath his reign. Gérard and
+      Gros, David, Ingres, and Isabey committed to canvas the glories of the
+      German campaigns; and the capitulation of Ulm, the taking of Vienna, the
+      passage of the Danube, and the field of Austerlitz still live in the
+      genius of these great painters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Opera, too, under the direction of Gimerosa, had attained to an
+      unwonted excellence; while Spontini and Boieldieu, in their separate
+      walks, gave origin to the school so distinctly that of the Comic Opera.
+      Still, the voluptuous tastes of the day prevailed above all; and the
+      ballet, and the strange conceptions of Nicolo, a Maltese composer,&mdash;in
+      which music, dancing, romance, and scenery all figured,&mdash;were the
+      passion of the time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dancing was, indeed, the great art of the era. Vestris and Trénis were the
+      great names in every <i>salon</i>; and all the extravagant graces and
+      voluptuous groupings of the ballet were introduced into the amusements of
+      society: even the taste in dress was made subordinate to this passion,&mdash;the
+      light and floating materials, which mark the figure and display symmetry,
+      replacing the heavier and more costly robes of former times. The reaction
+      to the stern puritanism of the Republican age had set in, and secretly was
+      favored by Napoleon himself; who saw in all this extravagance and
+      abandonment to pleasure the basis of that new social state on which he
+      purposed to found his dynasty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Never were the entertainments at the Tuileries more costly; never was a
+      greater magnificence displayed in all the ceremonial of state. The
+      marshals of the Empire were enjoined to maintain a style corresponding to
+      their exalted position; and the reports of the police were actually
+      studied respecting such persons as lived in what was deemed a manner
+      unbefitting their means of expense. Cambacérès and Fouché, Talleyrand and
+      Murat, all maintained splendid establishments. Their dinners were given
+      twice each week, and their receptions were almost every evening. If the
+      Emperor conferred wealth with a liberal hand, so did he expect to see it
+      freely expended. He knew well the importance of conciliating the
+      affections of the <i>bourgeoisie</i> of Paris; and that by no other means
+      could such an end be accomplished more readily than by a lavish
+      expenditure of money throughout all classes of society. This was alone
+      wanting to efface every trace of the old Republican spirit. The simple
+      habits and uncostly tastes of the Jacobins were at once regarded as
+      meannesses; their frugal and unpretending modes of life pronounced low and
+      vulgar; and many, who could have opposed a stout heart against the current
+      of popular feeling on stronger grounds, yielded to the insinuations and
+      mockeries of their own class, and conformed to tastes which eventually
+      engendered opinions and even principles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I ask pardon of my reader for digressing from the immediate subject of my
+      own career, to speak of topics which are rather the province of the
+      historian than a mere story-teller like myself; still, I should not be
+      able to present to his view the picture of manners I desired, without thus
+      recalling some features of that time, so pregnant with the fate of Europe
+      and the future destiny of France. And now to return.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Immediately on the Emperor's arrival, the Empress and her suite took their
+      departure for Versailles; from whence it was understood they were not to
+      return before the end of the month, for which time a splendid ball was
+      announced at the Tuileries. Unwilling to detain General d'Auvergne's
+      letter so long, and unable from the position I occupied to obtain leave of
+      absence from Paris, I forwarded the letter to the comtesse, and abandoned
+      the only hope of meeting her once more. The disappointment from this
+      source; the novelty of the circumstances in which I found myself; the
+      fascinations of a world altogether strange to me,&mdash;all conspired to
+      confuse and excite me, and I entered into the dissipation of those around
+      me, if not with all their zest, at least with as headlong a resolution to
+      drown all reflection in a life of voluptuous enjoyment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The only person of my own standing among the <i>compagnie d'élite</i> was
+      a captain of the Chasseurs of the Guard, who, although but a few years my
+      senior, had seen service in the Italian campaign. By family a Bour-bonist,
+      he joined the revolutionary armies when his relatives fled from France,
+      and slowly won his steps to his present rank. A certain <i>hauteur</i> in
+      his manner with men&mdash;an air of distance he always wore&mdash;had made
+      him as little liked by them as it usually succeeds in making a man popular
+      with women, to whom the opposite seems at once a compliment. He was a man
+      who had seen much of the world, and in the best society; gifted with the
+      most fascinating address, whenever he pleased to exert it, and singularly
+      good-looking, he was the <i>beau idéal</i> of the French officer of the
+      highest class.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Chevalier Duchesne and myself had travelled together for some days
+      without exchanging more than the ordinary civilities of distant
+      acquaintance, when some accident of the road threw us more closely
+      together, and ended by forming an intimacy which, in our Paris life,
+      brought us every hour into each other's society.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Stranger as I was in the capital, to me the acquaintance was a boon of
+      great price. He knew it thoroughly: in the gorgeous and stately <i>salons</i>
+      of the Faubourg; in the <i>guingettes</i> of the Rue St. Denis; in the
+      costly mansion of the modern banker (the new aristocracy of the land); or
+      in the homely <i>ménage</i> of the shopkeeper of the Rue St. Honoré,&mdash;he
+      was equally at home, and by some strange charm had the <i>entrée</i> too.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The same &ldquo;sesame&rdquo; opened to him the <i>coulisse</i> of the Opera and the
+      penetralia of the Français. In fact, he seemed one of those privileged
+      people who are met with occasionally in life in places the most
+      incongruous and with acquaintances the most opposite, yet never carrying
+      the prestige of the one or the other an inch beyond the precincts it
+      belongs to. Had he been wealthy I could have accounted for much of this,
+      for never was there a period when riches more abounded nor when their
+      power was more absolute: but he did not seem so; although in no want of
+      money, his retinue and simple style of living betrayed nothing beyond fair
+      competence. Neither, as far as I could perceive, did he incline to habits
+      of extravagance; on the contrary, he was too apt to connect every display
+      with vulgarity, and condemn in his fastidiousness the gorgeous splendor
+      that characterized the period.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such, without going further, did Duchesne appear to be, as we took up our
+      quarters at the Luxembourg, and commenced an intimacy which each day
+      served to increase.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, thank Heaven, this vaudeville is over at last!&rdquo; said he, as he
+      threw himself into a large chair at my fire, and pitched his chapeau, all
+      covered with gold and embroidery, into a far corner of the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We had just returned from Notre Dame, where the grand ceremonial of
+      receiving the standards was held by the Senate with all the solemnity of a
+      high mass and the most imposing observances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Vaudeville?&rdquo; said I, turning round rapidly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; what else can you call it? What, I ask you, had those poor decrepit
+      senators, those effeminate priests in the costumes of <i>béguines</i>, to
+      do with the eagles of a brave but unfortunate army? In what way can you
+      connect that incense and that organ with the smoke of artillery and the
+      crash of mitraille? And, lastly, was it like old Daru himself to stand
+      there, half crouching, beside some wretched half-palsied priest? But I
+      feel heartily ashamed of myself, though I played but the smallest part in
+      the whole drama.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it thus you can speak of the triumph of our army? the glories&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You mistake me much. I only speak of that miserable mockery which
+      converts our hard-won laurels into chap-lets of artificial flowers. These
+      displays are far beneath us, and would only become the victories of some
+      national guard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, then,&rdquo; said I, half laughingly, &ldquo;it is your Republican gorge that
+      rises against all this useless ceremonial?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are the very first ever detected me in that guise,&rdquo; said he, bursting
+      into a hearty laugh. &ldquo;But come, I'd wager you agree with me all this
+      while. This was a very contemptible exhibition; and, for my own part, I 'd
+      rather see the colors back again with those poor fellows we chased at
+      Austerlitz, than fluttering in the imbecile hands of dotage and bigotry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I must say we differ totally. I like to think of the warlike spirit
+      nourished in a nation by the contemplation of such glorious spoils. I am
+      young enough to remember how the Invalides affected me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When you took your Sunday walk there from the Poly-technique, two and
+      two, with a blue ribbon round your neck for being a good boy during the
+      week. Oh, I know it all; delicious times they were, with their souvenirs
+      of wooden legs and plum-pudding. Happy fellow you must be, if the delusion
+      can last this while!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are determined it shall not continue much longer,&rdquo; said I, laughing;
+      &ldquo;that is quite evident.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; on the contrary, I shall be but too happy to be your convert, instead
+      of making you mine. But unfortunately, Sa Majesté, Empereur et Roi, has
+      taught me some smart lessons since I gave up mathematics; and I have
+      acquired a smattering of his own policy, which is to look after the
+      substance, and leave the shadow&mdash;or the <i>drapeau</i>, if you like
+      it better&mdash;to whoever pleases.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I confess, however,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;I don't well understand your enthusiasm
+      about war and your indifference about its trophies. To me the associations
+      they suggest are pleasurable beyond anything.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think I remember something of that kind in myself formerly,&rdquo; said he,
+      musing. &ldquo;There was a time when the blast of a trumpet, or even the clank
+      of a sabre, used to set my heart thumping. Happily, however, the organ has
+      grown steeled against even more stirring sounds; and I listened to the
+      salute to-day, fired as it was by that imposing body, the artillery of the
+      'Garde Nationale,' with an equanimity truly wonderful. Apropos, my dear
+      Burke; talk of heroism and self-devotion as you will, but show me anything
+      to compare with the gallantry of those fellows we saw to-day on the Quai
+      Voltaire,&mdash;a set of grocers, periwig-makers, umbrella and sausage
+      men, with portly paunches and spectacles,&mdash;ramming down charges,
+      sponging, loading, and firing real cannon. On my word of honor, it was
+      fearful.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say his Majesty is very proud indeed of the National Guard of
+      Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course he is. Look at them, and just think what must be the enthusiasm
+      of men who will adopt a career so repugnant, not only to their fancy, but
+      their very formation. Remember that he who runs yonder with a twenty-four
+      pounder never handled anything heavier than a wig-block, and that the only
+      charges of the little man beside him have been made in his day-book. By
+      Saint Denis! the dromedary guard we had in Egypt were more at home in
+      their saddles than the squadron who rode beside the archbishop's
+      carriage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is scarcely fair, after all,&rdquo; said I, half laughing, &ldquo;to criticise
+      them so severely; and the more, as I think you had some old acquaintances
+      among them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! you saw that, did you?&rdquo; said he, smiling. &ldquo;No, by Jove! I never met
+      them before. But that <i>confrèrie</i> of soldiers&mdash;you understand&mdash;soon
+      made us acquainted; and I saw one old fellow speaking to a very pretty
+      girl I guessed to be his daughter, and soon cemented a small friendship
+      with him: here's his card.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His card! Why, are you to visit him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Better again; I shall dine there on Monday next. Let us see how he calls
+      himself: 'Hippolyte Pierrot, stay and corset-maker to her Majesty the
+      Empress, No. 22 Rue du Bac,&mdash;third floor above the <i>entresol.</i>'
+      <i>Diable!</i> we 're high up. Unfortunately, I am scarcely intimate
+      enough to bring a friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, make no excuses on that head,&rdquo; said I, laughing; &ldquo;I really have no
+      desire to see Monsieur Hippolyte Pierrot's <i>menage</i>. And now, what
+      are your engagements for this evening? Are you for the Opera?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don't well know,&rdquo; said he, pausing. &ldquo;Madame Caulaincourt receives, and
+      of course expects to see our gay jackets in her <i>salon</i> any time
+      before or after supper. Then there's the Comtesse de Nevers: I never go
+      there without meeting my tailor; the fellow's a spy of the police, and a
+      confectioner to boot, and he serves the ices, and reports the
+      conversations in the Place Vendôme and that side of the Rue St. Honoré,&mdash;I
+      couldn't take a glass of lemonade without being dunned. Then, in the
+      Faubourg I must go in plain clothes,&mdash;they would not let the 'livery
+      of the Usurper' pass the porter's lodge; besides, they worry one with
+      their enthusiastic joy or grief,&mdash;as the last letter from England
+      mentions whether the Comte d'Artois has eaten too many oysters, or found
+      London beer too strong for him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From all which I guess that you are indisposed to stir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe that is about the fact. Truth is, Burke, there is only one
+      soirée in all Paris I 'd take the trouble to dress for this evening; and,
+      strange enough, it's the only house where I don't know the people. He is a
+      commissary-general, or a 'fournisseur' of some kind or other of the army;
+      always from home, they say; with a wife who was once, and a daughter who
+      is now, exceeding pretty; keeps a splendid house; and, like an honest man,
+      makes restitution of all he can cheat in the campaign by giving good
+      dinners in the capital. His Majesty, at the solicitation of the Empress, I
+      believe, made him a count,&mdash;God's mercy it was not a king!&mdash;and
+      as they come from Guadaloupe, or Otaheite, no one disputes their right.
+      Besides, this is not a time for such punctilio. This is all I know of
+      them, for unfortunately they settled here since I joined the army.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the name?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, a very plausible name, I assure you. Lacostellerie,&mdash;Madame la
+      Comtesse de Lacostellerie.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By Jove! you remind me I have letters for her,&mdash;a circumstance I had
+      totally forgotten, though it was coupled with a commission.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A letter! Why, nothing was ever so fortunate. Don't lose a moment; you
+      have just time to leave it, with your card, before dinner. You'll have an
+      invitation for this evening at once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I have not the slightest wish.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No matter, <i>I</i> have; and you shall bring me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You forget,&rdquo; said I, mimicking his own words, &ldquo;I am unfortunately not
+      intimate enough.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As to that,&rdquo; replied he, &ldquo;there is a vast difference between the
+      etiquette Rue du Bac, No. 22, three floors above the <i>entresol</i>, and
+      the gorgeous <i>salons</i> of the Hôtel Clichy, Rue Faubourg St. Honoré;
+      ceremony has the advantage in the former by a height of three pair of
+      stairs, not to speak of the <i>entresol</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I don't know the people.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor I.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how am I to present you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Easily enough,&mdash;'Captain Duchesne, Imperial Guard;' or, if you
+      prefer it, I 'll do the honors for <i>you</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With all my heart, then,&rdquo; said I, laughing; and pre-pared to pay the
+      visit in question.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER X. THE HÔTEL DE CLICHY
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Duchesne was correct in all his calculations. I had scarcely reached the
+      Luxembourg when a valet brought me a card for the comtesse's soirée for
+      that evening. It was accordingly agreed upon that we were to go together;
+      I as the invited, he as my friend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All your finery, Burke, remember that,&rdquo; said he, as we separated to
+      dress. &ldquo;The uniform of the <i>compagnie d'élite</i> is as much a
+      decoration in a <i>salon</i> as a camellia or a geranium.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When he re-entered my room half an hour later, I was struck by the blaze
+      of orders and decorations with which his jacket was covered; while at his
+      side there hung a magnificent <i>sabre d'honneur</i>, such as the Emperor
+      was accustomed to confer on his most distinguished officers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You smile at all this bravery,&rdquo; said he, wilfully misinterpreting my look
+      of admiration; &ldquo;but remember where we are going.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On the contrary,&rdquo; interrupted I; &ldquo;but it is the first time I knew you had
+      the cross of the Legion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i>&rdquo; said he, with an insolent shrug of his shoulders, &ldquo;I had
+      lent it to my hairdresser for a ball at the 'Cirque.' But here comes the
+      carriage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While we drove along towards the Faubourg I had time to learn some further
+      particulars of the people to whose house we were proceeding; and for my
+      reader's information may as well impart them here, with such other facts
+      as I subsequently collected myself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Like most of the <i>salons</i> of the new aristocracy, Madame
+      Lacostellerie received people of every section of party and every class of
+      political opinion. Standing equally aloof from the old régime and the
+      members of the Jacobin party, her receptions were a kind of neutral
+      territory, where each could come without compromise of dignity: for
+      already, except among the most starched adherents of the Bourbons, few of
+      whom remained in France, there was a growing spirit to side with the
+      Napoleonists in preference to the revolutionary section; while the latter,
+      with all their pretensions to simplicity and primitive tastes, felt no
+      little pride in mixing with the very aristocracy they so loudly inveighed
+      against. Besides all this, wealth had its prestige. Never, in the palmiest
+      days of the royalty, were entertainments of greater splendor; and the
+      Legitimists, however disposed to be critical on the company, could afford
+      to be just regarding the cuisine,&mdash;the luxury of these modern dinners
+      eclipsing the most costly displays of former times, where hereditary rank
+      and ancient nobility contributed to adorn the scene. And, lastly, the
+      admixture of every grade and class extended the field of conversational
+      agreeability, throwing in new elements and eliciting new features in a
+      society where peers, actors, poets, bankers, painters, soldiers,
+      speculators, journalists, and adventurers were confusedly mixed together;
+      making, as it were, a common fund of their principles and their
+      prejudices, and starting anew in life with what they could seize in the
+      scramble.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After following the long line of carriages for above an hour, we at last
+      turned into a large courtyard, lit up almost to the brightness of day.
+      Here the equipages of many of the ministers were standing,&mdash;a
+      privilege accorded to them above the other guests. I recognized among the
+      number the splendid liveries of Decrès; and the stately carriage of
+      Talleyrand, whose household always proclaimed itself as belonging to a
+      &ldquo;seigneur&rdquo; of the oldest blood of France,&mdash;the most perfect type of a
+      highbred gentleman. Our progress from the vestibule to the stairs was a
+      slow one. The double current of those pressing upwards and downwards
+      delayed us long; and at last we reached a spacious antechamber, where even
+      greater numbers stood awaiting their turn, if happily it should come, to
+      move forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While here, the names of those announced conveyed tous a fair impression
+      of the whole company. Among the first was Le General Junot, Berthollet
+      (the celebrated chemist), Lafayette, Monges, Daru, Comte de Mailles (a
+      Legitimist noble), David (the regicide), the Ambassador of Prussia, M.
+      Pasquier, Talma. Such were the names we heard following in quick
+      succession; when suddenly an avenue was opened by a master of the
+      ceremonies before me, who read from my card the words, &ldquo;Le Capitaine
+      Burke, officier d'élite; le Chevalier Duchesne, présenté par lui.&rdquo; And
+      advancing within the doorway, I found myself opposite a very handsome
+      woman, whose brilliant dress and blaze of diamonds concealed any ravages
+      time might have made upon her beauty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She was conversing with the Arch-Chancellor, Cambacérès, when my name was
+      announced; and turning rapidly round, touched my arm with her bouquet, as
+      she said, with a most gracious smile,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am but too much flattered to see you on so short an invitation; but M.
+      de Tascher's note led me to hope I might presume so far. Your friend, I
+      believe?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have taken the great liberty&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed, Madame la Comtesse,&rdquo; said Duchesne, interrupting, &ldquo;I must
+      exculpate my friend here. This intrusion rests on my own head, and has no
+      other apology than my long cherished wish to pay my homage to the most
+      distinguished ornament of the Parisian world.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, the quiet flow of his words, and the low deferential bow with
+      which he accompanied them, completely divested his speech of its tone of
+      gross flattery, and merely made it seem a very fitting and appropriate
+      expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This would be a very high compliment, indeed,&rdquo; replied Madame de
+      Lacostellerie, with a flush of evident pleasure on her cheek, &ldquo;had it even
+      come from one less known than the Chevalier Duchesne. I hope the Duchesse
+      de Montserrat is well,&mdash;your aunt, if I mistake not?&rdquo; &ldquo;Yes, Madame,&rdquo;
+       said he, &ldquo;in excellent health; it will afford her great pleasure when I
+      inform her of your polite inquiry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Another announcement now compelled us to follow the current in front,
+      which I was well content to do, and escape from an interchange of fine
+      speeches, of whose sincerity, on one side at least, I had very strong
+      misgivings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, then, the comtesse is acquainted with your family?&rdquo; said I, in a
+      whisper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who said so?&rdquo; replied he, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did she not ask after the Duchesse de Montserrat?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And didn't you promise to convey her very kind message?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure I did. But are you simple enough to think that either of us
+      were serious in what we said? Why, my dear friend, she never saw my aunt
+      in her life; nor, if I were to hint at her inquiry for her to the
+      duchesse, am I certain it would not cost me something like a half million
+      of francs the old lady has left me in her will,&mdash;on my word, I firmly
+      believe she'd never forgive it. You know little what these people of the
+      <i>vieille roche</i>, as they call themselves, are like. Do you see that
+      handsome fellow yonder, with a star on a blue cordon?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don't know him; but I see he's a Marshal of France.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I saw that same aunt of mine rise up and leave the room because <i>he</i>
+      sat down in her presence!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! that was intolerable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So she deemed his insolence. Come, move on; they 're dancing in the next
+      <i>salon</i>.&rdquo; And without saying more, we pushed through the crowd in the
+      direction of the music.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is only by referring to the sensations experienced by those who see a
+      ballet at the Opera for the first time that I can at all convey my own on
+      entering the <i>salle de danse</i>. My first feeling was that of absolute
+      shame. Never before had I seen that affectation of stage costume which
+      then was the rage in society. The short and floating jupe&mdash;formed of
+      some light and gauzy texture, which, even where it covered the figure,
+      betrayed the form and proportions of the wearer&mdash;was worn low on the
+      bosom and shoulders, and attached at the waist by a ribbon, whose knot
+      hung negligently down in seeming disorder. The hair fell in long and
+      floating masses loose upon the neck, waving in free tresses with every
+      motion of the figure, and adding to that air of abandon which seemed so
+      studiously aimed at. But more than anything in mere costume was the look
+      and expression, in which a character of languid voluptuousness was
+      written, and made to harmonize with the easy grace of floating movements,
+      and sympathize with gestures full of passionate fascination.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0007" id="linkimage-0007">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/130.jpg" alt="The Dance 130 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, Burke,&rdquo; said Duchesne, as he threw his eyes over the room, &ldquo;shall I
+      find a partner for you? for I believe I know most of the people here. That
+      pretty blonde yonder, with the diamond buckles in her shoes, is
+      Mademoiselle de Rancy, with a dowry of some millions of francs; what say
+      you to pushing your fortune there? Don't forget the <i>officier d'élite</i>
+      is a trump card just now; and there's no time to lose, for there will soon
+      be a new deal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not if she had the throne of France in reversion,&rdquo; said I; turning away
+      in disgust from a figure which, though perfectly beautiful, outraged at
+      every movement that greatest charm of womanhood,&mdash;her inborn modesty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, then, you don't fancy a blonde!&rdquo; said he, carelessly, whether
+      wilfully misunderstanding me or not I could not say. &ldquo;Nor I either,&rdquo; added
+      he. &ldquo;There, now, is something far more to my taste; is she not a lovely
+      girl?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She to whom he now directed my attention was standing at the side of the
+      room, and leaning on her partner's arm; her head slightly turned, so that
+      we could not see her features, but her figure was actually faultless. Hers
+      was not one of those gossamer shapes which flitted around and about us,
+      balancing on tiptoe, or gracefully floating with extending arms. Rather
+      strongly built than otherwise, she stood with the firm foot and the
+      straight ankle of a marble statue; her arms, well rounded, hung easily
+      from her full, wide shoulders; while her head, slightly thrown back, was
+      balanced on her neck with an air at once dignified and easy. Her dress
+      well suited the character of her figure: it was entirely of black, covered
+      with a profusion of deep lace,&mdash;the jupe looped up in Andalusian
+      fashion to display the leg, whose symmetry was perfect. Even her costume,
+      however, had something about it too theatrical for my taste; but there was
+      a stamp of firmness, <i>fierté</i> even, in her carriage and her attitude,
+      that at once showed hers was no vulgar desire of being remarkable, but the
+      womanly consciousness of being dressed as became her. She suddenly turned
+      her head around, and we both exclaimed in the same breath, &ldquo;How lovely!&rdquo;
+       Her features were of that brilliant character only seen in Southern blood:
+      eyes large, black, and lustrous, fringed with lashes that threw their
+      shadow on the very cheek; full lips, curled with an air of almost saucy
+      expression; while the rich olive tint of her transparent skin was scarce
+      colored with the pink flush of exercise, and harmonized perfectly with the
+      proud repose of her countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She must be Spanish,&mdash;that's certain,&rdquo; said Duchesne. &ldquo;No one ever
+      saw such an instep come from this side the Pyrenees; and those eyes have
+      got their look of sleepy wickedness from Moorish blood. But here comes one
+      will tell us all about her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This was the Baron de Trève,&mdash;a withered-looking, dried-up old man,
+      rouged to the eyes, and dressed in the extravagance of the last fashion;
+      the high collar of his coat rising nearly to the back of his head, as his
+      deep cravat in front entirely concealed his mouth, and formed a kind of
+      barrier around his features.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Duchesne addressed him, he stopped short, and assuming an attitude of
+      great intended grace, raised his glass slowly to his eye, and looked
+      towards the lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! the señorina. Don't you know <i>her?</i> Why, where have you been, my
+      dear chevalier? Oh! I forgot. You've been in Austria, or Russia, or some
+      barbarous place or other. She is the belle, <i>par excellence</i>; nothing
+      else is talked of in Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But her name? Who is she?&rdquo; said Duchesne, impatiently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie, the daughter of the house,&rdquo; said the
+      baron, completely overcome with astonishment at our ignorance. &ldquo;And you
+      not to know this!&mdash;you, of all men living! Why,&rdquo; he continued,
+      dropping his voice to a lower key, &ldquo;there never was such a fortune. Mines
+      of rubies and emeralds; continents of coffee, rice, and sandal-wood; spice
+      islands and sugar plantations, to make one's mouth water.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By Jove, Baron! you seem somewhat susceptible yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I had my thoughts on the subject,&rdquo; said he, with a half sigh. &ldquo;But, <i>hélas!</i>
+      there are so many ties to be broken! so many tender chains one must snap
+      asunder!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand,&rdquo; said Duchesne, with an air of well-assumed seriousness;
+      &ldquo;the thing was impossible. Now, then, what say you to assist a friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You,&mdash;yourself, do you mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course, Baron; no other.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come this way,&rdquo; said the old man, taking him by the arm, and leading him
+      along to another part of the room, while Duchesne, with a sly look at me,
+      followed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While I stood awaiting his return, my thoughts became fixed on Duchesne
+      himself, of whose character I never felt free from my misgivings. The cold
+      indifference he manifested on ordinary occasions to everything and
+      everybody, I now saw could give way to strong impetuosity; but even this
+      might be assumed also. As I pondered thus, I had not remarked that the
+      dance was concluded; and already the dancers were proceeding towards their
+      seats, when I heard my name uttered beside me,&mdash;&ldquo;Capitaine Burke.&rdquo; I
+      turned; it was the countess herself, leaning on the arm of her daughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to present you to my daughter,&rdquo; said she, with a courteous smile.
+      &ldquo;The college friend and brother officer of your cousin Tascher, Pauline.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The young lady courtesied with an air of cold reserve; I bowed deeply
+      before her; while the countess continued,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We hope to have the pleasure of seeing you frequently during your stay in
+      Paris, when we shall have a better opportunity of making your
+      acquaintance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As I expressed my sense of this politeness, I turned to address a few
+      words to mademoiselle; and requesting to have the honor of dancing with
+      her, she looked at me with an air of surprise, as though not understanding
+      my words, when suddenly the countess interposed,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fear that my daughter's engagements have been made long since; but
+      another night&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will hope&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But before I could say more, the countess addressed another person near
+      her, and mademoiselle, turning her head superciliously away, did not deign
+      me any further attention; so that, abashed and awkward at so unfavorable a
+      <i>début</i> in the gay world, I fell back, and mixed with the crowd.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I did so, I found myself among a group of officers, one of whom was
+      relating an anecdote just then current in Paris, and which I mention
+      merely as illustrating in some measure the habits of the period.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the levée of the Emperor on the morning before, an old general of
+      brigade advanced to pay his respects, when Napoleon observed some drops of
+      rain glistening on the embroidery of his uniform. He immediately turned
+      towards one of his suite, and gave orders to ascertain by what carriage
+      the general had arrived. The answer was, that he had come in a <i>fiacre</i>,&mdash;a
+      hired vehicle, which by the rules of the Court was not admitted within the
+      court of the Tuileries, and thus he was obliged to walk above one hundred
+      yards before he could obtain shelter. The old officer, who knew nothing of
+      the tender solicitude of the Emperor, was confounded with astonishment to
+      observe at his departure a handsome <i>calèche</i> and two splendid horses
+      at his service.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whose carriage is this?&rdquo; said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yours, Monsieur le Général.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the servant, and the horses?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yours, also. His Majesty has graciously been pleased to order them for
+      you; and desires you will remember that the sum of six thousand francs
+      will be deducted from your pay to meet the cost of the equipage which the
+      Emperor deems befitting your rank in the service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is thus,&rdquo; said the narrator, &ldquo;the Emperor would enforce that
+      liberality on others he so eminently displays himself. The spoils of Italy
+      and Austria are destined, not to found a new <i>noblesse</i>, but to
+      enrich the <i>bourgeoisie</i> of this good city of Paris. I say, Edward,
+      is not that Duchesne yonder? I thought he was above patronizing the <i>salons</i>
+      of a mere commissary-general.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You don't know the chevalier,&rdquo; replied the other; &ldquo;no game flies too high
+      or too low for his mark. Depend upon it, he's not here for nothing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If mademoiselle be the object,&rdquo; said a third, &ldquo;I'll swear he shall have
+      no rivalry on my side. By Jove I I 'd rather face a charge of Hulans than
+      speak to her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If thou wert a Marshal of France, Claude, thou wouldst think
+      differently.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I were a Marshal of France,&rdquo; repeated he, with energy, &ldquo;I'd rather
+      marry Minette, the vivandière of ours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And no bad choice either,&rdquo; broke in a large! heavy-looking officer.
+      &ldquo;There is but one objection to such an arrangement.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that, if I might ask&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Simple enough. She would n't have you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The young man endeavored to join in the laugh this speech excited among
+      the rest, though it was evident he felt ill at ease from the ridicule.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A thousand pardons, my dear Burke,&rdquo; said Duchesne, at this moment, as he
+      slipped his arm through mine; &ldquo;but I thought I should have been in need of
+      your services a few minutes ago.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! how?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Move a little aside, and I 'll tell you. I wished to ask mademoiselle to
+      dance, and approached her for the purpose. She was standing with a number
+      of people, all strangers to me, at the doorway yonder,&mdash;Dobretski,
+      that Russian prince, the only man I knew amongst them. A very chilling
+      'Engaged, sir,' was the answer of the lady to my first request. The same
+      reply met my second and third; when the Russian, as if desirous to
+      increase the awkwardness of my position, interposed with, 'And the fourth
+      set mademoiselle dances with me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'In that case,' said I, 'I may fairly claim the fifth.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'On what grounds, sir?' said she, with a look of easy impertinence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'The Emperor's orders, Mademoiselle,' said I, proudly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Indeed, sir! May I ask how and when?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Austerlitz, December 2. The order of four o'clock, dated from Reygern,
+      says, &ldquo;The Imperial Guard will follow closely on the track of the
+      Russians.&rdquo; (Signed) &ldquo;Napoleon.&rdquo;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'In that case, sir,' said she, 'I cannot dispute his Majesty's orders. I
+      shall dance the fifth with you.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the Russian,&mdash;what said he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ma foi!</i> I paid no attention to him; for as mademoiselle moved off
+      with her partner, I strolled away in search of you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      If I was amused at this recital of the chevalier, I could not avoid
+      feeling piqued at the greater success he had than myself; for still the
+      chilling reception I had met with was rankling in my mind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us move away from this quarter,&rdquo; said Duchesne. &ldquo;Here we have got
+      ourselves among a knot of old campaigners, with their stupid stories of
+      Cairo and Acre, Alexandria and the Adige. By Jove! if anything would make
+      me a Legitimist, it is my disgust at those confounded narratives about
+      Kleber and Desaix; the Emperor himself does not despise the time of the
+      Revolution more heartily than I do. Come, there's <i>bouillotte</i>
+      yonder; let us go and win some pieces. I feel I'm in vein; and even to
+      lose would be better than listen to these people. It was only a few
+      minutes ago I was hunted, away from Madame de Muraire by old Berthollet,
+      who is persuading her that her diamonds are but charcoal, and that a
+      necklace is only fit to roast an ortolan. This comes of letting savants
+      into society; decidedly, they had much better taste in the time of the
+      Monarchy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was with some difficulty we succeeded in approaching the <i>bouillotte</i>
+      table, where, to judge from the stakes, very high play was going forward.
+      Duchesne was quickly recognized among the players, who made place for him
+      among them. I soon saw that he was not mistaken in supposing he was in
+      luck; every <i>coup</i> was successful, and, while he continued to win
+      time after time, the heap of gold grew greater, till it covered the part
+      of the table before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Most certainly, Burke,&rdquo; said he, in a whisper, &ldquo;this is a strong turn of
+      Fortune, who, being a woman, won't long be of the same mind. Five thousand
+      francs,&rdquo; cried he, throwing the <i>billet de banque</i> carelessly before
+      him, while he turned to resume what he was saying to me. &ldquo;Were I in action
+      now, I 'd win the <i>bâton de maréchal</i>. I feel it; there's an innate
+      sense of luck when it means to be steady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Chevalier Duchesne! the Chevalier Duchesne!&rdquo; was repeated from voice
+      to voice, outside the circle; &ldquo;Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie is waiting to
+      waltz with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A thousand pardons,&rdquo; said he, rising. &ldquo;Burke, continue my game, while I
+      try if I can't push fortune the whole way.&rdquo; So saying, and without
+      listening to my excuses about ignorance of play, he pressed me into his
+      seat, and pushed his way through the crowd to join the dancers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was only when the players asked me if I intended to go on that I was
+      aware of the position in which I found myself. I knew little more of the
+      game than I had learned in looking over the table; but I was aware of the
+      strict etiquette in all the play of society, which enjoins a revenge to
+      every loser, so that I continued to bet and stake for Duchesne as I had
+      seen him do already,&mdash;not, however, with such fortune. He had
+      scarcely left the table when luck changed; and now I saw his riches
+      decreasing even more rapidly than they had been accumulated. At last,
+      after a long run of ill fortune, when I had staked a very large sum on the
+      board, just as the banker was about to begin, I changed my mind and
+      withdrew half of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&mdash;let it stay,&rdquo; whispered a voice in my ear; &ldquo;the sooner this
+      is over the better.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I turned. It was Duchesne himself, who for some time had been seated
+      behind my chair and looking on at the game.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fleeting as was the glance I had of his features, I fancied they were
+      somewhat paler than usual. Could this be from the turn of fortune? But no.
+      I watched him now, and I perceived that he never even looked at the game.
+      At last, I staked all that remained in one <i>coup</i>, and lost; when,
+      drawing forth my own purse, I was about to make another bet,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, Burke,&rdquo; whispered he in my ear; &ldquo;I was only waiting for this
+      moment. Let us come away now. I rise as I sat down, Messieurs,&rdquo; he said,
+      gayly; while he added, in a lower tone, &ldquo;Sauf l'honneur.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you had enough of gayety for one night?&rdquo; said he, as he drew my arm
+      within his. &ldquo;Shall we turn home wards?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Willingly,&rdquo; said I; for somehow I felt chagrined and vexed at my
+      ill-luck, and was angry with myself for playing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come along, then; this door will bring us to the stairs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As we passed along hastily through the crowd, I saw that a young officer
+      in a hussar uniform whispered something in Duchesne's ear; to which he
+      quickly replied, &ldquo;Certainly.&rdquo; And as he spoke again in the same low tone,
+      Duchesne answered, &ldquo;Agreed, sir,&rdquo; with a courteous smile, and a look of
+      much pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, Burke,&rdquo; said he, turning to me, &ldquo;these are about the most splendid
+      <i>salons</i> in Paris; I think I never saw more perfect taste. I
+      certainly must thank you for being my chaperon here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You forget, Duchesne, the Duchesse de Montserrat, it seems,&rdquo; said I,
+      laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By Jove, and so I had!&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;Yet the initiative lay with you; how
+      the termination may be is another matter,&rdquo; added he, in a mumbling voice,
+      not intended to be heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At all events,&rdquo; said I, puzzled what to say, and feeling I should say
+      something, &ldquo;I am happy your Russian friend took no notice of your speech.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why?&rdquo; said he, with a peculiar smile,&mdash;&ldquo;and why?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I abhor a duel, in the first place.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, my dear boy, that speech smacks much more of the École de Jésuites
+      than of St. Cyr. Don't let any one less your friend than I am hear you say
+      so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I care not who may hear it. Necessity may make me meet an adversary in
+      single combat; but as to acting the cold-blooded part of a bystander&mdash;as
+      to being the witness of my friend's crime, or his own death&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come; when you exchange the dolman for an alb I 'll listen to this
+      from you, if I can listen to it from any one. But happily, now we have no
+      time for more morality, for here comes the carriage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Chatting pleasantly about the soirée and its company, we rolled along
+      towards our quarters, and parted with a cordial shake of the hand for the
+      night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XI. A SALLE DE POLICE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      When I entered the breakfast-room the following morning, I found Duchesne
+      stretched before the fire in an easy-chair, busily engaged in reading the
+      &ldquo;Moniteur&rdquo; of that day, where a long list of imperial <i>ordonnances</i>
+      filled nearly three columns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here have I been,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;conning over this catalogue of princely
+      favor these twenty minutes, and yet cannot discern one word of our
+      well-beloved cousins Captains Burke and Duchesne. And yet there seems to
+      be a hailstorm of promotions. Some of them have got grand duchies; some
+      principalities; some have the cross of the Legion; and here, by Jove! are
+      some endowed with wives. Now that his Majesty has taken to christening and
+      marrying, I suppose we shall soon see him administering all the succors of
+      Holy Church. Have you much interest in hearing that Talleyrand is to be
+      called Prince of Benevente, and Murat is now Grand-Duke of Berg,&mdash;that
+      Sebastiani is to be married to Mademoiselle de Coigny, and Monsieur
+      Decazes, <i>fils de</i> M. Decazes, has taken some one else to wife? Oh
+      dear, oh dear! It's all very tiresome, and not even the fête of Saint
+      Napoleon&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of whom?&rdquo; said I, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Saint Napoleon, <i>parbleu!</i> It's no joking matter, I assure you. Here
+      is the letter of the cardinal legate to the arch-bishops and bishops of
+      France, commanding that the first Sunday in the August of each year should
+      be set apart to celebrate his saintship, with an account of the
+      processions to take place, and various plenary indulgences to the pious
+      who shall present themselves on the occasion. Fouché could tell you the
+      names of some people who bled freely to get rid of all this trumpery; and,
+      in good sooth, it's rather hard, if we could not endure Saint Louis, to be
+      obliged to tolerate Saint Napoleon,&mdash;saints, like Bordeaux wine,
+      being all the more palatable when they have age to mellow them. I could
+      forgive anything, however, but this system of forced marriages; it smacks
+      too much of old Frederick for my taste. And one cannot always have the
+      luck of your friend General d'Auvergne.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I felt my cheek grow burning hot at the words. Duchesne did not notice my
+      confusion, but continued,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet, of all the ill-assorted unions for which his sainted Majesty
+      will have to account hereafter, that was unquestionably the most
+      extraordinary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I have heard, and I believe too, that the marriage was not of the
+      Emperor's making; it was purely a matter of liking.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, Burke,&rdquo; said he, laughing, &ldquo;you will not tell me that the
+      handsomest girl at the Court, with a large dowry, an ancient name, and
+      every advantage of position, marries an old weather-beaten soldier&mdash;the
+      senior officer of her own father once&mdash;of her own free will and
+      choice. The thing is absurd. No, no; these are the Imperial recompenses,
+      when grand duchies are scarce and confiscations few. The Emperor does not
+      travel for nothing. He brought back with him from Egypt something besides
+      his Mameluke Guard: that clever trick the pachas have of providing a
+      favorite with an ex-sultana. There, there! don't look so angrily. We shall
+      both be marshals of France one of these days, and that may reconcile one
+      to a great deal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are determined to owe nothing of your promotion to a blind devotion
+      to Napoleon,&mdash;that's certain,&rdquo; said I, annoyed at the tone of
+      insolent disparagement in which he spoke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right,&mdash;perfectly right there,&rdquo; replied he, in a quiet tone
+      of voice. &ldquo;No man would rather hug himself up in an illusion, if he could
+      but make it minister to his pleasure or his enjoyment; but when it does
+      neither,&mdash;when the material is so flimsy as to be seen through at
+      every minute,&mdash;I throw it from me as a worthless garment, unfit to
+      wear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can you, then, deem Napoleon's glory such?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course, to me it is. How am I a sharer in his triumphs, save as the
+      charger that marches in the cavalcade? You don't perceive that I, as the
+      descendant of an old Loyalist family, would have fared far better with the
+      Bourbons, from reasons of blood and kindred; and a hundred times better
+      with the Jacobins, from very recklessness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How then came it&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will spare you the question. I liked neither emigration nor the
+      guillotine, and preferred the slow suffering of ennui to the quick death
+      of the scaffold. There has been but one career in France for many a day
+      past. I adopted it as much from necessity as choice; I followed it more
+      from habit than either.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you cannot be insensible to the greatness of your country, nor her
+      success in arms.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor am I; but these things are a small ingredient in patriotism. You, the
+      stranger, share with us all our triumphs in the field. But the inherent
+      features of a nation,&mdash;the distinctive traits of which every son of
+      the soil feels proud,&mdash;where are they now? What is France to me more
+      than to you? One half my kindred are exiled; of those who remain, many
+      regard me as a renegade. Their properties confiscated, themselves
+      suspected, what tie binds them to this country? You are not more an alien
+      here than I am.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet, Duchesne, you shed your blood freely for this same cause you
+      condemn. You charged the Pratzen, some days ago, with four squadrons,
+      against a whole column of Russian cavalry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, and would again to-morrow, boy. Had you been a gambler, I need n't
+      have told you that it is the game, not the stake, that interests the real
+      gamester. But come, do not fancy I want to make you a convert to these
+      tiresome theories of mine. What say you to the pretty Mademoiselle
+      Pauline? Did you admire her much?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is unquestionably very handsome; but, if I must confess it, her
+      manner towards me was too ungracious to make me loud in her praise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I like that, I vow,&rdquo; said Duchesne; &ldquo;that saucy air has an indescribable
+      charm for me. I don't know if it is not the very thing which pleases me
+      most about her. She has been spoiled by flattery and admiration; for her
+      beauty and her fortune are prizes in the great wheel. And that she is
+      aware of the fact is nothing wonderful, considering that she hears it
+      repeated every evening of her life, by every-rank in the service, from a
+      marshal of France down to&mdash;a captain in the <i>chasseurs à cheval</i>,&rdquo;
+       said he, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who, probably, was one of the last to tell her so,&rdquo; said I, looking at
+      him slyly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What have we here?&rdquo; said he, suddenly, without paying any attention to my
+      remark, as he again took up the &ldquo;Moniteur.&rdquo; &ldquo;'It is rumored that the
+      Russian Prince, Drobretski, was dangerously wounded this morning in an
+      affair of honor. The names of the other party and the seconds are still
+      unknown; but the efforts of the police, stimulated by the express command
+      of the Emperor, will, it is to be hoped, succeed in discovering them ere
+      long.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is not that the name of your Russian friend of last night, Duchesne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes. And the same person, too, formerly Russian minister at Madrid, and
+      latterly residing on his parole at Paris,&rdquo; continued he, reading from the
+      paper. &ldquo;'The very decided part his Majesty has taken against the practice
+      of duelling is strengthened on this occasion by a recent order of council
+      respecting the prisoners on parole.' <i>Diable!</i> Burke, what a
+      scrupulous turn Napoleon seems to have taken in regard to these Cossacks!
+      And here follows a long list of witnesses who have seen nothing, and
+      suspicious circumstances that occur every morning in the week without
+      remark. After all, I don't think the Empire has advanced us much on the
+      score of police,&mdash;the same threadbare jests, the same old practical
+      jokes, amused the <i>bourgeoisie</i> in the time of Louis the Fourteenth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don't clearly understand your meaning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is simply this,&mdash;that every Government of France, from Pepin
+      downwards, has understood the value of throwing public interest, from time
+      to time, on a false scent, and to this end has maintained a police. Now,
+      if for any cause his Majesty thought proper to incarcerate that Russian
+      prince in the Temple or La Force, the affair would cause a tremendous
+      sensation in Paris, and soon would ring over the whole of Germany and the
+      rest of Europe, with every variation of despotism, tyranny, and all that,
+      attached to it, long before any advantages to be derived from the step
+      could be realized. Whereas see the effect of an opposite policy. By this
+      report of a duel, for instance,&mdash;I don't mean to assert it false,
+      here,&mdash;the whole object is attained, and an admirable subject of
+      Imperial praise obtained into the bargain. Governments have learned wisdom
+      from the cuttlefish, and can muddy the water on their enemies at the
+      moment of danger. I should not be surprised if the affairs of the Bank
+      looked badly this morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is evident, then, you disbelieve the whole statement about the duel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear friend,&rdquo; said he, smiling, &ldquo;who is there in all Paris, from
+      Montmartre to St. Denis, believes, or disbelieves, any one thing in the
+      times we live in? Have we not trusted so implicitly for years past to the
+      light of our reason that we have actually injured our eyesight with ils
+      brilliancy. Little reproach, indeed, to our minds, when our very senses
+      seem to mislead us; when one sees the people who enter the Tuileries now
+      with embroidered coats, who in our father's days never came nearer to it
+      than the Place de Carrousel. <i>Hélas!</i> it's no time for incredulity,
+      that's certain. But to conclude,&rdquo; said he, turning to the paper once more:
+      &ldquo;'The <i>commissaires de police</i> throughout Paris have received orders
+      to spare no effort to unravel the mystery and detect the other parties in
+      this unhappy affair.' Military tribunal; prisoners on parole; rights of
+      hospitality; honor of France; and the old peroration,&mdash;the usual
+      compliment on the wisdom which presides over every department of state.
+      How weary I do become of all this! Let your barber puff his dye for the
+      whiskers, or your bootmaker the incomparable effulgence of his blacking,&mdash;the
+      thing is in keeping, no one objects to it. I don't find fault with my old
+      friend, Pigault Lebrun, if he now and then plays the critic on himself,
+      and shows the world the beauties they neglectfully slurred over. But,
+      Burke, have you ever seen a <i>bureau de police?</i>&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never; and I have the greatest curiosity to do so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, then, I 'll be your guide. The <i>commissaire</i> of this quarter
+      has a very extended jurisdiction, stretching away towards the Bois de
+      Boulogne, and if there be anything in this report, he is certain to know
+      it; and assuredly, no other topic will be talked of till to-morrow
+      evening, for it's not Opera night, and Talma does not play either.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I willingly accepted this proposition; and when our breakfast was over, we
+      mounted our horses, and set out for the place in question.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If the forms of justice where we are now going,&rdquo; said Duchesne, &ldquo;be
+      divested of much of their pomp and ceremony, be assured of one thing,&mdash;it
+      is not at the expense of the more material essence. Of all the police
+      tribunals about Paris, this obscure den in the Bue de Dix Sous is the most
+      effective. Situated in a quarter where crime is as rife as fever in the
+      Pontine Marshes, it has become acquainted with the haunts and habits of
+      the lowest class in Paris,&mdash;the lowest class, probably, in any city
+      of Europe. Watching with parental solicitude, it tracks the criminal from
+      his first step in vice to his last deed in crime; from his petty theft to
+      his murder. Knowing the necessities to which poverty impels men, and
+      studying with attention the impulses that grow up amid despair and hunger,
+      it sees motives through a mist of intervening circumstances that would
+      baffle less subtle observers, and can trace the tortuous windings of crime
+      where no other sight could find the clew. Is it not strange to think with
+      what ingenuity men will investigate the minute anatomy of vice, and how
+      little they will do to apply this knowledge to its remedy? Like the
+      surgeon, enamored of his operating skill, he would rather exhibit his
+      dexterity in the amputation, than his science in the saving, of the limb.
+      Such is the bureau of the police in the poorer quarters. In the more
+      fashionable ones it takes a higher flight; amusing the world with its
+      scenes, alternately humorous and pathetic, it forms a kind of feature in
+      the literature of the period, and is the only reading of thousands. In
+      these places the <i>commissaire</i> is usually a <i>bon vivant</i> and a
+      wit; despising the miserable function of administering the law, he takes
+      his seat upon the bench to cap jokes with the witnesses, puzzle the
+      complainant, and embarrass the prisoner. To the reporters alone is he
+      civil; and in return, his poor witticisms appear in the morning papers,
+      with the usual 'loud laughter' that never existed save in type.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As we thus chatted, we entered a quarter of dirty and narrow streets,
+      inhabited by a poor-looking, squalid population. The women, with little to
+      mark their sex in their coarse, heavy countenances, wore colored kerchiefs
+      on their heads in lieu of a cap, and were for the most part without shoes
+      or stockings. The men, a brutalized, stupid race, sat smoking in the
+      doorways, scarcely lifting their eyes as we passed; or some were eating a
+      coarse morsel of black rye bread, which, by their eagerness in devouring
+      it, seemed an unusual delicacy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You scarcely believed there was such poverty in Paris,&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;but
+      this is by no means the worst of the quarter. Though M. de Champagny, in
+      his late report, makes no mention of these 'signs of prosperity,' we are
+      now entering the region where, even in noonday, the passage is deemed
+      perilous; but the number of police agents on duty to-day will make the
+      journey a safe one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The street we entered at the moment consisted of a mass of tall houses,
+      almost falling from decay and neglect,&mdash;scarcely a window remained in
+      many of them; while in front, a row of miserable booths, formed of rude
+      planks, narrowed the passage to a mere path, scarce wide enough for three
+      people abreast. There, vice of every description, and drunkenness, waited
+      not for the dark hours to shroud them, but came forth in the sunlight,&mdash;the
+      ruffian shouts of intoxication mingling with the almost maniacal laugh of
+      misery or the reckless chorus of some degrading song. Half-naked wretches
+      leaned from the windows as we passed along,&mdash;some staring in stupid
+      wonderment at our appearance; others saluting us with mockery and grimace,
+      or even calling out to us in the slang dialect of the place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Duchesne, as he saw the expression of horror and disgust the
+      scene impressed on me, &ldquo;here are the rotting seeds of revolutions
+      putrefying, to germinate at some future day. Starvation and vice, misery,
+      even to despair, inhabit every den around you. The furious and
+      bloodthirsty wretch of '92, the Chouan, the Jacobite, the escaped
+      galley-slave, the untaken murderer, are here side by side,&mdash;crime
+      their great bond of union. To this place men come for an assassin or a
+      false witness, as to a market. Such are the wrecks the retiring waves of a
+      Revolution have left us. So long as the trade of blood lasted, openly,
+      like vultures, they fattened on it; but once the reign of order restored,
+      they were driven to murder and outrage as a livelihood.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While he was speaking, we approached a narrow arched passage, within which
+      a flight of stone steps arose. &ldquo;We dismount here,&rdquo; said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the same moment a group of ragged creatures, of every age, surrounded
+      us to hold our horses, not noticing the orderly who rode at some distance
+      behind us. I followed Duchesne up the steps, and along a gloomy corridor,
+      to a little courtyard, where several dismounted gendarmes were standing in
+      a circle, chatting. Passing through this, we entered a dirty, mean-looking
+      house, around the door of which several people were collected, some of
+      whom saluted the chevalier as he came up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who are these fellows?&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;They seem to know you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! nothing but the common police spies,&rdquo; said he, carelessly; &ldquo;the
+      fellows who lounge about the cabarets and the low gambling-houses. But
+      here comes one of higher mark.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, he laid his hand on the arm of a tall, powerful-looking man,
+      in a blouse; he wore immense whiskers, and a great beard, descending far
+      below his chin. &ldquo;Ah! Bocquin, what have we got going forward to-day? I
+      came to show a young friend here the interior of your <i>salle</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur le Capitaine, your most obedient,&rdquo; said the man, in a deep
+      voice, as he removed his casquette, and bowed ceremoniously to us; &ldquo;and
+      yours also, Monsieur,&rdquo; added he, turning to me. &ldquo;Why, there is nothing to
+      speak of, save that duel, Capitaine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, Bocquin; no nonsense with me. What was that story got up
+      for?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! you mistake there,&rdquo; said Bocquin. &ldquo;By Jove! there's a man badly
+      wounded, shot through the neck, and no one to tell a word about it. No
+      seconds present, the thing done quite privately; the wounded man left at
+      his own door, and the other off,&mdash;Heaven knows where.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you believe this tale, Bocquin?&rdquo; said Duchesne, superciliously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Believe it!&mdash;that I do. I have been to see the place where the man
+      lay; and by tracking the wheel marks, I have discovered they came from the
+      Champs Élysées. The cabriolet, too, was a private one; no <i>fiacre</i>
+      has got so narrow a tire to the wheel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Closely followed up,&mdash;eh, Burke?&rdquo; said the chevalier, turning
+      towards me with a smile of admiration at his sagacity. &ldquo;Go on, Bocquin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I followed the scent to the Barrière de l'Étoile, where I learned
+      that one cabriolet passed towards the Bois de Boulogne, and returned in
+      about half an hour. As the pace was a sharp one, I guessed they could not
+      have gone far, and so I turned into the wood at the first road to the
+      right, where there is least recourse of people; and, by Jove! I was all
+      correct. There, in a small open space between the trees, I saw the marks
+      of recent footsteps, and a little farther on found the grass all covered
+      with blood.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur Bocquin! Monsieur Bocquin! the <i>commissaire</i> wants you,&rdquo;
+       cried a voice from the landing of the stair; and with an apology for
+      leaving thus suddenly, he turned away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We followed, however, curious to hear the remainder of this singular
+      history; and, after some difficulty, succeeded in gaining admittance to a
+      small room, now densely crowded with people, the most of whom were of the
+      very lowest class. The <i>commissaire</i> speedily made place for us
+      beside him on the bench; for, like every one else in a conspicuous
+      position, he also was an acquaintance of Duchesne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While the <i>commissaire</i> conversed with Bocquin in a low tone, we had
+      time to observe the <i>salle</i> and its occupants. Except the witnesses,
+      two or three of whom were respectable persons, they were the
+      squalid-looking, ragged wretches of the quarter, listening with the greedy
+      appetite of crime to any tale of bloodshed. The surgeon, who had just
+      returned from visiting the wounded man, was waiting to be examined. To him
+      now the <i>commissaire</i> directed his attention. It appeared that the
+      wound was by no means of the dangerous character described, being merely
+      through the fleshy portion of the neck, without injuring any part of
+      importance. Having described circumstantially the extent of the injury and
+      its probable cause, he replied to a question of the <i>commissaire</i>,
+      that no entreaty could persuade the wounded man to give any explanation of
+      the occurrence, nor mention the name of his adversary. Duchesne paid
+      little apparent attention to the evidence, and before it was concluded,
+      asked me if I were satisfied with my police experience, and disposed to
+      move away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just at this moment there was a stir among the people round the door, and
+      we heard the officers of the court cry out, &ldquo;Room! make way there!&rdquo; and
+      the same moment General Duroc entered, accompanied by an aide-de-camp. He
+      had been sent specially by the Emperor to ascertain what progress the
+      investigation had made. His Majesty had determined to push the inquiry to
+      its utmost limits. The general appeared dissatisfied with the little
+      prospect there appeared of elucidation; and turning to Duchesne, remarked,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is peculiarly ill-timed just now, as negotiations are pending with
+      Russia, and the prince's family are about the person of the Czar.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But as the wound would seem of little consequence, in a few days perhaps
+      the whole thing may blow over,&rdquo; said Duchesne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is for that very reason,&rdquo; replied Duroc, earnestly, &ldquo;that we are
+      pressed for time. The object is to mark the sentiments of his Majesty <i>now</i>.
+      Should the prince be once pronounced out of danger, it will be too late
+      for sympathy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I perceive,&rdquo; said Duchesne, smiling; &ldquo;your observation is most just.
+      If my friend here, however, cannot put you on the track, I fear you have
+      little to hope for elsewhere.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am aware of that; and Monsieur Cauchois knows the great reliance his
+      Majesty reposes in his skill and activity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Monsieur Cauchois, the <i>commissaire</i>, bowed with a most respectful
+      air at the compliment, probably of all others the highest that could be
+      paid him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A brilliant soirée we had last evening, Duchesne,&rdquo; said the general. &ldquo;I
+      hope this unhappy affair will not close that house at present; you are
+      aware the prince is the suitor of mademoiselle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I only suspected as much,&rdquo; said the chevalier, with a peculiar smile; &ldquo;it
+      was my first evening there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As General Duroc addressed a few words in a low tone to the <i>commissaire</i>,
+      the man called Bocquin approached the bench, and handed up a small slip of
+      paper to Duchesne. The chevalier opened it, and having thrown his eyes
+      over it, passed it into my hand. All I could see were two words, written
+      coarsely with the pencil,&mdash;&ldquo;How much?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The chevalier turned the back of the paper, and wrote, &ldquo;Fifty napoleons.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On reading which the large man tore the scrap, and nodding slightly with
+      his head, sauntered from the room. We rose a few moments after, and having
+      taken a formal leave of the general and the <i>commissaire</i>, proceeded
+      towards the street, where we had left our horses. As we passed along the
+      corridor, however, we found Bocquin awaiting us. He opened a door into a
+      small, mean-looking apartment, of which he appeared the owner. Having
+      ushered us in, and cautiously closed it behind him, he drew from his
+      pocket a piece of cloth, to which a button and a piece of gold embroidery
+      were attached.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your jacket would be spoiled without this morsel, Captain,&rdquo; said he,
+      laughing, in a low, dry laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So it would, Bocquin,&rdquo; said Duchesne, examining his coat, which I now
+      perceived was torn on the shoulder, and a small piece&mdash;the exact one
+      in his hand&mdash;wanting, but which had escaped my attention from the
+      mass of gold lace and embroidery with which it was covered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know, Bocquin,&rdquo; said Duchesne, in a tone much graver than he had
+      used before, &ldquo;I never noticed that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i> I believe you,&rdquo; said he, laughing; &ldquo;nor did I, till you
+      sat on the bench, when I was so pleased with your coolness, I could not
+      for the life of me interrupt you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you got any money, Burke?&rdquo; said the chevalier; &ldquo;some twenty gold
+      pieces&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, Captain,&rdquo; said Bocquin, &ldquo;not now; another time. I must call upon
+      you one of these mornings about another affair, and it will be time enough
+      then.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you please, Bocquin,&rdquo; said the chevalier, putting up his purse again;
+      &ldquo;and so, till we meet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Till we meet, gentlemen,&rdquo; replied the other, as he bowed us respectfully
+      to the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You seem to have but a very faint comprehension of all this, Burke,&rdquo; said
+      Duchesne, as he took my arm; &ldquo;you look confoundedly puzzled, I must say.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I didn't, I should be an admirable actor, that's all,&rdquo; said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, I think the thing is plain enough, in all conscience; Bocquin found
+      that piece of my jacket on the ground, and, of course, the affair was in
+      his hands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, do you mean to say&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That I shot Monsieur le Prince this morning, at a quarter past seven
+      o'clock, and felt devilish uncomfortable about it till the last ten
+      minutes, my boy. If I did not confide the matter to you before, it was
+      because that until all chance of detection was passed, I could not expose
+      you to the risk of an examination before the <i>préfet de police</i>.
+      Happily, now these dangers are all over. Bocquin is too clever a fellow
+      not to throw all the other spies on a wrong scent, so that we need have no
+      fear of the result.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I could scarcely credit the evidence of my senses at the coolness and
+      duplicity of the chevalier throughout an affair of such imminent risk, nor
+      was I less astonished at the account he gave of the whole proceeding.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One word, on leaving the soirée, had decided there should be a meeting the
+      following day; and as the Russian well knew the danger of his adventure,
+      from the law which was recently passed regarding prisoners on parole, he
+      proposed they should meet without seconds on either side. Duchesne
+      acceded; and it was arranged that the chevalier should drive along the Bue
+      de Rivoli at seven the next morning, where the Russian would join him, and
+      they should drive together to the Bois de Boulogne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To do my Cossack justice,&rdquo; said Duchesne, &ldquo;he behaved admirably
+      throughout the whole affair; and on taking his place beside me in the cab,
+      entered into conversation freely and easily on the topics of the day. We
+      chatted of the campaign; of the cavalry; of the Russian service,&mdash;their
+      size and equipment, only needing a higher organization to make them
+      first-rate troops. We spoke of the Emperor Alexander, of whom he was
+      evidently proud, and much pleased to hear the favorable opinion Napoleon
+      entertained of his ability and capacity; and it was in the middle of an
+      anecdote about Savary and the Czar we arrived at the Bois de Boulogne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I need not tell you the details of the affair, save that we loaded our
+      own pistols, and stepped the ground ourselves. They were like other things
+      of the same sort,&mdash;the first shot concluded the matter. I aimed at
+      his shoulder, but the pistol threw high. As to his bullet, it was only
+      awhile ago I knew it went so near me. It was nervous work passing the <i>barrière</i>;
+      for had he not made an effort to sit up straight in the cab, the sentry
+      might have detained and examined us. All that you heard about his being
+      left at his own door, covered with blood and fainting, I need not tell you
+      has no truth. I never left the spot till the door was opened, and I saw
+      him in the hands of a servant. Of course I concealed my face, and then
+      drove off at full speed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time we arrived at the Luxembourg, and Duchesne, with all the
+      coolness in the world, joined a knot of persons engaged in discussing the
+      duel, and endeavoring, by sundry clever and ingenious explanations, to
+      account for the circumstance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I sauntered along to my quarters, I pondered over the adventure and the
+      character of the chevalier; and however I might turn the matter in my
+      mind, one thought was ever uppermost,&mdash;a sincere wish that I had not
+      been made his confidant in the secret.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XII. THE RETURN OF THE WOUNDED
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      A few mornings after this occurrence, when, as Duchesne himself
+      prophesied, all memory of it was completely forgotten, the <i>ordre du
+      jour</i> from the Tuileries commanded all the troops then garrisoned in
+      Paris to be under arms at an early hour in the Champs Élysées, when the
+      Emperor would pass them in review. The spectacle had, however, another
+      object, which was not generally known. The convoys of the wounded from
+      Austerlitz were that same day to arrive at Paris, and the display of
+      troops was intended at once to honor this <i>entrée</i>, and give to the
+      sad procession of the maimed and dying the semblance of a triumph. Such
+      were the artful devices which ever ministered to the deceit of the nation,
+      and suffered them to look on but one side of their glory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I anticipated, the chevalier was greatly out of temper at the whole of
+      this proceeding. He detested nothing more than those military displays
+      which are got up for the populace; he despised the exhibition of troops to
+      the vulgar and unmeaning criticism of tailors and barbers; and, more than
+      all, he shrank from the companionship of the National Guard of Paris,&mdash;those
+      shop-keeping soldiers, with their umbrellas and spectacles, who figured
+      with such pride on these occasions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Another affair like this,&rdquo; said he, passionately, &ldquo;and I'd resign my
+      commission. A procession at the Porte St. Martin,&mdash;the <i>boeuf gras</i>
+      on Easter Monday,&mdash;I'm your man for either: but to sit bolt upright
+      on your saddle for three, maybe four hours; to be stared at by every <i>bourgeois</i>
+      from the Rue du Bac; to be pointed at with pink parasols and compared with
+      some ribbon-vender of the Boulevards,&mdash;<i>par Saint Louis!</i> I
+      can't even bear to think of it! Look yonder,&rdquo; said he, pointing to the
+      court of the Palace, where already a regiment was drawn up under arms, and
+      passing in inspection before the colonel; &ldquo;there begins the
+      dress-rehearsal already. His Majesty says mid-day; the generals of
+      division draw out their men at eleven o'clock; the colonels take a look at
+      their corps at ten; the <i>chefs de bataillon</i> at nine; and, <i>parbleu!</i>the
+      corporals are at work by daybreak. Then, what confounded drilling and
+      dressing up, as if Napoleon could detect the slightest waving of the line
+      over two leagues of ground; while you see the luckless adjutants flying
+      hither and thither, cursing, imprecating, and threatening, and hastily
+      reiterating at the head of each company, 'Remember, men, be sure to
+      remember, that when the drums beat to arms, you shout &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo;'
+      Rely upon it, Burke, if we had but one half of these preparations before a
+      battle, we 'd not be the dangerous fellows those Russians and Austrians
+      think us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;you shall not persuade me that the soldiers feel no
+      pride on these occasions. The same men who fight so valiantly for their
+      Emperor&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stop there, I beg of you,&rdquo; said he, bursting into a fit of laughter. &ldquo;I
+      must really cry halt now. So long as you live, my dear friend, let nothing
+      induce you to repeat that worn cant, 'Fight for their Emperor!' Why, they
+      fought as bravely for Turenne, and Villars, and Maréchal Saxe; they were
+      as full of courage under Moreau, and Kleber, and Desaix, and Hoche; ay,
+      and will be again when the Emperor is no more, and Heaven knows who stands
+      in his place. The genius of a French army is fighting, not for gain, nor
+      plunder, nor even for glory, so much as for fighting itself; and he is the
+      best man who gives them most of it. What reduced the reckless hordes of
+      the Revolution to habits of discipline and obedience but the warlike
+      spirit of their leaders, whose bravery they respected? And think you
+      Napoleon himself does not feel this in his heart, and know the necessity
+      of continual war to feed the insatiable appetite of his followers? In a
+      word, my friend,&rdquo; added he, in a tone of mock solemnity, &ldquo;we are a great
+      people; and Nature intended us to be so by giving us a language in which
+      <i>Gloire</i> rhymes with <i>Victoire</i>. And now for the march, for I
+      fancy we are late enough already.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      There are few sources of annoyance more poignant than to discover any
+      illusion we have long indulged in assailed by the sneers and sarcasms of
+      another, who assumes a tone of superior wisdom on the faith of a
+      difference of opinion. The mass of our likings and dislikings find their
+      way into our heart more from impulse than reason, and when attacked are
+      scarcely defensible by any effort of the understanding. This very fact
+      renders us more painfully alive to their preservation, and we shrink
+      instinctively from any discussion of them. While such is the case, we feel
+      more bitterly the cruelty of him who, out of mere wantonness, can sport
+      with the sources of our happiness, and assail the hidden stores of so many
+      of our pleasures; for unhappily the mockery once listened to lies
+      associated with the idea forever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Already had Duchesne stripped me of more than one delusion, and made me
+      feel that I was but indulging in a deceptive happiness in my dream of
+      life; and often did I regret that I ever knew him. It is not enough to
+      feel the sophistry of one's adversary, you should be able to detect and
+      expose it, otherwise the triumphant tone he assumes gives him an air of
+      victory which ends by imposing on yourself. And of this I now felt
+      convinced in my own case.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These thoughts rendered me silent as we wended our way towards the
+      Tuileries, where the various officers of the staff and the <i>corps
+      d'élite</i> were assembled. Here we found several of the marshals in
+      waiting for the Emperor, while the Mameluke Guard, in all the splendor of
+      its gay equipments, stood around the great entrance to the Palace. Many
+      handsome equipages were also there; one, conspicuous above the rest for
+      its livery of white and gold, with four outriders, belonged to Madame
+      Murat, the Grand-Duchess of Berg, whose taste for splendor and show
+      extended to every department of her household.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last there was a movement in those nearest the Palace; the drums beat
+      to arms, the guard within the vestibule presented, and the Emperor
+      appeared, followed by a brilliant staff. He stood for a few seconds on the
+      steps, his hands clasped behind his back, and his head a little bent
+      forwards as if in thought; then, drawing himself up, he looked with a gaze
+      of proud composure on the crowd that filled the court of the Palace, and
+      where now all was silent and still. Never before had I remarked the same
+      imperious expression of his features; but as his eye ranged over the
+      brilliant array, now I could read the innate consciousness of superiority
+      in which he excelled. Ney, Murat, Victor, Bessières,&mdash;how little
+      seemed they all before that mighty genius, whose glory they but reflected!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Oh, how lightly then did I deem the mocking jests of Duchesne, or all that
+      his sarcasm could invent! There stood the conqueror of Italy and Egypt,
+      the victor of Marengo and Austerlitz, looking every inch a monarch and a
+      soldier. Whether from thoughtless inattention or studied affectation I
+      cannot say, but at that moment, when all stood in respectful silence
+      before the Emperor, Duchesne had approached the grille of the Palace, next
+      to the Place du Carrousel, and was busily chatting with a pretty-looking
+      girl, who, with a number of others, sat in a hired calèche. A hearty burst
+      of laughter at something he said rang through the court, and turned every
+      eye in that direction. In an instant the Emperor's eagle glance pierced
+      the distance, and fastened on the chevalier, who, seated carelessly on one
+      side of his saddle, paid no attention to what was going forward; when
+      suddenly an aide-de-camp touched him on the arm, and said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur le Capitaine Duchesne, his Majesty the Emperor would speak with
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Duchesne turned; a faint, a very faint flush, covered his cheek, and
+      putting spurs to his horse, he galloped up to the front of the terrace,
+      where the Emperor was standing. From the distance at which I stood, to
+      hear what passed was impossible; but I watched with a most painful
+      interest the scene before me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Emperor's attitude was unchanged as the chevalier rode up; and when
+      Duchesne himself seemed to listen with a respectful manner to the words of
+      his Majesty, I could see by his easy bearing that his self-possession had
+      never deserted him. The interview lasted not many minutes, when the
+      Emperor waved his hand haughtily; and the chevalier, saluting with his
+      sabre, backed his horse some paces, and then, wheeling round, rapidly
+      galloped towards the gate, through which he passed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This evening, then, Mademoiselle,&rdquo; said he, with a smile, &ldquo;I hope to have
+      the honor.&rdquo; And, with a courteous bow, rode on towards the archway opening
+      on the quay.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What has happened?&rdquo; said I, eagerly, to the officer at my side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He shook his head as if doubtful, and half fearing even to whisper at the
+      moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His privilege of the <i>élite</i> is withdrawn, sir,&rdquo; said an old general
+      officer. &ldquo;He must leave Paris to join his regiment in twenty-four hours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor fellow!&rdquo; muttered I, half aloud, when a savage frown from the
+      veteran officer corrected my words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, sir!&rdquo; said he, in a low voice, where every word was thickened to a
+      guttural sound&mdash;&ldquo;what, sir! is the court of the Tuileries no more
+      than a canteen or a bivouac? <i>Pardieu!</i> if it was not for his laced
+      jacket he had been degraded to the ranks; ay, and deserved it too!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The coarse accents and underbred tone of the speaker showed me at once
+      that it was one of the old generals of the Republican army, who never
+      could endure the descendants of aristocratic families in the service, and
+      who were too willing always to attribute to insolence and premeditated
+      affront even the slightest breaches of military etiquette.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile the Emperor mounted, and accompanied by the officers of his
+      staff, rode forward towards the Champs Élysées, while all of lesser note
+      followed at a distance. From the garden of the Tuileries to the Barrière
+      de l'Étoile the troops were ranged in four lines, the cavalry of the Guard
+      and the artillery forming the ranks along the road by which the convoy
+      must pass. It was a bright day, with a clear, frosty atmosphere and a blue
+      sky, and well suited the brilliant spectacle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had the Emperor issued from the Tuileries, when ten thousand
+      shouts of &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; rent the air; the cannon of the Invalides
+      thundered forth at the same moment; and the crash of the military bands
+      added their clangor to the sounds of joy. He rode slowly along the line,
+      stopping frequently to speak with some of the soldiers, and giving orders
+      to his suite concerning them. Of the officers in his staff that day, the
+      greater number had been wounded at Austerlitz, and still bore the traces
+      of their injuries. Rapp displayed a tremendous scar from a sabre across
+      his cheek; Sebastiani wore his sword-arm in a sling; and Friant, unable to
+      mount his horse, followed the Emperor on foot, leaning on a stick, and
+      walking with great difficulty. The sight of these brave men, whose
+      devotion to Napoleon had been proved on so many battlefields, added to the
+      interest of the scene, and tended to excite popular enthusiasm to its
+      utmost. But on Napoleon still all eyes were bent. The general who led
+      their armies to victory, the monarch who raised France to the proudest
+      place among the nations, was there, within a few paces of them. Each word
+      he spoke was sinking deeply into some heart, prouder of that moment than
+      of rank or riches.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So slow was the Emperor's progress along the ranks that it was near three
+      o'clock before he had arrived at the extremity of the line. The cavalry
+      were now ordered to form in squadrons, and move past in close order. While
+      this movement was effecting, a cannon-shot at the <i>barrière</i>
+      announced the approach of the convoy. The cavalry were halted in line once
+      more, and the same moment the first wagon of the train appeared above the
+      summit of the hill. So secretly had the whole been managed that none, save
+      the officers of the various staffs, knew what was coming. While each look
+      was turned, then, towards the <i>barrière</i> in astonishment, gradually
+      the wagon rolled on, another followed, and another: these were, however,
+      but the ambulances of the hospitals. And now the wounded themselves came
+      in sight,&mdash;a white flag, that well-known signal, waving in front of
+      each wagon, while a guard of honor, consisting of picked men of the
+      different regiments, rode at either side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One loud cheer&mdash;a shout echoed back from the Tuileries itself&mdash;rang
+      out, as the soldiers saw their brave companions restored to them once
+      more. With that impulse which, even in discipline, French soldiers never
+      forget, the men rushed forward to the wagons, and in a moment officers and
+      men were in the arms of their comrades. What a scene it was to see the
+      poor and wasted forms, mangled by shot and maimed of limb, brightening up
+      again as home and friends surrounded them,&mdash;to hear their faint
+      voices mingle with the questions for this one or for that, while the fate
+      of some brave fellow met but one word in elegy!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On they passed,&mdash;a sad train, but full of glorious memories. There
+      were the grenadiers of Oudinot, who carried the Russian centre; eleven
+      wagons were filled with their wounded. Here come the voltigeurs of
+      Bernadotte's brigade; see how the fellows preserve their ancient repute,
+      cheering and laughing,&mdash;ever the same, whether roistering at midnight
+      in the Faubourg St. Antoine or rushing madly upon the ranks of the enemy!
+      There are the dragoons of Nansouty, who charged the Imperial Guard of
+      Russia; see the proud line that floats on their banner, &ldquo;All wounded by
+      the sabre!&rdquo; And here come the cuirassiers of the Guard, with a detachment
+      of their own as escort; how splendidly they look in the bright sun, and
+      how proudly they come!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I looked, the Emperor rode forward, bareheaded, his whole staff
+      uncovered. &ldquo;Chapeau bas, Messieurs!&rdquo; said he, in a loud voice. &ldquo;Honor to
+      the brave in misfortune!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Just then the escort halted, and I heard a laugh in front, close to where
+      the Emperor was standing; but from the crowded staff around him, could not
+      see what was going forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it?&rdquo; said I, curious to learn the least incident of the scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Advance a pace or two, Captain,&rdquo; said the young officer I addressed; &ldquo;you
+      can see it all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I did so, and then beheld&mdash;oh, with what delight and surprise!&mdash;my
+      poor friend, Pioche, seated on the driving-seat of a gun, with his hand in
+      salute as the Emperor spoke to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou wilt not have promotion, nor a pension. What, then, can I do for
+      thee?&rdquo; said Napoleon, smiling. &ldquo;Hast any friend in the service whom I
+      could advance for thy sake?»
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; said Pioche, scratching his forehead, with a sort
+      of puzzle and confusion even the Emperor smiled at, &ldquo;I have a friend. But
+      mayhap those wouldn't like&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ask me for nothing thou thinkest I could not, ought not to grant,&rdquo; said
+      the Emperor, sternly. &ldquo;What is't now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The poor corporal seemed thoroughly nonplussed, and for a second or two
+      could not reply. At last, as if summoning all his courage for the effort,
+      he said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, thou canst but refuse, and then the fault will be all thine. She is
+      a brave girl, and had she been a man&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whom can he mean?&rdquo; said Napoleon. &ldquo;Is the man's head wandering?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, <i>mon général!</i> all right there; that shell has turned many a
+      sabre's edge. I was talking of Minette, the vivandière of ours. If thou
+      art so bent on doing me a service, why, promote <i>her</i>, and thou'lt
+      make the whole regiment proud of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This speech was lost in the laugh which, beginning with the Emperor,
+      extended to the staff, and at last to all the bystanders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dost wish I should make her one of my aides-de-camp?&rdquo; said Napoleon,
+      still laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i> thou hast more ill-favored ones among them,&rdquo; said Pioche,
+      with a significant look at the grim faces of Rapp and Dam, whose hard and
+      weather-beaten features never deigned a smile, while every other face was
+      moved in laughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But thou hast not said yet what I am to do,&rdquo; rejoined the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou used not to be so hard to understand,&rdquo; grumbled out Pioche. &ldquo;I have
+      seen the time thou 'd have said, 'Is it Minette that was wounded at the
+      Adige? Is that the girl stood in the square at Marengo? <i>Parbleu!</i> I
+      'll give her the cross of the Legion!'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And she shall have it, Corporal Pioche,&rdquo; said Napoleon, as he detached
+      the decoration he wore on the breast of his coat. &ldquo;Give the order for the
+      vivandière to advance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarce were the words spoken, when the sound of a horse pressed to his
+      speed was heard, and mounted upon a small but showy Arab, a present from
+      the regiment, Minette rode up, in the bloom of health, and flushed by
+      exercise and the excitement of the moment. I never saw her look so
+      handsome. Reining in her horse short, as she came in front of the Emperor,
+      the animal reared up, almost straight, and pawed the air with his
+      forelegs; while she, with all the composure in life, raised her hand to
+      her cap, and saluted the Emperor with an action the most easy and
+      graceful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou hast some yonder,&rdquo; said Pioche, with a grim smile at the staff,
+      &ldquo;would be sore puzzled to keep their saddles as well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0008" id="linkimage-0008">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/170.jpg" alt="Minnette 170 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0009" id="linkimage-0009">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page105.jpg" alt="Browneminnette105 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette,&rdquo; said the Emperor, while he gazed on her handsome features with
+      evident pleasure, &ldquo;your name is well known to me for many actions of
+      kindness and self-devotion. Wear this cross of the Legion of Honor; you
+      will not value it the less that until now it has been only worn by me.
+      Whenever you find one worthy to be your husband, Minette, I will charge
+      myself with the dowry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Sire!&rdquo; said the trembling girl, as she pressed the Emperor's fingers
+      to her lips,&mdash;&ldquo;oh, Sire, is this real?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; said Pioche, wiping a large tear from his eye as he
+      spoke; &ldquo;he can make thee be a man, and make me feel like a girl.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As Duroc attached the cross to the buttonhole of the vivandière's frock,
+      she sat pale as death, totally overcome by her sensations of pride, and
+      unable to say more than &ldquo;Oh, Sire!&rdquo; which she repeated three or four times
+      at intervals.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Again the procession moved on; other wagons followed with their brave
+      fellows; but all the interest of the scene was now, for me at least,
+      wrapped up in that one incident, and I took but little notice of the rest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For full two hours the cortege continued to roll on,&mdash;wagon after
+      wagon, filled with the shattered remnants of an army. Yet such was the
+      indomitable spirit of the people, such the heartfelt passion for glory,
+      all deemed that procession the proudest triumph of their arms. Nor was
+      this feeling confined to the spectators; the wounded themselves leaned
+      eagerly over the sides of the <i>charrettes</i> to gaze into the crowds on
+      either side, seeking some old familiar face, and looking through all their
+      sufferings proudly on the dense mob beneath them. Some tried to cheer, and
+      waved their powerless hands; but others, faint and heart-sick, turned
+      their glazed eyes towards the &ldquo;Invalides,&rdquo; whose lofty dome appeared above
+      the trees, as though to say, that was now their resting-place,&mdash;the
+      only one before the grave.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He who witnessed that day could have little doubt about the guiding spirit
+      of the French nation; nor could he distrust their willingness to sacrifice
+      anything&mdash;nay, all&mdash;to national glory. Suffering and misery,
+      wounds, ghastly and dreadful, were on every side; and yet not one word of
+      pity, not a look of compassion was there. These men were, in <i>their</i>
+      eyes, far too highly placed for sympathy; theirs was that path to which
+      all aspired, and their trophies were their own worn frames and mangled
+      bodies. And then how they brightened up as the Emperor would draw near!
+      how even the faintest would strive to catch his eye and gaze with parted
+      lips on him as he spoke, as though drinking in his very words,&mdash;the
+      balm to their bruised hearts,&mdash;and the faint cry of &ldquo;l'Empereur!
+      l'Empereur!&rdquo; passed like a murmur along the line.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not until the last wagon had defiled before him did the Emperor leave the
+      ground. It was then nearly dark, and already the lamps were lighted along
+      the quays, and the windows of the Palace displayed the brilliant lustre of
+      the preparations for a grand dinner to the marshals.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we moved slowly along in close order, I found myself among a group of
+      officers of the Emperor's staffs eagerly discussing the day and its
+      events.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am sorry for Duchesne,&rdquo; said one; &ldquo;with all his impertinences&mdash;and
+      he had enough of them&mdash;he was a brave fellow, and a glorious leader
+      at a moment of difficulty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well, the Emperor has perhaps forgiven him by this time; and it is
+      not likely he would mar the happiness of a day like this by disgracing an
+      officer of the <i>élite</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are wrong, my friend; his Majesty is not sorry for the occasion which
+      can prove that he knows as well how to punish as to reward. Duchesne's
+      fate is sealed. You are not old enough to remember, as I can, the morning
+      at Lonado, where the same <i>ardre du jour</i> conferred a mark of honor
+      on one brother, and condemned another to be shot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And was this, indeed, the case?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, was it. Many can tell you of it, as well as myself. They were both in
+      the same regiment&mdash;the fifteenth demi-brigade of light infantry. They
+      held a château at Salo against the enemy for eight hours, when at length
+      the elder, who commanded at the front, capitulated and laid down his arms;
+      the younger refused to comply, and continued to fight. They were
+      reinforced an hour afterwards, and the Austrians beaten off. The day after
+      they were both tried, and the result was as I have told you; the utmost
+      favor the younger could obtain was, not to witness the execution of his
+      brother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As I heard this story, my very blood curdled in my veins, and I looked
+      with a kind of dread on him who now rode a few paces in front of me,&mdash;the
+      stern and pitiless Napoleon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last we entered the court of the Tuileries, when the Emperor,
+      dismissing his staff, entered the Palace, and we separated, to follow our
+      own plans for the evening. For a moment or two I remained uncertain which
+      way to turn. I wished much to see Duchesne, yet scarcely hoped to meet
+      with him by returning to the Luxembourg. It was not the time to be away
+      from him, at a moment like this, and I resolved to seek him out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For above an hour I went from café to café, where he was in the habit of
+      resorting, but to no purpose. He had not been seen in any of them during
+      the day; so that at length I turned homeward with the faint hope that I
+      should see him there on my arrival.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Somehow I never had felt more sad and depressed; and the events of the
+      day, so far from making me participate in the general joy, had left me
+      gloomy and desponding. My spirit was little in harmony with the gay and
+      merry groups that passed along the streets, chanting their campaigning
+      songs, and usually having some old soldier of the &ldquo;Guard&rdquo; amongst them;
+      for they felt it as a fête, and were hurrying to the cabarets to celebrate
+      the day of Austerlitz.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIII. THE CHEVALIER.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      When men of high courage and proud hearts meet with reverses in life, our
+      anxiety is rather to learn what new channel their thoughts and exertions
+      will take in future, than to hear how they have borne up under misfortune.
+      I knew Duchesne too well to suppose that any turn of fate would find him
+      wholly unprepared; but still, a public reprimand, and from the lips of the
+      Emperor, too, was of a nature to wound him to the quick, and I could not
+      guess, nor picture to myself in what way he would bear it. The loss of
+      grade itself was a thing of consequence, as the service of the <i>élite</i>
+      was reckoned a certain promotion; not to speak of&mdash;what to him was
+      far more important&mdash;the banishment from Paris and its <i>salons</i>
+      to some gloomy and distant encampment. In speculations like these I
+      returned to my quarters, where I was surprised to discover that the
+      chevalier had not been since morning. I learned from his servant that he
+      had dismissed him, with his horses, soon after leaving the Tuileries, and
+      had not returned home from that time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I dined alone that day, and sat moodily by myself, thinking over the
+      events of the morning, and wondering what had become of my friend, and
+      watching every sound that might tell of his coming. It is true there were
+      many things I liked not in Duchesne: his cold, sardonic spirit, his <i>moqueur</i>
+      temperament, chilled and repelled me; but I recognized, even through his
+      own efforts at concealment, a manly tone of independence, a vigorous
+      reliance on self, that raised him in my esteem, and made me regard him
+      with a certain species of admiration. With his unsettled or unstable
+      political opinions, I greatly dreaded the excess to which a spirit of
+      revenge might carry him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I knew that the Jacobin party, and the Bourbons themselves, lay in wait
+      for every erring member of the Imperial side; and I felt no little anxiety
+      at the temptations they might hold out to him, at a moment when his
+      excitement might have the mastery over his cooler judgment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Late in the evening a Government messenger arrived with a large letter
+      addressed to him from the Minister of War; and even this caused me fresh
+      uneasiness, since I connected the despatch in my mind with some detail of
+      duty which his absence might leave unperformed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was long past midnight, as I sat, vainly endeavoring to occupy myself
+      with a book, which each moment I laid down to listen, when suddenly I
+      heard the roll of a <i>fiacre</i> in the court beneath, the great doors
+      banged and closed, and the next moment the chevalier entered the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was dressed in plain clothes, and looked somewhat paler than usual, but
+      though evidently laboring under excitement, affected his wonted ease and
+      carelessness of manner, as, taking a chair in front of me, he sat down.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a day of worry and trouble this has been, my dear friend!&rdquo; he began.
+      &ldquo;From the moment I last saw you to the present one, I have not rested, and
+      with four invitations to dinner, I have not dined anywhere.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He paused as he said thus much, as if expecting me to say something; and I
+      perceived that the embarrassment he felt rather increased than otherwise.
+      I therefore endeavored to mumble out something about his hurried departure
+      and the annoyance of such a sentence, when he stopped me suddenly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, as to <i>that</i>, I fancy the matter is arranged already; I should
+      have had a letter from the War Office.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, there is one here; it came three hours ago.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He turned at once to the table, and breaking the seal, perused the packet
+      in silence, then handed it to me, as he said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bead that; it will save a world of explanation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was dated five o'clock, and merely contained the following few words:&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      His Majesty I. and R. accepts the resignation of Senior
+      Captain Duchesne, late of the Imperial Guard; who, from the
+      date of the present, is no longer in the service of France.
+
+      (Signed)
+
+      BERTHIER, Marshal of France.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      A small sealed note dropped from the packet, which Duchesne took up, and
+      broke open with eagerness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; cried he, with energy; &ldquo;I thought not. See here,
+      Burke; it is Duroc who writes:&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      My dear Duchesne,&mdash;I knew there was no use in making such a
+      proposition, and told you as much. The moment I said the
+      word 'England,' he shouted out 'No!' in such a tone you
+      might have heard it at the Luxembourg. You will perceive,
+      then, the thing is impracticable; and perhaps, after all,
+      for your own sake, it is better it should be so.
+
+      Yours ever,                                    D.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is all mystery to me, Duchesne; I cannot fathom it in the least.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me assist you; a few words will do it. I gave in my <i>démission</i>
+      as Captain of the Guard, which, as you see, his Majesty has accepted; we
+      shall leave it to the 'Moniteur' of to-morrow to announce whether
+      graciously or not. I also addressed a formal letter to Duroc, to ask the
+      Emperor's permission to visit England, on private business of my own.&rdquo; His
+      eyes sparkled with a malignant lustre as he said these last words, and his
+      cheek grew deep scarlet. &ldquo;This, however, his Majesty has not granted,
+      doubtless from private reasons of his own; and thus we stand. Which of us,
+      think you, has most spoiled the other's rest for this night?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But still I do not comprehend. What can take you to England? You have no
+      friends there; you've never been in that country.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know the very word is proscribed,&mdash;that the island is covered
+      from his eyes in the map he looks upon, that <i>perfide</i> Albion is the
+      demon that haunts his dark hours, and menaces with threatening gesture the
+      downfall of all his present glory? Ah, by Saint Denis, boy! had I been
+      you, it is not such an epaulette as this I had worn.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough, Duchesne; I will not hear more. Not to you, nor any one, am I
+      answerable for the reasons that have guided my conduct; nor had I listened
+      to so much, save that such excitement as yours may make that pardonable
+      which in calmer moments is not so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You say right, Burke,&rdquo; said he, quickly, and with more seriousness of
+      manner; &ldquo;it is seldom I have been betrayed into such a passionate warmth
+      as this. I hope I have not offended you. This change of circumstance will
+      make none in our friendship. I knew it, my dear boy. And now let us turn
+      from such tiresome topics. Where, think you, have I been spending the
+      evening? But how could you ever guess? Well, at the Odéon, attending
+      Mademoiselle Pierrot, and a very pretty friend of hers,&mdash;one of our
+      vivandières, who happens to be in the brigade with mademoiselle's brother,
+      and dined there to-day. She only arrived in Paris this morning; and, by
+      Jove! there are some handsome faces in our gay <i>salons</i> would
+      scarcely stand the rivalry with hers. I must show you the fair Minette.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette!&rdquo; stammered I, while a sickly sensation&mdash;a fear of some
+      unknown misfortune to the poor girl&mdash;almost stopped my utterance. &ldquo;I
+      know her; she belongs to the Fourth Cuirassiers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, you know her? Who would have suspected my quiet friend of such an
+      acquaintance? And so, you never hinted this to me. <i>Ma foi!</i> I 'd
+      have thought twice about throwing up my commission if I had seen her half
+      an hour earlier. Come, tell me all you know of her. Where does she come
+      from?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of her history I am totally ignorant; I can only tell you that her
+      character is without a stain or reproach, in circumstances where few, if
+      any save herself, ever walked scathless; that on more than one occasion
+      she has displayed heroism worthy of the best among us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh dear, oh dear, how disappointed I am! Indeed, I half feared as much:
+      she is a regular vivandière of the mélodrame,&mdash;virtuous, high-minded,
+      and intrepid. You, of course, believe all this,&mdash;don't be angry,
+      Burke,&mdash;but I don't; and the reason is I can't,&mdash;the gods have
+      left me incredulous from the cradle. I have a rooted obstinacy about me,
+      perfectly irreclaimable. Thus, I fancy Napoleon to be a Corsican; a modern
+      marshal to be a promoted sergeant; a judge of the upper court to be a
+      public prosecutor; and a vivandière of the <i>grande armée</i>&mdash;But
+      I'll not offend,&mdash;don't be afraid, my poor fellow,&mdash;even at the
+      risk of the rivalry. Upon my life, I 'm glad to see you have a heart
+      susceptible of any little tenderness. But you cannot blame me if I 'm
+      weary of this eternal travesty of character which goes on amongst us. Why
+      will our Republican and <i>sans culotte</i> friends try courtly airs and
+      graces, while our real aristocracy stoop to the affected coarseness of the
+      <i>canaille?</i> Is it possible that they who wish to found a new order of
+      things do not see that all these pantomime costumes and characters denote
+      nothing but change,&mdash;that we are only performing a comedy after all?
+      I scarcely expect it will be a five-act one. And, apropos of comedies,&mdash;when
+      shall we pay our respects to Madame de Lacostellerie? It will require all
+      my diplomacy to keep my ground there under my recent misfortune. Nothing
+      short of a tender inquiry from the Duchesse de Montserrat will open the
+      doors for me. Alas, and alas! I suppose I shall have to fall back on the
+      Faubourg.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But is the step irrevocable, Duchesne? Can you really bring yourself to
+      forego a career which opened with such promise?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And terminated with such disgrace,&rdquo; added he, smiling placidly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nay, nay; don't affect to take it thus. Your services would have placed
+      you high, and won for you honors and rank.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, <i>ma foi!</i> have they not done so? Am I not a very interesting
+      individual at this moment,&mdash;more so than any other of my life? Are
+      not half the powdered heads of the Faubourg plotting over my downfall, and
+      wondering how they are to secure me to the 'true cause'? Are not the hot
+      heads of the Jacobites speculating on my admission, by a unanimous vote,
+      into their order? And has not Fouché gone to the special expense of a new
+      police spy, solely destined to dine at the same café, play at the same <i>salon</i>,
+      and sit in the same box of the Opera with me? Is this nothing? Well, it
+      will be good fun, after all, to set their wise brains on the wrong track;
+      not to speak of the happiness of weeding one's acquaintance, which a
+      little turn of fortune always effects so instantaneously.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One would suppose from your manner, Duchesne, that some unlooked-for
+      piece of good luck had befallen you; the event seems to have been the
+      crowning one of your life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Am I not at liberty, boy? have I not thrown the slavery behind me? Is
+      that nothing? You may fancy your collar, because there is some gold upon
+      it; but, trust me, it galls the neck as cursedly as the veriest brass.
+      Come, Burke, I must have a glass of champagne, and you must pledge me in a
+      creaming bumper. If you don't join in the sentiment now, the time will
+      come later on. We may be many a mile apart,&mdash;ay, perhaps a whole
+      world will divide us; but you'll remember my toast,&mdash;'To him that is
+      free!' I am sick of most things; women, wine, war, play,&mdash;the game of
+      life itself, with all its dashing and existing interests,&mdash;I have had
+      them to satiety. But liberty has its charm; even to the palsied arm and
+      the withered hand freedom is dear; and why not to him who yet can strike?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      His eyes flashed fire as he spoke, and he drained glass after glass of
+      wine, without seeming aware of what he was doing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you felt thus, Duchesne, why have you remained so long a soldier?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I 'll tell you. He who travels unwillingly along some dreary path stops
+      often as he goes, and looks around to see if, in the sky above or the road
+      beneath, some obstacle may not cross his way and bid him turn. The
+      faintest sound of a brewing storm, the darkening shadow of a cloud, a
+      swollen rivulet, is enough, and straightway he yields: so men seem swayed
+      in life by trifles which never moved them, by accidents which came not
+      near their hearts. These, which the world called their disappointments,
+      were often but the pivots of their fortune. I have had enough, nay, more
+      than enough, of all this. You must not ask the hackneyed actor of the
+      melodrama to start at the blue lights, and feel real fear at burning
+      forests and flaming châteaux. This mock passion of the Emperor&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, my friend, that is indeed too much; unquestionably there was no
+      feigning there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Duchesne gave a bitter laugh, and laying his hand on my arm, said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My good boy, I know him well. The knowledge has cost me something; but I
+      have it. A soldier's enthusiasm!&rdquo; said he, in irony,&mdash;&ldquo;bah! Shall I
+      tell you a little incident of my boyhood? I detest story-telling, but this
+      you must hear. Fill my glass! listen, and I promise you not to be
+      lengthy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the first time in our intimacy in which Duchesne referred
+      distinctly to his past life; and I willingly accepted the offer he made,
+      anticipating that any incident, no matter how trivial, might throw a light
+      on the strange contrarieties of his character.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He sat for several minutes silent, his eyes turned towards the ground. A
+      faint smile, more of sadness than aught else, played about his lips, as he
+      muttered to himself some words I could not catch. Then rallying, with a
+      slight effort, he began thus&mdash;But, short as his tale was, we must
+      give him a chapter to himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIV. A BOYISH REMINISCENCE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe I have already told you, Burke, that my family were most of
+      them Royalists. Such as were engaged in trade followed the fortunes of the
+      day, and cried 'Vive la République!' like their neighbors. Some deemed it
+      better to emigrate, and wait in a foreign land for the happy hour of
+      returning to their own,&mdash;a circumstance, by the way, which must have
+      tried their patience ere this; and a few, trusting to their obscure
+      position, living in out-of-the-way, remote spots, supposed that in the
+      general uproar they might escape undetected; and, with one or two
+      exceptions, they were right. Among these latter was an unmarried brother
+      of my mother, who having held a military command for a great many years in
+      the Ile de Bourbon, retired to spend the remainder of his days in a small
+      but beautiful château on the seaside, about three leagues from Marseilles.
+      The old viscount (we continued to call him so among ourselves, though the
+      use of titles was proscribed long before) had met with some disappointment
+      in love in early life, which had prevented his ever marrying, and turned
+      all his affections towards the children of his brothers and sisters, who
+      invariably passed a couple of months of each summer with him, arriving
+      from different parts of France for the purpose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And truly it was a strange sight to see the mixture of look, expression,
+      accent, and costume, that came to the rendezvous: the long-featured boy,
+      with blue eyes and pointed chin,&mdash;cold, wary, and suspicious, brave
+      but cautious,&mdash;that came from Normandy; the high-spirited, reckless
+      youth from Brittany; the dark-eyed girl of Provence; the quick-tempered,
+      warm-hearted Gascon and, stranger than all, from his contrast to the rest
+      the little Parisian, with his airs of the capital and his contempt for his
+      rustic brethren, nothing daunted that in all their boyish exercises he
+      found himself so much their inferior. Our dear old uncle loved nothing so
+      well as to have us around him; and even the little ones, of five and six
+      years old, when not living too far off, were brought to these reunions,
+      which were to us the great events of each year of our lives.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was in the June of the year 1794&mdash;I shall not easily forget the
+      date&mdash;that we were all assembled as usual at 'Le Luc.' Our party was
+      reinforced by some three or four new visitors, among whom was a little
+      girl of about twelve years old,&mdash;Annette de Noailles, the prettiest
+      creature I ever beheld. Every land has its own trait of birth distinctly
+      marked. I don't know whether you have observed that the brow and the
+      forehead are more indicative of class in Frenchmen than any other portion
+      of the face: hers was perfect, and though a mere child, conveyed an
+      impression of tempered decision and mildness that was most fascinating;
+      the character of her features was thoughtful, and were it not for a
+      certain vivacity in the eyes, would have been even sad. Forgive me, if I
+      dwell&mdash;when I need not&mdash;on these traits: she is no more. Her
+      father carried her with him in his exile, and your lowering skies and
+      gloomy air soon laid her low.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Annette was the child of Royalist parents. Both her father and mother had
+      occupied places in the royal household; and she was accustomed from her
+      earliest infancy to hear the praise of the Bourbons from lips which
+      trembled when they spoke. Poor child! how well do I remember her little
+      prayer for the martyred saint,&mdash;for so they styled the murdered king,&mdash;which
+      she never missed saying each morning when the mass was over in the chapel
+      of the château. It is a curious fact that the girls of a family were
+      frequently attached to the fortunes of the Bourbons, while the boys
+      declared for the Revolution; and these differences penetrated into the
+      very core, and sapped the happiness of many whose affection had stood the
+      test of every misfortune save the uprooting torrent of anarchy that poured
+      in with the Revolution. These party differences entered into all the
+      little quarrels of the schoolroom and the nursery; and the taunting
+      epithets of either side were used in angry passion by those who neither
+      guessed nor could understand their meaning. Need it be wondered at, if in
+      after life these opinions took the tone of intense convictions, when even
+      thus in infancy they were nurtured and fostered? Our little circle at Le
+      Luc was, indeed, wonderfully free from such causes of contention; whatever
+      paths in life fate had in store for us afterwards, then, at least, we were
+      of one mind. A few of the boys, it is true, were struck by the successes
+      of those great armies the Revolution poured over Europe; but even they
+      were half ashamed to confess enthusiasm in a cause so constantly allied in
+      their memory with everything mean and low-lived.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such, in a few words, was the little party assembled around the
+      supper-table of the château, on one lovely evening in June. The windows,
+      opening to the ground, let in the perfumed air from many a sweet and
+      flowery shrub without; while already the nightingale had begun her lay in
+      the deep grove hard by. The evening was so calm we could hear the plash of
+      the making tide upon the shore, and the minute peals of the waves smote on
+      the ear with a soft and melancholy cadence that made us silent and
+      thoughtful. As we sat for some minutes thus, we suddenly heard the sound
+      of feet coming up the little gravel walk towards the château, and on going
+      to the window, perceived three men in uniform leading their horses slowly
+      along. The dusky light prevented our being able to distinguish their rank
+      or condition; but my uncle, whose fears were easily excited by such
+      visitors, at once hastened to the door to receive them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His absence was not of many minutes' duration; but even now I can
+      remember the strange sensations of dread that rendered us all speechless
+      as we stood looking towards the door by which he was to enter. He came at
+      last, and was followed by two officers; one, the elder, and the superior
+      evidently, was a thin, slight man, of about thirty, with a pale but stern
+      countenance, in which a certain haughty expression predominated; the other
+      was a fine, soldierlike, frank-looking fellow, who saluted us all as he
+      came in with a smile and a pleasant gesture of his hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'You may leave us, children,' said my uncle, as he proceeded towards the
+      bell.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'You were at supper, if I mistake not?' said the elder of the two
+      officers, with a degree of courtesy in his tone I scarcely expected.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes, General. But my little friends&mdash;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Will, I hope, share with us,' said the general, interrupting; 'and I, at
+      least, am determined, with your permission, that they shall remain. It is
+      quite enough that we enjoy the hospitality of your château for the night,
+      without interfering with the happiness of its inmates; and I beg that we
+      may give you as little inconvenience as possible in providing for our
+      accommodation.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Though these words were spoken with an easy and a kindly tone, there was
+      a cold, distant manner in the speaker that chilled us all, and while we
+      drew over to the table again, it was in silence and constraint. Indeed,
+      our poor uncle looked the very picture of dismay, endeavoring to do the
+      honors to his guests and seem at ease, while it was clear his fears were
+      ever uppermost in his mind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The aide-de-camp&mdash;for such the young officer was&mdash;looked like
+      one who could have been agreeable and amusing if the restraint of the
+      general's presence was not over him. As it was, he spoke in a low, subdued
+      voice, and seemed in great awe of his superior.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unlike our usual ones, the meal was eaten in mournful stillness, the very
+      youngest amongst us feeling the presence of the stranger as a thing of
+      gloom and sadness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Supper over, my uncle, perhaps hoping to relieve the embarrassment he
+      labored under, asked permission of the general for us to remain, saying,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'My little people, sir, are great novelists, and they usually amuse me of
+      an evening by their stories. Will this be too great an endurance for you?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'By no means,' said the general, gayly; 'there's nothing I like better,
+      and I hope they will admit me as one of the party. I have something of a
+      gift that way myself.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The circle was soon formed, the general and his aide-de-camp making part
+      of it; but though they both exerted themselves to the utmost to win our
+      confidence, I know not why or wherefore, we could not shake off the gloom
+      we had felt at first, but sat awkward and ill at ease, unable to utter a
+      word, and even ashamed to look at each other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Come,' said the general, 'I see how it is. I have broken in upon a very
+      happy party. I must make the only <i>amende</i> in my power,&mdash;I shall
+      be the story-teller for this evening.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As he said this, he looked around the little circle, and by some seeming
+      magic of his own, in an instant he had won us every one. We drew our
+      chairs close towards him, and listened eagerly for his tale. Few people,
+      save such as live much among children, or take the trouble to study their
+      tone of feeling and thinking, are aware how far reality surpasses in
+      interest the force of mere fiction. The fact is with them far more than
+      all the art of the narrative; and if you cannot say 'this was true,' more
+      than half of the pleasure your story confers is lost forever. Whether the
+      general knew this, or that his memory supplied him more easily than his
+      imagination, I cannot say; but his tale was a little incident of the siege
+      of Toulon, where a drummer boy was killed,&mdash;having returned to the
+      breach, after the attack was repulsed, to seek for a little cockade of
+      ribbon his mother had fastened on his cap that morning. Simple as was the
+      story, he told it with a subdued and tender pathos that made our hearts
+      thrill and filled every eye around him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'It was a poor thing, it's true,' said he, 'that knot of ribbon, but it
+      was glory to him to rescue it from the enemy. His heart was on the time
+      when he should show it, blood-stained and torn, and say, &ldquo;I took it from
+      the ground amid the grapeshot and the musketry. I was the only living
+      thing there that moment; and see, I bore it away triumphantly.&rdquo;' As the
+      general spoke, he unbuttoned the breast of his uniform, and took forth a
+      small piece of crumpled ribbon, fastened in the shape of a cockade. 'Here
+      it is,' said he, holding it up before on? eyes; 'it was for this he died.'
+      We could scarce see it through our tears. Poor Annette held her hands upon
+      her face, and sobbed violently. 'Keep it, my sweet child,' said the
+      general, as he attached the cockade to her shoulder;' it is a glorious
+      emblem, and well worthy to be worn by one so pure and so fair as you are.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Annette looked up, and as she did, her eyes fell upon the tricolor that
+      hung from her shoulder,&mdash;the hated, the despised tricolor, the badge
+      of that party whose cruelty she had thought of by day and dreamed of by
+      night. She turned deadly pale, and sat, with lips compressed and clenched
+      hands, unable to speak or stir.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What is it? Are you ill, child?' said the general, suddenly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Annette, love! Annette, dearest!' said my uncle, trembling with anxiety,
+      'speak; what is the matter?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'It is that!' cried I, fiercely, pointing to the knot, on which her eyes
+      were bent with a shrinking horror I well knew the meaning of,&mdash;' it
+      is that!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The general bent on me a look of passionate meaning, as with a hissing
+      tone he said, 'Do you mean this?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes,' said I, tearing it away, and trampling it beneath my feet,&mdash;'yes!
+      it is not a Noailles can wear the badge of infamy and crime; the
+      blood-stained tricolor can find slight favor here.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Hush, boy! hush, for Heaven's sake!' cried my uncle, trembling with
+      fear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The caution came too late. The general, taking a note-book from his
+      pocket, opened it leisurely, and then turning towards the viscount, said,
+      'This youth's name is&mdash;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Duchesne; Henri Duchesne.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'And his age?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Fourteen in March,' replied my uncle, as his eyes filled up; while he
+      added, in a half whisper, 'if you mean the conscription, General, he has
+      already supplied a substitute.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No matter, sir, if he had sent twenty; such defect of education as his
+      needs correction. He shall join the levies at Toulon in three days; in
+      three days, mark me! Depend upon it, sir,' said he, turning to me, 'you
+      shall learn a lesson beneath that tricolor you'll be somewhat long in
+      forgetting. Dumolle, look to this.' With this direction to his
+      aide-de-camp he arose, and before my poor unhappy uncle could recover his
+      self-possession to reply, had left the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'He will not do this, sir; surely, he will not,' said the viscount to the
+      young officer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'General Bonaparte does not relent, sir; and if he did, he 'd never show
+      it,' was the cold reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That day week I carried a musket on the ramparts of Toulon. Here began a
+      career I have followed ever since; with how much of enthusiasm I leave you
+      to judge for yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As Duchesne concluded this little story he arose, and paced the room
+      backwards and forwards with rapid steps, while his compressed lips and
+      knitted brow showed he was lost in gloomy recollections of the past.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He was right, after all, Burke,&rdquo; said he, at length. &ldquo;Personal honor will
+      make the soldier; conviction may make the patriot. I fought as stoutly for
+      this same cause as though I did not loathe it: how many others may be in
+      the same position? You yourself, perhaps.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no; not I.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, be it so,&rdquo; rejoined he, carelessly. &ldquo;Goodnight&rdquo; And with that he
+      strolled negligently from the room, and I heard him humming a tune as he
+      mounted the stairs towards his bedroom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XV. A GOOD-BY
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have come to bring you a card for the Court ball, Capitaine,&rdquo; said
+      General Daru, as he opened the door of my dressing-room the following
+      morning. &ldquo;See what a number of them I have here; but except your own, the
+      addresses are not filled up. You are in favor at the Tuileries, it would
+      seem.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was not aware of my good fortune, General,&rdquo; replied I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be assured, however, it is such,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;These things are not, as so
+      many deem them, mere matters of chance; every name is well weighed and
+      conned over: the officers of the household serve one who does not forgive
+      mistakes. And now that I think of it, you were intimate&mdash;very
+      intimate, I believe&mdash;with Duchesne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; we were much together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, after what has occurred, I need scarcely say your
+      acquaintance with him had better cease. There is no middle course in these
+      matters. Circumstances will not bring you, as formerly, into each other's
+      company; and to continue your intimacy would be offensive to his Majesty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But surely, sir, the friendship of persons so humble as we are can be a
+      subject neither for the Emperor's satisfaction nor displeasure, if he even
+      were to know of it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must take my word for that,&rdquo; replied the general, somewhat sternly.
+      &ldquo;The counsel I have given to-day may come as a command to-morrow. The
+      Chevalier Duchesne has given his Majesty great and grave offence; see that
+      you are not led to follow his example.&rdquo; With a marked emphasis on the last
+      few words, and with a cold bow, he left the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That I am not led to follow his example!&rdquo; said I, repeating his words
+      over slowly to myself. &ldquo;Is that, then, the danger of which he would warn
+      me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The remembrance of the misfortunes which opened my career in life came
+      full before me,&mdash;the unhappy acquaintance with De Beauvais, and the
+      long train of suspicious circumstances that followed; and I shuddered at
+      the bare thought of being again involved in apparent criminality. And yet,
+      what a state of slavery was this! The thought flashed suddenly across my
+      mind, and I exclaimed aloud, &ldquo;And this is the liberty for which I have
+      perilled life and limb,&mdash;this the cause for which I have become an
+      alien and an exile!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Most true, my dear friend,&rdquo; said Duchesne, gayly, as he slipped into the
+      room, and drew his Chair towards the fire. &ldquo;A wise reflection, but most
+      unwisely spoken. But there are men nothing can teach; not even the
+      'Temple' nor the 'Palais de Justice.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How, then,&mdash;you know of my unhappy imprisonment?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Know of it? To be sure I do. Bless your sweet innocence! I have been
+      told, a hundred times over, to make overtures to you from the Faubourg.
+      There are at least a dozen old ladies there who believe firmly you are a
+      true Legitimist, and wear the white cockade next your heart. I have had,
+      over and over, the most tempting offers to make you. Faith, I 'm not quite
+      certain if we are not believed to be, at this very moment, concocting how
+      to smuggle over the frontier a brass carronade and a royal livery, two
+      pounds of gunpowder and a court periwig, to restore the Bourbons!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He burst into a fit of laughing as he concluded; and however little
+      disposed to mirth at the moment, I could not refrain from joining in the
+      emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But now for a moment of serious consideration, Burke; for I can be
+      serious at times, at least when my friends are concerned. You and I must
+      part here; it is all the better for you it should be so. I am what the
+      world is pleased to call a 'dangerous companion;' and there's more truth
+      in the epithet than they wot of who employ it. It is not because I am a
+      man of pleasure, and occasionally a man of expensive habits and costly
+      tastes, nor that I now and then play deep, or drink deep, or follow up
+      with passionate determination any ruling propensity of the moment; but
+      because I am a discontented and unsettled man, who has a vague ambition of
+      being something he knows not what, by means he knows not how,&mdash;ever
+      willing to throw himself into an enterprise where the prize is great and
+      the risk greater, and yet never able to warm his wishes into enthusiasm
+      nor his belief into a conviction: in a word, a Frenchman, born a
+      Legitimist, reared a Democrat, educated an Imperialist, and turned adrift
+      upon the world a scoffer. Such men as I am are dangerous companions; and
+      when they increase, as they are likely to do in our state of society, will
+      be still more dangerous citizens. But come, my good friend, don't look
+      dismayed, nor distend your nostrils as if you were on the scent for a
+      smell of brimstone,&mdash;'Satan s'en va!'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With these words he arose and held out his hand to me. &ldquo;Don't let your
+      Napoleonite ardor ooze out too rapidly, Burke, and you 'll be a marshal of
+      France yet. There are great prizes in the wheel, to be had by those who
+      strive for them. Adieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But we shall meet, Duchesne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope so. The time may come, perhaps, when we may be intimate without
+      alarming the police of the department. But, for the present, I am about to
+      leave Paris; some friends in the South have been kind enough to invite me
+      to visit them, and I start this afternoon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      We shook hands once more, and Duchesne moved towards the door; then,
+      turning suddenly about, he said, &ldquo;Apropos of another matter,&mdash;this
+      Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What of her?&rdquo; said I, with some curiosity in my tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, I have a kind of half suspicion, ripening into something like an
+      assurance, that when we meet again she may be Madame Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What nonsense, my dear friend! the absurdity&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is none whatever. An acquaintance begun like yours is very
+      suggestive of such a termination. When the lady is saucy and the gentleman
+      shy, the game stands usually thus: the one needs control and the other
+      lacks courage. Let them change the cards, and see what comes of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are wrong, Duchesne,&mdash;all wrong.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be it so. I have been so often right, I can afford a false prediction
+      without losing all my character as prophet. Adieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      No sooner was I alone than I sat down to think over what he had said. The
+      improbability, nay, as it seemed to me, the all but impossibility, of such
+      an event as he foretold, seemed not less now than when first I heard it;
+      but somehow I felt a kind of internal satisfaction, a sense of gratified
+      vanity, to think that to so acute an observer as Duchesne such a
+      circumstance did not appear even unreasonable. How hard it is to call in
+      reason against the assault of flattery! How difficult to resist the force
+      of an illusion by any appeal to our good sense and calmer judgment!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It must not be supposed from this that I seriously contemplated such a
+      possible turn of fortune,&mdash;far less wished for it. No; my
+      satisfaction had a different source. It lay in the thought that I, the
+      humble captain of hussars, should ever be thought of as the suitor of the
+      greatest beauty and the richest dowry of the day: here was the mainspring
+      of my flattered pride. As to any other feeling, I had none. I admired
+      Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie greatly; she was, perhaps, the very
+      handsomest girl I ever saw; there was not one in the whole range of
+      Parisian society so much sought after; and there was a degree of
+      distinction in being accounted even among the number of her admirers.
+      Besides this, there lay a lurking desire in my heart that Marie de Meudon
+      (for as such only could I think of her) should hear me thus spoken of. It
+      seemed to me like a weak revenge on her own indifference to me; and I
+      longed to make anything a cause of connecting my fate with the idea of her
+      who yet held my whole heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Only men who live much to themselves and their own thoughts know the
+      pleasure of thus linking their fortunes, by some imaginary chain, to that
+      of those they love. They are the straws that drowning men catch at; but
+      still, for the moment, they sustain the sinking courage, and nerve the
+      heart where all is failing. I felt this acutely. I knew well that she was
+      not, nor could be, anything to me; but I knew, also, that to divest my
+      mind of her image was to live in darkness, and that the mere chance of
+      being remembered by her was happiness itself. It was while hearing of her
+      I first imbibed the soldier's ardor from her own brother. She herself had
+      placed before me the glorious triumphs of that career in words that never
+      ceased to ring in my ears. All my hopes of distinction, my aspirations for
+      success, were associated with the half prediction she had uttered; and I
+      burned for an occasion by which I could signalize myself,&mdash;that she
+      might read my name, perchance might say, &ldquo;And <i>he</i> loved me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In such a world of dreamy thought I passed day after day. Duchesne was
+      gone, and I had no intimate companion to share my hours with, nor with
+      whom I could expand in social freedom. Meanwhile, the gay life of the
+      capital continued its onward course; fêtes and balls succeeded each other;
+      and each night I found myself a guest at some splendid entertainment, but
+      where I neither knew nor was known to any one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was on one morning, after a very magnificent fête at the
+      Arch-Chancellor's, that I remembered, for the first time, I had not seen
+      my poor friend Pioche since his arrival at Paris. A thrill of shame ran
+      through me at the thought of having neglected to ask after my old comrade
+      of the march, and I ordered my horse at once, to set out for the
+      Hôtel-Dieu, which had now been in great part devoted to the wounded
+      soldiers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The day was a fine one for the season; and as I entered the large
+      courtyard I perceived numbers of the invalids moving about in groups, to
+      enjoy the air and the sun of a budding spring. Poor fellows! they were but
+      the mere remnants of humanity. Several had lost both legs, and few were
+      there without an empty sleeve to their loose blue coats. In a large hall,
+      where three long tables were being laid for dinner, many were seated
+      around the ample fireplaces; and at one of these a larger group than
+      ordinary attracted my attention. They were not chatting and laughing, like
+      the rest, but apparently in deep silence. I approached, curious to know
+      the reason; and then perceived that they were all listening attentively to
+      some one reading aloud. The tones of the voice were familiar to me; I
+      stopped to hear them more plainly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was Minette herself&mdash;the vivandière&mdash;who sat there in the
+      midst; beside her, half reclining in a deep, old-fashioned armchair, was
+      &ldquo;le gros Pioche,&rdquo; his huge beard descending midway on his chest, and his
+      great mustache curling below his upper lip. He had greatly rallied since I
+      saw him last, but still showed signs of debility and feebleness by the
+      very attitude in which he lay.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0010" id="linkimage-0010">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/194.jpg" alt="194 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Mingling unperceived with the crowd, who were far too highly interested in
+      the recital to pay any attention to my approach, I listened patiently, and
+      soon perceived that mademoiselle was reading some incident of the Egyptian
+      campaign from one of those innumerable volumes which then formed the sole
+      literature of the garrison.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The redoubt,&rdquo; continued Minette, &ldquo;was strongly defended in front by
+      stockades and a ditch, while twelve pieces of artillery and a force of
+      seven hundred Mamelukes were within the works. Suddenly an aide-de-camp
+      arrived at full gallop, with orders for the Thirty-second to attack the
+      redoubt with the bayonet, and carry it. The major of the regiment (the
+      colonel had been killed that morning at the ford) cried out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Grenadiers, you hear the order,&mdash;Forward!' But the same instant a
+      terrible discharge of grape tore through the ranks, killing three and
+      wounding eight others. 'Forward, men! forward!' shouted the major. But no
+      one stirred.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Tête d'enfer</i>,&rdquo; growled out Pioche, &ldquo;where was the tambour?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall hear,&rdquo; said Minette, and resumed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Do you hear me?' cried the major, 'or am I to be disgraced forever?
+      Advance&mdash;quick time&mdash;march!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'But, Major,' said a sergeant, aloud, 'they are not roasted apples those
+      fellows yonder are pelting.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Silence!' called out the major; 'not a word! Tambour, beat the charge!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Suddenly a man sprang up to his knees from the ground where he had been
+      lying, and began to beat the drum with all his might. Poor fellow! his leg
+      was smashed with a shot, but he obeyed his orders in the midst of all his
+      suffering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Forward, men! forward!' cried the major, waving his cap above his head.
+      'Fix bayonets&mdash;charge!' And on they dashed after him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Halloo, comrades!' shouted the tambour; 'don't leave me behind you.' And
+      in an instant two grenadiers stooped down and hoisted him on their
+      shoulders, and then rushed forward through the smoke and flame. Crashing
+      and smashing went the shot through the leading files; but on they went,
+      leaping over the dead and dying.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With the tambour still?&rdquo; asked Pioche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure,&rdquo; said Minette; &ldquo;there he was. But listen:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just as they reached the breach a shot above their heads came whizzing
+      past, and a terrible bang rang out as it went.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'He is killed,' said one of the grenadiers, preparing to lower the body;
+      'I heard his cry.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0011" id="linkimage-0011">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page121.jpg" alt="Brownedrummerboy121 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Not yet, Comrade,' cried the tambour; 'it is the drum-head they have
+      carried away, that's all;' and he beat away on the wooden sides harder
+      than ever. And thus they bore him over the glacis, and up the rampart, and
+      never stopped till they placed him, sitting, on one of the guns on the
+      wall.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hurrah! well done!&rdquo; cried Pioche; while every throat around him re-echoed
+      the cry, &ldquo;Hurrah!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What was his name, Mademoiselle?&rdquo; cried several voices. &ldquo;Tell us the name
+      of the tambour!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ma foi, Messieurs!</i>they have not given it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not given his name,&rdquo; growled they out. &ldquo;<i>Ventrebleu!</i> that is too
+      bad!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An he had been an officer of the Guard they would have told us his whole
+      birth and parentage,&rdquo; said a wrinkled, sour-looking old fellow, with one
+      eye.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or a lieutenant of hussars, Mademoiselle!&rdquo; said Pioche, looking fixedly
+      at the vivandière, who held the book close to her face to conceal a deep
+      blush that covered it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, halloo, there! Qui vive?&rdquo; The cuirassier had just caught a glimpse
+      of me at the moment, and every eye was turned at once to where I was
+      standing. &ldquo;Ah, Lieutenant, you here! Not invalided, I hope?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, Pioche. My visit was intended for you; and I have had the good
+      fortune to come in for the tale mademoiselle was reading.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Before I had concluded these few words, the wounded soldiers, or such of
+      them as could, had risen from their seats, and stood respectfully around
+      me; while Minette, retreating behind the great chair where Pioche lay,
+      seemed to wish to avoid recognition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Front rank, Mademoiselle! front rank!&rdquo; said Pioche. &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i>when
+      one has the 'cross of the Legion' from the hands of the Emperor himself,
+      one need not be ashamed of being seen. Besides,&rdquo; added he, in a lower
+      tone, but one I could well overhear, &ldquo;thou art not dressed in thy uniform
+      now; thou hast nothing to blush for!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Still she hung down her head, and her confusion seemed only to increase;
+      so that, unwilling to prolong her embarrassment, which I saw my presence
+      had caused, I merely made a few inquiries from Pioche regarding his own
+      health, and took my leave of the party.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I rode homeward, I could not help turning over in my mind the words of
+      Pioche, &ldquo;Thou art not in thy uniform now; thou hast nothing to blush for!&rdquo;
+       Here, then, seemed the key to the changed manner of the poor girl when I
+      met her at Austerlitz,&mdash;some feeling of womanly shame at being seen
+      in the costume of the vivandière by one who had known her only in another
+      guise. But could this be so? I asked myself,&mdash;a question a very
+      little knowledge of a woman's heart might have spared me. And thus
+      pondering, I returned to the Luxembourg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVI. AN OLD FRIEND UNCHANGED
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      They who took their tone in politics from the public journals of France
+      must have been somewhat puzzled at the new and unexpected turn of the
+      papers in Government influence at the period I now speak of. The
+      tremendous attacks against the &ldquo;perfide Albion,&rdquo; which constituted the
+      staple of the leading articles in the &ldquo;Moniteur,&rdquo; were gradually
+      discontinued; the great body of the people were separated from the
+      &ldquo;tyrannical domination of an insolent aristocracy;&rdquo; an occasional eulogy
+      would appear, too, upon the &ldquo;native good sense and right feeling of John
+      Bull&rdquo; when not led captive by appeals to his passions and prejudices; and
+      at last a wish more boldly expressed that the two countries, whose mission
+      it should be to disseminate civilization over the earth, could so far
+      understand their real interest as to become &ldquo;fast friends, instead of
+      dangerous enemies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The accession of the Whigs to power in England was the cause of this
+      sudden revolution. The Emperor, when First Consul, had learned to know and
+      admire Charles Fox,&mdash;sentiments of mutual esteem had grown up between
+      them,&mdash;and it seemed now as if his elevation to power were the only
+      thing wanting to establish friendly relations between the two countries.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      How far the French Emperor presumed on Fox's liberalism,&mdash;and the
+      strong bias to party inducing him to adopt such a line of policy as would
+      run directly counter to that of his predecessors in office, and thus
+      dispose the nation to more amicable views towards France,&mdash;certain it
+      is that he miscalculated considerably when he built upon any want of true
+      English feeling on the part of that minister, or any tendency to weaken,
+      by unjust concessions, the proud attitude England had assumed at the
+      commencement and maintained throughout the entire Continental war.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A mere accident led to a renewal of negotiations between the two
+      countries. A villain, calling himself Guillet de la Grevillière, had the
+      audacity to propose to the English minister the assassination of Napoleon,
+      and to offer himself for the deed. He had hired a house at Passy, and made
+      every preparation for the execution of his foul scheme. To denounce this
+      wretch to the French minister of foreign affairs, Talleyrand, was the
+      first step of Fox. This led to a reply, in which Talleyrand reported, word
+      for word, a conversation that passed between the Emperor and himself, and
+      wherein expressions of the kindest nature were employed by Napoleon with
+      regard to Fox, and many flattering allusions to the times of their former
+      intimacy; the whole concluding with the expression of an ardent desire for
+      a good understanding and a &ldquo;lasting peace between two nations designed by
+      nature to esteem each other.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Although the whole scheme of the assassination was a police stratagem
+      devised by Fouché to test the honor and good faith of the English
+      minister, the result was eagerly seized on as a basis for new
+      negotiations; and from that hour the temperate language of the French
+      papers evinced a new policy towards England. The insolent allusions of
+      journalists, the satirical squibs of party writers, the caricatures of the
+      English eccentricity, were suppressed at once; and by that magic influence
+      which Napoleon wielded, the whole tone of public feeling seemed altered as
+      regarded England and Englishmen. From the leaders in the &ldquo;Moniteur&rdquo; to the
+      shop windows of the Palace an Anglomania prevailed; and the idea was
+      thrown out that the two nations had divided the world between them,&mdash;the
+      sea being the empire of the British, the land that of Frenchmen.
+      Commissioners were appointed on both sides: at first Lord Yarmouth, and
+      then Lord Lauderdale, by England; General Clarke and M. Champagny, on the
+      part of France. Lord Yarmouth, at that time a <i>détenu</i> at Verdun, was
+      selected by Talleyrand to proceed to England, and learn the precise basis
+      on which an amicable negotiation could be founded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely was the interchange of correspondence made public, when the new
+      tone of feeling and acting towards England displayed itself in every
+      circle and every <i>salon</i>. If a proof were wanting how thoroughly the
+      despotism of Napoleon had penetrated into the very core of society, here
+      was a striking one: not only were many of the <i>détenus</i> liberated and
+      sent back to England, but were fêted and entertained at the various towns
+      they stopped at on their way, and every expedient practised to make them
+      satisfied with the treatment they had received on the soil of France. An
+      English guest was deemed an irresistible attraction at a dinner party, and
+      the most absurd attempts at imitation of English habits, dress, and
+      language were introduced into society as the last &ldquo;mode,&rdquo; and extolled as
+      the very pinnacle of fashionable excellence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It would be easy for me here to cite some strange instances of this new
+      taste; but I already feel that I have wandered from my own path, and owe
+      an apology to my reader for invading precincts which scarce become me. Yet
+      may I observe here,&mdash;and the explanation will serve once for all,&mdash;I
+      have been more anxious in this &ldquo;true history&rdquo; to preserve some passing
+      record of the changeful features of an eventful period in Europe, than
+      merely to chronicle personal adventures, which, although not devoid of
+      vicissitudes, are still so insignificant in the great events by which they
+      were surrounded. The Consulate, the Empire, and the Restoration were three
+      great tableaux, differing in their groupings and color, but each part of
+      one mighty whole,&mdash;links in the great chain, and evidencing the
+      changeful aspect of a nation crouching beneath tyranny, or dwindling under
+      imbecility and dotage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have said the English were the vogue in Paris; and so they were, but
+      especially in those <i>salons</i> which reflected the influence of the
+      Court, and where the tone of the Tuileries was revered as law. Every
+      member of the Government, or all who were even remotely connected with it,
+      at once adopted the reigning mode; and to be <i>à l'Anglaise</i> became
+      now as much the type of fashion as ever it had been directly the opposite.
+      Only such as were in the confidence of Fouché and his schemes knew how
+      hollow all this display of friendly feeling was, or how ready the
+      Government held themselves to assume their former attitude of defiance
+      when circumstances should render it advisable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among those who speedily took up the tone of the Imperial counsels, the <i>salons</i>
+      of the Hôtel Glichy were conspicuous. English habits, as regarded table
+      equipage; English servants; even to English cookery did French politeness
+      extend its complaisance; and many of the commonest habitudes and least
+      cultivated tastes were imported as the daily observances of fashionable
+      people <i>outremer</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In this headlong Anglomania, my English birth and family (I say English,
+      because abroad the petty distinctions of Irishman or Scotchman are not
+      attended to) marked me out for peculiar attention in society; and although
+      my education and residence in France had well-nigh rubbed off all or the
+      greater part of my national peculiarities, yet the flatterers of the day
+      found abundant traits to admire in what they recognized as my John Bull
+      characteristics. And in this way, a blunder in French, a mistake in
+      grammar, or a false accentuation became actually a <i>succès de salon</i>.
+      Though I could not help smiling at the absurdity of a vogue whose violence
+      alone indicated its unlikeliness to last, yet I had sufficient of the
+      spirit of my adopted country to benefit by it while it did exist, and
+      never spent a single day out of company.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the Hôtel Clichy I was a constant guest; and while with Mademoiselle de
+      Lacostellerie my acquaintance made little progress, with the countess I
+      became a special favorite,&mdash;she honoring me so far as to take me into
+      her secret counsels, and tell me all the little nothings which Fouché
+      usually disseminated as state secrets, and circulated twice or thrice a
+      week throughout Paris. From him, too, she learned the names of the various
+      English who each day arrived in Paris from Verdun, and thus contrived to
+      have a succession of those favored guests at her dinner and evening
+      parties.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During all this time, as I have said, my intimacy with mademoiselle
+      advanced but slowly, and certainly showed slight prospect of verifying the
+      prophecy of Duchesne at parting. Her manner had, indeed, lost its cold and
+      haughty tone; but in lieu of it there was a flippant, half impertinent, <i>moqueur</i>
+      spirit, which, however easily turned to advantage by a man of the world
+      like the chevalier, was terribly disconcerting to a less forward and less
+      enterprising person like myself. Dobretski still continued an invalid; and
+      although she never mentioned his name nor alluded to him in any instance,
+      I could see that she suspected I knew something more of his illness and
+      the cause of it than I had ever confessed. It matters little what the
+      subject of it be, let a secret once exist between a young man and a young
+      woman,&mdash;let there be the tacit understanding that they mutually know
+      of something of which others are in ignorance,&mdash;and from that moment
+      a species of intelligence is established between them of the most
+      dangerous kind. They may not be disposed to like each other; there may be
+      attachments elsewhere; there may be a hundred reasons why love should not
+      enter into the case; yet will there be a conscious sense of this hidden
+      link which binds them; strangely at variance with their ordinary regard
+      for each other, eternally mingling in all their intercourse, and
+      suggesting modes of acting and thinking at variance with the true tenor of
+      the acquaintanceship.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such, then, was my position at the Hôtel Clichy, at which I was almost
+      daily a visitor or a guest, in the morning, to hear the chit-chat of the
+      day,&mdash;the changes talked of in the administration, the intended plans
+      of the Emperor, or the last modes in dress introduced by the Empress,
+      whose taste in costume and extravagant habits were much more popular with
+      the tradespeople than with Napoleon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An illness of a few days' duration had confined me to the Luxembourg, and
+      unhappily deprived me of the Court ball, for which I had received my
+      invitation several weeks before. It seemed as if my fate forbade any
+      chance of my ever seeing her once more whose presence in Paris was the
+      great hope I held out to myself when coming. Already a rumor was afloat
+      that several officers had received orders to join their regiments; and now
+      I began to fear lest I should leave the capital without meeting her, and
+      was thinking of some plan by which I could attain that object, when a note
+      arrived from Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie, written with more than her
+      usual cordiality, and inviting me to dinner on the following day with a
+      very small party, but when I should meet one of my oldest friends.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I thought of every one in turn who could be meant under the designation,
+      but without ever satisfying my mind that I had hit upon the right one.
+      Tascher it could not be, for the very last accounts I had seen from
+      Germany spoke of him as with his regiment. My curiosity was sufficiently
+      excited to make me accept the invitation; and, true to time, I found
+      myself at the Hôtel Clichy at the hour appointed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On entering the <i>salon</i>, I discovered that I was alone. None of the
+      guests had as yet arrived, nor had the ladies of the house made their
+      appearance; and I lounged about the splendid drawing-room, where every
+      appliance of luxury was multiplied: pictures, vases, statues, and bronzes
+      abounded,&mdash;for the apartment had all the ample proportions of a
+      gallery,&mdash;battle scenes from the great «vents of the Italian and
+      Egyptian campaigns; busts of celebrated generals and portraits of several
+      of the marshals, from the pencils of Gerard and David. But more than all
+      was I struck by one picture: it was a likeness of Pauline herself, in the
+      costume of a Spanish peasant. Never had artist caught more of the
+      character of his subject than in that brilliant sketch,&mdash;for it was
+      no more. The proud tone of the expression; the large, full eye, beaming a
+      bright defiance; the haughty curl of the lip; the determined air of the
+      figure, as she stood one foot in advance, and the arms hanging easily on
+      either side,&mdash;all conveyed an impression of high resolve and proud
+      determination quite her own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was leaning over the back of a chair, my eye steadfastly fixed on the
+      painting, when I heard a slight rustling of a dress near me. I turned
+      about: it was mademoiselle herself. Although the light of the apartment
+      was tempered by the closed jalousies, and scarcely more than a mere
+      twilight admitted, I could perceive that she colored and seemed confused
+      as she said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope you don't think that picture is a likeness?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet,&rdquo; said I, hesitatingly, &ldquo;there is much that reminds me of you; I
+      mean, I can discover&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Say it frankly, sir; you think that saucy look is not from mere fancy. I
+      deemed you a closer observer; but no matter. You have been ill; I trust
+      you are recovered again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, a mere passing indisposition, which unfortunately came at the moment
+      of the Court ball. You were there, of course?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; it was there we had the pleasure to meet your friend, the general:
+      but perhaps this is indiscreet on my part; I believe, indeed, I promised
+      to say nothing of him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The general! Do you mean General d'Auvergne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That much I will answer you,&mdash;I do not. But ask me no more
+      questions. Your patience will not be submitted to a long trial; he dines
+      with us to-day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I made no reply, but began to ponder over in my mind who the general in
+      question could be.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There! pray do not worry yourself about what a few moments will reveal
+      for you, without any guessing. How strange it is, the intense feeling of
+      curiosity people are afflicted with who themselves have secrets.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I have none, Mademoiselle; at least, none worth the telling.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps,&rdquo; replied she, saucily. &ldquo;But here come our guests.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Several persons entered the <i>salon</i> at this moment, with each of whom
+      I was slightly acquainted; they were either members of the Government or
+      generals on the staff. The countess herself soon after made her
+      appearance; and now we only waited for the individual so distinctively
+      termed &ldquo;my friend&rdquo; to complete the party.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pauline has kept our secret, I hope,&rdquo; said the countess to me. &ldquo;I shall
+      be sadly disappointed if anything mars this surprise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who can it be?&rdquo; thought I. &ldquo;Or is the whole thing some piece of badinage
+      got up at my expense?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had the notion struck me, when a servant flung wide the
+      folding-doors, and announced &ldquo;le Général&rdquo; somebody, but so mumbled was the
+      word, the nearest thing I could make of it was &ldquo;Bulletin.&rdquo; This time,
+      however, my curiosity suffered no long delay; for quickly after the
+      announcement a portly personage in an English uniform entered hastily, and
+      approaching madame, kissed her hand with a most gallant air; then turning
+      to mademoiselle, he performed a similar ceremony. All this time my eyes
+      were riveted upon him, without my being able to make the most remote guess
+      as to who he was.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Must I introduce you, gentlemen?&rdquo; said the countess: &ldquo;Captain Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eh, what! my old friend, my boy Tom! This you, with all that mustache?
+      Delighted to see you,&rdquo; cried the large unknown, grasping me by the hands,
+      and shaking them with a cordiality I had not known for many a year.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, sir,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;I am but too happy to be recognized; but a most
+      unfortunate memory&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Memory, lad! I never forgot anything in life. I remember the doctor
+      shaking the snow off his boots the night I was born; a devilish cold
+      December. We lived at Benhungeramud, in the Himalaya.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; cried I; &ldquo;is this Captain Bubbleton, my old and kind friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General, Tom,&mdash;Lieutenant-General Bubbleton, with your leave,&rdquo; said
+      he, correcting me. &ldquo;How the boy has grown! I remember him when he was
+      scarce so high.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, my dear captain&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General, lieutenant-general&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, Lieutenant-General,&mdash;to what happy chance do we owe the
+      pleasure of seeing you here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;War, boy,&mdash;the old story. But we shall have time enough to talk over
+      these things; and I see we are detaining the countess.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the general gave his arm to madame, and led the way towards the
+      dinner; whither we followed,&mdash;I in a state of surprise and
+      astonishment that left me unable to collect my faculties for a
+      considerable time after.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Although the party, with the exception of Bubbleton, were French, he
+      himself, as was his wont, supported nearly the whole of the conversation;
+      and if his French was none of the most accurate, he amply made up in
+      volubility for all accidents of grammar. It appeared that he had been
+      three years at Verdun, a prisoner; though how he came there, whence, and
+      at what exact period, there was no discovering. And now his arrival at
+      Paris was an event equally shrouded in mystery, for no negotiations had
+      been opened for his exchange whatsoever; but he had had the eloquence to
+      persuade the préfet that the omission was a mere accident,&mdash;some
+      blunder of the War-Office people, which he would rectify on his arrival at
+      Paris. And there he was, though with what prospect of reaching England
+      none but one of his inventive genius could possibly guess. He was brimful
+      of politics, ministerial secrets, state news, and Government intentions,
+      not only as regarded England, but Austria and Russia: and communicated in
+      deep confidence a grand scheme by which the Fox ministry were to
+      immortalize themselves,&mdash;which was by giving up Malta to the
+      Bourbons, Louis the Eighteenth to be king, Goza to be a kind of dependency
+      to be governed by a lieutenant-general whom &ldquo;he would not name;&rdquo; finishing
+      his glass with an ominous look as he spoke. Thence he wandered on to his
+      repugnance to state, and dislike to any government, function,&mdash;illustrating
+      his quiet tastes and simple habits by recounting a career of Oriental
+      luxury in which he described himself as living for years past; every word
+      he spoke, whatever the impression on others, bringing me back most
+      forcibly to my boyish days in the old barrack, where first I met him.
+      Years had but cultivated his talents; his visions were bolder and more
+      daring than ever; while he had chastened down his hurried and excited tone
+      of narrative to a quiet flow of unexaggerated description, which, taking
+      his age and appearance into account, it was difficult to discredit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whether the Frenchmen really gave credit to his revelations, or only from
+      politeness affected to do it at first, I cannot say, but assuredly he put
+      all their courtesy to a rude test by a little anecdote before he left the
+      dinner-room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While speaking of the memorable siege of Valenciennes in '93, at which one
+      of the French officers was present and in a high command, Bubbleton at
+      once launched forth into some very singular anecdotes of the campaign,
+      where, as he alleged, he also had served.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We took an officer of one of your infantry regiments prisoner in a sortie
+      one evening,&rdquo; said the Frenchman. &ldquo;I commanded the party, and shall never
+      forget the daring intrepidity of his escape. He leaped from the wall into
+      the fosse, a height of thirty feet and upwards. <i>Parbleu!</i> we had not
+      the heart to fire after him, though we saw that after the shock he crawled
+      out upon his hands and feet, and soon afterwards gained strength enough to
+      run. He gave me his pocket-book with his name; I shall not forget it
+      readily,&mdash;it was Stopford.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, poor Billy! He was my junior lieutenant,&rdquo; said Bubbleton; &ldquo;an active
+      fellow, but he never could jump with me. Confound him! he has left me a
+      souvenir also, though a very different kind from yours,&mdash;a cramp in
+      the stomach I shall never get rid of.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As this seemed a somewhat curious legacy from one brother officer to
+      another, we could not help calling on the general for an explanation,&mdash;a
+      demand Bubbleton never refused to gratify.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It happened in this wise,&rdquo; said he, pushing back his chair as he spoke,
+      and seating himself with the easy attitude of your true story-teller. &ldquo;The
+      night before the assault&mdash;the 24th of July, if my memory serves me
+      right&mdash;the sappers were pushing forward the mines with all despatch.
+      Three immense globes were in readiness beneath the walls, and some minor
+      details were only necessary to complete the preparations. The stormers
+      consisted of four British and three German regiments,&mdash;my own, the
+      Welsh Fusiliers, being one of the former. We occupied the lines stretching
+      from L'Hérault to Damies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The French officer nodded assent, and Bubbleton resumed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Fusiliers were on the right, and divided into two parties,&mdash;an
+      assaulting column and a supporting one; the advanced companies at half
+      cannon-shot from the walls, the others a little farther off. Thus we were,
+      when, about half-past ten, or it might be even eleven o'clock (we were
+      drinking some mulled claret in my quarters), a low, swooping kind of a
+      noise came stealing along the ground. We listened,&mdash;it grew stronger
+      and stronger; and then we could hear musket-shot and shouting, and the
+      tramp of men as if running. Out we went; and, by Jove! there we saw the
+      first battalion in full retreat towards the camp. It was a sortie in force
+      from the garrison, which drove in our advanced posts, and took several
+      prisoners. The drums now soon beat to quarters; the men fell in rapidly,
+      and we advanced to meet them,&mdash;no pleasant affair, either, let me
+      remark, for the night was pitch dark, and we could not even guess the
+      strength of your force. It was just then that I was running with all my
+      speed to come up with the flank companies, that my cover-sergeant, a cool,
+      old Scotch fellow, shouted out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Take care, sir! Stoop there, sir! stoop there!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the advice came too late. I could just discern through the gloom
+      something black, hopping and bounding along towards me; now striking the
+      ground, and then rebounding again several feet in the air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Stoop, sir! down!' cried he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But before I could throw myself flat, plump it took me here. Over I went,
+      breathless, and deeming all was finished; but, miraculous to say, in a few
+      minutes after I found myself coming to, and except the shock, nothing the
+      worse for the injury.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Was that a shell, Sergeant?' said I; 'a spent shell?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Na, sir,' said he, in his own broad way, 'it was naething o' the kind;
+      it was only Lieutenant Stopford's head that was snapped aff up there.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His head!&rdquo; exclaimed we all of a breath,&mdash;&ldquo;his head!»
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, poor fellow, so it was; a damned hard kind of a bullet-head, too!
+      The blow has left a weakness of the stomach I suppose I shall never
+      recover from; and the occurrence being so singular, I have actually never
+      asked for a pension,&mdash;there are people, by Jove! would throw
+      discredit on it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This latter observation seemed so perfectly to sum up our own thoughts on
+      the matter that we really had nothing to remark on it; and after a silence
+      of a few seconds, politely relieved by the countess hinting at coffee in
+      the drawing-room, we arose and followed her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVII. THE RUE DES CAPUCINES
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Before I parted with Bubbleton that evening be promised to breakfast with
+      me on the following morning; and true to his word, entered my quarters
+      soon after ten o'clock. I longed to have an opportunity of talking to him
+      alone, and learning some intelligence of that country, which, young as I
+      had left it, was still hallowed in memory as my own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eh, by Jupiter! this is something like a quarter,&mdash;gilded mouldings,
+      frescos, silk hangings, and Persian rugs. I say, Tom, are you sure you
+      haven't made a mistake, my boy, and just imagined that you were somebody
+      else,&mdash;Murat or Bernadotte, for example? The thing is far easier than
+      you may think; it happened to me before now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be tranquil on that score,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;we are both at home; though these
+      quarters are, as you remark, far beyond the mark of a captain of hussars.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A captain! Why, hang it, you're not captain already?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, to be sure. What signifies it? Only think of your own rapid rise
+      since we parted; you were but a captain then, and to be now a
+      lieutenant-general!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, true, very true,&rdquo; said he, hurriedly, while he bustled about the
+      room, examining the furniture, and inspecting the decorations most
+      narrowly. &ldquo;Capital service this must be,&rdquo; muttered he, between his teeth;
+      &ldquo;not much pay, I fancy, but a deal of plunder and private robbery.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot say much on that head,&rdquo; said I, laughing outright at what he
+      intended for a soliloquy; &ldquo;but I must confess I have no reason to complain
+      of my lot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Egad! I should think not,&rdquo; rejoined he; &ldquo;better than Old George's Street.
+      Well, well, I wish I were but back there,&mdash;that's all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, sit down to your breakfast; and perhaps when we talk it over some
+      plan may present itself for your exchange.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      How thoroughly had I forgotten my friend when I uttered the sentiment; for
+      scarcely was he seated at table, when he launched out, as of old, into one
+      of his visionary harangues,&mdash;throwing forth dark hints of his own
+      political importance, and the keen watch the Emperor had set upon his
+      movements.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my friend, the thing is impossible,&rdquo; said he, ominously. &ldquo;Nap. knows
+      me; he knows my influence with the Tories. To let me escape would be to
+      blow all his schemes to the winds. I am destined for the 'Temple,' if not
+      for the guillotine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The solemnity of his voice and manner at this moment was too much for me,
+      and I laughed outright.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, you may laugh; so does Anna Maria.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And is Miss Bubbleton here, too?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; we are both here,&rdquo; ejaculated he, with a deep sigh. &ldquo;Rue Neuve des
+      Capucines, No. 46, four flights above the entresol! Ay, and in that
+      entresol they have two spies of Fouché's police; I know them well, though
+      they pretend to be hairdressers. I'm too much for old Fouché yet; depend
+      upon it, Tom.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was in vain I endeavored to ascertain what circumstances led him to
+      believe himself suspected by the Government; neither was I more fortunate
+      in discovering how he first became a <i>détenu</i>. The mist of imaginary
+      events, places, and people which he had conjured up around him, prevented
+      his ever being able to see his way, or know clearly any one fact connected
+      with his present position. Dark hints about spies, suspicious innuendoes
+      of concealed enemies, plotting préfets and opened letters, had actually
+      filled his brain to the exclusion of everything rational and reasonable,
+      and I began seriously to fear for my poor friend's intellect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hoping by a change of topic to induce a more equable tone of thinking, I
+      asked about Ireland.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All right there! they've hanged 'em all,&rdquo; said he. Then, as if suddenly
+      remembering himself, he added, with a slight confusion, &ldquo;You were well out
+      of that scrape, Tom. Your old friend Barton had a warrant for you the
+      morning you left, and there was a reward of five hundred pounds for your
+      apprehension; and something, too, for a confounded old piper,&mdash;old
+      Blast-the-Bellows, I think they called him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Darby! What of him, Bubbleton? they did not take him, I trust?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, by Jove! They hanged two fellows, each of whom they believed to be
+      him, and he was in the crowd looking on, they say. But he's at large
+      still; and the report goes, Barton does not stir out at night for fear of
+      meeting him, as the fellow has an old score to settle with him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so, all hopes of liberty would seem extinguished now,&rdquo; said I,
+      gloomily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is as you may take it, Tom. I'm a bad judge of these things; but I
+      fancy that a man who can live here might contrive to eke out life under a
+      British Government; though he might yearn now and then for a secret
+      police, a cabinet noir, or perhaps a tight cravat in the Temple.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hush! my friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, there it is! Now, if we were in Dame Street, we might abuse the
+      ministers and the army and the Lord-Lieutenant to our heart's content; and
+      if Jemmy O'Brien was n't one of the company, I 'd not mind a hit at Barton
+      himself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But does England still maintain her proud tone of ascendency towards
+      Ireland? Is the Saxon the hereditary lord, and the Celt the slave, still?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There again you puzzle me; for I never saw much of this same ascendency,
+      or slavery either. Loyal people, some way or other, were usually in favor
+      with the Government, and had what many thought a most unjust proportion of
+      the good things to their share. But even the others got off in most cases
+      easily too; a devilish deal better than you treated those luckless
+      Austrians the other day. You killed some thirty thousand, and made
+      bankrupts of the rest of the nation. But then, to be sure, it was the
+      cause of liberty you were fighting for. And as for the Italians&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! but you forget these were wars not of our seeking; the treachery of
+      false-hearted allies led to these sad results.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I suppose so. But certain it is, nations, like individuals, that have a
+      taste for fighting, usually have the good luck to find an adversary; and
+      as your Emperor here seems to have learned the Donnybrook Fair trick of
+      trailing his coat after him, it would be strange enough if nobody would
+      gratify him by standing on it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Without being able to say why, I felt piqued and annoyed at the tone of
+      Bubbleton's remarks, which, coming from one of his narrow intelligence on
+      ordinary topics, worried me only the more. I had long since seen that the
+      liberty with which in boyhood I was infatuated had no existence save in
+      the dreams of ardent patriotism; that the great and the mighty felt
+      ambition a goal, and power a birthright; that the watchwords of freedom
+      were inscribed on banners when the sentiments had died out of men's
+      hearts, while as a passion the more dazzling one of glory made every other
+      pale before it; and that the calm head and moderate judgment could scarce
+      survive contact with the intoxicating triumphs of a nation's successes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was, indeed, the real change Napoleon had wrought in France. Their
+      enthusiasm could not rest content with national liberty; glory alone could
+      satisfy a nation drunk with victory. Against the stern followers of the
+      Republican era&mdash;the soldiers of the Sambre and Meuse, the men of
+      Jemmappes&mdash;he had arrayed the ardent, high-spirited youth of the
+      Consulate and the Empire, the heroes of Areola, of Rivoli, of Cairo, and
+      Austerlitz. How vain to discuss questions of social order or national
+      freedom with the cordoned and glittering bands who saw monarchy and
+      kingdoms among the prizes of their ambition! And even I, who had few
+      ambitious hopes, how the ardor that once stimulated me and led me to the
+      soldier's life,&mdash;how had it given way to the mere conventional
+      aspirings of a class! The grade of colonel was far oftener in my thoughts
+      than the cause of freedom; the cross of the Legion would have reconciled
+      me to much that in my calmer judgment I might deem harsh and tyrannical.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Believe me, Tom,&rdquo; said Bubbleton, who saw in my silence that his
+      observations had their weight with me, &ldquo;believe me, my philosophy is the
+      true one,&mdash;never to meddle where you cannot serve yourself or some of
+      your friends. The world will always consist of two parties,&mdash;one
+      governing, the other governed. We belong to the latter category, and shall
+      only get into a scrape by poking our heads where they have no business to
+      be.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, a few moments since you were full of state secrets, and plots, and
+      secret treaties, and Heaven knows what besides!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure I was. And for whose interest, man,&mdash;for whose sake?
+      George Frederick Augustus Bubbleton's. Ay, no doubt of it. Here am I, a <i>détenu</i>,&mdash;and
+      have been these two years and a half&mdash;wasting away existence at
+      Verdun, while my property is going to the devil from sheer neglect. My
+      West India estates, who can say how I shall find them? my Calcutta
+      property, the same; then there's that fee-simple thing in Norfolk. But I
+      can't even think of it. Well, I verily believe no single step has been
+      taken for my release or exchange. The Whigs, you know, will do nothing for
+      me. I may tell you in confidence,&rdquo;&mdash;here he dropped his voice to a
+      low whisper,&mdash;&ldquo;I may tell you, Charles Fox hates me. But more of this
+      another time. What was I to do in all this mess of trouble and misfortune?
+      Stand still and bear it? No, faith; that's not Bubbleton policy. You 'd
+      never guess what I did.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fear not.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, it chanced that some little literary labors of mine&mdash;you know
+      I dally sometimes with the muse&mdash;became known to the préfet at
+      Verdun. I saw that they watched me; and consequently I made great efforts
+      at secrecy, concealing my papers in the chimney, under the floor, sewing
+      them in the linings of my coat, and so on. The bait took: they made a
+      regular search, seizing my manuscripts, put great seals on all the
+      packages, and sent them up to Paris. The day after, I made submission,&mdash;offered
+      to reveal all to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. And accordingly they
+      sent me up here with an escort. What would have come next I cannot tell
+      you, if Anna Maria had not found out Lord Lauderdale, and trumped up some
+      story to him, so that he interfered. And we are now living at the Rue
+      Neuve des Capucines; but how long we shall be there, and where they may
+      send us next, I wish I could only guess.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A few minutes' consideration satisfied me that the police were concerned
+      in Bubbleton's movements, and, knowing at once that no danger was to be
+      apprehended from such a source, were merely holding him up for some
+      occasion when they could make use of him to found some charge against the
+      British Government,&mdash;a manoeuvre constantly employed, and always
+      successful with the Parisians, wherever an explanation became necessary in
+      the public papers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It would have served no purpose to impart these suspicions of mine to
+      Bubbleton himself; on the contrary, he would inevitably have destroyed all
+      clew to their confirmation by some false move, had I done so. With this
+      impression, then, I resolved to wait patiently, watch events, and when the
+      time came, see what best could be done towards effecting his liberation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I was disposed to place more reliance on Miss Bubbleton's statements
+      than those of her imaginative brother, I agreed to his proposal to pay her
+      a visit; and accordingly we set out together for the Rue Neuve des
+      Capucines.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Lieutenant-General Bubbleton's quarters were by no means of that imposing
+      character which befitted his rank in the British army. Traversing a dirty
+      courtyard strewed with firewood, we entered a little gloomy passage, from
+      which a still gloomier stair ascended to the topmost regions of the house,
+      where, unlocking a door, he pushed me before him into a small,
+      meanly-furnished apartment, the centre of which was occupied by a little
+      iron stove, whose funnel pierced the ceiling above, and gave the chamber
+      somewhat the air of a ship's cabin. Bubbleton, however, either did not or
+      would not perceive any want of comfort or propriety in the whole; on the
+      contrary, he strode the floor with the step of an emperor, and placed the
+      chair for me to sit on as though he were about to seat me on a throne.
+      While exchanging his coat for a most ragged dressing-gown, he threw
+      himself on an old sofa with such energy of ease that the venerable article
+      of furniture creaked and groaned in every joint.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She's out,&rdquo; said he, with a toss of his thumb to a half-open door; &ldquo;gone
+      to take a stroll in the Tuileries for half an hour, so that we shall have
+      a little chat before she comes. And now, what will ye take? A little
+      sherry and water? a glass of maraschino, eh? or what say you to a nip of
+      real Nantz?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing, my dear friend; you forget the hour, not to speak of my French
+      education.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, very true,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;When I was in the Forty-fifth&mdash;&rdquo; When he
+      had uttered these words, he stopped suddenly, hesitated, and stammered,
+      and at last, fairly overcome with confusion, he unfolded a huge
+      pocket-handkerchief, and blew his nose with the sound of a cavalry
+      trumpet, while he resumed: &ldquo;We had a habit in the old Forty-fifth&mdash;a
+      deuced bad one, I confess&mdash;of a mess breakfast, that began after
+      parade and always ran into luncheon&mdash;But hush! here she comes,&rdquo; cried
+      he, in evident delight at the interruption so opportunely arriving. Then,
+      springing up, he threw open the door, and called out, &ldquo;I say, Anna Maria,
+      you 'll not guess who's here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Either the ascent of the steep stair called for all the lady's spare
+      lungs, or the question had little interest for her, as she certainly made
+      no reply whatever, but continued to mount, step by step, with that
+      plodding, monosyllabic pace one falls into at the highest of six flights.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; cried he aloud, &ldquo;no, you're wrong; it is not Lauderdale.&rdquo; Then,
+      turning towards me, with a finger to his nose, he added, with pantomimic
+      action, &ldquo;She thinks you are Yarmouth. Wrong again, by Jove! What do you
+      say to Tom Burke,&mdash;Burke of 'Ours.' as I used to call him long ago?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time Miss Bubbleton had reached the door, and was holding the
+      handle to recover her breath after the fatigue of the ascent. Even in that
+      momentary glance, however, I recognized her. Nothing altered by time, she
+      was the same crabbed, crossgrained-looking personage I remembered years
+      before. She carried a little basket on her arm, of which her brother
+      hastened to relieve her, and showed no little concern to remove out of
+      sight. Being divested of this, she held out her hand, and saluted me with
+      more cordiality than I looked for.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had our greetings been exchanged, when Bubbleton broke in, &ldquo;I 've
+      told him everything, Anna Maria. He knows the whole affair; no use in
+      boring him with any more. I say, isn't he grown prodigiously? And a
+      captain already,&mdash;just think of that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so, sir, you've heard of the sad predicament his folly has brought us
+      into?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hush, hush, Anna Maria!&rdquo; cried Bubbleton; &ldquo;no nonsense, old girl. Burke
+      will put all to rights; he's aide-de-camp to Murat, and dines with him
+      every day,&mdash;eh, Tom?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What if he be?&rdquo; interrupted the lady, without permitting me time to
+      disclaim the honor. &ldquo;How can he ever&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, it's all arranged between us; and don't make a fuss about
+      nothing. You 'll only make bad worse, as you always do. Come, Tom; the
+      secret is, I shall be ruined if I don't get back to England soon. Heaven
+      knows who receives my dividends all this time. Then that confounded tin
+      mine! they 've mismanaged the thing so much I haven't received five
+      hundred pounds from Cornwall since this time twelve months.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That you haven't,&rdquo; said the lady, as with clasped hands and eyes fixed
+      she sat staring at the little stove with the stern stoicism of a martyr.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She knows that,&rdquo; said Bubbleton, with a nod, as if grateful for even so
+      much testimony in his favor. &ldquo;And as for that scoundrel, Thistlethwait,
+      the West India agent, I've a notion he's broke; not a shilling from him
+      either.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not sixpence,&rdquo; echoed the lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You hear that,&rdquo; cried he, overjoyed at the concurrence. &ldquo;And the fact is,&mdash;you
+      will smile when I tell you, but upon my honor it's true,&mdash;I am
+      actually hard up for cash.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The idea tickled him so much, and seemed so ludicrous withal, that he fell
+      back on the sofa, and laughed till the tears ran down his face. Not so
+      Miss Bubbleton: her grim face grew more fixed, every feature hardened as
+      if becoming stone, while gradually a sneer curled her thin lip; but she
+      never spoke a word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I'll not speak of the annoyance of being out of England, nor the loss of
+      influence a man sustains after a long absence,&rdquo; said Bubbleton, as he
+      paced the room with his hands deep thrust in his dressing-gown pockets.
+      &ldquo;These are things one can feel; and as for me, they weigh more on my mind
+      than mere money considerations.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, General,&rdquo; said I&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General!&rdquo; echoed the lady with a start round, and holding up both her
+      hands,&mdash;&ldquo;General! You have n't been such a fool,&mdash;it's not
+      possible you could be such a fool&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you please to be quiet, old damsel?&rdquo; said Bubbleton, with more of
+      harshness than he had yet used in his manner. &ldquo;Can you persuade yourself
+      to mind your own household concerns, and leave George Frederick Augustus
+      Bubbleton to manage his own matters as he deems best?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here he turned short round towards me, and throwing up his eyebrows to
+      their full height, he touched his forehead knowingly with the tip of his
+      forefinger, and uttered the words,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You understand! Poor thing!&rdquo; concluding the pantomime with a deep sigh
+      from the bottom of his chest, while he added something in a low whisper
+      about &ldquo;a fall from an elephant when she was a child!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Burke, will you listen to me?&rdquo; said the lady, with an energy of voice
+      and manner there was no gainsaying&mdash;&ldquo;listen to me for five minutes;
+      and probably, short as the time is, I may be able to put you in possession
+      of a few plain facts concerning our position, and if you have the
+      inclination and the power to serve us, you may then know how best it can
+      be done.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Bubbleton made me a sign to gratify her desire of loquaciousness, while
+      with a most expressive shrug he intimated that I should probably hear a
+      very incoherent statement. This done, he lighted his meerschaum, wrapped
+      his ragged <i>robe de chambre</i> around him, and lay down full length on
+      the sofa, with the air of a man who had fortified himself to undergo any
+      sacrifices that might be demanded at his hands; taking care the while to
+      assume his position in such a manner that he could exchange glances with
+      me without his being observed by his sister.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We came over, Mr. Burke, only a few months before the war broke out, and
+      like the rest of our countrymen and women were made <i>détenus</i>. This
+      was bad enough; but my wise brother made it far worse, for instead of
+      giving his name, with his real rank and position, he would call himself a
+      lieutenant-general, affect to have immense wealth and great political
+      influence. The consequence was, when others were exchanged and sent home,
+      his name not being discoverable in any English list, was passed over;
+      while his assumed fortune involved us in every expense and extravagance,
+      and his mock importance made us the object of the secret police, who never
+      ceased to watch and spy after us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Capital! excellent! by Jove!&rdquo; cried Bubbleton, as he rolled forth a long
+      curl of blue smoke from the angle of his mouth; &ldquo;she 's admirable!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I ought to have told you before,&rdquo; said the lady, not paying the least
+      attention to his interruption, &ldquo;that he was obliged to sell out of the
+      Forty-fifth; a certain Mr. Montague Crofts, whom you may remember, having
+      won every shilling he possessed, even to the sale of his commission. This
+      was the cause of our coming abroad; so that at the very moment that he was
+      giving himself these airs of pretended greatness, we were ruined.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Upon my life, she believes all that,&rdquo; whispered Bubbleton, with a wink at
+      me. &ldquo;Poor old thing! I must get Larrey to look at her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Happily, or unhappily&mdash;who shall say which?&mdash;there was a
+      greater fool even than himself in the village; and he was the <i>maire</i>.
+      This wise functionary became alarmed at the piles of papers and rolls of
+      manuscripts that were seen about our rooms, and equally suspicious about
+      the dark hints and mysterious innuendoes he threw out from time to time.
+      The préfet was informed of it; and the result was, an order for our
+      removal to Paris. Here, then, we are; with what destiny before us who
+      shall tell? For, as he still persists in his atrocious nonsense, and calls
+      himself major-general&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lieutenant-general, my dear,&rdquo; said Bubbleton, mildly; &ldquo;I never was
+      major-general.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it not too bad?&rdquo; said she. &ldquo;Could any patience endure this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don't be violent; take care, Anna Maria,&rdquo; said he, rebukingly. &ldquo;Potts
+      said I should use restraint again, if you showed any return of the
+      paroxysm. That's the way she takes it,&rdquo; said he in a low whisper, &ldquo;with a
+      blinking about the eyes and a pattering of the feet. Bathe your temples,
+      dear, and you'll be better presently.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Anna Maria sat still, not uttering a word, and actually fearing by a
+      gesture to encourage a commentary on her manner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sometimes she 'll mope for hours,&rdquo; muttered he in my ear; &ldquo;at others,
+      she's furious,&mdash;there's no saying how it will turn. You wouldn't like
+      a pipe? I forgot to ask you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And worse than all, sir,&rdquo; said the lady, as if no longer able to restrain
+      her temper, &ldquo;he is supposed to be a spy of the police. I heard it myself
+      this morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eh, what!&rdquo; exclaimed Bubbleton, jumping up in an ecstasy of delight. &ldquo;A
+      spy! By Jove! I knew it. Lord! what fellows they are, these French! not
+      two days here yet, and they discovered I was no common man,&mdash;eh,
+      Burke? Maybe I haven't frightened them, my boy. It's not every one would
+      create such a sensation, let me tell you; I knew I'd do it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Miss Bubbleton looked at him for an instant with a sneer of the most
+      withering contempt, and then rising abruptly, left the room. But the
+      general little cared for such evidences of her censure; he danced about
+      the room, snapping his fingers, and chuckling with self-satisfaction, the
+      thought of being believed to be a police spy giving him the most intense
+      and heartfelt pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She has moments, Tom, when she's downright clear; you 'd not think it,
+      but sometimes she's actually shrewd. You saw how she hit upon that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Would that her brother was favored with some of these lucid intervals!&rdquo;
+       was the thought that ran through my head at the moment; for I knew better
+      than he did how needful a clearer brain and sharper faculties than his
+      would be to escape the snares his folly and vanity were spreading around
+      him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall we make a morning call at our friend the countess's, Tom?&rdquo; said
+      Bubbleton. &ldquo;She told me she received every day about this hour.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I felt nowise disposed for the visit; and so, having engaged my friend to
+      dine with me at the Luxembourg the next day, we parted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I sauntered homewards, I was surprised how difficult I found it to
+      disabuse my mind of the absurd insinuations Bubbleton had thrown out
+      against his sister's sanity; for, though well knowing his fondness for
+      romance, and his taste for embellishment on every occasion, I. yet could
+      not get rid of the impression that her oddity of manner might only be
+      another feature of eccentricity, just as extravagant, but differing in its
+      tendencies, as his own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To assist him whose kindness to myself of old I never ceased to remember
+      with gratitude, was my firm resolve; but to ascertain his exact position
+      was all-essential for this purpose, and I could not help saying, half
+      aloud, &ldquo;If I had but Duchesne here now!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak of the devil, <i>mon ami!</i>&rdquo; said he, drawing his arm within
+      mine, while I was scarcely able to avoid a cry of astonishment. &ldquo;Where do
+      you dine to-day, Burke?&rdquo; said he, in his quiet, easy tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But where did you come from, Duchesne? Are you long here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Answer my question first. Can you dine with me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure; with pleasure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then meet me at the corner of the Rue des Trois Têtes, at six o'clock,
+      and I 'll be your guide afterwards. This is <i>my</i> way now. <i>Au
+      revoir</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVIII. THE MOISSON d'OR
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      When I arrived at the rendezvous, I found Duchesne already awaiting me
+      with a carriage, into which we stepped, and drove rapidly away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A man of your word, Burke; and, what is scarcely less valuable in the
+      times we live in, a man of prudence too.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As how the latter, may I ask?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have not come in uniform, which is all the better where we are going;
+      besides, it gives me the hope of presenting you to my respected aunt, the
+      Duchesse de Montserrât, who will take your black coat as a compliment to
+      the whole Bourbon dynasty. You must come with me there, if it only be for
+      half an hour. And now tell me, have you ever dined at the 'Moisson d'Or'?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never; not even heard of the house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, you shall to-day. And meanwhile I may tell you, that although
+      in a remote and little-visited quarter of Paris, it stands unrivalled for
+      the excellence of its fare and the rare delicacy of its wines,&mdash;a
+      reputation not of yesterday, but of some years' standing. Nor is that the
+      only thing remarkable about it, as I shall explain hereafter. But come!
+      How are your friends at the Hôtel Clichy? and how fares your suit with
+      mademoiselle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My suit? It never was such. You know, to the full as well as I do, my
+      pretensions aspired not half so high.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the better, and so much the worse. I mean the former for me, as I
+      hate to have a friend for a rival; the latter for you, who ought to have
+      learned by this time that a handsome girl and a million of francs are more
+      easily won than a cross of the Legion or a colonel's epaulette.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And are you serious, Duchesne? Have you really intentions in that
+      quarter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Morbleu!</i> to be sure I have. It is for that I am here in Paris in
+      the dog days; travelled one hundred and twenty leagues; ay, and more, too,&mdash;have
+      brought with me my most aristocratic aunt, who never remembers in her life
+      to have seen full-grown leaves in the Tuileries gardens. I knew what an
+      ally she would be in the negotiation; and so I managed, through some
+      friends in the bureau of the minister, to give her a rare fright about an
+      estate of hers, which by some accident escaped confiscation in the
+      Revolution, and which nothing but the greatest efforts on her part could
+      now rescue from the fangs of the crown. You may be sure she is not
+      particularly in love with the present Government on this score; but the
+      trick secures her speaking more guardedly than she has the habit of doing,
+      besides inducing her to make acquaintances nothing but such a threat would
+      accomplish.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You intend, then, she should know Madame de Lacostellerie?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course. I have already persuaded her that the Hôtel Clichy is the
+      pivot of all Paris, and that nothing but consummate tact and management on
+      her part will succeed there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I scarcely thought you cared for mademoiselle; and never dreamed of
+      your proposing to marry her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor I, till about a week ago. However, my plans require money, and would
+      not be encumbered by my having a wife. I see nothing better at the moment,
+      and so my mind is soon made up. But here we are; this is our
+      resting-place.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The &ldquo;Moisson d'Or,&rdquo; although not known to me, was then the most celebrated
+      place for dining in Paris. The habits of the house&mdash;for there was no
+      <i>table d'hôte</i>&mdash;required that everything should be ordered
+      beforehand, and the parties all dined separately. The expensive habits and
+      extravagant prices secured its frequenters from meeting the class who
+      usually dined at restaurants; and this gave it a vogue among the wealthy
+      and titled, whose equipages now thronged the street, and filled the <i>porte
+      cochère</i>. I had but time to recognize the face of one of the marshals
+      and a minister of state, as we pushed our way through the court, and
+      entered a small pavilion beyond it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I'll join you in an instant,&rdquo; said Duchesne, as he left the room hastily
+      after the waiter. In a couple of minutes he was back again. &ldquo;Come along;
+      it's all right,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;I wish to show you a corner of the old house
+      that only the privileged ever see, and we are fortunate in finding it
+      unoccupied.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      We recrossed the court, and mounted a large oak stair to a corridor, which
+      conducted us, by three sides of a quadrangle, to a smaller stair, nearly
+      perpendicular. At the top of this, a strong door, barred and padlocked,
+      stood, which, being opened, led into a large and lofty <i>salon</i>,
+      opening by three spacious windows on a terrace that formed the roof of the
+      building. Some citron and orange trees were disposed tastefully along
+      this, and filled the room with their fragrance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here, Antoine; let us be served here,&rdquo; said Duchesne to the waiter; &ldquo;I
+      have already given orders about the dinner. And now, Burke, come out here.
+      What think you of that view?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had I set foot on the terrace, when I started back in mingled
+      admiration and amazement. Beneath us lay the great city, in the mellow
+      light of an evening in September. Close&mdash;so close as actually to
+      startle&mdash;was the large dome of the Invalides shining like a ball of
+      molten gold, the great courtyard in front dotted with figures; beyond,
+      again, was the Seine, the surface flashing and flickering in the sunlight,&mdash;I
+      traced it along to the Pont Neuf; and then my eye rested on Notre-Dame,
+      whose tall, dark towers stood out against the pinkish sky, while the
+      deep-toned bell boomed through the still air. I turned towards the
+      Tuileries, and could see the guard of honor in waiting for the Emperor's
+      appearing. In the gardens, hundreds were passing and repassing, or
+      standing around the band which played in front of the pavilion. A tide of
+      population poured across the bridges and down the streets, along which
+      equipages and horsemen dashed impetuously onward. There was all the life
+      and stir of a mighty city, its sounds dulled by distance, but blended into
+      one hoarse din, like the far-off sea at night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You don't know, Burke, that this was a favorite resort of the courtiers
+      of the last reign. The gay young Gardes du Corps, the gallant youths of
+      the royal household, constantly dined here. The terrace we now stand on
+      once held a party who came at the invitation of no less a personage than
+      him whom men call Louis the Eighteenth. It was a freak of the time to
+      pronounce the Court dinners execrable: and they even go so far as to say
+      that Marie Antoinette herself once planned a party here; but this I cannot
+      vouch for.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment Duchesne was interrupted by the entrance of the waiters who
+      came to serve the dinner. I had not a moment left to admire the beauty and
+      richness of the antique silver dishes which covered the table, when a
+      gentle tap at the door attracted my attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! Jacotot himself!&rdquo; said Duchesne, as, rising hastily, he advanced to
+      meet the new arrival. He was a tall, thin old man, much stooped by years,
+      but with an air and carriage distinctly well bred; his white hair, brushed
+      rigidly back, fastened into a queue behind, and his lace &ldquo;jabot&rdquo; and
+      ruffles, bespoke him as the remnant of a date long past. His coat was
+      blue, of a shade somewhat lighter than is usually worn. He also wore large
+      buckles in his shoes, whose brilliancy left no doubt of their real value.
+      Bowing with great ceremony, he advanced slowly into the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are come to dine with us,&mdash;is it not so, Jacotot?&rdquo; said
+      Duchesne, as he still held his hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excuse me, my dear chevalier; the Comte de Chambord and Edouard de
+      Courcelles are below,&mdash;I have promised to join them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And is Courcelles here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said the old man, with a timid glance towards where I sat, and a
+      look as if imploring caution and reserve.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, fear nothing. And that reminds me I have not presented my friend and
+      brother officer: Captain Burke,&mdash;Monsieur Jacotot. You may feel
+      assured, Jacotot, I make no mistake in the friends I introduce here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man gave a smile of pleasure; while, turning to me, he said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is discretion itself; and I am but too happy to make your
+      acquaintance. And now, Chevalier, one word with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He retreated towards the door, holding Duchesne's arm, and whispering as
+      he went. Duchesne's face, however, expressed his impatience as he spoke;
+      and at last he said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you please, my worthy friend; I always submit to your wiser counsels.
+      So farewell for the present.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He looked after the old man as he slowly descended the stairs, and then
+      closing the door and locking it, he exclaimed,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i>I found it very hard to listen to his prosing with even a
+      show of patience, and was half tempted to tell him that the Bourbons could
+      wait, though the soup could not.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then Monsieur Jacotot is a Royalist, I presume?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, that he is; and so are all they who frequent this house. Don't start;
+      the police know it well, and no one is more amused at their absurd
+      plottings and conspirings than Fouché himself. Now and then, to be sure,
+      some fool, more rash and brainless than the others, will come up from La
+      Vendée and try to knock his head against the walls of the Temple,&mdash;like
+      De Courcelles there, who has no other business in Paris except to be
+      guillotined, if it were worth the trouble. Then the minister affects to
+      stir himself and be on the alert, just to terrify them; but he well knows
+      that danger lurks not in this quarter. Believe me, Burke, the present
+      rulers of France have no greater security than in the contemptible
+      character of all their opponents. There is no course for a man of energy
+      and courage to adopt. But I ask your pardon, my dear friend, for this
+      treasonable talk. What think you of the dinner? The Royalists would never
+      have fallen if they had understood government as well as cuisine. Taste
+      that <i>suprême</i>, and say if you don't regret the Capets,&mdash;a
+      feeling you can indulge the more freely because you never knew them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot comprehend, Duchesne, what are the grievances you charge against
+      the present Government of France. Had you been an old courtier of the last
+      reign,&mdash;a hanger-on of Versailles or the Tuileries,&mdash;the thing
+      were intelligible; but you, a soldier, a man of daring and enterprise&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me interrupt you. I am so only because it is the taste of the day;
+      but I despise the parade of military glory we have got into the habit of.
+      I prefer the period when a <i>mot</i> did as much and more than a
+      discharge of <i>mitraille</i>, and men's <i>esprit</i> and talent
+      succeeded better than a strong sword-arm or a seat on horseback. There
+      were gentlemen in France once, my dear Burke. Ay, <i>parbleu!</i> and
+      ladies too,&mdash;not marchionesses of the drum-head nor countesses of the
+      bivouac, but women in whom birth heightened beauty, whose loveliness had
+      the added charm of high descent beaming from their bright eyes and sitting
+      throned on their lofty brows; before whom our mustached marshals had stood
+      trembling and ashamed,&mdash;these men who lounge so much at ease in the
+      <i>salons</i> of the Tuileries! Let me help you to this <i>salmi</i>; it
+      is <i>à la Louis Quinze</i>, and worthy of the Regency itself. Well, then,
+      a glass of Burgundy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your friend Monsieur Jacotot seems somewhat of an original,&rdquo; said I, half
+      desirous to change a topic which I always felt an unpleasant one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are not wrong; he is so. Jacotot is a thorough Frenchman; at least,
+      he has had the fortune to mix up in his destiny those extremes of elevated
+      sentiment and absurdity which go very far to compose the life of my good
+      countrymen. I must tell you a short anecdote&mdash;But shall we adjourn to
+      the terrace? for, to prevent the interruption of servants, I have ordered
+      our dessert there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This was a most agreeable proposal; and so, having seated ourselves in a
+      little arbor of orange-shrubs, with a view of the river and the Palace
+      gardens beneath us, Duchesne thus began:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am going somewhat far back in history; but have no fears on that head,
+      Burke,&mdash;my story is a very brief one. There was, once upon a time, in
+      France, a monarch of some repute, called Louis the Fourteenth; a man, if
+      fame be not unjust, who possessed the most kingly qualities of which we
+      have any record in books. He was brave, munificent, high-minded, ardent,
+      selfish, cruel, and ungrateful, beyond any other man in his own dominions;
+      and, like people with such gifts, he had the good fortune to attach men to
+      him just as firmly and devotedly as though he was not in his heart devoid
+      of every principle of friendship and affection. I need not tell you what
+      the ladies of his reign thought of him; my present business is with the
+      ruder sex.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Among the courtiers of the day was a certain Vicomte Arnoud de Gency, a
+      young man who, at the age of eighteen, won his grade of colonel at the
+      siege of Besançon by an act of coolness and courage worthy recording. He
+      deliberately advanced into one of the breaches, and made a sketch of the
+      interior works of the fortification while the enemy's shot was tearing up
+      the ground around him. When the deed was reported to the king, he
+      interrupted the relation, saying, 'Don't tell me who did this, for I have
+      made De Gency a colonel for it;' so rapidly did Louis guess the author of
+      so daring a feat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From that hour, the young colonel's fortune was made. He was appointed
+      one of the gentlemen of the chamber to his Majesty, and distinguished by
+      almost daily marks of royal intimacy. His qualities eminently fitted him
+      for the tone of the society he lived in; he was a most witty converser, a
+      good musician, and had, moreover, a very handsome person,&mdash;gifts not
+      undervalued at Saint-Germain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such were his social qualities; and so thoroughly did he understand the
+      king's humor, that even La Vallière herself saw the necessity of retaining
+      him at the Court, and, in fact, made a confidant of him on several
+      occasions of difficulty. Still, with all these favors of fortune, when the
+      object of envy to almost all the rest of the household, Arnoud de Gency
+      was suffering in his heart one of the most trying afflictions that can
+      befall a proud man so placed; he was in actual poverty,&mdash;in want so
+      pressing that all the efforts he could make, all the contrivances he could
+      practise, were barely sufficient to prevent his misery being public. The
+      taste for splendor in dress and equipage which characterized the period
+      had greatly injured his private fortune, while the habit of high play,
+      which Louis encouraged and liked to see about him, completed his ruin. The
+      salary of his appointments was merely enough to maintain his daily
+      expenditure; and thus was he, with a breaking heart, obliged not only to
+      mix in all the reckless gayety and frivolity of that voluptuous Court,
+      but, still more, tax his talents and his energies for new themes of
+      pleasure, fresh sources of amusement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Worn out at length by the long struggle between his secret sorrow and his
+      pride, he resolved to appeal to the king, and in a few words tell his
+      Majesty the straits to which he was reduced, and implore his protection.
+      To this he was impelled not solely on his own account, but on that also of
+      his only child, a boy of eight or nine years old, whose mother died in
+      giving him birth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An occasion soon presented itself. The king had given orders for a
+      hunting-party at St. Cloud; and at an early hour of the morning De Gency
+      in his hunting-dress took up his position in one of the ante-chambers
+      through which the king must pass: not alone, however; at his side there
+      stood a lovely boy, also dressed in the costume of the chase. He wore a
+      velvet doublet of green, slashed with gold, and ornamented by a broad
+      belt, from which hung his <i>couteau de chasse</i>; even to the falcon
+      feather in his cap, nothing was forgotten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He had not waited long when the folding-doors were thrown wide, and a
+      moment after Louis appeared, accompanied by a single attendant, the
+      Marquis de Verneuil, unhappily one of the very few enemies Arnoud
+      possessed in the world.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, De Gency! you here?' said the king, gayly. 'They told me &ldquo;brelan&rdquo;
+       had been unfavorable lately, and that we should not see you.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'It is true, Sire,' said he, with a sad effort at a smile; 'it is only on
+      your Majesty fortune always smiles.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'<i>Pardieu!</i> you must not say so; I lost a rouleau last night. But
+      whom have we here?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'My son; so please you, Sire, my only son, who desires, at an earlier age
+      than even his father did, to serve your Majesty.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0012" id="linkimage-0012">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/230.jpg" alt="230 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'How like his mother!' said the king, pushing back the fair ringlets from
+      the boy's forehead, and gazing almost fondly on his handsome features,&mdash;'how
+      like her! She was a Courcelles?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'She was, Sire,' said Arnoud, as the tears fell on his cheek and coursed
+      slowly along his face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'And you want something for him?' said the king, resuming his wonted
+      tone, while he busied himself with his sword-knot; 'is it not so?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'If I might dare to ask&mdash;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Assuredly you may. The thing is, what can we do? Eh, Verneuil, what say
+      you? He is but an infant.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'True, Sire,' replied the marquis, with a look of respect, in which the
+      most subtle could not discover a trait of his sarcastic nature; 'but there
+      is a place vacant.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, indeed,' said the king, quickly. 'What is it? He shall have it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Monsieur Jacotot, your Majesty's head cook, stands in need of a
+      turnspit,' said he, in a low whisper, only audible to the king.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'A turnspit!' said the king. And scarcely was the word uttered when, as
+      if the irony was his own, he burst into a most immoderate fit of laughter,&mdash;an
+      emotion that seemed to increase as he endeavored to repress it; when at
+      the instant the <i>cor de chasse</i>, then heard without, gave a new turn
+      to his thoughts, and he hurried forward with De Yerneuil, leaving De Gency
+      and his son rooted to the spot,&mdash;indignant passion in that heart
+      which despair and sorrow had almost rendered callous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His Majesty was still laughing as he mounted his barb in the courtyard;
+      and the courtiers, like well-bred gentlemen, laughed as became them, with
+      that low, quiet laugh which is the meet chorus of a sovereign's mirth,
+      when suddenly two loud reports, so rapidly following on each other as
+      almost to seem one, startled the glittering cortege, and even made the
+      Arab courser of the king plunge madly in the air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'<i>Par Saint Denis!</i>Messieurs,' said Louis, passionately, 'this
+      pleasantry of yours is ill thought of. Who has dared to do this?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But none spoke. A terrified look around the circle was the only reply to
+      the king's question, when a page rushed forward, his dress spotted and
+      blood-stained, his face pale with horror,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Your Majesty,&mdash;ah, Sire!' said he, kneeling. But sobs choked him,
+      and he could not utter more.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What is this? Will no one tell?' cried the king, as a frown of dark omen
+      shadowed his angry features.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Your Majesty has lost a brave, an honest, and a faithful follower,
+      Sire,' said Monsieur de Coulanges. 'Arnoud de Gency is no more.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Why, I saw him this instant,' said the king. 'He asked me some favor for
+      his boy.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'True, Sire,' replied De Coulanges, mournfully. But he checked himself in
+      time, for already the well-known and dreaded expression of passion had
+      mounted to the king's face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Dismiss the <i>chasse</i>, gentlemen,' said he, in a low thick voice.
+      'And do you, Monsieur de Verneuil, attend me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The cortege was soon scattered; and the Marquis de Verneuil followed the
+      king with an expression where fear and dread were not to be mistaken.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur de Verneuil did indeed seem an altered man when he appeared
+      among his friends that evening. Whatever the king had said to him
+      assuredly had worked its due effect; for all his raillery was gone, and
+      even the veriest trifler of the party might have dared an encounter with
+      wits which then were subdued and broken.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Next morning, however, the sun shone out brilliantly. The king was in
+      high spirits; the game abounded; and his Majesty with his own hand brought
+      down eight pheasants. The Marquis de Verneuil could hit nothing; for
+      although the best marksman of the day, his hand shook and his sight failed
+      him, and the king won fifty louis from him before they reached
+      Saint-Germain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never was there a happier day nor followed by a pleasanter evening. The
+      king supped in Madame de la Vallière's apartment; the private band played
+      the most delicious airs during the repast; and when at length the party
+      retired to rest, not one bright dream was clouded by the memory of Arnoud
+      de Gency.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here, now, were I merely recounting an anecdote, I should stop,&rdquo; said the
+      chevalier; &ldquo;but must continue a little longer, though all the romance of
+      my story is over. The Marquis de Verneuil was a good hater: even poor De
+      Gency's fate did not move him, and he actually did do what he had only
+      threatened in mockery,&mdash;he sent the orphan child to be a turnspit in
+      the royal kitchen. Of course he changed his name,&mdash;the title of an
+      old and honored family would soon have betrayed the foul deed,&mdash;and
+      the boy was called Jacotot, after the <i>chef</i> himself. The king
+      inquired no further on the subject; Arnoud's name recalled too unpleasant
+      a topic for the lips of a courtier ever to mention; and the whole
+      circumstance was soon entirely forgotten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This same Jacotot was the grandfather of my old friend, whom you saw a
+      few minutes since. Fate, that seems to jest with men's destinies, made
+      them as successful at the fire of the kitchen as ever their ancestors were
+      at that of a battery; and Monsieur Jacotot, our present host, has not his
+      equal in Paris. Here for years the younger members of the royal family
+      used to sup; this room was their favorite apartment; and one evening, when
+      at a later sitting than usual the ruler of the feast was carried beyond
+      himself in the praise of an admirable plat, he sent for Jacotot, and told
+      him, whatever favor he should ask, he himself would seek for him at the
+      hands of the king.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This was the long-wished-for moment of the poor fellow's life. He drew
+      from his bosom the title-deeds of his ancient name and fortune, and placed
+      them in the prince's hand without uttering a word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What! and are you a De Gency?' said the prince.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Alas! I shame to say it, I am.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Come, gentlemen,' said the gay young prince, 'a bumper to our worthy
+      friend, whom, with God's blessing, I shall see restored right soon to his
+      fitting rank and station. Yes, De Gency! my word upon it, the next evening
+      I sup here I shall bring with me his Majesty's own signature to these
+      title-deeds. Make place, gentlemen, and let him sit down!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But poor Jacotot was too much excited by his feelings of joy and
+      gratitude, and he rushed from the room in a torrent of tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The evening the prince spoke of never came. Soon after that commenced the
+      troubles to the royal family; the dreadful events of Versailles; the
+      flight to Varennes; the 10th August,&mdash;a horrible catalogue I cannot
+      bear to trace. There, yonder, where now the groups are loitering, or
+      sitting around in happy knots, there died Louis the Sixteenth. The prince
+      I spoke of is an exile: they call him Louis the Eighteenth; but he is a
+      king without a kingdom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But Jacotot lives on in hope. He has waded through all the terrors of the
+      Revolution; he has seen the guillotine erected almost before his door and
+      beheld his former friends led one by one to the slaughter. Twice was he
+      himself brought forth, and twice was his life spared by some admirer of
+      his cuisine. But perhaps all his trials were inferior to the heart-burning
+      with which he saw the places once occupied by the blood of Saint Louis now
+      occupied by the <i>canaille</i> of the Revolution. Marat and Robespierre
+      frequented his house; and Barras seldom passed a week without dining
+      there. This, I verily believe, was a heavier affliction than any of his
+      personal sufferings; and I have often heard him recount, with no feigned
+      horror, the scenes which took place among the <i>incroyables</i>, as they
+      called themselves, whose orgies he contrasted so unfavorably with the more
+      polished excesses of his regal visitors. Through all the anarchy of that
+      fearful period; through the scarce less sanguinary time of the Directory;
+      through the long, dreary oppression of the consulate; and now, in the more
+      grinding tyranny of the Empire, he hopes, ay, still hopes on, that the day
+      will come when from the hands of the king himself he shall receive his
+      long-buried rank, and stand forth a De Gency. Poor fellow! there is
+      something noble and manly in the long struggle with fortune,&mdash;in that
+      long-sustained contest in which he would never admit defeat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such are the followers of the Bourbons: their best traits, their highest
+      daring, their most long-suffering endurance, only elicited in the pursuit
+      of some paltry object of personal ambition. They have tasted the cup of
+      adversity, ay, drained it to the very dregs; they have seen carnage and
+      bloodshed such as no war ever surpassed: and all they have learned by
+      experience is, to wish for the long past days of royal tyranny and
+      frivolity back again; to see a glittering swarm of debauchees fluttering
+      around a sensualist king; and to watch the famished faces of the
+      multitude, without a thought that the tiger is only waiting for his
+      spring. As to a thought of true liberty, one single high and noble
+      aspiration after freedom, they never dreamed of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, my friend, I have no desire to win you over to the Bourbon
+      cause; neither, if I could, would I make you a Jacobin. But how is this?
+      Can it really be so late? Come, we have no time to lose: it is not
+      accounted good breeding to be late in a visit at the Faubourg.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIX. THE TWO SOIREES
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Duchesne's story had unfortunately driven all memory of Bubbleton out of
+      my head; and it was only as we entered the street where the Duchesse de
+      Montserrat lived that I remembered my friend, and thought of asking the
+      chevalier's advice about him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a few words I explained so much of his character and situation as was
+      necessary, and was going on to express my fears lest a temperament so
+      unstable and uncertain should involve its possessor in much trouble, when
+      Duchesne interrupted me by saying,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be of courage on that head. Your friend, if the man you describe him, is
+      the very person to baffle the police. They can see to any depth, if the
+      water be only clear; muddy it, and it matters little how shallow it be.
+      This Bubbleton might be of the greatest service just now; you must present
+      me to him, Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Most willingly. But first promise that you will not involve my poor
+      friend in the snares of any plot. Heaven knows, his own faculties are
+      quite sufficient for his mystification.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Plot! snares!&mdash;why, what are you thinking of? But come, this is our
+      halting-place; and here we are, without my even having a moment to give
+      you any account of my good aunt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke he turned the handle of a large door, which led into a gloomy
+      <i>porte cochère</i>, dimly illuminated by a single old-fashioned lantern.
+      A fat, unwieldy-looking porter peeped at us from his den in the
+      conciergerie; and then, having announced our approach by ringing a bell,
+      he closed the shutter, and left us to find the way ourselves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ascending the great spacious stair, the wall alongside which was covered
+      with family portraits,&mdash;grim-looking heroes in mail, or prim dames
+      with bouquets in their jewelled hands,&mdash;we reached a species of
+      gallery, from which several doors led off. Here a servant, dressed in deep
+      black, was standing to announce the visitors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the servant preceded us along the corridor, I could not help feeling
+      the contrast of this gloomy mansion, where every footstep had its own sad
+      echo, with the gorgeous splendor of the Hôtel Clichy. Here, all was dark,
+      cold, and dreary; there, everything was lightsome, cheerful, and elegant.
+      What an emblem, to my thinking, were they both of the dynasties they
+      represented! But the reflection was only made as one half of the
+      folding-door was thrown open,&mdash;the double-door was the prerogative of
+      the blood-royal,&mdash;and we were announced.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The apartment&mdash;a large, sombre-looking one&mdash;was empty, however,
+      and we traversed this, and a second similar to it, our names being
+      repeated as before; when at length the low tones of voices indicated our
+      approach to the <i>salon</i> where the visitors were assembled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dimly lighted by a few lamps, far apart from each other, the apartment as
+      we entered seemed even larger than it really was. At one end, around a
+      huge antique fireplace, sat a group of ladies, whom in a glance I
+      recognized as of the class so distinctively called dowager. They were
+      seated in deep-cushioned fauteuils, and were mostly employed in some
+      embroidery work, which they laid down each time they spoke; and resumed,
+      less to prosecute the labor, than, as it were, from mere habit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With all the insinuating gracefulness of a well-bred Frenchman, Duchesne
+      approached the seat next the chimney, and respectfully kissed the hand
+      extended towards him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Permit me, my dear aunt, to present a very intimate friend,&mdash;Captain
+      Burke,&rdquo; said he, as he led me forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the mention of the word &ldquo;captain,&rdquo; I could perceive that every hand
+      dropped its embroidery-frame, while the group stared at me with no feigned
+      astonishment. But already the duchess had vouchsafed a very polite speech,
+      and motioned me to a seat beside her; while the chevalier insinuated
+      himself among the rest, evidently bent on relieving the stiff and
+      constrained reserve which pervaded the party. Not even his tact and
+      worldly cleverness was equal to the task. The conversation, if such it
+      could be called, was conducted almost in monosyllables,&mdash;some stray
+      question for an absent &ldquo;marquise,&rdquo; or a muttered reply concerning a late
+      &ldquo;countess,&rdquo; was the burden; not an allusion even being made to any topic
+      of the day, nor any phrase dropped which could show that the speakers were
+      aware of the year or the nation in which they lived and breathed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was an inexpressible relief to me when gradually some three or four
+      other persons dropped in, some of them men, who, by their manner, seemed
+      favorites of the party. And soon after the entrance of the servant with
+      refreshments permitted a movement in the group, when I took the
+      opportunity to stand up and approach Duchesne, as he bent over a table,
+      listlessly turning over the leaves of a volume.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just think of the contradictions of human nature, Burke,&rdquo; said he, in a
+      low whisper. &ldquo;These are the receptions for which the new noblesse would
+      give half their wealth. These melancholy visits of worn-out acquaintances,
+      these sapless twigs of humanity, are the envy of such houses as the Hôtel
+      Clichy; and to be admitted to these gloomy, moth-eaten <i>salons</i>, is a
+      greater honor than an invitation to the Tuileries. So long as this exists,
+      depend upon it, there is rottenness in the core of society. But come, let
+      us take our leave; I see you are well wearied of all this. And now for an
+      hour at Madame de Lacostellerie's,&mdash;<i>en revanche</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As we came forward to make our adieux to the duchess, she rose from her
+      seat, and in so doing her sleeve brushed against a small marble statue of
+      Louis the Sixteenth, which, had I not opportunely caught it, would have
+      fallen to the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, sir,&rdquo; said she, graciously. &ldquo;You have prevented what I should
+      have deemed a sad accident.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nay, more, Aunt,&rdquo; said Duchesne, smiling; &ldquo;he has shown his readiness to
+      restore the Bourbon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This speech, evidently spoken in jest, was repeated from lip to lip in the
+      circle; and certainly I never felt my awkwardness more oppressive than
+      when bowing to the party, whose elated looks and pleased countenances now
+      were turned towards me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My poor, bashful friend,&rdquo; said Duchesne, as we descended the stair; &ldquo;get
+      rid of the habit of blushing with all convenient despatch. It has marred
+      more fortunes than pharo or bouillotte.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This, assuredly, is well done!&rdquo; said the chevalier, as he looked around
+      him, while we slowly ascended the stairs of the Hôtel Glichy: the
+      brilliant light, almost rivalling day; the servants in gorgeous liveries;
+      the air of wealth around on every side, so different from the sad-colored
+      mansion of the Faubourg; while, as the opening doors permitted it to be
+      heard, the sound of delicious music came wafted to the ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say, Burke,&rdquo; said he, stopping suddenly, and laying his hand on my arm,
+      &ldquo;this might content a man who has seen as much as I have. And the game is
+      well worth the playing; so here goes!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The first person I saw as we entered the ante-chamber was Bubbleton. He
+      was the centre of a knot of foreigners, who, whatever the topic, seemed
+      highly amused at his discourse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is your friend, yonder,&rdquo; said Duchesne. &ldquo;He has the true type of
+      John Bull about him; introduce me at once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Duchesne scarcely permitted me to finish the introduction, when he
+      extended his hand, and saluted Bubbleton with great cordiality; while the
+      &ldquo;general&rdquo; did not suffer the ceremony to interrupt the flow of his
+      eloquence, but continued to explain, in the most minute and circumstantial
+      manner, the conditions of the new peace secretly concluded between France
+      and England. The incredulity of the listeners was, I could perceive,
+      considerably lessened by observing the deferential attention with which
+      Duchesne listened, only interrupting the speaker by an occasional assent,
+      or a passing question as to the political relations of some of the great
+      Powers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As to Prussia,&rdquo; said Bubbleton, pompously&mdash;&ldquo;as to Prussia&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, what of Prussia, General?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We have our doubts on that subject,&rdquo; replied he, looking thoughtfully
+      around him on the group, who, completely deceived by Duchesne's manner,
+      now paid him marked attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You'll not deprive her of Genoa, I trust,&rdquo; said the chevalier, with a
+      gravity almost inconceivable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is done already,&rdquo; said Bubbleton. &ldquo;For my own part, I told
+      Lauderdale we were nothing without the Bosphorus,&mdash;'the key of our
+      house, as your Emperor called it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He spoke of Russia, if I don't err,&rdquo; said Duchesne, with an insinuating
+      air of correction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pardon me, you are wrong. I know Russia well. I travelled through the
+      steppes of Metchezaromizce with Prince Drudeszitsch. We journeyed three
+      hundred versts over his own estates, drawn on sledges by his serfs. You
+      are aware they are always harnessed by the beard, which they wear long and
+      plaited on purpose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is towards the Crimea,&rdquo; interrupted the chevalier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Precisely. I remember a curious incident which occurred one night as we
+      approached Chitepsk. (You know Chitepsk? It is where they confine the
+      state prisoners,&mdash;a miserable, dreary tract, where the snow never
+      melts, and the frost is so intense you often see a drove of wolves glued
+      fast to the snow by the feet, and howling fearfully: a strange sight, to
+      be sure!) Well, the night was falling, and a thin, cutting snowdrift
+      beginning to drop, when Dru (I always call him so,&mdash;short) said to
+      me,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Bub' (he did the same to me) 'Bub,' said he, 'do you remark that
+      off-side leader?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I see him,' said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I have been watching the fellow since the last stage, and confound me if
+      he has ever tightened a trace; and you see he is a right active one,
+      notwithstanding. He capers along gayly enough. I 'll touch him up a bit.'
+      And with that he gave a flourish of his knouted whip, and came down on him
+      with a smarting cut. Lord, how he jumped! Five feet off the ground at one
+      spring! And, hang me, if he didn't tear off his beard! There it was,
+      hanging to the pole! A very shocking sight, I must confess; though Dru did
+      n't seem to mind it. However, we were obliged to pull up, and get out the
+      team. Well, you would not believe what we saw when we got down. You 'd
+      never guess who was the off-leader. It was the Princess Odoznovskoi! Poor
+      thing! the last time I saw her, before that, she was dancing in the Amber
+      Palace with Prince Alexander. She and her husband had been banished to
+      Chitepsk, and as he was ill, she had put on a false beard and was taking a
+      short stage in his place.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I did not venture to wait for more; but, leaving Duchesne to make the most
+      of the general, passed onwards towards the <i>salon</i>, which already was
+      rapidly filling with visitors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The countess received me with more than wonted kindness of manner, and
+      mademoiselle assumed a tone of actual cordiality I had never perceived
+      before; while, as she exchanged greetings with me, she said, in a low
+      voice,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me speak with you, in the picture-gallery, in half an hour.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Before I could utter my assent she had passed on, and was speaking to
+      another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Somewhat curious to conceive what Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie might mean
+      by her appointment in the gallery, I avoided the groups where I perceived
+      my acquaintances were, and strolled negligently on towards the place of
+      meeting. The gallery was but half lighted, as was customary on mere nights
+      of visiting, and I found it quite deserted. I was sauntering slowly along,
+      musing on the strange effects of the half-seen pictures, where all, save
+      the most forcible and striking tints, were sombred down to blackness, when
+      I heard a step behind me. I turned my head, and saw mademoiselle herself.
+      She was alone, and, though she evidently had seen me, continued to walk
+      onward, without speaking, towards a small boudoir, which occupied one
+      angle of the gallery. I followed, and we entered it together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was something in the secret interview which, while it excited my
+      curiosity, served at once to convince me that had I indulged in any hope
+      of succeeding to her affections, nothing could be less promising,&mdash;this
+      very proof of her confidence was the strongest earnest of her
+      indifference. But, indeed, I had never any such expectation. My pride
+      might have been flattered by such a supposition; my heart could never have
+      sympathized in the emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are alone here,&rdquo; said she, hurriedly, &ldquo;and we may be missed; so let me
+      be brief. It will seem strange that I should ask you to meet me here, but
+      I could not help it. You alone, of all who frequent this, have never paid
+      me the least attention, nor seemed disposed to flatter me; this leads me
+      to trust you. I have no other reason but that, and because I am
+      friendless.&rdquo; There was a tremulous sadness in the last word which went to
+      my heart, and I could mark that her breathing was hurried and irregular
+      for some few seconds after. &ldquo;Will you promise me your friendship in what I
+      ask? or, if that be too much, will you pledge yourself at least to
+      secrecy? Enough, I am quite satisfied. Now, tell me, who is this Chevalier
+      Duchesne?&mdash;what is he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I ran over in a few words all I knew of him, dwelling on whatever might
+      most redound to his credit; his distinguished military career, his
+      undoubted talent, and, lastly, alluding to his family, to which I
+      conceived the question might most probably apply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, it is not that,&rdquo; said she, vehemently, &ldquo;I wish to know. I care not
+      for his bravery, nor his birth either. Tell me, what are the sources of
+      his power? How is he admitted everywhere, intimate with every one, with
+      influence over all? Why does Fouché fear, and Talleyrand admit him? I know
+      they do this; and can you give me no clew, however faint, to guide me? The
+      Comte de Lacostellerie was refused the Spanish contract; Duchesne
+      interferes, and it is given him. There is a difficulty about a card for a
+      private concert at St. Cloud; Duchesne sends it. Nor does it end here. <i>You</i>
+      know&rdquo;&mdash;here her voice assumed a forced distinctness, as though it
+      cost her an effort to speak calmly&mdash;&ldquo;of his duel with the Prince
+      Dobretski; but perhaps you may not know how he has obtained an imperial
+      order for his recall to St. Petersburg?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of that I never heard. Can it be possible?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you, then, never tasted of his arbitrary power,&rdquo; said she, smiling
+      half superciliously, &ldquo;that these things seem strange to you? or does he
+      work so secretly that even those most intimate with him are in ignorance?
+      But this must be so.&rdquo; She paused for a second or two, and then went on:
+      &ldquo;And now, brief as our acquaintance with him has been, see what influence
+      he already possesses over my mother! Even to her I dare not whisper my
+      suspicions; while to you, a stranger,&rdquo; added she, with emotion, &ldquo;I must
+      speak my fears.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But are they not groundless?&rdquo; said I, endeavoring to calm the agitation
+      she suffered from. &ldquo;In all that you have mentioned, I can but trace the
+      devotion of one seeking to serve, not injure; to be loved, not dreaded.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarce had I said these words, when I heard a noise behind me, and before
+      I could turn round, Duchesne stood beside us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I implore your pardon, Mademoiselle,&rdquo; said he, in a voice of
+      well-affected timidity, &ldquo;nor should I venture to interrupt so interesting
+      a conference, but that the Comtesse de Lacostellerie had sent me to look
+      for you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You could scarcely have come more apropos, sir. The conversation was
+      entirely of yourself,&rdquo; said she, haughtily, as if in defiance of him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How could I possibly have merited so great an honor, Mademoiselle?&rdquo;
+       replied he, bowing with the deepest respect; &ldquo;or is it to the kindness of
+      a <i>friend</i> I am indebted for such interest?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      There was an evident sneer in the way he uttered the word &ldquo;friend,&rdquo; while
+      a sidelong glance he gave beneath his deep eyelashes was still more
+      decisive of his feeling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Few probably owe more to their friends than the Chevalier Duchesne,&rdquo; said
+      mademoiselle, tauntingly, as she took my arm to return to the <i>salon</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, most true!&rdquo; replied he, with a low and deferential bow; &ldquo;and I hope
+      I am not the man to forget my debts to either friends or enemies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I turned round rapidly as he said this. Our eyes met, and we exchanged a
+      short, brief glance of open defiance. His, however, as quickly changed;
+      and an easy smile of careless indifference succeeded, as he lounged after
+      us towards the <i>salon</i>, where now a considerable number of persons
+      were assembled, and a more than usual excitement prevailed. Some generals
+      of the imperial staff were also there; and the rumor ran that the
+      negotiations with England had been suddenly interrupted, and that the
+      negotiators had demanded their passports.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is not all, Madame,&rdquo; said an old officer to the countess. &ldquo;The
+      accounts from Mayence are threatening. Large bodies of Prussian troops are
+      reported on the march from the eastward. The telegraph has been actively
+      at work since noon, and several couriers have been sent off from the War
+      Office.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is to come next?&rdquo; said the countess, sighing, as she thought of
+      Paris once more deserted by its gay Court and brilliant crowd of officers,
+      the only society of the period.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What next, Madame?&rdquo; said Duchesne, taking up the word. &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i>
+      the thing is easily told. A conscription, a march, a bivouac, and a battle
+      will form act the first. Then a victory; and a bulletin and an imperial
+      edict, showing that Prussia, both by her language and geographical
+      position, was intended by Providence to belong to France; that Prussians
+      have no dearer wish than to be thrashed and taxed,&mdash;the honor of
+      becoming a portion of the Grande Nation being an ample recompense for any
+      misfortune.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so it is, Monsieur,&rdquo; broke in a bluff, hard-featured veteran, whose
+      coarse and weather-beaten traits bespoke one risen from the ranks; &ldquo;he is
+      no Frenchman who says otherwise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To your good health, Colonel,&rdquo; said Duchesne, as he lifted a glass of
+      champagne to his lips. &ldquo;Such patriotism is really refreshing in our
+      degenerate days. I wish you every success in your campaign; though what is
+      to reward your valor in that miserable land of beer and Protestantism I
+      cannot possibly conceive.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-morrow; let me see you to-morrow, in the afternoon.&rdquo; said
+      mademoiselle, in a whisper, as she passed close to me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I nodded in acknowledgment, Duchesne turned slightly around, and I saw
+      in his eyes he had overheard the words, though uttered in a mere whisper.
+      Still he went on,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for us who remain ingloriously behind you, we have nothing to do but
+      to read your exploits in the 'Moniteur.' And would to Heaven the worthy
+      editor would print his battles in better fashion! The whole page usually
+      looks more like a beaten than a conquering army; wounded vowels and broken
+      consonants at every step, and the capital letters awkward, hard-featured
+      fellows, as though risen from the ranks.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Tonnerre de Dieu</i>, sir! do you mean an insult to me?&rdquo; said the old
+      colonel, in a voice which, though intended for a whisper, was heard over
+      the whole circle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An insult, my dear colonel? nothing within a thousand leagues of such. I
+      was only speaking of the 'type' of our army, which may be very efficient,
+      but is scarcely too good-looking.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      No words can convey the sarcastic tone in which the speech was delivered,
+      nor the mortification of the indignant colonel, who felt, but knew not how
+      to reply to, such a taunt. Happily Madame de Lacostellerie interposed, and
+      by skilfully changing the topic of conversation, averted further
+      unpleasantness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My desire to learn something accurately as to the state of events made me
+      anxious to reach my quarters, and I took the first opportunity of quitting
+      the <i>salon</i>. As I passed through the outer room, Duchesne was
+      standing against a sideboard, holding a glass in his hand. It was
+      necessary that I should pass him closely, and I was preparing to salute
+      him with the distant courtesy of our present acquaintance, when he said,
+      in his former tone of easy raillery,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Going so early? Won't you have a glass of wine before you leave?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, I thank you,&rdquo; said I, coldly, and going on towards the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor wait for the concert; Grassini will be here in half an hour?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I shook my head in negation; and as I passed out I heard him humming, with
+      an emphasis which there was no mistaking, the couplet of a popular song of
+      the day which concluded thus,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-day for me; To-morrow for thee,&mdash;But will that to-morrow ever
+      be?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      That Duchesne intended to challenge me seemed now almost certain; and I
+      ran over in my mind the few names of those I could ask to be my friends on
+      such an occasion, but without being able to satisfy myself on the subject.
+      A moment's recollection might have taught me that it was a maxim with the
+      chevalier never to send a message, but in every case to make the adversary
+      the aggressor; he had told me so over and over himself. That, however, did
+      not occur to me at the moment, and I walked onward, thinking of our
+      meeting. Could I have known what was passing in <i>his</i> mind, I should
+      have spared many serious and some sad thoughts to my own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XX. A SUDDEN DEPARTURE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      So firmly had I persuaded myself, on my way homeward, that Duchesne
+      intended a duel with me, that I dreamed of it all night, and awoke in the
+      morning perfectly convinced that the event was prearranged between us.
+      Now, although the habits of the service I lived in had, in a great
+      measure, blunted the feelings I once entertained towards duelling, still
+      enough of detestation of the practice remained to make my anticipations
+      far from satisfactory; besides, I knew that Duchesne had in reality no
+      cause of quarrel with me, but from misapprehension alone could demand a
+      meeting, which our military code of honor always decided should be
+      accepted first, and inquired into afterwards. I regretted also, and deeply
+      too, that I should appear to his eyes in an unworthy part, as though
+      betraying the interests he had confided to me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There were, as I have said, many things I liked not in the chevalier: the
+      insatiable desire he felt for revenge where he had once been injured; the
+      spirit of intrigue he cherished; and, perhaps more than either, I shunned
+      the scoffing habit he had of depreciating what every one around him loved
+      or respected,&mdash;of stripping off every illusion which made life
+      valuable, and reducing to the miserable standard of mere selfish gratification
+      all that was great, or noble, or venerable. Already had his evil influence
+      done me injury in this way. Even now I felt, that of the few daydreams I
+      once indulged in he had robbed me of the best, and reduced me to the sad
+      reflection which haunted me throughout my whole career, and imbittered
+      every passing enjoyment of my life: I mean, the sorrowful thought of being
+      an alien, of having but the hireling's part in that career of glory which
+      others followed; that I alone could have no thrill of patriotism, when all
+      around me were exulting in its display; that I had neither home nor
+      country! Oh! if they who feel, or fancy that they feel, the wrongs and
+      oppressions of misgovernment at home,&mdash;who, with high aspirations
+      after liberty and holy thoughts for the happiness of their fellow-men, war
+      against the despotism which would repress the one or the cruelty which
+      would despise the other; if they could only foresee, that in changing
+      allegiance they did but shift the burden, not rid themselves of the load;
+      that the service of a foreign land is no requital for the loss of every
+      feeling which ties a man to kindred and to friends,&mdash;which links his
+      manhood with his youth, his age with both,&mdash;which gives him, in the
+      language of his forefathers, a sympathy with the land that bore them; if
+      they could know and feel these things; if they could learn how, in
+      surrendering them, they have made themselves such mere waifs and strays
+      upon life's ocean that objects of purely selfish and personal advancement
+      must be to them for evermore in place of the higher and more ennobling
+      thoughts which mix with other men's ambitions: they might hesitate ere
+      they left home and country to fight for the cause of the stranger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If such thoughts found entrance into <i>my</i> heart, how must they have
+      dwelt in many another's? I, who had neither family nor kindred,&mdash;who
+      from earliest childhood had never tasted the sweets of affection nor known
+      the blessings of a father's love; and yet scarce a day crept by without
+      some thought of the far-away land of my birth,&mdash;some memory of its
+      hills and valleys, of its green banks and changeful skies: and in my
+      dreams, some long-forgotten air would bring me back in memory to the
+      cottier's fireside, where around the red blazing turf were seated the poor
+      but happy peasantry, beguiling the time with song or story,&mdash;now
+      telling of the ancient greatness of their country, now breathing a hope of
+      its one day prosperity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Captain Burke's quarters?&rdquo; said a voice without. At the same instant, the
+      jingling of spurs and the clank of a sabre bespoke the questioner as a
+      soldier. My door opened, and an officer in the full dress of the staff
+      entered. As I requested him to be seated, I already anticipated the object
+      of his visit, which he seemed determined to open in most diplomatic
+      fashion; for, the first salutations over, he began coolly to ransack his
+      sabretasche, and search among a heap of papers which crowded it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! here it is,&rdquo; said he at length. &ldquo;I ask your pardon for all this
+      delay. But, of course, you guess the reason of my being here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must confess I suspect it,&rdquo; said I, with a smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, that I am certain of. These things never are secrets very long; nor,
+      for my part, do I think there is any need they should be. I conclude you
+      are quite prepared?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall find me so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So the minister said,&rdquo; replied he; while, once more, his eyes were buried
+      in the recesses of the sabretasche, leaving me in the most intense
+      astonishment at the last few words. That the minister, whoever he might
+      be, should know of, and, as it seemed, acquiesce in my fighting a duel,
+      was a puzzle I could make nothing of.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is the note I looked for,&rdquo; said he as he took forth a small slip of
+      paper, written on both sides. &ldquo;May I beg you will take down the details;
+      they are brief, but important.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may trust my memory with them,&rdquo; said I, rather surprised at the
+      circumstantial style of his conduct.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you please; so pay attention for one moment, while I read: 'Captain
+      Burke of the Eighth, will proceed by extra post to Mayence, visiting the
+      following garrisons <i>en route</i> '(here come the names, which you can
+      copy), where his attention will be specially directed to the points marked
+      A. B. and&mdash;'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive my interrupting you; but really I am unaware of what you are
+      alluding to. You are not here on the part of the Chevalier Duchesne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Chevalier Duchesne? Duchesne? No; this is a war despatch from the
+      minister. You must set out in two hours. I thought you said you were
+      prepared.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hem! there has been a mistake here,&rdquo; said I, endeavoring to remember how
+      far I might have committed myself by any unguarded expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All my fault, Captain Burke,&rdquo; said he, frankly. &ldquo;I should have been more
+      explicit at first. But I really thought from something&mdash;I forget
+      precisely what now&mdash;that you knew of the movement on the frontier,
+      and were, in fact, prepared for your orders. Heaven knows how far our
+      mystification might have gone on; for when you spoke of Duchesne&mdash;the
+      ex-captain of the Imperial Guard, I suppose&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! what of him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, it so chanced that he was closeted with the minister this morning,
+      and only left five minutes before your orders were made out. But come,
+      neither of us can well spare more time. This is your despatch for the
+      commandant of the troops at Mayence, to whom you will report verbally on
+      the equipment of the smaller bodies of men visited <i>en route</i>. I
+      shall give you my note, which, though hurriedly written, will assist your
+      memory. Above all things, get speedily on the road, and reach Mayence by
+      Wednesday. Half an hour's speed in times like these is worth a whole year
+      in one's way to promotion. And so, now, good-by!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I stood for several minutes after he left the room so confused and
+      astonished, that had not the huge envelope, with its great seal of office,
+      confirmed the fact, I could have believed the whole a mere trick of my
+      imagination.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The jingle of the postilion's equipment in the court beneath now informed
+      me that a Government <i>calèche</i> stood awaiting me, and I speedily
+      began my preparations for the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One thought filled my mind to the exclusion of all others. It was
+      Duchesne's influence on which my fortune now rested. The last few words he
+      uttered as I left the <i>salon</i> were ringing in my ears, and here was
+      their explanation. This rapid journey was planned by him to remove me from
+      Paris, where possibly he supposed my knowledge of him might be
+      inconvenient, and where in my absence his designs might be prosecuted with
+      more success. Happy as I felt to think that a personal <i>rencontre</i>
+      was not to occur between us, my self-love was deeply wounded at the
+      thought of how much I was in this man's power, and how arbitrarily he
+      decided on the whole question of my destiny. If my pride were gratified on
+      the one hand by my having excited the chevalier's vengeance, it was
+      offended on the other by feeling how feeble would my efforts prove to
+      oppose the will of an antagonist who worked with such secret and such
+      powerful means. The same philosophy which so often stood my part in life
+      here came to my aid,&mdash;to act well my own part, and leave the result
+      to time. And so, with this patient resolve, I mentally bade defiance to my
+      adversary, and set out from Paris.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The ardent feeling which filled my heart on the approach of my first
+      campaign was now changed into a soldierly sense of duty, which, if less
+      enthusiastic, was a steadier and more sustaining motive. I felt whatever
+      distinctions it should be my lot to win must be gained in the camp, not in
+      the Court-, that my place was rather where squadrons were charging and
+      squares were kneeling, than among the intrigues of the capital, its wiles
+      and its plottings. In the one, I might win an honorable name; in the
+      other, I should be but the dupe of more designing heads and less
+      scrupulous hearts than my own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Early on the third morning from the time of my leaving Paris, I reached
+      Mayence. The garrisons which I visited on the road seldom detained me
+      above half an hour. The few questions which I had to ask respecting the
+      troops were soon and easily answered; and in most instances the officers
+      in command had been apprised that their reports would be required, and
+      came ready at once to afford the information.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The disposable force at that time was not above eighty thousand new
+      levies,&mdash;the conscripts of the past year,&mdash;who, although well
+      drilled and equipped, had never undergone the fatigues of a campaign nor
+      met an enemy in the field. But beyond the frontier were the veteran
+      legions of the Austrian campaign, who, while advancing on their return to
+      France, were suddenly halted, and now only awaited the Emperor's orders
+      whither they should carry their victorious standards.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As at the outbreak of all Napoleon's wars, the greatest uncertainty
+      prevailed regarding the direction of the army, and in what place and
+      against what enemy the first blow was to be struck. The Russian army,
+      defeated and routed at Austerlitz, was said to be once more in the field,
+      reorganized and strengthened; Austria, it was rumored, was faltering in
+      her fealty; but the military preparations of Prussia were no longer a
+      secret, and to many it seemed as if, as in the days of the Republic,
+      France was about to contend single-handed against the whole of Europe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In Prussia the warlike enthusiasm of the people was carried to the very
+      highest pitch. The Court, the aristocracy, but more powerful than either,
+      the press, stimulated national courage by recalling to their minds the
+      famous deeds of the Great Frederick, and bidding them remember that
+      Rossbach was won against an army of Frenchmen. The students&mdash;a
+      powerful and an organized class&mdash;stood foremost in this patriotic
+      movement. Their excited imaginations warmed by the spirit-stirring songs
+      of Kërner and Uhland, and glowing with the instincts of that chivalry
+      which is a German's birthright, they spread over the country, calling upon
+      their fellow-subjects to arise and defend the &ldquo;Vaterland&rdquo; against the
+      aggression of the tyrant. So unequivocally was this feeling expressed,
+      that even before the negotiations had lost their pacific character, the
+      youthful aristocracy of Berlin used to go and sharpen their swords at the
+      door-sill of the French ambassador at Berlin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To the exalted tone of patriotic enthusiasm the beautiful Queen of Prussia
+      most powerfully contributed. The crooked and tortuous windings of
+      diplomatic intrigue found no sympathy in her frank and generous nature.
+      Belying on the native energy of German character, she bade an open and a
+      bold defiance to her country's enemy, and was content to stake all on the
+      chances of a battle. The colder and less confident mind of the king was
+      rather impelled by the current of popular opinion than induced by
+      conviction to the adoption of this daring policy. But once engaged in it,
+      he exhibited the rarest fortitude and the most unyielding courage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such, in brief, was the condition of that people, such the warlike spirit
+      they breathed, when in the autumn of 1806 the cry of war resounded from
+      the shores of the Baltic to the frontiers of Bohemia. Never was the
+      effective strength of the Prussian army more conspicuous. Their cavalry,
+      in number and equipment, was confessedly among the first, if not the very
+      first, in Europe; while the artillery maintained a reputation which, since
+      the days of Frederick, had proclaimed it the most perfect arm of the
+      service.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Emperor knew these things well, and did not undervalue them; and it
+      was with a very different impression of his present enemy from that which
+      filled his mind in the Austrian campaign, that he remarked to Soult, &ldquo;We
+      shall want the mattock in this war,&rdquo;&mdash;thereby implying that, against
+      such an adversary, fieldworks and intrenchments would be needed, as well
+      as the dense array of squadrons and the bristling walls of infantry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXI. THE SUMMIT OF THE LANDGRAFENBERG
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      After a brief delay at Mayence, it was with sincere pleasure I received my
+      orders to push forward to the advanced posts at Wetzlar, where General
+      d'Auvergne was with his division. Already the battalions were crossing the
+      Rhine, and directing their steps to different rendezvous along the
+      Prussian frontier; some pressing on eastwards, where the Saxon territory
+      joins the Prussian; others directly to the north, and taking up positions
+      distant by a short day's march from each other. The same urgent haste
+      which characterized the opening of the Austrian campaign a year before,
+      was here conspicuous; many of the corps being obliged to march seven and
+      eight leagues in the day, and frequently whole companies being forwarded
+      in wagons drawn by six or eight horses, in order to come up with the main
+      body of their regiments. Every road eastward was covered with some
+      fragment of the army. Now an infantry corps of young conscripts, glowing
+      with enthusiasm and eager for the fray, would cheer the <i>calèche</i> in
+      which I travelled, and which, as indicating a staff-officer, was
+      surmounted by a small flag with an eagle. Now it was the hoarse challenge
+      of an outpost, some veteran of Bernadotte's army, which occupied the whole
+      line of country from Dusseldorf to Nuremberg. Pickets of dragoons, with
+      troops of led horses for remounts, hurried on, and long lines of wagons
+      crammed the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last I joined General d'Auvergne, who, with all the ardor of the
+      youngest soldier, was preparing for the march. The hardy veteran,
+      disdaining the use of a carriage, rode each day at the head of his column,
+      and went through the most minute detail of regimental duty with the
+      colonels under his command. From whatever cause proceeding I knew not, but
+      it struck me as strange that he never alluded to my visit to Paris, nor
+      once spoke to me of the countess; and while this reserve on his part
+      slightly wounded me, I felt relieved from the embarrassment the mere
+      mention of her name would cause me, and was glad when our conversation
+      turned on the events of the war. Nor was he, save in this respect, less
+      cordial than ever, manifesting the greatest pleasure at the prospect the
+      war would open to my advancement, and kindly presaging for me a success I
+      scarcely dared to hope for.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor is the hour distant,&rdquo; said he to me one morning in the latter end of
+      September, as we rode side by side; &ldquo;the grand movement is begun.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Augereau, with his powerful <i>corps d'armée</i> of twenty thousand,
+      pressed on from Frankfort and Mayence; Bernadotte moved up on his flank
+      from Nuremberg and Bamberg; Davoust hastened by forced marches from the
+      Danube; while Soult and Ney with a strong force remained in the south, and
+      in observation on the Austrian frontier. Farther to the north, again, were
+      the new levies and the whole Imperial Guard, strengthened by four thousand
+      additional men, which, together with Murat's cavalry, formed a vast line
+      embracing the Prussian frontier on the west and south, and converging with
+      giant strides towards the very heart of the kingdom. Still, mid all the
+      thunders of marching squadrons and the din of advancing legions,
+      diplomatists interchanged their respective assurances of a peaceful issue
+      to their differences, and politely conveyed the most satisfactory
+      sentiments of mutual esteem.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the 1st of September the Emperor left Paris; but, even then, covering
+      his designs by an affected hope of peace, he was accompanied by the
+      Empress and her suite to Mayence, where all the splendor of a Court was
+      suddenly displayed amid the pomp and preparation of war. On the 6th he
+      started by daybreak; relays of horses were in waiting along the road to
+      Wetzlar, and with all speed he hastened forward to Bamberg, where he
+      issued his grand proclamation to the army.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With all his accustomed eloquence he represented to the army the insulting
+      demands of Prussia, and called on them, as at Austerlitz, to reply to such
+      a menace by one tremendous blow of victory, which should close the
+      campaign. &ldquo;Soldiers!&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;you were about to return to France to
+      enjoy the well-won repose after all your victories. But an enemy is in the
+      field; the road to Paris is no longer open to you: neither you nor I can
+      tread it save under an arch of triumph.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The day which succeeded the issue of this proclamation, a cavalry affair
+      occurred at the advanced posts, in which the Prussians were somewhat the
+      victors. Two days later, a courier arrived at the imperial headquarters
+      with the account of another and more important action, between the
+      grenadiers of Lannes and a part of Suchet's corps, against the advanced
+      guard of Prince Hohenlohe, commanded by the most daring general in the
+      Prussian service,&mdash;Prince Louis. A cavalry combat, which lasted for
+      near an hour, closed this brief but bloody encounter with the death of the
+      brave prince, who, refusing to surrender, was run through the body by the
+      sabre of a quartermaster of the Tenth Hussars.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      General d'Auvergne's brigade had no share in this memorable action, for on
+      the 9th we were marched to Rudolstadt, some miles to the left of the scene
+      of the encounter; but having made a demonstration in that quarter, were
+      speedily recalled, and ordered with all haste to cross the Saale, and move
+      on to the eastward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was now that Napoleon's manoeuvres became apparent. The same intrigue
+      which succeeded at Ulm was again to be employed here: the enemy's flank
+      was to be turned, the communication with his reinforcements cut off, and a
+      battle engaged, in which defeat must prove annihilation. Such, then, was
+      the complete success of the Emperor's movements, that on the 12th the
+      French army was posted with the rear upon the Elbe, while the Prussians
+      occupied a line between them and the Rhine. This masterly movement at once
+      compelled the enemy to fall back and concentrate his troops around Jena
+      and Weimar, which, from that instant, Napoleon pronounced must be the
+      scene of a great battle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All this detail I have been obliged to force on my reader, and now again
+      return to my story.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the morning of the 13th, Murat appeared for the first time at our
+      headquarters, below Jena; and after a short consultation with the staff,
+      our squadrons were formed and ordered to push on with haste towards Jena.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Everything now showed that the decisive hour could not be distant:
+      couriers passed and repassed; messengers and orderlies met us at every
+      step; while, as is ever the case, the most contradictory rumors were
+      circulated about the number and position of the enemy. As we neared
+      Lausnitz, however, we learned that the whole Prussian army occupied the
+      plateau of Jena, save a corps of twenty thousand men which were stationed
+      at Auerstadt. From the elevated spot we occupied, the columns of Marshal
+      Berna-dotte's division could be seen marching to the eastward. A halt was
+      now commanded, and the troops prepared their bivouacs; when, as night was
+      falling, a staff-officer rode up, with orders from the Emperor himself to
+      push on without delay for Jena.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The road was much cut up by the passage of cavalry and wagons, and as the
+      night was dark, our pace was occasionally impeded. I was riding with one
+      of the leading squadrons, when General d'Auvergne directed me to take an
+      orderly with me, and proceed in advance to make arrangements for the
+      quarters of the men at Jena. Selecting a German soldier as my guide, I
+      dashed forwards, and soon left the squadron out of hearing. We had not
+      gone far, when I remarked, from the tramp of the horses, that we were upon
+      an earthen road, and not on the pavement. I questioned my orderly, but he
+      was positive there had been no turning since we started. I paid no more
+      attention to the circumstance, but rode on, hard as ever. At last the clay
+      became deeper and heavier, the sides of the way closer, and all the
+      appearance, as well as the gloom would allow us to guess, rather those of
+      a byroad than the regular <i>chaussée</i>. To return would have been
+      hopeless; the darkness gave no prospect of detecting at what precise spot
+      we had left the main road, and so I determined to make my way straight
+      onwards at all hazards.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After about an hour's fast trotting, the orderly, who rode some paces in
+      advance, called out, &ldquo;A light!&rdquo; and then, the moment after, he cried,
+      &ldquo;There are several lights yonder!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I reined in my horse at once, for the thought struck me that we had come
+      down upon the Prussian lines. Giving my horse to the soldier, with orders
+      to follow me noiselessly at a little distance, I walked on for above a
+      mile, my eyes steadily fixed upon the lights, which moved from place to
+      place, and showed, by their taper glare, that they were not watchfires. At
+      length I gained a little ridge of the ground, and could distinctly see
+      that it was a line of guns and artillery wagons, endeavoring to force
+      their way through a narrow ravine; a few minutes after, I heard the sounds
+      of French, and relieved of all apprehensions, I mounted my horse and soon
+      came up with them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They were four troops of Lannes's artillery, which, by a mistake similar
+      to my own, had left the highroad and entered one of the field-tracks,
+      which thus led them astray; and here they were, jammed up in a narrow
+      gorge, unable to get back or forward. The officer in command was a young
+      colonel, who was completely overwhelmed by his misfortune; for he informed
+      me that the whole artillery of the division was following him, and would
+      inevitably be involved in the same mishap. The poor fellow, who doubtless
+      would have faced the enemy without a particle of fear, was now so
+      horrified by the event, that he ran wildly from place to place, ordering
+      and counter-ordering every instant, and actually increasing the confusion
+      by his own excitement. Some of the leading trains were unharnessed, and
+      efforts made to withdraw the guns from their position; but the axles were,
+      on both sides, embedded in the rock, and seemed to defy every effort to
+      disengage them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, when the confusion had reached its height, and the horses
+      were unharnessed from the guns, the men standing in groups around or
+      shouting wildly to one another, a sullen silence spread itself over the
+      whole, and a loud, stern voice called out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who commands this division?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General Latour,&rdquo; was the answer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is he?&rdquo; said the first speaker, so close to my ear that I started
+      round, and saw the short square figure of a man in a great coat, holding a
+      heavy whip in his hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With the main body at the rear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cannoneers, dismount!&rdquo; said the other. &ldquo;Bring the torches to the front.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely was the order obeyed, when the light of the firewood fell upon
+      his features, and I saw it was the Emperor himself. In an instant the
+      whole scene was changed. The park tools were taken out, working parties
+      formed, and the ravine began to echo to the strong blows of the brawny
+      arms; while Napoleon, with a blazing torch in his hand, stood by to light
+      their labors. Giving directions to the under-officers and the men, he
+      never deigned a word to the officers, who now stood trembling around him,
+      and were gradually joined by several more, who came up with the remainder
+      of the train.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I think still I can see that pale, unmoved face, which, as the light
+      flickered upon it, gazed steadily at the working party. Not a syllable
+      escaped him, save once, when he muttered half to himself, &ldquo;And this was
+      the first battery to open its fire to-morrow!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      General Savary stood at his side, but never dared to address him. Too well
+      he knew that his deepest anger showed itself by silence. By degrees the
+      granite wall gave way, the axles once more became free, and the horses
+      were again harnessed; the gun-carriages moved slowly through the ravine.
+      Nor did the Emperor quit the spot before the greater part of the train
+      passed; then mounting his horse, he turned towards Jena, and
+      notwithstanding the utter darkness of the night he rode at full speed.
+      Following the clatter of the horse's hoofs, I rode on, and in less than an
+      hour reached a small cluster of houses, where a cavalry picket was placed,
+      and several large fires were lighted, beside which, at small tables, sat
+      above a dozen staff-officers busily writing despatches. The Emperor halted
+      but for a second or two, and then dashed forward again; and I soon
+      perceived we were ascending a steep hill, covered with ferns and
+      brushwood. We had not gone far, when a single aide-de-camp who accompanied
+      him turned his horse's head and rode rapidly down the mountain again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Napoleon was now alone, some fifty paces in front. I could see the faint
+      outline through the darkness, my sight guided by my hearing to the spot.
+      His pace, wherever the ground permitted, was rapid; but constantly he was
+      obliged to hold in, and pick his steps among the stones and dwarf wood
+      that covered the mountain. Never shall I cease to remember the strange
+      sensations I felt as I followed him up that steep ascent. There was he,
+      the greatest monarch of the universe, alone, wending his solitary way in
+      darkness, his thoughts bent on the great event before him,&mdash;the
+      tremendous conflict in which thousands must fall. There was a sense of awe
+      in the thought of being so near to one on whose slightest word the destiny
+      of nations seemed to hang; and I could not look on the dark object before
+      me without a superstitious feeling, deeper than fear itself, for that
+      mightiest of men.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My thoughts permitted my taking no note of time, and I know not how long
+      it was before we reached the crest of the hill, over whose bleak surface a
+      cold, cutting wind was blowing. It seemed as if a great tableland extended
+      now for some distance on every side, over which the Emperor took his way,
+      as though accustomed to the ground. While I was wondering at the certainty
+      with which he appeared to determine on his road, I remarked the feeble
+      flickering of a light far away towards the horizon, and by which it was
+      evident he guided his steps. As we rode on, several watchfires could be
+      seen towards the northwest, stretching away to a great distance, and
+      throwing a yellowish glare in the dark sky above them. Suddenly I
+      perceived the Emperor halt and dismount, and as speedily again he was in
+      the saddle; but now his path took a different direction, and diverged
+      considerably to the southward. Curious to learn what might have caused his
+      change of direction, I rode up to the spot, and got off. It was the embers
+      of a watchfire; they were almost extinguished, but still, as the horse's
+      hoof struck the wood, a few sparks were emitted. It was this, then, which
+      altered his course; and once more he pressed his horse to speed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A steep ascent of some hundred yards lay before us now. But on gaining the
+      top, a brilliant spectacle of a thousand watchfires met the eye: so close
+      did they seem, it looked like one great volcanic crater blazing on the
+      mountain top; while above, the lurid glow reddened the black sky, and
+      melted away into the darkness in clouds of faint yellowish hue. Far, very
+      far away, and to the north, stretched another much longer line of fires,
+      but at great intervals apart, and occupying, as well as I might guess,
+      about two leagues in extent. Several smaller fires dotted the plain,
+      marking the outpost positions; and it was not difficult to trace the
+      different lines of either army even by these indications.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While I yet looked, the Emperor had gained a short distance in advance of
+      me; and suddenly I heard the hoarse challenge of a sentry, calling out,
+      &ldquo;Qui vive?&rdquo; Buried in his own thoughts,&mdash;perhaps far too deeply lost
+      in meditation to hear the cry,&mdash;Napoleon never replied nor slackened
+      his speed. &ldquo;Qui vive?&rdquo; shouted the voice again: and before I could
+      advance, the sharp bang of a musket-shot rang out; another and another
+      followed; and then a roll of fire swept along the plain, happily not in
+      the direction of the Emperor. But already he had thrown himself from his
+      horse, and lay flat upon the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0013" id="linkimage-0013">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/264.jpg" alt="264 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Not a moment was now to be lost. I dashed my spurs into my jaded horse,
+      and rode forwards, calling aloud, at the top of my voice, &ldquo;The Emperor!
+      the Emperor!&rdquo; Still, the panic overbore my words, and another discharge
+      was given: with one bullet I was struck in the shoulder, another killed my
+      horse; but springing to my legs in an instant, I rushed on, repeating my
+      cry. Before I could do more than point to the spot, Napoleon came forward,
+      leading his horse by the bridle. His step was slow and measured, and his
+      face&mdash;for many a torchlight was now gathered to the place&mdash;was
+      calm and tranquil.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ye are well upon the alert, <i>mes enfant!</i>&rdquo; said he, with a smile;
+      &ldquo;see that ye be as ready with your fire to-morrow!&rdquo; A wild cheer answered
+      these words, while he continued: &ldquo;These are the new levies, Lieutenant;
+      the Guards would have had more patience. Where is the officer who followed
+      me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here, Sire,&rdquo; said I, endeavoring to conceal the appearance of being
+      wounded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mount, sir, and accompany me to headquarters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My horse is killed, Sire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; said a young soldier, who had not learned much
+      respect before his superiors; &ldquo;and he has a ball in his neck himself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you wounded?&rdquo; said the Emperor, with a quickness in his manner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A mere flesh-wound in the arm,&mdash;of no consequence, Sire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let the surgeon of the detachment see to this at once, Lieutenant,&rdquo; said
+      he to the officer of the party; &ldquo;and do you come to headquarters when you
+      are able.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With this, the Emperor mounted again, and in a few seconds more was lost
+      to our sight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ventrebleu!</i>&rdquo; said the old lieutenant, who had served without
+      promotion from the first battles of the Republic, &ldquo;you'll be a colonel for
+      that scratch on your epaulette, if we only beat the Prussians to-morrow;
+      and here am I, with eight wounds from lead and steel, and the Petit
+      Caporal never bade me visit him at his bivouac. Come, come! I don't wish
+      to be unfriendly; it's not <i>your</i> fault, it's only <i>my</i> bad
+      fortune. And here comes the surgeon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The lieutenant was right,&mdash;the epaulette had the worst of the
+      adventure; and, in half an hour I proceeded on my way to headquarters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXII. L'HOMME ROUGE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      On my way to the imperial quarters, I fell in with some squadrons of our
+      dragoons, from whom I learned that General d'Auvergne had just received
+      orders to repair to the Emperor's bivouac, to which several officers in
+      command were also summoned. As I saw, therefore, that I could have no
+      prospect of meeting the Emperor, I resolved merely to hold myself in
+      readiness, should he, which seemed little likely, think of me; and
+      accordingly I took up my post with some young under-officers of our
+      brigade, at a huge fire, where a species of canteen had been established,
+      and coffee and corn-brandy were served out to all comers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The recent escape of Napoleon at the outposts was already known far and
+      near, and formed the great topic of conversation, in which, I felt hurt to
+      remark, no mention of the part I took was ever made, although there were
+      at least a dozen different versions of the accident. In one, his Majesty
+      was represented to have rode down upon and sabred the advanced picket; in
+      another, it was the Prussians who fired, he having penetrated within their
+      lines to reconnoitre,&mdash;each agreeing in the one great fact, that the
+      feat was something which no one save himself could have done or thought
+      of. As for me, I felt it was not my part to speak of the incident at all
+      until his Majesty should first do so. I listened, therefore, with due
+      patience and some amusement to the various narratives about me; which
+      served to show me, by one slight instance, the measure of that
+      exaggeration with which the Emperor's name was ever treated, and convinced
+      me that it required not time nor distance to color every incident of his
+      life with the strongest hues of romance. The topic was a fruitful and
+      favorite one; and certainly few subjects could with more propriety season
+      the hours around a bivouac fire than the exploits of the Emperor Napoleon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among those whose reminiscences went farthest back was an old
+      sergeant-major of infantry,&mdash;a seared and seamed and weather-beaten
+      little fellow, who, from fatigues and privations, was dried up to a mass
+      of tendons and fibres. This little man presented one of those strange
+      mixtures with which the army abounded,&mdash;the shrewdest common sense on
+      all ordinary topics, with a most credulous faith in any story where
+      Napoleon's name occurred. It seemed, indeed, as though that one element,
+      occurring in any tale, dispensed at once with the rules which govern
+      belief in common cases.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The invulnerability of the Emperor was with him a fruitful theme; and he
+      teemed with anecdotes of the Egyptian and Italian campaigns, in which it
+      was incontestably shown that neither shot nor shell had any effect upon
+      him. But of all the superstitions regarding Napoleon, none had such
+      complete hold on his imagination, nor was more implicitly believed by him,
+      than the story of that little &ldquo;Red Man,&rdquo; who, it was asserted, visited the
+      Emperor the night before each great battle, and arranged with him the
+      manoeuvres of the succeeding day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;L'Homme Bouge,&rdquo; as he was called, was an article of faith in the French
+      army that few of the soldiers ever thought of disputing. Some from pure
+      credulity, some from the force of example, and some again from indolence,
+      believed in this famed personage; but even the veriest scoffer on more
+      solemn subjects would have hesitated ere he ventured to assail the almost
+      universal belief in this supernatural agency. The Emperor's well-known
+      habit of going out alone to visit pickets and outposts on the eve of a
+      battle was a circumstance too favorable to this superstition not to be
+      employed in its defence. Besides, it was well known that he spent hours by
+      himself, when none even of the marshals had access to him; and on these
+      occasions it was said &ldquo;L'Homme Bouge&rdquo; was with him. Sentinels had been
+      heard to declare that they could overhear angry words passing between the
+      Emperor and his guest; that threats had been interchanged between them;
+      and on one occasion it was said that the &ldquo;Red Man&rdquo; went so 'far as to
+      declare, that if his advice were neglected Napoleon should lose the
+      battle, see his artillery fall into the hands of the enemy, and behold the
+      Guard capitulate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Mille tonnerres!</i> what are you saying?&rdquo; broke in the little man, to
+      the grim old soldier who was relating this. &ldquo;You know nothing of 'L'Homme
+      Rouge,'&mdash;not a word; how should you? But I served in the
+      Twenty-second of the Line, old Mongoton's corps; the 'Faubourg Devils,' as
+      they were called. <i>He</i> knew him well; it was 'L'Homme Rouge' had him
+      shot for treason at Cairo. I was one of the company drawn for his
+      execution; and when he knelt down on the grass, he held up his hand this
+      way, and cried out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Voltigeurs of the Line, hear me! You have all known me many years; you
+      have seen whether I could face the enemy like a man; and you can tell
+      whether I cared for the heaviest charge that ever shook a square. You
+      know, also, whether I was true to our general. Well, it is &ldquo;L'Homme Rouge&rdquo;
+       who has brought me to this. And now: Carry arms!&mdash;all together! Come,
+      <i>mes enfants!</i> try it again: Carry arms! (ay, that's better) present
+      arms! fire!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Morbleu!</i> the word was not well out when he was dead; and there,
+      through the smoke, as plain as I see you now, I saw the figure of a little
+      fellow, dressed in scarlet,&mdash;feather and boots all the same! He was
+      standing over the corpse, and threatening it with his hands. And that,&rdquo;
+       said he, in a solemn voice, &ldquo;that was 'L'Homme Rouge!'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This anecdote was conclusive. There was no gainsaying the assertions of a
+      man who had, with his own eyes, seen the celebrated &ldquo;Red Man;&rdquo; and from
+      that instant he enjoyed a decided monopoly of everything that concerned
+      his private history.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      According to the sergeant-major's version,&mdash;and who could venture to
+      contradict him?&mdash;&ldquo;L'Homme Rouge&rdquo; was not the confidential adviser and
+      friendly counsellor of the Emperor; but, on the contrary, his evil genius,
+      perpetually employed in thwarting his plans and opposing his views. Each
+      seemed to have his hour of triumph alternately. Now it was the Bed Man,
+      now Napoleon, who stood in the ascendant. Fortune for a long period had
+      been constant to the Emperor, and victory crowned every battle. This had,
+      it seemed, greatly chagrined &ldquo;L'Homme Bouge,&rdquo; who for years past had not
+      been seen nor heard of. The last tradition of him was a story told by one
+      of the sentinels on guard at the general's quarters at Mont Tabor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was midnight: all was still and silent in the camp. The soldiers slept
+      as men sleep before a battle, when the old grenadier who walked his short
+      post before General Bonaparte's tent heard a quick tread approaching him.
+      &ldquo;Qui vive?&rdquo; cried he; but there was no reply. &ldquo;Qui vive?&rdquo; called the
+      sentry once more; but as he did so he leaped backwards and brought his
+      musket to the charge, for just then something brushed close by him and
+      entered the tent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For a moment or two he doubted what should be done. Should he turn out the
+      guard? It was only to be laughed at; that would never do. But what if it
+      really were somebody who had penetrated to the general's quarters? As this
+      thought struck him, he crept up close to the tent; and there, true enough,
+      he heard the voices of two persons speaking.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! thou here?&rdquo; said Bonaparte. &ldquo;I scarce expected to see thee so far
+      from France!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; said the other, with a deep sigh, &ldquo;what land is now open to me, or
+      whither shall I fly to? I took refuge in Brussels; well, what should I see
+      one morning, but the tall shakos of your grenadiers coming up the steep
+      street. I fled to Holland; you were there the day after. 'Come,' thought
+      I, 'he's moving northwards; I'll try the other extreme.' So I started for
+      the Swiss. <i>Sacrebleu</i>! the roll of your confounded drums resounded
+      through every valley. I reached the banks of the Po; your troops were
+      there the same evening. I pushed for Rome; they were preparing your
+      quarters, which you occupied that night. Away, then, I start once more; I
+      cross mountains and rivers and seas, and gain the desert at last. I thank
+      my fortune that there are a thousand leagues between us; and here you are
+      now. For pity's sake, show me, on that map of the world, one little spot
+      you don't want to conquer, and let me live there in peace, and be sure
+      never to meet you more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Bonaparte did not speak for some minutes, and it seemed as though he were
+      intently considering the request of &ldquo;L'Homme Rouge.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There,&rdquo; said he at length, &ldquo;there! You see that island in the great sea,
+      with nothing near it; thou mayest go there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How is it called?&rdquo; said &ldquo;L'Homme Rouge.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;St. Helena,&rdquo; said the general. &ldquo;It is not very large; but I promise thee
+      to be undisturbed there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You 'll never come there, then? Is that a pledge?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never; I promise it. At least, if I do, thou shalt be the master, and I
+      the slave.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough! I go now. Adieu!&rdquo; said the little man. And the same instant the
+      sentinel felt his arm brushed by some one passing close beside him; and
+      then all was silent in the tent once more.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thus, you see,&rdquo; said the sergeant-major, &ldquo;from that hour it was agreed on
+      the Emperor should conquer the whole world, and leave that one little spot
+      for 'L'Homme Rouge.' <i>Parbleu!</i> he might well spare him that much.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How big might it be, that island?&rdquo; said an old grenadier, who listened
+      with the deepest attention to the tale.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing to speak of; about the size of one battalion drawn up in square.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Pardieu!</i> a small kingdom too!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! it would not do for the Emperor,&rdquo; said the sergeant-major, laughing,&mdash;an
+      emotion the others joined in at once; and many a jest went round at the
+      absurdity of such a thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I sat beside the watchfire, listening to the old campaigning stories, till
+      one by one the speakers dropped off to sleep. The bronzed veteran and the
+      boy conscript, the old soldier of the Sambre and the beardless youth, lay
+      side by side: to some of these it was the last time they should slumber on
+      earth. As the night wore on, the sounds became hushed in the camp, and
+      through the thin frosty air I could hear from a long distance off the
+      tramp of the patrols and the challenge of the reliefs as the outposts were
+      visited. The Prussian sentries were quite close to our advanced posts, and
+      when the wind came from that quarter, I often heard the voices as they
+      exchanged their signals.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Through the entire night, officers came and went to and from the tent of
+      the Emperor. To him, at least, it seemed no season of repose. At length,
+      when nigh morning, wearied with watching and tired out with expectancy, I
+      leaned my head on my knees, and dropped into a half-sleep. Some vague
+      sense of disappointment at being forgotten by the Emperor, was the last
+      thought I had as I fell off, and in its sadness it colored all my dreams.
+      I remembered, with all the freshness of a recent event, the curse of the
+      old hag on the morning I had quitted my home forever,&mdash;her prayer
+      that bad luck should track me every step through life; and in the shadowy
+      uncertainty of my sleeping thoughts I believed I was predestined to
+      misfortune.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Almost every man has experienced the fact, that there are times in life
+      when impressions, the slightest in their origin, will have an undue weight
+      on the mind; when, as it were, the clay of our natures become softened,
+      and we take the impress of passing events more easily. Some vague and
+      shadowy conception&mdash;a doubt, a dream&mdash;is enough at moments like
+      these to attain the whole force of a conviction; and it is wonderful with
+      what ingenuity we wind to our purpose every circumstance around us, and
+      what pains we take to increase the toils of our self-deception. It would
+      be a curious thing to trace out how much of our good or evil fortune in
+      life had its source in these superstitions; how far the frame of mind
+      fashioned the events before it; and to what extent our hopes and fears
+      were but the forerunners of destiny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My sleeping thoughts were of the saddest; and when I awoke, I could not
+      shake them off. A heavy, dense fog clothed every object around, through
+      which only the watchfires were visible, as they flared with a yellow, hazy
+      light of unnatural size. The position of these signals was only to mark
+      the inequality of the ground: and I now could perceive that we occupied
+      the crest of a long and steep hill, down the sides and at the bottom of
+      which fires were also burning; while in front another mountain arose,
+      whose summit for a great distance was marked out by watchfires. This I
+      conjectured, from its extent and position, to be the Prussian line.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the front of the Emperor's quarters several led horses were standing,
+      whose caparison bespoke them as belonging to the staff; and although not
+      yet five o'clock, there was an appearance of movement which indicated
+      preparation. The troops, however, were motionless; the dense columns
+      covered the ground like a garment, and stirred not. As I stood, uncertain
+      what course to take, I heard the noise of voices and the heavy tramp of
+      many feet near, and on turning perceived it was the Emperor, who came
+      forth from his tent, followed by several of his staff. A large fire blazed
+      in front of his bivouac, which threw its long light on the group; where,
+      even in a fleeting glance, I recognized General Gazan, and Nansouty, the
+      commander of the Cuirassiers of the Guard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What hour is it?&rdquo; said the Emperor to Duroc, who stood near him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Almost five o'clock, Sire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is darker than it was an hour ago. Maison, where is Bernadotte by
+      this?&mdash;at Domberg, think you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not yet, Sire; he is no laggard if he reach it in three hours hence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ney would have been there now,&rdquo; was the quick reply of Napoleon. &ldquo;Come,
+      gentlemen, into the saddle, and let us move towards the front. Gazan, put
+      your division under arms.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The general waited not a second bidding, but wheeled his horse suddenly
+      round, and followed by his aide-decamp, rode at full speed down the
+      mountain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is the first streak of day,&rdquo; said the Emperor, pointing to a faint
+      gray light above the distant forest; &ldquo;it breaks like Austerlitz.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May it set as gloriously!&rdquo; said old Nansouty, in his deep low voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And it will,&rdquo; said Napoleon. &ldquo;What sayest thou, <i>grognard?</i>&rdquo;
+       continued he, turning with an affected severity of manner to the grenadier
+      who stood sentinel on the spot, and who, with a French soldier's easy
+      indifference, leaned on the cross of his musket to listen to the
+      conversation; &ldquo;what sayest thou? Art eager to be made corporal?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i>&rdquo; growled out the rough soldier, &ldquo;the grade is little to
+      boast of; were I even a general of division, there might be something to
+      hope for.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What then?&rdquo; said Napoleon, sharply, &ldquo;what then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;King of Prussia, to be sure; thou 'lt give away the title before this
+      hour to-morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Emperor laughed aloud at the conceit. Its flattery had a charm for him
+      no courtier's well-turned compliment could vie with; and I could hear him
+      still continuing to enjoy it as he rode slowly forward and disappeared in
+      the gloom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXII. JENA AND AUERSTÄDT.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has forgotten me!&rdquo; said I, half aloud, as I watched the retiring
+      figures of the Emperor and his staff till they were concealed by the mist;
+      &ldquo;he has forgotten me! Now to find out my brigade. A great battle is before
+      us, and there may still be a way to refresh his memory.&rdquo; With such
+      thoughts I set forward in the direction of the picket-fires, full sure
+      that I should meet some skirmishers of our cavalry there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I went, the drums were beating towards the distant left, and gradually
+      the sounds crept nearer and nearer, as the infantry battalions began to
+      form and collect their stragglers. A dense fog seemed to shut out the
+      dawn, and with a thin and misty rain, the heavy vapor settled down upon
+      the earth, wrapping all things in a darkness deep as night itself. From
+      none could I learn any intelligence of the cavalry quarter, nor had any of
+      those I questioned seen horsemen pass near them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The voltigeurs in the valley yonder may perhaps tell you something,&rdquo; said
+      an officer to me, pointing to some fires in a deep glen beneath us. And
+      thither I now bent my steps.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dull rolling of the drums gradually swelled into one continued roar,
+      through which the clank of steel and the tremulous tramp of marching
+      columns could be heard. Spirit-stirring echoes were they, these awakening
+      sounds of coming conflict! and how they nerved my heart, and set it
+      bounding again with a soldier's ardor! As I descended the hill, the noise
+      became gradually fainter, till at length I found myself in a narrow
+      ravine, still and silent as the grave itself. The transition was so sudden
+      and unexpected, that for a moment I felt a sense of loneliness and
+      depression; and the thought struck me, &ldquo;What if I have pushed on too far?
+      Can it be that I have passed our lines? But the officer spoke of the
+      voltigeurs in front; I had seen the fires myself; there could be no doubt
+      about it.&rdquo; I now increased my speed, and in less than half an hour gained
+      a spot where the ground became more open and extended in front, and not
+      more than a few hundred paces in advance were the watchfires; and as I
+      looked I heard the swell of a number of voices singing in chorus on
+      different sides of me. The effect was most singular, for the sounds came
+      from various quarters at the same instant, and, as they all chanted the
+      same air, the refrain rang out and filled the valley; beating time with
+      their feet, they stepped to the tune, and formed themselves to the melody,
+      as though it were the band of the regiment. I had often heard that this
+      was a voltigeur habit, but never was witness to it before. The air was one
+      well known in that suburb of Paris whence the wildest and most reckless of
+      our soldiers came, and which they all joined in celebrating in this rude
+      verse:&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      &ldquo;Picardy first, and then Champagne,&mdash;
+            France to the battle! on boys, on!
+            Anjou, Brittany, and Maine,&mdash;
+            Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine I
+
+     &ldquo;How pleasant the life of a voltigeur!
+           In the van of the fight he must ever be;
+           Of roughing and rations he 's always sure,&mdash;
+           With a comrade's share he may well make free.
+
+     &ldquo;Picardy first, and then Champagne,&mdash;
+           France to the battle I on boys, on!
+           Anjou, Brittany, and Maine,&mdash;
+           Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!
+
+     &ldquo;The great guns thunder on yonder hill,&mdash;
+           Closer than that they durst not go;
+           But the voltigeur comes nearer still,&mdash;
+           With his bayonet fixed he meets the foe.
+
+    &ldquo;The hussar's coat is slashed with gold;
+         He rides an Arab courser fleet:
+         But is the voltigeur less bold
+         Who meets his enemy on his feet?
+
+    &ldquo;The cuirassier is clad in steel;
+         His massive sword is straight and strong:
+         But the voltigeur can charge and wheel
+         With a step,&mdash;his bayonet is just as long.
+
+    &ldquo;The artillery-driver must halt his team
+         If the current be fast or the water deep:
+         But the voltigeur can swim the stream,
+         And climb the bank, be it e'er so steep.
+
+    &ldquo;The voltigeur needs no trumpet sound,&mdash;
+         No bugle has he to cheer him on:
+         Where the fire is hottest, that 's his ground,&mdash;
+         Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      As they came to the conclusion of this song, they kept up the air without
+      words, imitating by their voices the roll of the drum in marching time.
+      Joining the first party I came up with, I asked the officer in what
+      direction of the field I should find the cuirassier brigade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That I can't tell you, Comrade,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;No cavalry have appeared in
+      our neighborhood, nor are they likely; for all the ground is cut up and
+      intersected so much they could not act. But our maître d'armes is the
+      fellow to tell you. Halloo, François! come up here for a moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Before I could ask whether this was not my old antagonist at Elchingen,
+      the individual himself appeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eh, what?&rdquo; cried he, as he lifted a piece of firewood from the ground,
+      and stared me in the face by its light. &ldquo;Not my friend Burke, eh? By Jove!
+      so it is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Our cordial greetings being over, I asked Maître François if he could give
+      me any intelligence of D'Auvergne's division, or put me in the way to
+      reach them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They're some miles off by this time,&rdquo; said he, coolly. &ldquo;When I was below
+      the Plateau de Jena last night, that brigade you speak of got their orders
+      to push forward to Auerstadt, to support Davoust's infantry. I mind it
+      well, for they were sorely tired, and had just picketed their horses, when
+      the orderly came down with the despatch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where does Auerstadt lie?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;About four leagues to the other side of that tall mountain yonder.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, then, shall I do? I am dismounted, to begin with.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And if you were not, if you had the best horse in the whole brigade, what
+      would it serve you now, except to pass the day riding between two
+      battle-fields, and see nothing of either? for we shall have hot work here,
+      depend upon it. No, no; stay with us. Be a voltigeur for to-day, and we
+      'll show you something you 'll not see from your bearskin saddle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I shall be in a sad scrape on account of my absence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind that; the man that takes his turn with the voltigeurs of the
+      Twenty-second won't be suspected of skulking. And here comes the major;
+      report yourself to him at once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Without waiting for any reply, Maître Francois accosted the officer in
+      question, and in a very few words explained my position.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing could come better timed,&rdquo; said the major. &ldquo;One of ours has been
+      sent with despatches to the rear, and we may not see him for some hours.
+      Again, a light cavalryman must know how to skirmish, and we 'll try your
+      skill that way. Come along with me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To our next meeting, then,&rdquo; cried Francois, as I hurried on after the
+      major; whilst once more the voltigeur ranks burst forth in full chorus,
+      and the merry sounds filled the valley.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I followed the major down a somewhat steep and rugged path, at the foot of
+      which, and concealed by a low copse-wood, was a party consisting of two
+      companies of the regiment, who formed the most advanced pickets, and were
+      destined to exchange the first shots with the enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before us lay a defile, partly overgrown with trees on either side, which
+      ascended by a gradual slope to the foot of the hill on which the Prussian
+      infantry was stationed, and whose lines were tracked out by a long train
+      of watch-fires. A farmhouse and its out-buildings occupied the side of the
+      hill about half-way up; and this was garrisoned by the enemy, and defended
+      by two guns in position in the defile. To surprise the post and hold it
+      until the main columns came up, was the object of the voltigeur attack;
+      and for this purpose small bodies of men were assembling secretly and
+      stealthily under cover of the brushwood, to burst forth on the word being
+      given.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was something which surprised me not a little in the way all these
+      movements were effected. Officers and men were mixed up, as it seemed, in
+      perfect confusion; not approaching in regular order, or taking up a
+      position like disciplined troops, they came in twos and threes, crouching
+      and creeping, and suddenly concealing themselves at every opportunity of
+      cover the ground afforded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Their noiseless and cautious gestures brought to my mind all that I had
+      ever read of Indian warfare; and in their eager faces, and quick, piercing
+      looks, I thought I could recognize the very traits of the red men. The
+      commands were given by signals; and so rapidly interchanged were they from
+      party to party, that the different groups seemed to move forward by one
+      impulse, though the officer who led them was full a mile distant from
+      where we were.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can you use a firelock, comrade?&rdquo; said the major, as he placed in my hand
+      a short musket, such as the voltigeurs carried. &ldquo;Sling it at your back;
+      you may find it useful up yonder. And now I must leave you; keep to this
+      party. But what is this? You mustn't wear that shako; you'd soon be picked
+      off with that tower of black fur on your head. Corporal, have you no spare
+      foraging-cap in your kit? Ah! that's something more becoming a tirailleur;
+      and, by Jove! I think it improves you wonderfully.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The circumstance of becomingness was not exactly uppermost in my mind at
+      the moment; but certainly I felt no small gratification at being provided
+      with the equipment both of cap and firearms which placed me on an equality
+      with those about me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had the major left us, when the corporal crept closely to my
+      side, and with that mingled respect and familiarity a French sous-officier
+      assumes so naturally, said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You wished to see something of a skirmish, Captain, I suppose? Well,
+      you're like enough to be gratified; we're closing up rapidly now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What may be the strength of your battalion, Corporal?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Twelve hundred men, sir; and they're every one at this instant in the
+      valley, though I'll wager you don't see a bough move nor a leaf stirring
+      to show where they lie hid. You see that low copse yonder; well, there's a
+      company of ours beneath its shelter. But there goes the word to move on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A motion with his sword, the only command he gave, communicated the order;
+      and the men, creeping stealthily on, obeyed the mandate, till at another
+      signal they were halted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the little copse of brushwood where we now lay, to the farmhouse, the
+      ground was completely open,&mdash;not a shrub nor a bush grew; a slight
+      ascent of the road led up to the gate, which could not be more than three
+      hundred paces in front of us. We were stationed at some distance to the
+      right of the road, but the field presented no obstacle or impediment to
+      our attack; and thither now were our looks turned,&mdash;the short road
+      which would lead to victory or the grave.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From my ambush I could see the two fieldpieces which commanded the road,
+      and beside which the artillerymen stood in patient attention. With what a
+      strange thrill I watched one of the party, as from time to time he stooped
+      down to blow the fuse beside the gun, and then seemed endeavoring to peer
+      into the valley, where all was still and noiseless! As well as I could
+      judge, our little party was nearest to the front; and although a small
+      clump to the left of the road offered a safe shelter still nearer the
+      enemy, I could not ascertain if it were occupied.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not a word was now spoken. All save the corporal looked eagerly towards
+      the enemy; he was watching for the signal, and knelt down with his drawn
+      sword at his side. The deathlike stillness of the moment, so unlike the
+      prelude to every movement in cavalry combat; the painful expectation which
+      made minutes like years themselves; the small number of the party, so
+      dissimilar to the closely crowded squadrons I was used to; but, more than
+      all, the want of a horse,&mdash;that most stirring of all the excitements
+      to heroism and daring,&mdash;unnerved me; and if my heart were to have
+      been interrogated, I sadly fear it would have brought little corroboration
+      to the song of the voltigeurs, which attributed so many features of
+      superiority to their arm of the service above the rest of the army.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A thousand and thousand times did I wish to be at the head of a cavalry
+      charge up that narrow road in face of those guns; ay, though the mitraille
+      should sweep the earth, there was that in the onward torrent of the
+      horseman's course that left no room for fear. But this cold and stealthy
+      approach, this weary watching, I could not bear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;See, see,&rdquo; whispered the corporal, as he pointed with his finger towards
+      the clump to the left of the road, &ldquo;how beautifully done! there goes
+      another.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, I could perceive the dark shadow of something moving close to
+      the ground, and finally concealing itself in the brushwood, beneath which
+      now above twenty men lay hid. At the same instant a deep rolling sound
+      like far-off thunder was heard; and then louder still, but less deep in
+      volume, the rattling crash of musketry. At first the discharges were more
+      prolonged, and succeeded one another more rapidly; but gradually the
+      firing became less regular; then after an interval swelled more fully
+      again, and once more relaxed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen!&rdquo; said the corporal; &ldquo;can't you hear the cheering? There again;
+      the skirmishers are falling back,&mdash;the fire is too heavy for them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Which, the Prussians?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure, the Prussians. Hark! there was a volley; that was no
+      tirailleur discharge; the columns are advancing. Down, men, down!&rdquo;
+       whispered he, as, excited by the sounds of musketry, some three or four
+      popped up their heads to listen. At the same instant a noise in front drew
+      our attention to that quarter; and we now saw that a party of horse
+      artillerymen were descending the road with a light eight-pounder gun,
+      which they were proceeding to place in position on a small knoll of ground
+      about eighty yards from the coppice I have mentioned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How I could pick off that fellow on the gray horse,&rdquo; whispered a soldier
+      beside me to his comrade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And bring the whole fire on us afterwards,&rdquo; said the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What can we be waiting for?&rdquo; said the corporal, impatiently. &ldquo;They are
+      making that place as strong as a fortress; and there, see if that is not a
+      reinforcement!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While he spoke, the heavy tramp of men marching announced the approach of
+      fresh troops; and by the bustle and noise within the farmhouse it was
+      clear the preparations for its defence were making with all the activity
+      the exigency demanded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was past seven o'clock; but as the day broke more out, the heavy fog
+      increased, and soon grew so dense as to shut out from our view the
+      Prussian picket and the guns upon the road. Meanwhile the firing continued
+      at a distance, but, as it seemed, fainter than before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! there it comes now,&rdquo; said the corporal, as a shrill whistle was heard
+      to our left. &ldquo;Look to your pieces, men! steady.&rdquo; There was a pause; every
+      ear was bent to listen, every breath drawn short, when again he spoke.
+      &ldquo;That 's it. <i>En avant</i>, lads! <i>en avant!</i>&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With the word he sprang forward, but still crouching, he went as if the
+      thick mist were not enough to conceal him. The men followed their leader
+      with cautious steps, their carbines in hand and bayonets fixed. For some
+      minutes we ascended the hill, gradually nearing the road, along which a
+      low bank offered a slight protection against fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The corporal halted here for a second or two, when another whistle, so
+      faint as to be scarcely audible, was borne on the air. With a motion of
+      his hand forwards he gave the order to advance, and led the way along the
+      roadside.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we followed in single file, I found myself next the corporal, whose
+      every motion I watched with an intensity of interest I cannot convey. At
+      last he stopped and wheeled round; then, kneeling down, he levelled his
+      piece upon the low bank,&mdash;a movement quickly followed by all the rest
+      who in silence obeyed his signal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Directly in front of us now, and as it seemed not above a dozen yards
+      distant, the yellow glare of the artillery fuse could be dimly discerned
+      through the mist; thither every eye was bent and every musket pointed.
+      Thus we knelt with beating hearts, when suddenly several shots rang out
+      from the valley and the opposite side of the road; as quickly replied to
+      by the enemy, and a smart but irregular clattering of musketry followed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now,&rdquo; cried the corporal, aloud, &ldquo;now, and all together!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And then with one long, stunning report, every gun was discharged, and a
+      wild cry of the wounded blended with the sounds as we cleared the fence
+      and dashed at the guns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Down, men, down!&rdquo; called our leader, as we jumped into the road. The word
+      was scarce uttered when a bright flash gleamed forth, a loud bang
+      succeeded, and we heard the grapeshot crushing down the valley and tearing
+      its way through the leaves and branches of the brushwood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>En avant</i>, lads! now's your time!&rdquo; cried the corporal, as he sprang
+      to his feet and led towards the gun.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With one vigorous dash we pushed up the height, just as the cannoneers
+      were preparing to load. The gunners fell back, and a party of infantry as
+      quickly presented themselves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The mist happily concealed the smallness of our force, otherwise the
+      Prussians might have crushed us at once. For a second there was a pause;
+      then both sides fired, an irregular volley was discharged, and the muskets
+      were lowered to the charge. What must have been the fate of our little
+      party now there could be no doubt; when suddenly, through the blue smoke
+      which yet lingered near the guns, the bright gleaming of bayonets was seen
+      to flash, while the loud <i>vivas</i> of our own soldiers rent the air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So rapid was the rush, and so thronging did they come, it seemed as if the
+      very ground had given them up. With a cry of &ldquo;Forward!&rdquo; on we went; the
+      enemy retired and fell back behind the cover of the road, where they kept
+      up a tremendous fire upon the gun, to which now all our efforts were
+      directed, to turn against the walls of the farmhouse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The mist by this was cleared away, and we were exposed to the shattering
+      fire which was maintained not only along the road, but from every window
+      and crevice in the walls of the farmhouse. Our men fell fast,&mdash;several
+      badly wounded; for the distance was less than half musket-range, even to
+      the farthest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The bayonet, men! the bayonet! Leave the gun, and sweep the road of those
+      fellows yonder!&rdquo; said the major, as, vaulting over the fence, he led the
+      way himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We were now reinforced, and numbered fully four companies; so that our
+      attack soon drove in the enemy, who retreated, still firing, within the
+      courtyard around the farmhouse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bring up the gun, lads, and we 'll soon breach them,&rdquo; said the major.
+      But, unhappily, the party to whom it was committed, being annoyed at the
+      service which kept them back when their companions were advancing, had
+      hurled the piece off its carriage, and rolled it down the mountain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a muttered <i>sacré</i> on their stupidity, the officer cried out to
+      scale the walls. If honor and rank and wealth had lain on the opposite
+      side, and not death and agony, they could not have obeyed with more
+      alacrity. Raised on one another's shoulders, the brave fellows mounted the
+      wall; but it was only to fall back again into their comrades' arms, dead
+      or mortally wounded. Still they pressed on: a reckless defiance of danger
+      had shut out every other thought; and their cheers grew wilder and fiercer
+      as the fire told upon them, while the shouts of triumph from those within
+      stimulated them to the verge of madness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stand back, men! stand back!&rdquo; called the major; &ldquo;down! I say.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, a dead silence followed; the men retreated behind the cover
+      of the fence, and lay down flat with their faces to the ground. A low,
+      hissing noise was then heard; and then, with a clap like thunder, the
+      strong gate was rent into fragments and scattered in blazing pieces about
+      the field. The crash of the petard was answered by a cheer wild as a
+      war-whoop, and onward the infuriated soldiers poured through the still
+      burning timbers. And now began a scene of carnage which only a
+      hand-to-hand encounter can ever produce. From every door and window the
+      Prussians maintained a deadly fire: but the onward tide of victory was
+      with us, and we poured down upon them with the bayonet; and as none gave,
+      none asked for, quarter, the work of death was speedy. To the wild shouts
+      of battle, the crash, the din, the tumult of the fight, a dropping
+      irregular fire succeeded; and then came the low, wailing cries of the
+      wounded, the groans of the dying, and all was over! We were the victors;
+      but what a victory! The garden was strewn with our dead; the hall, the
+      stairs, every room was covered with bodies of our brave fellows, their
+      rugged faces even sterner than in life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some minutes it seemed as though our emotions had unnerved us all, as
+      we stood speechless, gazing on the fearful scene of bloodshed; when the
+      low rolling of drums, heard from the mountain side, startled every
+      listener.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Prussians! the Prussians!&rdquo; called out three or four voices together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no!&rdquo; shouted François; &ldquo;I was too long a tambour not to know that
+      beat; they 're our fellows.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The drums rolled fuller and louder; and soon the head of a column appeared
+      peering over the ascent of the road. The sun shone brightly on their gay
+      uniforms and glancing arms, and the tall and showily-dressed tambour-major
+      stepped in advance with the proud bearing of a conqueror.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Form, men, and to the front!&rdquo; said the major of the voltigeurs, who knew
+      that his place was in the advance, and felt a noble pride that he had won
+      it bravely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the column came up the road, the voltigeurs, scattered along the road
+      on either side, advanced at a run. But no longer was there any obstacle to
+      their course; no enemy presented themselves in sight, and we mounted the
+      ascent without a single shot being fired.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I stopped for time to recover breath, I could not help turning to
+      behold the valley, which, now filled with armed men, was a grand and a
+      gorgeous sight. In long columns of attack they came, the artillery filling
+      the interspaces between them. A brilliant sunlight shone out; and I could
+      distinguish the different brigades, with whose colors I was now familiar.
+      Still my eye ranged over the field in search of cavalry, the arm I loved
+      above all others,&mdash;that which, more than all the rest, revived the
+      heroic spirit of the chivalrous ages, and made the horseman feel the
+      ancient ardor of the belted knight. But none were within sight. Indeed,
+      the very nature of the ground offered an obstacle to their movement, and I
+      saw that here, as at Austerlitz, the day was for the infantry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile we toiled up the height, and at length reached the crest of the
+      ridge. And then burst forth a sight such as all the grandeur I had ever
+      beheld of war had never presented the equal to. On a vast tableland,
+      slightly undulating on the surface, was drawn up the whole Prussian army
+      in battle array,&mdash;a splendid force of nigh thirty thousand infantry,
+      flanked by ten thousand sabres, the finest cavalry in Europe. By some
+      inconceivable error of tactics, they had offered no other resistance to
+      the French ascent of the mountain than the skirmishing troops, which fell
+      back as we came on; and even now they seemed to wait patiently for the
+      enemy to form before the conflict should begin. As our columns crowned the
+      hill they instantly deployed, to cover the advance of those who followed:
+      but the precaution seemed needless; for, except at the extreme left, where
+      we heard the firing before, the Prussian army never moved a man, nor
+      showed any disposition to attack.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was now nine o'clock; the sky clear and cloudless, and a bright
+      autumnal day permitted the eye to range for miles on every side. The
+      Prussian army, but forty thousand strong, was drawn up in the form of an
+      arch, presenting the convexity to our front; while our troops, ninety
+      thousand in number, overlapped them on either flank, and extended far
+      beyond them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The battle began by the advance of the French columns and the retreat of
+      the enemy,&mdash;both movements being accomplished without a shot being
+      fired, and the whole seeming the manoeuvres of a field-day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At length, as the Prussians took up the position they intended to hold,
+      their guns were seen moving to the front; squadrons of cavalry disengaged
+      themselves from behind the infantry masses; and then a tremendous tire
+      opened from the whole line. Our troops advanced <i>en tirailleurs</i>,&mdash;that
+      is, whole regiments thrown out in skirmishing order,&mdash;which, when
+      pressed, fell back, and permitted the columns to appear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The division to which I found myself attached received orders to move
+      obliquely across the plain, in the direction of some cottages, which I
+      soon heard was the village of Vierzehn Heiligen, and the centre of the
+      Prussian position. A galling fire of artillery played upon the column as
+      it went; and before we accomplished half the distance, our loss was
+      considerable. More than once, too, the cry of &ldquo;cavalry!&rdquo; was heard; and
+      quick as the warning itself, we were thrown into square, to receive the
+      impetuous horsemen, who came madly on to the charge. Ney himself stood in
+      the squares, animating the men by his presence, and cheering them at every
+      volley they poured in.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yonder, men! yonder is the centre of their position,&rdquo; said he, pointing
+      to the village, which now bristled with armed men, several guns upon a
+      height beyond it commanding the approach, and a cloud of cavalry hovering
+      near, to pounce down upon those who might be daring enough to assail it. A
+      wild cheer answered his words: both general and soldiers understood each
+      other well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In two columns of attack the division was formed; and then the word
+      &ldquo;Forward!&rdquo; was given. &ldquo;Orderly time, men!&rdquo; said General Dorsenne, who
+      commanded that with which I was; and, obedient to the order, the ranks
+      moved as if on parade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now let me mention a circumstance, which, though trivial in itself,
+      presents a feature of the peculiar character of courage which
+      distinguished the French officer in battle. As the line advanced, the fire
+      of the Prussian battery, which by this had found out our range most
+      accurately, opened severely on us, but more particularly on the left; and
+      as the men fell fast, and the grapeshot tore through the ranks, a wavering
+      of the line took place, and in several places a broken front was
+      presented. Dorsenne saw it at once, and placing himself in front of the
+      advance, with his back towards the enemy, he called out, as if on parade,
+      &ldquo;Close order&mdash;close order! Move up there&mdash;left, right&mdash;left,
+      right!&rdquo; And so did he retire step by step, marking the time with his
+      sword, while the shot flew past and about him, and the earth was scattered
+      by the torrent of the grapeshot. Courage like this would seem to give a
+      charmed life, for while death was dealing fast around him, he never
+      received a wound.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The village was attacked at the bayonet point, and at the charge the enemy
+      received us. So long as their artillery could continue its fire, our loss
+      was fearful; but once within shelter of the walls and close in with the
+      Prussian ranks, the firing ceased, and the struggle was hand to hand.
+      Twice did we win our way up the ascent; twice were we beaten back. Strong
+      reinforcements were coming up to the enemy's aid; when a loud rolling of
+      the drums and a hoarse cheer from behind revived our spirits,&mdash;it was
+      Lannes's division advancing at a run. They opened to permit our retiring
+      masses to re-form behind them, and then rushed on. A crash of musketry
+      rang out, and through the smoke the glancing bayonets flashed and the red
+      flame danced wildly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;En avant! en avant!&rdquo; burst from every man, as, maddened with excitement,
+      we plunged into the fray. Like a vast torrent tumbling from some mountain
+      gorge, the column poured on, overwhelming all before it,&mdash;now
+      struggling for a moment, as some obstacle delayed, but could not arrest,
+      its march; now rushing headlong, it swept along. The village was won; the
+      Prussians fell back. Their guns opened fiercely on us, and cavalry tore
+      past, sabring all who sought not shelter within the walls: but the post
+      was ours, the key of their position was in our hands; and Ney sent three
+      messengers one after the other to the Emperor to let him know the result,
+      and enable him to push forward and attack the Prussian centre.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly a wild cry was heard from the little street of the village: the
+      houses were in flames. The Prussians had thrown in heated shells, and the
+      wooden roofs of the cottages caught up the fire. For an instant all
+      became, as it were, panic-struck, and a confused movement of retreat was
+      begun: but the next moment order was restored; the sappers scaled the
+      walls of the burning houses, and with their axes severed the timbers, and
+      suffered the blazing mass to fall within the buildings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But by this time the Prussians had re-formed their columns, and once more
+      advanced to the attack. The moment was in their favor: the disorder of our
+      ranks, and the sudden fear inspired by an unlooked-for danger still
+      continued, when they came on. Then, indeed, began a scene of bloodshed the
+      most horrible to witness: through the narrow streets, within the gardens,
+      the houses themselves, the combatants fought hand to hand; neither would
+      give way; neither knew on which side lay their supporting columns. It was
+      the terrible carnage of deadly animosity on both sides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile the flames burst forth anew, and amid the crackling of the
+      burning timbers and the dense smoke of the lighted thatch, the fight went
+      on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Vandamme! Vandamme!&rdquo; cried several voices, in ecstasy; &ldquo;here come the
+      grenadiers!&rdquo; And, true enough, the tall shakos peered through the blue
+      cloud.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hurrah for the Faubourg!&rdquo; shouted a wild voltigeur, as he waved his cap
+      and sprang forward. &ldquo;Let us not lose the glory now, boys!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The appeal was not made in vain. From every window and doorway the men
+      leaped down into the street, and rushed at the Prussian column, which was
+      advancing at the charge. Suddenly the column opened, a rushing sound was
+      heard, and down with the speed of lightning rode a squadron of
+      cuirassiers. Over us they tore, sabring as they went, nor halted till the
+      head of Vandamme's column poured in a volley. Then wheeling, they galloped
+      back, trampling on our wounded, and dealing death with their broadswords.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As for me, a sabre-cut in the head had stunned me; and while I leaned for
+      support against the wall of a house, a horseman tore past, and with one
+      vigorous cut he cleft open my shoulder. I staggered back and fell, covered
+      with bloody upon the door-sill. I saw our column pass on, cheering, and
+      heard the wild cry, &ldquo;En avant I en avant!&rdquo; swelling from a thousand
+      voices; and then, faint and exhausted, my senses reeled, and the rest was
+      like an indistinct dream.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIV. A FRAGMENT OF A MAÎTRE d'ARMES EXPERIENCES
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Stunned, and like one but half awake, I followed the tide of marching men
+      which swept past like a mighty river, the roar of the artillery and the
+      crash of battle increasing the confusion of my brain. All distinct memory
+      of the remainder of the day is lost to me. I can recollect the explosion
+      of several wagons of the ammunition train, and how the splinters wounded
+      several of those around me; I also have a vague, dreamy sense of being
+      hurried along at intervals, and then seeing masses of cavalry dash past.
+      But the great prevailing thought above all others is, of leaning over the
+      edge of a charrette, where I lay with some wounded soldiers, to watch the
+      retreat of the Prussians, as they were pursued by Murat's cavalry.
+      François was at my side, and described to me the great events of the
+      battle; but though I seemed to listen, the sounds fell unregarded on my
+      ear. Even now, it seems to me like a dream; and the only palpable idea
+      before me is the heated air, the dark and lowering sky, And the deafening
+      thunder of the guns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is well known how the victory of Jena was crowned by the glorious issue
+      of the battle of Auerstadt, where the main body of the Prussians, under
+      the command of the king himself, was completely beaten by Davoust with a
+      force not half their number. The two routed armies crossed in their
+      flight, while the headlong fury of the French cavalry pressed down on
+      them; nor did the terrible slaughter cease till night gave respite to the
+      beaten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The victors and the vanquished entered Weimar together, a distance of full
+      six leagues from the field of battle. All struggle had long ceased. An
+      unresisting massacre it was; and such was the disappointment and anger of
+      the people of the country, that the Prussian officers were frequently
+      attacked and slain by the peasantry, whose passionate indignation made
+      them suspect treachery in the result of the battle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All whose wounds were but slight, and whose health promised speedy
+      restoration, were mounted into wagons taken from the enemy, and sent
+      forward with the army. Among this number I found myself, and that same
+      night slept soundly and peacefully in the straw of the charrette in which
+      I travelled from Jena.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Emperor's headquarters were established at Weimar, and thither all the
+      ambulances were conveyed; while the marshals, with their several
+      divisions, were sent in pursuit of the enemy. As for myself, before the
+      week elapsed, I was sufficiently recovered to move about; for happily the
+      stunning effects which immediately followed the injury were its worst
+      consequences, and my wound in the shoulder proved but trifling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so you are determined to join the cavalry again?&rdquo; said François, as
+      he sat by my side under a tree, where a cheerful fire of blazing wood had
+      drawn several to enjoy its comfort. &ldquo;That is what I cannot comprehend by
+      any stretch of ingenuity,&mdash;how a man who has once seen something of
+      voltigeur life can go back to the dull routine of dragoon service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps I have had enough of skirmishing, François,&rdquo; said I, smiling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it of that knock on the pate you speak?&rdquo; said he, contemptuously.
+      &ldquo;Bah! the heavy shako you wear would give a worse headache. Come, come;
+      think better on 't. I can tell you&rdquo;&mdash;here he lowered his voice to a
+      whisper&mdash;&ldquo;I can tell you, Burke, the major noticed the manner you
+      held your ground in the old farmhouse. I heard him refuse to send a
+      reinforcement when the Prussians made their second attack. 'No, no,' said
+      he; 'that hussar fellow yonder does his work so well, he wants no help
+      from us.' When he said that, my friend, be assured your promotion is safe
+      enough. You were made for a voltigeur.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, François, it's no use; all your flattery won't make me desert. I
+      'll try and join my brigade to-morrow; that is, if I can find them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You never told me in what way you first became separated from your corps.
+      How was it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There's something of a secret there, François; you mustn't ask me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, I understand,&rdquo; said he, with a knowing look, and a gesture of his
+      hand, as if making a pass with his sword. &ldquo;Did you kill him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, not exactly,&rdquo; said I, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Merely gave him that pretty lunge <i>en tierce</i> you favored me with,&rdquo;
+       said he, putting his hand on his side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor even that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Diable!</i> then how was it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have told you it was a secret.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Secret! Confound it, man, there are no secrets in a campaign, except when
+      the military chest is empty or the commissary falls short of grub; these
+      are the only things one ever thinks of hushing up. Come, out with it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, if it must be, I may as well have the benefit of your advice. So
+      draw closer, for I don't wish the rest to hear it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In as few words as I was able, I explained to François the circumstances
+      of the night march, and the manner of my meeting with the Emperor at the
+      ravine, where the artillery train was stopped. But when I came to the
+      incident of the picket, and mentioned how, in rescuing the Emperor, my
+      horse had been killed under me, he could no longer restrain himself, but
+      turned to the rest, who, to the number of fifteen or sixteen, sat around
+      the fire, and burst forth,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Mille tonnerres!</i> but the boy is a fool!&rdquo; And then, before I could
+      interpose a word, blurted out the whole adventure to the company.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was no use now to attempt any concealment at all; neither was there
+      to feel anger at his conduct. One would have been as absurd as the other;
+      and so I had to endure, as best I could, the various comments that were
+      passed on my behavior, on the prudence of which certainly no second
+      opinion existed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must be right certain of promotion, Captain,&rdquo; said an old sergeant,
+      with a gray beard and mustache, &ldquo;or you wouldn't refuse such a chance as
+      that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Diable!</i>&rdquo; cried François; &ldquo;don't you see he wouldn't accept of it.
+      He is too proud to wait on the Petit Caporal, though he asked him to do
+      so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He 'd have given you the cross of the Legion anyhow,&rdquo; said another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, by Jove!&rdquo; exclaimed the riding-master of a dragoon regiment, &ldquo;and
+      sent him a remount from his own stud.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you think that modesty!&rdquo; said Francois, whose indignation at my folly
+      knew no bounds. &ldquo;<i>Par Saint Joseph!</i> if I'd been as modest, it's not
+      maître d'armes of a voltigeur battalion I 'd be to-day; though I may say,
+      without boasting, I'm not afraid to cross a rapier with any man in the
+      army. No, no; that's not the way I managed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How was that, Maître Francois?&rdquo; said a young officer, who felt curious to
+      learn the circumstance to which he seemed to attach a story.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If the honorable society cares to hear it,&rdquo; said François, uncovering,
+      and bowing courteously to all around, &ldquo;I shall have great pleasure in
+      recounting a little incident of my life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A general cry of acclamation and &ldquo;bravo&rdquo; met the polite proposal; while
+      Francois, accepting a <i>goutte</i> from a canteen presented to him, began
+      thus:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I began my soldier's life at the first step of the ladder. I was a
+      drummer-boy at Jemappes; and, when I grew old enough to exchange the
+      drumstick for the sword, I was attached to the <i>chasseurs à cheval</i>,
+      and went with them to Egypt. I could tell you some strange stories of our
+      doings there,&mdash;I don't mean with the Turks, mark you, but amongst
+      ourselves,&mdash;for we had little affairs with the sword almost every
+      day; and I soon showed them I was their master. But that is not to the
+      purpose; what I am about to speak of happened in this wise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At break of day, one morning, the picket to which I was joined received
+      orders to mount, and accompany the general along the bank of the Nile to
+      the village of Chebrheis, where we heard that a Mameluke force were
+      assembling, whose strength and equipment it was important to ascertain.
+      Our horses were far from fresh when we started; the day previous had been
+      spent in a fatiguing march from Rhemanieh, crossing a dreary desert, with
+      hot sands and no water. But General Bonaparte always expected us to turn
+      out, as if we had got a general remount; and so we made the best of it,
+      and set out in as good style as we could. We had not gone above a league
+      and a half, however, when we found that the slapping pace of the general
+      had left the greater part of the escort out of sight; and of a score of
+      four squadrons, not above twenty horsemen were present.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor&mdash;you know he was only general then, but it 's all the
+      same&mdash;laughed heartily when he found he had outridden the rest;
+      indeed, for that matter, he laughed at our poor blown beasts, that shook
+      on every limb, and seemed like to push their spare, gaunt bones through
+      the trappings with which, for shame's sake, we endeavored to cover them.
+      But his joke was but shortlived; for just then, from behind the wall of an
+      old ruined temple&mdash;whiz!&mdash;there came a shattering volley of
+      musketry in the midst of us; the only miracle is how one escaped. The next
+      moment there was a wild hurrah, and we beheld some fifty Mameluke fellows,
+      all glittering with gold, coming down full speed on us, on their Arab
+      chargers. <i>Mille cadavres!</i> what was to be done? Nothing, you'd say,
+      but run for it. And so we should have done, if the beasts were able: but
+      not a bit of it; they couldn't have raised a gallop if Mourad Bey had been
+      there with his whole army. And so we put a good face on it, and drew up
+      across the way, and looked as if going to charge. Egad! the Turks were
+      amazed. They halted up short, and stared about them to see what infantry
+      or artillery there might be coming up to our assistance, so boldly did we
+      hold our ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'We'll keep them in check, General,' said the officer of the picket.
+      'Lose no time now, but make a dash for it, and you'll get away.' And so,
+      without more ado, Bonaparte turned his horse's head round, and, driving
+      his spurs into him, set out at top speed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This was the signal for the Mameluke charge; and down they came. <i>Sacristi!</i>
+      how the infidels rode us down! Over and over our fellows rolled, men and
+      horses together, while they slashed with their keen cimeters on every
+      side; few needed a second cut, I warrant you.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0014" id="linkimage-0014">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/296.jpg" alt="296 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By some good fortune, my beast kept his legs in the <i>mêlée</i>, and,
+      with even better luck, got so frightened that he started off, and struck
+      out in full gallop after the general, who, about two hundred paces in
+      front of me, was dashing along, pursued by a Mameluke, with a cimeter held
+      over his head. The Turk's horse, however, was wounded, and could not gain
+      even on the tired animal before him, while mine was at every stride
+      overtaking him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Mameluke, hearing the clatter behind, turned his head. I seized the
+      moment, and discharged my only remaining pistol at him,&mdash;alas!
+      without effect. With a wild war-cry the fellow swerved round and came down
+      upon me, intending to take my horse in flank, and hurl me over. But the
+      good beast plunged forward, and my enemy passed behind, and only grazed
+      the haunches as he went; the moment after he was at my side. <i>Parbleu!</i>
+      I did n't like the companionship. I knew every turn of a broadsword or a
+      rapier well; but a curved cimeter, keen as a razor, of Damascus steel,
+      glittering and glistening over my head, was a different thing: the great
+      dark eyes of the fellow, too, glared like balls of fire, and his white
+      teeth were clenched. With a swing of his blade over his head, so loosely
+      done I thought he had almost flung the weapon from his hand, he aimed a
+      cut at my neck; but, quick as lightning, I dropped upon the mane, and the
+      sharp blade shaved the red feather from my shako, and sent it floating in
+      the air, while, with a straight point, I ran him through the body, and
+      heard his death-shout as he fell bathed in blood upon the sands. The
+      general saw him fall, and cried out something; but I could not hear the
+      words, nor, to say truth, did I care much at the time: my happiest thought
+      just then was to see the remainder of the escort, which we had left
+      behind, coming up at a smart canter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Turks no sooner perceived them than they wheeled and fled; and so we
+      returned to the camp, with a loss of some twenty brave fellows, and none
+      the wiser for all our trouble.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What shall I do for you, friend?' said the general to me, as I stood by
+      his orders at the door of his tent, 'what shall I do for you?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ma foi!</i> said I, with a shrug of my shoulders, 'I can't well say at
+      a moment; perhaps the best thing would be to promise you 'd never take me
+      as one of your escort when you make such an expedition as this morning's.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, no, I 'll not say that. Who are you? What's your grade?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'François, maître d'armes of the Fourth Chasseurs of the Guard,' said I,
+      proudly. And, indeed, I thought he might have known me without the
+      question.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, indeed!' replied he, gravely. 'Promotion is then of no use here; a
+      maître d'armes, like a general of division, is at the top of the tree.
+      Come, I have it; a fellow of your sort is never out of scrapes,&mdash;always
+      duelling and quarrelling, under arrest three days in every week; I know
+      you well. Now, Maître François, I 'll forgive you the first time you ask
+      me for any offence within my power to pardon. Go; you are satisfied with
+      that promise,&mdash;is it not so?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes, General; and I'll soon jog your memory about it,' said I, saluting
+      and retiring from the tent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I see some old 'braves' of the Pyramids about me now,&rdquo; continued
+      François, &ldquo;and so I need not dwell on the events of the campaign. You all
+      know how General Bonaparte left the army to Kléber, and went back to
+      France; and somehow we never had much luck after that. But so it was, I
+      came back with the regiment, and was at the battle of Marengo when our
+      brigade captured four guns of Skal's battery, and carried off eleven of
+      their officers our prisoners. You'd wonder now, Comrades, how that piece
+      of good fortune should turn out so ill for me; but such was the case.
+      After the battle was gained, General Bonaparte retired to Gerofola with
+      his staff, and I was ordered to proceed after him, with the Hauptmann
+      Klingenswert of the Austrian army,&mdash;one of our prisoners who had
+      served on Melas's staff, and knew everything about the effective strength
+      of the army and all their plans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We set off at daybreak. It was in June, and a lovely morning too; and as
+      my prisoner was an officer and a man of honor, I took no escort, but rode
+      along at his side. We halted at noon to dine in a little grove of cedars,
+      where I opened my canteen and spread the contents on the grass: and after
+      regaling ourselves pleasantly, we lighted our meerschaums and chatted away
+      like old comrades over the war and its chances. A more agreeable fellow
+      than the Austrian I never met. He told me his whole history, and I told
+      him mine; and we drank Brüderschaft together, and swore I don't know how
+      many eternal friendships. The devil was just amusing himself with us all
+      this time though, as you 'll see presently; for we soon got into an
+      argument about the charge in which our brigade captured the guns. He said
+      that if the ammunition had not failed we never would have dared the
+      attack; and I swore that the discharges were pouring in while we rode down
+      on the battery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We grew warm with the dispute, and drank deeper to cool us; and, what
+      between the wine and our own passion, we became downright angry, and went
+      so far as to interchange something not like Brüderschaft.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, how unfortunate I always am!' said I, sighing. 'If I had only the
+      good luck to be the prisoner now, and you the escort&mdash;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What then?' said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'How easily, and how pleasantly too, could we settle this little affair.
+      The ground is smooth as velvet; there is no sun; all still, and quiet, and
+      peaceful.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, no,' said the Austrian; 'I couldn't do what you propose,&mdash;I
+      should be dishonored forever if I took such an advantage of you. You must
+      know, François,' for he called me so, recurring at once to his tone of
+      kindliness, 'I am the first swordsman of my brigade.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I could scarcely avoid throwing myself into his arms as he spoke; never
+      was there such a piece of fortune. 'And I,' cried I, in ecstasy, 'I the
+      first of the whole French army!' You know, Comrades, I only said that <i>en
+      gascon</i>, and to afford him the greater pleasure in our <i>rencontre</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We soon measured our swords and threw off our jackets. 'François,' said
+      he, 'I ought to mention to you that my lunge <i>en tierce</i> is my famous
+      stroke; I rarely miss running my adversary through the chest with it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I know the trick well,' said I; 'take care of my &ldquo;pass&rdquo; outside the
+      guard.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Oh! if that's your game,' said he, laughing, 'I'll make short work of
+      it. Now, to begin.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'All ready,' said I; 'en garde!' And we crossed our weapons. For a German
+      he was a capital swordsman, and had a very pretty trick of putting in his
+      point over the hilt, and wounding the sword-arm; but if it had not been
+      for all the wine I drank the affair would have been over in a second or
+      two. As it was, we both fenced loose, and without any judgment whatever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah! you got that,' said I, 'at last!' as I pierced him in the back,
+      outside the guard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, no!' cried he, passionately; for his temper was up, and he would not
+      confess a touch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Well, then, that's home!' said I, thrusting beneath his hilt, till the
+      blood spurted out along my blade and even in my eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes, that's home,' said he, staggering back, while one of his legs
+      crossed over the other, and he fell heavily on the grass. I stooped down
+      to feel his heart; and as I did so my senses failed, my limbs tottered,
+      and I rolled headlong over him. Truth was, I was badly wounded, though I
+      never knew when; for his sword had entered my chest, beneath a rib, and
+      cut some large vessels in the lungs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The end of it all was, the Austrian was buried, and I was broke the
+      service without pay or pension, my wound being declared by the doctors an
+      incapacity to serve in future.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Comrades, we often hear men talk of the happy day before them when they
+      shall leave the army and throw off the knapsack, and give up the musket
+      for the mattock. Well, trust me, it's no such pleasure as they deem it,
+      after all. There was I, turned loose upon the world, with nothing but a
+      suit of ragged clothes my comrades made up amongst them, my old rapier,
+      and a bad asthma. Such was my stock-in-trade, to begin life anew, at the
+      age of forty-seven. And so, I set out on my weary way back to Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Didn't you try your chance with the Petit Caporal first?&rdquo; asked one of
+      the listeners.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure I did. I sent him a long petition, setting forth the whole
+      circumstance, and detailing every minute particular of the duel; but I
+      received it back, unopened,&mdash;with Duroc's name, and the word
+      'Rejected,' on the back.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is strange-how unfit we old soldiers are for any occupation in a civil
+      way, when we 've spent half a lifetime campaigning. When I reached Paris,
+      I could almost have wedged myself into the scabbard of my sword. Long
+      marches and short rations had told heavily on me; and the custom-house
+      officer at the barrier told me to pass on, without ever stopping to see
+      that I carried no contraband goods about me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I had a miserable time enough of it for twelve or fourteen months. The
+      only way of support I could find was teaching recruits the sword exercise;
+      and you know they could n't be very liberal in their rewards for the
+      service. But even this poor trade was soon interdicted, as the police
+      reported that I encouraged the young soldiers to fight duels,&mdash;a
+      great offence, truly! But you see everything went unluckily with me at
+      that time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What was to become of me now I couldn't tell; when an old comrade,
+      pensioned off from Moreau's army, had interest to get me appointed
+      supernumerary, as they call it, in the Grand Opera, where I used to
+      perform as a Roman soldier, or a friar, or a peasant, or some such thing,
+      for five francs a week. Not a sou more had I, and the duty was heavier
+      than on active service.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After two years, the 'big drum' died of a rheumatic fever, from beating a
+      great solo in a new German Opera, and I was promoted to his place; for by
+      this time I was quite recovered from the effects of my wound, and could
+      use my arms as well as ever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Some of the honorable company may remember the first night that Napoleon
+      visited the Grand Opera after he was named Emperor. It was a glorious
+      sight, and one can never forget it. The whole house was filled with
+      generals and field-marshals: it was a grand field-day, by the glare of ten
+      thousand wax-lights. And the Empress was there, and her whole suite, and
+      all the prettiest women in France. Little time had I to look at them,
+      though; for there was I, in the corner of the orchestra, with my big drum
+      before me, on which I was to play the confounded thing that killed the
+      other fellow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was a strange performance, sure enough: for in the midst of a great
+      din and crash, came a dead pause; and then I was to strike three solemn
+      bangs on the drum,&mdash;to be followed by a succession of blows, fast as
+      lightning, for five minutes. This was the composer's notion of a battle,&mdash;distant
+      firing! Heaven bless his heart! I was wishing he 'd seen some of it. This
+      was to come on in the second act, up to which time I had nothing to do.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why do I say nothing? I had to gaze at the Petit Caporal, who sat there
+      in the box over my head, looking as stern and as thoughtful as ever, and
+      not minding much what the Empress said, though she kept prattling into his
+      ear all the time, and trying to attract his attention. <i>Parbleu!</i> he
+      was not thinking of all the nonsense before him,&mdash;his mind was on
+      real battles: he had seen real smoke,&mdash;that he had! He was fatter and
+      paler than he used to be; and I thought, too, his frown was darker than
+      when I saw him last: but, to be sure, that was at Marengo, and he ever
+      looked pleased on the field of battle. I could n't take my eyes from him:
+      his fine thoughtful face, so full of determination and energy, reminded me
+      of my old days of campaigning. I thought of Areola and Rivoli, of Cairo
+      and the Pyramids, and the great charge at Marengo when Desaix's division
+      came up,&mdash;and my heart was nigh bursting when I remembered that I
+      wore the epaulette no longer. I forgot, too, where I was; and expected
+      every instant to hear him call for one of the marshals, or see him stretch
+      out his hand to point to a distant part of the field. And so absorbed was
+      I in my reveries, that I had neither eyes nor ears for anything around me;
+      when suddenly all the din of the orchestra ceased,&mdash;not a sound was
+      heard; and a hand rudely shook me by the arm, while a voice whispered,
+      'Now! now!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0015" id="linkimage-0015">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/302.jpg" alt="302 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mechanically I seized the drumsticks. But my eyes still were riveted in
+      the Emperor,&mdash;my whole heart and soul were centred in him. Again the
+      voice called to me to begin; and a low murmur of angry meaning ran through
+      the orchestra.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I sprang to my legs, and in the excitement of the moment, losing all
+      memory of time and place, I rolled out the <i>pas de charge!</i>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Scarce had the first <i>roulade</i> of the well-known sounds reverberated
+      through the house, when one cry of 'Vive l'Empereur!' burst forth. It was
+      not a cheer; it was the heart-given outbreak of ten thousand devoted
+      followers. Marshals, generals, colonels, ambassadors, ministers, all
+      joined; and the vast assembly rocked to and fro like the sea in a storm,
+      while Napoleon himself, slowly rising, bent his proud head in
+      acknowledgment, and then sat down again amid the thundering shouts of
+      acclamation. It was full twenty minutes before the piece could proceed;
+      and even then momentary outbreaks of enthusiasm would occur to interrupt
+      it, and continued to burst forth till the curtain fell.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just then an aide-de-camp appeared beside the orchestra, and ordered me
+      to the Emperor's box. <i>Satristi!</i>how I trembled! I did n't know what
+      might come of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, <i>coquin!</i> said he, as I stood ready to drop with fear at the
+      door of the box, 'this has been one of thy doings, eh?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes, Sire,' muttered I in a half whisper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'And how hast thou dared to spoil an opera in this fashion?' said he,
+      frowning fiercely. 'Answer me, sirrah!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'It was your Majesty's fault,' said I, becoming reckless of all
+      consequences. 'You did n't seem to care much for all their scraping and
+      blowing, and so I thought the old <i>roulade</i> might raise you a bit.
+      You used to like it once; and might still, if the times be not altered.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'And they are not,' said he, sternly. 'Who art thou, that seem'st to know
+      me thus well?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Old François, that was maître d'armes of the Fourth in Egypt, and who
+      saved you from the stroke of a Mameluke sabre at Chebrheis.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What! the fellow who killed an Austrian prisoner after Marengo? Why, I
+      thought thee dead.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Better for me I had been!' said I. 'You would n't read my petition.
+      ('Yes, you may frown away, General,' said I to Duroc, who kept glowering
+      at me like a tiger.) I began life at the tambour; I have come down to it
+      again. You can't bring me lower, <i>parbleu!</i>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor whispered something to the Empress, who turned round towards
+      me and laughed; and then he made a sign for me to withdraw. Before I had
+      got a dozen paces from the box, an aide-de-camp overtook me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'François,' said he, 'you are to appear before the medical commission
+      to-morrow; and if their report be favorable, you are to have your old
+      grade of maître d'armes.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so it was. Not only was I restored, but they even placed me in the
+      same regiment I served in during the campaigns of Egypt and Italy. The
+      corps, however, was greatly changed since I knew it before; and so I asked
+      the Emperor to appoint me to a voltigeur battalion, where discipline is
+      not so rigid, and pleasant comrades are somewhat more plentiful. I had my
+      wish, gentlemen. And now, with your permission, we'll drink the 'Faubourg
+      St. Antoine,' the cradle of our arm of the service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In repeating Maître Francois's tale, I could only wish it might have one
+      half the success with my reader it met with from his comrades of the
+      bivouac. This, however, I cannot look for, and must leave it and him to
+      their fortunes, and now turn to follow the course of my own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      François was not the only one who felt surprised at my being able to
+      resist the pleasures of a voltigeurs life; and my companion the corporal
+      looked upon my determination to join the hussar brigade as one of those
+      extraordinary instances of duty predominating over inclination. &ldquo;Not,&rdquo;
+       said he, &ldquo;but there may be brave fellows and good soldiers among the
+      dragoons; though having a horse to ride is a sore drawback on a man's
+      courage. And when one has felt the confidence of standing face to face,
+      and foot to foot, with the enemy, I cannot see how he can ever bring
+      himself to fight in any other fashion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A man can accustom himself to anything, Corporal,&rdquo; said an old,
+      hardy-looking soldier, who sat smoking with the most profound air of
+      thoughtful reflection. &ldquo;I remember being in the 'dromedary brigade' at
+      Cairo. Few of us could keep our seats at first; and when we fell off, it
+      was often hard enough to resist the Mamelukes and hold the beasts besides;
+      but even that we learned with time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This explanation, little flattering as it was to the cavalry, seemed to
+      convince the listeners that time, which smoothes so many difficulties,
+      will even make a man content to be a dragoon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, since you will not be 'of ours,'&rdquo; said François, &ldquo;let us drink a
+      parting cup, and say good-by, for I hear the bugle sounding the call.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A health to the 'Faubourg St. Antoine,' boys!&rdquo; cried I, and a hearty
+      cheer re-echoed the toast; and with many a shake-hands, and many a promise
+      of welcome whenever I saw the error of my ways sufficiently to doff the
+      dolman for the voltigeur's jacket, I took leave of the gallant
+      Twenty-second, and set out towards Weimar.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXV. BERLIN AFTER &ldquo;JENA.&rdquo;
+     </h2>
+    <p>
+      As the battle of Austerlitz was the deathblow to the empire of Austria, so
+      with the defeat at Jena did Prussia fall, and that great kingdom became a
+      prey to the conquering Napoleon. Were this a fitting place, it might be
+      curious to inquire into the causes which involved a ruin so sudden and so
+      complete; and how a vast and highly organized army seemed at one fell
+      stroke annihilated and destroyed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The victories of Jena and Auerstadt, great and decisive as they were, were
+      nevertheless inadequate to such results; and if the genius of the Emperor
+      had not been as prompt to follow up as to gain a battle, they never would
+      have occurred. But scarcely had the terrible contest ceased, when he sent
+      for the Saxon officers who were taken prisoners, and addressing them in a
+      tone of kindness, declared at once that they were at liberty and might
+      return to their homes, first pledging their words not to carry arms
+      against France or her allies. One hundred and twenty officers of different
+      grades, from lieutenant-general downwards, gave this promise and retired
+      to their own country, extolling the generosity of Napoleon. This first
+      step was soon followed up by another and more important one; negotiations
+      were opened with the Elector of Saxony, and the title of king offered to
+      him on condition of his joining the Confederacy of the Rhine; and thus
+      once more the artful policy already pursued with regard to Bavaria in the
+      south, was here renewed in the north of Germany, and with equal success.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This deep-laid scheme deprived the Prussian army of eighteen thousand men,
+      and that on the very moment when defeat and disaster had spread their
+      demoralizing influences through the entire army. Several of their greatest
+      generals were killed, many more dreadfully or fatally wounded: Prince
+      Louis, Ruchel, Schmettau, among the former; the Duke of Brunswick and
+      Prince Henry both severely wounded. The Duke survived but a few days, and
+      these in the greatest suffering; Marshal Möllendorf, the veteran of nigh
+      eighty years, had his chest pierced by a lance. Here was misfortune enough
+      to cause dismay and despair; for unhappily the nation itself was but an
+      army in feeling and organization, and with defeat every hope died out and
+      every arm was paralyzed. The patriotism of the people had taken its place
+      beneath a standard, which when once lowered before a conqueror, nothing
+      more remained. Such is the destiny of a military monarchy: its only
+      vitality is victory; the hour of disaster is its deathblow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The system of a whole corps capitulating, which the Prussians had not
+      scrupled to sneer at when occurring in Austria, now took place here with
+      even greater rapidity. Scarcely a day passed that some regiment did not
+      lay down their arms, and surrender <i>sur parole</i>. A panic spread
+      through the whole length and breadth of the land; places of undoubted
+      strength were surrendered as insecure and untenable. No rest nor respite
+      was allowed the vanquished: the gay plumes of the lancers fluttered over
+      the vast plains in pursuit; columns of infantry poured in every direction
+      through the kingdom; and the eagles glittered in every town and every
+      village of conquered Prussia.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Never did the spirit of Napoleon display itself more pitiless than in this
+      campaign; for while in his every act he evinced a determination to break
+      down and destroy the nation, the &ldquo;Moniteur&rdquo; at Paris teemed with articles
+      in derision of the army whose bravery he should never have questioned.
+      Even the gallant leaders themselves&mdash;old and scarred warriors&mdash;were
+      contemptuously described as blind and infatuated fanatics, undeserving of
+      clemency or consideration. Not thus should he have spoken of the noble
+      Prince Louis and the brave Duke of Brunswick; they fought in a good cause,
+      and they met the death of gallant soldiers. &ldquo;I will make their nobles beg
+      their bread upon the highways!&rdquo; was the dreadful sentence he uttered at
+      Weimar. And the words were never forgotten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The conduct and bearing of the Emperor was the more insulting from its
+      contrast with that of his marshals and generals, many of whom could not
+      help acknowledging in their acts the devotion and patriotism of their
+      vanquished foes. Murat lost no occasion to evince this feeling; and sent
+      eight colonels of his own division to carry the pall at General
+      Schmettau's funeral, who was interred with all the honors due to one who
+      had been the companion of the Great Frederick himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Soult, Bernadotte, Augereau, Ney, and Davoust, with the several corps
+      under their command, pursued the routed forces with untiring hostility. In
+      vain did the King of Prussia address a supplicating letter asking for a
+      suspension of arms. Napoleon scarcely deigned a reply, and ordered the
+      advanced guard to march on Berlin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But a year before and he had issued his royal mandates from the palace of
+      the Caesars; and he burned now to date his bulletins from the palace of
+      the Great Frederick. And on the tenth day after the battle of Jena the
+      troops of Lannes's division bivouacked in the plain around Potsdam. I had
+      joined my brigade the day previous, and entered Berlin with them on the
+      morning of the 23d of October.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The preparations for a triumphal entry were made on the day before; and by
+      noon the troops approached the capital in all the splendor of full
+      equipment. First came the grenadiers of Oudinot's brigade,&mdash;one of
+      the finest corps in the French army; their bright yellow facings and
+      shoulder-knots had given them the <i>sobriquet</i> of the <i>Grenadiers
+      jaunes</i>: they formed part of Davonst's force at Auerstadt, and were
+      opposed to the Prussian guard in the greatest shock of the entire day.
+      After them came two battalions of the <i>Chasseurs à pied</i>,&mdash;a
+      splendid body of infantry, the remnant of four thousand who went into
+      battle on the morning of the 15th. Then followed a brigade of artillery,
+      each gun-carriage surmounted by a Prussian standard. These again were
+      succeeded by the red lancers of Berg, with Murat himself at their head;
+      for they were his own regiment, and he felt justly proud of such
+      followers: the grand duke was in all the splendor of his full dress, and
+      wore a Spanish hat, looped up, with an immense brilliant in front, and a
+      plume of ostrich feathers floated over his neck and shoulders. Two hundred
+      and forty chosen men of the Imperial Guard marched two and two after
+      these, each carrying a color taken from the enemy in battle. Nansouty's
+      cuirassiers came next; they had suffered severely at Jena, and were
+      obliged to muster several of their wounded men to fill up the gaps in
+      their squadrons. Then there were the horse artillery brigade, whose
+      uniforms and equipments, notwithstanding every effort to conceal it,
+      showed the terrible effects of the great battle. General d'Auvergne's
+      division, with the hussars and the light cavalry attached, followed. These
+      were succeeded by the voltigeurs, and eight battalions of the Imperial
+      Guard,&mdash;whose ranks were closed up with the <i>Grenadiers à cheval</i>,
+      and more artillery,&mdash;in all, a force of eighteen thousand, the <i>élite</i>
+      of the French army.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Advancing in orderly time, they came,&mdash;no sound heard save the dull
+      reverberation of the earth as it trembled beneath the columns, when the
+      hoarse challenge to &ldquo;halt&rdquo; was called from rank to rank as often as those
+      in the rear pressed on the leading files; but as they reached the
+      Brandenburg gate, the band of each regiment burst forth, and the wide
+      Platz resounded with the clang of martial music.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In front of the palace stood the Emperor, surrounded by his staff, which
+      was joined in succession by each general of brigade as his corps moved by.
+      A simple acknowledgment of the military salute was all Napoleon gave as
+      each battalion passed,&mdash;until the small party of the Imperial Guard
+      appeared, bearing the captured colors. Then his proud features relaxed,
+      his eye flashed and sparkled, and he lifted his chapeau straight above his
+      head, and remained uncovered the whole time they were marching past. This
+      was the moment when enthusiasm could no longer be restrained, and a cry of
+      &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; burst forth, that, caught up by those behind, rose in
+      ten thousand echoes along the distant suburbs of Berlin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To look upon that glorious and glittering band, bronzed with battle, their
+      proud faces lit up with all the pride of victory, was indeed a triumph;
+      and one instinctively turned to see the looks of wondering and admiration
+      such a sight must have inspired. But with what sense of sadness came the
+      sudden thought: this is the proud exultation of the conqueror over the
+      conquered; here come no happy faces and bright looks to welcome those who
+      have rescued them from slavery; here are no voices calling welcome to the
+      deliverer. No: it was a people crushed and trodden down; their hard-won
+      laurels tarnished and dishonored; their country enslaved; their monarch a
+      wanderer, no one knew where. Little thought they who raised the statue of
+      brass to the memory of the Great Frederick, that the clank of French
+      musketry would be heard around it. Rossbach was, indeed, avenged,&mdash;and
+      cruelly avenged.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Never did a people behave with more dignity under misfortune than the
+      Prussians on the entrance of the French into their capital. The streets
+      were deserted; the houses closed; the city was in mourning; and none
+      stooped to the slavish adulation which might win favor with the conqueror.
+      It was a triumph; but there were none to witness it. Of the nobles, scarce
+      one remained in Berlin. They had fallen in battle, or followed the
+      fortunes of their beaten army, now scattered and dispersed through the
+      kingdom. Their wives and daughters, in deepest mourning, bewailed their
+      ruined country as they would the death of a dearest friend. They cut off
+      their blonde locks, and sorrowed like those without a hope. Their great
+      country was to be reduced to the rank of a mere German province; their
+      army disbanded; their king dethroned. Such was the contrast to our hour of
+      triumph; such the sad reverse to the gorgeous display of our armed
+      squadrons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had the Emperor established his headquarters at Potsdam than the
+      whole administration of the kingdom was begun to be placed under French
+      rule. Prefects were appointed to different departments of the kingdom; a
+      heavy contribution was imposed upon the nation; and all the offices of the
+      state were subjected to the control of persons named by the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among these, the first in importance was the post-office; for, while every
+      precaution was taken that no interruption should occur in the transmission
+      of the mails as usual, a <i>cabinet noir</i> was established here, as at
+      Paris, whose function it was to open the letters of suspected persons, and
+      make copies of them; the latter, indeed, were often so skilfully executed
+      as to be forwarded to the address, while the originals were preserved as
+      &ldquo;proofs&rdquo; against parties, if it were found necessary to accuse them
+      afterwards. (And here I might mention that the art of depositing metals in
+      a mould by galvanic process was known and used in imitating and
+      fabricating the seals of various writers, many years before the discovery
+      became generally known in Europe.)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The invasion of private right involved in this breach of trust gave, as
+      might be supposed, the greatest offence throughout the kingdom. But the
+      severity with which every case of suspicious meaning was followed up and
+      punished converted the feelings of indignation and anger into those of
+      fear and trepidation. For this was ever part of Napoleon's policy: the
+      penalty of any offence was made to exclude the sense of ridicule its own
+      littleness might have created, and men felt indisposed to jest where their
+      mirth might end in melancholy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The most remarkable case, and that which more than any other impressed the
+      public mind of the period, was that of the Prince de Hatzfeld, whose
+      letter to the King of Prussia was opened at the post-office, and made the
+      subject of a capital charge against him. Its contents were, as might be
+      imagined from the channel of transmission, not such as could substantiate
+      any treasonable intention on his part. A respectful homage to his
+      dethroned sovereign; a detail of the mournful feeling experienced
+      throughout his capital; and some few particulars of the localities
+      occupied by the French troops, was the entire. And for this he was tried
+      and condemned to death,&mdash;a sentence which the Emperor commanded to be
+      executed before sunset that same day. Happily for the fate of the noble
+      prince, as for the fair fame of Napoleon, both Duroc and Rapp were
+      ardently attached to him, and at their earnest entreaties his life was
+      spared. But the impression which the circumstances made upon the minds of
+      the inhabitants was deep and lasting; and there was a day to come when all
+      these insults were to be remembered and avenged. If I advert to the
+      occurrence here, it is because I have but too good reason to bear memory
+      of it, influencing, as it did, my own future fortunes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It chanced that one evening, when sitting in a café with some of my
+      brother officers, the subject of the Prince de Hatzfeld's offence was
+      mooted; and in the unguarded freedom with which one talks to his comrades,
+      I expressed myself delighted at the clemency of the Emperor, and conceived
+      that he could have no part in the breach of confidence which led to the
+      accusation, nor countenance in any way his prosecution. My companions, who
+      had little sympathy for Prussians, and none for aristocracy whatever, took
+      a different view of the matter, and scrupled not to regret that the
+      sentence of the court-martial had not been executed. The discussion grew
+      warm between us; the more, as I was alone in my opinion, and assailed by
+      several who overbore me with loud speaking. Once or twice, too, an obscure
+      taunt was thrown out against aliens and foreigners, who, it was alleged,
+      never could at heart forgive the ascendency of France and Frenchmen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To this I replied hotly, for while not taking to myself an insult which my
+      conduct in the service palpably refuted, I was hurt and offended. Alas! I
+      knew too well in my heart what sacrifices I had made in changing my
+      country; how I had bartered all the hopes which attach to one's fatherland
+      for a career of mere selfish ambition. Long since had I seen that the
+      cause I fought in was not that of liberty, but despotism. Napoleon's glory
+      was the dazzling light which blinded my true vision; and my following had
+      something of infatuation, against which reason was powerless. I say that I
+      answered these taunts with hasty temper; and carried away by a momentary
+      excitement, I told them, that they it was, not I, who would detract from
+      the fair renown of the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The traits you would attribute to him,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;are not those of
+      strength, but weakness. Is it the conqueror of Egypt, of Austria, and now
+      of Prussia, who need stoop to this? We cannot be judges of his policy, or
+      the great events which agitate Europe. We would pronounce most ignorantly
+      on the greatness of his plans regarding the destinies of nations; but, on
+      a mere question of high and honorable feeling, of manly honesty, why
+      should we not speak? And here I say this act was never his.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A smile of sardonic meaning was the only reply this speech met with; and
+      one by one the officers rose and dropped off, leaving me to ponder over
+      the discussion, in which I now remembered I had been betrayed into a
+      warmth beyond discretion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This took place early in November; and as it was not referred to in any
+      way afterwards by my comrades, I soon forgot it. My duties occupied me
+      from morning till night; for General d'Auvergne, being in attendance on
+      the Emperor, had handed me over for the time to the department of the
+      adjutant-general of the army, where my knowledge of German was found
+      useful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the 17th of the month a general order was issued, containing the names
+      of the various officers selected for promotion, as well as of those on
+      whom the cross of the &ldquo;Legion&rdquo; was to be conferred. Need I say with what a
+      thrill of exultation I read my own name among the latter, nor my delight
+      at finding it followed by the words, &ldquo;By order of his Majesty the Emperor,
+      for a special service on the 13th October, 1806.&rdquo; This was the night
+      before the battle; and now I saw that I had not been forgotten, as I
+      feared,&mdash;here was proof of the Emperor's remembrance of me. Perhaps
+      the delay was intended to test my prudence as to secrecy; and perhaps it
+      was deemed fitting that my name should not appear except in the general
+      list: in any case, the long-wished reward was mine,&mdash;the proud
+      distinction I had desired for so many a day and night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The distribution of the &ldquo;cordons&rdquo; was always made the occasion of a grand
+      military spectacle, and the Emperor determined that the present one should
+      convey a powerful impression of the effective strength of his army, as
+      well as of its perfect equipment; and accordingly orders were despatched
+      to the different generals of division within twelve or fifteen leagues of
+      Berlin, to march their corps to the capital. The 28th of November was the
+      day fixed for this grand display, and all was bustle and preparation for
+      the event.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the morning of the 22d, I received an official note from the bureau of
+      the adjutant-general desiring me to wait on him before noon that same day.
+      Concluding it referred to my promised promotion to the &ldquo;Legion,&rdquo; it was
+      with somewhat of a fluttered and excited feeling I found myself, at some
+      few minutes after eleven o'clock, in the antechamber, which already was
+      crowded with officers, some seeking, some summoned to an interview.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the midst of the buzz of conversation, which, despite the reserve of
+      the place, still prevailed, I heard my name called, and followed an
+      aide-de-camp along a passage into a large room, which opened into a
+      smaller apartment, where, standing with his back to the fire, I perceived
+      Marshal Berthier, his only companion being an officer in a staff uniform,
+      busily engaged writing at a table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are Captain Burke, of the Eighth Hussars, I believe, sir?&rdquo; said the
+      marshal, reading slowly from a slip of paper he held twisted round one
+      finger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By birth an Irishman,&rdquo; continued the marshal; &ldquo;entered at the
+      Polytechnique in August, 1801. Am I correct?&rdquo; I bowed. &ldquo;Subsequently
+      accused of being concerned in the conspiracy of Georges and Pichegru,&rdquo;
+       resumed he, as he raised his eyes slightly from the paper, and fixed them
+      searchingly upon me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Falsely so, sir,&rdquo; was my only reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were acquitted,&mdash;that's enough: a reprimand for imprudence, and
+      a slight punishment of arrest, was all. Since that time, you have
+      conducted yourself, as the report of your commanding officer attests, with
+      zeal and steadiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He paused here, and seemed as if he expected me to say something; but as I
+      thought the whole a most strange commencement to the ceremony of investing
+      me with a cross of the Legion, I remained silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At Paris, when attached to the <i>élite</i>, you appear to have visited
+      the Duchess of Montserrat, and frequented her soirées.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Once, sir; but once I was in the house of the duchess. My visit could
+      scarcely have occupied as many minutes as I have spent here this morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dined occasionally at the 'Moisson d'Or,&rdquo; continued the marshal, not
+      noticing in any way my reply. &ldquo;Well, as I believe you are now aware that
+      there are no secrets with his Majesty's Government, perhaps you will
+      inform me what are your relations with the Chevalier Duchesne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      For some minutes previous my mind was dwelling on that personage; and I
+      answered the question in a few words, by stating the origin of our
+      acquaintance, and briefly adverting to its course.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You correspond with the chevalier?&rdquo; said he, interrupting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have never done so; nor is it likely, from the manner in which we
+      parted last, that I ever shall.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This scarcely confirms that impression, sir,&rdquo; said the marshal, taking an
+      open letter from the table and holding it up before me. &ldquo;You know his
+      handwriting; is that it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; I have no doubt it is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, sir, that letter belongs to you; you may take and read it. There is
+      enough there, sir, to make your conduct the matter of a court-martial; but
+      I am satisfied that a warning will be sufficient. Let this be such then.
+      Learn, sir, that the plottings of a poor and mischievous party harmonize
+      ill with the duties of a brave soldier; and that a captain of the Guards
+      might choose more suitable associates than the dupes and double-dealers of
+      the Faubourg St. Germain. There is your brevet to the 'Legion,' signed by
+      the Emperor. I shall return it to his Majesty; mayhap at some future
+      period your conduct may merit differently. I need hardly say that a
+      gentleman so very little particular in the choice of his friends would be
+      a most misplaced subject for the honor of the 'Legion.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He waved his hand in sign for me to withdraw, and overwhelmed with
+      confusion, I bowed and left the room. Nor was it till the door closed
+      behind me that I felt how cruelly and unjustly I had been treated; then
+      suddenly the blood rushed to my face and temples, my head seemed as if it
+      would burst at either side, and forgetting every circumstance of place and
+      condition, I seized the handle of the door and wrenched it open.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Marshal,&rdquo; said I, with the fearlessness of one resolved at any risk to
+      vindicate his character, &ldquo;I know nothing of this letter; I have not read
+      one line of it. I have no further intimacy with the writer than an officer
+      has with his comrade; but if I am to be the subject of espionage to the
+      police,&mdash;if my chance acquaintances in the world are to be matter of
+      charges against my fealty and honor,&mdash;if I, who have nothing but my
+      sword and my epaulette&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When I had got thus far I saw the marshal's face turn deadly pale, while
+      the officer at the table made a hurried sign to me with his finger to be
+      silent. The door closed nearly at the same instant, and I turned my head
+      round, and there stood the Emperor. The figure is still before me; he was
+      standing still, his hands behind his back, and his low chapeau deeply
+      pressed upon his brows. His gray frock was open, and looked as if
+      disordered from haste.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is this?&rdquo; said he, in that hissing tone he always assumed when in
+      moments of passion,&mdash;&ldquo;what is this? Are we in the bureau of a
+      minister? or is it the <i>salle de police?</i> Who are you, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was not until the question had been repeated that I found courage to
+      reply. But he waited not for my answer, as, snatching the open letter from
+      my fingers, he resumed,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not thus, sir, you should come here. Your petition or memorial&mdash;
+      Ha! <i>parbleu!</i> what is this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the instant his eyes fell upon the writing, and as suddenly his face
+      grew almost livid. With the rapidity of lightning he seemed to peruse the
+      lines. Then waving his hand, he motioned towards the door, and muttered,&mdash;&ldquo;Wait
+      without!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Like one awaking from a dreadful dream, I stood, endeavoring to recall my
+      faculties, and assure myself how much there might be of reality in my
+      wandering fancies, when I perceived that a portion of the letter remained
+      between my fingers as the Emperor snatched it from my hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A half-finished sentence was all I could make out; but its tone made me
+      tremble for what the rest of the epistle might contain:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Surpassed themselves, of course, my dear Burke; and so has the Emperor
+      too. It remained for the campaign in Prussia to prove that one hundred and
+      eighty-five thousand prisoners can be taken from an army numbering one
+      hundred and fifty-four thousand men. As to Davoust, who really had all the
+      fighting, though he wrote no bulletin, all Paris feels&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was the morsel I had saved; such a specimen of the insolence of the
+      entire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dreadful fact then broke suddenly upon me that this letter had been
+      written by Duchesne to effect my ruin; and as I stood stupefied with
+      terror, the door was suddenly opened, and the Emperor passed, out. His
+      eyes were turned on me as he went, and I shrank back from their expression
+      of withering anger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Captain Burke!&rdquo; said a voice from within the room, for the door continued
+      open.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I entered slowly, but with a firm step. My mind was made up; and in the
+      force of a resolute determination, I found strength for whatever might
+      happen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would appear, sir,&rdquo; said the marshal, addressing me with a stern and
+      severe expression of features, &ldquo;it would appear that you permit yourself
+      the widest liberty in canvassing the acts of his Majesty the Emperor; for
+      I find you here mentioned &ldquo;&mdash;he took a paper from the table as he
+      spoke&mdash;&ldquo;as declaiming, in a public café, on the subject of the Prince
+      de Hatzfeld, and expressing, in no measured terms, your disapproval of his
+      imprisonment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All that I said upon the subject, sir, so far as I can recollect, was in
+      praise of the Emperor for clemency so well bestowed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There was no high-flown sentiment on the breach of honorable confidence
+      effected in opening private letters?&rdquo; said the marshal, sarcastically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; I do remember expressing myself strongly on that head.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am not surprised, sir,&rdquo; interrupted he, &ldquo;at your indignation; your own
+      conscience must have prompted you on the occasion. When a gentleman has
+      such correspondents as the Chevalier Duchesne, he may well feel on a point
+      like this. But enough of this. I have his Majesty's orders regarding you,
+      which are as follows&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive me, I beg you, sir, the liberty of interrupting you for one
+      moment. I am an alien, and therefore little versed in the habits and
+      usages of the land for whose service I have shed my blood; but I am sure a
+      marshal of France will not refuse a kindness to an officer of the army,
+      however humble his station. I merely ask the answer to one question.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it?&rdquo; said the marshal, quickly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Am I, as an officer, at liberty to resign my grade, and quit the
+      service?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; said he, reddening, &ldquo;yes, that you are.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then here I do so,&rdquo; rejoined I, drawing my sword from its scabbard. &ldquo;The
+      career I can no longer follow honorably and independently, I shall follow
+      no more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your corps, sir?&rdquo; said the marshal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Eighth Hussars of the Guard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take a note of that, Gardanne. I shall spare you all unnecessary delay in
+      tendering a written resignation of your rank; I accept it now. You leave
+      Berlin in twenty-four hours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I bowed, and was silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your passport shall be made out for Paris; you shall receive it to-morrow
+      morning.&rdquo; He motioned with his hand towards the door as he concluded, and
+      I left the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The moment I felt myself alone, the courage which had sustained me
+      throughout at once gave way, and I leaned against the wall, and covered my
+      face with my hands. Yes, I knew it in my heart,&mdash;the whole dream of
+      life was over; the path of glory was closed to me forever; all the hopes
+      on which, in sanguine hours, I used to feed my heart, were scattered. And
+      to the miseries of my exiled lot were now added the sorrows of an
+      unfriended, companionless existence. The thought that no career was open
+      to me came last; for at first I only remembered all I was leaving, not the
+      dark future before me. Yet, when I called to mind the injustice with which
+      I had been treated,&mdash;the system of espionage to which, as an alien
+      more particularly, I was exposed,&mdash;I felt I had done right, and that
+      to have remained in the service at such a sacrifice of my personal
+      independence would have been base and unworthy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a half-broken heart and faltering step I regained my quarters, where
+      again my grief burst forth with more violence than at first. Every object
+      about recalled to me the career I was leaving forever; and wherever my eye
+      rested, some emblem lay to open fresh stores of sorrow. The pistols I
+      carried at Elchingen, a gift from General d'Auvergne; an Austrian sabre I
+      had taken from its owner, still ornamented with a little knot of ribbon
+      Minette had fastened to the hilt,&mdash;hung above the chimney; and I
+      could scarce look on them without tears. On the table still lay open the
+      <i>ordre du jour</i> which named me to the Legion of Honor; and now the
+      humblest soldier that carried his musket in the ranks was my superior. Not
+      all the principle on which I founded my resolve was proof against this
+      first outburst of my sorrow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chivalrous ardor of a soldier's life had long supplied to me the place
+      of those appliances to happiness which other men possess. Each day I
+      followed it the path grew dearer to me. Every bold and daring feat, every
+      deed of enterprise or danger, seemed to bring me, in thought at least,
+      nearer to him whose greatness was my idolatry. And now, all this was to be
+      as a mere dream,&mdash;a thing which had been, and was to be no more.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While I revolved such sad reflections, a single knock came to my door. I
+      opened it, and saw a soldier of my own regiment. His dress was
+      travel-stained and splashed, and he looked like one off a long journey. He
+      knew me at once, and accosted me by name, as he presented a letter from
+      General d'Auvergne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You've had a smart ride,&rdquo; said I, as I surveyed his flushed face and
+      disordered uniform.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Captain,&mdash;from the Oder. Our division is full twelve leagues
+      from this. I left on yesterday morning; for the general was particular
+      that the charger should not suffer on the way,&mdash;as if a beast like
+      that would mind double the distance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time I had opened the letter, which merely contained the following
+      few lines:&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      Encampment on the Oder, Nov. 21, 1806.
+
+      My dear Burke,&mdash;Every new arrival here has brought me some
+      fresh intelligence of you, and of your conduct at Jena; nor
+      can I say with what pride I have heard that the Emperor has
+      included you among the list of the <i>décorés</i>. This is the
+      day I often prophesied for you, and the true and only
+      refutation against the calumnies of the false-hearted and
+      the envious. I send you a Polish charger for your gala
+      review. Accept him from me; and believe that you have no
+      warmer friend, nor more affectionate, than yours,
+
+      D'Auvergne, Lieut-General.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Before I had finished reading the letter, my eyes grew so dimmed I could
+      scarcely trace the letters. Each word of kindness, every token of praise,
+      now cut me to the heart. How agonizing are the congratulations of friends
+      on those events in life where our own conscience bears reproach against
+      us! how poignant the self-accusation that is elicited by undeserved
+      eulogy! How would <i>he</i> think of my conduct? By what means should I
+      convince <i>him</i> that no alternative remained to me? I turned away,
+      lest the honest soldier should witness my trouble; and as I approached the
+      window, I beheld in the courtyard beneath the beautiful charger which,
+      with the full trappings of a hussar saddle, stood proudly flapping his
+      deep flanks with his long silken tail. With what a thrill I surveyed him!
+      How my heart leaped, as I fancied myself borne along on the full tide of
+      battle, each plunge he gave responsive to the stroke of my sword-arm! For
+      an instant I forgot all that had happened, and gazed on his magnificent
+      crest and splendid shape with an ecstasy of delight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay,&rdquo; said the dragoon, whose eyes were riveted in the same quarter,
+      &ldquo;there's not a marshal of France so well mounted; and he knows the
+      trumpet-call like the oldest soldier of the troop.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will return to-morrow,&rdquo; said I, recovering myself suddenly, and
+      endeavoring to appear composed and at ease. &ldquo;Well, then, to-night I shall
+      give you an answer for the general; be here at eight o'clock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I saw that my troubled air and broken voice had not escaped the soldier's
+      notice, and was glad when the door closed, and I was again alone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My first care was to write to the general; nor was it till after many
+      efforts I succeeded to my satisfaction in conveying, in a few and simple
+      words, the reasons of that step which must imbitter my future life. I
+      explained how deeply continued mistrust had wounded me; how my spirit, as
+      a soldier and a gentleman, revolted at the espionage established over my
+      actions; that it was in weighing these insults against the wreck of all my
+      hopes, I had chosen that path which had neither fame nor rank nor honor,
+      but still left me an untrammelled spirit and a mind at peace with itself.
+      &ldquo;I have now,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;to begin the world anew, without one clew to guide
+      me. Every illusion with which I had invested life has left me; I must
+      choose both a career and a country, and bear with me from this nothing but
+      the heartfelt gratitude I shall ever retain for one who befriended me
+      through weal and woe, and whose memory I shall bless while I live.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I felt relieved and more at ease when I finished this letter; the endeavor
+      to set my conduct in its true light to another had also its effect upon my
+      own convictions. I knew, besides, that I had sacrificed to my
+      determination all my worldly prospects, and believed that where
+      self-interest warred with principle, the right course could scarcely be
+      doubtful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All this time, not one thought ever occurred to me of how I was to meet
+      the future. It was strange; but so perfectly had the present crisis filled
+      my mind, there was not room for even a glance at what was to come.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My passport was made out for Paris, and thither I must go. So much was
+      decided for me without intervention on my part; and now it only remained
+      for me to dispose of the little trappings of my former estate, and take
+      the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Jews who always accompanied the army, offered a speedy resource in
+      this emergency. My anxiety to leave Berlin by daybreak, and thus avoid a
+      meeting of any acquaintances there, made me accept of the sums they
+      offered. To them such negotiations were of daily occurrence, and they well
+      knew how to profit by them. My whole worldly wealth consisted of two
+      hundred napoleons; and with this small pittance to begin life, I sat
+      myself down to think whither I should turn, or what course adopt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The night passed over thus, and when day dawned, I had not closed my eyes.
+      About four o'clock the diligence in which I had secured a place for Weimar
+      drew up at my door. I hurried down, and mounting to a seat beside the <i>conducteur</i>,
+      I buried my face in the folds of my cloak, nor dared to look up until we
+      had passed beyond the precincts of the city, and were travelling along on
+      the vast plain of sand which surrounds Berlin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The <i>conducteur</i> was a Prussian, and divining my military capacity in
+      my appearance, he maintained a cold and distant civility; never speaking,
+      except when spoken to, and even then in as few words as possible. This was
+      itself a relief to me; my heart was too full of its own sufferings to find
+      pleasure in conversation, and I dreamed away the hours till nightfall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVI. A FOREST PATH.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      When I reached Wiemar I quitted the diligence, resolved to make the
+      remainder of the journey on foot; for thus I should both economize the
+      little means I possessed, and escape many of the questionings and
+      inquiries to which as a traveller by public conveyance I was exposed.
+      Knapsack on shoulder, then, and staff in hand, I plodded onward, and
+      although frequently coming up with others on their way homeward, I avoided
+      all companionship with those whom I could no longer think of as comrades.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two tides of population which met upon that great highway told the
+      whole history of war. Here came the young soldiers, fresh enrolled in the
+      conscription, glowing with ardor, and bounding with life and buoyancy, and
+      mingling their village songs with warlike chants. There, footsore and
+      weary, with tattered uniform and weather-beaten look, toiled along the
+      tired veteran, turning as he went a glance of compassionate contempt on
+      those whose wild <i>vivas</i> burst forth in greeting. As for me, I could
+      neither partake of the high hopes of the one, nor sympathize with the
+      war-worn nature of the other. Disappointment, bitter disappointment, in
+      every cherished expectation, had thrown a chill over me, and I wanted even
+      the energy to become reckless. In this state, I did not dare to face the
+      future, but in moody despondency reflected on the past. Was this the
+      destiny Marie de Meudon predicted for me? was the ever-present thought of
+      my mind. Is it thus I should appear before her?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A hundred times came the thought to join the new levies as a soldier, to
+      carry a musket in the ranks. But then came back in all its force the
+      memory of the distrust and suspicion my services had met with: the
+      conviction hourly became clearer to me, that I fought not for liberty, but
+      despotism; that it was not freedom, but slavery, in whose cause I shed my
+      blood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To avoid meeting with the detachments which each day occupied the road, I
+      turned from the <i>chaussée</i> on passing Eisenach, and took a forest
+      path that led through Murbach to Fulda. My path led through the Creutz
+      Mountains,&mdash;a wild and unfrequented tract of country, where few
+      cottages were to be seen, and scarcely a village existed. Vast forests of
+      dark pines, or bleak and barren mountains, stretched away on either side;
+      a few patches of miserable tillage here and there met the view; but the
+      scene was one of saddening influence, and harmonized but too nearly with
+      my own despondency.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To reach a place of shelter for the night, I was more than once obliged to
+      walk twelve leagues during the day, and had thus to set out before
+      daylight. This exertion, however, brought its own reward: the stimulant of
+      labor, the necessity of a task, gradually allayed the mental irritation I
+      suffered under; a healthier and more manly tone of thinking succeeded to
+      my former regrets; and with a heart elevated, if not cheered, I continued
+      my way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The third day of my toilsome journey was drawing to a close. A mass of
+      heavy and lowering clouds, dark and thunder-charged, slowly moved along
+      the sky; and a low, moaning sound, that seemed to sigh along the ground,
+      boded the approach of a storm. I was still three leagues from my
+      halting-place, and began to deliberate within myself whether the dense
+      pine-wood, which came down to the side of the road, might not afford a
+      safer refuge from the hurricane than the chances of reaching a house
+      before it broke forth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The shepherds who frequented these dreary tracts often erected little huts
+      of bark as a shelter against the cold and severity of the wintry days, and
+      to find out one of these now was my great endeavor. Scarcely had I formed
+      the resolve, when I perceived a small path opening into the wood, at the
+      entrance to which a piece of board nailed against the trunk of a tree,
+      gave tidings that such a place of security was not far distant. These
+      signs of forest life I had learned in my wanderings, and now strode
+      forward with renewed vigor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The path led gradually upwards, along the mountain-side, which soon became
+      so encumbered with brushwood that I had much difficulty in pushing my way,
+      and at last began to doubt whether I might not have wandered from the
+      track. The darkness was now complete; night had fallen, and a heavy
+      crashing rain poured down upon the tree-tops, but could not penetrate
+      through their tangled shelter. The wind, too, swept in loud gusts above,
+      and the long threatened storm began. A loud, deafening roar, like that of
+      the sea itself, arose, as the leafy branches bent before the blast, or
+      snapped with sudden shock beneath the hurricane; clap after clap of
+      thunder resounded, and then the rain descended in torrents,&mdash;the
+      heavy drops at last, trickling from leaf to leaf, reaching me as I stood.
+      Once more I pushed forward, and had not gone many paces when the red glare
+      of a fire caught my eye. Steadfastly fastening my gaze upon the flame, I
+      hurried on, and at length perceived with ecstasy that the light issued
+      from the window of a small hovel, such as I have already mentioned. To
+      gain the entrance of the hut I was obliged to pass the window, and could
+      not resist the temptation to give a glance at the interior, whose cheerful
+      blaze betokened habitation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was not without surprise that, instead of the figure of a shepherd
+      reposing beside his fire, I beheld that of an old man, whose dress bespoke
+      the priest, kneeling in deep devotion at the foot of a small crucifix
+      attached to the wall. Not all the wild sounds of the raging storm seemed
+      to turn his attention from the object of his worship; his eyes were
+      closed, but the head thrown backwards showed his face upturned, when the
+      lips moved rapidly in prayer. Never had I beheld so perfect a picture of
+      intense devotional feeling; every line in his marked countenance indicated
+      the tension of a mind filled with one engrossing thought, while his
+      tremulous hands, clasped before him, shook with the tremor of strong
+      emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What a contrast to the loud warring of the elements, that peaceful figure,
+      raised above earth and its troubles, in the spirit of his holy communing!
+      how deeply touching the calm serenity of his holy brow, with the rolling
+      crash of falling branches, and the deep baying of the storm! I did not
+      dare to interrupt him; and when I did approach the door it was with silent
+      step and noiseless gesture. As I stood, the old priest&mdash;for now I saw
+      that he was such&mdash;concluded his prayer, and detaching his crucifix
+      from the wall, he kissed it reverently, and placed it in his bosom; then,
+      rising slowly from his knees, he turned towards me. A slight start of
+      surprise, as quickly followed by a smile of kindly greeting, escaped him,
+      while he said in French,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are welcome, my son; come in and share with me the shelter, for it is
+      a wild night.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A wild night, indeed, Father,&rdquo; said I, casting my eyes around the little
+      hut, where nothing indicated the appearance of habitation. &ldquo;I could have
+      wished you a better home than this against the storms of winter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am a traveller like yourself,&rdquo; said he, smiling at my mistake; &ldquo;and a
+      countryman, too, if I mistake not.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The accents in which these words were spoken pronounced him a Frenchman,
+      and a very little sufficed to ratify the terms of our companionship; and
+      having thrown a fresh billet on the fire, we both seated ourselves before
+      it My wallet was, fortunately, better stored than the good father's; and
+      having produced its contents, we supped cheerfully, and like men who were
+      not eating their first bivouac meal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I perceive, Father,&rdquo; said I, as I remarked the manner in which he
+      disposed his viands, &ldquo;I perceive you have campaigned ere now; the habits
+      of the service are not easily mistaken.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did not need that observation of yours,&rdquo; replied he, laughing slightly,
+      &ldquo;to convince me you were a soldier; for, as you truly say, the camp leaves
+      its indelible traces behind it. You are hastening on to Berlin, I
+      suppose?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I blushed deeply at the question; the shame of my changed condition had
+      been hitherto confined to my own heart, but now it was to be confessed
+      before a stranger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I ask your pardon, my son, for a question I had no right to ask; and even
+      there, again, I but showed my soldier education. I am returning to France;
+      and in seeking a short path from Eisenach, found myself where you see; as
+      night was falling, well content to be so well lodged,&mdash;all the more,
+      if I am to have your companionship.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Few and simple as these words were, there was a tone of frankness in them,
+      not less than the evidence of a certain good breeding, by which he
+      apologized for his own curiosity in speaking thus freely of himself, that
+      satisfied me at once; and I hastened to inform him that circumstances had
+      induced me to leave the service, in which I had been a captain, and that I
+      was now, like himself, returning to France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must not think, Father,&rdquo; added I, with some eagerness, &ldquo;you must not
+      think that other reasons than my own free will have made me cease to be a
+      soldier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would ill become me to have borne such a suspicion,&rdquo; interrupted he,
+      quickly. &ldquo;When one so young and full of life as you are leaves the path
+      where lie honor and rank and fame, he must have cause to make the
+      sacrifice; for I can scarce think, that at your age, these things seem
+      nought to your eyes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, Father, they are not so. They have been my guiding stars
+      for many a day; alas, that they can be such no longer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are higher hopes to cherish than these,&rdquo; said he, solemnly,&mdash;&ldquo;higher
+      than the loftiest longings of ambition; but we all of us cling to the
+      things of life, till in their perishable nature they wean us off with
+      disappointment and sorrow. From such a trial am I now suffering,&rdquo; added
+      he, in a low voice, while the tears rose to his eyes and slowly coursed
+      along his pale cheeks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a pause neither of us felt inclined to break, when at length the
+      priest said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What was your corps in the service?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Eighth Hussars of the Guard,&rdquo; said I, trembling at every word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>he</i> was in the Guides,&rdquo; repeated he, mournfully, to himself;
+      &ldquo;you knew the regiment?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, they belonged to the Guard also; they wore no epaulettes, but a
+      small gold arrow on the collar.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like this,&rdquo; said he, unfastening the breast of his cassock, and taking
+      out a small package, which, among other things, contained the designation
+      of the <i>Corps des Guides</i> in an arrow of gold embroidery. &ldquo;Had he not
+      beautiful hair, long and silky as a girl's?&rdquo; said he, as he produced a
+      lock of light and sunny brown. &ldquo;Poor Alphonse! thou wouldst have been
+      twenty hadst thou lived till yesterday. If I shed tears, young man, it is
+      because I have lost the great earthly solace of my solitary life. Others
+      have kindred and friends, have happy homes, which, even when bereavements
+      come, with time will heal up the wound; I had but him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He was your nephew, perhaps?&rdquo; said I, half fearing to interfere with his
+      sorrow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man shook his head in token of dissent, while he muttered to
+      himself,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Auerstadt may be a proud memory to some; to me it is a word of sorrow and
+      mourning. The story is but a short one; alas! it has but one color
+      throughout:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Count Louis de Meringues&mdash;of whom you have doubtless heard that he
+      rode as postilion to the carriage of his sovereign in the celebrated
+      flight to Varennes&mdash;fell by the guillotine the week after the king's
+      trial; the countess was executed on the same scaffold as her husband. I
+      was the priest who accompanied her at the moment; and in my arms she
+      placed her only child,&mdash;an infant boy of two years. There was a cry
+      among the crowd to have the child executed also, and many called out that
+      the spawn would be a serpent one day, and it were better to crush it while
+      it was time; but the little fellow was so handsome, and looked so
+      winningly around him on the armed ranks and the glancing weapons, that
+      even <i>their</i> cruel hearts relented, and he was spared. It is to me
+      like yesterday, as I remember every minute circumstance; I can recall even
+      the very faces of that troubled and excited assemblage, that at one moment
+      screamed aloud for blood, and at the next were convulsed with savage
+      laughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As I forced my way through the dense array, a rude arm was stretched out
+      from the mass, and a finger dripping with the gore of the scaffold was
+      drawn across the boy's face, while a ruffian voice exclaimed, 'The
+      Meringues were ever proud of their blood; let us see if it be redder than
+      other people's.' The child laughed; and the mob, with horrid mockery,
+      laughed too.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I took him home with me to my <i>presbytère</i> at Sèvres,&mdash;for that
+      was my parish,&mdash;and we lived together in peace until the terrible
+      decree was issued which proclaimed all France atheist. Then we wandered
+      southwards, towards that good land which, through every vicissitude, was
+      true to its faith and its king,&mdash;La Vendée. At Lyons we were met by a
+      party of the revolutionary soldiers, who, with a commissary of the
+      Government, were engaged in raising young men for the conscription.
+      Alphonse, who was twelve years old, felt all a boy's enthusiasm at the
+      warlike display before him, and persuaded me to follow the crowd into the
+      <i>Place des Terreaux</i>, where the numbers were read out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Paul Ducos,' cried a voice aloud, as we approached the stage on which
+      the commissary and his staff were standing; 'where is this Paul Ducos?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I am here,' replied a fine, frank-looking youth, of some fifteen years;
+      'but my father is blind, and I cannot leave him.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'We shall soon see that,' called out the commissary. 'Clerk, read out his
+      <i>signalement</i>.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Paul Ducos, son of Eugène Ducos, formerly calling himself Count Ducos de
+      la Brèche&mdash;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Down with the Royalists! <i>à bas</i> the tyrants!' screamed the mob,
+      not suffering the remainder to be heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Approach, Paul Ducos!' said the commissary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Wait here, Father,' whispered the youth; 'I will come back presently.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the old man, a fine and venerable figure, the remnant of a noble
+      race, held him fast, and, as his lips trembled, said, 'Do not leave me,
+      Paul; my child, my comforter, stay near me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The boy looked round him for one face of kindly pity in this emergency,
+      when, turning towards me, he said rapidly, 'Stand near him!' He broke from
+      the old man's embrace, and rushing through the crowd, mounted the
+      scaffold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'You are drawn for the conscription, young man,' said the commissary;
+      'but in consideration of your father's infirmity, a substitute will be
+      accepted. Have you such?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The boy shook his head mournfully and in silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Have you any friend who would assist you here? Bethink you awhile,'
+      rejoined the commissary, who, for his station and duties, was a kind and
+      benevolent man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I have none. They have left us nothing, neither home nor friends,' said
+      the youth, bitterly; 'and if it were not for his sake, I care not what
+      they do with me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Down with the tyrants!' yelled the mob, as they heard these haughty
+      words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Then your fate is decreed,' resumed the commissary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, not yet!' cried out Alphonse, as, breaking from my side, he gained
+      the steps and mounted the platform; 'I will be his substitute!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! how shall I tell the bitter anguish of that moment, which at once
+      dispelled the last remaining hope I cherished, and left me destitute
+      forever. As I dashed the tears from my eyes and looked up, the two boys
+      were locked in each other's arms. It was a sight to have melted any heart,
+      save those around them; but bloodshed and crime had choked up every avenue
+      of feeling, and left them, not men, but tigers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Alphonse de Meringues,' cried out the boy, in answer to a question
+      regarding his name.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no such designation in France,' said a grim-looking,
+      hard-featured man, who, wearing the tri-colored scarf, sat at the table
+      beside the clerk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I was never called by any other,' rejoined the youth, proudly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Citizen Meringues,' interposed the commissary, mildly, 'what is your
+      age?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I know not the years,' replied he; 'but I have heard that I was but an
+      infant when they slew my father.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A fierce roar of passion broke from the mob below the scaffold as they
+      heard this; and again the cry broke forth, 'Down with the tyrants!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Art thou, then, the son of that base sycophant who rode courier to the
+      Capet to Varennes?' said the hard-featured man at the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Of the truest gentleman of France,' called out a loud voice from below
+      the platform; 'Vive le roi!' It was the blind man who spoke, and waved his
+      cap above his head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'To the guillotine! to the guillotine!' screamed a hundred voices, in
+      tones wilde than the cries of famished wolves, as, seizing the aged man,
+      they tore his clothes to very rags.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In an instant all attention was turned from the platform to the scene
+      below it, where, with shouts and screams of fury, the terrible mob yelled
+      aloud for blood. In vain the guards endeavored to keep back the people,
+      who twice rescued their victim from the hands of the soldiery; and already
+      a confused murmur arose that the commissary himself was a traitor to the
+      public, and favored the tyrants, when a dull, clanking sound rose above
+      the tumult, and a cheer of triumph proclaimed the approach of the
+      instrument of torture.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In their impetuous torrent of vengeance they had dragged the guillotine
+      from the distant end of the 'Place,' where it usually stood; and there now
+      still knelt the figure of a condemned man, lashed with his arms behind
+      him, on the platform, awaiting the moment of his doom. Oh, that terrible
+      face, whereon death had already set its seal! With glazed, lack-lustre
+      eye, and cheek leaden and quivering, he gazed around on the fiendish
+      countenances like one awakening from a dream, his lips parted as though to
+      speak; but no sound came forth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Place! place for Monsieur le Marquis!' shouted a ruffian, as he assisted
+      to raise the figure of the blind man up the steps; and a ribald yell of
+      fiendish laughter followed the brutal jest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Thou art to make thy journey in most noble company,' said another to the
+      culprit on the platform.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'An he see not his way in the next world better than in this, thou must
+      lend him a hand, friend,' said a third. And with many a ruffian joke they
+      taunted their victims, who stood on the last threshold of life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Among the crowd upon the scaffold of the guillotine I could see the
+      figure of the blind man as it leaned and fell on either side, as the
+      movement of the mob bore it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'<i>Parbleu!</i> these Royalists would rather kneel than stand,&rdquo; said a
+      voice, as they in vain essayed to make the old man place his feet under
+      him; and ere the laughter which this rude jest excited ceased, a cry broke
+      forth of&mdash;'He is dead! he is dead!' And with a heavy sumph, the body
+      fell from their hands; for when their power of cruelty ended, they cared
+      not for the corpse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was true: life was extinct, none knew how,&mdash;whether from the
+      violence of the mob in its first outbreak, or that a long-suffering heart
+      had burst at last; but the chord was snapped, and he whose proud soul
+      lately defied the countless thousands around, now slept with the dead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In a few seconds it seemed as though they felt that a power stronger than
+      their own had interposed between them and their vengeance, and they stood
+      almost aghast before the corpse, where no trace of blood proclaimed it to
+      be their own; then, rallying from this stupor, with one voice they
+      demanded that the son should atone for the crimes of the father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I am ready,' cried the youth, in a voice above the tumult. 'I did not
+      deem I could be grateful to ye for aught, but I am for this.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To no purpose did the commissary propose a delay in the sentence; he was
+      unsupported by his colleagues. The passions of the mob rose higher and
+      higher; the thirst for blood, unslaked, became intense and maddening; and
+      they danced in frantic glee around the guillotine, while they chanted one
+      of the demoniac songs of the scaffold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In this moment, when the torrent ran in one direction, Alphonse might
+      have escaped all notice, but that the condemned youth turned to embrace
+      him once more before he descended from the people.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'They are so sorry to separate, it is a shame to part them,' cried a
+      ruffian in the crowd.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'You forget, Citizen, that this boy is his substitute,' said the
+      commissary, mildly; 'the Republic most not be cheated of its defenders.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Vive la République!' cried the soldiers; and the cry was re-echoed by
+      thousands, while amid their cheers there rose the last faint sigh of an
+      expiring victim.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The scene was over; the crowd dispersed; and the soldiers marched back to
+      quarters, accompanied by some hundred conscripts, among whom was Alphonse,&mdash;a
+      vague, troubled expression betokening that he scarce knew what had
+      happened around him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The regiment to which he was appointed was at Toulon, and there I
+      followed him. They were ordered to the north of Italy soon after, and
+      thence to Egypt. Through the battlefields of Mount Tabor and the Pyramids
+      I was ever beside him; on the heights of Austerlitz I stanched his wounds;
+      and I laid him beneath the earth on the field of Auerstadt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man's voice trembled and became feeble as he finished speaking,
+      and a settled expression of grief clothed his features, which were pale as
+      death.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must see Sèvres once more,&rdquo; said he, after a pause. &ldquo;I must look on the
+      old houses of the village, and the little gardens, and the venerable
+      church; they will be the only things to greet me there now, but I must
+      gaze on them ere I close my eyes to this world and its cares.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, Father,&rdquo; said I; &ldquo;to one who has acted so noble a part as
+      yours, life is never without its own means of happiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I spoke not of death,&rdquo; replied he, mildly; &ldquo;but the holy calm of a
+      convent will better suit my seared and worn heart than all that the world
+      calls its joys and pleasures. You, who are young and full of hope&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! Father, speak not thus. One can better endure the lowering skies of
+      misfortune as the evening of life draws near than when the morn of
+      existence is breaking. To me, with youth and health, there is no future,&mdash;no
+      hope.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will not hear you speak thus,&rdquo; said the priest; &ldquo;fatigue and weariness
+      are on you now. Wait until to-morrow,&mdash;we shall be fellow-travellers
+      together; and then, if you will reveal to me your story, mayhap my long
+      experience of the world may suggest comfort and consolation where you can
+      see neither.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The storm by this time had abated much of its violence, and across the
+      moon the large clouds were wafted speedily, disclosing bright patches of
+      light at every moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such is our life here,&rdquo; said the father,&mdash;&ldquo;alternating with its days
+      of happiness and sorrow. Let us learn, in the dark hour of our destiny, to
+      bear the glare of our better fortunes; for, believe me, that when our joys
+      are greatest, so are our trials also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He ceased speaking, and I saw that soon afterwards his lips moved as if in
+      prayer. I now laid myself down in my cloak beside the fire, and was soon
+      buried in a sleep too sound even for a dream.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0027" id="link2HCH0027">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVII. A CHANCE MEETING.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      With the good priest of Sèvres I journeyed along towards the frontier of
+      France, ever selecting the least frequented paths, and such as were not
+      likely to be taken by the troops of soldiery which daily moved towards
+      Berlin. The frankness of my companion had made me soon at ease with him;
+      and I told him, without reserve, the story of my life, down to the
+      decisive moment of my leaving the army.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, Father,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;how completely my career has failed; how, with
+      all the ardor of a soldier, with all the devotion of a follower, I have
+      adhered to the Emperor's fortunes; and yet&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your ambition, however great it was, could not stifle conscience. I can
+      believe it well. They who go forth to the wars with high hopes and
+      bounding hearts, who picture to their minds the glorious rewards of great
+      achievements, should blind their eyes to the horrors and injustice of the
+      cause they bleed for. Any sympathy with misfortune would sap the very
+      principle of that heroism whose essence is success. Men cannot play the
+      double game, even in matters of worldly ambition. Had you not listened to
+      the promptings of your heart, you had been greater; had you not followed
+      the dazzling glare of your hopes, you had been happier: both you could
+      scarcely be. Be assured of this, my son, the triumphs of a country can
+      only be enjoyed by the child of the soil; the brave soldier, who lends his
+      arm to the cause, feels he has little part in the glory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, indeed,&mdash;most true; I feel it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And were it otherwise, how unsatisfying is the thirst for that same
+      glory! how endless the path that leads to it! how many regrets accompany
+      it! how many ties broken! how many friendships forfeited! No, no; return
+      to your own land,&mdash;to the country of your birth; some honorable
+      career will always present itself to him who seeks but independence and
+      the integrity of his own heart. Beneath the conquering eagles of the
+      Emperor there are men of every shade of political opinion; for the
+      conscription is pitiless. There are Royalists, who love their king and
+      hate the usurper; there are Jacobins, who worship freedom and detest the
+      tyrant; there are stern Republicans&mdash;Vendéens, and followers of
+      Moreau: but yet all are Frenchmen. 'La belle France' is the watchword that
+      speaks to every heart, and patriotism is the bond between thousands. <i>You</i>
+      have no share in this; the delusion of national glory can never throw its
+      deception around you. Return, then, to your country; and be assured, that
+      in <i>her</i> cause your least efforts will be more ennobling to yourself
+      than the boldest deeds the hand of a mercenary ever achieved.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The inborn desire to revisit my native land needed but the counsels of the
+      priest to make it all-powerful; and as, day by day, I plodded onward, my
+      whole thoughts turned to the chances of my escape, and the means by which
+      I could accomplish my freedom; for the war still continued between France
+      and England, and the blockade of the French ports was strictly maintained
+      by a powerful fleet. The difficulty of the step only increased my desire
+      to effect it; and a hundred projects did I revolve in my mind, without
+      ever being able to fix on one where success seemed likely. The very
+      resolve, however, had cheered my spirits, and given new courage to my
+      heart; and an object suggested a hope,&mdash;and with a hope, life was no
+      longer burdensome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Each morning now I set forward with a mind more at ease, and more open to
+      receive pleasure from the varied objects which met me as I went. Not so my
+      poor companion; the fatigue of the journey, added to great mental
+      suffering, began to prey upon his health, and brought back an ague he had
+      contracted in Egypt, from the effect of which his constitution had never
+      perfectly recovered. At first the malady showed itself only in great
+      depression of spirits, which made him silent for hours of the way. But
+      soon it grew worse; he walked with much difficulty, took but little
+      nourishment, and seemed impressed with a sad foreboding that the disease
+      must be fatal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wanted to reach my village; my own quiet churchyard should have been my
+      resting-place,&rdquo; said he, as he sank wearied and exhausted on a little bank
+      at the roadside. &ldquo;But this was only a sick man's fancy. Poor Alphonse lies
+      far away in the dreary plain of Auerstadt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun was just setting of a clear day in December as we halted on a
+      little eminence, which commanded a distant view on every side. Behind lay
+      the dark forest of Germany, the tree-tops presenting their massive wavy
+      surface, over which the passing clouds threw momentary shadows; before,
+      but still some miles away, we could trace the Rhine, its bright silver
+      current sparkling in the sun; beyond lay the great plains of France, and
+      upon these the sick man's eyes rested with a steadfast gaze.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes!&rdquo; said he, after a long silence on both sides, &ldquo;the fields and the
+      mountains, the sunshine and the shade, are like those of other lands; but
+      the feeling which attaches the heart to country is an inborn sense, and
+      the very word 'home' brings with it the whole history of our affections.
+      Even to look thus at his native country is a blessing to an exile's
+      heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I scarcely dared to interrupt the reverie which succeeded these few words;
+      but when I perceived that he still remained seated, his head between his
+      hands and lost in meditation, I ventured to remind him that we were still
+      above a league from Heimbach, the little village where we should pass the
+      night, and that on a road so wild and unfrequented there was little hope
+      of finding shelter any nearer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must lean on me, Father; the night air is fresh and bracing, and
+      after a little it will revive you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man rose without speaking, and taking my arm, began the descent of
+      the mountain. His steps, however, were tottering and uncertain, his
+      breathing hurried and difficult, and his carriage indicated the very
+      greatest debility.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot do it, my son,&rdquo; said he, sinking upon the grassy bench which
+      skirted the way; &ldquo;you must leave me. It matters little now where this
+      frail body rests; a few hours more, and the rank grass will wave above it
+      and the rain beat over it unfelt. Let us part here: an old man's blessing
+      for all your kindness will follow you through life, and may cheer you to
+      think on hereafter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you then suppose I could leave you thus?&rdquo; said I, reproachfully. &ldquo;Is
+      it so you think of me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My minutes are few now, my child,&rdquo; replied he, more solemnly, &ldquo;and I
+      would pass the last moments of my life alone. Well, then, if you will not,&mdash;leave
+      me now for a little, and return to me; by that time my mind will be
+      calmer, and mayhap, too, my strength greater, and I may be able to
+      accompany you to the village.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I acceded to this proposal the more willingly, because it afforded me the
+      hope of finding some means to convey him to Heimbach; and so, having
+      wrapped him carefully in my cloak, I hastened down the mountain at the top
+      of my speed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The zigzag path by which I went discovered to me from time to time the
+      lights of the little hamlet, which twinkled star-like in the valley; and
+      as I drew nearer, the confused hum of voices reached me. I listened, and
+      to my amazement heard the deep, hoarse bray of a trumpet. How well I knew
+      that sound! it was the night-call to gather in the stragglers. I stopped
+      to listen; and now, in the stillness, could mark the tramp of horsemen and
+      the clank of their equipments: again the trumpet sounded, and was answered
+      by another at some distance. The road lay straight below me at some
+      hundred yards off, and leaving the path, I dashed directly downwards just
+      as the leading horsemen of a small detachment came slowly up. To their
+      loud <i>Qui vive?</i> I answered by giving an account of the sick man, and
+      entreating the sergeant who commanded the party to lend assistance to
+      convey him to the village.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, <i>parbleu!</i> that we will,&rdquo; said the honest soldier; &ldquo;a priest
+      who has made the campaign of Egypt and Austria is worthy of all our care.
+      Where is he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;About a mile from this; but the road is not practicable for a horseman.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, you shall have two of my men; they will soon bring him hither.&rdquo; And
+      as he spoke, he ordered two troopers to dismount, who, quickly
+      disencumbering themselves of their sabres, prepared to follow me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We shall expect you at the bivouac,&rdquo; cried the sergeant, as he resumed
+      his way; while I, eager to return, breasted the mountain with renewed
+      energy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You belong to the Guard, my friends,&rdquo; said I, as I paused for breath at a
+      turn of the path.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Fourth Cuirassiers of the Guard,&rdquo; replied the soldier I addressed;
+      &ldquo;Milhaud's brigade.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      How my heart leaped as he said these words! They were part of the division
+      General d'Auvergne once commanded; it was the regiment of poor Pioche,
+      too, before the dreadful day of Austerlitz.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know the Fourth, then?&rdquo; rejoined the man, as he witnessed the
+      agitation of my manner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Know the Fourth?&rdquo; echoed his comrade, in a voice of half-indignant
+      meaning. &ldquo;<i>Sacrebleu!</i>who does not know them? Does not all the world
+      know them by this time?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the Fourth who wear the motto 'Dix contre un' on their caps,&rdquo; said
+      I, desirous to flatter the natural vanity of my companions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Monsieur; I see you have served also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I answered by a nod, for already every word, every gesture, recalled to me
+      the career I had quitted; and my regrets, so late subdued by reason and
+      reflection, came thronging back, and filled ray heart to bursting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hurrying onward now, I mounted the steep path, and soon regained the spot
+      I sought. The poor father was sleeping; overcome by fatigue and weariness,
+      he had fallen on the mossy bank, and lay in a deep, soft slumber. Lifting
+      him gently, the strong troopers crossed their hands beneath, and bore him
+      along between them. For an instant he looked up; but seeing me at his
+      side, he merely pressed my hand, and closed his eyes again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ma foi!</i>&rdquo; said one of the dragoons, in a low voice, &ldquo;I should not
+      be surprised if this were the Père Arsène, who served with the army in
+      Italy. We used to call him 'old Scapulaire'. He was the only priest I ever
+      saw in the van of a brigade. You knew him too, Auguste.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, that I did,&rdquo; replied the other soldier. &ldquo;I saw him at Elkankah,
+      where one of ours was unhorsed by a Mameluke, spring forward, and seizing
+      a pistol at the holster, shoot the Turk through the head, and then kneel
+      down beside the dying man he was with before, and go on with his prayers.
+      <i>Ventrebleu!</i> that's what I call discipline.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where was that, Comrade?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At Elkankah.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At Quoreyn, rather, my friend, two leagues to the southward,&rdquo; whispered a
+      low voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Tonnerre de ciel!</i>&rdquo; cried the two soldiers in a breath, &ldquo;it is
+      himself;&rdquo; for the words were spoken by the priest, who was no other than
+      the Père Arsène they spoke of.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The effort of speech and memory was, however, a mere passing one; for to
+      all their questions he was now deaf, and lay apparently unconscious
+      between them. On me, therefore, they turned their inquiries, but with
+      little more of success; and thus we descended the mountain, eager to reach
+      some place of succor for the good father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we approached the village, I was soon made aware of the objects of the
+      party who occupied it. The little street was crowded with cattle,
+      bullocks, and sheep, fast wedged up amid huge wagons of forage and carts
+      of corn; mounted dragoons urging on the jaded animals, regardless of the
+      angry menaces or the impatient appeals incessantly making by the
+      peasantry, who in great numbers had followed their stock from their farms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0016" id="linkimage-0016">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page221.jpg" alt="Browneforagingparty221 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      The soldiers, who were detachments of different corps, were also
+      quarrelling among themselves for their share of the spoil; and these
+      altercations, in which more than once I saw a sabre flash, added to the
+      discord. It was, indeed, a scene of tumult and confusion almost
+      inconceivable. Here were a party of cuirassiers, carbine in hand,
+      protecting a drove of sheep; around which the country people were
+      standing, seemingly irresolute whether they should essay an attack,&mdash;a
+      movement often prompted by the other soldiers, who hoped in the <i>mêlée</i>
+      to seize a part of the prey. Many of the oxen were bestrode by hussars or
+      lancers, whose gay trappings formed a strange contrast with the beasts
+      they rode on; while more than one stately horseman held a sheep before him
+      on the saddle, for whose protection a cocked pistol seemed no ineffectual
+      guarantee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The task of penetrating this dense and turbulent mob seemed to me almost
+      impossible, and I expressed my fears to the soldiers. But they replied
+      that there were too many <i>braves</i> of Egypt there not to remember the
+      Père Arsène; saying which, one of the soldiers, whispering a word to his
+      companion, laid the priest gently upon the ground, and then mounting
+      rapidly on a forage-cart, he shouted, in a voice heard above the din,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Comrades of the Fourth, we have found an old companion; the Père
+      Scapulaire is here. Place for the good father! place there!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A hundred loud <i>vivas</i> welcomed this announcement; for the name was
+      well known to many who never had seen the priest, and cheer after cheer
+      for the <i>bon père</i> now rang through this motley assemblage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To the wild confusion of a moment before the regularity of discipline at
+      once succeeded, and a lane was quickly formed for the soldiers to advance
+      with the priest between them, each horseman saluting as he passed as if to
+      his general on parade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To the Trauben,&mdash;the Trauben!&rdquo; cried several voices, as we went
+      along; and this I learned was the little inn of the village, where the
+      non-commissioned officers in charge of the several parties were seated in
+      council to arrange the subdivision of the booty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Had not a feeling stronger than mere personal consideration occupied me, I
+      would have now left the good priest among his old comrades, with whom he
+      was certain to meet kindness and protection. But I could not so readily
+      part with one whom, even in the few hours of our intercourse, I had
+      learned to like; and therefore, enduring as well as I was able the rugged
+      insubordination of a soldiery free from the restraint of discipline, I
+      followed on, and soon found myself at the door of the Trauben.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A dismounted dragoon, with drawn sword, guarded the entrance, around which
+      a group of angry peasants were gathered, loudly protesting against the
+      robbery of their flocks and farmyards. It was with great difficulty I
+      could persuade the sentry to suffer me to enter; and when I at last
+      succeeded, I found none willing to pay any attention to my request
+      regarding a billet for the priest, for unhappily his name and character
+      were unknown to those to whom I addressed myself. In this dilemma I was
+      deliberating what step to take, when one of the soldiers, who with such
+      zealous devotion had never left us, came up to say that his corporal had
+      just given up his own quarters for the good father's use; and this,
+      happily, was a small summer-house in the garden at the back of the inn.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He cannot come with us himself,&rdquo; said the soldier, &ldquo;for he is engaged
+      with the forage rations, but I have got his leave to take the quarters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A small wicket beside the inn led us into a large, wildly-grown orchard,
+      through which a broad path led to the summer-house in question; at least
+      such we guessed to be the little building from whose windows there gleamed
+      the bright glare of a cheerful fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The door lay open into a little hall, from which two doors led into
+      different chambers. Over one of these was marked in chalk
+      &ldquo;quartier-général,&rdquo; in imitation of the title assigned to a general's
+      quarters, and this the soldiers pronounced must belong to the corporal. I
+      opened it accordingly and entered. The room was small and neatly
+      furnished, and with the blazing wood upon the hearth, looked most
+      comfortable and inviting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, we are all right here; I know his helmet,&mdash;this is it,&rdquo; said
+      the dragoon. &ldquo;So here we must leave you. You'll tell the good father it
+      was two troopers of the Fourth who carried him hither, won't ye? Ay, and
+      say Auguste Prévôt was one of them; he 'll know the name,&mdash;he nursed
+      me in a fever I had in Italy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish he were able to give me his blessing again,&rdquo; said the other; &ldquo;I
+      had it before that affair at Brescia, and there were four of my comrades
+      killed about me, and never a shot touched me. But good-night, Comrade;
+      goodnight.&rdquo; And so saying, having left the father at his length upon a
+      couch, they made their military salute and departed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A rude-looking flagon of beer which stood on the table was the only thing
+      I could discover in the chamber, save a canvas bag of tobacco and some
+      pipes. I filled a goblet with the liquor and placed it to the priest's
+      lips. He swallowed a little of it, and then opening his eyes, slowly
+      looked around him, while he murmured to my question a faint sound of
+      &ldquo;Better,&mdash;much better.&rdquo; I knew enough of such matters to be aware
+      that perfect rest and repose were the greatest aids to his recovery; and
+      so, replenishing the fire, I threw myself down on the large dragoon cloak
+      which lay on the floor, and prepared to pass my night where I was.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The long-drawn breathings of the sleeping man, the perfect quiet and
+      stillness of all around,&mdash;for though not far distant from the
+      village, the thick wood of trees intercepted every sound from that
+      quarter,&mdash;and my fatigue combined, soon brought on drowsiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I struggled, so long as I was able, against the tendency; but a humming
+      sound filled my ears, the objects grew fainter before my vision, and I
+      sank into that half-dreamy state when consciousness remains, but clouded
+      and indistinct in all its perceptions. Twice the door was opened and some
+      persons entered; but though they spoke loudly, I heard not their words,
+      nor could I recognize their appearance. To this succeeded a deep, sound
+      sleep, the recompense of great fatigue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The falling of a piece of firewood on the hearth awoke me. I opened my
+      eyes and looked about. The room had no other light than from the embers of
+      the wood fire and the piece of blazing pine which had just fallen; but
+      even by that uncertain glare I could see enough to amaze and confuse me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the couch where I had left the priest sleeping, the old man was now
+      seated, his head uncovered, and a scarf of light blue silk across his
+      shoulders and falling to his feet. Before him, and kneeling, was a figure,
+      of which for some minutes I in vain endeavored to ascertain the traits;
+      for while in the military air of the dress there was something to mark the
+      soldier, a waving mass of hair loosely falling on the back bespoke another
+      sex. While I yet doubted, the flickering flame burst forth and showed me
+      the small and beautiful shaped foot which from beneath a loose trouser
+      peeped forth, and in the neat boot and tastefully ornamented spur I
+      recognized in an instant it was a vivandière of the army,&mdash;one of
+      those who, amid all the reckless abandon of the life of camps and
+      battlefields, can yet preserve some vestige of coquetry and feminine
+      grace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So strange the sight, so complete the heavy stupor of my faculties, that
+      again and again I doubted whether the whole might not be the creation of a
+      dream; but the well-known tones of the old man's voice soon reassured me,
+      as I heard him say,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it too, my child; I have followed too long the fortunes of an army
+      not to feel and to sorrow for these things. But be comforted.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A passionate burst of tears from her who knelt at his feet interrupted him
+      here; nor did it seem that all he could speak of consolation was able to
+      assuage the deep sorrow of the poor girl, whose trembling frame bespoke
+      her agony.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By degrees, however, she grew calmer. A deep sob or a long-drawn sigh
+      alone would be heard, as the venerable father, with impassioned eloquence,
+      depicted the happiness of those who sought the blessings of religion, and
+      could tear themselves from the world and its ambitions. Warming with his
+      theme, he descanted on the lives of those saints on earth whose every
+      minute was an offering of heavenly love; and contrasted the holy calm of a
+      convent with the wild revelry of the camp, or the more revolting carnage
+      of the battlefield.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak not of these things, Father; your own voice trembles with proud
+      emotion at the mention of glorious war. Tell me, oh! tell me that I may
+      have hope, and yet leave not all that makes life endurable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man spoke again; but his tones were low, and his words seemed a
+      reproof, for she bowed her head between her hands and sobbed heavily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To the long and impassioned appeal of the priest there now succeeded a
+      silence, only broken by the deep-drawn sighs of her who knelt in sadness
+      and penitence before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And his name?&rdquo; said the father; &ldquo;you have not told his name.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A pause followed, in which not even a breathing was heard; then a low,
+      murmuring sound came, and it seemed to meas though I heard my own name
+      uttered. I started at the sound, and with the noise the vivandière sprang
+      to her feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I heard a noise there,&rdquo; said she, resolutely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is my companion of the journey,&rdquo; said the priest. &ldquo;Poor fellow! he is
+      tired and weary; he sleeps soundly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did not know you had a fellow-traveller, Father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; we met in the Creutz Mountains, and since that» have wended our way
+      together. A soldier&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A soldier! Is he wounded, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my child; he is leaving the army.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Leaving the army, and not wounded! He is old and disabled, perhaps.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Neither; he is both young and vigorous.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shame on him, then, that he turn his back on fame and fortune, and leave
+      the path that brave men tread! He never was a soldier! No, Father; he in
+      whose heart the noble passion once has lived can never forget it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hush, child, hush!&rdquo; said the priest, motioning with his hand to her to be
+      silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me look on him!&rdquo; said the vivandière, as she stooped down and took
+      from the hearth a piece of lighted wood; &ldquo;let me see this man, and learn
+      the features of one who can be so craven of spirit, so poor of heart, as
+      to fly the field, while thousands are flocking towards it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Burning with shame and indignation, I arose, just as she approached me.
+      The pine-branch threw its red gleam over her bright uniform, and then upon
+      her face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette! Minette!&rdquo; I exclaimed. But with a wild shriek she let fall the
+      burning wood, and fell senseless to the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was some time before, with all our care, she recovered consciousness;
+      and even then, in her wild, excited glance, one might read the struggles
+      of her mind to credit what had occurred. A few broken, unconnected phrases
+      would escape her at intervals; and she seemed laboring to regain the lost
+      clew to her recollections, when again she turned her eyes towards me. At
+      the same instant, the trumpet sounded without for the <i>réveil</i>, and
+      was answered by many a call from other parties around. With a steadfast
+      gaze of wonderment she fixed her look on me; and twice passed her hands
+      across her eyes, as though she doubted the evidence of her senses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0017" id="linkimage-0017">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/346.jpg" alt="346 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette, hear me! let me speak but one word.&rdquo; &ldquo;There it is again,&rdquo; cried
+      she, as the blast rang out a second time, and the clatter of horsemen
+      resounded from the street. &ldquo;Adieu, sir; our roads lie not together.
+      Father, your blessing; if your good counsel this night has not made its
+      way to my heart, the lesson has come elsewhere. Good-by! good-by!&rdquo; She
+      pressed the old man's hand to her lips, and darted from the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Stunned, and like one spell-bound, I could not move for a few seconds; and
+      then, with a wild cry, I bounded after her through the garden. The wicket,
+      however, was fastened on the outside, and it was some time before I could
+      scale the wall and reach the street.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The day was just breaking, but already the village was thronged with
+      soldiers, who were preparing for the march, and arranging their parties to
+      conduct the wagons. Hurrying on through the crowded and confused mass, I
+      looked on every side for the vivandière; but in vain. Groups of different
+      regiments passed and repassed me; but to my questions they returned either
+      a jeering reply, or a mere laugh of derision. &ldquo;But a few days ago,&rdquo;
+       thought I, &ldquo;and these fellows had scarce dared to address me; and now&mdash;&rdquo;
+       Oh, the blighting misery of that thought! I was no longer a soldier; the
+      meanest horseman of his troop was my superior.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I passed through the village, and reached the highroad. Before me was a
+      party of dragoons, escorting a drove of cattle; I hastened after them, but
+      on coming near, discovered they were a light cavalry detachment. Sick at
+      heart, I leaned against a tree at the wayside, when again I heard the
+      tramp of horses approaching. I looked, and saw the tall helmets of the
+      Fourth, who were coming slowly along, conducting some large wagons, drawn
+      by eight or ten horses. In front of the detachment rode a man, whose
+      enormous stature made him at once remarkable, as well as the air of
+      soldierly bearing he displayed. Beside him was Minette; the reins had
+      fallen on her horse's neck, and her face was buried in her hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! if I had thought that priest would have made thee so sad,
+      Mademoiselle, I'd have let him spend his night beneath a wagon rather than
+      in my quarters,&rdquo; said a deep, hollow voice I at once recognized as that of
+      Pioche. &ldquo;But the morning air will revive thee; so let us forward: by
+      threes&mdash;open order&mdash;trot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The word was obeyed; the heavy tramp of the horses, with the dull roll of
+      the wagons, drowned all other sounds The cortège moved on, and I was
+      alone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0018" id="linkimage-0018">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page127.jpg" alt="Brownedeathofminette127 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0028" id="link2HCH0028">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVIII. THE PENSION DE LA RUE MI-CARÊME.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      When I returned to the garden, I found that the Père Arsène was seized by
+      an access of that dreadful malady, whose intervals of comparative release
+      are but periods of dread or despondence. The tertian of Egypt, so fatal
+      among the French troops, now numbered him among its victims, and he looked
+      worn and exhausted, like one after weeks of illness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My first care was to present myself to the official whose business it was
+      to inspect the passports, and by explaining the condition of my poor
+      friend, to entreat permission to delay my journey,&mdash;at least until he
+      should be somewhat recovered. The gruff old sergeant, however,
+      deliberately examined my passport, and as rigidly decided that I could not
+      remain. The words of the minister were clear and definite,&mdash;&ldquo;Day by
+      day, without halt, to the nearest frontier of France,&rdquo; was the direction;
+      and with this I must comply. In vain I assured him that no personal
+      convenience, no wish of my own, urged the request, but the duty of
+      humanity towards a fellow-traveller, and one who had strong claims on
+      every soldier of the Empire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Leave him to me, Monsieur,&rdquo; was the only reply I could obtain; and the
+      utmost favor he would grant was the permission to take leave of my poor
+      friend before I started.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Amid all the sufferings of his malady, I found the good priest dwelling in
+      his mind on the scene with the vivandière,&mdash;which, perhaps, from the
+      impressionable character of a sick man's temperament, had entirely filled
+      his thoughts; and thus he wandered from the subject of his sorrows to
+      hers, with scarcely a transition between them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When I mentioned the necessity of our parting, he seemed to feel it more
+      on my account than his own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wished to have reached Paris with you,&rdquo; he repeated over and over. &ldquo;It
+      was not impossible I could have arranged your return home. But you must go
+      down to Sèvres,&mdash;the priest there, whoever he may be, will know of
+      me; tell him everything without reserve. I am too ill to write, but if I
+      get better soon&mdash;Well, well; that poor girl is an orphan too; and
+      Alphonse was an orphan. With what misery have we struggled in France since
+      this man has ruled our destinies! how have the crimes of a people brought
+      their retribution to every heart and every home!&mdash;none too low, none
+      too humble, to feel them. Leave this land; no blessing can rest upon it
+      now. Poor thing! how worthy of a better lot she is! If this same officer
+      should know,&mdash;it is not impossible. But, why do I say this? No, no;
+      you'll never meet him now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He continued to mutter thus some broken and disjointed sentences,
+      half-aloud, for some minutes, apparently unconscious of my presence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He was in a regiment of the Guard. Alas! she told me which, but I forget
+      it now; but his name, surely I remember his name! Well, well, it is a sad
+      story. Adieu, my dear child! good-by! We have each a weary road before us;
+      but my journey, although the longest, will be soonest accomplished. Do not
+      forget my words to you. Your own country, and your country's cause, above
+      every other; all else is the hireling's part. The sense of duty alone can
+      sustain a man in the trials which fit him for this world, or that better
+      one which is to follow. Adieu!&rdquo; He threw his arm around me as he said
+      this, and leaned exhausted and faint upon my shoulder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The few who journey through life with little sympathy or friendship from
+      their fellow-men, may know how it rent my heart to part with one to whom I
+      clung every hour closer; my throat swelled and throbbed, and I could only
+      articulate a faint good-by as we parted. As the door was closing, I heard
+      his voice again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I have it now; I remember it well,&mdash;'Le Capitaine Burke.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I started in amazement, for during all our intercourse he had never asked
+      nor had I told my name, and I stood unable to speak; when he continued,&mdash;&ldquo;You
+      'll think of the name,&mdash;she said, too, he was on the staff,&mdash;'Burke!'
+      Poor girl!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I did not wait for more, but like one flying from some dreaded enemy I
+      rushed through the garden, and gained the road, my heart torn with many a
+      conflicting thought; the bitterest of all being the memory of Minette, the
+      orphan girl, who alone of all the world cared for me. Oh! if strong,
+      deep-rooted affection, the love of a whole heart, can raise the spirit
+      above the every-day contentions of the world,&mdash;can ennoble thought,
+      refine sentiments, and divest life of all its meaner traits, making a path
+      of flowers among the rocks and briers of our worldly pilgrimage; so does
+      the possession of affection for which we cannot give requital throw a
+      gloom over the soul, for which there is no remedy. Better, a thousand
+      times better, had I borne all the solitary condition of my lot, unrelieved
+      by one token of regard, than think of her who had wrecked her fortunes on
+      my own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With many a sad thought I plodded onward. The miles passed over seemed
+      like the events in some troubled dream; and of my journey I have not a
+      recollection remaining. It was late in the evening when I reached the
+      Barrière de l'Étoile, and entered Paris. The long lines of lamps along the
+      quays, the glittering reflection in the calm river, the subdued but
+      continual hum of a great city, awoke me from my reverie, and I bethought
+      me that my career of life must now begin anew, and all my energies must be
+      called on to fashion out my destiny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the morning after my arrival I presented myself, in compliance with the
+      requisite form, before the minister of police. Little information of mine
+      was necessary to explain the circumstances under which I was placed. He
+      was already thoroughly acquainted with the whole, and seemed in nowise
+      disposed to evince any undue lenity towards one who had voluntarily
+      quitted the service of the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where do you purpose to remain, sir?&rdquo; said the préfet, as he concluded a
+      lengthened and searching scrutiny of my appearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In Paris,&rdquo; I replied, briefly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In Paris, I suppose,&rdquo; said he, with a slight derisive curl of the lip,&mdash;&ldquo;of
+      that I should think there can be little doubt; but I wished to ascertain
+      more accurately your address,&mdash;in what part of the city.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As yet I cannot tell; I am almost a stranger here. A day or two will,
+      however, enable me to choose, and then I shall return here with the
+      intelligence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is sufficient, sir; I shall expect to see you soon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He waved his hand in sign to me to withdraw, and I was but too happy to
+      follow the indication. As I hastened down the stairs, and forced my way
+      through the crowd of persons who awaited an audience with the préfet, I
+      heard a voice close to my ear whisper, &ldquo;A word; one word with you,
+      Monsieur.&rdquo; Conceiving, however, it could not have been intended for me, to
+      whom no face there was familiar, I passed on, and reached the court.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The noise of footsteps rapidly moving on the grave behind me induced me to
+      turn; and I beheld a small, miserably-dressed man, whose spare and wasted
+      form bespoke the sorest trials of poverty, advancing towards me, hat in
+      hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you deign me one word, Monsieur?&rdquo; said he, in a voice whose tone,
+      although that of entreaty, was yet remote from the habitual accent of one
+      asking alms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must mistake me,&rdquo; said I, desirous to pass on; &ldquo;I am unknown to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, sir; but it is as a stranger I take the liberty of addressing you.
+      I heard you say just now that you had not fixed on any place of abode in
+      Paris; now, if I might venture to entreat your preference for this
+      establishment, it would be too much honor for me, its poor master.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here he placed in my hands a small card, inscribed with the words,
+      &ldquo;Pension Bourgeoise, Rue de Mi-Carême, Boulevard Mont Parnasse, No. 46,&rdquo;
+       at top; and beneath was a paragraph, setting forth the economical fact
+      that a man might eat, drink, and sleep for the sum of twelve francs a
+      week, enjoying the delights of &ldquo;agreeable society, pleasant environs, and
+      all the advantages of a country residence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was with difficulty I could avoid a smile at the shivering figure who
+      ventured to present himself as an inducement to try the fare of his house.
+      Whether my eyes did wander from the card to his countenance, or any other
+      gesture of mine betrayed my thoughts, the old man seemed to divine what
+      was passing in my mind, and said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur will not pronounce on the 'pension' from the humble guise of its
+      master. Let him but try it; and I promise that these poor rags, this
+      miserable figure, has no type within the walls.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a tone of deep dejection, mingled with a sense of conscious
+      pride, in which he said these few words, that at once decided me not to
+      grieve him by a refusal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may count on me, then, Monsieur,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;My stay here is so far
+      uncertain, that it depends not altogether on myself; but for the present I
+      am your guest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I took my purse from my pocket as I spoke, knowing the custom in these
+      humbler boarding-houses was to pay in advance; but the old man reddened
+      slightly, and motioned with his hand a refusal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur is a captain in the Guards,&rdquo; said he, proudly; &ldquo;no more is
+      necessary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You mistake, friend, I am no longer so; I have left the army.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Left it, <i>en retraite?</i>&rdquo; said he, inquiringly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not so; left it at my own free will and choice. And now, perhaps, I had
+      better tell you, that as I may not enjoy any considerable share of
+      goodwill from the police authorities here, my presence might be less
+      acceptable to your other guests, or to yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man's eyes sparkled as I spoke, and his lips moved rapidly, as
+      though he were speaking to himself; then, taking my hand, he pressed it to
+      his lips, and said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur could not be more welcome than at present. Shall we expect you
+      to-day at dinner?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be it so. Your hour?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Four o'clock, to the moment. Do not forget the number, 46 Monsieur
+      Rubichon; the house with a large garden in front.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Till then,&rdquo; said I, bowing to my host, whose ceremonious politeness made
+      me feel my own salute an act of rudeness in comparison.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I parted from the old man, I was glad at the relief to my own thoughts
+      which even thus much of speculation afforded, and sauntered on, fancying
+      many a strange conceit about the &ldquo;pension&rdquo; and its inhabitants. At last
+      the hour drew near; and having placed my few effects in a cabriolet, I set
+      out for the distant boulevard of Mont Parnasse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I remarked with pleasure, that as we went along the streets and
+      thoroughfares became gradually less and less crowded; scarcely a carriage
+      of any kind was to be met with. The shops were, for the most part, the
+      quiet, unpretending-looking places one sees in a provincial town; and an
+      air of peacefulness and retirement prevailed, strongly at variance with
+      the clamor and din of the heart of the capital. This was more than ever so
+      as we emerged upon the boulevard itself: on one side of which houses, at
+      long straggling intervals, alone were to be seen; at the other, the
+      country lay open to the view, with its orchards and gardens, for miles
+      away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Saprelotte!</i>&rdquo; said the driver, who, like so many of his calling,
+      was a blunt son of Alsace,&mdash;&ldquo;<i>saprelotte!</i> we have come to the
+      end of the world here. How do you call the strange street you are looking
+      for?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Rue de Mi-Carême.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mi-Carême? I 'd rather you lived there than me; that name does not
+      promise much in regard to good feeding. Can this be it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke he pointed with his whip to a narrow, deserted-looking street,
+      which opened from the boulevard. The houses were old and dilapidated, but
+      stood in small gardens, and seemed like the remains of the villa
+      residences of the Parisians in times long past. A few more modern
+      edifices, flaring with red brick fronts, were here and there scattered
+      amongst them; but for all the decay and dismantlement of the others, they
+      seemed like persons of rank and condition in the company of their
+      inferiors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Few of the larger houses were inhabited. Large placards, &ldquo;à louer,&rdquo; on the
+      gateways or the broken railings of the garden, set forth the advantages of
+      a handsome residence, situated between court and garden; but the falling
+      roofs and broken windows were in sad discordance with the eulogy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The unaccustomed noise of wheels, as we went along, drew many to the doors
+      to stare at us, and in the gathering groups I could mark the astonishment
+      so rare a spectacle as a cabriolet afforded in these secluded parts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is this the Rue Mi-Carême?&rdquo; said the driver to a boy, who stood gazing in
+      perfect wonderment at our equipage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; muttered the child,&mdash;&ldquo;yes. Who are you come for now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come for, my little man? Not for any one. What do you mean by that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought it was the commissary,&rdquo; said the boy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>sapperment!</i> I knew we were in a droll neighborhood,&rdquo; murmured
+      the driver. &ldquo;It would seem they never see a cabriolet here except when it
+      brings the <i>commissaire de police</i> to look after some one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      If this reflection did not tend to allay my previous doubts upon the
+      nature of the locality, it certainly aided to excite my curiosity, and I
+      was determined to persist in my resolution of at least seeing the interior
+      of the &ldquo;pension.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here we are at last,&rdquo; cried the driver, throwing down his whip on the
+      horse's back, as he sprang to the ground, and read aloud from a board
+      fastened to a tree, &ldquo;'Pension Bourgeoise. M. Rubichon, propriétaire.'
+      Shall I wait for monsieur?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No. Take out that portmanteau and cloak; I'm not going back now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A stare of most undisguised astonishment was the only reply he made, as he
+      took forth my baggage, and placed it at the little gate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You 'll be coming home at night,&rdquo; said he, at length; &ldquo;shall I come to
+      fetch you? Not to-night,&rdquo; repeated he, in amazement. &ldquo;Well, adieu,
+      Monsieur,&mdash;you know best; but I 'd not come a-pleasuring up here, if
+      I was a young fellow like you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he drove away, I turned to look at the building before me, which up to
+      this time I had not sufficiently noted. It was a long, two-storied house,
+      which evidently at an early period had been a mansion of no mean
+      pretension. The pilasters which ornamented the windows, the balustrades of
+      the parapet, and the pediment above the entrance, were still remaining,
+      though in a dilapidated condition. The garden in front showed also some
+      signs of that quaint taste originally borrowed from the Dutch, and the
+      yew-trees still preserved some faint resemblance to the beasts and animals
+      after which they had once been fashioned, though time and growth had
+      altered the outlines, and given to many a goodly lion or stag the bristly
+      coat of a porcupine. A little fountain, which spouted from a sea-monster's
+      nostrils, was grass-grown and choked with weeds. Everything betokened
+      neglect and ruin; even the sundial had fallen across the walk, and lay
+      moss-grown and forgotten; as though to say that Time had no need of a
+      record there. The <i>jalousies</i>, which were closed in every window,
+      permitted no view of the interior; nor did anything, save a faint curl of
+      light blue smoke from one chimney, give token of habitation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I could not help smiling to myself at the absurd fancy which had suffered
+      me to feel that this deserted quarter, this lonesome dwelling, contained
+      anything either adventurous or strange about it, or that I should find
+      either in the &ldquo;pension&rdquo; or its guests wherewithal to interest or amuse me.
+      With this thought I opened the wicket, and, crossing the garden, pulled
+      the bell-rope that hung beside the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The deep clanging echoed again and again to my summons, and ere it ceased
+      the door was opened, and M. Rubichon himself stood before me: no longer,
+      however, the M. Rubichon of the morning, in garments of worn and tattered
+      poverty, but attired in a suit which, if threadbare, was at least clean
+      and respectable-looking,&mdash;a white vest, and ruffles also, added to
+      the air of neatness of his costume; and whether from his own deserts, or
+      my surprise at the transformation, he seemed to me to possess the look and
+      bearing of a true gentleman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having welcomed me with the well-bred and easy politeness of one who knew
+      the habits of society, he gave orders to a servant girl to conduct me to a
+      room, adding, &ldquo;May I beg of monsieur to make a rapid toilet, for the
+      dinner will be served in less than ten minutes?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The M. Rubichon of the morning no more prepared me for that gentleman at
+      evening than did the ruinous exterior of the dwelling for the neat and
+      comely chamber into which I was now installed. The articles of furniture
+      were few, but scrupulously clean; and the white curtains of the little
+      bed, the cherry-wood chairs, the table, with its gray marble top,&mdash;all
+      were the perfection of that propriety which gives even to humble things a
+      look of elegance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I had but time to make a slight change in my dress when the bell sounded
+      for dinner, and at the same instant a gentle knock came to my door. It was
+      M. Rubichon, come to conduct me to the <i>salle</i>, and anxious to know
+      if I were satisfied with my chamber.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In summer, Monsieur, if we shall have the happiness of possessing you
+      here at that season, the view of the garden is delightful from this
+      window; and,&mdash;you have not noticed it, of course, but there is a
+      little stair, which descends from the window into the garden, which you
+      will find a great convenience when you wish to walk. This way, now. We are
+      a small party to-day, and indeed shall be for a few weeks. What name shall
+      I have the honor to announce?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! an Irish name,&rdquo; said he, smiling, as he threw open the door of a
+      spacious but simply furnished apartment, in which about a dozen persons
+      were standing or sitting around the stove.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I could not help remarking, that as Monsieur Rubichon presented me to his
+      other guests, my name seemed to meet a kind of recognition from each in
+      turn. My host perceived this, and explained it at once by saying,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We have a namesake of yours amongst us; not exactly at this moment, for
+      he is in Normandy, but he will be back in a week or so. Madame de Langeac,
+      let me present Mr. Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Monsieur Rubichon's guests were all persons somewhat advanced in life; and
+      though in their dress evincing a most unvarying simplicity and economy,
+      had yet a look of habitual good tone and breeding which could not be
+      mistaken. Among these, the lady to whom I was now introduced was
+      conspicuous, and in her easy and graceful reception of me, showed the
+      polished manners of one accustomed to the best society.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After some half-jesting observations, expressive of surprise that a young
+      man&mdash;and consequently, as she deemed, a gay one&mdash;should have
+      selected as his residence an unvisited quarter and a very retired house,
+      she took my arm, and proceeded to the dinner-room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dinner itself, and the table equipage, were in keeping with the
+      simplicity of the whole establishment; but if the fare was humble and the
+      wine of the very cheapest, all the habitudes of the very highest society
+      presided at the meal, and the polished ease and elegance, so eminently the
+      gift of ancient French manners, were conspicuous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There prevailed among the guests all the intimacy of a large family; at
+      the same time a most courteous deference was remarkable, which never
+      approached familiarity. And thus they talked lightly and pleasantly
+      together of mutual friends and places they had visited; no allusion ever
+      being made to the popular topics of the day,&mdash;to me a most
+      inexplicable circumstance, and one which I could not avoid slightly
+      expressing my astonishment at to the lady beside me. She smiled
+      significantly at my remark, and merely said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is so agreeable to discuss matters where there can be no great
+      difference of opinion,&mdash;at least, no more than sharpens the wit of
+      the speakers,&mdash;that you will rarely hear other subjects talked of
+      here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But have the great events which are yet passing no interest?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps they interest too deeply to admit of much discussion,&rdquo; said she,
+      with some earnestness of manner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I am myself transgressing; and, what is still worse, losing you the
+      observations of Monsieur de Saint George on Madame de Sévigné.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The remark was evidently made to change the current of our conversation;
+      and so I accepted it,&mdash;listening to the chit-chat around me, which,
+      from its novelty alone, possessed a most uncommon charm to my ears. It was
+      so strange to hear the allusions to the courtiers and the beauties of
+      bygone days made with all the freshness of yesterday acquaintance; and the
+      stores of anecdotes about the court of Louis the Fifteenth and the Regency
+      told with a piquancy that made the event seem like an occurrence of the
+      morning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before we retired to the drawing-room for coffee, I saw that the &ldquo;pension&rdquo;
+       was a Royalist establishment, and wondered how it happened that I should
+      have been selected by the host to make one of his guests. Yet
+      unquestionably there seemed no reserve towards me; on the contrary, each
+      evinced a tone of frankness and cordiality which made me perfectly at
+      ease, and well satisfied at the fortune which led me to the Rue Mi-Carême.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The little parties of dominoes and piquet scattered through the <i>salon</i>;
+      some formed groups to converse; the ladies resumed their embroidery; and
+      all the occupations of indoor life were assumed with a readiness that
+      betokened habit, and gave to the &ldquo;pension&rdquo; the comfortable air of a home.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus passed the first evening. The next morning the party assembled at an
+      early hour to breakfast; after which the gentlemen went out, and did not
+      appear until dinnertime,&mdash;day succeeding day in unvarying but to me
+      not unpleasing monotony. I rarely wandered from the large wilderness of a
+      garden near the house, and saw weeks pass over without a thought ever
+      occurring to me that life must not thus be suffered to ebb.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0029" id="link2HCH0029">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIX. MY NAMESAKE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      About a month after I came to live in the &ldquo;pension,&rdquo; I was sitting one
+      evening at the window, watching, with the interest an idle man will ever
+      attach to slight things,&mdash;the budding leaves of an early spring,&mdash;when
+      I heard a step approach my chair, and on turning my head perceived Madame
+      de Langeac. She carried her taboret in her hand, and came slowly towards
+      me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am come to steal some of your sunshine, Monsieur Burke,&rdquo; said the old
+      lady, smiling good-naturedly, as I rose to present a chair, &ldquo;but not to
+      drive you away, if you will be generous enough to keep me company.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I stammered out some commonplace civility in reply, and was silent, for my
+      thoughts were bent upon my future, and I was ill disposed to interruption.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are fond of flowers, I have remarked,&rdquo; continued she, as if
+      perceiving my preoccupation, and willing to relieve it by taking the
+      burden of the conversation. &ldquo;And it is a taste I love to witness; it seems
+      to me like the evidence of a homely habit. It is only in childhood we
+      learn this love; we may cultivate it in after life as we will.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My mother was passionately fond of them,&rdquo; said I, calling up a
+      long-buried memory of home and kindred.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought so. These simple tastes are the inheritance a mother gives her
+      child; and happily they survive every change of fortune.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I sighed heavily as she spoke, for thus accidentally was touched the
+      weakest chord of my heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, better still,&rdquo; resumed she, &ldquo;they are the links that unite us to the
+      past, that bind the heart of manhood to infancy, that can bring down pride
+      and haughtiness, and call forth guileless affection and childlike faith.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are happy,&rdquo;' said I, musing, &ldquo;who can mingle such early memories
+      with the present.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who cannot?&rdquo; interrupted she, rapidly. &ldquo;Who has not felt the love of
+      parents,&mdash;the halo of a home? Old as I am, even I can recall the
+      little walks I trod in infancy, and the hand that used to guide me. I can
+      bring up the very tones of that voice which vibrated on my heart as they
+      spoke my name. But how much happier they to whom these memories are linked
+      with tokens of present affection, and who, in their manhood's joys, can
+      feel a father's or a mother's love!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was left an orphan when a mere child,&rdquo; said I, as though the
+      observation had been specially addressed to me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you have brothers,&mdash;sisters, perhaps.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I shook my head. &ldquo;A brother, indeed; but we have never met since we were
+      children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet your country has not suffered the dreadful convulsion of ours; no
+      social wreck has scattered those who once lived in close affection
+      together. It is sad when such ties are broken. You came early to France, I
+      think you told me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Madame. When a mere child my heart conceived a kind of devotion to
+      the Emperor: his fame, his great exploits, seemed something more than
+      human,&mdash;filled every thought of my brain; and to be a soldier,<i>his</i>
+      soldier, was the limit of my ambition. I fancied, too, that the cause he
+      asserted was that of freedom; that liberty, universal liberty, was the
+      watchword that led to victory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you have discovered your error,&rdquo; interrupted she. &ldquo;Alas! it were
+      better to have followed the illusion. A faith once shaken leaves an
+      unsettled spirit, and with such there is little energy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And less of hope,&rdquo; said I, despondingly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not so, if there be youth. Come, you must tell me your story. It is from
+      no mere curiosity I ask you; but that I have seen much of the world, and
+      am better able than you to offer counsel and advice. I have remarked, for
+      some time past, that you appear to have no acquaintance in Paris,&mdash;no
+      friend. Let me be such. If the confidence have no other result, it will
+      relieve your heart of some portion of its burden; besides, the others here
+      will learn to regard you with less distrust.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And is such their feeling towards me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive me; I did not exactly use the word I sought for. But now that I
+      have ventured so far, I may as well confess that you are an object of the
+      greatest interest in their eyes; nor can they divest themselves of the
+      impression that some deep-laid plot had led you hither.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Had I known this before&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You had left us. I guessed as much: I have remarked it in your character
+      already, that a morbid dread of being suspected is ever uppermost in your
+      thoughts; and accounted for it by supposing that you might have been
+      thrown at too early an age into life. But you must not feel angry with us
+      here. As for me, I have no merit in my right appreciation of you: Monsieur
+      Rubichon told me how you met,&mdash;a mere accident, at the bureau of the
+      préfet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was so; nor have I been able to divine why he addressed himself to me,
+      nor what circumstance could have led him to believe my sentiments in
+      accordance with those of his guests.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Simple enough the reason. He heard from your own lips you were a
+      stranger, without any acquaintance in Paris. The police for a time have
+      been somewhat frequent in their visits here, when the exclusively Royalist
+      feature of the 'pension' excited some dissatisfaction. To overcome the
+      impression, M. Rubichon determined to wait each day at the bureau of the
+      préfet, and solicit at hazard among the persons there to patronize his
+      house. We all here consented to the plan, feeling its necessity. Our good
+      fortune sent us you. Still, you must not be surprised if long sorrows and
+      much suffering have engendered suspicion, nor that the old followers of a
+      king look distrustfully on the soldier of&rdquo;&mdash;she hesitated and blushed
+      slightly, then added, in a low voice&mdash;&ldquo;of the Emperor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The word seemed to have cost a pang in its utterance; for she did not
+      speak for several minutes after.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And these gentlemen,&mdash;am I to conclude that they cherish
+      disaffection to the present Government, or harbor a hope of its downfall?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whether some accidental expression of disdain escaped me as I said this, I
+      cannot say; but Madame de Langeao quickly replied,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are good Frenchmen, sir, and loyal gentlemen; what they <i>hope</i>
+      must be a matter for their own hearts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I entreat your pardon, Madame, if I have said one syllable which could
+      reflect upon their motives.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I forgive you readily,&rdquo; said she, smiling courteously; &ldquo;he who has worn a
+      sabre so long, may well deem its influence all-powerful. But believe me,
+      young man, there is that within the heart of a nation against which mere
+      force is nothing; opposed to it, armed squadrons and dense ranks are
+      powerless. Devotion to a sovereign, whose claim comes hallowed by a long
+      line of kings, is a faith to which religion lends its sanction and
+      tradition its hope. Look on these very persons here; see, has adversity
+      chilled their affection, or poverty damped their ardor? You know them not;
+      but I will tell you who they are.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There, at the fire, that venerable old man with the high, bold forehead,
+      he is Monsieur de Plessis (Comte Plessis de Riancourt). His grandfather
+      entertained Louis the Fourteenth and his suite within his château; he
+      himself was grand falconer to the king. And what is he now? I shame to
+      speak it,&mdash;a fencing-master at an humble school of the Faubourg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the other opposite to him (he is stooping to pick something from the
+      floor), I myself saw him kneel at the levée of his Majesty, and beheld the
+      king assist him to rise, as he said, 'Monsieur de Maurepas, I would make
+      you a duke, but that no title could be so dear to a Maurepas as that his
+      ancestors have borne for six hundred years.' And he, whose signature was
+      but inferior to the royal command, copies pleadings of a lawyer to earn
+      his support.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that tall man yonder, who has just risen from the table,&mdash;neither
+      years nor poverty have erased the stamp of nobility from his graceful
+      figure,&mdash;Comte Felix d'Ancelot, captain of the Gardes du Corps; the
+      same who was left for dead on the stairs at Versailles pierced by eleven
+      wounds. He gives lessons in drawing! two leagues from this, at the other
+      extremity of Paris.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You ask me if they hope; what else than hope, what other comforter, could
+      make such men as these live on in want and indigence, declining every
+      proffer of advancement, refusing every temptation that should warp their
+      allegiance? I have read of great deeds of your Emperor,&mdash;I have heard
+      traits of heroism of his generals, compared to which the famed actions of
+      the Crusaders paled away; but tell me if you think that all the glory ever
+      won by gallant soldier, tried the courage or tested the stout heart like
+      the long struggle of such men as these? And here, if I mistake not, comes
+      another, not inferior to any.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As she spoke, the steps of a <i>calèche</i> at the door were suddenly
+      lowered, and a tall and powerfully built man stepped lightly out. In an
+      instant we heard his footstep in the hall, and in another moment the door
+      of the <i>salon</i> opened, and M. Rubichon announced &ldquo;Le Général Count
+      Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The general had just time to divest himself of his travelling pelisse as
+      he entered, and was immediately surrounded by the others, who welcomed him
+      with the greatest enthusiasm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame la Marquise de Langeac,&rdquo; said he, approaching the old lady, as she
+      sat in the recess of the window, and lifted her hand to his lips, &ldquo;I am
+      overjoyed to see you in such health. I passed three days with your amiable
+      cousin, Arnold de Rambuteau; who, like yourself, enjoys the happiest
+      temperament and the most gifted mind.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you flatter thus, General,&rdquo; said Madame de Langeac, &ldquo;my young friend
+      here will scarcely recognize in you a countryman,&mdash;a kinsman,
+      perhaps. Let me present Mr. Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The general's face flushed, and his eyes sparkled, as taking my hand in
+      both of his own, he said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you indeed from Ireland? Is your name Burke? Alas! that I cannot
+      speak one word of English to you. I left my country thirty-eight years
+      since, and have never revisited it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The general overwhelmed me with questions: first about my family, of which
+      I could tell him little; and then of my own adventures, at which, to my
+      astonishment, he never evinced those symptoms of displeasure I so
+      confidently expected from an old follower of the Bourbons. This he
+      continued to do, as he ate a hurried meal which was laid out for him in
+      the <i>salon</i>; all the rest standing in a circle around, and pressing
+      him with questions for this friend or that at every pause he made.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, gentlemen,&rdquo; cried he, as I replied to some inquiry about my
+      campaign, &ldquo;this is an instance of what I have so often spoken to you. Here
+      is a youth who leaves his country solely for fighting sake; he does not
+      care much for the epaulette, he cares less for the cause. Come, come,
+      don't interrupt me; I know you better than you know yourself. You longed
+      for the conflict and the struggle and the victory; and, <i>parbleu!</i> we
+      may say as we will, but you could have scarcely made a better selection
+      than with his Majesty, Emperor and King, as they style him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This speech met with a sorry reception from the bystanders, and in the
+      dissatisfied expression of their faces, a less confident speaker might
+      have read his condemnation; but the general felt not this, or, if he did,
+      he effectually concealed it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have not inquired for Gustave de Me is in,&rdquo; said he, looking round at
+      the circle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have not seen him, surely?&rdquo; cried several together; &ldquo;we heard he was
+      at Vienna.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, <i>parbleu!</i> he lives about a league from his old home,&mdash;the
+      very house we spent our Christmas at eighteen years ago. They have made a
+      barrack of his château, and thrown his park into a royal <i>chasse</i>;
+      but he has built a hut on the river-side, and walks every day through his
+      own ground, which he says he never saw so well stocked for many a year. He
+      is as happy as ever, and loves to look out on the Seine before his door
+      when the bright stream is rippling through many a broad leaf; ay,
+      Messieurs, of good augury, too,&mdash;the lilies of France.&rdquo; He lifted a
+      bumper to his lips as he spoke, and drank the toast with enthusiasm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This sudden return to loyalty, so boldly announced, served to reinstate
+      him in their estimation; and once again all their former pleasure at his
+      appearance came back, and again the questions poured in from every
+      quarter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the abbé,&rdquo; said one; &ldquo;what of him? Has he made up his mind yet?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure he has, and changed it too, at least twice every twenty-four
+      hours. He is ever full of confidence and brimming with hope when the wind
+      is from the eastward; but let it only come a point west, his spirits fall
+      at once, and he dreams of frigates and gunboats, and the hulks in the
+      Thames; and though they offered him a cardinal's hat, he 'd not venture
+      out to sea.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The warning looks of the bystanders, and even some signals to be cautious,
+      here interrupted the speaker, who paused for a few seconds, and then fixed
+      his eyes on me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no fears, gentlemen, on that score. I know my countrymen well,
+      though I have lived little among them. My namesake here may like the
+      service of the Emperor better than that of a king,&mdash;he may prefer the
+      glitter of the eagle to the war-cry of Saint Louis,&mdash;but he 'll never
+      betray the private conversations nor expose the opinions expressed before
+      him in all the confidence of social intercourse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are speaking, Mr. Burke, of an abbé who is about to visit Ireland, and
+      whose fears of the English cruisers seem little reasonable to some of my
+      friends here, though you can explain, perhaps, that they are not
+      groundless. I forgot,&mdash;you were but a boy when you crossed that sea.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But he will go at last,&rdquo; said Madame de Langeac; &ldquo;I suppose we may rely
+      on that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We hope,&rdquo; said the general, shrugging his shoulders with an air of doubt,
+      &ldquo;because, when we can do nothing else, we can always hope.&rdquo; And so saying
+      he arose from the table, and taking a courteous leave of each person in
+      turn, pleading the fatigue of his journey, he retired for the night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I left the saloon soon after, and went to my room full of all I had heard,
+      and pondering many thoughts about the abbé and his intended voyage. I
+      spent a sleepless night. Thoughts of home, long lost in the excitement of
+      my career, came flocking to my brain, and a desire to revisit my country&mdash;stronger,
+      perhaps, because undefined in its object&mdash;made me restless and
+      feverish. It was with delight I perceived the day dawning, and dressing
+      myself hastily, I descended into the garden. To my surprise, I found
+      General Burke already there. He was sauntering along slowly by himself,
+      and seemed wrapped in meditation. The noise of my approach startled him,
+      and he looked up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! my countryman,&mdash;so early astir?&rdquo; said he, saluting me
+      courteously. &ldquo;Is this a habit of yours?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir; I cannot claim the merit of such wakefulness. But last night I
+      never closed my eyes. A few words you dropped in conversation in the
+      drawing-room kept possession of my heart, and even yet I cannot expel
+      them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I saw it at the time I spoke,&rdquo; replied the general, with a keen, quick
+      glance; &ldquo;you changed color twice as I mentioned the Abbé Gernon. Do you
+      know him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir; it was his intended journey, not himself, for which I felt
+      interested.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You would wish to accompany him, perhaps. Well, the matter is not
+      impossible; but as time presses, and we have little leisure for mysteries,
+      tell me frankly why are you here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In few words, and without a comment on any portion of my conduct, I told
+      him the principal circumstances of my life, down to the decisive moment of
+      my leaving the army.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After that step,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;feeling that no career can open to me here, I
+      wish to regain my own country.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right,&rdquo; said the general, slowly; &ldquo;it is your only course now.
+      The venture is not without risk,&mdash;less from the English cruisers than
+      the French, for the abbé is well known in England, and Ireland too; but
+      his Royalist character would find slight favor with Fouché. You are
+      willing to run the risk, I suppose?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And to travel as the abbe's servant, at least to Falaise? there the
+      disguise will end.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perfectly so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And for this service, are you also ready to render us one in return?&rdquo;
+       said he, peering at me beneath his eyelashes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If it involve the good faith I once swore to preserve towards the Emperor
+      Napoleon, I refuse it at once. On such a condition, I cannot accept your
+      aid.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And does your heart still linger where your pride has been so insulted?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It does, it does; to be his soldier once more, I would submit to
+      everything but dishonor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In that case,&rdquo; said he, smiling good-naturedly, &ldquo;my conscience is a clear
+      one; and I may forward your escape with the satisfying reflection that I
+      have diminished the enemies of his Majesty Louis the Eighteenth by one
+      most inveterate follower of Napoleon. I shall ask no conditions of you.
+      When are you ready?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-day,&mdash;now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me see; to-morrow will be the 8th,&mdash;to-morrow will do. I will
+      write about it at once. Meanwhile, it is as well you should not drop any
+      hint of your intended departure, except to Madame de Langeac, whose
+      secrecy may be relied on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May I ask,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;if you run any risk in thus befriending me? It is an
+      office, believe me, of little promise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;None whatever. Rarely a month passes over without some one or other
+      leaving this for England. The intercourse between Rome and Ireland is
+      uninterrupted, and has been so during the hottest period of the war.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This seems most unaccountable to me; I cannot understand it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is a key to the mystery, however,&rdquo; said he, smiling. &ldquo;The English
+      Government have confidence in the peaceful efforts of the priesthood as
+      regards Ireland, and permit them to hold unlimited intercourse with the
+      Holy See, which fears France and the spirit of her Emperor. The Bourbons
+      look to the Church as the last hope of the Restoration. It is in the
+      Catholic religion of this country, and its traditions, that monarchy has
+      its root. Sap one, and you undermine the other. Legitimacy is a holy
+      relic,&mdash;like any other, the priests are the guardians of it; and as
+      for the present ruler of France, he trusts in the spirit of the Church to
+      increase its converts, and believes that Ireland is ripening to revolt
+      through the agency of the priests. Fouché alone is not deceived. Between
+      him and the Church the war is to the knife; and but for him the high seas
+      would be more open than the road to Strasburg,&mdash;at least, to all with
+      a shaven crown and a silk frock. Here, then, is the simple explanation of
+      what seemed so difficult; and I believe you will find it the true one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But two out of the three parties must be deceived,&rdquo; said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps all three are,&rdquo; replied he, smiling sarcastically. &ldquo;There are
+      some, at least, who deem the return of the rightful sovereign is more to
+      be hoped from the sabre than the crosier, and think that Rome never was
+      true except to Rome. As to your journey, however, its only difficulty or
+      danger is the transit through France; once at the coast, and all is safe.
+      Your passport shall be made out as a retired sous-officier returning to
+      his home. You will take Marboeuf in the route, and I will give you the
+      necessary directions for discovering the abbé.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it not possible,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;that <i>he</i> may feel no inclination to
+      encumber himself with a fellow-traveller, and particularly one a stranger
+      to him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have no fear on that head. Your presence, on the contrary, will give him
+      courage, and we must let him suppose you accompany him at our suggestion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not with any implied knowledge or any connection with your views,
+      however,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;This is well understood between us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perfectly so. And now meet me here this evening, after coffee, and I will
+      give you your final instructions, Adieu, for the present.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He waved his hand and left me. Then, after walking a few paces, turned
+      quickly round, and said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will remember, a blouse and knapsack are indispensable for your
+      equipment. Adieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0030" id="link2HCH0030">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXX. AN OLD SAILOR OF THE EMPIRE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      No circumstance of any interest occurred on my journey to Marboeuf; my
+      passport, made out in my own name as a sous-officier on leave, secured me
+      against any interruption or delay; and on the third evening I reached the
+      little wayside cabaret, about a league beyond the town, where I was
+      informed by the count that the abbé would await me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To my surprise, however, I discovered that the house was occupied by a
+      detachment of the Marines of the Guard, proceeding from Marboeuf to the
+      coast; with these, assuming the &ldquo;camaraderie&rdquo; of the service, I soon made
+      acquaintance, and being possessed of some information about the army, my
+      company was at once coveted by the sailors, who had no opportunity of
+      learning the events of the campaign.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The flurried manner and the over-solicitous desire of the landlord to
+      please, did not escape me; and taking the first opportunity that offered,
+      I followed him into his room, and closed the door behind me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Has <i>he</i> arrived?&rdquo; said I, assuming at once the tone of one with
+      whom there need be no secrecy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! you are the captain, then, and I was right?&rdquo; said he, not replying to
+      my question, but showing that he was aware who I was. But in an instant he
+      resumed, &ldquo;Alas! no, sir; the orders to have quarters ready for ten men
+      reached me yesterday; and though I told his messenger that he might come
+      in safety,&mdash;the marines never noticing any traveller,&mdash;he has
+      evidently been afraid to venture. This is the 10th; on the 12th the vessel
+      is to be off the coast; after that it will be too late.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But he may come yet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The man shook his head and sighed; then muttered half aloud, &ldquo;It was a
+      foolish choice to take a coward for a hazardous enterprise. The Comte de
+      Chambord has been here twice to-day to see him, but in vain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is he, then? at what distance from here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No one knows. It must be some leagues away, however, for his messenger
+      seems tired and weary when he comes, and never returns the same day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it not possible he may have pushed on to the coast, finding this place
+      occupied?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, sir, it is plain you know him not; he has no daring like this, and
+      would never seek a new path if the old were closed against him. But after
+      all, it would be useless here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The letters have not come yet, and without them he could not leave the
+      coast. Meanwhile, be cautious: take care lest your absence should be
+      remarked by the men; return to them now, and if anything occur, I will
+      make a signal for you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The landlord's advice was well timed, for I found that the party were
+      already becoming impatient at my delay, and wondering what had caused it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say, Comrade,&rdquo; said a short-set, dark-featured Breton, whose black
+      beard and mustache left little vestige of a human face visible,&mdash;&ldquo;they
+      say that the cavalry of the Guard give themselves airs with us marines,
+      and that our company is not good enough for them. Is this the case?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the first time I have heard the remark,&rdquo; replied I, &ldquo;and I hope it
+      may be the last; with us of the Eighth I know such a feeling never
+      existed; and yet we thought ourselves not inferior to our neighbors.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then why did you leave us just now?&rdquo; grumbled out two or three in a
+      breath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall know that presently,&rdquo; said I, smiling; at the same time I arose
+      and opened the door. &ldquo;You may bring in the Burgundy now, Master Joseph; we
+      are all ready for it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A hearty cheer welcomed this speech, and many a rude hand was stretched
+      forth to grasp mine; at the same instant the host, accurately divining the
+      necessity of the moment, entered with a basket containing six bottles,
+      whose cobwebbed necks and crusted surface bespoke the choicest bin of his
+      cellar.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Macon!</i> gentlemen,&rdquo; said he, drawing the cork of a flask with all
+      the steadiness of hand of one accustomed to treat Burgundy properly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>parbleu!</i> a generous grape, too,&rdquo; said the short sailor, who
+      spoke first, as he drained his glass and refilled it. &ldquo;<i>Allons</i>,
+      Comrades, 'The Emperor! '&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor!&rdquo; repeated each voice in turn, even to the poor landlord,
+      whose caution was stronger than his loyalty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor, and may Heaven preserve him!&rdquo; said the dark-whiskered
+      fellow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor, and may Heaven forgive him!&rdquo; said the host, who this time
+      uttered the true sentiments of his heart, without knowing it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive him!&rdquo; roared three or four together,&mdash;&ldquo;forgive him what?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For not making thee an admiral of the fleet,&rdquo; said the landlord, slapping
+      the stout sailor familiarly on the shoulder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A burst of rude laughter acknowledged the success of this speech, and by
+      common consent the host was elected One of the company. As the wine began
+      to work upon the party, the dark fellow, whose grade of sergeant was
+      merely marked by a gold cord on his cuff, and which had hitherto escaped
+      my notice, assumed the leadership, and recounted some stories of his life;
+      which, treating of a service so novel to me in all its details, were
+      sufficiently interesting, though the materials themselves were slight and
+      unimportant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One feature struck me in particular through all he said, and gave a
+      character most distinctive to the service he belonged to, and totally
+      unlike what I had observed among the soldiers of the army. With <i>them</i>
+      the armies of all Europe were accounted the enemy,&mdash;the Austrian, the
+      Russian, the Italian, and the Prussian were the foes he had met and
+      conquered in so many fields of glory. The pride he felt in his triumphs
+      was a great but natural sentiment; involving, however, no hatred of his
+      enemy, nor any desire to disparage his courage or his skill. With the
+      sailor of the Empire, however, there was but one antagonist, and that one
+      he detested with his whole heart: England was a word which stirred his
+      passion from its very inmost recesses, and made his blood boil with
+      intense excitement. The gay insolence of the soldier, treating his
+      conquest as a thing of ease and certainty, had no resemblance to the
+      collected and impassioned hate of the sailor, who felt that <i>his</i>
+      victories were not such as proclaimed his superiority by evidence
+      incontestable. The victories on land contrasted, too, so strongly with
+      even what were claimed as such at sea, that the sailors could not control
+      their detestation of those who had robbed them of a share of their
+      country's praise, and made the hazardous career they followed one of mere
+      secondary interest in the eyes of France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A more perfect representative of this mingled jealousy and hate could not
+      be found than Paul Dupont, the sous-officier in command of this little
+      party. He was a Breton, and carried the ruling trait of his province into
+      the most minute feature of his conduct. Bold, blunt, courageous,
+      open-hearted, and fearless, but passionate to the verge of madness when
+      thwarted, and unforgiving in his vengeance when insulted, he only believed
+      in Brittany, and for the rest of France he cared as little as for
+      Switzerland. His whole life had been spent at sea, until about two years
+      previous, when from boatswain he was promoted to be a sergeant of the
+      Marines of the Guard,&mdash;a step he regretted every day, and was now
+      actually petitioning to be restored to his old grade, even at the
+      sacrifice of pay and rank; such was the impression a short life ashore had
+      made on him, and so complete his contempt for any service save that in
+      blue water.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, old 'sea-wolf,'&rdquo;&mdash;such was the sobriquet Paul went by among
+      his comrades,&mdash;&ldquo;thou art dull to-night,&rdquo; said an old sailor with a
+      head as white as snow. &ldquo;I haven't seen thee so low of heart this many a
+      day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What wonder, Comrade, if I am so?&rdquo; retorted Paul, gruffly. &ldquo;This shore
+      service is bad enough, not to make it worse by listening to such yarns as
+      these we have been hearing, about platoons and squadrons; of charges here
+      and counter-marches there. <i>Ventre d'enfer!</i> that may amuse those who
+      never saw a broadside or a boarding; but as for me, look ye, Comrade!&rdquo;&mdash;here
+      he addressed himself to me, laying his great hand upon my shoulder as he
+      spoke,&mdash;&ldquo;until ye can bring your mounted lines to charge up to the
+      mouth of a battery vomiting grape and roundshot, ye must not tell your
+      stories before old sailors, ay, though they be only Marines' of the Guard,
+      some of them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don't be angry with old Paul, Comrade,&rdquo; said the man who spoke before;
+      &ldquo;he does not mean to offend you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who told you that?&rdquo; said Paul, sternly. &ldquo;Why can't you sheer off, and
+      leave me to' lay alongside of my enemy my own way?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must not call me by such a name,&rdquo; said I; &ldquo;we all serve the Emperor,
+      and have no enemies save his. Come, Paul, let us have a cup of wine
+      together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agreed! an ye promise to tell no more tales of dragoons and hussars, and
+      such like cattle, I'll drink with you. Bah! it's not Christianlike to
+      fight a-horse-back,&mdash;it's only fit for Turks and Arabs; but for men
+      that are made to stand fast on their own stout timbers, they have no need
+      of four-footed beasts to carry them against an enemy. Here's my hand,
+      Comrade; is it a bargain?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Willingly,&rdquo; said I, laughing. &ldquo;If you consent, instead, to tell us some
+      of your own adventures, I promise faithfully not to trouble you with one
+      of mine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That's like a man,&rdquo; said Paul, evidently flattered by the successful
+      assertion of his own superiority. &ldquo;And now, if the host will let us have
+      some more wine, I'm ready.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, ay,&rdquo; cried several together; &ldquo;replenish the basket once more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This time, gentlemen, you must permit me to treat you. It is not every
+      day such guests assemble under my poor roof,&rdquo; said the landlord, bowing
+      courteously, &ldquo;nor am I likely soon to pass so pleasant an evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That's as you please it,&rdquo; said Paul, carelessly. &ldquo;If you are too good a
+      fellow to care for money, there's three naps for the poor of the village;
+      mayhap there may be an old sailor amongst them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A murmur of satisfaction at their comrade's conduct ran round the circle,
+      as the host disappeared for the fresh supply of wine. In an instant he was
+      back again, carrying a second basket under his arm, which he placed
+      carefully on the table, saying, &ldquo;Pomard of '87, gentlemen; I wish it were
+      Chambertin for your sakes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Tête bleue!</i>that's what I call wine,&rdquo; said one, smacking his lips,
+      as he tasted the generous liquor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Paul, &ldquo;that's better than drinking the pink water they serve
+      us out on service. <i>Morbleu!</i> how we 'd fight, if they'd tap an aume
+      of that when they beat to quarters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The bottle now passed freely from hand to hand; and Paul, leaning back in
+      his chair, crossed his arms before him, as, with his eyes half closed, he
+      seemed to be occupied in remembering some long passed occurrence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, Comrades,&rdquo; said he, after a long pause, &ldquo;the landlord was not so far
+      out as you may think him. I might have been, if not an admiral of the
+      fleet, at least a captain or a commodore by this time, if I only wished
+      it, but I wouldn't.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You wouldn't, Paul?&rdquo; cried three or four in a breath. &ldquo;How do you mean,
+      you wouldn't? Is it that you didn't like it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That's it: I didn't like it,&rdquo; replied he, glaring around him as he spoke,
+      with a look which had repressed any tendency to mirth, if such an
+      inclination existed in the party. &ldquo;Mayhap there are some here don't
+      believe this,&rdquo; he continued, as if anxious to extort a contradiction from
+      any one bold enough to adventure it; but none seemed disposed to meet his
+      wishes. He resumed. &ldquo;The way of it was this:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We sailed from Brest, seven sail and two frigates, on a cruise, in the
+      Messidor of the year '13, (it was the time of the Republic then), and our
+      orders were to keep together, and afford protection to all vessels of our
+      flag; and wherever an opportunity offered to engage the enemy, to do so,
+      if we had a fair chance of success. There was one heavy sailer of the
+      fleet, the 'Old Torch,' and by good luck I was in her; and so, before we
+      were eight days out, it came on to blow a hurricane from the northeast,
+      with a great sea that threatened to poop us at every stroke. How the
+      others weathered it I can't say; we rolled so badly that we carried away
+      our mainmast and half our bulwarks, and when day broke we could see
+      nothing of the rest. We were lying floundering there in the trough of the
+      sea, with nothing left but a storm-jib to keep her head straight, and all
+      hands at the pumps; for in working she had opened her old seams, and
+      leaked like a basket. Well, we cut away the wreck of the mast, and we
+      threw twelve of our guns over,&mdash;short eighteens they were, and all
+      heavy metal,&mdash;and that lightened her a bit, and we began to have
+      hopes of weathering out the gale, when the word was passed of a strange
+      sail to windward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We looked, and there saw a great vessel looming, as large as a
+      three-decker, coming down towards us with close-reefed topsails, but going
+      through the water like a swordfish. At first we hoped it was one of our
+      own; but that hope did not last long, for as she neared us we saw floating
+      from the peak that confounded flag that never boded us good fortune. She
+      was an English eighty-gun ship; the 'Blanche' they called her. <i>Ventrebleu!</i>
+      I didn't know how they ever got so handsome a model; but, I learned after,
+      she was a French ship, and built at Toulon,&mdash;for you see, Comrades,
+      they never had such craft as ours. Well, down they came, as if they were
+      about to come right over us, and never once made a signal, nor took any
+      notice of us whatever, till quite close; when a fellow from the poop-deck
+      shouted out in French,&mdash;bad enough it was, too,&mdash;desiring us to
+      keep close till the sea went down a bit, and then to send a boat to them.
+      <i>Sacristi!</i>there was no more about it than that; and they made a
+      prize of us at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But our captain was not one of that mould, and he answered by beating to
+      quarters; and just as the 'Blanche' swept past, up flew our ports, and
+      eight carronades threw in a fire of grape along her deck that made them
+      dance to the music. <i>Diable!</i> the fun was short, though. Round she
+      came in stays like a pinnace, down helm, and passed us again; when, as if
+      her sides slit open, forty guns flashed forth their flame, and sent us a
+      broadside that made the craft tremble again, and left our deck one mass of
+      dead and wounded. There was no help for it now. The clear water came
+      gushing up the hatchways from many a shothole; the craft was settling
+      fast, and so we hauled down the ensign and made the signal of distress.
+      The answer was, 'Keep her afloat if you can.' But, faith, our fellows
+      didn't care much to save a prize for the English, and they would n't lend
+      a hand to the pumps, but crossed their arms and stood still, waiting for
+      her to go down; when what did we see but two boats lowered from the
+      'Blanche' and dropped into the sea, which was then running mountains high.
+      <i>Feu d'enfer!</i> they don't know where there is danger and where not,
+      these English; and that's the reason they seem so brave! For a minute or
+      two we thought they were swamped, for they were hidden entirely; then we
+      saw them on the top of a wave, balancing, as it might be; and again they
+      disappeared, and the huge dark swell seemed to have swallowed them. And so
+      we strained eyes after them, just as if our own danger was not as great as
+      theirs; when suddenly a fearful cry for'ed was heard, and a voice called
+      out. 'She is sinking by the head!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so it was. A crash like falling timber was heard above the storm and
+      the sea, and the 'Torch' rolled heavily from side to side, and then
+      plunged bowsprit down, and the boiling surf met over her. There was a wild
+      yell; some said it was a cheer; I thought it like a drowning cry,&mdash;and
+      I remember no more. That is, I have a kind of horrid dreamy remembrance of
+      buffeting in the waves, and shaking off a hand that grasped me by the
+      shoulder, and then feeling the water gathering over me as I grew more and
+      more exhausted. But the end of it was, I came to my senses some hours
+      after, and found myself in a hammock on board the 'Blanche,' with
+      twenty-eight of my comrades. All the rest&mdash;above two hundred and
+      fifty&mdash;had perished, the captain and the officers among them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The 'Blanche' was under orders for St. Domingo, and was in no way anxious
+      to have our company; and before a week was over we were drafted into a
+      small sloop of war, carrying eight guns, and called the 'Fawn,' She was
+      bound for England with despatches from Nelson,&mdash;one of their English
+      admirals they 're always talking about. This little craft could sail like
+      the wind, but she was crowded with sick and invalided men from some
+      foreign station, and there was not a place the size of a dog-kennel on
+      board of her that was not occupied. As for us, we were only prisoners, and
+      you may think they were n't very particular about our comforts; and so
+      they ranged us along under the bulwarks to leeward,&mdash;for they would
+      n't spoil her sailing trim by suffering us to sit to windward; and there
+      we were, drenched to the skin, and shivering from day to dark.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Four days went over in this way, when, on the fifth, about eight o'clock
+      in the morning, the lookout announced several strange sail in sight; and
+      the same instant we perceived the officers setting the glasses to observe
+      them. We could remark that the sight did not seem to please them much; but
+      more we knew not, for we were not allowed to stand up nor look over the
+      bulwarks. The lieutenant of the watch called up the commander; and when he
+      came on deck he ordered the men to cram on more sail, and hold her head a
+      point or so off the wind; and as soon as it was done, the rushing noise at
+      the cutwater told the speed she was making through the sea. It was a fine
+      day, with a fresh breeze and a nice curl from the water; and it was a
+      handsome thing to see how the sloop bent to the gale and rose again, her
+      canvas white as snow and steady as a board; and we soon knew, from the
+      manner of the officers and the anxious looks they 'd give to leeward from
+      time to time, that another vessel was in chase of the 'Fawn.' Not a man
+      stirred on the deck save the lieutenant of the watch, who walked the
+      quarterdeck with his glass in his hand; now lifting it to his eye, and now
+      throwing a glance aloft to see how the sails were drawing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'She's gaining on us, sir,' cried the boatswain, as he went aloft, to the
+      lieutenant. 'Shall we ease her off a little more?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, no,' said he, impatiently. 'She's coming handover-hand now. Clear
+      the deck, and prepare for action.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My heart jumped to my throat as I heard the words; and waiting until the
+      lieutenant's back was turned, I stole my eyes above the bulwark, and
+      beheld the tall masts and taper spars of a frigate, all covered with
+      canvas, about two miles astern of us. She was a good-sized craft,
+      apparently of thirty-eight guns; but what I liked best about her was the
+      broad tricolor that fluttered from her masthead. Every curl that floated
+      on the breeze whispered liberty to my heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'You know her?' said the lieutenant, laying his hand on my shoulder,
+      before I was aware he was behind me. 'What is she?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Lend me your glass, Lieutenant, and perhaps I can tell you,' said I; and
+      with that he gave the telescope into my hand, and leaned on the bulwark
+      beside me. 'Ha!' said I, as soon as I caught the side of her hull, 'I
+      ought to know her well; I sailed in her for two years and a half. She's
+      the &ldquo;Créole,&rdquo; of thirty-eight guns, the fastest frigate in our navy; she
+      has six carronades on her quarterdeck, and never goes to sea without three
+      hundred and twenty men.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'If she had three tiers of them we 'd not flinch from her,' said a voice
+      behind. It was the commander himself, who was now in full uniform, and
+      wore a belt with four pistols stuck around it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no use in denying it,&mdash;the English prepared for action like
+      brave fellows, and soon cleared the deck of everything in the way of the
+      guns. But what use was it? In less than an hour the 'Créole' worked to
+      windward, and opened a fire from her long guns to which the other could
+      make no reply. There they came plumping in,&mdash;some into the hull, some
+      splintering through the bulwarks, and some crashing away through the
+      rigging; and all the crew could do was to repair the mischief the distant
+      cannonade was making.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'It's a cowardly way your countrymen come into action, after all,' said
+      the lieutenant, as he watched the shot hopping and skipping along the
+      water to leeward. 'With four times our strength, they don't bear down and
+      encourage us.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As he spoke, a shot cut the peak halyards in two, and down came the spar
+      with a crash, carrying with it in its fall that ensign they 're so proud
+      of. It was all we could do, prisoners as we were, not to cheer at this;
+      but the faces around us did not encourage us to such a course, and we sat
+      silently watching them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The moment the accident happened, twenty stout fellows were clambering up
+      the rigging, and as many more engaged to repair the mischief. But suddenly
+      the commander whispered something to the lieutenant; the men were called
+      down again, and the craft was let fall off the wind, trailing the sails
+      and the tangled rigging over her sides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'And the prisoners, sir?' said the lieutenant, at the close of something
+      I could not hear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Send them below,' was the short reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'We cannot; the space between decks is crowded to suffocation. But here
+      she comes.' And, as he spoke, the frigate came bearing down in gallant
+      style, her whole deck swarming with men.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Down, men, down!' whispered the lieutenant, and he dropped on his knee
+      behind the bulwark, and motioned to the rest to kneel. And I now perceived
+      that every sailor had a drawn cutlass in his hand and pistols in his belt,
+      as he lay crouching on the deck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The frigate was now so close, I could hear the commands of the officers
+      on the quarterdeck, and the words 'Bas les branles'&mdash;the signal to
+      board&mdash;passed from mouth to mouth. The next instant, she closed on
+      us, and showed her tall sides towering above us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Now, men!' cried the commander of the 'Fawn,' 'now, forward! 'All who
+      care to live, there's your ground,' said he, pointing to the frigate.
+      'Such as like to die on a British deck, remain with me.' The boarders
+      sprang up the side of the 'Créole' before the crew could fasten the
+      grapples. <i>Tonnerre de Dieu!</i> what a moment it was! The fellows
+      cheered like madmen, as they poured in to certain death; the lieutenant
+      himself was one of the first on board, and fell back the same instant,
+      dead upon his own deck. The struggle was a bloody but brief one; for a few
+      minutes the English pressed our men back, and gained a footing on the
+      quarterdeck, but a murderous fire from the tops cut them down in numbers,
+      and they now fought, not for victory, but vengeance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Now, Captain, now!' screamed a youth, in a lieutenant's uniform, but all
+      covered with blood, and his face gashed with a cutlass-wound, as he leaned
+      over the bulwark of the 'Créole,' and waved his cap in the air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I'm ready,' replied the English commander, and sprang down the main
+      hatchway as he spoke, with a pistol in his hand. At the same instant, a
+      fearful cry burst forth from the prisoners; for, with the instinct of
+      despair, they guessed his desperate resolve was to blow up the vessel. We
+      were tied, wrist to wrist, and the rope run through the blocks at our back
+      in such a way as to prevent our moving more than a few inches. But what
+      will not the fear of a dreadful death do? With one unanimous effort we
+      tore the lashings in pieces, and got free. I was myself the first at
+      liberty, and sprang towards the 'Creole.' Alas! they had divined the awful
+      doom awaiting us, and were endeavoring to shove off at once. Already there
+      were some ten or twelve feet between the vessels. I rushed forward to gain
+      the bowsprit, a vague hope of escape suggesting the effort. As I did so,
+      my eyes caught sight of a book, which, with his hat, the captain threw
+      from him as he hastened below. I stooped down and put it in my bosom,&mdash;why,
+      I know not. Life, and life only, was my thought at that moment. Then, with
+      lightning's speed, I ran along the deck, and out on the bowsprit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At this instant, the frigate shot ahead of us; I made a leap, the last
+      effort of despair, and caught the fluke of the anchor; a friendly hand
+      threw me a rope and dragged me on the deck. As I gained it, a thunderclap,
+      louder than ten broadsides, broke forth, and the frigate fell over on one
+      side as if sinking; while over her rigging and her masts flew spars and
+      timbers, blazing and burning, amid a black smoke that filled the air on
+      every side. Every man about dropped wounded or terrified on the deck,
+      where they lay amid the falling fire of the wreck, and the terrible
+      carnage. I wiped the blood from my eyes, for I was bleeding profusely from
+      a splinter cut, and looked about me. The deck was a mass of dead and
+      dying; their piercing cries and groans were maddening to hear. The
+      frigate, however, was flying fast through the water; the 'Fawn' was gone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Tête-bleue!</i> he blew her up?&rdquo; said three or four in a breath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Paul nodded, and resumed:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, Comrades, and the half-dozen of her crew who stood alive on our
+      quarterdeck cheered the explosion as if it was a victory; and one fellow,
+      as he lay bleeding on the planks, cried out, 'See, there; look, if our gay
+      flag is not high above yours, as it always will be! 'And that time he was
+      right, for the spar that bore it was nigh the clouds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, to finish my story: In eight days we made Brest, and all of us who
+      were wounded were sent on shore to the naval hospital. A sorry set we
+      were; most of us disabled by splinter-wounds, and many obliged to suffer
+      amputation. I was about again sooner than the rest, and was sent for one
+      morning on board the admiral's ship, to give some account of the 'Fawn,'
+      of which they never could hear enough; and when I came to that part where
+      I made my escape, they all began a-laughing at my stopping to take up a
+      book at such a moment. And one of the lieutenants said, jokingly,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Well, Paul, I suppose it was the Englishman's breviary saved your life,
+      was n't it?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, Lieutenant,' said I; 'but you 'd be mighty proud this day to have
+      that same breviary in your possession.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'How so, good fellow?' said the admiral himself, old Villaret Joyeuse,
+      who always talked like one of ourselves. 'What is this book, then, that is
+      so precious?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I 'll show it you, sir, because I 've no fear of foul play at your
+      hands; but there's not another man of the fleet I 'd let see it,' And with
+      that I took it out of my breast, where I always carried it, and gave it to
+      him. Ah! if you'd seen his face,&mdash;how it flushed up as he turned over
+      the leaves, and how his eyes sparkled with fire!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Paul Dupont,' said he, 'are you aware what this is?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes, Admiral,' said I, 'as well as you are.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Your fortune's made, then, my brave fellow,' said he, slapping me on the
+      shoulder. 'The finest frigate in the English navy is a less prize than
+      this.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Mille tonnerres!</i> how the others stared at me then. But I stood
+      without minding how they looked, for I was the same Paul Dupont they
+      laughed at a few minutes before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Meanwhile the admiral laid down the book on the table, and covered it
+      with his cocked hat; and then taking a pen he wrote some lines on a piece
+      of paper before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Will that do, Paul?' said he, handing it towards me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was just this: 'Bureau of the Marine, Brest. Pay Paul Dupont the sum
+      of ten thousand francs, for service rendered to his Imperial Majesty, and
+      attested in a note by me Villaret Joyeuse, Admiral of France.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I could scarce read the lines, Comrades, for pure passion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ten thousand francs!' said I at last, as soon as I found breath,&mdash;'ten
+      thousand francs!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What!' cried the admiral, 'not content? Well, then, thou shalt have
+      more; but I have rarely met one of your cloth with so mercenary a spirit.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Stay, Admiral,' said I, as I saw him about to write a new order; 'we
+      both are in an error here. You mistake me, and I you. An old admiral of
+      the fleet ought to know his sailors better than to think that money is
+      their highest reward; it never was so at least with Paul Dupont Let me
+      have my book again.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Come, come, Paul; I believe I understand you now,' laid he. 'Your
+      warrant shall be made out this day.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, Admiral, it's too late,' said I. 'If that had come first, and from
+      yourself, all well; but it looks like a bargain now, and I 'll not have
+      promotion that way.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Mort du diable!' said he, stamping with passion. 'But they 're all the
+      same; these Bretons are as brutal in their obstinacy as their own cattle.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'You say true, Admiral,' said I; 'but if they're obstinate in wrong,
+      they're resolute in right. You are a Breton gentleman; give me back my
+      book.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Take it,' said he, flinging it at me, 'and let me never see your face
+      again.' And with that he left the cabin, and banged the door after him in
+      a rage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so, I went my way, Comrades, back to my ship, and served for many a
+      long year after, carrying that book always in my breast, and thinking to
+      myself, 'Well, what if thou art only a boatswain, Paul; thou hast
+      wherewithal in thy keeping to make thee a commodore any day.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what can it be, then, this book?&rdquo; said the party, in a breath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall see,&rdquo; said Paul, solemnly; &ldquo;for though I have never shown it
+      since, nor have I ever told the story before, here it is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With these words he drew from his bosom a small square volume, bound in
+      vellum, and fastened by a clasp; lettered on the cover, &ldquo;Signals of the
+      Channel Fleet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This was the secret of honest Paul's life; and as he turned over the
+      leaves, he expatiated with eloquent delight on the various British emblems
+      which were represented there, in all their brilliant coloring.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That double streak of yellow on the black is to make all sail, Comrades,&rdquo;
+       said he. &ldquo;Whenever they see us standing out to sea you may remark that
+      signal flying.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what is this large blue flag here, with all the colored bars across
+      it?&rdquo; said one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay,&rdquo; cried another, &ldquo;they're very fond of that ensign; what can it be?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Close action,&rdquo; growled out Paul, sullenly, who didn't fancy even the
+      reflective praise this question implied to the hated rival.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Sacrebleu!</i>&rdquo; said a third, &ldquo;they've no other to announce a victory.
+      Look here; it is the same flag for both.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Paul shut up the book at this, with a muttered curse, which might have
+      been intended either for his comrades or the English, or both together,
+      and the whole party became suddenly silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was now that the landlord's tact became conspicuous; for instead of any
+      condoling expressions on what might have been deemed the unsuccessful
+      result of Paul's career, he affected to think that the brave seaman was
+      more to be envied for the possession of that volume than if he walked the
+      deck an admiral of France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This flattery, aided by a fresh supply of Burgundy, had full success; and
+      from story-telling the party fell to singing,&mdash;the songs being only a
+      more boastful detail of their prowess at sea than their prose narratives;
+      and even here Paul maintained his supremacy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sleep, however, stronger than self-glorification and pride, fell on the
+      party one by one, and they lay down at last on the tables and benches, and
+      slumbered heavily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0031" id="link2HCH0031">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXI. A MOONLIGHT RECOGNITION
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      I sat on my bed in the little chamber allotted me, and as the bright
+      moonlight streamed along the floor, and lit up the wide landscape without,
+      I hesitated within myself whether I should await the morning, or at once
+      set forth on my way to the coast. It was true the abbé had not arrived;
+      and without him I knew nothing of the vessel, nor where she lay, much less
+      by what means I should induce the crew to receive me as a passenger. But
+      my heart was fixed on gaining the coast; once there, I felt that the sea
+      alone rolled between me and my country, and I had little doubt some means
+      of escape would present itself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The desire to return to Ireland, long stilled, was now become a passion. I
+      thought some new career must there open for me, and in its active
+      vicissitudes I should make amends for the wearisome languor of my late
+      life. What this novel path was to be, and where to lead, I cannot say; nor
+      am I able now, in looking back, to guess by what sophistry I persuaded
+      myself into this belief. It was the last ray of hope within me, however,
+      and I cherished it only the more fondly for its very uncertainty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I sat thus deliberating with myself what course to take, the door was
+      cautiously opened, and the landlord entered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is come,&rdquo; whispered he; &ldquo;and, thank Heaven! not too late.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The abbé?&rdquo; inquired I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, not the abbé; but the Comte de Chambord. The abbé will not venture;
+      but it matters not, if you will. The letters are all ready; the sloop is
+      off the coast; the wind is fair&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And not a moment to be lost,&rdquo; added a deep, low voice, as the figure of a
+      tall man, wrapped in a travelling cloak, darkened the doorway. &ldquo;Leave us,
+      Pierre; this is the gentleman, I suppose?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; said the landlord. &ldquo;Should you need a light, I 'll bring one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, friend; we can dispense with any, save what the moon affords
+      us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As the door closed on the retiring figure of the host, the stranger took
+      his place beside me on the bed, and in a low voice thus began:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I only know, sir, that you have the full confidence of one of my
+      stanchest and best friends, who tells me that you are willing to incur
+      great risk, provided you gain the chance of reaching your native land.
+      That chance&mdash;nay, I will call it that certainty&mdash;lies in my
+      power; and, in return for the assistance, are you willing to do me a
+      service?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I served the Emperor, sir; ask me not anything unworthy of one who wore
+      his epaulette. Aught else, if it be but honorable and fair, I 'll do.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no leisure for casuistry, nor is it my humor, sir,&rdquo; replied he
+      angrily. &ldquo;Neither do I seek any wondrous devotion at your hands. The
+      service is an easy one: costs nothing at the present; involves nothing for
+      the future.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The slight value you place upon it may detract but little from my
+      objection,&rdquo; said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Sacré ciel!</i>&rdquo; exclaimed he, in a louder voice, as he sprang from
+      the bed and clasped his hands before him. &ldquo;Is it to be ever thus? Is every
+      step we take to be marred by some unlooked for casualty? Is the stamp of
+      fear and vacillation to be on every act of our lives? This abbé, the
+      creature we have made, the man whose fortune is our handiwork, could
+      render but one service to our cause; and he fails us in our need. And now,
+      you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Beware, sir, how you speak to one who has never been accustomed to hear
+      his name slightingly used nor his honor impugned. With your cause,
+      whatever it be, I have no sympathy. Remember that; and remember, also, we
+      are strangers to each other.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, <i>par Saint Denis!</i> that we are not!&rdquo; said he, seizing me by the
+      arm, as he turned his head round, and stared me steadfastly in the face.
+      &ldquo;It was but this instant I deemed my fortune at the worst; and now I find
+      myself mistaken. Do you know me now?&rdquo; said he, throwing off his travelling
+      cap, and letting his cloak fall from his shoulders to the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;De Beauvais!&rdquo; exclaimed I, thunderstruck at the sight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; the same De Beauvais whose fortunes you have blighted, whose
+      honor you have tarnished&mdash;Interrupt me not. The mill at Hôlbrun
+      witnessed the latter, if even the former were an error; and now we meet
+      once more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not as enemies, however; at least on my side. You may persist, if you
+      will, in attributing to me wrongs I never inflicted. I can better bear the
+      imputation, unjust though it be, than involve myself in any quarrel with
+      one I feel no anger towards. I was in hopes a few hours hence might have
+      seen me on my way from France forever; but here, or elsewhere, I will not
+      reply to your enmity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      De Beauvais made no reply as I concluded, but with his arms crossed, and
+      head bent down, seemed lost in thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so,&rdquo; said he, at length, in a slow, sad voice, &ldquo;you have not found
+      the service of the Usurper as full of promise as you hoped; you have
+      followed his banner long enough to learn how mean a thing even ambition
+      may be, and how miserably selfish is the highest aspiration of an
+      adventurer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor was my good master,&rdquo; said I, sternly; &ldquo;it would ill become me
+      to vent my disappointment on aught save my own demerits.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have seen as slight deservings bring a high reward, notwithstanding,&rdquo;
+       replied he; &ldquo;ay, and win their meed of praise from lips whose eulogy was
+      honor. There was a service, Burke&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stay, no more of this!&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;You are unjust to your own cause and to
+      me, if you deem that the hour of baffled hopes is that in which I could
+      see its justice. <i>You</i> are true and faithful to one whose fortunes
+      look darkly. I respect the fidelity, while I will not follow its dictates.
+      I leave the path where fame and riches abound; I only ask you to believe
+      that I do so with honor. Let us part, then.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where do you mean to go, hence?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know not; a prospect of escape had led me hither. I must now bethink me
+      of some other course.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Burke, I am your debtor for one kindness, at least,&rdquo; said De Beauvais,
+      after a brief pause. &ldquo;You saved my life at the risk of your own. The night
+      at the Château d'Ancre should never be forgotten by me; nor had it been,
+      if I did not revenge my own disappointed hopes, in not seducing you to our
+      cause, upon yourself. It may be that I wrong you in everything as in
+      this.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Believe me, that you do, De Beauvais.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be it as it may, I am your debtor. I came here to-night to meet one who
+      had pledged himself to perform a service. He has failed in his promise;
+      will you take his place? The same means of escape shall be yours. All the
+      precautions for his safety and sure conduct shall be taken in your behalf.
+      I ask no pledge for the honorable discharge of what I seek at your hands,
+      save your mere assent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it you require of me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That you deliver these letters to their several addresses; that you do so
+      with your own hands; that when questioned, as you may be, on the state of
+      France, you will not answer as the partisan of the Usurper.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand you. Enough: I refuse your offer. Your zeal for the cause
+      you serve must indeed be great when it blinds you to all consideration for
+      one placed as I am.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It has made me forget more, sir, far more than that, as I might prove to
+      you, were I to tell what my life has been for two years past. But for such
+      forgetfulness there is an ample recompense, a glorious one,&mdash;the
+      memory of our king.&rdquo; He paused at these words, and in his tremulous voice
+      and excited gesture I could read the passion that worked within him.
+      &ldquo;Come, then; there shall be no more question of a compact between us. I
+      ask no conditions, I seek for no benefits: you shall escape. Take my
+      horse; my servant, who is also mounted, will accompany you to Beudron,
+      where you will find fresh horses in readiness. This passport will prevent
+      all interruption or delay; it is countersigned by Fouché himself. At
+      Lisieux, which you will reach by sunset, you can leave the cattle, and the
+      boy of the cabaret will be your guide to the Falaise de Biville. The tide
+      will ebb at eleven o'clock, and a rocket from the sloop will be your
+      signal to embark.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And for this I can render nothing in return?&rdquo; said I, sadly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes. It may be that in your own country you will hear the followers of
+      our king scoffed at and derided,&mdash;called fools or fanatics, perhaps
+      worse. I would only ask of you to bear witness that they are at least
+      ardent in the cause they have sworn to uphold, and firm to the faith to
+      which they have pledged themselves. This is the only service you can
+      render us, but it is no mean one. And now, farewell!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Farewell, De Beauvais! But ere we separate forever, let me hear from your
+      lips that you bear me no enmity; that we are friends, as we used to be.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is my hand. I care not if you injured me once; we can be friends
+      now, for we are little likely to meet again as enemies. Adieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While De Beauvais left the room to order the horses to be in readiness,
+      the landlord entered it, and seemed to busy himself most eagerly in
+      preparing my knapsack for the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I trust you will be many a mile hence ere the day breaks,&rdquo; said he, with
+      an anxiety I could ill comprehend, but which at the time I attributed to
+      his desire for the safety of one intrusted with an important mission. &ldquo;And
+      now, here come the horses.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A moment more, and I was seated in the saddle. A brief word at parting was
+      all De Beauvais spoke, and turned away; and the minute after I was
+      hurrying onward towards Beudron.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0032" id="link2HCH0032">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXII. THE FALAISE DE BIVILLE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Everything occurred as De Beauvais had predicted. The authorities in the
+      little villages we passed glanced at my passport, and as instantaneously
+      handed it back, and we journeyed like couriers of the Emperor, without
+      halt or impediment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We reached Lisieux early in the evening, where, having dismissed the
+      servant and horses, I took my way on foot towards a small fishing village,
+      called La Hupe, where at a certain cabaret I was to find my guide to
+      Biville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The address of the sailor written on a card, and marked with a peculiar
+      cipher by De Beauvais, was at once recognized by the old Norman, who
+      welcomed me with a rude but kindly hospitality.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou art more like a man to make this venture than the last three who
+      came down here,&rdquo; said he, as he slowly measured me with his eye from head
+      to foot. &ldquo;These priests they sent us never dared even to look at the
+      coast, much less to descend the cliffs; but thou hast a look about thee of
+      another fashion. And now, the first thing is to have something to eat, and
+      I promise thee a <i>goutte</i> of brandy will not be amiss to prepare thee
+      for what is before thee.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is there, then, so much of danger in the descent?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not if a man's head be steady and his hand firm; but he must have both,
+      and a stout heart to guide them, or the journey is not over-pleasant. Art
+      thou cool enough in time of peril to remember what has been told thee for
+      thy guidance?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; I hope I can promise so much.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then thou art all safe; so eat away, and leave the rest to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Although the sailor's words had stimulated my curiosity in the highest
+      degree, I repressed every semblance of the feeling, and ate my supper with
+      a well-feigned appearance of easy indifference; while he questioned me
+      about the hopes of the Bourbon party in their secret machinations, with a
+      searching inquisitiveness that often nearly baffled all my ingenuity in
+      reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! <i>par Saint Denis!</i>&rdquo; said he, with a deep sigh, &ldquo;I see well thou
+      hast small hope now; and, in truth, I feel as thou dost. When George
+      Cadoudal and his brave fellows failed, where are we to look for success? I
+      mind well the night he supped here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here, said you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, where you sit now,&mdash;on the same seat. There was an English
+      officer with him. He wore a blue uniform, and sat yonder, beneath that
+      fishing-net; the others were hid along the shore.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Was it here they landed, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, to be sure, at the Falaise; there is not another spot to land on for
+      miles along the coast.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old sailor then began a circumstantial account of the arrival of
+      George and his accomplices from England; and told how they had one by one
+      scaled the cliffs by means of a cord, well known in these parts, called
+      the &ldquo;smuggler's rope.&rdquo; &ldquo;Thou shalt see the spot now,&rdquo; added he, &ldquo;for
+      there's the signal yonder.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He pointed as he spoke to an old ruined tower, which crowned a cliff about
+      half a mile distant, and from a loophole in which I could see a branch of
+      ivy waving, as though moved by the wind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what may that mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The cutter is in sight; as the wind is off shore, she 'll be able to come
+      in close to-night. Indeed, if it blew from the westward, she dared not
+      venture nearer, nor thou, either, go down to meet her. So, now let's be
+      moving.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      About twenty minutes' walking brought us to the old signal-tower, on
+      looking from the window of which I beheld the sea plashing full three
+      hundred feet beneath. The dark rocks, fissured by time and weather, were
+      abrupt as a wall, and in some places even overhung the waves that rolled
+      heavily below. Masses of tangled seaweed and shells, which lay in the
+      crevices of the cliffs, showed where in times of storm the wild waters
+      were thrown; while lower down, amid fragments of rocks, the heavy beams
+      and planks of shipwrecked vessels surged with every motion of the tide.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You cannot see the cutter now,&rdquo; said the old sailor,&mdash;&ldquo;the setting
+      sun leaves a haze over the sea; but in a few minutes more we shall see
+      her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am rather looking for the pathway down this bold cliff,&rdquo; replied I, as
+      I strained my eyes to catch something like a way to descend by.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then throw thine eyes in this direction,&rdquo; said the sailor, as he pointed
+      straight down beneath the window of the tower. &ldquo;Seest thou that chain
+      there? Well, follow it a little farther, and thou may'st mark a piece of
+      timber jutting from the rock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I see it plainly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, the path thou asketh for is beneath that spar. It is a good rope of
+      stout hemp, and has carried the weight of many a brave fellow before now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The smuggler's rope?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The same. Art afraid to venture, now thou seest the place?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You'll not find me so, friend. I have seen danger as close before now,
+      and did not blink it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mark me well, then,&rdquo; said he, laying his hand on my arm. &ldquo;When thou
+      readiest that rope, thou wilt let thyself cautiously down to a small
+      projecting point of rock; we cannot see it here, but thou wilt soon
+      discern it in the descent. The rope from this goes no farther, for that
+      spot is nigh sixty fathom below us. From thence the cliff slopes sharply
+      down about thirty or forty feet. Here thou must creep cautiously,&mdash;for
+      the moss is dry and slippery at this season,&mdash;till thou nearest the
+      edge. Mark me well, now: near the edge thou'lt find a large stone
+      fast-rooted in the ground; and around that another rope is fastened, by
+      which thou may'st reach the bottom of the precipice. There is but one
+      place of peril in the whole.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The sloping bank, you mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; that bit will try thy nerve. Remember, if thy foot slip, there's
+      nothing to stop thy fall; the cliff is rounded over the edge, and the blue
+      sea beats two hundred feet below it. And see! look yonder, far away there!
+      Seest thou the twinkling, as of a small star, on the water?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The cutter will throw up a rocket, will she not?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A rocket!&rdquo; repeated he, contemptuously; &ldquo;that's some landsman's story
+      thou hast been listening to. A rocket would bring the whole fleet of boats
+      from Tréport on her. No, no; they know better than that: the faintest
+      glimmer of a fishing-craft is all they 'll dare to show. But see how
+      steadily it burns now! we must make the signal seawards.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Halloo, Joseph! a light there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A boy's voice answered from the upper part of the tower,&mdash;the same
+      figure who made the signal towards the shore, and whose presence there I
+      had altogether forgotten; and in a few minutes a red glare on the rocks
+      below showed that the old man's command was obeyed, and the beacon
+      lighted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! they see it already,&rdquo; cried he, triumphantly, pointing seawards;
+      &ldquo;they've extinguished the light now, but will show it again, from time to
+      time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But tell me, friend, how happens it that the marines of the Guard, who
+      line this coast, do not perceive these signals?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who tells thee that they do not? They may be looking, as we are now,
+      at that same craft, and watching Her as she beats in shore; but they know
+      better than to betray us. Ah, <i>ma foi!</i> the 'contrebande' is better
+      than the Government. Enough for them if they catch some poor English
+      prisoner now and then, and have him shot; that contents the Emperor, as
+      they call him, and he thinks the service all that is brave and vigilant.
+      But as to us, it is our own fault if we fall in with them; it would need
+      the rocket you spoke of a while ago to shame them into it. There, look
+      again,&mdash;thou seest how far in shore they've made already; the cutter
+      is stealing fast along the water. Answer the signal, Joseph.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The boy replenished the fire with some dry wood, and it blazed up
+      brilliantly, illuminating the gray cliffs and dark rocks, on which the
+      night was fast falling, but leaving all beyond its immediate sphere in
+      deepest blackness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I see not, friend, by what means I am to discover this sloping cliff,
+      much less guide my way along it,&rdquo; said I, as I gazed over the precipice,
+      and tried to penetrate the gloomy abyss below me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou 'lt have the moon at full in less than two hours; and if thou 'lt
+      take a friend's counsel, thou 'lt have a sleep ere that time. Lay thee
+      down yonder on those rushes; I 'll awake thee when time comes for it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The rather that I resolved to obey my old guide in his every direction,
+      than from any desire for slumber at such a time, I followed his advice,
+      and threw myself full length in a corner of the tower. In the perfect
+      stillness of the hour, the sea alone was heard, surging in slow, minute
+      peals through many a deep cavern below; and then, gathering for fresh
+      efforts, it swelled and beat against the stern rocks in passionate fury.
+      Such sounds, heard in the silence of the night, are of the saddest; nor
+      was their influence lightened by the low, monotonous chant of the old
+      sailor, who, seated in a corner, began to repair a fishing-net, as he sang
+      to himself some ditty of the sea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      How strangely came the thought to my mind, that all the peril I once
+      incurred to reach France, the hoped-for, wished-for land, I should again
+      brave to escape from its shores! Every dream of boyish ambition
+      dissipated, every high hope flown, I was returning to my country as poor
+      and humble as I left it, but with a heart shorn of all the enthusiasm that
+      gave life its coloring. In what way I could shape my future career I was
+      not able even to guess; a vague leaning to some of England's distant
+      colonies, some new world beyond the seas, being all my imagination could
+      frame of my destiny. A sudden flash of light, illuminating the whole
+      interior of the tower, startled me from my musings, while the sailor
+      called out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, wake up, friend! The cutter is standing in close, and a signal to
+      make haste flying from her mast.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I sprang to my legs, and looked out. The sea was all freckled with the
+      moonlight, and the little craft shone like silver, as the bright beams
+      glanced on her white sails. The tall cliffs alone preserved their gloom,
+      and threw a dark and frowning shadow over the waves beneath them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can see nothing close to shore,&rdquo; said I, pointing to the dark rocks
+      beneath the window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou'lt have the moon presently; she's rising above the crest of the
+      hill, and then the cliffs are clear as at noonday. So, make haste! strap
+      on that knapsack on your shoulder; high up, mind; and give thine arms full
+      play,&mdash;that's it. Now fasten thy shoes over all; thou wert not about
+      to wear them, surely?&rdquo; said he in a tone almost derisive. &ldquo;Take care, in
+      keeping from the face of the rock, not to sway the rope; it wears the
+      cordage. And, above all, mind well when thou reachest the cliff below; let
+      not thy hold go before thou hast well felt thy footing. See, the moon is
+      up already!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, a vast sheet of yellow light seemed to creep over the whole
+      face of the precipice, displaying every crag and projection, and making
+      every spot of verdure or rock brilliant in color; while, many a fathom
+      down below, the heavy waves were seen,&mdash;now rising in all their
+      majestic swell, now pouring back in their thousand cataracts from every
+      fissure in the precipice. So terribly distinct did each object show, so
+      dreadfully was each distance marked, I felt that all its former gloom and
+      darkness were not one half so thrilling as that moonlight splendor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;La bonne Marie guard thee now!&rdquo; said the old seaman, as he wrung my hand
+      in his strong fingers. &ldquo;Be steady and cool of head, and there is no
+      danger; and look not downwards till thou hast got accustomed to the
+      cliff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he said this, he opened a small door at the foot of the tower stair,
+      and passing through himself, desired me to follow. I did so, and now found
+      myself on a narrow ledge of rock, directly over the crag; below, at about
+      ten feet, lay the chain to which the rope was attached, and to reach it
+      was not the least perilous part of the undertaking. But in this I was
+      assisted by the old man, who, passing a rope through a massive iron
+      staple, gradually lowered me till my hand came opposite the chain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou hast it now,&rdquo; cried he, as he saw me disengage one hand and grasp
+      the iron links firmly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, all safe! Good-by, friend; good-by!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wait yet,&rdquo; cried he again. &ldquo;Let not go the cord before thou thinkest a
+      minute or so; I have known more than one change his mind when he felt
+      himself where thou art.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mine is made up. Farewell!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stay, stay!&rdquo; shouted he rapidly. &ldquo;See, thou hast forgotten this purse on
+      the rock here; wait, and I will lower it with a cord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time I had grasped the chain firmly with both hands, and with the
+      resolve of one who felt life depend on his own firmness, I began the
+      descent. The old man's voice, as he muttered a prayer for my safety, grew
+      fainter and fainter, till at length it ceased to reach my ears altogether.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, for the first time, did my heart sink within me. The words of one
+      human being, faint and broken by distance, suggested a sense of sympathy
+      which nerved my courage and braced my arm; but the dreary silence that
+      followed, only broken by the booming of the sea below, was awful beyond
+      measure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hand below hand I went, the space seeming never to lessen, as I strained
+      my eyes to catch the cliff where the first rope ended. Time, as in some
+      fearful dream, seemed protracted to years long; and I already anticipated
+      the moment when, my strength failing, my hands would relinquish their
+      hold, and I should be dashed upon the dark rocks below. The very
+      sea-birds, which I startled in my descent, wheeled round my head, piercing
+      the air with their shrill cries, and as if impatient for a prey. Above my
+      head the frowning cliff beetled darkly; below, a depth unfathomable seemed
+      to stretch, from whose black abyss arose the wild sounds of beating waves.
+      More than once, too, I thought that the rope had given way above, and that
+      I was actually falling through the air,&mdash;and held my breath in
+      horror; then, again, the idea flashed upon me that death inevitable
+      awaited me, and I fancied in the singing billows I could hear the wild
+      shouts of demons rejoicing over my doom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Through all these maddening visions, the instinct to preserve my life held
+      its strong sway, and I clutched the knotted rope with the eager grasp of a
+      drowning man; when suddenly I felt my foot strike a rock beneath, and then
+      discovered I was on the cliff of which the sailor had told me. In a few
+      seconds the sense of security imparted a thrill of pleasure to my heart,
+      and I uttered a prayer of thankfulness for my safety.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the fearful conviction of greater danger as suddenly succeeded. The
+      rope I had so long trusted terminated here; the end hung listlessly on the
+      rock, and from thence to the brow of the cliff nothing remained to afford
+      a grip save the short moss and the dried ferns withered with the sun. The
+      surface of this frightful ledge sloped rapidly towards the edge where was
+      the rock around which the rope was tied.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fatigued by my previous exertion I sat down on that moss-grown cliff and
+      gazed out upon the sea, along which the cutter came, proudly dashing the
+      spray from her bows, and bending gracefully with every wave. She was
+      standing fearlessly in, for the wind was off the land, and, as she swept
+      along, I could have fancied her directly beneath my very feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Arousing myself from the momentary stupor of my faculties, I began to
+      creep down the cliff; but so slippery had the verdure become by heat, that
+      I could barely sustain myself by grasping the very earth with my fingers.
+      Aloud &ldquo;Halloo!&rdquo; was shouted from the craft, and arose in many an echo
+      around me; I tried to reply, but could not. A second cheer saluted me, but
+      I did not endeavor to answer it. The moment was full of peril. I had come
+      to the last spot which offered a hold, and below me, at some feet, lay the
+      rock, hanging, as it were, over the precipice; it seemed to me as though a
+      sea-bird's weight might have sent it thundering into the depth beneath.
+      The moon was on it, and I could see the rope coiled twice around it, and
+      knotted carefully. What would I have given in that terrible minute for one
+      tuft of grass, one slender bough, even enough to have sustained my weight
+      for a second or two, until I should grasp the cord! But none was there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A louder cry from the cutter now rang in my ears, and the dreadful thought
+      of destruction now flashed on me. I fixed my eyes on the rock to measure
+      the place; and then, turning with my face towards the cliff, I suffered
+      myself to slip downwards. At first I went slowly; then faster and faster.
+      At last my legs passed over the brow of the precipice. I was falling! My
+      head reeled. I uttered a cry, and in an agony of despair threw out my
+      hands. They caught the rope. Knot after knot slipped past my fingers in
+      the descent ere my senses became sufficiently clear to know what was
+      occurring. But even then the instinct of self-preservation was stronger
+      than reason; for I afterwards learned from the boat's crew with what skill
+      I guided myself along the face of the cliff, avoiding every difficulty of
+      the jagged rocks, and tracking my way like the most experienced climber.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I stood upon a broad fiat rock, over which white sheets of foam were
+      dashing. Oh, how I loved to see them curling on my feet t I could have
+      kissed the bright water on which the moonbeams sported, for the moment of
+      danger was passed; the shadow of a dreadful death had moved from my soul.
+      What cared I now for the boiling surf that toiled and fretted about me?
+      The dangers of the deep were as nothing to that I escaped from; and when
+      the cutter's boat came bounding towards me, I minded not the oft-repeated
+      warnings of the sailors, but plunging in, I dashed towards her on a
+      retreating wave, and was dragged on board almost lifeless from my
+      struggles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The red glare of the signal-fire was blazing from the old tower as we got
+      under weigh. I felt my eyes riveted on it as I lay on the deck of the
+      little vessel, which now stood out to sea in gallant style. It was my last
+      look of France, and so I felt it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0033" id="link2HCH0033">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIII. THE LANDING
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      With the crew of the cutter I had little intercourse. They were Jerseymen,&mdash;that
+      hybrid race, neither French nor English,&mdash;who followed the trade of
+      spies and smugglers, and were true to nothing save their own interests.
+      The skipper, a coarse, ill-featured fellow, in no respect superior to the
+      others, leisurely perused the letter De Beauvais gave me on my departure;
+      then, tearing it slowly, threw the pieces into the fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, then, is this?&rdquo; said he, taking up a sealed packet, which I now for
+      the first time perceived was fastened to my knapsack. &ldquo;It seems meant for
+      me; look at the address, 'Jacques Oloquette, on board the &ldquo;Rouge
+      Galant."'&rdquo; And so saying, he broke the seal, and bent over the contents.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; cried he, in a voice of triumphant delight, &ldquo;this is a prize worth
+      having,&mdash;the English signal-book!&rdquo; And he held up the little volume
+      which Paul Dupont had rescued from the &ldquo;Fawn.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How came it here?&rdquo; said I, horror-struck at the loss the poor sailor had
+      sustained.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Old Martin, of the 'Star,' tells me he stole it from a marine of the
+      Guard, and that it cost him twenty-four flasks of his best Pomard before
+      the fellow and his companions were drunk enough to make the theft
+      practicable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I remembered at once the eagerness of the landlord for my departure, and
+      the hurried anxiety of his wish that morning might find me miles off on my
+      journey, as well as the care he bestowed on strapping my knapsack, and saw
+      how all had occurred.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I knew most of them already,&rdquo; continued the skipper. &ldquo;But here is one
+      will serve our turn well now,&mdash;the very thing we wanted, for it saves
+      all delay and stoppage. That flag is the signal for Admiralty despatches,
+      which are often brought by small craft like ours when they can't spare
+      cruisers. We 'll soon rig it out, you 'll see, and run down Channel with
+      all our canvas set.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He went aft as he spoke; and in a few seconds the cutter's head was
+      directed straight towards the English coast, while, crowding on more sail,
+      she seemed to fly through the water.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The cheering freshness of the sea-breeze, the sense of danger past, the
+      hope of escape, all combining, raised my spirits and elevated my courage;
+      but through all, I felt grieved beyond measure at the loss of poor Paul
+      Dupont,&mdash;the prize the honest fellow valued next to life itself, if
+      not above it, taken from him in the very moment of his exultation!
+      Besides, I could not help feeling that suspicion must light on me from my
+      sudden disappearance; and my indignation was deep, to think how such an
+      imputation would tarnish the honor of that service I gloried in so much.
+      &ldquo;How far may such a calumny spread?&rdquo; thought I. &ldquo;How many lips may repeat
+      the tale, and none be able to deny it?&rdquo; Deep as was my regret at the brave
+      Breton's loss, my anger for its consequences was still deeper; and I would
+      willingly have perilled all my hope of reaching England to have been able
+      to restore the book into Paul's own hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These feelings did not tend to draw me closer in intimacy with the
+      skipper; whose pleasure at the acquisition was only heightened by the
+      subtlety of its accomplishment, and who seemed never so happy as when
+      repeating some fragment of the landlord's letter, and rejoicing at the
+      discomfiture the brave sailor must have experienced on discovering his
+      loss. To witness the gratification a coarse nature feels in some unworthy
+      but successful action, is the heaviest penalty an honorable mind can
+      experience when unhappily its possessor has been in any way accessory to
+      the result. With these reflections I fell off to sleep, and never woke
+      till the bright sun was shining over the white-crested water, and the
+      craft breasting the waves with a strong breeze upon her canvas.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we held on down Channel, we passed several ships of war beating up for
+      Spithead; but our blue bunting, curiously streaked with white, was a
+      signal which all acknowledged, and none ventured to retard. Thus passed
+      the first day: as night was falling, we beheld the Needles on our lee, and
+      with a freshening breeze, held on our course.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A second morning broke. And now the sea was covered with the white sails
+      of a magnificent fleet, bound for the West Indies; at least, so the
+      skipper pronounced it. It was indeed a glorious sight to see the mighty
+      vessels obeying the signals of the flag-ship, and shaping their course
+      through the blue water as if instinct with life and reason. They were far
+      seaward of us, however; for now we hugged the land, as the skipper was
+      only desirous of an opportunity to land me unobserved before he proceeded
+      on his own more immediate enterprise,&mdash;the smuggling of some
+      hogsheads of brandy on the coasts of Ireland.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Left to my own thoughts,&mdash;the memories of my past life,&mdash;I
+      dreamed away the hours unconsciously, and as the time sped on, I knew not
+      of its flight. Some strange sail, seen from afar off, would for an instant
+      arouse my attention; but it was a mere momentary effect, and I fell back
+      into my musings, as though they had never been interrupted. As I look back
+      upon that voyage now, and think of the dreamy listlessness in which its
+      hours were passed, I can half fancy that certain periods of our lives are
+      destined to sustain the part which night performs in our daily existence,
+      and by their monotony contribute to that renewal of energy and vigor so
+      essential after times of labor and exertion. It seemed to me as though,
+      the period of exertion past, I was regaining in rest and repose the power
+      for future action; and I canvassed every act of the past to teach me more
+      of my own heart, and to instruct me for my guidance in life after.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You can land now, whenever you please,&rdquo; said the skipper to me, as by a
+      faint moonlight we moved along the waveless sea. &ldquo;We can put you ashore at
+      any moment here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I started with as much surprise as though the thought had never occurred
+      to me; and without replying, I leaned over the bulwark, and gazed at the
+      faint shadows of tall headlands about three miles distant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How do you call that bluff yonder?&rdquo; said I, carelessly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wicklow Head.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wicklow Head! Ireland!&rdquo; cried I, with a thrill of ecstasy my heart had
+      never felt for many a day before. &ldquo;Yes, yes; land me there,&mdash;now, at
+      once!&rdquo; said I, as a thousand thoughts came rushing to my mind, and hopes
+      too vague for utterance, but palpable enough to cherish.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With the speed their calling teaches, the crew lowered the boat, and as I
+      took my place in the stern, pulled vigorously towards the shore. As the
+      swift bark glided along the shallow sea, I could scarce restrain my
+      impatience from springing out and rushing on land. Without family or
+      friend, without one to welcome or meet me, still it was home,&mdash;the
+      only home I ever had.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sharp keel grated on the beach; its sound vibrated within my heart. I
+      jumped on shore; a few words of parting, and the men backed their oars;
+      the boat slipped fast through the water. The cutter, too, got speedily
+      under weigh again, and I was alone. Then the full torrent of my feelings
+      found their channel, and I burst into tears. Oh! they were not tears of
+      sorrow; neither were they the outpourings of excessive joy. They were the
+      utterance of a heart loaded with its own unrelieved griefs, who now found
+      sympathy on touching the very soil of home. I felt I was no longer
+      friendless. Ireland, my own dear native country, would be to me a place of
+      kindred and family, and I fell upon my knees, and blessed it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Following a little path, which led slantingly up the cliff, I reached the
+      top as day was beginning to break, and gained a view of the country. The
+      range of swelling hills, dotted with cottages and waving with wood; the
+      fields of that emerald green one sees not in other lands; the hedge-rows
+      bounding the little farms,&mdash;all so unlike the spreading plains of
+      France,&mdash;struck me with delight, and it was with a rapture of
+      happiness I called the land my country.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Directing my steps towards Dublin, I set out at a good pace, but following
+      a path which led near the cliffs, in preference to the highroad; for I was
+      well aware that my appearance and dress would expose me to curiosity, and
+      perhaps subject me to more serious annoyance. My first object was to learn
+      some news of my brother; for although the ties of affection had been long
+      since severed between us, those of blood still remained, and I wished to
+      hear of, and it might be to see him, once more. For some miles I had kept
+      my eyes directed towards a little cabin which crowned a cliff that hung
+      over the sea; and this I reached at last, somewhat wearied and hungry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I followed a little footpath which conducted to the door, a fierce
+      terrier rushed out as if to attack me, but was immediately restrained by
+      the voice of a man within, calling, &ldquo;Down, Vicksey! down, you baste!&rdquo; and
+      the same moment a stout, middle-aged man appeared at the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don't be afeard, sir; she's not wicked, but we're unused to strangers
+      down here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should think so, friend, from my path,&rdquo; said I, throwing a glance at
+      the narrow footway I had followed for some miles, over hill and precipice;
+      &ldquo;but I am unacquainted with the country, and was looking out for some
+      house where I might obtain a breakfast.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There's a town about three miles down yonder, and a fine inn, I 'm tould,
+      sir,&rdquo; replied he, as he scrutinized my appearance with a shrewd eye; &ldquo;but
+      if I might make so bould, maybe you 'd as lief not go there, and perhaps
+      you 'd take share of what we have here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Willingly,&rdquo; said I, accepting the hospitable offer as freely as it was
+      made, and entered the cabin at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A good-featured countrywoman and some young children were seated at the
+      table, where a large dish of potatoes and some fresh fish were smoking, a
+      huge jug of milk occupying the middle of the board. The woman blushed as
+      she heard that her husband had invited a gentleman to partake of his
+      humble meal; but the honest fellow cared little for the simple fare he
+      offered with so good a grace, and placed my chair beside his own with the
+      air of one who was more anxious for his guest's comfort than caring what
+      impression he himself might make upon him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After some passing words about the season and the state of the tides,&mdash;for
+      my host was a fisherman,&mdash;I turned the conversation on the political
+      condition of the country, avowing frankly that I had been for some years
+      absent, and was ignorant of what had occurred meantime.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Twas that same I was thinking, sir,&rdquo; said he, replying to the first and
+      not the latter part of my remark. &ldquo;When I saw your honor's face, and the
+      beard you wore, I said to myself you wor a Frenchman.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You mistook there, then; I am your countryman, but have passed a good
+      many years in France.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fighting for Boney?&rdquo; said he, as his eyes opened wide with surprise to
+      behold one actually before him who might have served under Napoleon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my good friend, even so; I was in the army of the Emperor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tare an ages! then, are they coming over here now?&rdquo; cried he, almost
+      gasping in his eagerness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; replied I, gravely; &ldquo;and be thankful, too, for it, for your own
+      and your children's sakes, that you see not a war raging in the fields and
+      cities of your native land. Be assured, whatever wrongs you suffer,&mdash;I
+      will not dispute their existence, for, as I told you, I am ignorant of the
+      condition of the country,&mdash;but whatever they may be, you can pay too
+      dearly for their remedy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But sure they 'd be on our side, would n't they?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course they would; but think you that they 'd fight your battles
+      without their price? Do you believe that Frenchmen so love you here that
+      they would come to shed their blood in your cause without their own
+      prospect of advantage?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They hate the English, I'm tould, as bad as we do ourselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They do so, and with more of justice for their hate. But that dislike
+      might suffice to cause a war; it never would reward it. No, no; I know
+      something of the spirit of French conquest. I glory in the bravery and the
+      heroism that accomplished it; but I never wish to see my own country at
+      the mercy of France. Whose soldier would you become if the Emperor
+      Napoleon landed here to-morrow?&mdash;his. Whose uniform would you wear,
+      whose musket carry, whose pay receive, whose orders obey?&mdash;his, and
+      his only. And how long, think you, would your services be limited to home?
+      What should prevent your being sent away to Egypt, to Poland, or to
+      Russia? How much favor would an Irish deserter receive from a French
+      court-martial, think you? No, good friend; while you have this warm roof
+      to shelter you, and that broad sea is open for your industry and toil,
+      never wish for foreign aid to assist you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I saw that the poor fellow was discouraged by my words, and gradually led
+      him to speak of those evils for whose alleviation he looked to France. To
+      my surprise, however, he descanted less on political grievances than those
+      which affect the well-being of the country socially. It was not the
+      severity of a Government, but the absence of encouragement to industry,&mdash;the
+      neglect of the poor,&mdash;which afflicted him. England was no longer the
+      tyrant; the landlord had taken her place. Still, with the pertinacity of
+      ignorance, he visited all the wrongs on that land from which originally
+      his first misfortunes came, and with perverse ingenuity would endeavor to
+      trace out every hardship he suffered as arising from the ill-will and
+      hatred the Saxon bore him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was easy to perceive that the arguments he used were not of his own
+      devising; they had been supplied by others, in whose opinion he had
+      confidence; and though valueless and weak in reality, to him they were
+      all-convincing and unanswerable,&mdash;not the less, perhaps, that they
+      offered that value to self-love which comes from attributing any evils we
+      endure to causes outside and independent of ourselves. These, confronted
+      with extravagant hopes of what would ensue should national independence be
+      established, formed his code; and however refuted on each point, a certain
+      conviction, too deeply laid to be disturbed by any opposing force,
+      remained; and in his &ldquo;Well, well, God knows best! and maybe we'll have
+      better luck yet,&rdquo; you could perceive that he was inaccessible to any
+      appeal except from the quarter which ministered to his discontent and
+      disaffection.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One thing was clear to me from all he said, that if the spirit of open
+      resistance no longer existed towards England, it was replaced by as
+      determined and as rancorous hatred,&mdash;a brooding, ill-omened dislike
+      had succeeded, to the full as hostile, and far less easily subdued. How it
+      would end,&mdash;whether in the long-lingering fear which wastes the
+      energies and saps the strength of a people, or in the conflict of a civil
+      war, the prospect was equally ruinous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sadly pondering on these things, I parted with my humble host, and set out
+      towards the capital. If my conversation with the Irishman had taught me
+      somewhat of the state of feeling then current in Ireland, it also conveyed
+      another and very different lesson; it enabled me to take some account of
+      the change years had effected in my own sentiments. As a boy, high-flown,
+      vague, and unsettled ideas of national liberty and independence had made
+      me look to France as the emancipator of Europe. As a man, I knew that the
+      lust of conquest had extinguished the love of freedom in Frenchmen; that
+      they who trusted to her did but exchange the dominion of their old masters
+      for the tyranny of a new one; while such as boldly stepped forward in
+      defence of their liberties, found that there was neither mercy nor
+      compassion for the conquered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I had seen the Austrian prisoners and the Russian led captive through the
+      streets of Paris; I had witnessed the great capital of Prussia in its day
+      of mourning after Jena; and all my idolatry for the General scarce
+      balanced my horror of the Emperor, whose vengeance had smitten two nations
+      thus heavily: and I said within my heart, &ldquo;May my countrymen, whatever be
+      their day of need, never seek alliance with despotic France!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0034" id="link2HCH0034">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIV. A CHARACTER OF OLD DUBLIN
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      It was about nine o'clock of a calm summer evening as I entered Dublin,&mdash;nearly
+      the same hour at which, some ten years before, I had approached that city,
+      poor, houseless, friendless; and still was I the same. In that great
+      capital of my country I had not one to welcome me; not one who would
+      rejoice at my coming, or feel any interest in my fortunes. This indeed was
+      loneliness,&mdash;utter solitude. Still, if there be something which
+      weighs heavily on the heart in the isolation of one like me, there is a
+      proportionate sense of independence of his fellow-man that sustains the
+      courage and gives energy to the will. I felt this as I mixed with the
+      crowds that thronged the streets, and shrank not from the inquisitive
+      glances which my questionable appearance excited as I passed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though considerable changes had taken place in the outskirts of the
+      capital since I had seen it last, the leading thoroughfares were just as I
+      remembered them; and as I walked along Dame Street, and one by one each
+      familiar object caught my eye, I could almost have fancied the long
+      interval since I had been there before like a mere dream. National
+      physiognomy, too, has a strange effect on him who has been long absent
+      from his country. Each face you meet seems well known. The traits of
+      features, to which the eye was once so well accustomed, awake a memory of
+      individuals, and it is sometimes a moat difficult task to distinguish
+      between the acquaintance and the passing stranger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This I experienced at every moment; and at length, as I stood gazing on
+      the space before the Bank, and calling to mind the last scene I witnessed
+      there, a tall, strongly-built man brushed close past me, and then turning
+      round, fixed a steady and searching look on me. As I returned his stare, a
+      sudden thought flashed upon me that I had seen the face before; but where,
+      how, and when, I could not call to mind. And thus we stood silently
+      confronting each other for some minutes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I see you are a stranger here, sir,&rdquo; said he, touching his hat
+      courteously; &ldquo;can I be of service to you with any information as to the
+      city?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was curious to know, sir,&rdquo; said I, still more puzzled by the voice than
+      I had been by the features of the stranger, &ldquo;if Miley's Hotel, which was
+      somewhere in the neighborhood, exists still?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It does, sir; but it has changed proprietors several times since you knew
+      it,&rdquo; replied he, significantly. &ldquo;The house is yonder, where you see that
+      large lamp. I perceive, sir, I was mistaken in supposing you a foreigner.
+      I wish you good-evening.&rdquo; And again saluting me, he resumed his way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I crossed the street towards the hotel, I remarked that he turned as if
+      to watch me, and became more than ever embarrassed as to who he might be.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The doorway of the hotel was crowded with loungers and idlers of every
+      class, from the loitering man about town to the ragged newsvendor, between
+      whom, whatever disparity of condition existed, a tone of the most
+      free-and-easy condition prevailed; the newsmen interpolating, amid the
+      loud announcements of the latest intelligence, the reply to the
+      observation beside him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One figure was conspicuous in the group. He was a short, dwarfish
+      creature, with an enormous head, covered with a fell of black hair,
+      falling in masses down his back and on his shoulders. A pair of fierce,
+      fiery black eyes glared beneath his heavy brows; and a large, thick-lipped
+      mouth moved with all the glib eloquence of his class and calling.
+      Fearfully distorted legs and club feet gave to his gait a rolling motion,
+      which added to the singularity of his whole appearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Terry Regan was then at the head of his walk in Dublin; and to his
+      capacious lungs and voluble tongue were committed the announcement of
+      those great events which, from time to time, were given to the Irish
+      public through the columns of the &ldquo;Correspondent&rdquo; and the &ldquo;Dublin
+      Journal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I soon found myself in the crowd around this celebrated character, who
+      was, as usual, extolling the great value of that night's paper by certain
+      brief suggestions regarding its contents.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0019" id="linkimage-0019">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/410.jpg" alt="410 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here's the whole, full, and true account (bad luck to the less!) of the
+      great and sanguinary battle between Boney and the Roosians; with all the
+      particklars about the killed, wounded, and missing; with what Boney said
+      when it was over.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What was that, Terry?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hould yer peace, ye spalpeen! Is it to the likes of yez I 'd be telling
+      cabinet sacrets? (Here, yer honor),&mdash;'Falkner,' is it, or 'The
+      Saunders'. With the report of Mr. O'Gogorman's grand speech in Ennis on
+      the Catholic claims. There's, yer sowl, there's fippence worth any day ay
+      the week. More be token, the letter from Jemmy O'Brien to his wife, wid an
+      elegant epic poem called 'The Gauger.' Bloody news, gentlemen! bloody
+      news! Won't yez sport a tester for a sight of a real battle, and ten
+      thousand kilt; with 'The Whole Duty of an Informer, in two easy lessons.'
+      The price of stocks and shares&mdash;Ay, Mr. O'Hara, and what boroughs is
+      bringing in the market.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This last sally was directed towards a large, red-faced man, who
+      good-humoredly joined in the laugh against himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who's this, boys?&rdquo; cried the fellow, turning suddenly his piercing
+      eyes on me, as I endeavored, step by step, to reach the door of the hotel.
+      &ldquo;Hurrool look at his beard, acushla! On my conscience, I wouldn't wonder
+      if it was General Hoche himself. 'Tis late yer come, sir,&rdquo; said he,
+      addressing me directly; &ldquo;there's no fun here now at all, barrin' what
+      Beresford has in the riding-house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Get away, you ruffian!&rdquo; said a well-dressed and respectable-looking man,
+      somewhat past the middle of life; &ldquo;how dare you permit your tongue to take
+      liberties with a stranger? Allow me to make room for you, sir,&rdquo; continued
+      he, as he politely made an opening in the crowd, and suffered me to enter
+      the house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, counsellor, dear, don't be cross,&rdquo; whined out the newsvendor; &ldquo;sure,
+      isn't it wid the bad tongue we both make our bread. And here,&rdquo; vociferated
+      he once more,&mdash;&ldquo;and here ye have the grand dinner at the Lord
+      Mayor's, wid all the speeches and toasts; wid the glorious, pious, and
+      immortial memory of King William, who delivered us from Popery (by pitched
+      caps), from slavery (by whipping), from brass money (by bad ha'pence), and
+      from wooden shoes (by bare feet). Haven't we reason to bless his&mdash;?
+      Ay, the heavens be his bed! 'Tis like Molly Crownahon's husband he was.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How was that, Terry?&rdquo; asked a gentleman near.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take a 'Saunders,' yer honor, and I 'll tell you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here, then, here's fippence; and now for the explanation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Molly Crownahon, yer honor, was, like us poor craytures, always grateful
+      and contented wid the Lord's goodness to us, even in taking away our chief
+      comfort and blessing,&mdash;the darling up there on the horse! (Ah, 'tis
+      an elegant sate ye have, without stirrups!) And she went one day to say a
+      handful of prayers oyer his grave,&mdash;the husband's, ye mind,&mdash;and
+      sure if she did, when she knelt down on the grass she sprung up again as
+      quick as she went down, for the nettles was all over the place entirely.
+      'Bad scran to ye, Peter!' says she, as she rubbed her legs,&mdash;'bad
+      scran to ye! living or dead, there was always a sting in ye.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0020" id="linkimage-0020">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/414.jpg" alt="414 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      As the latter part of this speech was addressed in a tone of apostrophe to
+      the statue of King William, it was received by the assembled crowd with a
+      roar of laughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time I had entered the house, and only bethought me how little
+      suited was the great hotel of the city to pretensions as humble as mine.
+      It was now, however, too late to retreat, and I entered the coffee-room,
+      carrying my knapsack in my hand. As I passed up the room in search of a
+      vacant table, the looks of astonishment my appearance excited on each side
+      were most palpable evidences that the company considered me as an
+      interloper. While some contented themselves with a stare of steady
+      surprise, others, less guarded in their impertinence, whispered with, and
+      even winked at their neighbors, to attract attention towards me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Offensive as this unquestionably was, it amazed even more than it annoyed
+      me. In France, such a display of feeling would have been impossible; and
+      the humblest soldier of the army would not have been so received had he
+      deemed fit to enter Beauvilliers' or Véry's.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whether hurt at this conduct, and consequently more alive to affront from
+      any quarter, or that the waiters participated in the sentiments of their
+      betters, I cannot exactly say; but I certainly thought their manner even
+      less equivocally betrayed the same desire of impertinence. This was not
+      long a mere suspicion on my part; for on inquiring whether I could have a
+      room for the night, the waiter, touching my knapsack, which lay on the
+      ground beside me, with his foot, replied,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is this your luggage, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Amazement so completely mastered my indignation at this insolence, that I
+      could make no answer but by a look. This had its effect, however; and the
+      fellow, without further delay, bustled off to make the inquiry. He
+      returned in a few minutes with a civil message, that I could be
+      accommodated, and having placed before me the simple meal I ordered,
+      retired.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I sat over my supper, I could not help feeling that unless memory
+      played me false, the company were little like the former frequenters of
+      this house. I remembered it of old, when Bubbleton and his brother
+      officers came there; and when the rooms were thronged with members of both
+      Houses of Parliament,&mdash;when peers and gentlemen of the first families
+      were grouped about the windows and fireplaces, and the highest names of
+      the land were heard in the din of recognition; handsome equipages and led
+      horses stood before the doors. But now the ragged mob without was scarce a
+      less worthy successor to the brilliant display than were the company
+      within to the former visitants. A tone of pretentious impertinence, an air
+      of swagger and mock defiance,&mdash;the most opposite to the polished
+      urbanity which once prevailed,&mdash;was now conspicuous; and in their
+      loud speech and violent gesticulation, it was easy to mark how they had
+      degenerated from that high standard which made the Irish gentleman of his
+      day the most polished man of Europe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If in appearance and manner they fell far short of those my memory
+      recalled, their conversation more markedly still displayed the long
+      interval between them. Here, of old, were retailed the latest news of the
+      debate,&mdash;the last brilliant thing of Grattan, or the last biting
+      retort of Flood; here came, hot from debate, the great champions of either
+      party to relax and recruit for fresh efforts; and in the groups that
+      gathered around them you might learn how great genius can diffuse its
+      influence and scatter intelligence around it,&mdash;as the Nile waters
+      spread plenty and abundance wherever they flow: high and noble sentiments,
+      holy aspirations and eloquent thoughts, made an atmosphere, to breathe
+      which was to feel an altered nature. But now a vapid mixture of conceit
+      and slang had usurped the place of these, and a tone of vulgar
+      self-sufficiency unhappily too much in keeping with the externals of those
+      who displayed it: the miserable contentions of different factions had
+      replaced the bolder strife of opposite parties, and provincialism had put
+      its stamp on everything. The nation, too, if I might trust my ears with
+      what fell around me, had lost all memory of its once great names, and new
+      candidates for popular favor figured in their places.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such were some of the changes I could mark, even as I sat. But my
+      attention was speedily drawn from them by a circumstance more nearly
+      concerning myself. This was the appearance in the coffee-room of the
+      gentleman who first addressed me in the street.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he passed round the room, followed by a person whose inferiority was
+      evident, he was recognized by most of those present, many of whom shook
+      him warmly by the hand, and pressed him to join their parties. But this he
+      declined, as he continued to walk slowly on, scrutinizing each face as he
+      went. At last I saw his eyes turn towards me. It was scarcely a glance, so
+      rapid was it, and so quickly were his looks directed to a different
+      quarter; but I could mark that he whispered something to a person who
+      followed, and then, after carelessly turning over a newspaper on the
+      table, sauntered from the room. As he did so, the shaggy head of the dwarf
+      newsvendor peeped in, and the great black eyes took a survey of the
+      coffee-room, till finally they settled on me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah!&rdquo; cried the fellow, with a strange blending of irony and compassion in
+      his voice; &ldquo;be gorra, I knew how it would be,&mdash;the major has ye!&rdquo; At
+      this a general laugh broke out from all present, and every eye was fixed
+      on me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile the follower had taken his place nearly opposite me at the
+      table, and was busily engaged examining a paper which he had taken from
+      his pocket.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May I ask, sir, if your name be Burke?&rdquo; said he, in a low voice, across
+      the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I started with amazement to hear my name pronounced where I believed
+      myself so completely a stranger, and in my astonishment, forgot to answer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was asking, sir&mdash;&rdquo; repeated he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, you are quite correct,&rdquo; interrupted I; &ldquo;that is my name. May I beg
+      to know, in return, for what purpose you make the inquiry?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thomas Burke, sir?&rdquo; continued he, inattentive to my observation, and
+      apparently about to write the name on the paper before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I nodded, and he wrote down the words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That saves a deal of trouble to all of us, sir,&rdquo; said he, as he finished
+      writing. &ldquo;This is a warrant for your arrest; but the major is quite
+      satisfied if you can give bail for your appearance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Arrest!&rdquo; repeated I; &ldquo;on what charge am I arrested?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You'll hear in the morning, I suppose,&rdquo; said he, quietly. &ldquo;What shall we
+      say about the bail? Have you any acquaintance or friend in town?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Neither; I am a perfect stranger here. But if you are authorized to
+      arrest me, I here surrender myself at once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time, several persons of the coffee-room had approached the table,
+      and among the rest the gentleman who so politely made way for me in the
+      crowd to reach the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it, Roche?&rdquo; said he, addressing the man at the table; &ldquo;a
+      warrant?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; for this gentleman here. But we can take bail, if he has it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have told you already that I am a stranger, and know no one here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The gentleman threw his eyes over the warrant, and then looking me
+      steadily in the face, muttered in a whisper to the officer, &ldquo;Why, he must
+      have been a boy, a mere child, at the time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very true, sir; but the major says it must be done. Maybe you'd bail him
+      yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words were added in a tone of half irony, as the fellow gave a sly
+      look beneath his eyelashes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, again,&rdquo; said I, impatient at the whole scene, &ldquo;I am quite
+      ready to accompany you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is this your name, sir?&rdquo; said the strange gentleman, addressing me, as he
+      pointed to the warrant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; interposed the officer, &ldquo;there's no doubt about that; he gave it
+      himself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, then, Roche,&rdquo; said he, cajolingly; &ldquo;these are not times for
+      undue strictness. Let the gentleman remain where he is to-night, and
+      to-morrow he will attend you. You can remain here, if you like, with him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you say so, I suppose we may do it,&rdquo; replied the officer, as he folded
+      up the paper, and arose from the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes; that's the proper course. And now,&rdquo; said he, addressing me,
+      &ldquo;will you permit me to join you while I finish this bottle of claret?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I could have no objection to so pleasant a proposal; and thus, for the
+      time at least, ended this disagreeable affair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0035" id="link2HCH0035">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXV. AN UNFORSEEN EVIL
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I perceive, sir,&rdquo; said the stranger, seating himself at my table, &ldquo;they
+      are desirous to restore an antiquated custom in regard to you. I thought
+      the day of indemnities was past and gone forever.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am ignorant to what you allude.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The authorities would make you out an emissary of France, sir,&mdash;as
+      if France had not enough on her hands already, without embroiling herself
+      in a quarrel from which no benefit could accrue; not to speak of the
+      little likelihood that any one on such an errand would take up his abode,
+      as you have, in the most public hotel of Dublin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no apprehensions as to any charges they may bring against me. I am
+      conscious of no crime, saving having left my country a boy, and returning
+      to it a man.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were in the service of France, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; since 1801 I have been a soldier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So long? You must have been but a mere boy when you quitted Ireland. How
+      have they connected you with the troubles of that period?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I hesitated for a second or two, uncertain what answer, if any, I should
+      return to this abrupt question. A glance at the manly and frank expression
+      of the stranger's face soon satisfied me that no unworthy curiosity had
+      prompted the inquiry; and I told him in a few words, how, as a child, the
+      opinions of the patriotic party had won me over to embark in a cause I
+      could neither fathom nor understand. I traced out rapidly the few leading
+      events of my early career down to the last evening I spent in Ireland.
+      When I came to this part of my story, the stranger became unusually
+      attentive, and more than once questioned me respecting the origin of my
+      quarrel with Crofts, and the timely appearance of Darby; of whose name and
+      character, however, I gave him no information, merely speaking of him as
+      an old and attached follower of my family.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since that period, then, you have not been in Ireland?&rdquo; said he, as I
+      concluded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never: nor had I any intention of returning until lately, when
+      circumstances induced me to leave the Emperor's service; and from very
+      uncertainty I came back here, without well knowing why.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course, then, you have never heard the catastrophe of your adventure
+      with Crofts. It was a lucky hit for him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so? I don't understand you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Simply this: Crofts was discovered in the morning, severely wounded,
+      where you left him; his account being, that he had been waylaid by a party
+      of rebels, who had obtained the countersign of the night, and passed the
+      sentry in various disguises. You yourself&mdash;for so, at least, I
+      surmise it must have been&mdash;were designated the prime mover of the
+      scheme, and a Government reward was offered for your apprehension. Crofts
+      was knighted, and appointed to the staff,&mdash;the reward of his loyalty
+      and courage; of the exact details of which my memory is unfortunately
+      little tenacious.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the truth of the occurrence was never known?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What I have told you is the only version current. I have reason to
+      remember so much of it, for I was then, and am still, one of the legal
+      advisers of the Crown, and was consulted on the case; of which, I confess,
+      I always had my misgivings. There was a rage, however, for rewarding
+      loyalty, as it was termed at the period, and the story went the round of
+      the papers. Now, I fancy Crofts would just as soon not see you back again;
+      he has made all he can of the adventure, and would as lief have it quietly
+      forgotten.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But can I suffer it to rest here? Is such an imputation to lie on my
+      character as he would cast on me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take no steps in the matter on that score: vindication is time enough
+      when the attack is made directly; besides, where should you find your
+      witness? where is the third party who could prove your innocence, and that
+      all you did was in self-defence? Without his testimony, your story would
+      go for nothing. No, no; be well satisfied if the charge is suffered to
+      sleep, which is not unlikely. Crofts would scarcely like to confess that
+      his antagonist was little more than a child; his prowess would gain
+      nothing by the avowal. Besides, the world goes well with him latterly; it
+      is but a month ago, I think, he succeeded unexpectedly to a large landed
+      property.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The stranger, whose name was M'Dougall, continued to talk for some time
+      longer; most kindly volunteered to advise me in the difficult position I
+      found myself; and having given me his address in town, wished me a
+      goodnight and departed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was to no purpose I laid my head on my pillow. Tired and fatigued as I
+      was, I could not sleep; the prospect of fresh troubles awaiting me made me
+      restless and feverish, and I longed for day to break, that I might
+      manfully confront whatever danger was before me, and oppose a stout heart
+      to the arrows of adverse fortune. My accidental meeting with the stranger
+      also reassured my courage; and I felt gratified to think that such <i>rencontres</i>
+      in life are the sunny spots which illumine our career in the world, the
+      harbingers of bright days to come.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This feeling was still more strongly impressed on me as I entered the
+      small room on the ground-floor at the Castle, where was the secretary's
+      office, and beheld M'Dougall seated in an armchair, reading the newspaper
+      of the day. I could not help connecting his presence there with some
+      kindly intention towards me, and already regarded him as my friend. Major
+      Barton stood at the secretary's side, and whispered from time to time in
+      his ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have before me certain information, sir,&rdquo; said the secretary,
+      addressing me, &ldquo;that you were connected with parties who took an active
+      part in the late rebellion in this country, and by them sent over to
+      France to negotiate co-operation and assistance from that quarter,&rdquo;
+       (Barton here whispered something, and the secretary resumed), &ldquo;and in
+      continuance of this scheme are at present here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have only to observe, sir, that I left Ireland a mere boy, when,
+      whatever my opinions might have been, they were, I suspect, of small
+      moment to his Majesty's Government; that I have served some years in the
+      French army, during which period I neither corresponded with any one here,
+      nor had intercourse with any from Ireland; and lastly, that I have come
+      back unaccredited by any party, not having, as I believe, a single
+      acquaintance in the island.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you still hold a commission in the French service?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir; I resigned my grade as captain some time since.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What were your reasons for that step?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They were of a purely personal nature, having no concern with politics of
+      any sort; I should, therefore, ask of you not to demand them. I can only
+      say, they reflect neither on my honor nor my loyalty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His loyalty! Would you ask him, sir, how he applies the term, and to what
+      sovereign and what government the obedience is rendered?&rdquo; said Barton,
+      with a half smile of malicious meaning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very true, Barton; the question is most pertinent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When I said loyalty, sir,&rdquo; said I, in answer, &ldquo;I confess I did not
+      express myself as clearly as I intended. I meant, however, that as an
+      Irishman, and a subject of his Majesty George the Third, as I now am, no
+      act of mine in the French service ever compromised me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, surely you fought against the allies of your own country?&rdquo;.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, sir. I speak only with reference to the direct interests of
+      England. I was the soldier of the Emperor, but never a spy under his
+      Government.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your name is amongst those who never claimed the indemnity? How is this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I never heard of it; I never knew such an act was necessary. I am not
+      guilty of any crime, nor do I see any reason to seek a favor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well; the gracious intentions of the Crown lead us to look
+      leniently on the past. A moderate bail for your appearance when called on,
+      and your own recognizances for the same object, will suffice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am quite willing to do the latter; but as to bail, I repeat it, I have
+      not one I could ask for such a service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No relative? no friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, young gentleman,&rdquo; said M'Dougall, speaking for the first
+      time; &ldquo;recollect yourself. Try if you can't remember some one who would
+      assist you at this conjuncture.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Basset was the only name I could think of; and however absurd the idea of
+      a service from such a quarter, I deemed that, as my brother's agent, he
+      would scarce refuse me. I thought that Barton gave a very peculiar grin as
+      I mentioned the name; but my own securities being entered into, and a few
+      formal questions answered, I was told I was at liberty to seek out the
+      bail required.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Once more in the streets, I turned my steps towards Basset's house, where
+      I hoped, at all events, to learn some tidings of my brother. I was not
+      long in arriving at the street, and speedily recognized the old house,
+      whose cobwebbed windows and unwashed look reminded me of former times. The
+      very sound of the heavy iron knocker awoke its train of recollections; and
+      when the door was opened, and I saw the narrow hall, with its cracked lamp
+      and damp, discolored walls, the whole heart-sinking with which they once
+      inspired me came back again, and I thought of Tony Basset when his very
+      name was a thing of terror to me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mr. Basset, I was told, was at court, and I was shown into the office to
+      await his return. The gloomy little den,&mdash;I knew it well, with its
+      dirty shelves of dirtier papers, its old tin boxes, and its rickety desk,
+      at which two meanly-dressed starveling youths were busy writing. They
+      turned a rapid glance towards me as I entered; and as they resumed their
+      occupation, I could hear a muttered remark upon my dress and appearance,
+      the purport of which I did not catch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I sat for some time patiently, expecting Basset's arrival, but as the time
+      stole by, I grew wearied with waiting, and determined on ascertaining, if
+      I might, from the clerks, some intelligence concerning my brother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you any business with Mr. Burke?&rdquo; said the youth I addressed, while
+      his features assumed an expression of vulgar jocularity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; was my brief reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wouldn't a letter do as well as a personal interview?&rdquo; said the other,
+      with an air of affected courtesy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps so,&rdquo; I replied, too deeply engaged in my own thoughts to mind
+      their flippant impertinence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then mind you direct your letter 'Churchyard, Loughrea;' or, if you want
+      to be particular, say 'Family vault.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0021" id="linkimage-0021">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/426.jpg" alt="426 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is he dead? Is George dead?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That's hard to say,&rdquo; interposed the other; &ldquo;but they've buried him,
+      that's certain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Like a stunning blow, the shock of this news left me unable to speak or
+      hear. A maze of confused thoughts crossed and jostled each other in my
+      brain, and I could neither collect myself nor listen to what was said
+      around me. My first clear memory was of a thousand little childish traits
+      of love which had passed between us. Tokens of affection long forgotten
+      now rushed freshly to my mind; and he whom a moment before I had condemned
+      as wanting in all brotherly feeling, I now sorrowed for with true grief.
+      The low and vulgar insolence of the speakers made no impression on me; and
+      when, in answer to my questions, they narrated the manner of his death,&mdash;a
+      fever contracted after some debauch at Oxford,&mdash;I only heard the
+      tidings, but did not notice the unfeeling tone it was conveyed in.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My brother dead! the only one of kith or kindred belonging to me. How
+      slight the tie seemed but a few moments back! what would I not give for it
+      now? Then, for the first time, did I know how the heart can heap up its
+      stores of consolation in secrecy, and how unconsciously the mind can dwell
+      on hopes it has never confessed even to itself. How I fancied to myself
+      our meeting, and thought over the long pent-up affection years of absence
+      had accumulated, now flowing in a gushing stream from heart to heart I The
+      grave is indeed hallowed when the grass of the churchyard can cover all
+      memory save that of love. We dwell on every good gift of the lost one, as
+      though no unworthy thought could cross that little mound of earth, the
+      barrier between two worlds. Sad and sorrow-struck, I covered my face with
+      my hands, and did not notice that Mr. Basset had entered, and taken his
+      place at the desk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His voice, every harsh tone of which I well remembered, first made me
+      aware of his presence. I lifted my eyes, and there he stood, little
+      changed indeed since I had seen him last. The hard lines about the mouth
+      had grown deeper, the brow more furrowed, and the hair more mixed with
+      gray, but in other respects he was the same. As I gazed at him I could not
+      help fancying that time makes less impression on men of coarse, unfeeling
+      mould, than on natures of a finer temper. The world's changes leave no
+      trace on the stern surface of the one, while they are wearing deep tracks
+      of sorrow in the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Insert the advertisement again, Simms,&rdquo; said he, addressing one of the
+      clerks, &ldquo;and let it appear in some paper of the seaport towns. Among the
+      Flemish or French smugglers who frequent them, there might be some one to
+      give the information. They must be able to show that though Thomas Burke&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I started at the sound of my name. The motion surprised him; he looked
+      round and perceived me. Quick and piercing as his glance was, I could not
+      trace any sign of recognition; although, as he scanned my features, and
+      suffered his eyes to wander over my dress, I perceived that his was no
+      mere chance or cursory observation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, sir,&rdquo; said he, at length, &ldquo;is your business here with me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but I would speak with you in private.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come in here, then. Meanwhile, Sam, make out that deed; for we may go on
+      without the proof of demise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Few and vague as the words were, their real meaning flashed on me, and I
+      perceived that Mr. Basset was engaged in the search of some evidence of my
+      death, doubtless to enable the heir-at-law to succeed to the estates of my
+      brother. The moment the idea struck me, I felt assured of its certainty,
+      and at once determined on the plan I should adopt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have inserted an advertisement regarding a Mr. Burke,&rdquo; said I, as
+      soon as the door was closed, and we were alone together. &ldquo;What are the
+      particular circumstances of which you desire proof?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The place, date, and manner of his death,&rdquo; replied he, slowly; &ldquo;for
+      though informed that such occurred abroad, an authentic evidence of the
+      fact will save some trouble. Circumstances to identify the individual with
+      the person we mean, of course, must be offered; showing whence he came,
+      his probable age, and so on. For this intelligence I am prepared to pay
+      liberally; at least a hundred pounds may be thought so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is a question of succession to some property, I have heard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but the information is not of such moment as you may suppose,&rdquo;
+       replied he, quickly, and with the wariness of his calling anticipating the
+      value I might be disposed to place on my intelligence. &ldquo;We are satisfied
+      with the fact of the death; and even were it otherwise, the individual
+      most concerned is little likely to disprove the belief, his own reasons
+      will probably keep him from visiting Ireland.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed!&rdquo; I exclaimed, the word escaping my lips ere I could check its
+      utterance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Even so,&rdquo; resumed he. &ldquo;But this, of course, has no interest for you. Your
+      accent bespeaks you a foreigner. Have you any information to offer on this
+      matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; if we speak of the same individual, who may have left this country
+      about 1800 as a boy of some fourteen years of age, and entered the 'École
+      Polytechnique' of Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like enough. Continue, if you please; what became of him afterwards?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He joined the French service, attained the rank of captain, and then left
+      the army; came back to Ireland, and now, sir, stands before you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mr. Basset never changed a muscle of his face as I made this declaration.
+      So unmoved, so stolid was his look, that for a moment or two I believed
+      him incredulous of my story. But this impression soon gave way, as with
+      his eyes bent on me he said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I knew you, sir, I knew you the moment I passed you in the office
+      without; but it might have fared ill with you to have let my recognition
+      appear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As how? I do not understand you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My clerks there might have given information for the sake of the reward;
+      and once in Newgate, there was an end to all negotiation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must speak more intelligibly, sir, if you wish me to comprehend you.
+      I am unaware of any circumstance which should threaten me with such a
+      fate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you forgotten Captain Crofts,&mdash;Montague Crofts?&rdquo; said Basset,
+      in a low whisper, while a smile of insulting malice crossed his features.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; I remember him well. What of him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What of him! He charges you with a capital felony,&mdash;a crime for
+      which the laws have little pity here, whatever your French habits may have
+      taught you to regard it. Yes; the attempt to assassinate an officer in his
+      Majesty's service, when foiled by him in an effort to seduce the soldiery,
+      is an offence which might have a place in your memory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can the man be base enough to make such a charge as this against me,&mdash;a
+      boy, as I then was?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were not alone; remember that fact.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True; and most thankful am I for it. There is one, at least, can prove my
+      innocence, if I can but discover him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will find that a matter of some difficulty. Your worthy friend and
+      early preceptor was transported five years since.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor fellow! I could better bear to hear that he was dead.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are many of your opinion on that head,&rdquo; said Basset, with a savage
+      grin. &ldquo;But the fellow was too cunning for all the lawyers, and his
+      conviction at last was only effected by a stratagem.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A stratagem!&rdquo; exclaimed I, in amazement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was neither more nor less. Darby was arraigned four several times, but
+      always acquitted. Now it was defective evidence; now a lenient jury; now
+      an informal indictment: but so was it, he escaped the meshes of the law,
+      though every one knew him guilty of a hundred offences. At last Major
+      Barton resolved on another expedient. Darby was arrested in Ennis; thrown
+      into jail; kept four weeks in a dark cell, on prison fare; and at the end,
+      one morning the hangman appeared to say his hour was come, and that the
+      warrant for his execution had arrived. It was to take place, without judge
+      or jury, within the four walls of the jail. The scheme succeeded; his
+      courage fell, and he offered, if his life was spared, to plead guilty to
+      any transportable felony for which the grand Jury would send up true
+      bills. He did so, and was then undergoing the sentence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Great heavens! and can such iniquity be tolerated in a land where men
+      call themselves Christians?&rdquo; exclaimed I, as I heard this to the end.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Iniquity!&rdquo; repeated he, in mockery; &ldquo;to rid the country of a ruffian,
+      stained with every crime,&mdash;a fellow mixed up in every outrage in the
+      land? Is this your notion of iniquity? Not so do I reckon it. And if I
+      have told you of it now, it is that you may learn that when loyal and
+      well-affected men are trusted with the execution of the laws, the
+      principle of justice is of more moment than the nice distinction of legal
+      subtleties. You may learn a lesson from it worth acquiring.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I! how can it affect me or my fortunes?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;More nearly than you think. I have told you of the accusation which hangs
+      over your head; weigh it well, and deliberate what are your chances of
+      escape. We must not waste time in discussing your innocence. The jury who
+      will try the cause will be more difficult of belief than you suspect;
+      neither the opinions you are charged with, your subsequent escape, nor
+      your career in France, will contribute to your exculpation, even had you
+      evidence to adduce in your favor. But you have not; your only witness is
+      equally removed as by death itself. On what do you depend, then? Conscious
+      innocence! Nine out of every ten who mount the scaffold proclaim the same;
+      but I never heard that the voice that cried it stifled the word 'guilty.'
+      No, sir; I tell you solemnly, you will be condemned!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The tone of his voice as he spoke the last few words made my very blood
+      run cold. The death of a soldier on the field of battle had no terrors for
+      me; but the execrated fate of a felon I could not confront. The pallor of
+      my cheek, the trembling of my limbs, must have betrayed my emotion; for
+      even Basset seemed to pity me, and pressed me down into a chair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is one way, however, to avoid all the danger,&rdquo; said he, after a
+      pause; &ldquo;an easy and a certain way both. You have heard of the
+      advertisements for information respecting your death, which it was
+      surmised had occurred abroad. Now you are unknown here,&mdash;without a
+      single acquaintance to recognize or remember you; why should not you,
+      under another name, come forward with these proofs? By so doing, you
+      secure your own escape and can claim the reward.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! perjure myself that I may forfeit my inheritance!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As to the inheritance,&rdquo; said he, sneeringly, &ldquo;your tenure does not
+      promise a very long enjoyment of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Were it but a day,&mdash;an hour!&rdquo; exclaimed I, passionately; &ldquo;I will
+      make no compromise with my honor. On their own heads be it who sentence an
+      innocent man to death; better such, even on a scaffold, than a life of
+      ignominy and vain regret.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The dark hours of a jail change men's sentiments wonderfully,&rdquo; said he,
+      slowly. &ldquo;I have known some who faced death in its wildest and most
+      appalling shape, shrink from it like cowards when it came in the guise of
+      a common executioner. Come, sir, be advised by me; reflect at least on
+      what I have said, and if there be any path in life where a moderate sum
+      may assist you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Peace, sir! I beg of you to be silent. It may be that your counsel is
+      prompted by kindly feeling towards me; but if you would have me think so,
+      say no more of this,&mdash;my mind is made up.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wait until to-morrow, in any case; perhaps some other plan may suggest
+      itself. What say you to America? Have you any objection to go there?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Had you asked me the question an hour since, I had replied, 'None
+      whatever.' Now it is different; my departure would be like the flight of a
+      guilty man. I cannot do it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Better the flight than the fate of one,&rdquo; muttered Basset between his
+      teeth, while at the same instant the sound of voices talking loudly
+      together was heard in the hall without.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Think again, before it is too late. Remember what I have told you. Your
+      opinions, your career, your associates, are not such as to recommend you
+      to the favorable consideration of a jury. Is your case strong enough to
+      oppose all these? Sir Montague will make liberal terms; he has no desire
+      to expose the calamities of a family.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir Montague!&mdash;of whom do you speak?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir Montague Crofts,&rdquo; said Basset, reddening, for he had unwittingly
+      suffered the name to escape his lips. &ldquo;Are you ignorant that he is your
+      relative? a distant one, it is true, but your nearest of kin
+      notwithstanding.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the heir to the estate?&rdquo; said I, suddenly, as anew light flashed on
+      my mind; &ldquo;the heir, in the event of my life lapsing?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Basset nodded an assent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You played a deep game, sir,&rdquo; said I, drawing a long breath; &ldquo;but you
+      never were near winning it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor you either,&rdquo; said he, throwing wide the door between the two rooms;
+      &ldquo;I hear a voice without there, that settles the question forever.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the same instant, Major Barton entered, followed by two men.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I suspected I should find you here, sir,&rdquo; said he, addressing me. &ldquo;You
+      need scarcely trouble my worthy friend for his bail; I arrest you now
+      under a warrant of felony.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A felony!&rdquo; exclaimed Basset, with a counterfeited astonishment in his
+      look. &ldquo;Mr. Burke accused of such a crime!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I could not utter a word; indignation and shame overpowered me, and merely
+      motioning with my hand that I was ready to accompany him, I followed to
+      the door, at which a carriage was standing, getting into which we drove
+      towards Newgate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0036" id="link2HCH0036">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVI. THE PERIL AVERTED
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      If I have dwelt with unnecessary prolixity on this dark portion of my
+      story, it is because the only lesson my life teaches has lain in similar
+      passages. The train of evils which flows from one misdirection in early
+      life,&mdash;the misfortunes which ensue from a single false and
+      inconsiderate step,&mdash;frequently darken the whole subsequent career.
+      This I now thought over in the solitude of my cell. However I could acquit
+      myself of the crime laid to my charge, I could not so easily absolve my
+      heart of the early folly which made me suppose that the regeneration of a
+      land should be accomplished by the efforts of a sanguinary and bigoted
+      rabble. To this error could I trace every false step I made in life,&mdash;to
+      this cause attribute the long struggle I endured between my love of
+      liberty and my detestation of mob rule; and yet how many years did it cost
+      me to learn, that to alleviate the burdens of the oppressed may demand a
+      greater exercise of tyranny than ever their rulers practised towards them.
+      Like many others, I looked to France as the land of freedom; but where was
+      despotism so unbounded! where the sway of one great mind so unlimited!
+      They had bartered liberty for equality, and because the pressure was equal
+      on all, they deemed themselves free; while the privileges of class with us
+      suggested the sense of bondage to the poor man, whose actual freedom was
+      yet unencumbered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Of all the daydreams of my boyhood, the ambition of military glory alone
+      survived; and that lived on amid the dreary solitude of my prison,
+      comforting many a lonely hour by memories of the past. The glittering
+      ranks of the mounted squadrons; the deep-toned thunder of the artillery;
+      the solid masses of the infantry, immovable beneath the rush of cavalry,&mdash;were
+      pictures I could dwell on for hours and days, and my dearest wish could
+      point to no higher destiny than to be once more a soldier in the ranks of
+      France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During all this time my mind seldom reverted to the circumstances of my
+      imprisonment, nor did I feel the anxiety for the result my position might
+      well have suggested. The conscious sense of my innocence kept the flame of
+      hope alive, without suffering it either to flicker or vary. It burned like
+      a steady fire within me, and made even the dark cells of a jail a place of
+      repose and tranquillity. And thus time rolled on: the hours of pleasure
+      and happiness to thousands, too short and flitting for the enjoyments they
+      brought. They went by also to the prisoner, as to one who waits on the
+      bank of the stream, nor knows what fortune may await him on his voyage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A stubborn feeling of conscious right had prevented my taking even the
+      ordinary steps for my defence, and the day of trial was now drawing nigh
+      without any preparation on my part. I was ignorant how essential the
+      habits and skill of an advocate are in the conduct of every case, however
+      simple; and implicitly relied on my guiltlessness, as though men can read
+      the heart of a prisoner and know its workings. M'Dougall, the only member
+      of the bar I knew even by name, had accepted a judicial appointment in
+      India, and was already on his way thither, so that I had neither friend
+      nor adviser in my difficulty. Were it otherwise, I felt I could scarcely
+      have bent my pride to that detail of petty circumstances which an advocate
+      might deem essential to my vindication; and was actually glad to think
+      that I should owe the assertion of my innocence to nothing less than the
+      pure fact.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When November at length arrived, I learned that the trial had been
+      deferred to the following February; and so listless and indifferent had
+      imprisonment made me, that I heard the intelligence without impatience or
+      regret. The publicity of a court of justice, its exposure to the gaze and
+      observation of the crowd who throng there, were subjects of more shrinking
+      dread to my heart than the weight of an accusation which, though false,
+      might peril my life; and for the first time I rejoiced that I was
+      friendless. Yes! it brought balm and comfort to me to think that none
+      would need to blush at my relationship nor weep over my fate. Sorrow has
+      surely eaten deeply into our natures, when we derive pleasure and peace
+      from what in happier circumstances are the sources of regret.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let me now hasten on. My reader will readily forgive me if I pass with
+      rapid steps over a portion of my story, the memory of which has not yet
+      lost its bitterness. The day at last came; and amid all the ceremonies of
+      a prison I was marched from my cell to the dock. How strange the sudden
+      revolution of feeling,&mdash;from the solitude and silence of a jail to
+      the crowded court, teeming with looks of eager curiosity, dread, or
+      perhaps compassion, all turned towards him, who himself, half forgetful of
+      his condition, gazes on the great mass in equal astonishment and surprise!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My thoughts at once recurred to a former moment of my life, when I stood
+      accused among the Chouan prisoners before the tribunal of Paris. But
+      though the proceedings were less marked by excitement and passion, the
+      stern gravity of the English procedure was far more appalling; and in the
+      absence of all which could stir the spirit to any effort of its own, it
+      pressed with a more solemn dread on the mind of the prisoner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have said I would not linger over this part of my life. I could not do
+      so if I would. Real events, and the impressions they made upon me,&mdash;facts,
+      and the passing emotions of my mind,&mdash;are strangely confused and
+      commingled in my memory; and although certain minute and trivial things
+      are graven in my recollection, others of moment have escaped me
+      unrecorded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The usual ceremonial went forward: the jury were impanelled, and the clerk
+      of the Crown read aloud the indictment, to which my plea of &ldquo;Not guilty&rdquo;
+       was at once recorded; then the judge asked if I were provided with
+      counsel, and hearing that I was not, appointed a junior barrister to act
+      for me, and the trial began.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was not the first person who, accused of a crime of which he felt
+      innocent, yet was so overwhelmed by the statements of imputed guilt,&mdash;so
+      confused by the inextricable web of truth and falsehood, artfully
+      entangled.&mdash;that he actually doubted his own convictions when opposed
+      to views so strongly at variance with them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The first emotion of the prisoner is a feeling of surprise to discover,
+      that one utterly a stranger&mdash;the lawyer he has perhaps never seen,
+      whose name he never so much as heard of&mdash;is perfectly conversant with
+      his own history, and as it were by intuition seems acquainted with his
+      very thoughts and motives. Tracing out not only a line of acting but of
+      devising, he conceives a story of which the accused is the hero, and
+      invests his narrative with all the appliances to belief which result from
+      time and place and circumstance. No wonder that the very accusation should
+      strike terror into the soul; no wonder that the statement of guilt should
+      cause heart-sinking to him who, conscious that all is not untrue, may feel
+      that his actions can be viewed in another and very different light to that
+      which conscience sheds over them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such, so far as I remember, was the channel of my thoughts. At first mere
+      astonishment at the accuracy of detail regarding my name, age, and
+      condition in life, was uppermost; and then succeeded a sense of indignant
+      anger at the charges laid against me; which yielded gradually to a feeling
+      of confusion as the advocate continued; which again merged into a sort of
+      dubious fear as I heard many trivial facts repeated, some of which my
+      refreshed memory acknowledged as true, but of which my puzzled brain could
+      not detect the inapplicability to sustain the accusation,&mdash;all ending
+      in a chaos of bewilderment, where conscience itself was lost, and nothing
+      left to guide or direct the reason.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The counsel informed the jury that, although they were not placed in the
+      box to try me on any charge of a political offence, they must bear in
+      mind, that the murderous assault of which I was accused was merely part of
+      a system organized to overthrow the Government; that, young as I then was,
+      I was in intimate connection with the disaffected party which the mistaken
+      leniency of the Crown had not thoroughly eradicated on the termination of
+      the late rebellion, my constant companion being one whose crimes were
+      already undergoing their but too merciful punishment in transportation for
+      life; that, to tamper with the military, I had succeeded in introducing
+      myself into the barrack, where I obtained the confidence of a weak-minded
+      but good-natured officer of the regiment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These schemes,&rdquo; continued he, &ldquo;were but partially successful. My
+      distinguished client was then an officer of the corps; and with that
+      ever-watchful loyalty which has distinguished him, he determined to keep a
+      vigilant eye on this intruder, who, from circumstances of youth and
+      apparent innocence, already had won upon the confidence of the majority of
+      the regiment. Nor was this impression a false one. An event, apparently
+      little likely to unveil a treasonable intention, soon unmasked the true
+      character of the prisoner and the nature of his mission.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He then proceeded to narrate with circumstantial accuracy the night in the
+      George's Street barracks, when Hilliard, Crofts, and some others came with
+      Bubbleton to his quarters to decide a wager between two of the parties.
+      Calling the attention of the jury to this part of the case, he detailed
+      the scene which occurred; and, if I could trust my memory, not a phrase,
+      not a word escaped him which had been said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was then, gentlemen,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;at that instant, that the prisoner's
+      habitual caution failed him, and in an unguarded moment developed the full
+      story of his guilt. Captain Bubbleton lost his wager, of which my client
+      was the winner. The habits of the service are peremptory in these matters;
+      it was necessary that payment should be made at once. Bubbleton had not
+      the means of discharging his debt, and while he looked around among his
+      comrades for assistance, the prisoner steps forward and supplies the sum.
+      Mark what followed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A sudden call of service now summoned the officers beneath; all save
+      Crofts, who, not being on duty, had no necessity for accompanying them.
+      The bank-note so opportunely furnished by the prisoner lay on the table;
+      and this Crofts proceeded leisurely to open and examine before he left the
+      room. Slowly unfolding the paper, he spread it out before him; and what,
+      think you, gentlemen, did the paper display? A Bank of England bill for
+      twenty pounds, you'll say, of course. Far from it, indeed! The paper was a
+      French assignat, bearing the words, 'Payez au porteur la somme de deux
+      mille livres.' Yes; the sum so carelessly thrown on the table by this
+      youth was an order for eighty pounds, issued by the French Government.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remember the period, gentlemen, when this occurred. We had just passed
+      the threshold of a most fearful and sanguinary rebellion,&mdash;the
+      tranquillity of the land scarce restored after a convulsion that shook the
+      very constitution and the throne to their centres. The interference of
+      France in the affairs of the country had not been a mere threat; her ships
+      had sailed, her armies had landed, and though the bravery and the loyalty
+      of our troops had made the expedition result in utter defeat and
+      overthrow, the emissaries of the land of anarchy yet lingered on our
+      shores, and disseminated that treason in secret which openly they dared
+      not proclaim. If they were sparing of their blood, they were lavish of
+      their gold; what they failed in courage they supplied in assignats. Large
+      promises of gain, rich offers of booty, were rife throughout the land; and
+      wherever disaffection lurked or rebellion lingered, the enemy of England
+      found congenial allies. Nothing too base, nothing too low, for this
+      confederacy of crime; neither was anything too lowly in condition or too
+      humble in efficiency. Treason cannot choose its agents; it must take the
+      tools which chance and circumstances offer: they may be the refuse of
+      mankind, but if inefficient for good, they are not the less active for
+      evil. Such a one was the youth who now stands a prisoner before you, and
+      here was the price of his disloyalty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words he held up triumphantly the French assignat, and waved it
+      before the eyes of the court. However little the circumstances weighed
+      within me, such was the impression manifestly produced upon the jury by
+      this piece of corroborative evidence, that a thrill of anxiety for the
+      result ran suddenly through me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Until that moment I believed Darby had repossessed himself of the assignat
+      when Crofts lay insensible on the ground; at least I remembered well that
+      he stooped over him and appeared to take something from him. While I was
+      puzzling my mind on this point, I did not remark that the lawyer was
+      proceeding to impress on the jury the full force of conviction such a
+      circumstance implied.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The offer I had made to Crofts to barter the assignat for an English note;
+      my urgent entreaty to have it restored to me; the arguments I had employed
+      to persuade him that no suspicion could attach to my possession of it,&mdash;were
+      all narrated with so little of exaggeration that I was actually unable to
+      say what assertion I could object to, while I was conscious that the
+      inferences sought to be drawn from them were false and unjust.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having displayed with consummate skill the critical position this paper
+      had involved me in, he took the opportunity of contrasting the anxiety I
+      evinced for my escape from my difficulty, with the temperate conduct of my
+      antagonist, whose loyalty left him no other course than to retain
+      possession of the note, and inquire into the circumstances by which it
+      reached my hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Irritated by the steady determination of Crofts, it was said that I
+      endeavored by opprobrious epithets and insulting language to provoke a
+      quarrel, which a sense of my inferiority as an antagonist rendered a thing
+      impossible to be thought of. Baffled in every way, I was said to have
+      rushed from the room, double-locking it on the outside, and hurried down
+      the stairs and out of the barrack; not to escape, however, but with a
+      purpose very different,&mdash;to return in a few moments accompanied by
+      three fellows, whom I passed with the guard as men wishing to recruit. To
+      ascend the stairs, unlock the door, and fall on the imprisoned officer,
+      was the work of an instant. His defence, although courageous and resolute,
+      was but brief. His sword being broken, he was felled by a blow of a
+      bludgeon, and thus believed dead. The ruffians ransacked his pockets, and
+      departed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The same countersign which admitted, passed them out as they went; and
+      when morning broke the wounded man was found weltering in his blood, but
+      with life still remaining, and strength enough to recount what had
+      occurred. By a mere accident, it was stated, the French bank-note had not
+      been consigned to his pocket, but fell during the struggle, and was
+      discovered the next day on the floor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These were the leading features of an accusation, which, however
+      improbable while thus briefly and boldly narrated, hung together with a
+      wonderful coherence in the speech of the lawyer, supported as they were by
+      the number of small circumstances corroboratory of certain immaterial
+      portions of the story. Thus, the political opinions I professed; the
+      doubtful&mdash;nay, equivocal&mdash;position I occupied; the intercourse
+      with France or Frenchmen, as proved by the <i>billet de banque</i>; my
+      sudden disappearance after the event, and my escape thither, where I
+      continued to live until, as it was alleged, I believed that years had
+      eradicated all trace of, if not my crime, myself,&mdash;such were the
+      statements displayed with all the specious inferences of habitual
+      plausibility, and to confirm which by evidence Sir Montague Crofts was
+      called to give his testimony.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a murmur of expectancy through the court as this well-known
+      individual's name was pronounced; and in a few moments the throng around
+      the inner bar opened, and a tall figure appeared upon the witness table.
+      The same instant that I caught sight of his features he had turned his
+      glance on me, and we stood for some seconds confronting each other. Mutual
+      defiance seemed the gage between us; and I saw, with a thrill of savage
+      pleasure, that after a minute or so his cheek flushed, and he averted his
+      face and appeared ill at ease and uncomfortable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To the first questions of the lawyer he answered with evident constraint,
+      and in a low, subdued voice; but soon recovering his self-possession, gave
+      his testimony freely and boldly, corroborating by his words all the
+      statements of his advocate. By both the court and the jury he was heard
+      with attention and deference; and when he took a passing occasion to
+      allude to his loyalty and attachment to the constitution, the senior judge
+      interrupted him by saying,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On that point, Sir Montague, no second opinion can exist. Your character
+      for unimpeachable honor is well known to the court.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The examination was brief, lasting scarcely half an hour; and when the
+      young lawyer came forward to put some questions as cross-examination, his
+      want of instruction and ignorance were at once seen, and the witness was
+      dismissed almost immediately.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sir Montague's advocate declined calling any other witness. The regiment
+      to which his client then belonged was on foreign service; but he felt
+      satisfied that the case required nothing in addition to the evidence the
+      jury had heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few moments of deliberation ensued among the members of the bench; and
+      then the senior judge called on my lawyer to proceed with the defence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The young barrister rose with diffidence, and expressed in few words his
+      inability to rebut the statements that had been made by any evidence in
+      his power to produce. &ldquo;The prisoner, my lord,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;has confided
+      nothing to me of his case. I am ignorant of everything, save what has
+      taken place in open court.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true, my lord,&rdquo; said I, interrupting. &ldquo;The facts of this unhappy
+      circumstance are known but to three individuals. You have already heard
+      the version which one of them has given; you shall now hear mine. The
+      third, whose testimony might incline the balance in my favor, is, I am
+      told, no longer in this country; and I have only to discharge the debt I
+      feel due to myself and to my own honor, by narrating the real occurrence,
+      and leave the issue in your hands, to deal with as your consciences may
+      dictate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With the steadiness of purpose truth inspires, and in few words, I
+      narrated the whole of my adventure with Crofts, down to the moment of
+      Darby's sudden appearance. I told of what passed between us; and how the
+      altercation, that began in angry words, terminated in a personal struggle,
+      where, as the weaker, I was overcome, and lay beneath the weapon of my
+      antagonist, by which already I had received a severe and dangerous wound.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should hesitate here, my lords,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;before I spoke of one who
+      then came to my aid, if I did not know that he is already removed by a
+      heavy sentence, both from the penalty his gallant conduct might call down
+      on him, and the enmity which the prosecutor would as certainly pursue him
+      with. But he is beyond the reach of either, and I may speak of him
+      freely.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I then told of Darby's appearance that night in the barrack, disguised as
+      a ballad-singer; how in this capacity he passed the sentry, and was
+      present in the room when the officers entered to decide the wager; that he
+      had quitted it soon after their arrival, and only returned on hearing the
+      noise of the scuffle between Crofts and myself. The struggle itself I
+      remembered but imperfectly, but so far as my memory bore me out,
+      recapitulated to the court.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will relate, my lords,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;the few events which followed,&mdash;not
+      that they can in any wise corroborate the plain statement I have made, nor
+      indeed that they bear, save remotely, on the events mentioned; but I will
+      do so in the hope,&mdash;a faint hope it is,&mdash;that in this court
+      there might be found some one person who could add his testimony to mine,
+      and say, 'This is true; to that I can myself bear witness.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With this brief preface, I told how Darby had brought me to a house in an
+      obscure street, in which a man, apparently dying, was stretched upon a
+      miserable bed; that while my wound was being dressed, a car came to the
+      door with the intention of conveying the sick man away somewhere. This,
+      however, was deemed impossible, so near did his last hour appear; and in
+      his place I was taken off, and placed on board the vessel bound for
+      France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of my career in that country it is needless that I should speak; it can
+      neither throw light upon the events which preceded it, nor have any
+      interest for the court My commission as a captain of the Imperial Hussars
+      may, however, testify the position that I occupied; while the certificate
+      of the minister of war on the back will show that I quitted the service
+      voluntarily, and with honor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The court would advise you, sir,&rdquo; said the judge, &ldquo;not to advert to
+      circumstances which, while they contribute nothing to your exculpation,
+      may have a very serious effect on the minds of the jury against you. Have
+      you any witnesses to call?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;None, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A pause of some minutes ensued, when the only sounds in the court were the
+      whispering tones of Crofts's voice, as he said something into his
+      counsel's ear. The lawyer rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My task, my lords,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;is a short one. Indeed, in all probability,
+      I need not trouble either your lordships or the jury with an additional
+      word on a case where the evidence so conclusively establishes the guilt of
+      the accused, and where attempt to contradict it has been so abortive.
+      Never, perhaps, was a story narrated within the walls of a court so full
+      of improbable&mdash;might I not almost say impossible&mdash;events, as
+      that of the prisoner.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He then recapitulated, with rapid but accurate detail, the principal
+      circumstances of my story, bestowing some brief comment on each as he
+      went. He sneered at the account of the struggle, and turned the whole
+      description of the contest with Crofts into ridicule,&mdash;calling on the
+      jury to bestow a glance on the manly strength and vigorous proportions of
+      his client, and then remember the age of his antagonist,&mdash;a boy of
+      fourteen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I forgot, gentlemen (I ask your pardon), he confesses to one ally,&mdash;this
+      famous piper. I really did hope that was a name we had done with forever.
+      I indulged the dream, that among the memories of an awful period this was
+      never to recur; but unhappily the expectation was delusive. The fellow is
+      brought once more before us; and perhaps, for the first time in his long
+      life of iniquity, charged with a crime he did not commit.&rdquo; In a few
+      sentences he explained that a large reward was at that very moment offered
+      for the apprehension of Darby, who never would have ventured under any
+      disguise to approach the capital, much less trust himself within the walls
+      of a barrack.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The tissue of wild and inconsistent events which the prisoner has
+      detailed as following the assault, deserves no attention at my hands.
+      Where was this house? What was the street? Who was this doctor of which he
+      speaks? And the sick man, how was he called?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I remember his name well; it is the only one I remember among all I
+      heard,&rdquo; said I, from the dock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us hear it, then,&rdquo; said the lawyer, half contemptuously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Daniel Fortescue was the name he was called by.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely was the name uttered by me, when Crofts leaned back in his seat
+      and became pale as death; while, stretching out his hand, he took hold of
+      the lawyer's gown and drew him towards him. For a second or two he
+      continued to speak with rapid utterance in the advocate's ear; and then
+      covering his face with his handkerchief, leaned his head on the rail
+      before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is necessary, my lords,&rdquo; said the lawyer, &ldquo;that I should explain the
+      reason of my client's emotion, and at the same time unveil the baseness
+      which has dictated this last effort of the prisoner, if not to injure the
+      reputation, to wound the feelings, of my client. The individual whose name
+      has been mentioned was the half brother of my client; and whose unhappy
+      connection with the disastrous events of the year '98 involved him in a
+      series of calamities which ended in his death, which took place in the
+      year 1800, but some months earlier than the circumstance which we now are
+      investigating. The introduction of this unhappy man's name was, then, a
+      malignant effort of the prisoner to insult the feelings of my client, on
+      which your lordships and the jury will place its true value.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A murmur of disapprobation ran through the crowded court as these words
+      were spoken; but whether directed against me or against the comment of the
+      lawyer I could not determine; nor, such was the confusion I then felt,
+      could I follow the remainder of the advocate's address with anything like
+      clearness. At last he concluded; and the chief justice, after a whispered
+      conversation with his brethren of the bench, thus began:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen of the jury, the case which you have this day to try, to my
+      mind presents but one feature of doubt and difficulty. The great fact for
+      your consideration is, to determine to which of two opposite and
+      conflicting testimonies you will accord your credence. On the one side you
+      have the story of the prosecutor, a man of position and character, high in
+      the confidence of honorable men, and invested with all the attributes of
+      rank and station; on the other, you have a narrative strongly coherent in
+      some parts, equally difficult to account for in others, given by the
+      prisoner, whose life, even by his own showing, has none of those
+      recommendations to your good opinions which are based on loyalty and
+      attachment to the constitution of these realms. Both testimonies are
+      unsupported by any collateral evidence. The prosecutor's regiment is in
+      India, and the only witnesses he could adduce are many thousand miles off.
+      The prisoner appeals also to the absent, but with less of reason; for if
+      we could call this man, M'Keown, before us,&mdash;if, I say, we had this
+      same Darby M'Keown in court&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A tremendous uproar in the hall without drowned the remainder of the
+      sentence; and although the crier loudly proclaimed silence, and the bench
+      twice interposed its authority to enforce it, the tumult continued, and
+      eventually extended within the court itself, where all semblance of
+      respect seemed suddenly annihilated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If this continues one moment longer,&rdquo; exclaimed the chief justice, &ldquo;I
+      will commit to Newgate the very first disorderly person I can discover.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The threat, however, did but partially calm the disturbance, which, in a
+      confused murmur, prevailed from the benches of the counsel to the very
+      galleries of the court.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What means this?&rdquo; said the judge, in a voice of anger. &ldquo;Who is it that
+      dares to interfere with the administration of justice here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A witness,&mdash;a witness, my lord,&rdquo; called out several voices from the
+      passage of the court; while a crowd pushed violently forward, and came
+      struggling onwards till the leading figures were pressed over the inner
+      bar.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Again the judge repeated his question, while he made a signal for the
+      officer of the court to approach him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Tis me, my lord,&rdquo; shouted a deep-toned voice from the middle of the
+      crowd. &ldquo;Your lordship was asking for Darby M'Keown, and it isn't himself's
+      ashamed of the name!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A perfect yell of approval broke from the ragged mob, which now filled
+      every avenue and passage of the court, and even jammed up the stairs and
+      the entrance halls. And now, raised upon the shoulders of the crowd, Darby
+      appeared, borne aloft in triumph; his broad and daring face, bronzed with
+      sun and weather, glowed with a look of reckless effrontery, which no awe
+      of the court nor any fear for himself was able to repress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Of my own sensations while this scene was enacting I need not speak; and
+      as I gazed at the weather-beaten features of the hardy piper, it demanded
+      every effort of my reason to believe in the testimony of my eyesight. Had
+      he come back from death itself the surprise would scarcely have been
+      greater. Meanwhile the tumult was allayed; and the lawyers on either side&mdash;for,
+      now that a glimmer of hope appeared, my advocate had entered with spirit
+      on his duties&mdash;were discussing the admissibility of evidence at the
+      present stage of the proceedings. This point being speedily established in
+      my favor, another and a graver question arose: how far the testimony of a
+      convicted felon&mdash;for such the lawyer at once called Darby&mdash;could
+      be received as evidence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Cases were quoted and authorities shown to prove that such cannot be heard
+      as witnesses,&mdash;that they are among those whom the law pronounces
+      infamous and unworthy of credit; and while the lawyer continued to pour
+      forth on this topic a perfect ocean of arguments, he was interrupted by
+      the court, who affirmed the opinion, and concurred in his view of the
+      case.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It only remains, then, my lord,&rdquo; said my counsel, &ldquo;for the Crown to
+      establish the identity of the individual&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing easier,&rdquo; interposed the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I beg pardon; I was about to add,&mdash;and produce the record of his
+      conviction.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This last seemed a felling blow; for although the old lawyer never evinced
+      here or at any other time the slightest appearance of discomfiture at any
+      opposition, I could see by the puckering of the deep lines around his
+      mouth that he felt vexed and annoyed by this new suggestion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An eager and animated discussion ensued, in which my advocate was assisted
+      by the advice of some senior counsel; and again the point was ruled in my
+      favor, and Darby M'Keown was desired to mount the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It required all the efforts of the various officers of the court to
+      repress another outbreak of mob enthusiasm at the decision; for already
+      the trial had assumed a feature perfectly distinct from any common
+      infraction of the law. Its political bearing had long since imparted a
+      character of party warfare to the whole proceeding; and while Sir Montague
+      Crofts found his well-wishers among the better dressed and more
+      respectable persons present, a much more numerous body of supporters
+      claimed me as their own, and in defiance of all the usages and solemnity
+      of the place, did not scruple to bestow on me looks and even words of
+      encouragement at every stage of the trial. Darby's appearance was the
+      climax of this popular enthusiasm. There were few who had not seen, or at
+      least heard of, the celebrated piper in times past. His daring infraction
+      of the law; his reputed skill in evading detection; his acquaintance with
+      every clew and circumstance of the late rebellion; the confidence he
+      enjoyed among all the leaders&mdash;had made him a hero in a land where
+      such qualities are certain of obtaining their due estimation. And now, the
+      reckless effrontery of his presence as a witness in a court of justice
+      while the sentence of transportation still hung over him, was a claim to
+      admiration none refused to acknowledge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His air and demeanor as he took his seat on the table seemed an
+      acknowledgment of the homage rendered him: for though, as he placed his
+      worn and ragged hat beside his feet, and stroked down his short black hair
+      on his forehead, a careless observer might have suspected him of feeling
+      awed and abashed by the presence in which he sat, one more conversant with
+      his countrymen would have detected in the quiet leer of his roguish black
+      eye, and a certain protrusion of his thick under lip, that Darby was as
+      perfectly at his ease there as the eminent judge was who now fixed his
+      eyes upon him. A short, but not disrespectful nod was the only notice he
+      bestowed on me; and then concealing his joined hands within his sleeves,
+      and drawing his legs back beneath the chair, he assumed that attitude of
+      mock humility your least bashful Irishman is so commonly fond of.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The veteran barrister was meanwhile surveying the witness with the
+      peculiar scrutiny of his caste: he looked at him through his spectacles,
+      and then he stared at him above them; he measured him from head to foot,
+      his eye dwelling on every little circumstance of his dress or demeanor, as
+      though to catch some clew to his habits of thinking or acting. Never did a
+      matador survey the brawny animal with which he was about to contend in
+      skill or strength with more critical acumen than did the lawyer regard
+      Darby the Blast. Nor was the object of this examination unaware of it;
+      very far from this, indeed. He seemed pleased by the degree of attention
+      bestowed on him, and felt all the flattery such notice conveyed; but while
+      doing so, you could only detect his satisfaction in an occasional sidelong
+      look of drollery, which, brief and fleeting as it was, had still a
+      numerous body of admirers through the court, whose muttered expressions of
+      &ldquo;Divil fear ye, Darby! but ye 're up to them any day;&rdquo; or &ldquo;Faix! 't is
+      himself cares little about them!&rdquo; showed they had no lack of confidence in
+      the piper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0022" id="linkimage-0022">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page294.jpg" alt="Browndarbyinthechair294 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your name is M'Keown, sir?&rdquo; said the lawyer, with that abruptness which
+      so often succeeds in oversetting the balance of a witness's
+      self-possession. &ldquo;Yes, sir; Darby M'Keown.&rdquo; &ldquo;Did you ever go by any other
+      than this?&rdquo; &ldquo;They do call me 'Darby the Blast' betimes, av that 'a a
+      name.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that the only other name you have been called by?&rdquo; &ldquo;I misremember
+      rightly, it's so long since I was among friends and acquaintances; but if
+      yer honor would remind me a little, maybe I could tell.&rdquo; &ldquo;Well, were you
+      ever called 'Larry the Flail?'&rdquo; &ldquo;Faix, I was,&rdquo; replied he, laughing;
+      &ldquo;divil a doubt of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How did you come by the name of 'Larry the Flail'?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They gave me the name up at Mulhuldad there, for bating one M'Clancy with
+      a flail.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A very good reason. So you got the name because you beat a certain
+      M'Clancy with a flail?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I didn't say that; I only said they gave me the name because they said I
+      bate him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Were you ever called 'Fire-the-Haggard'?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was, often.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For no reason, of course?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Divil a may son. The boys said it in sport, just as they talk of yer
+      honor out there in the hall.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How do you mean,&mdash;talk of me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sure I heard them say myself, as I was coming in, that you wor a clever
+      man and a 'cute lawyer. They do be always humbugging that way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A titter ran round the benches of the barristers at this speech, which was
+      delivered with a naïve simplicity that would deceive many.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were a United Irishman, Mr. M'Keown, I believe?&rdquo; rejoined the
+      counsel, with a frown of stern intimidation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; and a White Boy, and a Defender, and a Thrasher besides. I was
+      in all the fun them times.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Thrashers are the fellows, I believe, who must beat any man they are
+      appointed to attack; isn't that so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So that, if I was mentioned to you as a person to be assaulted, although
+      I had never done you any injury, you 'd not hesitate to waylay me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir, I wouldn't do that. I'd not touch yer honor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come; what do you mean? Why wouldn't you touch me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I' d rather not tell, av it was plazing to ye.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must tell, sir; speak out! Why wouldn't you attack me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say, sir,&rdquo; said Darby,&mdash;and as he spoke, his voice assumed a
+      peculiar lisp, meant to express great modesty,&mdash;&ldquo;they say, sir, that
+      when a man has a big wart on his nose there, like yer honor, it's not
+      lucky to bate him, for that's the way the divil marks his own.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This time the decorum of the court gave way entirely, and the unwashed
+      faces which filled the avenues and passages were all expanded in open
+      laughter; nor was it easy to restore order again amid the many marks of
+      approval and encouragement bestowed on Darby by his numerous admirers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remember where you are, sir,&rdquo; said the judge, severely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my lord,&rdquo; said Darby, with an air of submission. &ldquo;'T is the first
+      time I was ever in sich a situation as this. I 'm much more at my ease
+      when I 'm down in the dock there; it's what I 'm most used to, God help
+      me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The whining tone in which he delivered this mock lament on his misfortunes
+      occasioned another outbreak of the mob, who were threatened with expulsion
+      from the court if any future interruption took place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were, then, a member of every illegal society of the time, Mr.
+      Darby?&rdquo; said the lawyer, returning to the examination. &ldquo;Is it not so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Most of them, anyhow,&rdquo; was the cool reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You took an active part in the doings of the year '98 also?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Throth I did,&mdash;mighty active. I walked from beyant Castlecomer one
+      day to Dublin to see a trial here. Be the same token, it was Mr. Curran
+      made a hare of yer honor that day. Begorrah I wonder ye ever held up yer
+      head after.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here a burst of laughter at the recollection seemed to escape Darby so
+      naturally, that its contagious effects were felt throughout the assembly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are a wit, Mr. M'Keown, I fancy, eh?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bedad I 'm not, sir; very little of that same would have kept out of this
+      to-day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you came here to serve a friend,&mdash;a very old friend, he calls
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Does he?&rdquo; said Darby, with an energy of tone and manner very different
+      from what he had hitherto used. &ldquo;Does Master Tom say that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As the poor fellow's cheek flushed, and his eyes sparkled with proud
+      emotion, I could perceive that the lawyer's face underwent a change
+      equally rapid. A look of triumph at having at length discovered the
+      assailable point of the witness's temperament now passed over his pale
+      features, and gave them an expression of astonishing intelligence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A very natural thing it is, Darby, that he should call you so. You were
+      companions at an early period,&mdash;at least of his life;
+      fellow-travellers, too, if I don't mistake?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Although these words were spoken in a tone of careless freedom, and
+      intended to encourage Darby to some expansion on the same theme, the
+      cunning fellow had recovered all his habitual self-possession, and merely
+      answered, if answer it could be called,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was a poor man, sir, and lived by the pipes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The advocate and the witness exchanged looks at this moment, in which
+      their relative positions were palpably conveyed. Each seemed to say it was
+      a drawn battle; but the lawyer returned with vigor to the charge; desiring
+      Darby to mention the manner in which our first acquaintance began, and how
+      the intimacy was originally formed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He narrated with clearness and accuracy every step of our early
+      wanderings; and while never misstating a single fact, contrived to exhibit
+      my career as totally devoid of any participation in the treasonable doings
+      of the period. Indeed, he laid great stress on the fact that my
+      acquaintance with Charles de Meudon had withdrawn me from all relations
+      with the insurgent party, between whom and the French allies feelings of
+      open dislike and distrust existed. Of the scene at the barrack his account
+      varied in nothing from that I had already given; nor was all the ingenuity
+      of a long and intricate cross-examination able to shake his testimony in
+      the most minute particular.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course, then, you know Sir Montague Crofts? It is quite clear that you
+      cannot mistake a person with whom you had a struggle such as you speak
+      of.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faix, I'd know his skin upon a bush,&rdquo; said Darby, &ldquo;av he was like what I
+      remember him; but sure he may be changed since that. They tell me I'm
+      looking ould myself; and no wonder. Hunting kangaroos wears the
+      constitution terribly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look around the court, now, and say if he be here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Darby rose from his seat, and shading his eyes with his hand, took a
+      deliberate survey of the court. Though well knowing, from past experience,
+      in what part of the assembly the person he sought would probably be, he
+      seized the occasion to scrutinize the features of the various persons,
+      whom under no other pretence could he have examined.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It's not on the bench, sir, you need look for him,&rdquo; said the lawyer, as
+      M'Keown remained for a considerable time with his eyes bent in that
+      direction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bedad there's no knowing,&rdquo; rejoined Darby, doubtfully; &ldquo;av he was dressed
+      up that way, I wouldn't know him from an old ram.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He turned round as he said this, and gazed steadfastly towards the bar. It
+      was an anxious moment for me: should Darby make any mistake in the
+      identity of Crofts, his whole testimony would be so weakened in the
+      opinion of the jury as to be nearly valueless. I watched his eyes,
+      therefore, as they ranged over the crowded mass, with a palpitating heart;
+      and when at last his glance settled on a far part of the court, very
+      distant from that occupied by Crofts, I grew almost sick with apprehension
+      lest he should mistake another for him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, sir,&rdquo; said the lawyer; &ldquo;do you see him now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Arrah, it's humbugging me yez are,&rdquo; said Darby, roughly, while he threw
+      himself down into his chair in apparent ill temper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A loud burst of laughter broke from the bar at this sudden ebullition of
+      passion, so admirably feigned that none suspected its reality; and while
+      the sounds of mirth were subsiding, Darby dropped his head, and placed his
+      hand above his ear. &ldquo;There it is, by gorra; there's no mistaking that
+      laugh, anyhow,&rdquo; cried he; &ldquo;there's a screech in it might plaze an owl.&rdquo;
+       And with that he turned abruptly round and faced the bench where Crofts
+      was seated. &ldquo;I heard it a while ago, but I couldn't say where. That's the
+      man,&rdquo; said he, pointing with his finger to Crofts, who seemed actually to
+      cower beneath his piercing glance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remember, sir, you are on your solemn oath. Will you swear that the
+      gentleman there is Sir Montague Crofts?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know nothing about Sir Montague,&rdquo; said Darby, composedly, while rising
+      he walked over towards the edge of the table where Crofts was sitting,
+      &ldquo;but I'll swear that's the same Captain Crofts that I knocked down while
+      he was shortening his sword to run it through Master Burke; and by the
+      same token, he has a cut in the skull where he fell on the fender.&rdquo; And
+      before the other could prevent it, he stretched out his hand, and placed
+      it on the back of the crown of Crofts's head. &ldquo;There it is, just as I
+      tould you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The sensation these words created in the court was most striking, and even
+      the old lawyer appeared overwhelmed at the united craft and consistency of
+      the piper. The examination was resumed; but Darby's evidence tallied so
+      accurately with my statement that its continuance only weakened the case
+      for the prosecution.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the sudden flash of the lightning will sometimes disclose what in the
+      long blaze of noonday has escaped the beholder, so will conviction break
+      unexpectedly upon the human mind from some slight but striking
+      circumstance which comes with the irresistible force of unpremeditated
+      truthfulness. From that moment it was clear the jury to a man were with
+      Darby. They paid implicit attention to all he said, and made notes of
+      every trivial fact he mentioned; while he, as if divining the impression
+      he had made, became rigorously cautious that not a particle of his
+      evidence could be shaken, nor the effect of his testimony weakened by even
+      a passing phrase of exaggeration. It was, indeed, a phenomenon worth
+      studying, to see this fellow, whose natural disposition was the
+      irrepressible love of drollery and recklessness,&mdash;whose whole heart
+      seemed bent on the indulgence of his wayward, careless humor,&mdash;suddenly
+      throw off every eccentricity of his character, and become a steady and
+      accurate witness, delivering his evidence carefully and cautiously, and
+      never suffering his own leanings to repartee, nor the badgering allusions
+      of his questioner, to draw him for a moment away from the great object he
+      had set before him; resisting every line, every bait, the cunning lawyer
+      threw out to seduce him into that land of fancy so congenial to an
+      Irishman's temperament, he was firm against all temptation, and even
+      endured that severest of all tests to the forbearance of his country,&mdash;he
+      suffered the laugh more than once to be raised at his expense, without an
+      effort to retort on his adversary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The examination lasted three hours; and at its conclusion, every fact I
+      stated had received confirmation from Darby's testimony, down to the
+      moment when we left the barrack together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, M'Keown,&rdquo; said the lawyer, &ldquo;I am about to call your recollection,
+      which is so wonderfully accurate that it can give you no trouble in
+      remembering, to a circumstance which immediately followed the affair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he got thus far, Crofts leaned over and drew the counsel towards him
+      while he whispered some words rapidly in his ear. A brief dialogue ensued
+      between them; at the conclusion of which the lawyer turned round, and
+      addressing Darby, said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may go down, sir; I 've done with you.&rdquo; &ldquo;Wait a moment,&rdquo; said the
+      young barrister on my side, who quickly perceived that the interruption
+      had its secret object. &ldquo;My learned friend was about to ask you concerning
+      something which happened after you left the barrack; and although he has
+      changed his mind on the subject, we on this side would be glad to hear
+      what you have to say.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Darby's eyes flashed with unwonted brilliancy; and I thought I caught a
+      glance of triumphant meaning towards Crofts, as he began his recital,
+      which was in substance nothing more than what the reader already knows.
+      When he came to the mention of Fortescue's name, however, Crofts, whose
+      excitement was increasing at each moment, lost all command over himself,
+      and cried out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It's false! every word untrue! The man was dead at the time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The court rebuked the interruption, and Darby went on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my lord; he was alive. But Mr. Crofts is not to blame, for he
+      believed he was dead; and, more than that, he thought he took the sure way
+      to make him so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words produced the greatest excitement throughout the court; and an
+      animated discussion ensued, how far the testimony could go to inculpate a
+      party not accused. It was ruled, at last, the evidence should be heard, as
+      touching the case on trial, and not immediately as regarded Crofts. And
+      then Darby began a recital, of which I had never heard a syllable before,
+      nor had I conceived the slightest suspicion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The story, partly told in narrative form, partly elicited by questioning,
+      was briefly this.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Daniel Fortescue was the son of a Roscommon gentleman of large fortune, of
+      whom also Crofts was the illegitimate child. The father, a man of high
+      Tory politics, had taken a most determined part against the patriotic
+      party in Ireland, to which his son Daniel had shown himself, on more than
+      one occasion, favorable. The consequence was, a breach of affection
+      between them; widened into an actual rupture, by the old man, who was a
+      widower, taking home to his house the illegitimate son, and announcing to
+      his household that he would leave him everything he could in the world.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To Daniel, the blow was all that he needed to precipitate his ruin. He
+      abandoned the university, where already he had distinguished himself, and
+      threw himself heart and soul into the movement of the &ldquo;United Irish&rdquo;
+       party. At first, high hopes of an independent nation,&mdash;a separate
+      kingdom, with its own train of interests, and its own sphere of power and
+      influence,&mdash;was the dream of those with whom he associated. But as
+      events rolled on it was found, that to mature their plans it was necessary
+      to connect themselves with the masses, by whose agency the insurrectionary
+      movement was to be effected; and in doing so, they discovered, that
+      although theories of liberty and independence, high notions of pure
+      government, may have charms for men of intellect and intelligence, to the
+      mob the price of a rebellion must be paid down in the sterling coin of
+      pillage and plunder,&mdash;or even, worse, the triumphant dominion of the
+      depraved and the base over the educated and the worthy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Many who favored the patriotic cause, as it was called, became so
+      disgusted at the low associates and base intercourse the game of party
+      required, that they abandoned the field at once, leaving to others, less
+      scrupulous or more ardent, the path they could not stoop to follow. It was
+      probable that young Fortescue might have been among these, had he been
+      left to the guidance of his own judgment and inclination; for, as a man of
+      honor and intelligence, he could not help feeling shocked at the demands
+      made by those who were the spokesmen of the people. But this course he was
+      not permitted to take, owing to the influence of a man who had succeeded
+      in obtaining the most absolute power over him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This was a certain Maurice Mulcahy, a well-known member of the various
+      illegal clubs of the day, and originally a country schoolmaster. Mulcahy
+      it was who first infected Fortescue's mind with the poison of this party,&mdash;now
+      lending him volumes of the incendiary trash with which the press teemed;
+      now newspapers, whose articles were headed, &ldquo;Orange outrage on a harmless
+      and unresisting peasantry!&rdquo; or, &ldquo;Another sacrifice of the people to the
+      bloody vengeance of the Saxon!&rdquo; By these, his youthful mind became
+      interested in the fate of those he believed to be treated with reckless
+      cruelty and oppression; while, as he advanced in years, his reason was
+      appealed to by those great and spirit-stirring addresses which Grattan and
+      Curran were continually delivering, either in the senate or at the bar,
+      and wherein the most noble aspirations after liberty were united with
+      sentiments breathing love of country and devoted patriotism. To connect
+      the garbled and lying statements of a debased newspaper press with the
+      honorable hopes and noble conceptions of men of mind and genius, was the
+      fatal process of his political education; and never was there a time when
+      such a delusion was more easy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mulcahy, now stimulating the boyish ardor of a high-spirited youth, now
+      flattering his vanity by promises of the position one of his ancient name
+      and honored lineage must assume in the great national movement, gradually
+      became his directing genius, swaying every resolution and ruling every
+      determination of his mind. He never left his victim for a moment; and
+      while thus insuring the unbounded influence he exercised, he gave proof of
+      a seeming attachment, which Fortescue confidently believed in. Mulcahy,
+      too, never wanted for money; alleging that the leaders of the plot knew
+      the value of Fortescue's alliance, and were willing to advance him any
+      sums he needed, he supplied the means of every extravagance a wild and
+      careless youth indulged in, and thus riveted the chain of his bondage to
+      him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the rebellion broke out, Fortescue, like many more, was horror-struck
+      at the conduct of his party. He witnessed hourly scenes of cruelty and
+      bloodshed at which his heart revolted, but to avow his compassion for
+      which would have cost him his life on the spot. He was in the stream,
+      however, and must go with the torrent; and what will not stern necessity
+      compel? Daily intimacy with the base-hearted and the low, hourly
+      association with crime, and perhaps more than either, despair of success,
+      broke him down completely, and with the blind fatuity of one predestined
+      to evil, he became careless what happened to him, and indifferent to
+      whatever fate was before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Still, between him and his associates there lay a wide gulf. The tree,
+      withered and blighted as it was, still preserved some semblance of its
+      once beauty; and among that mass of bigotry and bloodshed, his nature
+      shone forth conspicuously as something of a different order of being. To
+      none was this superiority more insulting than to the parties themselves.
+      So long as the period of devising and planning the movement of an
+      insurrection lasts, the presence of a gentleman, or a man of birth or
+      rank, will be hailed with acclamation and delight. Let the hour of acting
+      arrive, however, and the scruples of an honorable mind, or the repugnance
+      of a high-spirited nature, will be treated as cowardice by those who only
+      recognized bravery in deeds of blood, and know no heroism save when allied
+      to cruelty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fortescue became suspected by his party. Hints were circulated, and rumors
+      reached him, that he was watched; that it was no time for hanging back. He
+      who sacrificed everything for the cause to be thus accused! He consulted
+      Mulcahy; and to his utter discomfiture discovered that even his old ally
+      and adviser was not devoid of doubt regarding him. Something must be done,
+      and that speedily,&mdash;he cared not what. Life had long ceased to
+      interest him either by hope or fear. The only tie that bound him to
+      existence was the strange desire to be respected by those his heart
+      sickened at the thought of.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An attack was at that time planned against the house and family of a
+      Wexford gentleman, whose determined opposition to the rebel movement had
+      excited all their hatred. Fortescue demanded to be the leader of that
+      expedition; and was immediately named to the post by those who were glad
+      to have the opportunity of testing his conduct by such an emergency.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The attack took place at night,&mdash;a scene of the most fearful and
+      appalling cruelty, such as the historian yet records among the most
+      dreadful of that dreadful period. The house was burned to the ground, and
+      its inmates butchered, regardless of age or sex. In the effort to save a
+      female from the flames, Fortescue was struck down by one of his party;
+      while another nearly cleft his chest across with a cut of a large knife.
+      He fell, covered with blood, and lay seemingly dead. When his party
+      retreated, however, he summoned strength to creep under shelter of a
+      ditch, and lay there till near daybreak, when he was found by another gang
+      of the rebel faction, who knew nothing of the circumstances of his wound,
+      and carried him away to a place of safety.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some months he lay dangerously ill. Hectic fever, consequent on long
+      suffering, brought him to the very brink of the grave; and at last he
+      managed by stealth to reach Dublin, where a doctor well known to the party
+      resided, and under whose care he ultimately recovered, and succeeded at
+      last in taking a passage to America. Meanwhile his death was currently
+      believed, and Crofts was everywhere recognized as the heir to the fortune.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mulcahy, of whom it is necessary to speak a few words, was soon after
+      apprehended on a charge of rebellion, and sentenced to transportation. He
+      appealed to many who had known him, as he said, in better times, to speak
+      to his character. Among others, Captain Crofts&mdash;so he then was&mdash;was
+      summoned. His evidence, however, was rather injurious than favorable to
+      the prisoner; and although not in any way influencing the sentence, was
+      believed by the populace to have mainly contributed to its severity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was, in substance, the singular story which was now told before the
+      court,&mdash;told without any effort at concealment or reserve; and to the
+      proof of which M'Keown was willing to proceed at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This, my lord,&rdquo; said Darby, as he concluded, &ldquo;is a good time and place to
+      give back to Mr. Crofts a trifling article I took from him the night at
+      the barracks. I thought it was the bank-notes I was getting; but it turned
+      out better, after all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With that he produced a strong black leather pocket-book, fastened by a
+      steel clasp. No sooner did Crofts behold it, than, with the spring of a
+      tiger, he leaped forward and endeavored to clutch it. But Darby was on his
+      guard, and immediately drew back his hand, calling out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, sir! I didn't keep it by me eight long years to give it up that
+      way. There, my lords,&rdquo; said he, as he handed it to the bench, &ldquo;there's his
+      pocket-book, with plenty of notes in it from many a one well known,&mdash;Maurice
+      Mulcahy among the rest,&mdash;and you'll soon see who it was first tempted
+      Fortescue to ruin, and who paid the money for doing it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A burst of horror and astonishment broke from the assembled crowd as Darby
+      spoke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, in a loud, determined tone, &ldquo;He is a perjurer!&rdquo; screamed Crofts. &ldquo;I
+      repeat it, my lord; Fortescue is dead.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faix! and for a dead man he has a remarkable appetite,&rdquo; said Darby, &ldquo;and
+      an elegant color in his face besides; for there he stands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And as he spoke, he pointed with his finger to a man who was leaning with
+      folded arms against one of the pillars that supported the gallery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Every eye was now turned in the direction towards him; while the young
+      barrister called out, &ldquo;Is your name Daniel Fortescue?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But before any answer could follow, several among the lawyers, who had
+      known him in his college days, and felt attachment to him, had surrounded
+      and recognized him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am Daniel Fortescue, my lord,&rdquo; said the stranger. &ldquo;Whatever may be the
+      consequences of the avowal, I say it here, before this court, that every
+      statement the witness has made regarding me is true to the letter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A low, faint sound, heard throughout the stillness that followed these
+      words, now echoed throughout the court; and Crofts had fallen, fainting,
+      over the bench behind him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A scene of tumultuous excitement now ensued, for while Crofts's friends,
+      many of whom were present, assisted to carry him into the air, others
+      pressed eagerly forward to catch a sight of Fortescue, who had already
+      rivalled Darby himself in the estimation of the spectators.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was a tall, powerfully-built man, of about thirty-five or thirty-six,
+      dressed in the blue jacket and trousers of a sailor; but neither the
+      habitude of his profession nor the humble dress he wore could conceal the
+      striking evidence his air and bearing indicated of condition and birth. As
+      he mounted the witness table,&mdash;for it was finally agreed that his
+      testimony in disproof or corroboration of M'Keown should be heard,&mdash;a
+      murmur of approbation went round, partly at the daring step he had thus
+      ventured on taking, and partly excited by those personal gifts which are
+      ever certain to have their effect upon any crowded assembly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I need not enter into the details of his evidence, which was given in a
+      frank, straightforward manner, well suited to his appearance; never
+      concealing for a moment the cause he had himself embarked in, nor assuming
+      any favorable coloring for actions which ingenuity and the zeal of party
+      would have found subjects for encomium rather than censure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His narrative not only confirmed all that Darby asserted, but also
+      disclosed the atrocious scheme by which he had been first induced to join
+      the ranks of the disaffected party. This was the work of Crofts, who knew
+      and felt that Fortescue was the great barrier between himself and a large
+      fortune. For this purpose Mulcahy was hired; to this end the whole long
+      train of perfidy laid, which eventuated in his ruin: for so artfully had
+      the plot been devised, each day's occurrence rendered retreat more
+      difficult, until at last it became impossible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The reader is already aware of the catastrophe which concluded his career
+      in the rebel army. It only remains now to be told that he escaped to
+      America, where he entered as a sailor on board a merchantman; and although
+      his superior acquirements and conduct might have easily bettered his
+      fortune in his new walk in life, the dread of detection never left his
+      mind, and he preferred the hardships before the mast to the vacillation of
+      hope and fear a more conspicuous position would have exposed him to.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The vessel in which he served was wrecked off the coast of New Holland,
+      and he and a few others of the crew were taken up by an English ship on
+      her voyage outward. In a party sent on shore for water, Fortescue came up
+      with Darby, who had made his escape from the convict settlement, and was
+      wandering about the woods, almost dead of starvation, and scarcely covered
+      with clothing. His pitiful condition, but perhaps more still, his native
+      drollery, which even then was unextinguished, induced the sailors to yield
+      to Fortescue's proposal, and they smuggled him on board in a water cask;
+      and thus concealed, he made the entire voyage to England, where he landed
+      about a fortnight before the trial. Fearful of being apprehended before
+      the day, and determined at all hazards to give his evidence, he lay hid
+      till the time we have already seen, when he suddenly came forward to my
+      rescue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mulcahy, who worked in the same gang with Darby, or, to use the piper's
+      grandiloquent expression,&mdash;for he burst out in this occasionally,&mdash;was
+      &ldquo;in concatenated proximity to him,&rdquo; told the whole story of his own
+      baseness, and loudly inveighed against Crofts for deserting him in his
+      misfortunes. The pocket-book taken from Crofts by Darby amply corroborated
+      this statement. It contained, besides various memoranda in the owner's
+      handwriting, several letters from Mulcahy, detailing the progress of the
+      conspiracy: some were in acknowledgment of considerable sums of money;
+      others asking for supplies; but all confirmatory of the black scheme by
+      which Fortescue's destruction was compassed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whatever might have been the sentiments of the crowded court regarding the
+      former life and opinions of Fortescue and the piper, it was clear that now
+      only one impression prevailed,&mdash;a general feeling of horror at the
+      complicated villany of Crofts, whose whole existence had been one tissue
+      of the basest treachery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The testimony was heard with attention throughout; no cross-examination
+      was entered on; and the judge, briefly adverting to the case which was
+      before the jury, and from whose immediate consideration subsequent events
+      had in a great measure withdrawn their minds, directed them to deliver a
+      verdict of &ldquo;Not guilty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The words were re-echoed by the jury, who, man for man, exclaimed these
+      words aloud, amid the most deafening cheers from every side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I walked from the dock, fatigued, worn out, and exhausted, a dozen
+      hands were stretched out to seize mine; but one powerful grasp caught my
+      arm, and a well-known voice called in my ear,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An' ye wor with Boney, Master Tom? Tare and 'ounds, didn't I know you'd
+      be a great man yet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the same instant Fortescue came through the crowd towards me, with his
+      hands outstretched.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We should be friends, sir,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;for we both have suffered from a
+      common enemy. If I am at liberty to leave this&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are not, sir,&rdquo; interposed a deep voice behind. We turned and beheld
+      Major Barton. &ldquo;The massacre at Kil-macshogue has yet to be atoned for.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Fortescue's face grew actually livid at the mention of the word, and his
+      breathing became thick and short.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here,&rdquo; continued Barton, &ldquo;is the warrant for your committal. And you
+      also, Darby,&rdquo; said he, turning round; &ldquo;we want your company once more in
+      Newgate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bedad, I suppose there's no use in sending an apology when friends is so
+      pressing,&rdquo; said he, buttoning his coat as coolly as possible; &ldquo;but I hope
+      you 'll let the master come in to see me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Burke shall be admitted at all times,&rdquo; said Barton, with an
+      obsequious civility I had never witnessed in him previously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faix, maybe you 'll not be for letting him out so aisy,&rdquo; said Darby,
+      dryly, for his notions of justice were tempered by a considerable dash of
+      suspicion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I had only time left to press my purse into the honest fellow's hand, and
+      salute Fortescue hastily, as they both were removed, under the custody of
+      Barton. And I now made my way through the crowd into the hall, which
+      opened a line for me as I went; a thousand welcomes meeting me from those
+      who felt as anxious about the result of the trial as if a brother or a
+      dear friend had been in peril.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One face caught my eye as I passed; and partly from my own excitement,
+      partly from its expression being so different from its habitual character,
+      I could not recognize it as speedily as I ought to have done. Again and
+      again it appeared; and at last, as I approached the door into the street,
+      it was beside me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I might dare to express my congratulations,&rdquo; said a voice, weak from
+      the tremulous anxiety of the speaker, and the shame which, real or
+      affected, seemed to bow him down.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What,&rdquo; cried I, &ldquo;Mr. Basset!&rdquo; for it was the worthy man himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir. Your father's old and confidential agent,&mdash;I might venture
+      to say, friend,&mdash;come to see the son of his first patron occupy the
+      station he has long merited.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A bad memory is the only touch of age I remark in you, sir,&rdquo; said I,
+      endeavoring to pass on, for I was unwilling at the moment of my escape
+      from a great difficulty to lose temper with so unworthy an object.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One moment, sir, just a moment,&rdquo; said he, in a low whisper. &ldquo;You'll want
+      money, probably. The November rents are not paid up; but there's a
+      considerable balance to your credit. Will you take a hundred or two for
+      the present?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take money!&mdash;money from you!&rdquo; said I, shrinking back.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your own, sir; your own estate. Do you forget,&rdquo; said he, with a miserable
+      effort of a smile, &ldquo;that you are Mr. Burke of Cromore, with a clear rental
+      of four thousand a year? We gained the Cluan Bog lawsuit, sir,&rdquo; continued
+      he. &ldquo;'Twas I, sir, found the satisfaction for the bond. Your brother said
+      he owed it all to Tony Basset.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The two last words were all that were needed to sum up the measure of my
+      disgust and I once more tried to get forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know the property, sir, for thirty-eight years I was over it. Your
+      father and your brother always trusted me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me pass on, Mr. Basset,&rdquo; said I, calmly. &ldquo;I have no desire to become
+      a greater object of mob curiosity. Pray let me pass on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And for Darby M'Keown,&rdquo; whispered he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What of him?&rdquo; said I; for he had touched the most anxious chord of my
+      heart at that instant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I'll have him free; he shall be at liberty in forty-eight hours for you.
+      I have the whole papers by me; and a statement to the privy council will
+      obtain his liberation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do this,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;and I 'll forgive more of your treatment of me than I
+      could on any other plea.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May I call on you this evening, or to-morrow morning, at your hotel?
+      Where do you stop, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This evening be it, if it hasten M'Keown's liberation. Remember, however,
+      Mr. Basset, I'll hold no converse with you on any other subject till that
+      be settled, and to my perfect satisfaction.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A bargain, sir,&rdquo; said he, with a grin of satisfaction; and dropping back,
+      he suffered me to proceed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Along the quays I went, and down Dame Street, accompanied by a great mob
+      of people, who thought in my acquittal they had gained a triumph. For so
+      it was; every case had its political feature, and seemed to be intimately
+      connected with the objects of one party or the other. Partisan cheers,&mdash;the
+      watchwords of faction,&mdash;were uttered as I went, and I was made to
+      suffer that least satisfactory of all conditions, which bestows notoriety
+      without fame, and popularity without merit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I entered the hotel, I recognized many of the persons I had seen there
+      before; but their looks were no longer thrown towards me with the
+      impertinence they then assumed. On the contrary, a studied desire to
+      evince courtesy and politeness was evident. &ldquo;How strange is it!&rdquo; thought
+      I; &ldquo;how differently does the whole world smile to the rich man and to the
+      poor!&rdquo; Here were many who could in nowise derive advantage from my altered
+      condition,&mdash;as perfectly independent of me as I of them; and yet even
+      they showed that degree of deference in their manner which the expectant
+      bestows upon a patron. So it is, however. The position which wealth
+      confers is recognized by all; the individual who fills it is but an
+      attribute of the station.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Life had, indeed, opened on me with a new and very different aspect; and I
+      felt, as I indulged in the daydreams which the sudden possession of
+      fortune excites, that to enjoy thoroughly the blessings of independence,
+      one must have experienced, as I had, the hard pressure of adversity. It
+      seemed to me that the long road of gloomy fate had at length reached its
+      turning point, and that I should now travel along a calmer and happier
+      path. Thoughts of the new career that lay before me were blended with the
+      memories of the past; hopes they were, but dashed with the shadows which a
+      blighted affection will throw over the whole stream of life. Still that
+      evening was one of happiness; not of that excited pleasure derived from
+      the attainment of a long coveted object, but the calmer enjoyment felt in
+      the safety of the haven by him who has experienced the hurricane and the
+      storm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With such thoughts I went to rest, and laid my head on my pillow in
+      thoughtfulness and peace. In my dreams my troubles still lingered. But who
+      regrets the anxious minutes of a vision which wakening thoughts dispel?
+      Are they not rather the mountain shadows that serve to brighten the gleam
+      of the sunlight in the plain?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was thus the morning broke for me, with all the ecstasy of danger
+      passed, and all the crowding hopes of a happy future. The hundred
+      speculations which in poverty I had formed for the comfort of the poor and
+      the humble might now be realized; and I fancied myself the centre of a
+      happy peasantry, confiding and contented. It would be hard, indeed, to
+      forget &ldquo;the camp and the tented field&rdquo; in the peaceful paths of a country
+      life. But simple duties are often as engrossing as those of a higher
+      order, and bring a reward not less grateful to the heart; and I flattered
+      myself to think my ambition reached not above them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The moments in which such daydreams are indulged are the very happiest of
+      a lifetime. The hopes which are based on the benefits we may render to
+      others are sources of elevation to ourselves; and such motives purify the
+      soul, and exalt the mind to a pitch far above the petty ambitions of the
+      world.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To myself, and to my own enjoyments, wealth could contribute less than to
+      most men. The simple habits of a soldier's life satisfied every wish of my
+      mind. The luxuries which custom makes necessary to others I never knew;
+      and I formed my resolution not to wander from this path of humble,
+      inexpensive tastes, so that the stream of charity might flow the wider.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These were my waking thoughts. Alas, how little do we ever realize of such
+      speculations! and how few glide down the stream of life unswayed by the
+      eddies and crosscurrents of fortune! The higher we build the temple of our
+      hopes, the more surely will it topple to its fall. Who shall say that our
+      greatest enjoyment is not in raising the pile, and our happiest hours the
+      full abandonment to those hopes our calmer reason never ratified?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As yet it had not occurred to me to think what position the world might
+      concede to one whose life had been passed like mine, nor did I bestow a
+      care upon a matter whereon so much of future happiness depended. These,
+      however, were considerations which could not be long averted. How they
+      came, and in what manner they were met must remain for a future chapter of
+      my history.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0037" id="link2HCH0037">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVII. HASTY RESOLUTION
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      In my last chapter I brought my reader to that portion of my story which
+      formed the turning-point of my destiny. And here I might, perhaps,
+      conclude these brief memoirs of an early life, whose chief object was to
+      point out the results of a hasty and rash judgment, which, formed in mere
+      boyhood, exerted its influence throughout the entire of a lifetime. Only
+      one incident remains still to be told; and I shall not trespass on the
+      good-natured patience of my readers by any delay in the narrative.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From being poor, houseless, and unknown, a sudden turn of fortune had made
+      me wealthy and conspicuous in station; the owner of a large estate,&mdash;almost
+      a lead-ing man in my native county. My influence was sufficient to procure
+      the liberation of M'Keown; and my interference in his behalf mainly
+      contributed to procure for Fortescue the royal pardon. The world, as the
+      phrase is, went with me; and the good luck which attended every step I
+      took and every plan I engaged in was become a proverb among my neighbors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let not any one suppose I was unmindful or ungrateful, if I confess, that
+      even with all these I was not happy. No: the tranquil mind, the spirit at
+      ease with itself, cannot exist where the sense of duty is not. The impulse
+      which swayed my boyish heart still moved the ambition of the man. The
+      pursuits I should have deemed the noblest and the purest seemed to me
+      uninteresting and ignoble; the associations I ought to have felt the
+      happiest and the highest appeared to me vulgar, and low, and commonplace.
+      I was disappointed in my early dream of liberty, and had found tyranny
+      where I looked for freedom, and intolerance where I expected
+      enlightenment; but if so, I recurred with tenfold enthusiasm to the career
+      of the soldier, whose glories were ever before me. That noble path had not
+      deceived me; far from it. Its wild and whirlwind excitement, its hazardous
+      enterprise, its ever-present dangers, were stimulants I loved and gloried
+      in. All the chances and changes of a peaceful life were poor and mean
+      compared to the hourly vicissitudes of war. I knew not then, it is true,
+      how much of enjoyment I derived from forgetful ness; how many of my
+      springs of happiness flowed from that preoccupation which prevented my
+      dwelling on the only passion that ever stirred my heart,&mdash;my love for
+      one whose love was hopeless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      How thoroughly will the character of an early love tinge the whole of a
+      life! Our affections are like flowers,&mdash;they derive their sweetness
+      and their bloom from the soil in which they grow: some, budding in joy and
+      gladness, amid the tinkling plash of a glittering fountain, live on ever
+      bright and beautiful; others, struggling on amid thorns and wild weeds,
+      overshadowed by gloom, preserve their early impressions to the last,&mdash;their
+      very sweetness tells of sadness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To conquer the memory of this hopeless passion, I tried a hundred ways. I
+      endeavored, by giving myself up to the duties of a country gentleman, to
+      become absorbed in all the cares and pursuits which had such interest for
+      my neighbors. Failing in this, I became a sportsman; I kept horses and
+      dogs, and entered, with all the zest mere determination can impart, upon
+      that life of manly exertion, so full of pleasure to thousands. But here
+      again without succeeding.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I went into society; but soon retired from it, on finding, that among the
+      class of my equals the prestige of my early life had still tracked me. I
+      was in their eyes a rebel, whose better fortune had saved him from the
+      fate of his companions. My youth had given no guarantee for my manhood;
+      and I was not trusted. Baffled in every endeavor to obliterate my secret
+      grief, I recurred to it now, as though privileged by fate, to indulge a
+      memory nothing could efface. I abandoned all the petty appliances by which
+      I sought to shut out the past, and gave myself up in full abandonment to
+      the luxury of my melancholy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Living entirely within the walls of my demesne, never seen by my
+      neighbors, not making nor receiving visits, I appeared to many a heartless
+      recluse, whose misanthropy sought indulgence in solitude; others, less
+      harshly, judged me as one whose unhappy entrance on life had unfitted him
+      for the station to which fortune had elevated him. By both I was soon
+      forgotten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The peasantry were less ungenerous, and more just. They saw in me one who
+      felt acutely for the privations they were suffering; yet never gave them
+      that cheap, delusive hope, that legislative changes will touch social
+      evils,&mdash;that the acts of a parliament will penetrate the thousand
+      tortuous windings of a poor man's destiny. They found in me a friend and
+      an adviser. They only-wondered at one thing,&mdash;how any man could feel
+      for the poor, and not hate the rich. So long had the struggle lasted
+      between affluence and misery, they could not understand a compromise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bitter as their poverty had been, it never extinguished the poetry of
+      their lives. They were hungry and naked; but they held to their ancient
+      traditions, and they built on them great hopes for the future. The old
+      family names, the time-honored memories of place, the famous deeds of
+      ancestors, made an ideal existence powerful enough to exclude the pressure
+      of actual daily evils; and they argued from what had been to what might
+      be, with a persistency of hope it seemed almost cruel to destroy. So
+      deeply were these thoughts engrained into their natures, they felt him but
+      half their friend who ventured to despise them. The relief of present
+      poverty, the succor of actual suffering, became in their eyes an effort of
+      mere passing kindness. They looked to some great amelioration of
+      condition, some wondrous change, some restoration to an imaginary standard
+      of independence and comfort, which all the efforts of common interference
+      fell sadly short of; and thus they strained their gaze to a government, a
+      ruling power, for a boon undefined, unknown, and illimitable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To expectations like these advice and slight assistance are as the mere
+      drop of water to the parched tongue of thirst; and so I found it. I could
+      neither encourage them in their hopes of such legislative changes as would
+      greatly ameliorate their condition, nor flatter them in the delusion that
+      none of their misfortunes were of home origin; and thus, if they felt
+      gratitude for many kindnesses, they reposed no confidence in my opinion.
+      The trading patriot, who promised much while he pocketed their hard-earned
+      savings; the rabid newspaper writer, who libelled the Government and
+      denounced the landlord,&mdash;were their standards of sympathy; and he who
+      fell short of either was not their friend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a word, the social state of the people was rotten to its very core.
+      Their highest qualities, degraded by the combined force of poverty,
+      misrule, and superstition, had become sources of crime and misery. They
+      had suffered so long and so much, their patience was exhausted; and they
+      preferred the prospect of any violent convulsion which might change the
+      face of the land, whatever dangers it might come with, to a slow and
+      gradual improvement of condition, however safe and certain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To win their confidence at the only price they would accord it, I never
+      could consent to; and without it I was almost powerless for good. Here
+      again, therefore, did I find closed against me another avenue for
+      exertion; and the only one of all I could have felt a fitting sphere for
+      my labor. The violence of their own passionate natures, the headlong
+      impulses by which they suffered themselves to be swayed, left them no
+      power of judgment regarding those whose views were more moderate and
+      temperate. They could understand the high Tory landlord, whom they
+      invested with every attribute of tyranny, as their open, candid opponent;
+      they could see a warm friend in the violent mob-orator of the day; but
+      they recognized no trait of kindness in him who would rather see them fed
+      than flattered, and behold them in the enjoyment of comfort sooner than in
+      the ecstasy of triumph.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From &ldquo;Darby the Blast&rdquo;&mdash;for he was now a member of my household&mdash;I
+      learned the light in which I was regarded by the people, and heard the
+      dissatisfaction they expressed that one who &ldquo;sarved Boney&rdquo; should not be
+      ready to head a rising, if need be. Thus was I in a false position on
+      every side. Mistrusted by all, because I would neither enter into the
+      exaggerations of party, nor become blind to the truth my senses revealed
+      before me, my sphere of utility was narrowed to the discharge of the mere
+      duties of common charity and benevolence, and my presence among my
+      tenantry no more productive of benefit than if I had left my purse as my
+      representative.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Years rolled on, and in the noiseless track of time I forgot its flight. I
+      now had grown so wedded to the habits of my solitary life, that its very
+      monotony was a source of pleasure. I had intrenched myself within a little
+      circle of enjoyments, and among my books and in my walks my days went
+      pleasantly over.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For a long time, I did not dare to read the daily papers, nor learn the
+      great events which agitated Europe. I tried to think that an interval of
+      repose would leave me indifferent to their mention; and so rigidly did I
+      abstain from indulging my curiosity, that the burning of Moscow, and the
+      commencement of the dreadful retreat which followed, was the first fact I
+      read of.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the moment I gave way, the passion for intelligence from France
+      became a perfect mania. Where were the different corps of the &ldquo;Grand
+      Army&rdquo;? where the Emperor himself? by what great stroke of genius would he
+      emerge from the difficulties around him, and deal one of his fatal blows
+      on the enemy?&mdash;were the questions which met me as I awoke, and
+      tortured me during the day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Each movement of that terrible retreat I followed in the gazettes with an
+      anxiety verging on insanity. I tracked the long journey on the map, and as
+      I counted towns and villages, dreary deserts of snow, and vast rivers to
+      be traversed, my heart grew faint to think how many a brave soldier would
+      never reach that fair France for whose glory he had shed his best blood.
+      Disaster followed disaster; and as the news reached England, came accounts
+      of those great defections which weakened the force of the &ldquo;Grand Army,&rdquo;
+       and deranged the places formed for its retiring movements.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They who can recall to mind the time I speak of, will remember the effect
+      produced in England by the daily accounts from the seat of war; how
+      heavily fell the blows of that altered fortune which once rested on the
+      eagles of France; how each new bulletin announced another feature of
+      misfortune,&mdash;some shattered remnant of a great <i>corps d'armée</i>
+      cut off by Cossacks,&mdash;some dreadful battle engaged against superior
+      numbers, and fought with desperation, not for victory, but the liberty to
+      retreat. Great names were mentioned among the slain, and the proudest
+      chivalry of Gaul left to perish on the far-off steppes of Russia.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such were the fearful tales men read of that terrible campaign; and the
+      joy in England was great, to hear that the most powerful of her enemies
+      had at length experienced the full bitterness of defeat. While men vied
+      with one another in stories of the misfortunes of the Emperor,&mdash;when
+      each post added another to the long catalogue of disasters to the &ldquo;Grand
+      Army,&rdquo;&mdash;I sat in my lonely house, in a remote part of Ireland,
+      brooding over the sad reverses of him who still formed my ideal of a hero.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I thought how, amid the crumbling ruins of his splendid force, his great
+      soul would survive the crash that made all others despair; that each new
+      evil would suggest its remedy as it arose, and the mind that never failed
+      in expedient would shine out more brilliantly through the gloom of
+      darkening fortune than even it had done in the noonday splendor of
+      success. When all others could only see the tremendous energy of despair,
+      I thought I could recognize those glorious outbursts of heroism by which a
+      French army sought and won the favor of their Emperor. The routed and
+      straggling bodies which hurried along in seeming disorder, I gloried to
+      perceive could assume all the port and bearing of soldiers at the approach
+      of danger, and form their ranks at the wild &ldquo;houra&rdquo; of the Cossack as
+      steadily as in the proudest day of their prosperity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The retreat continued: the horrible suffering of a Russian winter added to
+      the carnage of a battle-tide, which flowed unceasingly from the ruined
+      walls of the Kremlin to the banks of the Vistula: the battle of Borisow
+      and the passage of the Berezina followed fast on each other. And now we
+      heard that the Emperor had surrendered the chief command to Murat, and was
+      hastening back to France with lightning speed; for already the day of his
+      evil fortune had thrown its shadow over the capital. No longer reckoned by
+      tens of thousands, that vast army had now dwindled down to divisions of a
+      few hundred men. The Old Guard scarce exceeded one thousand; and of twenty
+      entire regiments of cavalry, Murat mustered a single squadron as a
+      bodyguard. Crowds of wounded and mutilated men dragged their weary limbs
+      along over the hardened snow, or through dense pine forests where no
+      villages were to be met with,&mdash;a fatuous determination to strive to
+      reach France, the only impulse surviving amid all their sufferings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With the defections of D'York and Massenbach, then began that new feature
+      of disaster which was so soon to burst forth with all the fell fury of
+      long pent-up hatred. The nationality of Germany&mdash;so long, so cruelly
+      insulted&mdash;now saw the day of retribution arrive. Misfortune hastened
+      misfortune, and defeat engendered treason in the ranks of the Emperor's
+      allies. Murat, too, the favorite of Napoleon, the king of his creation,
+      deserted him now, and fled ignominiously from the command of the army.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Elbe! the Elbe!&rdquo; was now the cry amid the shattered ranks of that
+      army which but a year before saw no limit to its glorious path. The Elbe
+      was the only line remaining which promised a moment's repose from the
+      fatigues and privations of months long. Along that road the army could
+      halt, and stem the tide of pursuit, however hotly it pressed. The
+      Prussians had already united with the Russians; the defection of Austria
+      could not be long distant; Saxony was appealed to, as a member of the
+      German family, to join in arms against the Tyrant; and the wild &ldquo;houra&rdquo; of
+      the Cossack now blended with the loud &ldquo;Vorwarts&rdquo; of injured Prussia.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where shall he seek succor now? What remains to him in this last eventful
+      struggle? How shall the Emperor call back to life the legions by whose
+      valor his great victories were gained, and Europe made a vassal at the
+      foot of his throne?&rdquo; Such was the thought that never left me day or night.
+      Ever present before me was his calm brow, and his face paler, but not less
+      handsome, than its wont. I could recall his rapid glance; the quick and
+      hurried motion of his hand; his short and thick utterance, as words of
+      command fell from his lips; and his smile, as he heard some intelligence
+      with pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I could not sleep,&mdash;scarcely could I eat. A feverish excitement
+      burned through my frame, and my parched tongue and hot hand told how the
+      very springs of health were dried up within me. I walked with hurried
+      steps from place to place; now muttering the words of some despatch, now
+      fancying that I was sent with orders for a movement of troops. As I rode,
+      I spurred my horse to a gallop, and in my heated imagination believed I
+      was in presence of the enemy, and preparing for the fray. Great as my
+      exhaustion frequently was, weariness brought no rest. Often I returned
+      home at evening, overcome by fatigue; but a sleepless night, tortured with
+      anxieties and harassed with doubts and fears, followed, and I awoke to
+      pursue the same path, till in my weakened frame and hectic cheek the signs
+      of illness could no longer be mistaken.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Terrified at the ravages a few weeks had made in my health, and fearful
+      what secret malady was preying upon me, Darby, without asking any leave
+      from me, left the house one morning at daybreak, and returned with the
+      physician of the neighboring town. I was about to mount my horse, when I
+      saw them coming up the avenue, and immediately guessed the object of the
+      visit. A moment was enough to decide me as to the course to pursue; for
+      well knowing how disposed the world ever is to stamp the impress of
+      wandering intellect on any habit of mere eccentricity, I resolved to
+      receive the doctor as though I was glad of his coming, and consult with
+      him regarding my state. This would at least refute such a scandal, by
+      enlisting the physician among the allies of my cause.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By good fortune, Dr. Clibborn was a man of shrewd common sense, as well as
+      a physician of no mean skill.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the brief conversation we held together, I perceived, that while he
+      paid all requisite attention to any detail which implied the existence of
+      malady, his questions were more pointedly directed to the possibility of
+      some mental cause of irritation,&mdash;the source of my ailment. I could
+      see, however, that his opinion inclined to the belief that the events of
+      the trial had left their indelible traces on my mind; which, inducing me
+      to adopt a life of isolation and retirement, had now produced the effects
+      he witnessed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was not sorry at this mistake on his part. By suffering him to indulge
+      in this delusive impression, I saved myself all the trouble of concealing
+      my real feelings, which I had no desire to expose before him. I permitted
+      him, therefore, to reason with me on the groundless notions he supposed I
+      had conceived of the world's feeling regarding me, and heard him patiently
+      as he detailed the course of public duty, by fulfilling which I should
+      occupy my fitting place in society, and best consult my own health and
+      happiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;certain fixed impressions, which I would not so
+      combat. It was but yesterday, for instance, I yielded to the wish of an
+      old general officer, who has served upwards of half a century, and desires
+      once more to put himself at the head of his regiment. His heart was bent
+      on it. I saw that though he might consent to abandon his purpose, I was
+      not so sure his mind might bear the disappointment; for the intellect will
+      sometimes go astray in endeavoring to retrace its steps. So I thought it
+      better to concede what might cost more in the refusal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The last words of the doctor remained in my head long after he took his
+      leave, and I could not avoid applying them to my own case. Was not <i>my</i>
+      impression of this nature? Were not <i>my</i> thoughts all centred on one
+      theme as fixedly as the officer's of whom he spoke? Could I, by any effort
+      of my reason or my will, control my wandering fancies, and call them back
+      to the dull realities amongst which I lived?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These were ever recurring to me, and always with the same reply. It is in
+      vain to struggle against an impulse which has swallowed up all other
+      ambitions. My heart is among the glittering ranks and neighing squadrons
+      of France; I would be there once more; I would follow that career which
+      first stirred the proudest hopes I ever cherished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That same evening the mail brought the news that Eugène Beauharnais had
+      fallen back on Magdeburg, and sent repeated despatches to the Emperor,
+      entreating his immediate presence among the troops, whom nothing but
+      Napoleon himself in the midst of them could restore to their wonted
+      bravery and determination. The reply of Napoleon was briefly,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am coming; and all who love me, follow me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      How the words rang in my ears,&mdash;&ldquo;<i>Tous ceux qui m'aiment!</i>&rdquo; I
+      heard them in every rustling of the wind and motion of the leaves against
+      the window; they were whispered to my sense by every avenue of my brain;
+      and I sat no longer occupied in reading as usual, but with folded arms,
+      repeating word by word the brief sentence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was midnight. All was still and silent through the house; no servant
+      stirred, and the very wind was hushed to a perfect calm. I was sitting in
+      my library, when the words I have repeated seemed spoken in a low, clear
+      voice beside me. I started up: the perspiration broke over my forehead and
+      fell upon my cheek with terror; for I knew I was alone, and the fearful
+      thought flashed on me,&mdash;this may be madness! For a second or two the
+      agony of the idea was almost insupportable. Then came a resolve as sudden.
+      I opened my desk, and took from it all the ready money I possessed; I
+      wrote a few hurried lines to my agent; and then, making my way noiselessly
+      to the stable, I saddled my horse and led him out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In two hours I was nearly twenty miles on my way to Dublin. Day was
+      breaking as I entered the capital. I made no delay there; but taking fresh
+      horses, started for Skerries, where I knew the fishermen of the coast
+      resorted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One hundred pounds to the man who will land me on the coast of France or
+      Holland,&rdquo; said I to a group that were preparing their nets on the shore.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A look of incredulity was the only reply. A very few words, however,
+      settled the bargain. Ere half an hour I was on board. The wind freshened,
+      and we stood out to sea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let the breeze keep to this,&rdquo; said the skipper, &ldquo;and we'll make the
+      voyage quickly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Both wind and tide were in our favor. We held down Channel rapidly; and I
+      saw the blue hills grow fainter and fainter, till the eye could but detect
+      a gray cloud on the horizon, which at last disappeared in the bright sun
+      of noon, and a wide waste of blue water lay on every side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0038" id="link2HCH0038">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE LAST CAMPAIGN
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The snow, half melted with the heavy rains, lay still deeply on the roads,
+      and a dark, lowering sky stretched above, as I harried onwards, with all
+      the speed I could, towards the east of France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Already the Allies had passed the Rhine. Schwartzen-berg in the south,
+      Blucher in the east, and Bernadotte on the Flemish frontier, were
+      conveying their vast armies to bear down on him whom singly none had dared
+      to encounter. All France was in arms, and every step was turned eastwards.
+      Immense troops of conscripts, many scarce of the age of boyhood, crowded
+      the highways. The veterans themselves were enrolled once more, and formed
+      battalions for the defence of their native land. Every town and village
+      was a garrison. The deep-toned rolling of ammunition wagons and the heavy
+      tramp of horses sounded through the nights long. War, terrible war, spoke
+      from every object around. Strongholds were strengthening, regiments
+      brigading, cavalry organizing on all sides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No longer, however, did I witness the wild enthusiasm which I so well
+      remembered among the soldiers of the army. Here were no glorious outbreaks
+      of that daring spirit which so marked the Frenchman, and made him almost
+      irresistible in arms. A sad and gloomy silence prevailed: a look of fierce
+      but hopeless determination was over all. They marched like men going to
+      death, but with the step and bearing of heroes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I entered the little town of Verviers. The day was breaking, but the
+      troops were under arms. The Emperor had but just taken his departure for
+      Châlons-sur-Marne. They told me of it as I changed horses,&mdash;not with
+      that fierce pride which a mere passing glance at the great Napoleon would
+      once have evoked; they spoke of him without emotion. I asked if he were
+      paler or thinner than his wont: they did not know. They said that he
+      travelled post, but that his staff were on horseback. From this I gathered
+      that he was either ill, or in that frame of mind in which he preferred to
+      be alone. While I was yet speaking, an officer of Engineers came up to the
+      carriage, and called out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unharness these horses, and bring them down to the barracks. These, sir,&rdquo;
+       said he, turning towards me, &ldquo;are not times to admit of ceremony. We have
+      eighteen guns to move, and want cattle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough, sir,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;I am not here to retard your movements, but if I
+      can, to forward them. Can I, as a volunteer, be of any service at this
+      moment?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you served before? Of course you have, though. In what arm?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As a Hussar of the Guard, for some years.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come along with me; I 'll bring you to the general at once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Re-entering the inn, the officer preceded me up stairs, and after a
+      moment's delay, introduced me into the presence of General Letort, then
+      commanding a cavalry brigade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have heard your request, sir. Where is your commission? Have you got it
+      with you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I handed it to him in silence. He examined it rapidly; and then turning
+      the reverse, read the few lines inscribed by the minister of war.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I could have given you a post this day, sir, this very hour,&rdquo; said he,
+      &ldquo;but for a blunder of our commissariat people. There's a troop here
+      waiting for a re-mount, but the order has not come down from Paris; and
+      our officials here will not advance the money till it arrives, as if these
+      were times for such punctilio. They are to form part of General
+      Kellermann's force, which is sadly deficient. Remain here, however, and
+      perhaps by to-morrow&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How much may the sum be, sir?&rdquo; asked I, interrupting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The general almost started with surprise at the abruptness of my question,
+      and in a tone of half reproof answered,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The amount required is beside the matter, sir; unless,&rdquo; added he,
+      sarcastically, &ldquo;you are disposed to advance it yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such was the object of my question,&rdquo; said I, calmly, and determining not
+      to notice the manner he had assumed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i>&rdquo; exclaimed he, &ldquo;that is very different. Twenty thousand
+      francs, however, is a considerable sum.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have as much, and something more, if need be, in my carriage,&mdash;if
+      English gold be no objection.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, <i>pardie!</i> that it is not,&rdquo; cried he, laughing; &ldquo;I only wish we
+      saw more of it. Are you serious in all this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The best reply to his question was to hasten down stairs and return with
+      two small canvas bags in my hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here are one thousand guineas,&rdquo; said I, laying them on the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While one of the general's aides-de-camp was counting and examining the
+      gold, I repeated at his request the circumstances which brought me once
+      again to France to serve under the banner of the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And your name, sir,&rdquo; said he, as he seated himself to write, &ldquo;is Thomas
+      Burke, ci-devant captain of the Eighth Hussars of the Guard. Well, I can
+      promise you the restoration of your old grade. Meanwhile, you must take
+      command of these fellows. They are mere partisan troops, hurriedly raised,
+      and ill organized; but I'll give you a letter to General Damrémont at
+      Chalons, and he 'll attend to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not a position for myself I seek, General,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;Wherever I can
+      best serve the Emperor, there only I desire to be.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have ventured to leave that point to General Damrémont,&rdquo; said he,
+      smiling. &ldquo;Your motives do not require much explanation. Let us to
+      breakfast now, and by noon we shall have everything in readiness for your
+      departure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus rapidly, and as it were by the merest accident, was I again become a
+      soldier of the Emperor; and that same day was once more at the head of a
+      squadron, on my way to Châlons. My troop were, indeed, very unlike the
+      splendid array of my old Hussars of the Guard. They were hurriedly raised,
+      and not over well equipped, but still they were stout-looking, hardy
+      peasants, who, whatever deficiency of drill they might display, I knew
+      well would exhibit no lack of courage before an enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On reaching Châlons, I found that General Damrémont had left with the
+      staff for Vitry only a few hours before; and so I reported myself to the
+      officer commanding the town, and was ordered by him to join the cavalry
+      brigade then advancing on Vitry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Had I time at this moment, I could not help devoting some minutes to an
+      account of that strange and motley mass which then were brigaded as
+      Imperial cavalry. Dragoons of every class, heavy and light-armed,&mdash;grenadiers
+      à cheval and hussars, cuirassiers, carbineers, and lancers,&mdash;were
+      all, pell-mell, mixed up confusedly together, and hurried onwards; some to
+      join their respective corps if they could find them, but all prepared to
+      serve wherever their sabres might be called for. It was confusion to the
+      last degree; but a tumult without enthusiasm or impulse. The superior
+      officers, who were well acquainted with the state of events, made no
+      secret of their gloomy forebodings; the juniors lacked energy in a cause
+      where they saw no field for advancement; and the soldiers, always prepared
+      to imbibe their feelings from their officers, seemed alike sad and
+      dispirited.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What a change was this from the wild and joyous spirit which once animated
+      every grade and class,&mdash;from the generous enthusiasm that once warmed
+      each bold heart, and made every soldier a hero! Alas! the terrible
+      consequences of long defeat were on all. The tide of battle that rolled
+      disastrously from the ruined walls of the Kremlin still swept along
+      towards the great Palace of the Tuileries. Germany had witnessed the
+      destruction of two mighty armies; the third and last was now awaiting the
+      eventful struggle on the very soil of their country. The tide of
+      fugitives, which preceded the retiring columns of Victor and Ney, met the
+      advancing bodies of the conscripts, and spread dismay and consternation as
+      they went.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dejection was but the shadow of the last approaching disaster.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the night of the 27th January, the cavalry brigade with which I was
+      received orders to march by the Forest of Bar on Brienne, where Blücher
+      was stationed in no expectation of being attacked. The movement,
+      notwithstanding the heavy roads, was made with great rapidity; and by noon
+      on the following day we came up with the main body of the army in full
+      march against the enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then once more did I recognize the old spirit of the army. Joyous songs
+      and gay cheers were heard from the different corps we passed. The
+      announcement of a speedy meeting with the Prussians had infused new vigor
+      among the troops. We were emerging from the deep shade of the wood into a
+      valley, where a light infantry regiment were bivouacked. Their fires were
+      formed in a wide circle, and the cooking went merrily on, amid the
+      pleasant song and jocund cries.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our own brief halt was just concluded, when the bugles sounded to resume
+      the march; and I stood for a moment admiring the merry gambols of the
+      infantry, when an air I well remembered was chanted forth in full chorus.
+      But my memory was not left long in doubt as to where and how these sounds
+      were first heard. The wild uproar at once recalled both, as they sang out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      No sooner did I hear the words, than I spurred my horse forward and rode
+      down towards them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What regiment's yours, Comrade?&rdquo; said I, to a fellow hurrying to the
+      ranks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Fifth, mon officier,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;Voltigeurs of the Line.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you a certain François, a maître d'armes, still among you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, that we have. There he is yonder, beating time to the roulade.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I looked in the direction he pointed, and there stood my old friend. He
+      was advanced in front of a company, and with the air of a tambour-major he
+      seemed as if he was giving time to the melody.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>sacré</i> conscripts that ye are!&rdquo; cried he, as with his fist
+      clenched he gesticulated fiercely towards them; &ldquo;can't ye keep the
+      measure? Once, now, and all together:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Picardy first, and then&mdash;.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Halloo, Maître François! can you remember an old friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The little man turned suddenly, and bringing his hand to the salute,
+      remained stiff and erect, as if on parade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Connais pas, mon capitaine,&rdquo; was his answer, after a considerable pause.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! not know me!&mdash;me, whom you made one of your own gallant
+      company, calling me 'Burke of Ours'?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>par la barbe de Saint Pierre!</i> is this my dear comrade of the
+      Eighth? Why, where have you been? They said you left us forever and aye.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tried it, François; but it wouldn't do.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mille bombes!&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;but you 're back in pleasant times,&mdash;to see
+      the Cossacks learning to drink champagne, and leave us to pay the score.
+      Come along, however; take your old place here. You are free to choose now,
+      and needn't be a dragoon any longer; not but that your old general will be
+      glad to see you again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General d'Auvergne! Where is he now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With the light cavalry brigade, in front; I saw him pass here two hours
+      since.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And how looks he, François?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A little stooped, or so, more than you knew him; but his seat in the
+      saddle seems just as firm. <i>Ventrebleu!</i> if he 'd been a voltigeur,
+      he 'd be a good man these ten years to come.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Delighted to learn that I was so near my dearest and oldest friend in the
+      world, I shook Francois's hand, and parted; but not without a pledge, that
+      whenever I joined the infantry, the Fifth Voltigeurs of the Line were to
+      have the preference.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we advanced towards Brienne the distant thunder of large guns was
+      heard; which gradually grew louder and more sustained, and betokened that
+      the battle had already begun. The roads, blocked up with dense masses of
+      infantry and long trains of wagons, prevented our rapid advance; and when
+      we tried the fields at either side, the soil, cut up with recent rains,
+      made us sink to the very girths of our horses. Still, order after order
+      came for the troops to press forward, and every effort was made to obey
+      the command.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was five o'clock as we debouched into the plain, and beheld the fields
+      whereon the battle had been contested; for already the enemy were
+      retiring, and the French troops in eager pursuit. Behind, however, lay the
+      town of Brienne, still held by the Russians, but now little better than a
+      heap of smoking ruins, the tremendous fire of the French artillery having
+      reduced the place to ashes. Conspicuous above all rose the dismantled
+      walls of the ancient military college; the school where Napoleon had
+      learned his first lesson in war, where first he essayed to point those
+      guns which now with such fearful havoc he turned against itself. What a
+      strange, sad Subject of contemplation for him who now gazed on it! On
+      either side, the fire of the artillery continued till nightfall; but the
+      Russians still held the town. A few straggling shots closed the combat;
+      and darkness now spread over the wide plain, save where the watchfires
+      marked out the position of the French troops.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A sudden flash of lurid flame, however, threw its gleam over the town, and
+      a wild cheer was heard rising above the clatter of musketry. It was a
+      surprise party of grenadiers, who had forced their way into the grounds of
+      the old château, where Blücher held his headquarters. Louder and louder
+      grew the firing, and a red glare in the dark sky told how the battle was
+      raging. Up that steep street, at the top of which the venerable château
+      stood, poured the infantry columns in a run. The struggle was short. The
+      dull sound of the Russian drum soon proclaimed a retreat; and a rocket
+      darting through the black sky announced to the Emperor that the position
+      had been won.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next day the Emperor fixed his headquarters at the château, and a
+      battalion of the guard bivouacked in the park around it. I had sent
+      forward the letter to Général Damrémont, and was wondering when and in
+      what terms the reply might come, when the general himself rode up,
+      accompanied by a single aide-de-camp.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have had the opportunity, sir, to speak of your conduct in the proper
+      quarter,&rdquo; said he, courteously; &ldquo;and the result is, your appointment as
+      major of the Tenth Hussars, or, if you prefer it, the staff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wherever, sir, my humble services can best be employed. I have no other
+      wish.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then take the regimental rank,&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;your brigade will see enough of
+      hot work ere long. And now push forward to Mézières, where you'll find
+      your regiment. They have received orders to march to-morrow, early.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I was not sorry to be relieved from the command of my irregular horse, who
+      went by the title of &ldquo;brigands&rdquo; in the army generally; though, if the
+      truth were to be told, the reproach on the score of honesty came ill from
+      those who conferred it. Still, it was a more gratifying position to hold a
+      rank in a regiment of regular cavalry, and one whose reputation was second
+      to none in the service.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to present myself to the colonel in command, sir,&rdquo; said I,
+      addressing an officer, who with two or three others stood chatting at the
+      door of a cottage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You 'll find him here, sir,&rdquo; said he, pointing to the hut. But, as he
+      spoke, the clank of a sabre was heard, and at the same instant a tall,
+      soldierlike figure stooped beneath the low doorway, and came forth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The colonel of the Tenth, I presume?&rdquo; said I, handing the despatch from
+      General Damrémont.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! my old college friend and companion!&rdquo; cried the colonel, as he
+      stepped back in amazement. &ldquo;Have I such good fortune as to see you in my
+      regiment?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can it be really so?&rdquo; said I, in equal astonishment. &ldquo;Are you Tascher?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my dear friend; the same Tascher you used to disarm so easily at
+      college,&mdash;a colonel at last. But why are you not at the head of a
+      regiment long since? Oh! I forgot, though,&rdquo; said he, in some confusion; &ldquo;I
+      heard all about it. But come in here; I've no better quarters to offer
+      you, but such as it is, make it yours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      My old companion of the Polytechnique was, indeed, little altered by time,&mdash;careless,
+      inconsiderate, and good-hearted as ever. He told me that he had only
+      gained the command of the regiment a few weeks before; &ldquo;and,&rdquo; added he,
+      &ldquo;if matters mend not soon, I am scarcely like to hold it much longer. The
+      despatches just received tell that the Allies are concentrating at
+      Trannes; and if so, we shall have a battle against overwhelming odds. No
+      matter, Burke; you have got into a famous corps,&mdash;they fight
+      splendidly, and my excellent uncle, his Majesty, loves to indulge their
+      predilection.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I passed the day with Tascher, chatting over our respective fortunes; and
+      in discussing the past and the future the greater part of the night went
+      over. Before dawn, however, we were on the march towards Chaumière,
+      whither the army was directed, and the Emperor himself then stationed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the 1st of February, and the weather was dark, lowering, and
+      gloomy. A cold wind drove the snowdrift in fitful gusts before it, and the
+      deep roads made our progress slow and difficult. As our line of advance,
+      however, was not that by which the other divisions were marching, it was
+      already past noon before we knew that the enemy was but three leagues
+      distant. On advancing farther, we heard the faint sounds of a cannonade;
+      and then they grew louder and louder, till the whole air seemed tremulous
+      with the concussion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A heavy fire, Colonel,&rdquo; said a veteran officer of the regiment. &ldquo;I should
+      guess there are not less than eighty or a hundred guns engaged.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Press on, men! press on!&rdquo; cried Tascher. &ldquo;When his Majesty provides such
+      music, it's scarcely polite to be late.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At a quick trot we came on, and about three o'clock debouched in the plain
+      behind Oudinot's battalions of reserve, which were formed in two dense
+      columns, about a hundred yards apart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hussars to the front!&rdquo; cried an aide-de-camp, as he galloped past, and
+      waved his cap in the direction of the space between the columns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In separate squadrons we penetrated through the defile, and came out on an
+      open plain behind the centre of the first line. The ground was
+      sufficiently elevated here, so that I could overlook the front line; but
+      all I could see was a dense, heavy smoke, which intervened between the two
+      positions, in the midst of which, and directly in front, a village lay.
+      Towards this, three columns of infantry were converging, and around the
+      sounds of battle were raging. This was La Giberie: the hamlet formed the
+      key of the French position, and had been twice carried by, and twice
+      regained from, the Allies. As I looked, the supporting columns halted,
+      wheeled, and retired; while a tremendous shower of grape was poured upon
+      them from the village, which now seemed to have been retaken by the
+      Allies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cavalry to the front!&rdquo; was now the order; and a force of six thousand
+      sabres advanced from between the battalions, and formed for attack. It was
+      Nansouty who led them, and his heavy cuirassiers were in the van; and then
+      came the grenadiers à cheval; ours was the third, in column. As each
+      regiment debouched, the word &ldquo;Charge!&rdquo; rang out, and forward we went. The
+      snow drifting straight against us, we could see nothing; nor was I
+      conscious of any check to our course till the shaking of the vast column
+      in front and then the opening of the squadrons denoted resistance, when
+      suddenly a flash flared out, and a hurricane of cannon-shot tore through
+      our dense files. Then I knew that we were attacking a battery of guns,&mdash;and
+      not till then. Mad cheers and cries of wounded men burst forth upon the
+      air, with the clashing din of sabres and small-arms; the mass of cavalry
+      appeared to heave and throb like some great monster in its agony. The
+      trumpet to retreat sounded, and we galloped back to our lines, leaving
+      above five hundred dead behind us, on a field where I had not yet seen the
+      enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile the Russians were assembling a mighty force around the village;
+      for now the cannonade opened with tenfold vigor in front, and fresh guns
+      were called up to reply to the fire. Hitherto all was shrouded in the blue
+      smoke of the artillery and the dense flakes of the snowdrift, when
+      suddenly a storm of wind swept past, carrying with it both sleet and
+      smoke; and now, within less than five hundred yards, we beheld the Allied
+      armies in front of us. Two of the three villages, which formed our
+      advanced position, already had been carried; and towards the third, La
+      Bothière, they were advancing quickly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ney's corps, ordered up to its defence, rushed boldly on, and the
+      clattering musketry announced that they were engaged; while twelve guns
+      were moved up in full gallop to their support, and opened their fire at
+      once. Scarce had they done so, when a wild hurrah was heard; and like a
+      whirlwind, a vast mass of cavalry,&mdash;the Cossacks of the Don and the
+      Uhlans of the South, commingled and mixed,&mdash;bear down on the guns.
+      The struggle is for life or death; no quarter given. Ney recalls his
+      columns, and the guns are lost.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who shall bring the Emperor the tidings?&rdquo; said Tascher, as his voice
+      trembled with excitement. &ldquo;I'd rather storm the battery single-handed than
+      do it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has seen worse than that already to-day,&rdquo; said an aide-de-camp at our
+      side. &ldquo;He has seen Lahorie's squadrons of the Dragoons of the Guard cut to
+      pieces by the Russian horse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Guard! the Guard!&rdquo; repeated Tascher, in accents where doubt and
+      despair were blended.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There goes another battalion to certain death!&rdquo; muttered the
+      aide-de-camp, as he pointed to a column of grenadiers emerging from the
+      front line; &ldquo;see,&mdash;I knew it well,&mdash;they are moving on La
+      Bothière. But here comes the Emperor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Before I could detect the figure among the crowd, the staff tore rapidly
+      past, followed by a long train of cavalry moving towards the left.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His favorite stroke,&rdquo; said Tascher: &ldquo;an infantry advance, and a flank
+      movement with cavalry.&rdquo; And as the words escaped him, we saw the horsemen
+      bearing down at top speed towards the village.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But now we could look no longer; our brigade was ordered to support the
+      attack, and we advanced at a trot. The enemy saw the movement, and a great
+      mass of cavalry were thrown out to meet it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here they come!&rdquo; was the cry repeated by three or four together, and the
+      earth shook as the squadrons came down.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our column dashed forward to meet them; when suddenly through the drift we
+      beheld a mass of fugitives, scattered and broken, approaching: they were
+      our own cavalry, routed in the attempt on the flank, now flying to the
+      rear, broken and disordered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before we could cover their retreat, the enemy were upon us. The shock was
+      dreadful, and for some minutes carried all before it; but then rallying,
+      the brave horsemen of France closed up and faced the foe. How vain all the
+      efforts of the redoubted warrior of the Dnieper and the Wolga against the
+      stern soldier of Napoleon! Their sabres flashed like lightning glances,
+      and as fatally bore down on all before them; and as the routed squadrons
+      fell back, the wild cheers of &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; told that at least one
+      great moment of success atoned for the misfortunes of the day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His Majesty saw your charge, Colonel,&rdquo; said a general officer to Tascher
+      as he rode back at the head of a squadron. &ldquo;So gallant a thing as that
+      never goes unrewarded.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Tascher's cheek flushed as he bowed in acknowledgment of the praise; but I
+      heard him mutter to himself the same instant, &ldquo;Too late! too late!&rdquo; Fatal
+      words they were,&mdash;the presage of the mishap they threatened!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A great attack on La Rothière was now preparing. It was to be made by
+      Napoleon's favorite manoeuvre of cavalry, artillery, and infantry
+      combined, each supporting and sustaining the other. Eighteen guns, with
+      three thousand sabres, and two columns of infantry numbering four thousand
+      each, were drawn up in readiness for the moment to move. Ney received
+      orders to lead them, and now they issued forth into the plain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our own impatience at not being of the number was quickly merged in
+      intense anxiety for the result. It was a gorgeous thing, indeed, to see
+      that mighty mass unravelling itself,&mdash;the guns galloping madly to the
+      front, supported on either flank by cavalry; while, masked behind, marched
+      the black columns of infantry, their tall shakos nodding like the
+      tree-tops of a forest. The snow was now falling fast, and the figures grew
+      fainter and fainter, and all that remained within our view was the tail of
+      the columns, which were only disengaging themselves from the lines.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A deafening cannonade opened from the Allied artillery on the advance,
+      unreplied to by our guns, which were ordered not to fire until within half
+      range of the enemy. Suddenly a figure is seen emerging from the heavy
+      snowdrift at the full speed of his horse; another, and another, follow him
+      in quick succession. They make for the position of the Emperor. &ldquo;What can
+      it be?&rdquo; cries each, in horrible suspense; &ldquo;see, the columns have halted!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dreadful tidings! The guns are embedded in the soft ground,&mdash;the
+      horses cannot stir them; one-half of the distance is scarcely won, and
+      there they are beneath the withering cannonade of the Allied guns,
+      powerless and immovable! Cavalry are dismounted, and the horses harnessed
+      to the teams: all in vain! the wheels sink deeper in the miry earth. And
+      now the enemy have found out the range, and their shot are sweeping
+      through the dense mass with frightful slaughter. Again the aides-de-camp
+      hasten to the rear for orders. But Ney can wait no longer; he launches his
+      cavalry at the foe, and orders up the infantry to follow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile a great cloud of cavalry issues from the Allied lines, and
+      directs its course towards the flank of the column: the Emperor sees the
+      danger, and despatches one of his staff to prepare them to receive
+      cavalry. Too late! too late!&mdash;the snowdrift has concealed the
+      advance, and the wild horsemen of the desert ride down on the brave ranks.
+      Disorder and confusion ensue; the column breaks and scatters. The lancers
+      pursue the fugitives through the plain; and before the very eyes of the
+      Emperor, the Guard&mdash;his Guard&mdash;are sabred and routed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is to become of our cavalry?&rdquo; is now the cry, for they have advanced
+      unsupported against the village. Dreadful moment of suspense! None can see
+      them; the guns lie deserted, alike by friend and foe. Who dares approach
+      them now? &ldquo;They are cheering yonder,&rdquo; exclaimed an officer: &ldquo;I hear them
+      again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hussars, to the front!&rdquo; calls out Damrémont,&mdash;&ldquo;to your comrades'
+      rescue! Men, yonder!&rdquo; and he points in the direction of the village.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Like an eagle on the swoop, the swift squadrons skim the plain, and mount
+      the slope beyond it. The drift clears, and what a spectacle is before us!
+      The cavalry are dismounted; their horses, dead or dying, cumber the
+      ground; the men, sabre in hand, have attacked the village by assault. Two
+      of the enemy's guns are taken and turned against them, and the walls are
+      won in many places. An opening in the enclosure of a farmyard admits our
+      leading squadron, and in an instant we have taken them in flank and rear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Russians will neither retreat nor surrender, and the carnage is awful;
+      for though overpowered by numbers, they still continue the slaughter, and
+      deal death while dying. The chief farmhouse of the village has been
+      carried by our troops, but the enemy still holds the garden: the low hedge
+      offers a slight obstacle, and over it we dash, and down upon them ride the
+      gallant Tenth with cheers of victory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this instant the crashing sound of cannon-shot among masonry is heard.
+      It is the Allied artillery, which, regardless of their own troops, has
+      opened on the village. Every discharge tells; the range is at quarter
+      distance, and whole files fall at every fire. The trumpet sounds a
+      retreat; and I am endeavoring to collect my scattered followers, when my
+      eye falls on the aigulet of a general officer among the heap of dead; and
+      at the same time I perceive that some old and gallant officer has fallen
+      sword in hand, for his long white hair is strewn loosely across his face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I spring down from my horse and push back the snowy locks, and with a
+      shriek of horror I recognize the friend of my heart,&mdash;General
+      d'Auvergne. I lift him in my arms, and search for the wound. Alas! a
+      grapeshot had torn through his chest, and cut asunder that noble heart
+      whose every beat was honor. Though still warm, no ray of life remained:
+      the hand I had so often grasped in friendship, I wrung now in the last
+      energy of despair, and fell upon the corpse in the agony of my grief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The night was falling fast. All was still around me; none remained near;
+      the village was deserted. The deafening din of the cannonade continued,
+      and at times some straggling shot crashed through the crumbling walls, and
+      brought them thundering to the earth; but all had fled. By the pale
+      crescent of a new moon I dug a grave beneath the ruined wall of the
+      farmhouse. The labor was long and tedious; but my breaking heart took no
+      note of time. My task completed, I sat down beside the grave, and taking
+      his now cold hand in mine, pressed it to my lips. Oh, could I have shared
+      that narrow bed of clay, what rapture would it have brought to my
+      sorrowing soul! I lifted the body and laid it gently in the earth; and as
+      I arose, I found that something had entangled itself in my uniform, and
+      held me. It seemed a locket, which he wore by a ribbon round his neck. I
+      detached it from its place, and put it in my bosom. One lock of the snowy
+      hair I severed from his noble head, and then covered up the grave. &ldquo;Adieu
+      forever!&rdquo; I muttered, as I wandered from the spot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the death of a true D'Auvergne,&mdash;&ldquo;on the field of battle!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0039" id="link2HCH0039">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIX. THE BRIDGE OF MONTEREAU
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Ere I left the village, a shower of shells was thrown into it from the
+      French lines, and in a few minutes the whole blazed up in a red flame, and
+      threw a wide glare over the battlefield. Spurring my horse to his speed, I
+      galloped onward, and now discovered that our troops were retiring in all
+      haste. The Allies had won the battle, and we were falling back on Brienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Leaving seventy-three guns in the hands of the enemy, above one thousand
+      prisoners, and six thousand killed in battle, Napoleon drew off his
+      shattered forces, and marched through the long darkness of a winter's
+      night. Thus ended the battle of Arcis-sur-Aube,&mdash;the most fatal for
+      the hopes of the Emperor since the dreadful day of Leipzic.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From that hour Fortune seemed to frown on those whose arms she had so
+      often crowned with victory; and he himself, the mighty leader of so many
+      conquering hosts, stood at the window of the château at Brienne the whole
+      night long, dreading lest the enemy should be on his track. He whose
+      battles were wont to be the ovations of a conqueror, now beheld with joy
+      his masses retiring unpursued.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Why should I dwell on a career of disaster, or linger on the expiring
+      moments of a mighty Empire? Of what avail now are the reinforcements which
+      arrived to our aid,&mdash;the veteran legions of the Peninsula? The cry is
+      ever, &ldquo;Too late! too late!&rdquo; Dreadful words, heard at every moment! sad
+      omens of an army devoted and despairing!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From Brienne we retreat to Troyes; from thence to Bar-sur-Aube,&mdash;ever
+      nearer and nearer to that capital to which the Allies tend with wild
+      shouts of triumph. On the last day of February our headquarters are at
+      Nogent, not thirty leagues from Paris,&mdash;Nogent, with the great forest
+      of Fontainebleau on its left; and Meaux, the ancient bishopric of the
+      Monarchy, on its right; and behind that screen, Paris!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Leaving Bourmont in command of the line which holds the Austrians in
+      check, the Emperor himself hastens to oppose Blücher,&mdash;the most
+      intrepid and the most daring of all his enemies. A cross-march in the
+      depth of winter, with the ground covered with half-frozen snow, will bring
+      him on the flank of the Prussian army. It is dared! Dangers and
+      difficulties beset every step; the artillery are almost lost, the cavalry
+      exhausted. But the cry of &ldquo;The enemy!&rdquo; rouses every energy: they debouch
+      on the plain of Champ-Aubert, to fall on the moving column of the Russians
+      under Alsufief. Glorious stroke of fate! Victory again caresses the
+      spoiled child of fortune: the enemy is routed, and retires on Montmirail
+      and Châlons. The advanced army of the Prussians hear the cannonade, and
+      fall back to support the Allies on Montmirail. But the Emperor already
+      awaits them with the battalions of the Old Guard, and another great battle
+      ends in victory. Areola and Rivoli were again remembered, and recalled by
+      victories not less glorious; and once more hope returned to the ranks it
+      seemed to have quitted forever. Another dreadful blow is aimed at
+      Blucher's columns; Marmont attacks them at Vaux-Champs, and the army of
+      Silesia falls back beaten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now the Emperor hastens towards Nogent, where he has left Bourmont in
+      front of the Austrians. &ldquo;Too late! too late!&rdquo; is again the cry,&mdash;the
+      columns of Oudinot and Victor are already in retreat. Schwartzenberg, with
+      a force triple their own, advances on the plains of the Seine; the
+      Cossacks bivouac in the forest of Fontainebleau. Staff-officers hurry
+      onward with the news that the Emperor is approaching; the victorious army
+      which had subdued Blucher is on the march, reinforced by the veteran
+      cavalry of Spain and the tried legions of the Peninsula. They halt, and
+      form in battle. The Allies arrest their steps at Nangis, and again are
+      beaten: Nangis becomes another name of glory to the ears of Frenchmen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let me rest one instant in this rapid recital of a week whose great deeds
+      not even Napoleon's life can show the equal of,&mdash;the last flash of
+      the lamp of glory ere it darkened forever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Three days had elapsed from the sad hour in which I laid my dearest friend
+      in his grave, ere I opened the locket I had taken from his bosom. The wild
+      work of war mingled its mad excitement in my brain with thoughts of deep
+      sorrow; and I lived in a kind of fevered dream, and hurried from the
+      affliction which beset me into the torrent of danger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The gambler who cares not to win rarely loses, so he that seeks death in
+      battle comes unscathed through every danger. Each day I threw myself
+      headlong into some post where escape seemed scarcely possible; but
+      recklessness has its own armor of safety. On the field of Montmirail I was
+      reported to the Emperor; and for an attack on the Austrian rearguard at
+      Melun made colonel of a cuirassier regiment on the field of battle. Such
+      promotions rained on every side: hundreds were falling each day; many
+      regiments were commanded by officers of twenty-three or twenty-four years
+      of age. Few expected to carry their new epaulettes beyond the engagement
+      they gained them in; none believed the Empire itself could survive the
+      struggle. Each played for a mighty stake; few cared to outlive the game
+      itself. The Emperor showered down favors on the heads which each
+      battlefield laid low.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was on the return from Melun I first opened the locket, which I
+      continued to wear around my neck. In the full expansion of a momentary
+      triumph to see myself at the head of a regiment, I thought of him who
+      would have participated in my pride. I was sitting in the doorway of a
+      little cabaret on the roadside, my squadrons picketed around me, for a
+      brief halt; and as my thoughts recurred to the brave D'Auvergne, I
+      withdrew the locket from my bosom. It was a small oval case of gold,
+      opening by a spring. I touched this, and as I did so, the locket sprang
+      open, and displayed before me a miniature of Marie de Meudon. Yes!
+      beautiful as I had seen her in the forest of Versailles: her dark hair
+      clustering around her noble brow,&mdash;and her eyes, so full of tender
+      loveliness, shadowed by their deep fringes,&mdash;were there as I
+      remembered them; the lips were half parted, as though the artist had
+      caught the speaking expression,&mdash;and as-I gazed, I could fancy that
+      voice, so musically sweet, still ringing in my ears. I could not look on
+      it enough: the features recalled the scenes when first I met her; and the
+      strong current of love, against which so long I struggled and contended,
+      flowed on with tenfold force once more. Should we ever meet again,&mdash;and
+      how? were the questions which rushed to my mind, and to which hope and
+      fear dictated the replies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The locket was a present from the Empress to the general,&mdash;at least,
+      so I interpreted an inscription on the back; and this&mdash;shall I
+      confess it?&mdash;brought pleasure to my heart. Like one whose bosom bore
+      some wondrous amulet, some charm against the approach of danger, I now
+      rode at the head of my gallant band. Life had grown dearer to me, without
+      death becoming more dreaded. Her image next my heart made me feel as if I
+      should combat beneath her very eyes, and I burned to acquit myself as
+      became one who loved her. A wild, half frantic joy animated me as I went,
+      and was caught by the gay companions around me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At midnight a despatch reached me, ordering me to hasten forward by a
+      forced march to Montereau, the bridge of which town was a post of the
+      greatest importance, and must be held against the Austrians till Victor
+      could come up. We lost not a moment. It was a calm frosty night, with a
+      bright moon, and we hastened along without halting. About an hour before
+      daybreak we were met by a cavalry patrol, who informed us that Gérard and
+      Victor had both arrived, but too late: Montereau was held by the
+      Wurtemberg troops, who garrisoned the village, and defended the bridge
+      with a strong force of artillery; twice the French troops had been beaten
+      back with tremendous loss, and all looked for the morrow to renew the
+      encounter. We continued our journey; and, as the sun was rising,
+      discovered, at a distance on the road beside the river, the mass of an
+      infantry column: it was the Emperor himself, come up with the Guard, to
+      attack the position.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Already the preparations for a fierce assault were in progress. A battery
+      of twelve guns was posted on a height to command the bridge; another,
+      somewhat more distant, overlooked the village itself. Different bodies of
+      infantry and cavalry were disposed wherever shelter presented itself, and
+      ready for the command to move forward. The approach to the bridge was by a
+      wide road, which lay for some distance along the river bank; and this was
+      deeply channelled by the enemy's artillery, which, stationed on and above
+      the bridge, seemed to defy any attempt to advance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Never, indeed, did an enterprise seem more full of danger. Every house
+      which looked on the bridge was crenelated for small-arms, and garrisoned
+      by sharpshooters,&mdash;the fierce Jager of Germany, whose rifles are the
+      boast of the Vaterland. Cannon bristled along the heights; their wide
+      mouths pointed to that devoted spot, already the grave of hundreds.
+      Withdrawn under cover of a steep hill, my regiment was halted, with two
+      other heavy cavalry corps, awaiting orders; and from the crest of the
+      ridge I could observe the first movements of the fight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As usual, a fierce cannonade was opened from either side; which, directed
+      mainly against the artillery itself, merely resulted in dismantling a
+      stray battery here and there, without further damage. At last the hoarse
+      roll of a drum was heard, and the head of an infantry column was seen
+      advancing up the road. They passed beneath a rock on which a little group
+      of officers were standing, and as they went a cheer of &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo;
+       broke from them. I strained my eyes towards the place, for now I knew the
+      Emperor himself was there. I could not, however, detect him in the crowd,
+      who all waved their hats in encouragement to the troops.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On they went, descending a steep declivity of the highroad to the bridge.
+      Suddenly the cannonade redoubles from the side of the enemy; the shot
+      whistles through the air, while ten thousand muskets peal forth together.
+      I rivet my eyes to watch the column. But what is my horror to perceive
+      that none appear upon the ridge! The masses move up; they mount the
+      ascent; they disappear behind it; and then are lost to sight forever. Not
+      one escapes the dreadful havoc of the guns, which from a distance of less
+      than two hundred yards enfilades the bridge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But still they moved up. I could hear, from where ï lay, the commands of
+      the officers, as they gave the word to their companies: no fear nor
+      hesitation,&mdash;there they went to death; in less than fifteen minutes
+      twelve hundred fell, dead or wounded. And at last the signal to fall back
+      was given, and the shattered fragment of a column reeled back behind the
+      ridge. Again the cannonade opened, and increasing on both sides, was
+      maintained for above an hour without intermission. During this, our guns
+      did tremendous execution on the village, but without effecting anything of
+      importance respecting the bridge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Grenadiers of the Guard had reached the scene of combat, by forced
+      marches, from Nangis; and after a brief time to recruit their strength,
+      were now ordered up. What a splendid force that massive column,
+      conspicuous by their scarlet shoulder-knots and tall shakos of black
+      bearskin! with what confidence they move! They halt beneath the rock. The
+      Emperor is there too. And see! the officer who stands beside him descends
+      from the height, and puts himself at the head of the column: it is Guyot,
+      the colonel of the battalion; he waves his plumed hat in answer to the
+      Emperor,&mdash;that salute is the last he shall ever give on earth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The drums roll out; but the hoarse shout of &ldquo;En avant!&rdquo; drowns their
+      tumult. On they rush; they are over the height; they disappear down the
+      descent. And see! there they are on the bridge! &ldquo;Vive la Garde!&rdquo; shouted
+      ten thousand of their comrades, who watch them from the heights; &ldquo;Vive la
+      Garde!&rdquo; is echoed from the tall cliffs beyond the river. The column moves
+      on, and already reaches the middle of the bridge, when eighteen guns throw
+      their fire into it: the blue smoke rolls down the rocky heights and
+      settles on the bridge, broken here and there by flashes, like the forked
+      gleam of lightning; the cloud passes oyer; the bridge is empty, save of
+      dead and dying: the Grenadiers of the Guard are no more!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What heart is his who gives his fellow-men to death like this!&rdquo; was my
+      exclamation as I witnessed this terrible struggle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Cuirassiers and Carbineers of the Guard to form by threes in column
+      of attack!&rdquo; shouted an aide-de-camp, as he rode up to where I lay. And no
+      more thought had I of <i>his</i> motives, who now opened the path of glory
+      to myself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The squadrons were arrayed under cover of the ridge; the shot and shells
+      from the enemy's batteries flew thickly over us,&mdash;a presage of the
+      storm we were about to meet. The order to mount was given; and as the men
+      sprang into their saddles, a group of horsemen galloped rapidly round the
+      angle of the cliff, and approached. One glance showed me it was the
+      Emperor and his staff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cuirassiers of the Guard,&rdquo; said he, as with raised chapeau he saluted his
+      brave followers, &ldquo;I have ordered two battalions to carry that bridge; they
+      have failed. Let those who never fail advance to the storm. Montereau
+      shall be inscribed on your helmets, men, when I see you on yonder heights.
+      Go forward!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forward! forward!&rdquo; shouted the mailed ranks, half maddened by the
+      exciting presence of Napoleon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The force was formed in four separate columns of attack: the First
+      Cuirassiers leading; followed by the Carbineers of the Guard; then my own
+      regiment; and lastly, the Fourth, the corps of poor Pioche. What would I
+      have given to know he was there! But there was not time for such inquiry
+      now. The squadrons were ready awaiting the moment to dash on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A loud detonation of nigh twenty guns shook the earth; and in the smoke
+      that rolled from them the bridge was concealed from view. A trumpet
+      sounded, and the cry of &ldquo;Charge!&rdquo; followed. The mass sprang forth. What a
+      cheer was theirs as they swept past! The cannonade opens again; the whole
+      ground trembles. The musketry follows; and the clatter of a thousand
+      sabres mingles with the war-cries of the combatants. It is but brief,&mdash;the
+      tumult is already subsiding.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now comes the order for the carbineers to move up; the cuirassiers
+      have been cut to pieces. A few, mangled and bleeding, have reeled back
+      behind the hill; but the regiment is gone!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where are the troops of Wagram and Eylau?&rdquo; said the Emperor, in
+      bitterness, as he saw the one broken squadron, sole remnant of a gallant
+      corps, reeling, bloodstained and dying, to the rear. &ldquo;Where is that
+      cavalry that carried the Russian battery at Moskowa? You are not what you
+      once were!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This cruel taunt, at the very moment when the earth was steeped in the
+      blood of his brave soldiers, was heard in mournful silence. None spoke a
+      word, but with clenched lip and clasped hand sat waiting the command to
+      charge. It came; but no cheer followed. The carbineers dashed on, prepared
+      to die: what death so dreadful as the cold irony of Napoleon!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;En avant! cuirassiers of the Tenth,&rdquo; called out the Emperor, as the last
+      squadrons of the carbineers went by, &ldquo;support your comrades! Follow up
+      there, men of the Fourth! I must have that bridge.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And now the whole line moved up. As we turned the cliff in full trot, the
+      scene of combat lay before us: the terrible bridge now actually choked up
+      with dead and wounded, the very battlements strewn with corpses. In an
+      instant the carbineers were upon it; and struggling through the mass of
+      carnage, they rode onward. Like men goaded to despair, they pressed on,
+      and actually reached the archway beyond, which, defended by a strong gate,
+      closed up the way. Whole files now fell at every discharge; but others
+      took their places, to fall as rapidly beneath the murderous musketry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A petard to the gate!&rdquo; is now the cry,&mdash;&ldquo;a petard, and the bridge is
+      won!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Quick as lightning, four sappers of the Guard rush across the road and
+      gain the bridge. They carry some thing between them, but soon are lost in
+      the dense masses of the horse. The enemy's fire redoubles; the bridge
+      crashes beneath the cannonade, when a loud shout is raised,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let the cavalry fall back!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A cheer of triumph breaks from the town as they behold the retiring
+      squadrons; they know not that the petard is now attached to the gate, and
+      that the horsemen are merely withdrawn for the explosion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The bridge is cleared, and every eye is turned to watch the discharge
+      which shall break the strong door, and leave the passage open. But
+      unhappily the fuze has missed, and the great engine lies inert and
+      inactive. What is to be done? The cavalry cannot venture to approach the
+      spot, which at any moment may explode with ruin on every side; and thus
+      the bridge is rendered impregnable by our own fault.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fatality upon fatality!&rdquo; is the exclamation of Napoleon, as he heard the
+      tidings. &ldquo;This to the man who puts a match to the fuze!&rdquo; said he, as he
+      detaches the great cross of the Legion from his breast, and holds it
+      aloft.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With one spring I jump from my saddle, and dash at the burning match a
+      gunner is holding near me. A rush is made by several others; but I am
+      fleetest of foot, and before they reach the road I am on the bridge. The
+      enemy has not seen me, and I am half-way across before a shot is aimed at
+      me. Even then a surprise seems to arrest their fire, for it is a single
+      ball whizzes past. I see the train; I kneel down; the fuze is faint, and I
+      stoop to blow it; and then my action is perceived, and a shattering volley
+      sweeps the bridge. The high projecting parapet protects me, and I am
+      unhurt. But the fuze will not take: horrible moment of agonizing suspense,&mdash;the
+      powder is clotted with blood, and will not ignite! I remember that my
+      pistols are in my belt, and detaching one, I draw the charge, and scatter
+      the fresh powder along the line. My shelter still saves me, though the
+      balls are crashing like hail around me. It takes, it takes! the powder
+      spits and flashes, and a loud cry from my comrades bursts out, &ldquo;Come back!
+      come back!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Forgetting everything in the intense anxiety of the moment, I spring to my
+      legs; but scarce is my head above the parapet when a bullet strikes me in
+      the chest. I fall covered with blood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Save him! save him!&rdquo; is the cry of a thousand voices; and a rush is made
+      upon the bridge. The musketry opens on these brave fellows, and they fall
+      back wounded and discouraged.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0023" id="linkimage-0023">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/504.jpg" alt="504 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Crouching beneath the parapet, I try to stanch my wound; but the blood is
+      gushing in torrents, my senses are reeling, the objects around grow
+      dimmer, the noise seems fainter. But suddenly I feel a hand upon my neck,
+      and at the same instant a flask is pressed to my lips. I drink, and the
+      wine rallies me; the bleeding is stopped. My eyes open again; and dare I
+      trust their evidence? Who is it that now shelters beneath the parapet
+      beside me? Minette, the vivandière! her handsome face flushed, her eyes
+      wild with excitement, and her brown hair in great tangled masses on her
+      back and shoulders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette, is it indeed thee?&rdquo; said I, pressing her hand to my lips.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I knew you at the head of your regiment some days ago, and I thought we
+      should meet ere long. But lie still; we are safe here. The fire slackens
+      too; they have fallen back since the gate was forced.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is the gate forced, Minette?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, the petard has done its work; but the columns are not come up. Lie
+      still till they pass.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear, dear girl! what a brave heart is thine!&rdquo; said I, gazing on her
+      beautiful features, tenfold handsomer from the expression which her
+      heroism had lent them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You would surely adventure as much for me,&rdquo; said she, half-timidly, as
+      she pressed her handkerchief against the wound, which still oozed blood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The action entangled her fingers in a ribbon. She tried to extricate them;
+      and the locket fell out, opening by accident at the same moment. With a
+      convulsive energy she clasped the miniature in both hands, and riveted her
+      eyes upon it. The look was wild as that of madness itself, and her
+      features grew stiff as she gazed, while the pallor of death overspread
+      them. It was scarce the action of a second; in another, she flung back the
+      picture from her and sprang to her feet. One glance she gave me, fleeting
+      as the lightning flash, but how full of storied sorrow!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The moment after she was in the middle of the bridge. She waved her cap
+      wildly above her head, and beckoned to the column to come on. A cheer
+      answered her. The mass rushed forward; the fire again pealed forth; a
+      shriek pierced the din of all the battle, and the leading files halt. Four
+      grenadiers fall back to the rear, carrying a body between them: it is the
+      corpse of Minette the vivandière, who has received her death-wound!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0024" id="linkimage-0024">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/506.jpg" alt="506 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      The same evening saw me the occupant of a bed in the ambulance of the
+      Guard. Dreadful as the suffering of my wound was, I carried a deeper one
+      within my heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor has given you his own cross of the Legion, sir,&rdquo; said the
+      surgeon, endeavoring to rally me from a dejection whose source he knew
+      not.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has made him a general of brigade, too,&rdquo; said a voice behind him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was General Letort who spoke; he had that moment come from the Emperor
+      with the tidings. I buried my head beneath my hands, and felt as though my
+      heart was bursting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That was a gallant girl, that vivandière,&rdquo; said the rough old general;
+      &ldquo;she must have had a soldier's heart within that corsage. <i>Parbleu!</i>
+      I'd rather not have another such in my brigade, though, after what
+      happened this evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it you speak of?&rdquo; said I, faintly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They gave her a military funeral this evening,&mdash;the Fourth
+      Cuirassiers. The Emperor gave his permission, and sent General Degeon of
+      the staff to be present. And when they placed her in the grave, one of the
+      soldiers,&mdash;a corporal, I believe,&mdash;kneeled down to kiss her
+      before they covered in the earth; and when he had done so, he lay slowly
+      down on his face on the grass. 'He has fainted,' said one of his comrades;
+      and they turned him on his back. <i>Morbleu!</i> it was worse than that:
+      he was stone dead,&mdash;one of the very finest fellows of the regiment!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes! I know him,&rdquo; muttered I, endeavoring to smother my emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The general looked at me as if my mind was wandering, and briefly added,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so they laid them in the same grave, and the same fusillade gave the
+      last honors to both.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your story has affected my patient overmuch, General,&rdquo; said the doctor;
+      &ldquo;you must leave him to himself for some time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0040" id="link2HCH0040">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XL. FONTAINEBLEAU
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      An order from Berthier, written at the command of the Emperor, admitted me
+      into the ancient Palace of Fontainebleau, where I lay for upwards of two
+      months under my wound. Twice had fever nearly brought me to the grave; but
+      youth and unimpaired health succored me, and I rallied through all. A
+      surgeon of the staff accompanied me, and by his kind companionship, not
+      less than by his skill, did I recover from an illness where sorrow had
+      made an iron inroad not less deep than disease.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In my little chamber, which looked out upon the courtyard of the Palace, I
+      passed my days, thinking over the past and all its vicissitudes. Each day
+      we learned some intelligence either from the seat of war or from Paris:
+      defeat in one, treason and disaffection in the other, were rapidly
+      hastening the downfall of the mightiest Empire the genius of man had ever
+      constructed. Champ-Aubert, Montmirail, and Montereau, great victories as
+      they were, retarded not the current of events. &ldquo;The week of glory&rdquo; brought
+      not hope to a cause predestined to ruin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the latter end of March. For some days previous the surgeon had
+      left me to visit an outpost ambulance near Melun, and I was alone. My
+      strength, however, enabled me to sit up at my window; and even in this
+      slight pleasure my wearied senses found enjoyment, after the tedious hours
+      of a sickbed. The evening was calm, and for the season mild and
+      summerlike. The shrubs were putting forth their first leaves, and around
+      the marble fountains the spring flowers were already showing signs of
+      blossom. The setting sun made the tall shadows of the ancient beech-trees
+      stretch across the wide court, where all was still as at midnight. No
+      inhabitant of the Palace was about; not a servant moved, not a footstep
+      was heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was a moment of such perfect stillness as leads the mind to reverie;
+      and my thoughts wandered away to that distant time when gay cavaliers and
+      stately dames trod those spacious terraces,&mdash;when tales of chivalry
+      and love mingled with the plashing sounds of those bright fountains, and
+      the fair moon looked down on more lovely forms than even those graceful
+      marbles around. I fancied the time when the horn of the chasseur was
+      heard-echoing through those vast courts, its last notes lost in the merry
+      voices of the cortege round the monarch. And then I called up the
+      brilliant group, with caracoling steeds and gay housings, proudly
+      advancing up that great avenue to the royal entrance, and pictured the
+      ancient ceremonial that awaited his coming,&mdash;the descendant of a long
+      line of kings. The frank and kingly Francis, the valiant Henry the Fourth,
+      the &ldquo;Grand Monarch&rdquo; himself,&mdash;all passed in review before my mind as
+      once they lived, and moved, and spoke in that stately pile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun had set: the mingled shadows threw their gloom over the wide
+      court, and one wing of the Palace was in' deep shade, when suddenly I
+      heard the roll of wheels and the tramp of horses on the distant road. I
+      listened attentively. They were coming near; I could hear the tread of
+      many together; and my practised ear could detect the clank of dragoons, as
+      their sabres and sabretasches jingled against the horses' flanks. &ldquo;Some
+      hurried news from the Emperor,&rdquo; thought I; &ldquo;perhaps some marshal wounded,
+      and about to be conveyed to the Palace.&rdquo; The same instant the guard at the
+      distant entrance beat to arms, and an equipage drawn by six horses dashed
+      in at full gallop; a second followed as fast, with a peloton of dragoons
+      at the side. My anxiety increased. &ldquo;What if it were the Emperor himself!&rdquo;
+       thought I. But as the idea flashed across me, it yielded at once on seeing
+      that the carriages did not draw up at the grand stair, but passed on to a
+      low and private door at the distant wing of the Palace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The bustle of the cortege arriving was but a moment's work. The carriages
+      moved rapidly away, the dragoons disappeared, and all was as still as
+      before, leaving me to ponder over the whole, and actually ask myself could
+      it have been reality? I opened my door to listen; but not a sound awoke
+      the echo of the long corridors. One could have fancied that no living
+      thing was beneath that wide roof, so silent was all around.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A strange feeling of anxiety,&mdash;the dread of something undefined, I
+      knew not what, or whence coming,&mdash;was over me, and my nerves, long
+      irritable from illness, became now jarringly sensitive, and banished all
+      thought of sleep. Wild fancies and incoherent ideas crossed my mind, and
+      made me restless and uneasy. I felt, too, as if the night were unusually
+      close and sultry, and I opened my window to admit the air. Scarcely had I
+      drawn the curtain aside, when my eye rested on a long line of light, that,
+      issuing from a window on the ground-floor of the Palace, threw its bright
+      gleam far across the courtyard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was in the same wing where the carriages drew up. It must be so; some
+      officer of rank, wounded in a late battle, was brought there. &ldquo;Poor
+      fellow!&rdquo; thought I; &ldquo;what suffering may he be enduring amid all the
+      peace-fulness and calm of this tranquil spot! Who can it be?&rdquo; was the
+      ever-recurring question to my mind; for my impression had already
+      strengthened itself to a conviction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The hours went on; the light shone steadily as at first, and the stillness
+      was unbroken. Wearied with thinking, and half forgetful of my weakness, I
+      tottered along the corridor, descended the grand stair, and passed out
+      into the court. How refreshing did the night air feel! how sweet the fair
+      odors of the spring, as, wafted by the motion of the <i>jet d'eau</i>,
+      they were diffused around! The first steps of recovery from severe
+      sickness have a strange thrill of youthfulness about them. Our senses seem
+      once more to revel in the simple enjoyments of early days, and to feel
+      that their greatest delight lies in the associations which gave pleasure
+      to childhood. Weaned from the world's contentions, we seem to have been
+      lifted for the time above the meaner cares and ambitions of life, and love
+      to linger a little longer in that ideal state of happiness calm thoughts
+      bestow; and thus the interval that brings back health to the body restores
+      freshness to the heart, and purified in thought, we come forth hoping for
+      better things, and striving for them with all the generous ardor of early
+      years. How happy was I as I wandered in that garden! how full of gratitude
+      to feel the current of health once more come back in all my veins,&mdash;the
+      sense of enjoyment which flows from every object of the fair world
+      restored to me, after so many dangers and escapes!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I moved slowly through the terraced court, my eye was constantly
+      attracted to the small and starlike light which glimmered through the
+      darkness; and I turned to it at last, impelled by a feeling of undefinable
+      sympathy. Following a narrow path, I drew near to a little garden, which
+      once contained some rare flowers. They had been favorites of poor
+      Josephine in times past; but the hour was over in which that gave them a
+      claim to care and attention, and now they were wild grown and tangled, and
+      almost concealed the narrow walk which led to the doorway.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I reached this at length; and as I stood, the faint moonlight, slanting
+      beneath a cloud, fell upon a bright and glistening object almost at my
+      feet. I stepped back, and looked fixedly at it. It was the figure of a man
+      sleeping across the entrance of the porch. He was dressed in Mameluke
+      fashion; but his gay trappings and rich costume were travel-stained and
+      splashed. His unsheathed cimeter lay grasped in one hand, and a Turkish
+      pistol seemed to have fallen from the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Even by the imperfect light I recognized Rustan, the favorite Mameluke of
+      the Emperor, who always slept at the door of his tent and his chamber,&mdash;his
+      chosen bodyguard. Napoleon must then be here; his equipage it was which
+      arrived so hurriedly; his the light which burned through the stillness of
+      the night. As these thoughts followed fast on one another, I almost
+      trembled to think how nearly I had ventured on his presence, where none
+      dared to approach unbidden. To retire quickly and noiselessly was now my
+      care. But my first step entangled my foot; I stumbled. The noise awoke the
+      sleeping Turk, and with a loud cry for the guard he sprang to his feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;La garde!&rdquo; called he a second time, forgetting in his surprise that none
+      was there. But then with a spring he seized me by the arm, and as his
+      shining weapon gleamed above my head, demanded who I was, and for what
+      purpose there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The first words of my reply were scarcely uttered, when a small door was
+      opened within the vestibule, and the Emperor appeared. Late as was the
+      hour, he was dressed, and even wore his sword at his side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What means this? Who are you, sir?&rdquo; was the quick, sharp question he
+      addressed to me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few words&mdash;the fewest in which I could convey it&mdash;told my
+      story, and expressed my sorrow, that in the sick man's fancy of a
+      moonlight walk I should have disturbed his Majesty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought, Sire,&rdquo; added I, &ldquo;that your Majesty was many a league distant
+      with the army&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no army, sir,&rdquo; interrupted he, with a rapid gesture of his hand;
+      &ldquo;to-morrow there will be no Emperor. Go, sir; go, while it is yet the
+      time. Offer your sword and your services where so many others, more
+      exalted than yourself, have done. This is the day of desertion; see that
+      you take advantage of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Had my name and rank been less humble, they would have assured your
+      Majesty how little I merited this reproach.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am sorry to have offended you,&rdquo; replied he, in a voice of inexpressible
+      softness. &ldquo;You led the assault at Montereau? I remember you now. I should
+      have given you your brigade, had I&mdash;&rdquo; He stopped here suddenly, while
+      an expression of suffering passed across his pale features; he rallied
+      from it, however, in an instant, and resumed, &ldquo;I should have known you
+      earlier; it is too late! Adieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He inclined his head slightly as he spoke, and extended his hand. I
+      pressed it fervently to my lips, and would have spoken, but I could not.
+      The moment after he was gone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0025" id="linkimage-0025">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/parting.jpg" alt="Brownepartingscene " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      It is too late! too late!&mdash;the same terrible words which were uttered
+      beneath the blackened walls of Moscow; repeated at every new disaster of
+      that dreadful retreat; now spoken by him whose fortune they predicted. Too
+      late!&mdash;the exclamation of the proud marshal, harassed by unsuccessful
+      efforts to avert the destiny he saw inevitable. Too late!&mdash;the cry of
+      the wearied soldier. Too late!&mdash;the fatal expression of the Czar when
+      the brave and faithful Macdonald urged the succession of the King of Rome
+      and the regency of the Empress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Wearied with a wakeful night, I fell into a slumber towards morning, when
+      I started suddenly at the roll of drums in the court beneath. In an
+      instant I was at my window. What was my astonishment to perceive that the
+      courtyard was filled with troops! The Grenadiers of the Guard were ranged
+      in order of battle, with several squadrons of the chasseurs and the horse
+      artillery; while a staff of general officers stood in the midst, among
+      whom I recognized Belliard, Montesquieu, and Turenne,&mdash;great names,
+      and worthy to be recorded for an act of faithful devotion. The Duc de
+      Bassano was there too, in deep mourning; his pale and careworn face
+      attesting the grief within his heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The roll of the drums continued; the deep, unbroken murmur of the salute
+      went on from one end of the line to the other. It ceased; and ere I could
+      question the reason, the various staff-officers became uncovered, and
+      stood in attitudes of respectful attention, and the Emperor himself
+      slowly, step by step, descended the wide stair of the &ldquo;Cheval Blanc,&rdquo;&mdash;as
+      the grand terrace was styled,&mdash;and advanced towards the troops. At
+      the same instant the whole line presented arms, and the drums beat the
+      salute. They ceased, and Napoleon raised his hand to command silence, and
+      throughout that crowded mass not a whisper was heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I could perceive that he was speaking, but the words did not reach me.
+      Eloquent and burning words they were, and to be recorded in history to the
+      remotest ages. I now saw that he had finished, as General Petit sprang
+      forward with the eagle of the First Regiment of the Guards, and presented
+      it to him. The Emperor pressed it fervently to his lips, and then threw
+      his arms round Petit's neck; while suddenly disengaging himself, he took
+      the tattered flag that waved above him, and kissed it twice. Unable to
+      bear up any longer, the worn, hard-featured veterans sobbed aloud like
+      children, and turned away their faces to conceal their emotion. No cry of
+      &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; resounded now through those ranks where each had
+      willingly shed his heart's blood for him. Sorrow had usurped the place of
+      enthusiasm, and they stood overwhelmed by grief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A tall and soldierlike figure, with head uncovered, approached the
+      Emperor, and said a few words. Napoleon waved his hand towards the troops,
+      and from the ranks many rushed towards him, and fell on their knees before
+      him. He passed his hand across his face and turned away. My eyes grew dim;
+      a misty vapor shut out every object, and I felt as though the very lids
+      were bursting. The great tramp of horses startled me, and then came the
+      roll of wheels. I looked up: an equipage was passing from the gate, a
+      peloton of dragoons escorted it; a second followed at full speed. The
+      colonels formed their men; the word to march was given; the drums beat
+      out; the grenadiers moved on; the chasseurs succeeded; and last the
+      artillery rolled heavily up. The court was deserted; not a man remained:
+      all, all were gone! The Empire was ended; and the Emperor, the mighty
+      genius who created it, on his way to exile!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0041" id="link2HCH0041">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLI. THE CONCLUSION
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      France never appeared to less advantage in the eyes of Europe than at the
+      period I speak of. Scarcely had the proud star of Napoleon set, when the
+      whole current of popular favor flowed along with those whom, but a few
+      days before, they accounted their greatest enemies. The Russians and the
+      Prussians, whom they lampooned and derided, they now flattered and fawned
+      on. They deemed no adulation servile enough to lay at the feet of their
+      conquerors,&mdash;not esteeming the exaltation of their victors
+      sufficient, unless purchased at the sacrifice of their own honor as a
+      nation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The struggle was no longer who should be first in glory, but who foremost
+      in desertion of him and his fortunes whose word had made them. The
+      marshals he had created, the generals he had decorated, the ministers and
+      princes he had endowed with wealth and territory, now turned from him in
+      his hour of misfortune, to court the favor of one against whom every act
+      of their former lives was directed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These men, whose very titles recalled the fields of glory to which he led
+      them, now hastened to the Tuileries to proffer an allegiance to a monarch
+      they neither loved nor respected. Sad and humiliating spectacle! The long
+      pent-up hatred of the Royalists found a natural vent in this moment of
+      triumphant success. Chateaubriand, Constant, and Madame de Staël led the
+      way to those declarations of the press which denounced Napoleon as the
+      greatest of earthly tyrants; and inveighed even against his greatness and
+      his genius, as though malevolence could produce oblivion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All Paris was in a ferment of excitement,&mdash;not the troubled agitation
+      of a people whose capital owned the presence of a conquering army, but the
+      tumultuous joy of a nation intoxicated with pleasure. Fêtes and balls, gay
+      processions and public demonstrations of rejoicing, met one everywhere;
+      and ingenuity was taxed to invent flatteries for the very nations whom,
+      but a week past, they scoffed at as barbarians and Scythians.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sickened and disgusted with the fickleness of mankind, I knew not where to
+      turn. My wound had brought on a low, lingering fever, accompanied by
+      extreme debility, increased in all likelihood by the harassing reflections
+      every object around suggested. I could not venture abroad without meeting
+      some evidence of that exuberant triumph by which treachery hopes to cover
+      its own baseness; besides, the reputation of being a Napoleonist was now a
+      mark for insult and indignity from those who never dared to avow an
+      opinion until the tide of fortune had turned in their favor. The white
+      cockade had replaced the tricolor; every emblem of the Empire was
+      abolished; and that uniform, to wear which was once a mark of honorable
+      distinction, was now become a signal for insult.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was returning one evening from a solitary ramble in the neighborhood of
+      Paris,&mdash;for, by some strange fatality, I could not tear myself away
+      from the scenes to which the most eventful portions of my life were
+      attached,&mdash;and at length reached the Boulevard Montmartre, just as
+      the leading squadrons of a cavalry regiment were advancing up the wide
+      thoroughfare. I had hitherto avoided every occasion of witnessing any
+      military display which should recall the past; but now the rapid gathering
+      of the crowd to see the soldiers pass prevented my escape, and I was
+      obliged to wait patiently until the cortege should move forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They came on in dense column,&mdash;the brave Chasseurs of the Guard, the
+      bronzed warriors of Jena and Wigram; but to my eyes they seemed sterner
+      and sadder than their wont, and heeded not the loud &ldquo;vivas&rdquo; of the mob
+      around them. Where were their eagles? Alas! the white banner that floated
+      over their heads was a poor substitute for the proud ensign they had so
+      often followed to victory. And here weie the dragoons,&mdash;old
+      Kellermann's brave troopers; their proud glances were changed to a
+      mournful gaze upon that crowd whose cheers they once felt proud of: and
+      there, the artillery, that glorious corps which he loved so well,&mdash;did
+      not the roll of their guns sound sorrowfully on the ear!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They passed! And then came on a strange cortege of mounted cavaliers,&mdash;old
+      and withered men, in uniforms of quaint antique fashion, their chapeaux
+      decorated with great cockades of white ribbon, and their sword-knots
+      garnished with similar ornaments; the order of St. Louis glittered on each
+      breast, and in their bearing you might read the air of men who were
+      enjoying a long-wished-for and long-expected triumph. These were the old
+      seigneurs of the Monarchy; and truly they were not wanting in that look of
+      nobility their ancient blood bestowed. Their features were proud; their
+      glance elated; their very port and bearing spoke that consciousness of
+      superiority, to crush which had cost all the horrors and bloodshed of a
+      terrible Revolution. How strange! it seemed as if many of their faces were
+      familiar to me,&mdash;I knew them well; but where, and how, my memory
+      could not trace. Yes, now I could recall it: they were the frequenters of
+      the old &ldquo;Pension of the Rue de Mi-Carême,&rdquo;&mdash;the same men I had seen
+      in their day of adversity, bearing up with noble pride against the ills of
+      fortune. There they were, revelling in the long-sought-after restoration
+      of their former state. Were they not more worthy of admiration in their
+      hour of patient and faithful watching, than in this the period of their
+      triumph?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The pressure of the crowd obliged the cavalcade to halt. And now the air
+      resounded with the cries of &ldquo;Vive le Roi!&rdquo;&mdash;the long-forgotten cheer
+      of loyalty. Thousands re-echoed the shout, and the horsemen waved their
+      hats in exultation. &ldquo;Vive le Roi!&rdquo; cried the mob, as though the voices had
+      not called &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; but yesterday.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Down with the Napoleonist,&mdash;down with him!&rdquo; screamed a
+      savage-looking fellow, who, jammed up in the crowd, pointed towards me, as
+      I stood a mere spectator of the scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cry 'Vive le Roi!' at once,&rdquo; whispered a voice near me, &ldquo;or the
+      consequences may be serious. The mob is ungovernable at a moment like
+      this.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A dozen voices shouted out at the same time, &ldquo;Down with him! down with
+      him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Off with your hat, sir!&rdquo; said a rude-looking fellow beside me, as he
+      raised his hand to remove it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At your peril!&rdquo; said I, as I clenched my hand, and prepared to strike him
+      down the moment he should touch me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The words were not well uttered, when the crowd closed on me, and a
+      hundred arms were stretched out to attack me. In vain all my efforts to
+      resist. My hat was torn from my head, and assailed on every side, I was
+      dragged into the middle of the street, amid wild cries of vengeance and
+      taunting insults. It was then, as I lay overcome by numbers, that a loud
+      cry to fall back issued from the cavalcade, and a horseman, sword in hand,
+      dashed upon the mob, slashing on every side as he went, mounted on a
+      high-mettled horse. He cleared the dense mass with the speed of lightning,
+      and drove back my assailants.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0026" id="linkimage-0026">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page341.jpg" alt="Brownebeauvais341 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Catch my horse's mane,&rdquo; said he, hurriedly. &ldquo;Hold fast for a few seconds,
+      and you are safe.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Following the advice, I held firmly by the long mane of his charger,
+      while, clearing away the mob on either side, he protected me by his drawn
+      sabre above my head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Safe this time!&rdquo; said he, as we arrived within the ranks. And then
+      turning round, so as to face me, added, &ldquo;Safe! and my debt acquitted. You
+      saved my life once; and though the peril seemed less imminent now, trust
+      me, yours had not escaped the fury of that multitude without me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! Henri de Beauvais! Do we meet again?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but with altered fortune, Burke. Our king, as the words of our Garde
+      Écossaise song says,&mdash;our king 'has got his own again.' The day of
+      loyalty has again dawned on France, and a grateful people may carry their
+      enthusiasm for the Restoration, even as far as vengeance on their
+      opponents, and yet not merit much reproach. But no more of this. We can be
+      friends now; or if not, it must be your fault.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am not too proud, De Beauvais, either to accept or acknowledge a favor
+      at your hands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then we are friends,&rdquo; said he, joyfully. &ldquo;And in the name of friendship,
+      let me beg of you to place this <i>cordon</i> in your hat.&rdquo; And so saying,
+      he detached the cockade of white ribbon he wore from his own, and held it
+      towards me. &ldquo;Well, then, at least remove the tricolor; it can but expose
+      you to insult. Remember, Burke, its day is over.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am not likely to forget it,&rdquo; replied I, sadly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur le Colonel, his royal highness wishes to speak with you,&rdquo; said
+      an aide-de-camp, riding up beside De Beauvais's horse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take care of this gentleman for me,&rdquo; said De Beauvais, pointing to me;
+      and then, wheeling round his horse, he galloped at full speed to the rear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will spare you all trouble on my account, sir,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;My way lies
+      yonder, and at present I see no obstacle to my pursuing it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me at least send an escort with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I thanked him and declined the offer; and leaving the ranks of the
+      procession, mingled with the crowd, and in a few minutes after reached my
+      hotel without further molestation. The hour was come, I saw plainly, in
+      which I must leave France. Not only was every tie which bound me to that
+      land severed, but to remain was only to oppose myself singly to the
+      downward current of popular opinion which now threatened to overturn every
+      landmark and vestige of the Empire. Up to this moment, I never confessed
+      to my heart with what secret hope I had prolonged each day of my stay,&mdash;how
+      I cherished within me the expectation that I should once again, though but
+      for an instant, see her who lived in all my thoughts, and, unknown to my
+      self, formed the mainspring of all my actions!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This hope only became confessed when about to leave me forever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I busied myself in the preparations for departure, a note arrived from
+      De Beauvais, stating that he desired particularly to see and confer with
+      me that same evening, and requesting me on no account to be from home, as
+      his business was most pressing. I felt little curiosity to know to what he
+      might allude, and saw him enter my room some hours later without a single
+      particle of anxiety as to his communication.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am come, Burke,&rdquo; said he, after a few commonplaces had been exchanged
+      between us,&mdash;&ldquo;I am come, Burke, on a mission which I hope you will
+      believe the sincerest regard for you has prompted me to undertake, and
+      which, whatever objections it may meet with from you, none can arise, I am
+      certain, on the score of his fidelity who now makes this proposition to
+      you. To be brief: the Count d'Artois has sent me to offer you your grade
+      and rank in the army of his Majesty Louis the Eighteenth. Your last
+      gazette was as colonel; but there is a rumor you should have received your
+      appointment as general of brigade. There will be little difficulty in
+      arranging your brevet on that understanding; for your services, brief as
+      they were, have not been unnoticed. Marshal Ney himself bears testimony to
+      your conduct at Montereau; and your name twice occurs on the list of the
+      minister of war for promotion. Strange claims these, you will say, to
+      recompense from the rightful sovereign of France, gained as they were in
+      the service of the Usurper! But it is the prerogative of legitimacy to be
+      great and noble-minded, and to recognize true desert wherever it occurs.
+      Come, what say you? Does this proposal meet your wishes?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If to surpass my expectations, and flatter my pride, were to convince my
+      reason, and change my estimation of what is loyal and true, I should say,
+      'Yes, De Beauvais; the proposition does meet my wishes.' But not so. I
+      wore these epaulettes first in my admiration of him whose fortunes I have
+      followed to the last. My pride, my glory, were to be his soldier; that can
+      be no longer, and the sword I drew in his cause shall never be unsheathed
+      in another's.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you ignorant that such arguments apply with equal force to all those
+      great men who have, within these few weeks past, sworn allegiance to his
+      Majesty? What say you to the list of marshals, not one of whom has refused
+      the graciously offered favor of his Majesty? Are Ney, Soult, Augereau,
+      Macdonald, and Marmont nothing as examples?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will not say so, De Beauvais; but this I will say, they had had both
+      more respect and esteem from me had they done otherwise. If they were true
+      to the Emperor, they can scarce be loyal to the King.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can you not distinguish between the forced services exacted by a tyrant
+      and the noble duty rendered to a rightful sovereign?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can better estimate the fascinations which lead men to follow a hero,
+      than to be the parade-soldier around the gilded gates of a palace.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      De Beauvais's cheek flashed scarlet, and his voice was agitated, as he
+      replied,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The nobles of France, sir, have shown themselves as high in deeds of
+      chivalry and heroism as they have ever been in the accomplishments of
+      true-born gentlemen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pardon me, De Beauvais! I meant no imputation of them and their motives.
+      There is every reason why you and your gallant companions should enjoy the
+      favors of that crown your efforts have placed upon the head of the King of
+      France. Your true and fitting station is around the throne your bravery
+      and devotion have restored. But as for us,&mdash;we who have fought and
+      marched, have perilled limb and life, to raise the fortune and elevate the
+      glory of him who was the enemy of that sovereign,&mdash;how can we be
+      participators in the triumph we labored to avert, and rejoice in a
+      consummation we would have died rather than witness?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But it has come; the fates have decided against you. The cause you would
+      serve is not merely unfortunate,&mdash;it is extinct; the Empire has left
+      no banner behind it. Come, then, and rally round one whose boast it is to
+      number among its followers the high-born and the noble,&mdash;to assert
+      the supremacy of rank and worth above the claim of the base and low.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot; I must not.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At least, you will wait on the Comte d'Artois. You must see his royal
+      highness, and thank him for his gracious intentions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know what that means, De Beauvais; I have heard that few can resist the
+      graceful fascinations of the prince's manner. I shall certainly not fear
+      to encounter them, however dangerous to my principles.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But not to refuse his royal highness?&rdquo; said he, quickly. &ldquo;I trust you
+      will not do that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You would not have me yield to the flattery of a prince's notice what I
+      refuse to the solicitations of a friend, would you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And such is your intention,&mdash;your fixed intention?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Undoubtedly it is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      De Beauvais turned away impatiently, and leaned on the window for some
+      minutes. Then, after a pause, and in a slow and measured voice, added,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are known to the Court, Burke, by other channels than those I have
+      mentioned. Your prospects of advancement would be most brilliant, if you
+      accept this offer: I scarcely know to what they may not aspire. Reflect
+      for a moment or two. There is no desertion,&mdash;no falling off here.
+      Remember that the Empire was a vision, and like a dream it has passed
+      away. Where there is no cause, there can be no fealty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is but a sorry memory, De Beauvais, that only retains while there are
+      benefits to receive; mine is a more tenacious one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then my mission is ended,&rdquo; cried he, taking up his hat. &ldquo;I may mention to
+      his royal highness that you intend returning to England; that you are
+      indisposed to service at present. It is unnecessary to state more
+      accurately the views you entertain?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I leave the matter completely to your discretion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adieu, then. Our roads lie widely apart, Burke; and I for one regret it
+      deeply. It only remains that I should give you this note; which I promised
+      to deliver into your hands in the event of your declining to accept the
+      prince's offer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He blushed deeply, as he placed a small sealed note in my fingers; and as
+      if anxious to get away, pressed my hand hurriedly, and left the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My curiosity to learn the contents of the billet made me tear it open at
+      once; but it was not before I had perused it several times that I could
+      credit the lines before me. They were but few, and ran thus:&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      Dear Sir,&mdash;May I request the honor of a visit from you this
+      evening at the Hôtel de Grammont?
+
+      Truly yours,
+
+      Marie d'Auvergne, née De Meudon.
+
+      Colonel Burke.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      How did I read these lines over again and again!&mdash;now interpreting
+      them as messengers of future hope; now fearing they might exclude every
+      ray of it forever. One solution recurred to me at every moment, and
+      tortured me to the very soul. Her family had all been Royalists. The mere
+      accidents of youth had thrown her brother into the army, and herself into
+      the Court of the Empire, where personal devotion and attachment to the
+      Empress had retained her. What if she should exert her influence to induce
+      me to accept the prince's offer? How could I resist a request, perhaps an
+      entreaty, from her? The more I reflected over it, the more firmly this
+      opinion gained ground with me, and the more deeply did I grieve over a
+      position environed by such difficulty; and ardently as I longed for the
+      moment of meeting her once more, the desire was tempered by a fear that
+      the meeting should be our last.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The eventful moment of my destiny arrived, and found me at the door of the
+      Hôtel de Grammont. A valet in waiting for my arrival conducted me to a <i>salon</i>,
+      saying the countess would appear in a few moments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What an anxious interval was that! I tried to occupy myself with the
+      objects around, and distract my attention from the approaching interview;
+      but every sound startled me, and I turned at each instant towards the door
+      by which I expected her to enter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The time appeared to drag heavily on,&mdash;minutes became like hours; and
+      yet no one appeared. My impatience had reached its climax, when I heard my
+      name spoken in a low soft voice. I turned, and she was before me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She was dressed in deep mourning, and looked paler, perhaps thinner, than
+      I had ever seen her,&mdash;but not less beautiful. Whether prompted by her
+      own feelings at the moment, or called up by my unconsciously fixed look,
+      she blushed deeply as our eyes met.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was about to leave France, Colonel,&rdquo; said she, as soon as we were
+      seated, &ldquo;when I heard from my cousin, De Beauvais, that you were here, and
+      delayed my departure to have the opportunity of seeing you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She paused here, and drew a deep breath to continue; but leaning her head
+      on her hand, she seemed to have fallen into a reverie for some minutes,
+      from which she started suddenly, by saying,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His royal highness has offered you your grade in the service, I
+      understand?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Madame; so my friend De Beauvais informs me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you have refused,&mdash;is it not so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Even so, Madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How is this, sir? Are you so weary of a soldier's life, that you would
+      leave it thus early?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This was not the reason, Madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You loved the Emperor, sir,&rdquo; said she, hastily, and with a tone of almost
+      passionate eagerness, &ldquo;even as I loved my dear, kind mistress; and you
+      felt allegiance to be too sacred a thing to be bartered at a moment's
+      notice. Is this the true explanation?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am proud to say, you have read my motives; such were they.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why are there not many more to act thus?&rdquo; cried she, vehemently. &ldquo;Why do
+      not the great names <i>he</i> made glorious, become greater by fidelity
+      than ever they were by heroism? There was one, sir, who, had he lived, had
+      given this example to the world.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, most true, Madame. But was not his fate happier than to have
+      survived for this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A long pause, unbroken by a word on either side, followed; when at last
+      she said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I had left with De Beauvais some few relics of my dear brother, hoping
+      you would accept them for his sake. General d'Auvergne's sword,&mdash;the
+      same he wore at Jena,&mdash;he desired might be conveyed to you when you
+      left the service. These, and this ring,&rdquo; said she, endeavoring to withdraw
+      a rich brilliant from her finger, &ldquo;are the few souvenirs I would ask you
+      to keep for their sakes, and for mine. You mean to return to England,
+      sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Madame; that is, I had intended,&mdash;I know not now whither I
+      shall go. Country has few ties for one like me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I, too, must be a wanderer,&rdquo; said she, half musingly, while still she
+      endeavored to remove the ring from her finger. &ldquo;I find,&rdquo; said she,
+      smiling, &ldquo;I must give you another keepsake; this will not leave me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Give it me, then, where it is,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;Yes, Marie! the devotion of a
+      heart, wholly yours, should not go unrewarded. To you I owe all that my
+      life has known of happiness,&mdash;to memory of you, every high and noble
+      hope. Let me not, after years of such affection, lose the guiding star of
+      my existence,&mdash;all that I have lived for, all that I love!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words, poured forth with all the passionate energy which a last hope
+      inspires, were followed by a story of my long-concealed love. I know not
+      how incoherently the tale was told; I cannot say how often I interrupted
+      my own recital by some appeal to the past,&mdash;some half-uttered hope
+      that she had seen the passion which burned within me. I can but remember
+      the bursting feeling of my bosom, as she placed her hand in mine, and
+      said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is yours!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words ended the story of a life whose trials were many, and
+      encountered at an age in which few have braved the world's cares. The
+      lessons I had learned, however, were acquired in that school,&mdash;adversity,&mdash;where
+      few are taught in vain; and if the morning of my life broke in clouds and
+      shadow, the noon has been not less peaceful and bright. And the evening,
+      as it draws near, comes with an aspect of calm tranquillity, ample enough
+      to recompense every vicissitude of those early days when the waves of
+      fortune were roughest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0043" id="link2H_4_0043">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      A PARTING WORD.
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      Dear Friends,&mdash;Time has hallowed the custom of a word at
+      parting, and I am unwilling to relinquish the privilege. In
+      the tale I have just concluded, my endeavor was to portray,
+      with as little aid from fiction as might be, some lights and
+      shadows of the most wonderful and eventful period of modern
+      history,&mdash;the empire of Napoleon. The character I selected
+      for my hero was not all imaginary, neither were many of the
+      scenes, which bear less apparent proofs of reality. The
+      subject was one long meditated on before undertaken; but as
+      the work proceeded, I felt at some places, the difficulty of
+      creating interest for persons, and incidents removed both by
+      time and country from my reader; and at others, my own
+      inadequacy to an effort, which mere zeal could never
+      accomplish. These causes induced me to deviate from the plan
+      I originally set down for my guidance; and combined with
+      failing health, have rendered what might have been a matter
+      of interest and amusement to the writer, a task of labor and
+      anxiety.
+
+      It is the first time I have had to ask my reader's
+      indulgence on such grounds; nor should I now allude to it,
+      save as affording the only apology I can render for the many
+      defects in a story, which, in defiance of me, took its
+      coloring from my own mind at the period, rather from the
+      reflex of the events I related.
+
+      The moral of my tale is simple,&mdash;the fatal influence crude
+      and uncertain notions of liberty will exercise over a
+      career, which, under happier direction of its energies, had
+      won honor and distinction, and the impolicy of the effort,
+      to substitute an adopted for a natural allegiance.
+
+      My estimate of Napoleon may seem to some to partake of
+      exaggeration; but I have carefully distinguished between the
+      Hero and the Emperor, and have not suffered my unqualified
+      admiration of the one to carry me on to any blind devotion
+      of the other.
+
+      Having begun this catalogue of excuses and explanations, I
+      know not where to stop. So, once more asking forgiveness for
+      all the errors of these volumes, I beg to subscribe myself,
+      in great respect and esteem,
+
+      Your humble and obedient servant,
+
+      Harry Lorrequer.
+
+      Templeogue House,
+
+      August 26th, 1844.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <br /> THE END. <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+
+
+
+
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+</pre>
+  </body>
+</html>
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II (of II), by
+Charles James Lever
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II (of II)
+
+Author: Charles James Lever
+
+Illustrator: Phiz.
+
+Release Date: April 6, 2010 [EBook #31902]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM BURKE II ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+TOM BURKE OF "OURS."
+
+By Charles Lever
+
+With Illustrations By Phiz.
+
+In Two Volumes, Vol. II.
+
+
+Transcriber's Note: Two print editions have been used for this Project
+Gutenberg Edition of "Tom Burke of 'Ours'": The Little Brown edition
+(Boston) of 1913 with illustrations by Phiz; and the Chapman and Hall
+editon (London) of 1853 with illustrations by Browne. Illegible and
+missing pages were found in both print editions.
+
+DW
+
+
+
+
+TOM BURKE OF "OURS"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I. THE SICK LEAVE.
+
+"What is it, Minette?" said I, for the third time, as I saw her lean her
+head from out the narrow casement, and look down into the valley beside
+the river; "what do you see there?"
+
+"I see a regiment of infantry coming along the road from Ulm," said she,
+after a pause; "and now I perceive the lancers are following them, and
+the artillery too. Ah! and farther again, I see a great cloud of dust.
+_Mere de Ciel!_ how tired and weary they all look! It surely cannot be a
+march in retreat; and, now that I think of it, they have no baggage, nor
+any wagons with them."
+
+"That was a bugle call, Minette! Did you not hear it?"
+
+"Yes, it's a halt for a few minutes. Poor fellows! they are sadly
+exhausted; they cannot even reach the side of the way, but are lying
+down on the very road. I can bear it no longer. I must find out what
+it all means." So saying, she threw round her a mantle which, Spanish
+fashion, she wore over her head, and hurried from the room.
+
+For some time I waited patiently for her return; but when half an
+hour elapsed, I arose and crept to the window. A succession of rocky
+precipices descended from the terrace on which the house stood, down
+to the very edge of the Danube, and from the point where I sat the view
+extended for miles in every direction. What, then, was my astonishment
+to see the wide plain, not marked by regular columns in marching array,
+but covered with straggling detachments, hurrying onward as if without
+order or discipline. Here was an infantry battalion mixed up with a
+cavalry corps, the foot-soldiers endeavoring to keep up with the ambling
+trot of the dragoons; there, the ammunition wagons were covered with
+weary soldiers, too tired to march. Most of the men were without their
+firelocks, which were piled in a confused heap on the limbers of the
+guns. No merry chant, no burst of warlike music, cheered them on. They
+seemed like the scattered fragments of a routed army hurrying onward in
+search of some place of refuge,-sad and spiritless.
+
+"Can he have been beaten?" was the fearful thought that flashed across
+me as I gazed. "Have the bold legions that were never vanquished
+succumbed at last? Oh, no, no! I'll not believe it." And while a glow of
+fever warmed my whole blood, I buckled on my sabre, and taking my shako,
+prepared to issue forth. Scarcely had I reached the door, with tottering
+limbs, when I saw Minette dashing up the steep street at the top speed
+of her pony, while she flourished above her head a great placard, and
+waved it to and fro.
+
+"The news! the news!" cried I, bursting with anxiety. "Are they
+advancing; or is it a retreat?"
+
+"Read that!" said she, throwing me a large sheet of paper, headed with
+the words, "Proclamation! la Grande Armee!" in huge letters,-"read that!
+for I've no breath left to tell you."
+
+Soldiers!--The campaign so gloriously begun will soon be completed.
+
+One victory, and the Austrian empire, so great but a week since, will be
+humbled in the dust. Hasten on, then! Forced marches, by day and night,
+will attest your eagerness to meet the enemy; and let the endeavor of
+each regiment be to arrive soonest on the field of battle.
+
+"Minette! dearest Minette!" said I, as I threw my arms around her
+neck, "this is indeed good news." "Gently, gently, Monsieur!" said she,
+smiling, while she disengaged herself from my sudden embrace. "Very good
+news, without doubt; but I don't think that there is any mention in the
+bulletin about embracing the vivandieres of the army."
+
+"At a moment like this, Minette--"
+
+"The best thing to do is, to make up one's baggage and join the march,"
+said she, very steadily, proceeding at the same time to put her plan
+into execution.
+
+While I gave her all assistance in my power, the doctor entered to
+inform us that all the wounded who were then not sufficiently restored
+to return to duty were to be conveyed to Munich, where general military
+hospitals had been established; and that he himself had received
+orders to repair thither with his sick detachment, in which my name was
+enrolled.
+
+"You'll keep your old friend, Francois, company, Lieutenant Burke; he is
+able to move at last."
+
+"Francois!" said I, in ecstasy; "and will he indeed recover?"
+
+"I have little doubt of it; though certainly he's not likely to
+practise as maitre d'armes again. You 've spoiled his tierce, though not
+before it cost the army some of the prettiest fellows I ever saw. But as
+to yourself--"
+
+"As for me, I 'll march with the army. I feel perfectly recovered; my
+arm--"
+
+"Oh! as for monsieur's arms," said mademoiselle, "I'll answer for it,
+they are quite at his Majesty's service."
+
+"Indeed!" said the doctor, knowingly; "I thought it would come to that.
+Well, well, Mademoiselle, don't look saucy; let us part good friends for
+once in our lives."
+
+"I hate being reconciled to a surgeon," said she, pettishly.
+
+"Why so, I pray?"
+
+"Oh, you know, when one quarrels with an officer, the poor fellow may be
+killed before one sees him again; and it's always a sad thought, that.
+But your doctor, nothing ever happens to him; you're sure to see him,
+with his white apron and his horrid weapons, a hundred times after, and
+one is always sorry for having forgiven such a cruel wretch."
+
+"Come, come, Mademoiselle, you bear us all an ill-will for the fault
+of one, and that's not fair. It was the hospital aide of the Sixth,
+Monsieur, (a handsome fellow, too), who did not fall in love with her
+after her wound,--a slight scratch."
+
+"A slight scratch, do you call it?" said I, indignantly, as I perceived
+the poor girl's eyes fill at the raillery of her tormentor.
+
+"Ah! monsieur has seen it, then?" said he, maliciously. "A thousand
+pardons. I have the honor to wish you both adieu." And with that, and a
+smile of the most impertinent meaning, he took his leave.
+
+"How silly to be vexed for so little, Minette!" said I, approaching and
+endeavoring to console her.
+
+"Well, but to call my wound a scratch!" said she. "Was it not too bad?
+and I the only vivandiere of the army that ever felt a bullet."
+
+And with that she turned away her head; but I could see, as she wiped
+her eyes, that she cared less for the sarcasm on her wounded shoulder
+than the insult to her wounded heart. Poor girl! she looked sick and
+pale the whole day after.
+
+We learned in the course of the day that some cavalry detachments would
+pass early on the morrow, thus allowing us sufficient time to provide
+ourselves with horses, and make our other arrangements for the march.
+These we succeeded in doing to our satisfaction; I being fortunate
+enough to secure the charger of an Austrian prisoner, mademoiselle being
+already admirably mounted with her palfrey. Occupied with these details,
+the day passed rapidly over, and the hour for supper drew near without
+my feeling how the time slipped past.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneMuratAndMinettePage003]
+
+At last the welcome meal made its appearance, and with it mademoiselle
+herself. I could not help remarking that her toilette displayed a more
+than common attention: her neat Parisian cap; her collar, with its deep
+Valenciennes lace; and her _tablier_, so coquettishly embroidered,--were
+all signs of an unusual degree of care; and though she was pale and in
+low spirits, I never saw her look so pretty. All my efforts to make her
+converse were, however, in vain. Some secret weight lay heavily on her
+spirits, and not even the stirring topics of the coming campaign could
+awaken one spark of her enthusiasm. She evaded, too, every allusion
+to the following day's march, or answered my questions about it with
+evident constraint. Tired at last with endeavoring to overcome her
+silent mood, I affected an air of chagrin, thinking to pique her by it;
+but she merely remarked that I appeared weary, and that, as I had a long
+journey before me, it were as well I should retire early.
+
+The marked coolness of her manner at this moment struck me so forcibly
+that I began really to feel some portion of the ill-temper I affected,
+and with the crossness of an over-petted child, I arose to withdraw at
+once.
+
+"Good-by, Monsieur; good-night, I mean," said she, blushing slightly.
+
+"Good-night, Mademoiselle," said I, taking her hand coldly as I spoke.
+"I trust I may find you in better spirits to-morrow."
+
+"Good-night,--adieu!" said she, hastily; and before I could add a word
+she was gone.
+
+"She is a strange girl," thought I, as I found myself alone, and
+tortured my mind to think whether anything I could have dropped had
+offended her. But no: we had parted a few hours before the best friends
+in the world; nothing had then occurred to which I could attribute
+this sudden change. I had often remarked the variable character of her
+disposition,--the flashes of gayety mingled with outbursts of sorrow;
+the playful moods of fancy alternating with moments of deep melancholy;
+and, after all, this might be one of them.
+
+With these thoughts I threw myself on my bed, but could not sleep. At
+one minute my brain went on puzzling about Minette and her sorrow; at
+the next I reproached myself for my own harsh, unfeeling manner to the
+poor girl, and was actually on the eve of arising to seek her and ask
+her pardon. At last sleep came, and dreams too; but, strange enough,
+they were of the distant land of my boyhood and the hours of my youth;
+of the old house in which I was born, and its well-remembered rooms. I
+thought I was standing before my father, while he scolded me for some
+youthful transgression; I heard his words as though they were really
+spoken, as he told me that I should be an outcast and a wanderer,
+without a friend, a house, or home; that while others reaped wealth and
+honors, I was destined to be a castaway: and in the torrent of my grief
+I awoke.
+
+It was night,--dark, silent night. A few stars were shining in the sky,
+but the earth was wrapped in shadow; and as I opened my window to let
+the fresh breeze calm my fevered forehead, the deep precipice beneath me
+seemed a vast gulf of yawning blackness. At a great distance off I could
+see the watchfires of some soldiers bivouacking in the plain; and even
+that much comforted my saddened heart, as it aroused me to the thoughts
+of the campaign before me. But again my thoughts recurred to my dream,
+which I could not help feeling as a sort of prediction.
+
+When our sleep leaves its strong track in our waking moments, we dread
+to sleep again for fear the whole vision should come back; and thus I
+sat down beside the window, and fell into a long train of thought. The
+images of my dream were uppermost in my mind; and every little incident
+of childhood, long lost to memory, came now fresh before me,--the
+sorrows of my schoolboy years, unrelieved by the sense of love awaiting
+me at home; the clinging to all who seemed to feel or care for me;
+and the heart-sickening sorrow when I found that what I mistook for
+affection was merely pity: all save one,--my mother! Her mild, sad
+looks, so seldom cheered by a ray of pleasure,--I remember well how they
+fell on me! with such a thrilling sensation at my heart, and such a gush
+of thankfulness, as I felt then! Oh! if they who live with children knew
+how needful it is to open their hearts to all the little sorrows and
+woes of infant life; to teach confidence and to feed hope; to train up
+the creeping tendrils of young desire, and not to suffer them to lie
+straggling and tangled on the earth,--what a happier destiny would fall
+to the lot of many whose misfortunes in late life date from the crushed
+spirit of childhood!
+
+My mother I--I thought of her as she would bend oyer me at night, her
+last kiss pressed on my brow,--the healing balm of some sorrow for which
+my sobs were still breaking,--her pale, worn cheek, her white dress, her
+hand so bloodless and transparent, the very emblem of her malady. The
+tears started to my eyes and rolled heavily along my cheek, my chest
+heaved, and my heart beat till I could hear it. At this moment a slight
+rustle stirred the leaves: I listened, for the night was calm and still;
+not a breeze moved. Again I heard it close beside the window, on the
+little terrace which ran along the building, and occupied the narrow
+space beside the edge of the rock. Before I could imagine what it meant,
+a figure in white glided from the shade of the trees and approached
+the window. So excited was my mind, so wrought up my imagination by the
+circumstances of my dream and the thoughts that followed, that I cried
+out, in a voice of ecstasy, "My mother!" Suddenly the apparition stood
+still, and then as rapidly retreated, and was lost to view in the dark
+foliage. Maddened with intense excitement, I sprang from the window, and
+leaped out on the terrace. I called aloud; I ran about wildly, unmindful
+of the fearful precipice that yawned beside me. I searched every bush,
+I crept beneath each tree, but nothing could I detect. The cold
+perspiration poured down my face; my limbs trembled with a strange dread
+of I knew not what. I felt as if madness was creeping over me, and I
+struggled with the thought and tried to calm my troubled brain. Wearied
+and faint, I gave up the pursuit at last, and, throwing myself on my
+bed, I sank exhausted into the heavy slumber which only tired nature
+knows.
+
+"The Sous-Lieutenant Burke," said a gruff voice, awakening me suddenly
+from my sleep, while by the light of a lantern he held in his hand I
+recognized the figure of an orderly sergeant in full equipment.
+
+"Yes. What then?" said I, in some amazement at the summons.
+
+"This is the order of march, sir, for the invalid detachment under your
+command."
+
+"How so? I have no orders."
+
+"They are here, sir."
+
+So saying, he presented me with a letter from the assistant-adjutant
+of the corps, with instructions for the conduct of forty men, invalided
+from different regiments, and now on their way to Lintz. The paper was
+perfectly regular, setting forth the names of the soldiers and
+their several corps, together with the daily marches, the halts, and
+distances. My only surprise was how this service so suddenly devolved on
+me, whose recovery could only have been reported a few hours before.
+
+"When shall I muster the detachment, sir?" said the sergeant,
+interrupting me in the midst of my speculations.
+
+"Now,--at once. It is past five o'clock. I see Langenau is mentioned as
+the first halting-place; we can reach it by eight."
+
+The moment the sergeant withdrew, I arose and dressed for the road,
+anxious to inform mademoiselle as early as possible of this sudden order
+of march. When I entered the _salon_, I found to my surprise that the
+breakfast table was all laid and everything ready. "What can this mean?"
+said I; "has she heard it already?" At the same instant I caught sight
+of the door of her chamber lying wide open. I approached, and looked in.
+The room was empty; the various trunks and boxes, the little relics
+of military glory I remembered to have seen with her, were all gone.
+Minette had departed; when or whither, I knew not. I hurried through the
+building, from room to room, without meeting any one. The door was open,
+and I passed out into the dark street, where all was still and silent
+as the grave. I hastened to the stable: my horse, ready equipped and
+saddled, was feeding; but the stall beside him was empty,--the pony of
+the vivandiere was gone. While many a thought flashed on my brain as to
+her fate, I tortured my mind to remember each circumstance of our last
+meeting,--every word and every look; and as I called to my memory the
+pettish anger of my manner towards her, I grew sick at heart, and hated
+myself for my own cold ingratitude. All her little acts of kindness, her
+tender care, her unwearying good-nature, were before me. I thought of
+her as I had seen her often in the silence of the night, when, waking
+from some sleep of pain, she sat beside my bed, her hand pressed on
+my heated forehead; her low, clear voice was in my ear; her soft,
+mild look, beaming with hope and tender pity. Poor Minette! had I then
+offended you? was such the return I made for all your kindness?
+
+"The men are ready, sir," said the sergeant, entering at the moment.
+
+"She is gone," said I, following out my own sad train of thought, and
+pointing to the vacant stall where her pony used to stand.
+
+"Mademoiselle Minette--"
+
+"Yes, what of her--where is she?"
+
+"Marched with the cuirassier brigade that passed here last night at
+twelve o'clock. She seemed very ill, sir, and the officer made her sit
+on one of the wagons."
+
+"Which road did they take? "
+
+"They crossed the river, and moved away towards the forest. I think I
+heard the troop-sergeant say something about Salzburg and the Tyrol."
+
+I made no answer, but stood mute and stupefied; when I was again
+recalled to thought by his asking if my baggage was ready for the
+wagons.
+
+With a sullen apathy I pointed out my trunks in silence, and throwing
+one last look on the room, the scene of my former suffering, and of much
+pleasure too, I mounted my horse, and gave the word to move forward.
+
+As we passed from the gate, I stopped to question the sous-officier as
+to the route of the cuirassier division. But he could only repeat
+what the sergeant had already told me; adding, there were several men
+slightly wounded in the squadrons, for they had been engaged twice
+within the week. The gates closed! and we were on the highroad.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II. LINTZ
+
+As day was breaking, we came up with a strong detachment of the cavalry
+of the Guard proceeding to join Bessiere's division at Lintz. From them
+we learned that the main body of the army was already far in advance,
+several entire corps having marched from Lintz with the supposed
+intention of occupying Vienna. Ney's division, it was said, was also
+bearing down from the Tyrol; Davoust and Mortier were advancing by the
+left bank of the Danube; whilst Lannes and Murat, with an overwhelming
+force of light troops, had pushed forward two days' march in advance on
+their way to the capital. The fate of Ulm was already predicted for the
+Austrian city, and each day's intelligence seemed to make it only
+the more inevitable. Meanwhile the Emperor Francis had abandoned the
+capital, and retreated on Brunn, a fortified town in Moravia, there to
+await the arrival of his ally, Alexander, hourly expected from Berlin.
+
+As day after day we pressed forward, our numbers continued to increase.
+A motley force, indeed, did we present: cavalry of every sort, from the
+steel-clad cuirassier to the gay hussar, dragoons, chasseurs, guides,
+and light cavalry, all mixed up together, and all eagerly recounting
+the several experiences of the campaign as it fell under their eyes in
+different quarters. From none, however, could I learn any tidings of
+Minette; for though known to many there, the detachment she had joined
+had taken a southerly direction, and was not crossed by any of the
+others on their march. The General d'Auvergne, I heard, was with the
+headquarters of the Emperor, then established at the monastery of Molk,
+on the Danube.
+
+On the evening of the 13th of November we arrived at Lintz, the
+capital of Upper Austria, but at the time I speak of one vast barrack.
+Thirty-eight thousand troops of all arms were within its walls; not
+subject to the rigid discipline and regular command of a garrison town,
+but bivouacking in the open streets and squares. Tables were spread in
+the thoroughfares, at which the divisions as they arrived took their
+places, and after refreshing themselves, moved on to make way for
+others. The great churches were strewn with forage, and filled with the
+horses of the cavalry; there might be seen the lumbering steeds of
+the cuirassier, eating their corn from the richly-carved box of a
+confessional; here lay the travel-stained figure of a dragoon, stretched
+asleep across the steps of the altar. The little chapelries, where
+the foot of the penitent awoke no echo as it passed, now rung with the
+coarse jest and reckless ribaldry of the soldiers; parties caroused
+in the little sacristies; and the rude chorus of a drinking song now
+vibrated through the groined roof where only the sacred notes of
+the organ had been heard to peal. The Hotel de Ville was the
+quartier-general, where the generals of divisions were assembled, and
+from which the orderlies rode forth at every moment with despatches. The
+one cry, "Forward!" was heard everywhere. They who before had claimed
+leave for slight wounds or illness, were now seen among their comrades
+with bandaged arms and patched faces, eager to press on. Many whose
+regiments were in advance became incorporated for the time with other
+corps; and dismounted dragoons were often to be met with, marching with
+the infantry and mounting guard in turn. Everything bespoke haste. The
+regiments which arrived at night frequently moved off before day broke.
+The cavalry often were provided with fresh horses to press forward,
+leaving their own for the corps that were to follow. A great flotilla,
+provided with all the necessaries for an army on the march, moved
+along the Danube, and accompanied the troops each day. In a word, every
+expedient was practised which could hasten the movement of the army;
+justifying the remark so often repeated among the soldiers at the time,
+"Le Petit Caporal makes more use of our legs than our bayonets in this
+campaign."
+
+On the same evening we arrived came the news of the surprise of Vienna
+by Murat. Never was there such joy as this announcement spread through
+the army. The act itself was one of those daring feats which only such
+as he could venture on, and indeed at first seemed so miraculous that
+many refused to credit it. Prince Auersberg, to whom the great bridge of
+the Danube was intrusted, had prepared everything for its destruction
+in the event of attack. The whole line of woodwork was laid with
+combustibles; trains were set, the matches burning; a strong battery of
+twelve guns, posted to command the bridge, occupied the height on the
+right bank, and the Austrian gunners lay, match in hand, beside their
+pieces: but a word was needed, and the whole work was in a blaze.
+
+Such was the state of matters when Sebastiani pushed through the
+faubourg of the Leopoldstadt at the head of a strong cavalry detachment,
+supported by some grenadiers of the Guard, and by Murat's orders,
+concealed his force among the narrow streets which lead to the bridge
+from the left bank of the Danube. This done, Lannes and Murat advanced
+carelessly along the bridge, which, from the frequent passage of
+couriers between the two headquarters, had become a species of
+promenade, where the officers of either side met to converse on the
+fortunes of the campaign. Dressed simply as officers of the staff, they
+strolled along till they came actually beneath the Austrian battery; and
+then entered into conversation with the Austrian officers, assuring them
+that the armistice was signed, and peace already proclaimed between the
+two countries.
+
+The Austrians, trusting to their story, and much interested by what they
+heard, descended from the mound, and joining them, proceeded to walk
+backwards and forwards along the bridge, conversing on the probable
+consequences of the treaty; when suddenly turning round by chance, as
+they walked towards the right bank, they saw the head of a grenadier
+column approaching at the quick step. The thought of treachery crossed
+their minds; and one of them, rushing to the side of the bridge, called
+out to the artillerymen to fire. A movement was seen in the battery,
+the matches were uplifted, when Murat, dashing forward, cried aloud,
+"Reserve your fire; there is nothing to fear!"
+
+The same instant the Austrian officers were surrounded; the sappers
+rushing on the bridge cleared away the combustibles, and cut off the
+trains; and the cavalry, till now in concealment, pushing forward at a
+gallop, crossed the bridge, followed by the grenadiers in a run,--before
+the Austrians, who saw their own officers mingled with the French, could
+decide on what was to be done,--while Murat, springing on his horse,
+dashed forward at the head of the dragoons; and before five minutes
+elapsed the battery was stormed, the gunners captured, and Vienna won.
+
+Never was there a _coup de main_ more hardy than this, whether we look
+to the danger of the deed itself, or the insignificant force by which it
+was accomplished. A few horsemen and some companies of foot, led on
+by an heroic chief, thus turned the whole fortune of Europe; for, by
+securing this bridge, Napoleon enabled himself, as circumstances might
+warrant, to unite the different corps of his army on the right or
+left banks of the Danube, and either direct his operations against the
+Russians, or the Austrians under the Archduke Charles, as he pleased.
+
+The treachery by which the bold deed was made successful, was, alas!
+deemed no stain on the achievement. But one rule of judgment existed in
+the Imperial army: Was the advantage on the side of France, and to the
+honor of her arms? That covered every flaw, no matter whether inflicted
+by duplicity or breach of faith. The habit of healing all wounds of
+conscience by a bulletin had become so general, that men would not trust
+to the guidance of their own reason till confirmed by some Imperial
+proclamation; and when the Emperor declared a battle gained and glory
+achieved, who would gainsay him? If this blind, headlong confidence
+tended to lower the _morale_ of the nation, in an equal degree did it
+make them conquerors in the field; and thus--by a strange decree of
+Providence, would it seem--were they preparing for themselves the
+terrible reverse of fortune which, when the destinies of their leader
+became clouded and their confidence in him shaken, was to fall on a
+people who lived only in the mad intoxication of victory, and knew not
+the sterner virtues that can combat with defeat.
+
+But so was it. Napoleon commanded the legions and described their
+achievements; he led them to the charge and he apportioned their glory;
+the heroism of the soldier had no existence until acknowledged by
+the proclamation after the battle; the valor of the general wanted
+confirmation till sealed by his approval. To fight beneath his eyes was
+the greatest glory a regiment could wish for; to win one word from him
+was fame itself forever.
+
+If I dwell on these thoughts here, it is because I now felt for the
+first time the sad deception I had practised on myself; and how little
+could I hope to realize in my soldier's life the treasured aspirations
+of my boyhood I Was this, then, indeed the career I had pictured to
+my mind,--the chivalrous path of honor? Was this the bold assertion of
+freedom I so often dreamed of? How few of that armed host knew anything
+of the causes of the war,--how much fewer still cared for them! No
+sentiment of patriotism, no devotion to the interests of liberty or
+humanity, prompted us on. Yet these were the thoughts first led me to
+the career of arms; such ambitious promptings first made my heart glow
+with the enthusiasm of a soldier.
+
+This gloomy disappointment made me low-spirited and sad. Nor can I say
+where such reflections might not have led me, when suddenly a change
+came over my thoughts by seeing a wounded soldier, who had just arrived
+from Mortier's division, with news of a fierce encounter they had
+sustained against Kutusof's Russians. The poor fellow was carried
+past in a litter,--his arm had been amputated that same morning, and a
+frightful shot-wound had carried away part of his cheek; still, amid all
+his suffering, his eye was brilliant, and a smile of proud meaning was
+on his lips.
+
+"Lift it up, Guillaume; let me see it again," said he, as they bore him
+along the crowded street.
+
+"What is it he wishes?" said I. "The poor fellow is asking for
+something."
+
+"Yes, mon lieutenant. It is the _sabre d'honneur_ the Emperor gave him
+this morning. He likes to look at it every now and then; he says he
+doesn't mind the pain when he sees that before him. _And it is natural,
+too._"
+
+"Such is glory!" said I to myself; "and he who feels this in his heart
+has no room for other thoughts."
+
+"Oh, give to me the trumpet's blast, And the champ of the charger
+prancing; Or the whiz of the grape-shot flying past, That 'a music meet
+for dancing.
+
+"Tralararalal" sang a wild-looking voltigeur, as he capered along the
+street, keeping time to his rude song with the tramp of his feet.
+
+"Ha! there goes a fellow from the Faubourg!" said an officer near me.
+
+"The Faubourg?" repeated I, asking for explanation.
+
+"Yes, to be sure. The Faubourg St. Antoine supplies all the reckless
+devils of the army; one of them would corrupt a regiment, and so, the
+best thing to do is to keep them as much together as possible. The
+voltigeurs have little else; and proof is, they are the cleverest corps
+in the service, and if they could be kept from picking and stealing,
+lying, drinking, and gambling, there's not a man might not be a general
+of division in time. There goes another!"
+
+As he spoke, a fellow passed by with a goose under his arm, followed by
+a woman most vociferously demanding restitution; while he only amused
+himself by replying with a mock courtesy, deploring in sad terms the
+unhappy necessities of war and the cruel hardships of a campaign.
+
+"It's no use punishing those fellows," said the officer. "They desert in
+whole companies if you send one to the _salle de police_; and so we have
+only one resource, which is, to throw them pretty much in advance, and
+leave their chastisement to the enemy. And, sooth to say, they ask for
+nothing better themselves."
+
+Thus, even these fellows seemed to have their own sentiment of glory,--a
+problem which the more I reasoned over the more puzzled did I become.
+
+While a hundred conjectures were hourly in circulation, none save those
+immediately about the person of Napoleon could possibly divine the
+quarter where the great blow was to be struck, although all were in
+expectation of the orders to prepare for battle. News would reach us of
+marchings and counter-marchings; of smart skirmishes here, and prisoners
+taken there; yet could we not form the slightest conception of where the
+chief force of the enemy lay, nor what the direction to which our own
+army was pointed. Indeed, our troops seemed to scatter on every side.
+Marmont, with a strong force, was despatched towards Gratz, where it
+was said the Archduke Charles was at the head of a considerable army;
+Davoust moved on Hungary, and occupied Presburg; Bernadotte retraced his
+steps towards the Upper Danube, to hold the Archduke Frederick in check,
+who had escaped from Ulm with ten thousand men; Mortiers corps, harassed
+and broken by the engagement with Kutusof, were barely sufficient to
+garrison Vienna; while Soult, Lannes, and Murat pushed forward towards
+Moravia, with a strong cavalry force and some battalions of the Guard.
+In fact, the whole army was scattered like an exploded shell; nor could
+we see the means by which its wide extended fragments were to be united
+at a moment, much less divine the spot to which their combined force was
+to be directed.
+
+Had these Russians been fabulous creatures of a legend, instead of
+men of mortal mould, they could scarcely have been endowed with more
+attributes of ubiquity than we conferred on them. Sometimes we believed
+them at one side of the Danube, sometimes at the other; now we heard of
+them as retreating by forced marches into their native fastnesses, now
+as encamped in the mountain regions of Moravia. Yesterday came the news
+that they laid down their arms and surrendered as prisoners of war;
+to-day we heard of them as having forced back our advanced posts and
+carried off several squadrons as prisoners.
+
+At length came the positive information that the allied armies were in
+cantonments around Olmutz; while Napoleon had pushed forward to Brunn,
+a place of considerable strength, communicating by the highroad with the
+Russian headquarters. It was no longer doubtful, then, where the great
+game was to be decided, and thither the various battalions were now
+directed by marches day and night.
+
+On the 29th of November our united detachments, now numbering
+several hundred men, arrived at Brunn. I lost no time in repairing to
+headquarters, where I found General d'Auvergne deeply engaged with the
+details of the force under his command: his brigade had been placed
+under the orders of Murat; and it was well known the prince gave little
+rest or respite to those under his command. From him I learned that
+three days of unsuccessful negotiation had just passed over, and that
+the Emperor had now resolved on a great battle. Indeed, every moment was
+critical. Russia had assumed a decidedly hostile aspect; the Swedes were
+moving to the south; the Archduke Charles, by a circuitous route, was
+on the march to join the Russian army, to whose aid fresh reinforcements
+were daily arriving, and Benningsen was hourly expected with more. Under
+these circumstances a battle was inevitable; and such a one, as, by its
+result, must conclude the war.
+
+This much did I learn from the old general as we rode over the field
+together; examining with caution the nature of the ground, and where it
+offered facilities, and where it presented obstacles, to the movement
+of cavalry. Such were the orders issued that morning by Napoleon to the
+generals of brigade, who might now be seen with their staffs traversing
+the plain in every direction. As we moved along we could discover in the
+distance the dark columns of the enemy marching, not towards us, but in
+a southerly direction towards our extreme right. This movement attracted
+the attention of several others, and more than one aide-de-camp was
+despatched to Brunn to carry the intelligence to the Emperor.
+
+The same evening couriers departed in every direction to Bernadotte
+and Davoust to hasten forward at once; even Mortier, with his mangled
+division, was ordered to abandon Vienna to a division of Marmont's army,
+and move on to Brunn. And now the great work of concentration began.
+
+Meanwhile the Russians advanced, and on the 30th drove in an advanced
+post, and compelled our cavalry to fall back behind our position. The
+following morning the allies resumed their flank movement. And now no
+doubt could be entertained of their plan; which was, by turning our
+right, to cut us off from our supporting columns resting at Vienna, and
+throw our retreat back upon the mountainous districts of Bohemia. In
+this way five massive columns moved past us scarce half a league distant
+from our advanced posts, numbering eighty thousand men, of which fifteen
+were cavalry in the most perfect condition.
+
+Our position was in advance of the fortress of Brunn; the headquarters
+of the Emperor occupied a rising piece of ground, at the base of which
+flowed a small stream, a tributary to some of the numerous ponds by
+which the field was intersected. The entire ground in our front was
+indeed a succession of these small lakes, with villages interspersed,
+and occasionally some stunted woods; great morasses extended around
+these ponds, through which led the highroads or such bypaths as
+conducted from one village to another. Here and there were plains where
+cavalry might act with safety, but rarely in large bodies.
+
+Our right rested on the lake of Moeritz, where Soult's division was
+stationed; behind which, thrown back in such a manner as to escape the
+observation of the enemy, was Davoust's corps, the reserve occupying a
+cliff of ground beside the convent of Eeygern. Our left, under Lannes,
+occupied the hill of Santon,--a wooded eminence, the last of a long
+chain of mountains running east and west. Above, and on the crest of the
+height, a powerful park of artillery was posted, and defended by strong
+intrenchments. A powerful cavalry corps was placed at the bottom of
+the mountain. Next came Bernadotte's division, separated by the highroad
+from Brunn to Olmutz from the division under Murat, which, besides his
+own cavalry, contained Oudinot's grenadiers and Bessiere's battalions
+of the Imperial Guard; the centre and right being formed of Soult's
+division, the strongest of all; the reserve, consisting of several
+battalions of the Guard and a strong force of artillery, being under
+the immediate orders of Napoleon, to be employed wherever circumstances
+demanded.
+
+These were the dispositions for the coming battle, made with all the
+precision of troops moving on parade; and such was the discipline of the
+army at Boulogne, and so perfectly arranged the plans of the Emperor,
+that the ground of every regiment was marked out, and each corps moved
+into its allotted space with the regularity of some piece of mechanism.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III. AUSTERLITZ
+
+The dispositions for the battle of Austerlitz occupied the entire day.
+From sunrise Napoleon was on horse-back, visiting every position; he
+examined each battery with the skill of an old officer of artillery;
+and frequently dismounting from his horse, carefully noted the slightest
+peculiarities of the ground,--remarking to his staff, with an accuracy
+which the event showed to be prophetic, the nature of the struggle, as
+the various circumstances of the field indicated them to his practised
+mind.
+
+It was already late when he turned his horse's head towards the bivouac
+hut,--a rude shelter of straw,--and rode slowly through the midst of
+that great army. The _ordre du jour_, written at his own dictation, had
+just been distributed among the soldiers; and now around every watchfire
+the groups were kneeling to read the spirit-stirring lines by which he
+so well knew how to excite the enthusiasm of his followers. They were
+told that "the enemy were the same Russian battalions they had already
+beaten at Hollabrunn, and on whose flying traces they had been marching
+ever since." "They will endeavor," said the proclamation, "to turn our
+right, but in doing so they must open their flank to us: need I say what
+will be the result? Soldiers, so long as with your accustomed valor you
+deal death and destruction in their ranks, so long shall I remain
+beyond the reach of fire; but let the victory prove, even for a moment,
+doubtful, your Emperor shall be in the midst of you. This day must
+decide forever the honor of the infantry of France. Let no man leave his
+ranks to succor the wounded,--they shall be cared for by one who never
+forgets his soldiers,--and with this victory the campaign is ended!"
+
+Never were lines better calculated to stimulate the energy and flatter
+the pride of those to whom they were addressed. It was a novel thing in
+a general to communicate to his army the plan of his intended battle,
+and perhaps to any other than a French army the disclosure would not
+have been rated as such a favor; but their warlike spirit and military
+intelligence have ever been most remarkably united, and the men were
+delighted with such a proof of confidence and esteem.
+
+A dull roar, like the sound of the distant sea, swelled along the lines
+from the far right, where the Convent of Reygern stood, and growing
+louder by degrees, proclaimed that the Emperor was coming. It was
+already dark, but he was quickly recognized by the troops, and with one
+burst of enthusiasm they seized upon the straw of their bivouacs, and
+setting fire to it, held the blazing masses above their heads, waving
+them wildly to and fro, amid the cries of "Vive l'Empereur!" For above
+a league along the plain the red light flashed and glowed, marking out
+beneath it the dense squares and squadrons of armed warriors. It was
+the anniversary of Napoleon's coronation; and such was the fete by which
+they celebrated the day.
+
+The Emperor rode through the ranks uncovered. Never did a prouder smile
+light up his features, while thronging around him the veterans of the
+Guard struggled to catch even a passing glance at him. "Do but look
+at us tomorrow, and keep beyond the reach of shot," said a _grognard_,
+stepping forward; "we'll bring their cannon and their colors, and lay
+them at thy feet." The marshals themselves, the hardened veterans of
+so many fights, could not restrain their enthusiasm; and proffers of
+devotion unto death accompanied him as he went.
+
+At last all was silent in the encampment; the soldiers slept beside
+their watchfires, and save the tramp of a patrol or the _qui vive_? of
+the sentinels, all was still. The night was cold and sharp; a cutting
+wind blew across the plain, which gave way to a thick mist,--so thick,
+the sentries could scarcely see a dozen paces off.
+
+I sat in my little hovel of straw,--my mind far too much excited for
+sleep,--watching the stars as they peeped out one by one, piercing the
+gray mist, until at last the air became thin and clear, and a frosty
+atmosphere succeeded to the weighty fog; and now I could trace out
+the vast columns, as they lay thickly strewn along the plain. The old
+general, wrapped in his cloak, slept soundly on his straw couch; his
+deep-drawn breathing showed that his rest was unbroken. How slowly did
+the time seem to creep along! I thought it must be nigh morning, and it
+was only a little more than midnight.
+
+Our position was a small rising ground about a mile in front of the left
+centre, and communicating with the enemy's line by a narrow road between
+the marshes. This had been defended by a battery of four guns, with
+a stockade in front; and along it now, for a considerable distance, a
+chain of sentinels were placed, who should communicate any movement that
+they observed in the Russian lines, of which I was charged to convey
+the earliest intelligence to the quartier-general. This duty alone would
+have kept me in a state of anxiety, had not the frame of my mind already
+so disposed me; and I could not avoid creeping out from time to time, to
+peer through the gloom in the direction of the enemy's camp, and listen
+with an eager ear for any sounds from that quarter. At last I heard the
+sound of a voice at some distance off; then, a few minutes after, the
+hurried step of feet, and a voltigeur came up, breathless with haste:
+"The Russians were in motion towards the right. Our advanced posts could
+hear the roll of guns and tumbrels moving along the plain, and it was
+evident their columns were in march." I knelt down and placed my ear to
+the ground, and almost started at the distinctness with which I could
+hear the dull sound of the large guns as they were dragged along; the
+earth seemed to tremble beneath them.
+
+I awoke the general at once, who, resting on his arm, coolly heard my
+report; and having directed me to hasten to headquarters with the news,
+lay back again, and was asleep before I was in my saddle. At the top
+speed of my horse I galloped to the rear, winding my way between the
+battalions, till I came to a gentle rising ground, where, by the
+light of several large fires that blazed in a circle I could see the
+dismounted troopers of the _chasseurs a cheval_, who always formed the
+Imperial Bodyguard. Having given the word, I was desired by the officer
+of the watch to dismount, and following him, I passed forward to a space
+in the middle of the circle, where, under shelter of some sheaves of
+straw piled over each other, sat three officers, smoking beside a fire.
+
+"Ha! here comes news of some sort," said a voice I knew at once to be
+Murat's. "Well, sir, what is't?"
+
+"The Russian columns are in motion, Monsieur le Marechal; the artillery
+moving rapidly towards our right."
+
+"_Diantre!_ it's not much more than midnight! Davoust, shall we awake
+the Emperor?"
+
+"No, no," said a harsh voice, as a shrivelled, hard-featured man turned
+round from the blaze, and showing a head covered by a coarse woollen
+cap, looked far more like a pirate than a marshal of France; "they 'll
+not attack before day breaks. Go back," said he, addressing me; "observe
+the position well, and if there be any general movement towards the
+southward, you may report it."
+
+By the time I regained my post, all was in silence once more; either the
+Russians had arrested their march, or already their columns were out
+of hearing,--not a gleam of light could I perceive along their entire
+position. And now, worn out with watching, I threw myself down among the
+straw, and slept soundly.
+
+"There! there! that's the third!" said General d'Auvergne, shaking me by
+the shoulder; "there again! Don't you hear the guns?"
+
+I listened, and could just distinguish the faint booming sound of
+far-off artillery coming up from the extreme right of our position. It
+was still but three o'clock, and although the sky was thick with stars,
+perfectly dark in the valley. Meanwhile we could bear the galloping of
+cavalry quite distinctly in the same direction.
+
+"Mount, Burke, and back to the quartier-general! But you need not; here
+comes some of the staff."
+
+"So, D'Auvergne," cried a voice whose tones were strange to me, "they
+meditate a night attack, it would seem; or is it only trying the range
+of their guns?"
+
+"I think the latter, Monsieur le Marechal, for I heard no small arms;
+and, even now, all is quiet again."
+
+"I believe you are right," said he, moving slowly forward, while a
+number of officers followed at a little distance. "You see, D'Auvergne,
+how correctly the Emperor judged their intentions. The brunt of the
+battle will be about Reygern. But there! don't you hear bugles in the
+valley?"
+
+As he spoke, the music of our tirailleurs' bugles arose from the glen
+in front of our centre, where, in a thick beech-wood, the light infantry
+regiments were posted.
+
+"What is it, D'Esterre?" said he to an officer who galloped up at the
+moment.
+
+"They say the Russian Guard, sir, is moving to the front; our
+skirmishers have orders to fall back without firing."
+
+As he heard this, the Marshal Bernadotte--for it was he--turned his
+horse suddenly round, and rode back, followed by his staff. And now the
+drums beat to quarters along the line, and the hoarse trumpets of the
+cavalry might be heard summoning the squadrons throughout the field;
+while between the squares, and in the intervals of the battalions,
+single horsemen galloped past with orders. Soult's division, which
+extended for nearly a league to our right, was the first to move, and it
+seemed like one vast shadow creeping along the earth, as column beside
+column marched steadily onward. Our brigade had not as yet received
+orders, but the men were in readiness beside the horses, and only
+waiting for the word to mount.
+
+The suspense of the moment was fearful. All that I had ever dreamed
+or pictured to myself of a soldier's enthusiasm was faint and weak,
+compared to the rush of sensations I now experienced. There must be a
+magic power of ecstasy in the approach of danger,--some secret sense of
+bounding delight, mingled with the chances of a battle,--that renders
+one intoxicated with excitement. Each booming gun I heard sent a wild
+throb through me, and I panted for the word "Forward!"
+
+Column after column moved past us, and disappeared in the dip of ground
+beneath; and as we saw the close battalions filling the wide plain in
+front, we sighed to think that it was destined to be the day of glory
+peculiarly to the infantry. Wherever the nature of the field permitted
+shelter or the woods afforded cover, our troops were sent immediately
+to occupy. The great manoeuvre of the day was to be the piercing of the
+enemy's centre whenever he should weaken that point by the endeavor to
+turn our right flank.
+
+A faint streak of gray light was marking the horizon when the single
+guns which we had heard at intervals ceased; and then, after a short
+pause, a long, loud roll of artillery issued from the distant right,
+followed by the crackling din of small-arms, which increased at every
+moment, and now swelled into an uninterrupted noise, through which the
+large guns pealed from time to time. A red glare, obscured now and then
+by means of black smoke, lit up the sky in that quarter, where already
+the battle was raging fiercely.
+
+The narrow causeway between the two small lakes in our front conducted
+to an open space of ground, about a cannon-shot from the Russian line;
+and this we were now ordered to occupy, to be prepared to act as support
+to the infantry of Soult's left, whenever the attack began. As we
+debouched into the plain, I beheld a group of horsemen, who, wrapped up
+in their cloaks, sat motionless in their saddles, calmly regarding the
+squadrons as they issued from the wood: these were Murat and his staff,
+to whom was committed the attack on the Russian Guard. His division
+consisted of the hussars and chasseurs under Kellermann, the cuirassiers
+of D'Auvergne, and the heavy dragoons of Nansouty,--making a force of
+eight thousand sabres, supported by twenty pieces of field artillery.
+Again were we ordered to dismount, for although the battle continued
+to rage on the right, the whole of the centre and left were unengaged.
+
+Thus stood we as the sun arose,--that "Sun of Austerlitz!" so often
+appealed to and apostrophized by Napoleon as gilding the greatest of his
+glories. The mist from the lakes shut out the prospect of the enemy's
+lines at first; but gradually this moved away, and we could perceive the
+dark columns of the Russians, as they moved rapidly along the side of
+the Pratzen, and continued to pour their thousands towards Reygern.
+
+At last the roar of musketry swelled louder and nearer, and an officer
+galloping past told us that Soult's right had been called up to support
+Davoust's division. This did not look well; it proved the Russians had
+pressed our lines closely, and we waited impatiently to hear further
+intelligence. It was evident, too, that our right was suffering
+severely, otherwise the attack on the centre would not have been
+delayed. Just then a wild cheer to the front drew our attention
+thither, and we saw the heads of three immense columns--Soult's
+division--advancing at a run towards the enemy.
+
+"_Par Saint Louis_," cried General d'Auvergne, as he directed his
+telescope on the Russian line, "those fellows have lost their senses!
+See if they have not moved their artillery away from the Pratzen, and
+weakened their centre more and more! Soult sees it: mark how he presses
+his columns on! There they go, faster and faster! But look! there's a
+movement yonder,--the Russians perceive their mistake."
+
+"Mount!" was now heard from squadron to squadron; while dashing along
+the line like a thunderbolt, Murat rode far in advance of his staff, the
+men cheering him as he went.
+
+"There!" cried D'Auvergne, as he pointed with his finger, "that column
+with the yellow shoulder-knots,--that's Vandamme's brigade of light
+infantry; see how they rush on, eager to be first up with the enemy. But
+St. Hilaire's grenadiers have got the start of them, and are already at
+the foot of the hill. It is a race between them!"
+
+And so had it become. The two columns advanced, cheering wildly; while
+the officers, waving their caps, led them on, and others rode along the
+flanks urging the men forward.
+
+The order now came for our squadrons to form in charging sections,
+leaving spaces for the light artillery between. This done, we moved
+slowly forward at a walk, the guns keeping step by step beside us. A few
+minutes after, we lost sight of the attacking columns; but the crashing
+fire told us they were engaged, and that already the great struggle had
+begun.
+
+For above an hour we remained thus; every stir, every word loud spoken,
+seeming to our impatience like the order to move. At last, the squadrons
+to our right were seen to advance; and then a tremulous motion of
+the whole line showed that the horses themselves participated in the
+eagerness of the moment; and, at last, the word came for the cuirassiers
+to move up. In less than a hundred yards we were halted again; and
+I heard an aide-de-camp telling General d'Auvergne that Davoust had
+suffered immensely on the right; that his division, although reinforced,
+had fallen back behind Reygern, and all now depended on the attack of
+Soult's columns.
+
+I heard no more, for now the whole line advanced in trot, and as our
+formation showed an unbroken front, the word came,--"Faster!" and
+"Faster!" As we emerged from the low ground we saw Soult's column
+already half way up the ascent; they seemed like a great wedge driven
+into the enemy's centre, which, opening as they advanced, presented two
+surfaces of fire to their attack.
+
+"The battery yonder has opened its fire on our line," said D'Auvergne;
+"we cannot remain where we are."
+
+"Forward!--charge!" came the word from front to rear, and squadron after
+squadron dashed madly up the ascent. The one word only, "Charge!" kept
+ringing through my head; all else was drowned in the terrible din of the
+advance. An Austrian brigade of light cavalry issued forth as we came
+up, but soon fell back under the overwhelming pressure of our force.
+And now we came down upon the squares of the red-brown Russian infantry.
+Volley after volley sent back our leading squadrons, wounded and
+repulsed, when, unlimbering with the speed of lightning, the horse
+artillery poured in a discharge of grapeshot. The ranks wavered, and
+through their cleft spaces of dead and dying our cuirassiers dashed
+in, sabring all before them. In vain the infantry tried to form again:
+successive discharges of grape, followed by cavalry attacks, broke
+through their firmest ranks; and at last retreating, they fell back
+under cover of a tremendous battery of field-guns, which, opening their
+fire, compelled us to retire into the wood.
+
+Nor were we long inactive. Bernadotte's division was now engaged on our
+left, and a pressing demand came for cavalry to support them. Again we
+mounted the hill, and came in sight of the Russian Guard, led on by the
+Grand-Duke Constantino himself,--a splendid body of men, conspicuous for
+their size and the splendor of their equipment. Such, however, was the
+impetuous torrent of our attack that they were broken in an instant; and
+notwithstanding their courage and devotion, fresh masses of our dragoons
+kept pouring down upon them, and they were sabred, almost to a man.
+
+While we were thus engaged, the battle became general from left to
+right, and the earth shook beneath the thundering sounds of two hundred
+great guns. Our position, for a moment victorious, soon changed; for
+having followed the retreating squadrons too far, the waves closed
+behind us, and we now saw that a dense cloud of Austrian and Russian
+cavalry were forming in our rear. An instant of hesitation would have
+been fatal. It was then that a tall and splendidly-dressed horseman
+broke from the line, and with a cry to "Follow!" rode straight at
+the enemy. It was Murat himself, sabre in hand, who, clearing his way
+through the Russians, opened a path for us. A few minutes after we had
+gained the wood; but one third of our force had fallen.
+
+"Cavalry! cavalry!" cried a field-officer, riding down at headlong
+speed, his face covered with blood from a sabre-cut, "to the front!"
+
+The order was given to advance at a gallop; and we found ourselves next
+instant hand to hand with the Russian dragoons, who having swept along
+the flank of Bernadotte's division, were sabring them on all sides.
+On we went, reinforced by Nansouty and his carabineers, a body of nigh
+seven thousand men. It was a torrent no force could stem. The tide of
+victory was with us; and we swept along, wave after wave, the infantry
+advancing in line for miles at either side, while whole brigades of
+artillery kept up a murderous fire without ceasing. Entire columns of
+the enemy surrendered as prisoners; guns were captured at each instant;
+and only by a miracle did the Grand-Duke escape our hussars, who
+followed him till he was lost to view in the flying ranks of the allies.
+
+As we gained the crest of the hill, we were in time to see Soult's
+victorious columns driving the enemy before them; while the Imperial
+Guard, up to that moment unengaged, reinforced the grenadiers on the
+right, and broke through the Russians on every side.
+
+The attempt to outflank us on the right we had perfectly retorted on the
+left; where Lannes's division, overlapping the line, pressed them on two
+sides, and drove them back, still fighting, into the plain, which, with
+a lake, separated the allied armies from the village of Austerlitz. And
+here took place the most dreadful occurrence of the day.
+
+The two roads which led through the lake were soon so encumbered and
+blocked up by ammunition wagons and carts that they became impassable;
+and as the masses of the fugitives thickened, they spread over the lake,
+which happened to be frozen. It was at this time that the Emperor came
+up, and seeing the cavalry halted, and no longer in pursuit of the
+flying columns, ordered up twelve pieces of the artillery of the
+Imperial Guard, which, from the crest of the hill, opened a murderous
+fire on them. The slaughter was fearful as the discharges of grape and
+round shot cut channels through the jammed-up mass, and tore the dense
+columns, as it were, into fragments.
+
+Dreadful as the scene was, what followed far exceeded it in horror;
+for soon the shells began to explode beneath the ice, which now, with a
+succession of reports louder than thunder, gave way. In an instant
+whole regiments were ingulfed, and amid the wildest cries of despair,
+thousands sank never to appear again, while the deafening artillery
+mercilessly played upon them, till over that broad surface no living
+thing was seen to move, while beneath was the sepulchre of five thousand
+men. About seven thousand reached Austerlitz by another road to the
+northward; but even these had not escaped, save for a mistake of
+Bernadotte, who most unaccountably, as it was said, halted his division
+on the heights. Had it not been for this, not a soldier of the Russian
+right wing had been saved.
+
+The reserve cavalry and the dragoons of the Guard were now called up
+from the pursuit, and I saw my own regiment pass close by me, as I stood
+amid the staff round Murat. The men were fresh and eager for the fray;
+yet how many fell in that pursuit, even after the victory! The Russian
+batteries continued their fire to the last. The cannoneers were cut
+down beside their guns, and the cavalry made repeated charges on our
+advancing squadrons; nor was it till late in the day they fell back,
+leaving two thirds of their force dead or wounded on the field of
+battle.
+
+On every side now were to be seen the flying columns of the allies,
+hotly followed by the victorious French. The guns still thundered at
+intervals; but the loud roar of battle was subdued to the crashing din
+of charging squadrons, and the distant cries of the vanquishers and
+the vanquished. Around and about lay the wounded in all the fearful
+attitudes of suffering; and as we were fully a league in advance of our
+original position, no succor had yet arrived for the poor fellows whose
+courage had carried them into the very squares of the enemy.
+
+Most of the staff--myself among the number--were despatched to the rear
+for assistance. I remember, as I rode along at my fastest speed, between
+the columns of infantry and the fragments of artillery which covered
+the grounds, that a _peloton_ of dragoons came thundering past, while a
+voice shouted out "Place! place!" Supposing it was the Emperor himself,
+I drew up to one side, and uncovering my head, sat in patience till he
+had passed, when, with the speed of four horses urged to their utmost,
+a caleche flew by, two men dressed like couriers seated on the box.
+They made for the highroad towards Vienna, and soon disappeared in the
+distance.
+
+"What can it mean?" said I, to an officer beside me; "not his Majesty,
+surely?"
+
+"No, no," replied he, smiling: "it is General Lebrun on his way to Paris
+with the news of the victory. The Emperor is down at Reygern yonder,
+where he has just written the bulletin. I warrant you he follows that
+caleche with his eye; he'd rather see a battery of guns carried off by
+the enemy than an axle break there this moment."
+
+Thus closed the great day of Austerlitz--a hundred cannons, forty-three
+thousand prisoners, and thirty-two colors being the spoils of this the
+greatest of even Napoleon's victories.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV. THE FIELD AT MIDNIGHT.
+
+We passed the night on the field of battle,--a night dark and starless.
+The heavens were, indeed, clothed with black, and a heavy atmosphere,
+lowering and gloomy, spread like a pall over the dead and the dying. Not
+a breath of air moved; and the groans of the wounded sighed through the
+stillness with a melancholy cadence no words can convey. Far away in the
+distance the moving lights marked where fatigue parties went in search
+of their comrades. The Emperor himself did not leave the saddle till
+nigh morning; he went, followed by an ambulance, hither and thither over
+the plain, recalling the names of the several regiments, enumerating
+their deeds of prowess, and even asking for many of the soldiers by
+name. He ordered large fires to be lighted throughout the field, and
+where medical assistance could not be procured, the officers of the
+staff might be seen covering the wounded with greatcoats and cloaks, and
+rendering them such aid as lay in their power.
+
+Dreadful as the picture was,--fearful reverse to the gorgeous splendor
+of the vast army the morning sun had shone upon, and in the pride of
+strength and spirit,--yet even here was there much to make one feel that
+war is not bereft of its humanizing influences. How many a soldier did I
+see that night, blackened with powder, his clothes torn and ragged with
+shot, sitting beside a wounded comrade--now wetting his lips with a
+cool draught, now cheering his heart with words of comfort! Many, though
+wounded, were tending others less able to assist themselves. Acts of
+kindness and self-devotion--not less in number than those of heroism and
+courage--were met with at every step; while among the sufferers there
+lived a spirit of enthusiasm that seemed to lighten the worst pang of
+their agony. Many would cry out, as I passed, to know the fate of the
+day, and what became of this regiment or of that battalion. Others could
+but articulate a faint "Vive l'Empereur!" which in the intervals of pain
+they kept repeating, as though it were a charm against suffering; while
+one question met me every instant,--"What says the Petit Caporal? Is he
+content with us?" None were insensible to the glorious issue of
+that day; nor amid all the agony of death, dealt out in every shape of
+horror and misery, did I hear one word of anger or rebuke to him for
+whose ambition they had shed their heart's blood.
+
+[Illustration: 050]
+
+Having secured a fresh horse, I rode forward in the direction of
+Austerlitz, where our cavalry, met by the chevaliers of the Russian
+Imperial Guard, sustained the greatest check and the most considerable
+loss of the day. The old dragoon who accompanied me warned me I should
+find few, if any, of our comrades living there.
+
+"_Ventrebleu!_ lieutenant, you can't expect it. The first four squadrons
+went down like one man; for when our fellows fell wounded from their
+horses, they always sabred or shot them as they lay."
+
+I found this information but too correct. Lines of dead men lay beside
+their horses, ranged as they stood in battle, while before them lay the
+bodies of the Russian Guard, their gorgeous uniform all slashed with
+gold, marking them out amid the dull russet costumes of their comrades.
+In many places were they intermingled, and showed where a hand-to-hand
+combat had been fought; and I saw two clasped rigidly in each other's
+grasp, who had evidently been shot by others while struggling for the
+mastery.
+
+"I told you, mon lieutenant, it was useless to come here; this was _a la
+mort_ while it lasted; and if it had continued much longer in the same
+fashion, it's hard to say which of us had been going over the field now
+with lanterns."
+
+Too true, indeed! Not one wounded man did we meet with, nor did one
+human voice break the silence around us. "Perhaps," said I, "they may
+have already carried up the wounded to the village yonder; I see a great
+blaze of light there. Bide forward, and learn if it be so."
+
+When I had dismissed the orderly, I dismounted from my horse, and walked
+carefully along the ridge of ground, anxious to ascertain if any poor
+fellow still remained alive amid that dreadful heap of dead. A low
+brushwood covered the ground in certain places; and here I perceived
+but few of the cavalry had penetrated, while the infantry were all
+tirailleurs of the Russian Guard, bayoneted by our advancing columns.
+As I approached the lake the ground became more rugged and uneven; and
+I was about to turn back, when my eye caught the faint glimmering of
+a light reflected in the water. Picketing my horse where he stood, I
+advanced alone towards the light, which I saw now was at the foot of a
+little rocky crag beside the lake. As I drew near, I stopped to listen,
+and could distinctly hear the deep tones of a man's voice, as if broken
+at intervals by pain, while in his accents I thought I could trace a
+tone of indignant passion rather than of bodily suffering.
+
+"Leave me, leave me where I am," cried he, peevishly. "I thought I might
+have had my last few moments tranquil, when I staggered thus far."
+
+"Come, come, Comrade!" said another, in a voice of comforting; "come,
+thou wert never faint-hearted before. Thou hast had thy share of
+bruises, and cared little about them too. Art dry?"
+
+"Yes; give me another drink. Ah!" cried he, in an excited tone, "they
+can't stand before the cuirassiers of the Guard. _Sacrebleu!_ how proud
+the Petit Caporal will be of this day!" Then, dropping his voice,
+he muttered, "What care I who's proud? I have my billet, and must be
+going."
+
+"Not so, _mon enfant_; thou'lt have the cross for thy day's work. He
+knows thee well; I saw him smile to-day when thou madest the salute in
+passing."
+
+"Didst thou that?" said the wounded man, with eagerness; "did he smile?
+Ah, villain! how you can allure men to shed their heart's blood by a
+smile! He knows me! That he ought, and, if he but knew how I lay here
+now, he 'd send the best surgeon of his staff to look after me."
+
+"That he would, and that he will; courage, and cheer up."
+
+"No, no; I don't care for it now. I'll never go back to the regiment
+again; I could n't do it!"
+
+As he spoke the last words his voice became fainter and fainter, and
+at last was lost in a hiccup; partly, as it seemed, from emotion, and
+partly from bodily suffering.
+
+"_Qui vive?_" cried his companion, as the clash of my sabre announced my
+approach.
+
+"An officer of the Eighth Hussars," said I, in a low voice, fearing to
+disturb the wounded man, as he lay with his head sunk on his knees.
+
+"Too late, Comrade! too late," said he, in a stifled tone; "the order of
+route has come. I must away."
+
+"A brave cuirassier of the Guard should never say so while he has a
+chance left to serve his Emperor in another field of battle."
+
+"Vive l'Empereur! vive l'Empereur!" shouted he, madly, as he lifted his
+helmet and tried to wave it above his head. But the exertion brought on
+a violent fit of coughing, which choked his utterance, while a torrent
+of red blood gushed from his mouth, and deluged his neck and chest.
+
+"Ah, _mon Dieu!_ that cry has been his death," said the other, wringing
+his hands in utter misery.
+
+"Where is he wounded?" said I, kneeling down beside the sick man, who
+now lay, half on his face, upon the grass.
+
+"In the chest, through the lung," whispered the other. "He doesn't know
+the doctor saw him; it was he told me there was no hope. 'You may leave
+him,' said he; 'an hour or two more are all that 's left him;' as if I
+could leave a comrade we all loved. My poor fellow, it is a sad day for
+the old Fourth when thou art taken from them!"
+
+"Ha! was he of the Fourth, then?" said I, remembering the regiment.
+
+"Yes, _parbleu!_ and though but a corporal, he was well known throughout
+the army. Pioche--"
+
+"Pioche!" cried I, in agony; "is this Pioche?"
+
+"Here," said the wounded man, hearing the name, and answering as if on
+parade,--"here, mon commandant! but too faint, I 'm afraid, for duty.
+I feel weak to-day," said he, as he pressed his hand upon his side, and
+then slowly sank back against the rock, and dropped his arms at either
+side.
+
+"Come," said I, "we must lose no time. Let us carry him to the rear. If
+nothing else can be done, he 'll meet with care--"
+
+"Hush! mon lieutenant! don't let him hear you speak of that. He stormed
+and swore so much when the ambulance passed, and they wanted to bring
+him along, that it brought on a coughing fit, just like what you saw,
+and he lay in a faint for half an hour after. He vows he 'll never stir
+from where he is. Truth is, Commandant," said he, in the lowest whisper,
+"he is determined to die. When his squadron fell back from the Russian
+square, he rode on their bayonets, and cut at the men while the
+artillery was playing all about him. He told me this morning he 'd never
+leave the field."
+
+"Poor fellow! what was the meaning of this sad resolution?"
+
+"_Ma foi!_ a mere trifle, after all," said the other, shrugging his
+shoulders, and making a true French grimace of contempt. "You 'll smile
+when I tell you; but he takes it to heart, poor fellow. His mistress has
+been false to him,--no great matter that, you 'd say,--but so it is, and
+nothing more. See how still he lies now! is he sleeping?"
+
+"I fear not; he looks exhausted from loss of blood. Come, we must have
+him out of this; here comes my orderly to assist us. If we carry him to
+the road I 'll find a carriage of some sort."
+
+I said this in a tone of command, to silence any scruples he might
+still have about obeying his comrade in preference to the orders of an
+officer. He obeyed with the instinct of discipline, and proceeded to
+fold his cloak in such a manner that we could carry the wounded man
+between us.
+
+The poor corporal, too weak to resist us, faint from bleeding and
+semi-stupid, suffered himself to be lifted upon the cloak, and never
+uttered a word or a cry as we bore him along between us.
+
+We had not proceeded far when we came up with a convoy, conducting
+several carts with the wounded to the convent of Reygern, which had now
+been fitted up as an hospital. On one of these we secured a place for
+our poor friend, and walked along beside him towards the convent. As we
+went along I questioned his comrade closely on the point; and he told
+me that Pioche had resolved never to survive the battle, and had taken
+leave of his friends the evening before.
+
+"Ah, _parbleu!_" added he, with energy, "mademoiselle is pretty
+enough,--there 's no denying that; but her head is turned by flattery
+and soft speeches. All the gay young fellows of the hussar regiment,
+the aides-de-camp,--ay, and some of the generals, too,--have paid her
+so much attention that it could not be expected she'd care for a poor
+corporal. Not but that Pioche is a brave fellow and a fine soldier.
+_Sapristi!_ he 'd be no discredit to any girl's choice. But Minette--"
+
+"Minette, the vivandiere?"
+
+"Ay, to be sure, mon lieutenant; I'd warrant you must have known her."
+
+"What of her? where is she?" said I, burning with impatience.
+
+"She's with the wounded, up at Reygern yonder. They sent for her to
+Heilbrunn yesterday, where she was with the reserve battalions. _Ma
+foi!_ you don't think our fellows would do without Minette at the
+ambulance, where there was a battle to be fought. They say they'd hard
+work enough to make her come up. After all, she's a strange girl; that
+she is."
+
+"How was that? Has she taken offence with the Fourth?"
+
+"No, that is not it; she likes the old regiment in her heart. I'd never
+believe she didn't; but" (here he dropped his voice to a low whisper,
+as if dreading to be overheard by the wounded man), "but they say--who
+knows if it's true?--that when she was left behind at Ulm or Elchingen,
+or somewhere up there on the Danube, that there was a young fellow--I
+heard his name, too, but I forget it--who was brought in badly wounded,
+and that mademoiselle was left to watch and nurse him. He got well in
+time, for the thing was not so serious as they thought. And what do you
+think was the return he made the poor girl? He seduced her!"
+
+"It's false! false as hell!" cried I, bursting with passion. "Who has
+dared to spread such a calumny?"
+
+"Don't be angry, mon lieutenant; there are plenty to answer for the
+report. And if it was yourself--"
+
+"Yes; it was by _my_ bedside she watched; it was to _me_ she gave that
+care and kindness by which I recovered from a dangerous wound. But so
+far from this base requital--"
+
+"Why did she leave you, then, and march night and day with the chasseur
+brigade into the Tyrol? Why did she tell her friends that she'd never
+see the old Fourth again? Why did she fret herself into an illness--"
+
+"Did she do this, poor girl?"
+
+"Ay, that she did. But, mayhap, you never heard of all this. I can only
+say, mon lieutenant, that you'd be safer in a broken square, charged by
+a heavy squadron, than among the Fourth, after what you 've done."
+
+I turned indignantly from him without a reply; for while my pride
+revolted at answering an accusation from such a quarter, my mind was
+harassed by the sad fate of poor Minette, and perplexed how to account
+for her sudden departure. My silence at once arrested my companion's
+speech, and we walked along the remainder of the way without a word on
+either side.
+
+The day was just breaking when the first wagon of the convoy entered the
+gates of the convent. It was an enormous mass of building, originally
+destined for the reception of about three thousand persons; for, in
+addition to the priestly inhabitants, there were two great hospitals and
+several schools included within the walls. This, before the battle, had
+been tenanted by the staffs of many general officers and the corps of
+engineers and sappers, but now was entirely devoted to the wounded of
+either army; for Austrians and Russians were everywhere to be met with,
+receiving equal care and attention with our own troops.
+
+It was the first time I had witnessed a military hospital after a
+battle, and the impression was too fearful to be ever forgotten by me.
+
+The great chambers and spacious rooms of the convent were soon found
+inadequate for the numbers who arrived; and already the long corridors
+and passages of the building were crowded with beds, between which a
+narrow path scarcely permitted one person to pass. Here, promiscuously,
+without regard to rank, officers in command lay side by side with the
+meanest privates, awaiting the turn of medical aid, as no other order
+was observed than the necessities of each case demanded. A black
+mark above the bed, indicating that the patient's state was hopeless,
+proclaimed that no further attention need be bestowed; while the
+same mark, with a white bar across it, implied that it was a case for
+operation. In this way the surgeons who arrived at each moment from
+different corps of the army discovered, at a glance, where their
+services were required, and not a minute's time was lost.
+
+The dreadful operations of surgery--for which, in the events of
+every-day life, every provision of delicate secrecy, and every minute
+detail which can alleviate dread, are so rigidly studied,--were here
+going forward on every side; the horrible preparations moved from bed to
+bed with a rapidity which showed that where suffering so abounded
+there was no time for sympathy; and the surgeons, with arms bare to the
+shoulder and bedaubed with blood, toiled away as though life no longer
+moved in the creeping flesh beneath the knife, and human agony spoke not
+aloud with every motion of their hand.
+
+"Place there! move forward!" said an hospital surgeon, as they carried
+up the litter on which Pioche lay stretched and senseless.
+
+"What's this?" cried a surgeon, leaning forward, and placing his hand on
+the sick man's pulse. "Ah! take him back again; it 's all over there!"
+
+"Oh, no!" cried I, in agony, "it can scarcely be; they lifted him alive
+from the wagon."
+
+"He's not dead, sir," replied the surgeon, in a whisper, "but he will
+soon be; there's internal bleeding going on from that wound, and a few
+hours, or less perhaps must close the scene."
+
+"Can nothing be done? nothing?"
+
+"I fear not." He opened the jacket of the wounded man as he spoke, and
+slitting the inner clothes asunder with a quick stroke of his scissors,
+disclosed a tremendous sabre-wound in the side. "That is not the worst,"
+said he. "Look here," pointing to a small bluish mark of a bullet hole
+above it; "here lies the mischief."
+
+An hospital aid whispered something at the instant in the surgeon's ear,
+to which he quickly replied, "When?"
+
+"This instant, sir; the ligature slipped, and--"
+
+"Remove him," was the reply. "Now, sir, I have a bed for your poor
+fellow here; but I have little hope to give you. His pulse is stronger,
+otherwise the endeavor would be lost time."
+
+While they carried the litter forward, I perceived that another party
+were lifting from a bed near a figure, over whose face the sheet was
+carelessly thrown. I guessed from the gestures that the form they lifted
+was lifeless; the heavy sumph of the body upon the ground showed it
+beyond a doubt. The bearers replaced the dead man by the dying body of
+poor Pioche; and from a vague feeling of curiosity, I stooped down and
+drew back the sheet from the face of the corpse. As I did so, my limbs
+trembled, and I leaned back almost fainting against the wall. Pale with
+the pallor of death, but scarcely altered from life, I beheld the dead
+features of Amedee Pichot, the captain whose insolence had left an
+unsettled quarrel between us. The man for whose coming I waited to
+expiate an open insult, now lay cold and lifeless at my feet. What a
+rush of sensations passed through my mind as I gazed on that motionless
+mass! and oh, what gratitude my heart gushed to think that he did not
+fall by _my_ hand!
+
+"A brave soldier, but a quarrelsome friend," said the surgeon, stooping
+down to examine the wound, with all the indifference of a man who
+regarded life as a mere problem. "It was a cannon-shot carried it off."
+As he said this, he disclosed the mangled remains of a limb, torn from
+the trunk too high to permit of amputation. "Poor Amedee! it was the
+death he always wished for. It was a strange horror he had of falling
+by the hand of an adversary, rather than being carried off thus. And now
+for the cuirassier."
+
+So saying, he turned towards the bed on which Pioche lav, still as death
+itself. A few minutes' careful investigation of the case enabled him to
+pronounce that although the chances were many against recovery, yet it
+was not altogether hopeless.
+
+"All will depend on the care of whoever watches him," said the surgeon.
+"Symptoms will arise, requiring prompt attention and a change in
+treatment; and this is one of those cases where a nurse is worth a
+hundred doctors. Who takes charge of this bed?" he called aloud.
+
+"Minette, Monsieur," said a sergeant. "She has lain down to take a
+little rest, for she was quite worn out with fatigue."
+
+"Me voici!" said a silvery voice I knew at once to be hers. And the
+same instant she pierced the crowd around the bed, and approached the
+patient. No sooner had she beheld the features of the sick man than she
+reeled back, and grasped the arms of the persons on either side. For a
+few seconds she stood, with her hands pressed upon her face, and when
+she withdrew them, her features were almost ghastly in their hue, while,
+with a great effort over her emotion, she said, in a low voice, "Can he
+recover?"
+
+"Yes, Minette!" replied the surgeon, "and will, if care avail anything.
+Just hear me for a moment."
+
+With that he drew her to one side, and commenced to explain the
+treatment he proposed to adopt. As he spoke, her cloak, which up to this
+instant she wore, dropped from her shoulders, and she stood there in the
+dress of the vivandiere: a short frock coat, of light blue, with a thin
+gold braid upon the collar and the sleeve; loose trousers of white jean,
+strapped beneath her boots; a silk sash of scarlet and gold entwined was
+fastened round her waist, and fell in a long fringe at her side; while
+a cap of blue cloth, with a gold band and tassel, hung by a hook at her
+girdle. Simple as was the dress, it displayed to perfection the symmetry
+of her figure and her carriage, and suited the character of her air and
+gesture, which, abrupt and impatient at times, was almost boyish in the
+wayward freedom of her action.
+
+The surgeon soon finished his directions, the crowd separated, and
+Minette alone remained by the sick man's bed. For some minutes her cares
+did not permit her to look up; but when she did, a slight cry broke from
+her, and she sank down upon the seat at the bedside.
+
+"Minette, dear Minette, you are not angry with me?" said I, in a low and
+trembling tone. "I have not done aught to displease you,--have I so?"
+
+She answered not a word, but a blush of the deepest scarlet suffused her
+face and temples, and her bosom heaved almost convulsively.
+
+"To you I owe my life," continued I, with earnestness; "nay more, I owe
+the kindness which made of a sick-bed a place of pleasant thoughts and
+happy memories. Can I, then, have offended you, while my whole heart was
+bursting with gratitude?"
+
+A paleness, more striking than the blush that preceded it, now stole
+over her features, but she uttered not a word. Her eyes turned from
+me and fell upon her own figure, and I saw the tears till up and roll
+slowly along her cheeks.
+
+"Why did you leave me, Minette?" said I, wound up by her obstinate
+silence beyond further endurance. "Did the few words of impatience--"
+
+"No, no, no!" broke she in, "not that! not that!"
+
+"What then? Tell me, for Heaven's sake, how have I earned your
+displeasure? Believe me, I have met with too little kindness in my way
+through life, not to feel poignantly the loss of a friend. What was it,
+I beseech you?"
+
+"Oh, do not ask me!" cried she, with streaming eyes; "do not, I beg of
+you. Enough that you know--and this I swear to you,--that no fault of
+yours was in question. You were always good and always kind to me,--too
+kind, too good,--but not even your teaching could alter the waywardness
+of my nature. Speak of this no more, I ask you, as the greatest favor
+you can bestow on me. See here," cried she, while her lips trembled with
+emotion; "I have need of all my courage to be of use to him; and you
+will not, I am sure, render me unequal to my task."
+
+"But we are friends, Minette; friends as before," said I, taking her
+hand, and pressing it within mine.
+
+"Yes, friends!" muttered she, in a broken voice, while she turned her
+head from me. "Adieu! Monsieur, adieu!"
+
+"Adieu, then, since you wish it so, Minette! But whatever your secret
+reason for this change towards me, you never can alter the deep-rooted
+feeling of my heart, which makes me know myself your friend forever."
+
+The more I thought of Minette's conduct, the more puzzled I was. No
+jealousy on the part of Pioche could explain her abrupt departure from
+Elchingen, and her resolve never to rejoin the Fourth. She was, indeed,
+a strange girl, wayward and self-willed; but her impulses all had their
+source in high feelings of honor and exalted pride. It might have been
+that some chance expression had given her offence; yet she denied this.
+But still, her former frankness was gone, and a sense of coldness, if
+not distrust, had usurped its place. I could make nothing of it. One
+thing alone did I feel convinced of,--she did not love Pioche. Poor
+fellow! with all the fine traits of his honest nature, the manly
+simplicity and openness of his character, he had not those arts of
+pleasing which win their way with a woman's mind. Besides that, Minette,
+from habit and tone of voice, had imbibed feelings and ideas of a very
+different class in society, and with a feminine tact, had contrived to
+form acquaintance with, and a relish for, the tastes and pleasures of
+the cultivated World. The total subversion of all social order effected
+by the Revolution had opened the path of ambition in life equally to
+women as to men; and all the endeavors of the Consulate and the Empire
+had not sobered down the minds of France to their former condition.
+The sergeant to-day saw no reason why he might not wear his epaulettes
+to-morrow, and in time exchange his shako even for a crown; and so the
+vivandiere, whose life was passed in the intoxicating atmosphere of
+glory, might well dream of greatness which should be hers hereafter,
+and of the time when, as the wife of a marshal or a peer of France, she
+would walk the _salons_ of the Tuileries as proudly as the daughter of a
+Rohan or a Tavanne.
+
+There was, then, nothing vain or presumptuous in the boldest flight of
+ambition. However glittering the goal, it was beyond the reach of none;
+and the hopes which, in better-ordered communities, had been deemed
+absurd, seemed here but fair and reasonable. And from this element alone
+proceeded some of the greatest actions, and by far the greatest portion
+of the unhappiness, of the period. The mind of the nation was unfixed;
+men had not as yet resolved themselves into those grades and classes,
+by the means of which public opinion is brought to bear upon individuals
+from those of his own condition. Each was a law unto himself, suggesting
+his own means of advancement and estimating his own powers of success;
+and the result was, a general scramble for rank, dignity, and honors,
+the unfitness of the possessor for which, when attained, brought neither
+contempt nor derision. The epaulette was noblesse; the shako, a coronet.
+What wonder, then, if she, whose personal attractions were so great, and
+whose manners and tone of thought were so much above her condition, had
+felt the stirrings of that ambition within her heart which now appeared
+to be the moving spirit of the nation!
+
+Lost in such thoughts, I turned homewards towards my quarters, and was
+already some distance from the convent when a dragoon galloped up to my
+side, and asked eagerly if I were the surgeon of the Sixth Grenadiers.
+As I replied in the negative, he muttered something between his teeth,
+and added louder, "The poor general; it will be too late after all."
+
+So saying, and before I could question him further, he set spurs to
+his horse, and dashing onwards, soon disappeared in the darkness of the
+night. A few minutes afterwards I beheld a number of lanterns straight
+before me on the narrow road, and as I came nearer, a sentinel called
+out,--
+
+"Halt there! stand!"
+
+I gave my name and rank, when the man, advancing towards me, said in a
+half whisper,--
+
+"It is our general, sir; they say he cannot be brought any farther, and
+they must perform the operation here."
+
+The soldier's voice trembled at every word, and he could scarcely falter
+out, in reply to my question, the name of the wounded officer.
+
+"General St. Hilaire, sir, who led the grenadiers on the Pratzen," said
+the poor fellow, his sorrow struggling with his pride.
+
+I pressed forward; and there on a litter lay the figure of a large and
+singularly fine-looking man. His coat, which was covered with orders,
+lay open, and discovered a shirt stained and clotted with blood; but his
+most dangerous wound was from a grapeshot in the thigh, which shattered
+the bone, and necessitated amputation. A young staff surgeon, the
+only medical man present, was kneeling at his side, and occupied in
+compressing some wounded vessels to arrest the bleeding, which, at the
+slightest stir of the patient, broke out anew. The remainder of
+the group were grenadiers of his own regiment, in whose sad and
+sorrow-struck faces one might read the affection his men invariably bore
+him.
+
+"Is he coming? can you hear any one coming?" said the young surgeon, in
+an anxious whisper to the soldier beside him.
+
+"No, sir; but he cannot be far off now," replied the man.
+
+"Shall I ride back to Reygern for assistance?" said I, in a low voice,
+to the surgeon.
+
+"I thank you, sir," said the wounded man, in a low, calm tone,--for with
+the quick ear of suffering he had overheard my question,--"I thank you,
+but my orderly has already been sent thither. If you could relieve my
+young friend here from his fatiguing duty for a little, you would render
+us both a service. I am truly grieved to see him so much exhausted."
+
+"No, no, sir!" stammered the youth, as the tears ran fast down his
+cheeks; "this is my place. I will not leave it."
+
+"Kind fellow!" muttered the general, as he pressed his hand gently on
+the young man's arm; "I can bear this better than you can."
+
+"Ah, here he comes now," said the sentinel; and the same moment a man
+dismounted from his horse, and came forward towards us.
+
+It was Louis, the surgeon of the Emperor himself, despatched by Napoleon
+the moment he heard of the event. At any other moment, perhaps, the
+abrupt demeanor of this celebrated surgeon would have savored little
+of delicacy or feeling; nor even then could I forgive the sudden
+announcement in which he conveyed to the sufferer that immediate
+amputation must be performed.
+
+"No chance left but this, Louis?" said the general.
+
+"None, sir," replied the doctor, while he unlocked an instrument case,
+and busied himself in preparation for the operation.
+
+"Can you defer it a little; an hour or two, I mean?"
+
+"An hour, perhaps; not more, certainly."
+
+"But am I certain of your services then, Louis?" said the general,
+trying to smile. "You know I always promised myself your aid when this
+hour came."
+
+"I shall return in an hour," replied the doctor, pulling out his watch;
+"I am going to Rapp's quarters."
+
+"Poor Rapp! is he wounded?"
+
+"A mere sabre-cut; but Sebastiani has suffered more severely. Now then,
+Lanusse," said he, addressing the young surgeon, "you remain here.
+Continue as you are doing, and in an hour--"
+
+"In an hour," echoed the wounded man, with a shudder, as though the
+anticipation of the dreadful event had thrilled through his very heart.
+Nor was it till the retiring sounds of the surgeon's horse had died
+away in the distance that his features recovered their former calm and
+tranquil expression.
+
+"A prompt fellow is Louis," said he, after a pause; "and though one
+might like somewhat more courtesy in the Faubourg, yet on the field
+of battle it is all for the best; this is no place nor time for
+compliments."
+
+The young man answered not a word, either not daring to criticise too
+harshly his superior, or perhaps his emotion at the moment was too
+strong for utterance. In reply to my offer to remain with him, however,
+he thanked me heartily, and seemed gratified that he was not to be left
+alone in such a trying emergency.
+
+"Come," said St. Hilaire, after a pause, "I have asked for time, and
+am already forgetting how to employ it. Who can write here? Can you,
+Guilbert?"
+
+"Alas, no, sir!" said a dark grenadier, blushing to the very eyes.
+
+"If you will permit a stranger, sir," said I, "I will be but too proud
+and too happy to render you any assistance in my power. I am on the
+staff of General d'Auvergne, and--"
+
+"A French officer, sir," interrupted he; "quite enough. I ask for no
+other guerdon of your honor. Sit down here, then, and--But first try if
+you can discover a pocket-book in my sabretache; I hope it has not been
+lost."
+
+"Here it is, General," said a soldier, coming forward with it; "I found
+it on the ground beside you."
+
+"Well, then, I will ask you to write down from my dictation a few lines,
+which, should this affair,"--he faltered slightly here,--"this affair
+prove unfortunate, you will undertake to convey, by some means or other,
+to the address I shall give you in Paris. It is not a will, I assure
+you," continued he with a faint smile. "I have no wealth to leave; but
+I know his Majesty too well to fear anything on that score. But my
+children, I wish to give some few directions--" Here he stopped for
+several minutes, and then, in a calm voice, added, "Whenever you are
+ready."
+
+It was with a suffering spirit and a faltering hand I wrote down, from
+his dictation, some short sentences addressed to each member of his
+family. Of these it is not my intention to speak, save in one instance,
+where St. Hilaire himself evinced a wish that his sentiments should not
+be a matter of secrecy.
+
+"I desire," said he, in a firm tone of voice, as he turned round and
+addressed the soldiers on either side of him,--"I desire that my son,
+now at the Polytechnique, should serve the Emperor better than, and as
+faithfully as, his father has done, if his Majesty will graciously
+permit him to do so, in the grenadier battalion, which I have long
+commanded; it will be the greatest favor I can ask of him." A low murmur
+of grief, no longer repressible, ran through the little group around the
+litter. "The grenadiers of the Sixth," continued he, proudly, while for
+an instant his pale features flushed up, "will not love him the less for
+the name he bears. Come, come, men! do not give way thus; what will my
+kind young friend here say of us, when he joins the hussar brigade? This
+is not their ordinary mood, believe me," said he, addressing me. "The
+Russian Guard would give a very different account of them; they are
+stouter fellows at the _pas de charge_ than around the litter of a
+wounded comrade."
+
+While he was yet speaking, Louis returned, followed by two officers, one
+of whom, notwithstanding his efforts at concealment, I recognized to be
+Marshal Murat.
+
+"We must remove him, if it be possible," said the surgeon, in a whisper.
+"And yet the slightest motion is to be dreaded."
+
+"May I speak to him?" said Murat, in a low voice.
+
+"Yes, that you may," replied Louis, who now pushed his way forward and
+approached the litter.
+
+"Ah, so soon!" said the wounded man, looking up; "a man of your word,
+Louis. And how is Rapp? Nothing in this fashion, I hope," added he,
+pointing to his fractured limb with a sickly smile.
+
+"No, no," replied the surgeon. "But here is Marshal Murat come to
+inquire after you, from the Emperor."
+
+A flush of pride lit up St. Hilaire's features as he heard this, and he
+asked eagerly, "Where, where?"
+
+"We must remove you, St. Hilaire," said Murat, endeavoring to speak
+calmly, when it was evident his feelings were highly excited; "Louis
+says you must not remain here."
+
+"As you like, Marshal. What says his Majesty? Is the affair as decisive
+as he looked for?"
+
+"Far more so. The allied army is destroyed; the campaign is ended."
+
+"Come, then, this is not so bad as I deemed it," rejoined St. Hilaire,
+with a tone of almost gayety; "I can afford to be invalided if the
+Emperor has no further occasion for me."
+
+While these few words were interchanging, Louis had applied a tourniquet
+around the wounded limb, and having given the soldiers directions how
+they were to step, so as not to disturb or displace the shattered bones,
+he took his place beside the litter, and said,--
+
+"We are ready now, General."
+
+They lifted the litter as he spoke, and moved slowly forward. Murat
+pressed the hand St. Hilaire extended to him without a word; and then,
+turning his head away, suffered the party to pass on.
+
+Before we reached Beygern, the wounded general had fallen into a heavy
+sleep, from which he did not awake as they laid him on the bed in the
+hospital.
+
+"Good-night, sir,--or rather, good-morning," said Louis to me, as I
+turned to leave the spot. "We may chance to have better news for you
+than we anticipated, when you visit us here again."
+
+And so we parted.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V. A MAITRE D'ARMES.
+
+The day after the battle of Austerlitz the Prince of Lichtenstein
+arrived in our camp, with, as it was rumored, proposals for a peace.
+The negotiations, whatever they were, were strictly secret, not even
+the marshals themselves being admitted to Napoleon's confidence on this
+occasion. Soon after mid-day, a great body of the Guard who had been in
+reserve the previous day were drawn up in order of battle, presenting an
+array of several thousand men, whose dress, look, and equipment, fresh
+as if on parade before the Tuileries, could not fail to strike the
+Austrian envoy with amazement. Everything that could indicate the
+appearance of suffering, or even fatigue, among the troops, was
+sedulously kept out of view. Such of the cavalry regiments as suffered
+least in the battle were under arms; while the generals of division
+received orders to have their respective staffs fully equipped and
+mounted, as if on a day of review.
+
+It was late in the afternoon when the word was passed along the lines
+to stand to arms; and the moment after a _caleche_, drawn by six horses,
+passed in full gallop, and took the road towards Austerlitz. The return
+of the Austrian envoy set a thousand conjectures in motion, and all were
+eager to find out what had been the result of his mission.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneBivwacAfterBattle027]
+
+"We must soon learn it all," said an old colonel of artillery near me.
+"If the game be war, we shall be called up to assist Davoust's movement
+on Goeding. The Russians have but one line of retreat, and that is
+already in our possession."
+
+"I cannot for the life of me understand the Emperor's inaction," said a
+younger officer; "here we remain just as if nothing had been done. One
+would suppose that a Russian army stood in full force before us, and
+that we had not gained a tremendous battle."
+
+"Depend on it, Auguste," said the old officer, smiling, "his Majesty is
+not the man to let slip his golden opportunities. If we don't advance,
+it is because it is safer to remain where we are."
+
+"Safer than pursue a flying enemy?"
+
+"Even so. It is not Russia, nor Austria, we have in the field against
+us; but Europe,--the world."
+
+"With all my heart," retorted the other, boldly; "nor do I think the
+odds unfair. All I would ask is, the General Bonaparte of Cairo or
+Marengo, and not the purple-clad Emperor of the Tuileries."
+
+"It is not while the plain is yet reeking with the blood of Austerlitz
+that such a reproach should be spoken," said I, indignantly. "Never was
+Bonaparte greater than Napoleon."
+
+"Monsieur has served in Egypt?" said the young man, contemptuously,
+while he measured me from head to foot.
+
+"Would that I had! Would that I could give whatever years I may have
+before me, for those whose every day shall live in history!"
+
+"You are right, young man," said the old colonel; "they were glorious
+times, and a worthy prelude to the greatness that followed them."
+
+"A bright promise of the future,--never to come," rejoined the younger,
+with a flash of anger on his cheek.
+
+"_Parbleu_, sir, you speak boldly!" said a harsh, low voice from behind.
+We turned: it was Napoleon, dressed in a gray coat, all covered with
+fur, and looking like one of the couriers of the army. "I did not know
+my measures were so freely canvassed as I find them. Who are you, sir?"
+
+"Legrange, Sire, chef d'escadron of the Second Voltigeurs," said the
+young man, trembling from head to foot while he uncovered his head, and
+stood, cap in hand, before him.
+
+"Since when, sir, have I called you into my counsels and asked your
+advice? or what is it in your position which entitles you to question
+one in mine? Duroc, come here. Your sword, sir!"
+
+The young man let fall his shako from his hand, and laid it on his
+sword-hilt.
+
+"Ah!" cried the Emperor, suddenly; "what became of your right arm?"
+
+"I left it at Aboukir, Sire."
+
+Napoleon muttered something between his teeth; then added, aloud,--
+
+"Come, sir, you are not the first whose hand has saved his head. Return
+to your duty, and, mark me! be satisfied with doing yours, and leave me
+to mine. And you, sir," said he, turning towards me, and using the same
+harsh tone of voice, "I should know your face."
+
+"Lieutenant Burke, of the Eighth Hussars."
+
+"Ah! I remember,--the Chouanist. So, sir, it seems that I stand somewhat
+higher in your esteem than when you kept company with Messieurs Georges
+and Pichegru, eh?"
+
+"No, Sire; your Majesty ever occupied the first place in my admiration
+and devotion."
+
+"_Sacristi!_ then you took a strange way to show it when first I had the
+pleasure of your acquaintance. You are on General St. Hilaire's staff?"
+
+"General d'Auvergne's, Sire."
+
+"True. D'Auvergne, a word with you."
+
+He turned and whispered something to the old general, who during the
+whole colloquy stood at his back, anxious but not daring to interpose a
+word.
+
+"Well, well," said Napoleon, in a voice of much kinder accent, "I
+am satisfied. Your general, sir, reports favorably of your zeal and
+capacity. I do not desire to let your former conduct prove any bar to
+your advancement; and on his recommendation, of which I trust you may
+prove yourself worthy, I name you to a troop in your own regiment."
+
+"And still to serve on my staff?" said the general, half questioning the
+Emperor.
+
+"As you wish it, D'Auvergne."
+
+With that he moved forward ere I could do more than express my gratitude
+by a respectful bow.
+
+"I told you, Burke, the time would come for this," said D'Auvergne, as
+he pressed my hand warmly, and followed the cortege of the Emperor.
+
+Hitherto I had lived an almost isolated life. My staff duties had so
+separated me from my brother officers that I only knew them by name;
+while the other aides-de-camp of the general were men much older than
+myself, and with none of them had I formed any intimacy whatever. It
+was not without a sense of this loneliness that I now thought over my
+promotion. The absence of those who sympathize with our moments of joy
+and sorrow reduces our enjoyment to a narrow limit indeed. The only one
+of all I knew who would really have felt happy in my advancement was
+poor Pioche. He was beyond every thought of pleasure or grief.
+
+Thus reflecting, I turned towards my quarters at Brunn. It was evening:
+the watchfires were lighted, and round them sat groups of soldiers at
+their supper, chatting away pleasantly, and recounting the events of the
+battle. Many had been slightly wounded, and by their bandaged foreheads
+and disabled arms claimed a marked pre-eminence above the rest. A
+straw bivouac, with its great blazing fire in front, would denote some
+officer's quarters; and here were generally some eight or ten assembled,
+while the savory odor of some smoking dish, and the merry laughter,
+proclaimed that feasting was not excluded from the life of a campaign.
+
+As I passed one of these I heard the tones of a voice which, well known,
+had somehow not been heard by me for many a day before. Who could it be?
+I listened, but in vain. I asked myself whose was it. I dismounted, and
+leading my horse by the bridle, passed before the hut. The strong light
+of the blazing wood lit up the interior, and showed me a party of
+about a dozen officers, seated and lying on a heap of straw, occupied
+in discussing a supper, which, however wanting in all the elegancies of
+table equipment, even where I stood had a most appetizing odor. Various
+drinking vessels, some of them silver, passed from hand to hand
+rapidly; and the clinking of cups proclaimed that, although of different
+regiments,--as I saw they were,--a kindly feeling united them.
+
+"Well, Francois," said the same voice, whose accents were so familiar to
+me without my being able to say why,--"well, Francois, you have not told
+us how it happened."
+
+"Easily enough," said another; "he broke my blade in his back, and
+gave point afterwards and ran me through the chest." It was the maitre
+d'armes of the Fourth, my old antagonist, who said this, and I drew near
+to hear the remainder. "You could not call the thing unfair," continued
+he; "but, after all, no one ever heard of such a _passe_."
+
+"I could have told you of it, though," rejoined the other; "for I
+remember once, in the fencing school at the Polytechnique, I saw him
+catch his antagonist's blade in his sleeve, and when he had it secure,
+snap it across, and then thrust home with his own. _Parbleu!_ he lost a
+coat by it; and I believe, at the time, poor fellow, he could ill spare
+it."
+
+This story, which was told of myself, was an incident which occurred in
+a school duel, and was only known to two or three others; and again was
+I puzzled to think which of my former companions the speaker could be.
+My curiosity was now stronger than aught else; and so, affecting to seek
+a light for my cigar, I approached the blaze.
+
+"Halloo, Comrade! a cup of wine with you," cried out a voice from
+within; "Melniker is no bad drinking--"
+
+"When Chambertin can't be had," said another, handing me a goblet of red
+wine.
+
+"_Par Saint Denis!_ it's the very man himself," shouted a third. "Why,
+Burke, my old comrade, do you forget Tascher?"
+
+"What!" said I, in amazement, turning from one to the other of the
+mustached faces, and unable to discover my former friend, while they
+laughed loud and long at my embarrassment.
+
+"Make way for him there; make way, lads! Come, Burke, here's your
+place," said he, stretching out his hand and pressing me down beside him
+on the straw. "So you did not remember me?"
+
+In truth, there was enough of change in his appearance since last I saw
+him to warrant my forgetfulness. A dark, bushy beard, worn cuirassier
+fashion, around the mouth and high on the cheeks, almost concealed his
+face, while in figure he had grown both taller and stouter.
+
+"Art colonel of the Eighth Regiment?" said he, laughing; "you know I
+promised you were to be, when we were to meet again."
+
+"No; but, if I mistake not," said a hussar officer opposite, "monsieur
+is in the way to become so. Were you not named to a troop, about half an
+hour ago, by the Emperor himself?"
+
+"Yes!" said I, with an effort to suppress my pride.
+
+"_Diantre bleu!_" exclaimed Tascher, "what good fortune you always have
+I I wish you joy of it, with all my heart. I say, Comrades, let us drown
+his commission for him."
+
+"Agreed! agreed!" cried they all in a breath. "Francois will make us a
+bowl of punch for the occasion."
+
+"Most willingly," said the little maitre d'armes. "Monsieur le
+Capitaine, I am sure, bears me no ill-will for our little affair. I
+thought not," added he, seizing my hand in both his. "_Ma foi!_ you
+spoiled my tierce for me; I shall never be the same man again. Now,
+gentlemen, pass down the brandy, and let the man with most credit go
+seek for sugar at the canteen."
+
+While Francois commenced his operations, Tascher proceeded to recount to
+me the miserable life he had spent in garrison towns, till the outbreak
+of the campaign had called him on active service.
+
+"It was no use that I asked the Empress to intercede for me, and get me
+appointed to another regiment; being the nephew of Napoleon seemed to
+set a complete bar to my advancement. Even now," said he, "my name has
+been sent forward by my colonel for promotion, and I wager you fifty
+Naps I shall be passed over."
+
+"And what if you be?" said a huge, heavy-browed major beside him; "what
+great hardship is it to be a lieutenant in the cuirassiers at two and
+twenty? I was a sergeant ten years later."
+
+"Ay, _parbleu!_" cried another, "I won my epaulettes at Cairo, when
+three officers were reported living, in a whole regiment."
+
+"To be sure," said Francois, looking up from his operation of
+lemon-squeezing; "here am I, a maitre d'armes, after twenty-six years'
+service; and there's Davoust, who never could stand before me, he's a
+general of brigade."
+
+The whole party laughed aloud at the grievances of Maitre Francois,
+whose seriousness on the subject was perfectly real.
+
+"Ah; you may laugh," said he, half in pique; "but what a mere
+accident can determine a man's fortune in life! Would Junot there be a
+major-general to-day if he did not measure six feet without his boots?
+We were at school together, and, _ma foi!_ he was always at the bottom
+of the class."
+
+"And so, Francois, it was your size, then, that stopped your promotion?"
+
+"Of course it was. When a man is but five feet--with high heels, too--he
+can only be advanced as a maitre d'armes. _Parbleu!_ what should I be
+now if I had only grown a little taller?"
+
+"It is all better as it is," growled out an old captain, between the
+puffs of his meerschaum. "If thou wert an inch bigger, there would be'
+no living in the same brigade with thee."
+
+"For all that," rejoined Maitre Francois, "I have put many a pretty
+fellow his full length on the grass."
+
+"How many duels, Francois, did you tell us, the other evening, that you
+fought in the Twenty-second?"
+
+"Seventy-eight!" said the little man; "not to speak of two affairs
+which, I am ashamed to confess, were with the broadsword; but they were
+fellows from Alsace, and they knew no better."
+
+"_Tonnerre de ciel!_" cried the major, "a little devil like that is
+a perfect plague in a regiment. I remember we had a fellow called
+Piccotin--"
+
+"Ah! Piccotin; poor Piccotin! We were foster-brothers," interrupted
+Francois; "we were both from Chalons-sur-Marne."
+
+"Egad! I 'd have sworn you were," rejoined the major. "One might have
+thought ye were twins."
+
+"People often said so," responded Francois, with as much composure as
+though a compliment had been intended. "We both had the same colored
+hair and eyes, the same military air, and gave the _passe en tierce_
+always outside the guard exactly in the same way."
+
+"What became of Piccotin?" asked the major. "He left us at Lyons."
+"You never heard, then, what became of him?" "No. We knew he joined
+the _chasseurs a pied_." "I can tell you, then," said Francois; "no one
+knows better. I parted from Piccotin when we were ordered to Egypt. We
+did our best to obtain service in the same brigade, for we were like
+brothers, but we could not manage it; and so, with sad hearts, we
+separated,--he to return to France, I to sail for Alexandria. This
+was in the spring of 1798, or, as we called it, the year Six of the
+Republic. For three years we never met; but when the eighth demi-brigade
+returned from Egypt, we went into garrison at Bayonne, and the first man
+I saw on the ramparts was Piccotin himself. There was no mistaking him;
+you know the way he had of walking with a long stride, rising on his
+instep at every step, squaring his elbows, and turning his head from
+side to side, just to see if any one was pleased to smile, or even so
+much as to look closely at him. Ah, _ma foi!_ little Piccotin knew how
+to treat such as well as any one. Methinks I see him approaching his man
+with a slide and a bow, and then, taking off his cap, I hear him say, in
+his mildest tone, 'Monsieur assuredly did not intend that stare and that
+grimace for me. I know I must have deceived myself. Monsieur is only a
+fool; he never meant to be impertinent.' Then, _parbleu!_ what a
+storm would come on, and how cool was Piccotin the whole time! How
+scrupulously timid he would be of misspelling the gentleman's name,
+or misplacing an accent over it! How delicately he would inquire his
+address, as if the curiosity was only pardonable I And then with what
+courtesy he would take his leave, retiring half a dozen paces before
+he ventured to turn his back on the man he was determined to kill next
+morning!"
+
+"Quite true; perfectly true, Francois," said the major; "Piccotin did
+the thing with the most admirable temper and good-breeding."
+
+"That was the tone of Chalons when we were both boys," said Francois,
+proudly; "he and I were reared together."
+
+He finished a bumper of wine as he made this satisfactory explanation,
+and looked round at the company with the air of a conqueror.
+
+"Piccotin saw me as quickly as I perceived him, and the minute after we
+were in each other's arms. 'Ah! _mon cher!_ how many?' said he to me, as
+soon as the first burst of enthusiasm had subsided.
+
+"'Only eighteen,' said I, sadly; 'but two were Mamelukes of the Guard.'
+
+"'Thou wert ever fortunate, Francois,' he replied, wiping his eyes with
+emotion; 'I have never pinked any but Christians.'
+
+"'Come, come,' said I, 'don't be down-hearted; good times are coming.
+They say Le Petit Caporal will have us in England soon.'
+
+"'Mayhap,' said he, sorrowfully, for he could not get over my Turks.
+Well, in order to cheer him up a little, I proposed that we should go
+and sup together at the 'Grenadier Rouge;' and away we went accordingly.
+
+"It would amuse you, perhaps," said Maitre Francois, "were I to tell
+some of the stories we related to each other at night. We both had
+had our share of adventure since we met, and some droll ones among the
+number. However, that is not the question at present. We sat late; so
+late that they came to close the cafe at last, and we were obliged to
+depart. You know the 'Grenadier Rouge,' don't you?"
+
+"Yes, I know it well," replied the major; "it's over the glacis, about a
+mile outside the barrier."
+
+"Just so; and there's a pleasant walk across the glacis to the gate. As
+Piccotin and I set out together on our way to the town, the night was
+calm and mild; a soft moonlight shed a silvery tint over every object,
+and left the stately poplars to throw a still longer shadow on the
+smooth grass. For some time we walked along without speaking; the
+silence of the night, the fragrant air, the mellow light, were all
+soft and tranquillizing influences, and we sank each into his own
+reflections.
+
+"When we reached the middle of the plain,--you know the spot, I'm sure;
+there's a little bronze fountain, with four cedars round it," (the major
+nodded, and he resumed),--"Piccotin came to a sudden halt, and seizing
+my hand in both of his, said, 'Francois, canst thou guess what I 'm
+thinking of?'
+
+"I looked at him, and I looked around me, and after a few seconds' pause
+I answered, 'Yes, Piccotin, I know it; it is a lovely spot.'
+
+"'Never was anything like it!' cried he, in a rapture; 'look at the
+turf, smooth as velvet, and yet soft to the foot; see the trees, how
+they fall back to give the light admittance; and there, that little
+fountain, if one felt thirsty, eh! What say you?'
+
+"'Agreed,' said I, grasping him by both hands; 'for this once; once
+only, Piccotin.'
+
+"'Only once, Francois; a few passes, and no more.'
+
+"'Just so; the first touch.'
+
+"'Exactly; the first touch,' said he, as, taking off his cloak, and
+folding it neatly, he laid it on the grass.
+
+"It was a strange thing, but in all our lives, from earliest boyhood up,
+we never had measured swords together; and though we were both maitres
+d'armes, we never crossed blades, even in jest. Often and often had our
+comrades pitted us against each other, and laid wagers on the result,
+but we never would consent to meet; I cannot say why. It was not fear; I
+know not how to account for it, but such was the fact.
+
+"'What blade do you wear, Francois?' said he, approaching me, as I
+arranged my jacket and vest, with my cap, on the ground.
+
+"'A Rouen steel,' said I; 'too limber for most men, but I am so
+accustomed to it, I prefer it.'
+
+"'Ah! a pretty weapon indeed,' said he, drawing it from the scabbard,
+and making one or two passes with it against an elder trunk. 'Was this
+the blade you had with you in Egypt?'
+
+"'Yes; I have worn none other for eight years.'
+
+"'Ah, _ma foi!_ those Mamelukes. How I envy you those Mamelukes!' he
+muttered to himself, as he walked back to his place.
+
+"'Move a little, a very little, to the left; there's a shadow from that
+tree. Can you see me well?' said I.
+
+"'Perfectly; are you ready? Well; _en garde!_'
+
+"Piccotin's forte, I soon saw, lay in the long meditated attack, where
+each movement was part of an artfully devised series; and I perceived
+that he suffered his adversary to gain several trifling advantages, by
+way of giving him a false confidence, biding his own time to play off
+the scores. In this description of fence he was more than my equal.
+_My_ strength was in the skirmishing passages, where most men lunge at
+random; then, no matter how confused the rally, I was as cool as in the
+salute.
+
+"For some time I permitted him to play his game out; and certainly
+nothing could be more beautiful than his passes over the hilt. Twice he
+planted his point within an inch of my bosom; and nothing but a spring
+backwards would have saved me.
+
+"At length, after a long-contested struggle, he made a feint within, and
+then without, the guard, and succeeded in touching my sword-arm, above
+the wrist.
+
+"'A touch, I believe,' said he.
+
+"'A mere nothing,' said I; for although I felt the blood running down
+my sleeve, and oozing between my fingers, I was annoyed to think he had
+made the first hit.
+
+"'Ah, Francois, these Mamelukes were not of the premiere
+force, after all. I have only been jesting all this time; see here.'
+With that he closed on me, in a very different style from his former
+attack. Pushing and parrying with the rapidity of lightning, he evinced
+a skill in 'skirmish' I did not believe him possessed of. In this,
+however, I was his master; and in a few seconds gave him my point
+sharply, but not deeply, in the shoulder. Instead of dropping his
+weapon when he received mine, he returned the thrust. I parried it,
+and touched him again, a little lower down. He winced this time, and
+muttered something I could not catch. 'You shall have it now,' said he,
+aloud; 'I owe you this,--and this.' True to his word, he twice pierced
+me in the back, outside the guard. Encouraged by success, he again
+closed on me; while I, piqued by his last assault, advanced to meet him.
+
+"Our tempers were both excited; but his far more than mine. The struggle
+was a severe one. Three several times his blade passed between my arm
+and my body; and at last after a desperate rally, he dropped on one
+knee, and gave me the point here, beneath the chest. Before he could
+extricate his blade, I plunged mine into his chest, and pushed till I
+heard the hilt come clink against his ribs. The blood spurted upwards,
+over my face and breast, as he fell backwards. I wiped it hurriedly from
+my eyes, and bent over him. He gave a shudder and a little faint moan,
+and all was still."
+
+"You killed him?" cried out three or four of us together.
+
+"_Ma foi!_ yes. The 'coup' was mortal; he never stirred after. As for
+me," continued Francois, "I surrendered myself a prisoner to the
+officer on guard at the gate. I was tried ten days after by a military
+commission, and acquitted. My own evidence was my accusation
+and my defence."
+
+"_Ventrebleu!_ had I been on the court-martial, you had not been here
+to tell the story," said the old major, as his face became almost purple
+with passion.
+
+"Nonsense!" said Tascher, jeeringly. "What signifies a maitre d'armes
+the more or the less?"
+
+"Monsieur will probably explain himself," said Francois, with one of his
+cold smiles of excessive deference.
+
+"It is exactly what I mean to do, Francois."
+
+"Come, sirs, none of this," broke in the major. "Lieutenant Tascher,
+you may not fancy being placed under an arrest when the enemy is in the
+field. Master Francois, do you forget the sentence of a court-martial is
+hanging over your head for an affair at Elchingen, where you insulted a
+young officer of the hussars?"
+
+"In that case I must be permitted to say that Maitre Francois conducted
+himself like a man of honor," said I.
+
+"_Parbleu!_ and got the worst of it besides," cried he, placing his hand
+on his hip. The tone of his voice as he said this, and the grimace he
+made, restored the party once more to good-humor, and we chatted away
+pleasantly till day was breaking.
+
+As Tascher strolled along with me towards my quarters, I was rejoiced
+to discover that he had never heard of my name as being mixed up in the
+Chouan conspiracy; nor was he aware with how little reason he believed
+me to be favored by fortune.
+
+I received, however, all his congratulations without any desire to
+undeceive him. Already had I learned the worldly lesson, that while
+friends cling closer in adversity, your mere acquaintance deems your
+popularity your greatest merit; and I at length perceived that, however
+ungenial in many respects the companionship, the life of isolation I
+led had rendered me suspected by others, and in a career, too, where
+frankness was considered the first of virtues.
+
+I assented at once with pleasure to the prospect of our meeting
+frequently while in camp. My own regiment had joined Davoust's corps,
+and I was glad to have the society of some others of my own age, if only
+to wean myself from my habits of solitude. While I formed these plans
+for the future, I little anticipated what events were in store for
+me, nor how soon I should be thrown among scenes and people totally
+different from those with which I had ever mixed before.
+
+"You mess with us, then, Burke,--that's agreed," said Tascher. "They 're
+excellent fellows, these cuirassiers of ours, and I know you 'll like
+them."
+
+With this promise we parted, hoping to meet on the morrow.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI. THE MILL ON THE HOLITSCH ROAD
+
+At an early hour on the morning of the 4th came orders for the "Garde
+a Cheval" to hold themselves in readiness, with two squadrons of the
+carabineers, on the road to Holitsch; part of this force being under the
+command of General d'Auvergne. We found ourselves fully equipped and in
+waiting soon after eight o'clock. From the "tenue" and appearance of
+the troops, it was evident that no measure of active service was
+contemplated; yet, if a review were intended, we could not guess why
+so small a force had been selected. As usual on such occasions,
+many conjectures were hazarded, and a hundred explanations passed
+current,--one scarcely a whit better than the other, when at last we
+perceived a peloton of dragoons advancing towards us at a brisk trot.
+
+The word was passed to close up and draw swords; and scarcely was it
+obeyed when the staff of the Emperor came up. They were all in the full
+blaze of their gala uniforms, brilliant with crosses and decorations.
+Napoleon alone wore the simple costume of the "Chasseurs of the Garde,"
+with the decoration of the Legion; but his proud look and his flashing
+eye made him conspicuous above them all. He was mounted on his favorite
+charger "Marengo," and seemed to enjoy the high spirit of the mettled
+animal, as he tossed his long mane about, and lashed his sides with his
+great silken tail.
+
+As the cortege passed we closed up the rear, and followed at a sharp
+pace, more than ever puzzled to divine what was going forward. After
+about two hours' riding, during which we never drew bridle, we saw a
+party of staff-officers in front, who, saluting the Emperor, joined the
+cortege. At the same instant General d'Auvergne passed close beside me,
+and whispered in my ear. "Bernadotte has just come up, and been most
+coldly received." I wished to ask him what was the object of the whole
+movement, but he was gone before I could do so. In less than a quarter
+of an hour afterwards we left the highroad, and entered upon a large
+plain, where the only object I could perceive was an old mill, ruined
+and dilapidated. Towards this the imperial staff rode forward, while the
+peloton in front wheeled about, and rode to the rear of our squadrons.
+The next moment we were halted, and drawn up in order of battle.
+
+While these movements were going forward, I remarked that the Emperor
+had dismounted from his horse and dismissed his staff, all save Marshal
+Berthier, who stood at a little distance from him. Several dismounted
+dragoons were employed in lighting two immense fires,--a process which
+Napoleon appeared to watch with great interest for a second or two; and
+then, taking out his glass, he remained for several minutes intently
+surveying the great road to Holitsch.
+
+In this direction at once every eye was turned; but nothing could we
+see. The road led through a wide open country for some miles, and at
+last disappeared in the recesses of a dark pine wood, that covered the
+horizon for miles on either side. Meanwhile Napoleon, with his hands
+clasped behind his back, walked hurriedly backwards and forwards beside
+the blazing fires, stopping at intervals to look along the road, and
+then resuming his walk as before. He was not more than two hundred paces
+from where we stood, and I could mark well his gesture of impatience, as
+he closed his glass each time, after looking in vain towards Holitsch.
+
+"I say, Burke," whispered one of my brother officers beside me, "I
+should not fancy being the man who keeps him waiting in that fashion.
+Look at Berthier, how he keeps aloof; he knows that something is
+brewing."
+
+"What can it all mean?" said I. "Who can he be expecting here?"
+
+"They say now," whispered my companion, "that Davoust cannot hold the
+bridge of Goding, and must fall back before the Russian column; and
+that Napoleon has invited Alexander to a conference here to gain time to
+reinforce Davoust."
+
+"Exactly; but the Czar is too wily an enemy for that to succeed; and
+probably hence the delay, which appears to irritate him now."
+
+The supposition, more plausible than most of those I heard before, was
+still contradicted by the account of the Emperor Alexander's retreat;
+and again was I at a loss to reconcile these discrepancies, when I
+beheld Napoleon, with his glass to his eye, motion with his hand for
+Berthier to come forward. I turned towards the road, and now could
+distinguish in the distance a dark object moving towards us. A few
+minutes after the sun shone out, and I remarked the glitter of arms,
+stretching in a long line; while my companion, with the aid of a glass,
+called out,--
+
+"I see them plainly; they are lancers. The escort are Hungarians, and
+there's a _caleche_, with four horses in front."
+
+The Emperor stood motionless, his arms folded on his breast, and his
+head a little leaned forward, exactly as I have seen him represented in
+so many pictures and statues. His eyes were thrown downwards; and as he
+stirred the blazing wood with his foot, one could easily perceive how
+intensely his mind was occupied with deep thought.
+
+The clattering sound of cavalry now turned my attention to another
+quarter; and I saw, exactly in front of us, and about five hundred paces
+off, a regiment of Hungarian Hussars, and some squadrons of Hulans drawn
+up. I had little time to mark their gorgeous equipment and splendid
+uniform, for already the _caleche_ had drawn up at the roadside, and
+Prince John of Lichtenstein, descending, took off his chapeau, and
+offered his arm to assist another to alight. Slowly, and, as it seemed,
+with effort, a tall thin figure, in the white uniform of the Austrian
+Guard, stepped from the carriage to the ground. The same instant the
+officers of the staff fell back, and I saw Napoleon advance with
+open arms to embrace him. The Austrian emperor--for it was Francis
+himself--seemed scarcely able to control the emotion he felt at this
+moment; and we could see that his head rested for several seconds on
+Napoleon's shoulder. And what a moment must that have been! How deeply
+must the pride of the descendant of the Caesars have felt the humiliation
+which made him thus a suppliant before one he deemed a mere Corsican
+adventurer! What a pang it must have cost his haughty spirit as he
+uttered the words, _Mon frere!_
+
+As they walked side by side towards the plateau, where the fires were
+lighted, it was easy to mark that Napoleon was the speaker, while
+Francis merely bowed from time to time, or made a gesture of seeming
+assent.
+
+As the Emperor arrived at the place of conference, we fell back some
+fifty yards; and although the air was still and frosty, and the silence
+was perfect around, we could not catch a word on either side. After
+about an hour the conversation appeared to assume a tone of gayety and
+good-humor, and we could hear the sovereigns laughing repeatedly.
+
+The conference lasted for above two hours, when once more the emperors
+embraced, and, as we thought, with more cordiality, and separated; the
+Emperor of Austria returning, accompanied by Prince Lichtenstein; while
+Napoleon stood for some minutes beside the fire as if musing, and then,
+beckoning his staff to follow, he walked towards the highroad.
+
+Scarcely had the Austrian emperor reached his carriage, when Savary,
+bareheaded and breathless, stood beside the door of it. He was the
+bearer of a message from Napoleon. The next moment the _caleche_
+started, accompanied by Savary, who, with a single aide-de-camp, took
+the road towards the Austrian headquarters.
+
+As Napoleon was about to mount his horse, I saw General d'Auvergne
+move forward towards him. A few words passed between them; and then the
+general, riding up to where I stood, said,--
+
+"Burke, you are to remain here, and if any orders arrive from General
+Savary, hasten with them to the headquarters of his Majesty. In twelve
+hours you will be relieved."
+
+So saying, he galloped back to the imperial staff; and soon after the
+squadrons defiled into the road, the cortege dashed forward, and all
+that remained of that memorable scene was the dying embers of the fires
+beside which the fate of Europe was decided.
+
+The old mill of Holitsch had been deserted when the Austrian and Russian
+columns took up their position before Austerlitz. The miller and his
+household fled at the first news of the advance, and had not dared to
+return. It was a solitary spot at best: a wild heath, without shelter of
+any kind, stretched away for miles on all sides; but now, in its
+utter loneliness, it was the most miserable-looking place that can be
+conceived. While, therefore, I contented myself with the hope that my
+stay there might not be long, I resolved to do what I could to render my
+quarters more comfortable.
+
+My first care was my horse, which I picketed in the kitchen, where I was
+happy to find an abundant supply of firewood; my next, was to explore
+the remainder of the concern, in which I discovered traces of its having
+been already occupied by the allied troops,--rude caricatures of the
+French army in full _deroute_, before terrible-looking dragoons in
+Austrian and Russian uniforms, ornamented the walls in many parts; whole
+columns of French prisoners were depicted begging their lives from a
+single Austrian grenadier; and one figure, which it could be easily
+discovered was intended for Napoleon himself, was about to be hanged
+upon a tree, to the very marked satisfaction, as it would seem, of a
+group of Russian officers, who stood by, laughing. It is easy to smile
+at the ridicule of which fortune has thwarted the application and so I
+amused myself a good while by contemplating these grotesque frescos.
+
+But a more welcome sight still awaited me, in a small chamber at the
+top of the building, where, in large letters, written with chalk on
+the door, I read, "Rittmeister von Oxenhausen's quarters." Here, to my
+exceeding delight, I discovered a neatly-furnished chamber, with a
+bed, sofa, and, better still, a table, on which the remains of the
+Rittmeister's sapper yet stood,--a goodly ham, the greater part of a
+capon, a loaf of wheaten bread, and an earthenware crock, with a lid
+of brass, containing about two bottles of Austrian red wine. This was a
+most agreeable surprise to me,--a pleasant exchange from the meagre
+meal of bread and cheese I had but time to procure from a sergeant of
+my troop at parting. It need not be supposed that I hesitated long about
+becoming the Rittmeister's successor; and so I drew the chair to the
+table, and the table nearer to the fire,--for, singularly enough, the
+embers of a wood fire still slumbered on the hearth. Having taken the
+keen edge off an appetite the cold air had whetted to the sharpest, I
+began an inspection of my quarters, first having replenished the fire
+with some logs of wood.
+
+The chamber was an octagon, with five windows in as many of the faces,
+a fireplace and two doors occupying the other three. One of the
+doors--that by which I entered,--opened from the stairs; the other
+led into a granary, or something of that nature,--at least, so I
+conjectured, from a heap of sacks which littered the floor, and filled
+one corner completely. As I could not discover any corn, I resolved on
+sharing my loaf with my horse,--a meal every campaigning steed is well
+accustomed to make. And now, returning to my little chamber, I resumed
+my supper with all the satisfaction of one who felt he had made his
+rounds of duty, and might enjoy repose.
+
+As I knew the Chateau de Holitsch, where the Emperor Francis held his
+quarters, was some six leagues distant, I guessed that General Savary
+was not likely to return from his mission before morning at very
+soonest; and so it behooved me to make my arrangements for passing the
+night where I was. Having, then, looked to my horse, for whose bedding I
+made free with some dozen of the corn-sacks in the granary, I brought up
+to my own quarters a supply of wood; and having fastened the door, and
+secured the windows as well as I was able, I lit my meerschaum, and lay
+down before the fire in as happy a frame of mind as need be.
+
+Indeed, I began to fancy that fortune had done tormenting, and was now
+about to treat me more kindly. The notice of the Emperor had relieved my
+heart of a load which never ceased to press on it, and I could not help
+feeling that a fairer prospect was opening before me. It is true, time
+and misfortune had both blunted the ardor of enthusiasm with which I
+started in life; the daring aspirations after liberty, the high-souled
+desire for personal distinction, had subsided into calmer hopes and less
+ambitious yearnings. Young as I yet was, I experienced in myself that
+change of sentiment and feeling which comes upon other men later on in
+life; and I was gradually reconciling myself to that sense of duty
+which teaches a man well to play his part, in whatever station he may
+be called to act, rather than indulge in those overweening wishes for
+pre-eminence, which in their accomplishment are so often disappointing,
+and in their failure a source of regret and unhappiness. These feelings
+were impressed on me more by the force of events than by any process of
+my own reasoning. The career in which I first started as a boy had led
+to nothing but misfortune. The affection I conceived for one,--the only
+one I ever loved,--was destined equally to end unhappily. The passion
+for liberty, in which all my first aspirations were centred, had met the
+rude shocks which my own convictions suggested; and now I perceived
+that I must begin life anew, endeavoring to forget the influences whose
+shadows darkened my early days, and carve out my destiny in a very
+different path from what I once intended.
+
+These were my last waking thoughts, as my head sank on my arm, and I
+fell into a deep sleep. The falling of a log from the fire awoke me
+suddenly. I rubbed my eyes, and for a second or two could not remember
+where I was. At length I became clearer in mind, and looking at my
+watch, perceived it was but two o'clock. As the flame of the replenished
+fire threw its light through the room, I remarked that the door into
+the granary stood ajar. This struck me as strange. I thought I could
+remember shutting it before I went to sleep. Yes,--I recollected
+perfectly placing a chair against it, as the latch was bad, and a
+draught of cold air came in that way; and now the chair was pushed back
+into the room, and the door lay open. A vague feeling, half suspicion,
+half curiosity, kept me thinking of the circumstance, when by
+chance--the merest chance--my eyes fell upon the table where I had left
+my sabre and my pistols. What was my amazement to find that one of the
+latter--that which lay nearest the door--was missing!
+
+In an instant I was on my feet. Nothing can combat drowsiness like the
+sense of fear; and I became perfectly awake in a moment. Examining the
+room with caution, I found everything in the same state as I had left
+it, save the door and the missing pistol. The granary alone, then, could
+be the shelter of the invader, whoever he might be. What was to be done?
+I was totally unprovided with light, save what the fire afforded; and
+even were it otherwise, I should expose myself by carrying one, long
+before I could hope to detect a concealed enemy. The best plan I could
+hit upon seemed to secure the door once more; and then, placing myself
+in such a position as not to be commanded by it again, to wait for
+morning patiently. This then, I did at once; and having examined my
+remaining pistol, and found the charge and priming all safe, I drew
+my sabre, and sat down between the door and the window, but so that it
+should open against me.
+
+Few sensations are more acutely painful than the exercise of the hearing
+when pushed to intensity. The unceasing effort to catch the slightest
+sound soon becomes fatigue, and as the organ grows weary, the mental
+anxiety grows more acute; and then begins a struggle between the failing
+sense and the excited brain. The spectral images of the eye in fever are
+not one half so terrible as the strange discordant tones that jar
+upon the tympanum in such a state as this. Each inanimate object seems
+endowed with its own power of voice, and whispering noises come stealing
+through the dead silence of midnight.
+
+In this state of almost frenzied anxiety I sat long,--my eyes turned
+towards the door, which oftentimes I fancied I could perceive to move.
+At length the thought occurred to me, that by affecting sleep, if any
+one lay concealed within whose object was to enter the room, this would
+probably induce him.
+
+[Illustration: 089]
+
+[Illustration: BrowneLocomotiveChair055]
+
+I had not long to wait for the success of my scheme. The long-drawn
+breathing of my seeming slumber was not continued for more than a few
+minutes, when I saw the door slowly, almost imperceptibly, move. At
+first it stirred inch by inch; then gradually it opened wider and wider
+till it met the obstacle of the chair. There now came a pause of several
+seconds, during which it demanded all my efforts to sustain my
+part,--the throbbing at my throat and temples increasing almost beyond
+endurance, and the impulse to dash forward, and flinging wide the door,
+confront my enemy, being nearly too much for my resistance. Again it
+moved noiselessly as before; and then a hand stole out, and, laying hold
+of the chair, pushed it slowly backwards. The gray light of the breaking
+day fell upon the spot, and I could see that the cuff of the coat was
+laced with gold.
+
+This time my anxiety became intense. Another second or two and I should
+be engaged in the conflict,--I knew not against how many. I clutched my
+sabre more fairly in my grasp, as my breathing grew thicker and shorter.
+The chair still continued to slide silently into the room, and already
+the arm of the man within protruded. Now was the moment, or never; and
+with a spring, I threw myself on it, and, pinioning the wrist in my
+hands, held it down upon the floor while I opposed my weight against the
+door.
+
+[Illustration: 090]
+
+Quick as lightning the other hand appeared, armed with a pistol; and I
+had but a moment to crouch my head nearly to the ground when a bullet
+whizzed past and smashed through the window behind me, while with
+a crash the frail door gave way to a strong push, and a man sprang
+fiercely forward to seize me by the throat. Jumping backward, I
+recovered my feet; but before I could raise my pistol he made a spring
+at me, and we both rolled together on the floor. On the pistol both our
+hands met, and the struggle was for the weapon.
+
+Twice was it pointed at my heart; but my hand held the lock, and not
+all his efforts could unclasp it. At last I freed my right hand from the
+sword-knot of my sabre, and striking him with my clenched knuckles on
+the forehead, threw him back. His grasp relaxed at the instant, and I
+wrenched the pistol from his fingers, and placed the muzzle against his
+chest.
+
+Another second and he would have rolled a corpse before me, when, to my
+horror and amazement, I saw in my antagonist my once friend, _Henri de
+Beauvais_. I flung the weapon from me, as I cried out, "De Beauvais,
+forgive me! forgive me!"
+
+A deathly paleness came over his features; his eyes grew glazed and
+filmy, and with a low groan he fell fainting on the floor. I bathed
+his temples with water; I moistened his pale lips; I rubbed his clammy
+fingers. But it was long before he rallied; and when he did come to
+himself and looked up, he closed his eyes again, as though the sight of
+me was worse than death itself.
+
+"Come, Henri!" said I, "a cup of wine, my friend, and you will be better
+presently. Thank God, this has not ended as it might."
+
+He raised his eyes towards me, but with a look of proud and unforgiving
+sternness, while he uttered not a word.
+
+"It is unfair to blame me, De Beauvais, for this," said I. "Once more I
+say, forgive me!"
+
+His lips moved, and some sounds came forth, but I could not hear the
+words.
+
+"There, there," cried I; "it's past and over now. Here is my hand."
+
+"You struck me with that hand," said he, in a deep, distinct voice, as
+though every word came from the very bottom of his chest.
+
+"And if I did, Henri, my own life was on the blow."
+
+"Oh that you had taken mine with it!" said he, with a bitterness I can
+never forget. "I am the first of my name that ever received a blow;
+would I were to be the last!"
+
+"You forget, De Beauvais--"
+
+"No, sir; I forget nothing. Be assured, too, I never shall forget
+this night. With any other than yourself I should not despair of that
+atonement for an injury which alone can wash out such a stain; but
+_you_,--I know you well,--_you_ will not give me this."
+
+"You are right, De Beauvais; I will not," said I, calmly. "Sorry am I
+that even an accident should have brought us into collision. It is a
+mischance I feel deeply, and shall for many a day."
+
+"And I, sir," cried he, as, starting up, his eyes flashed with passion
+and his cheek grew scarlet,--"and I, sir!--what are to be my feelings?
+Think you, that because I am an exile and an outcast,--forced
+by misfortune to wear the livery of one who is not my rightful
+sovereign,--that my sense of personal honor is the less, and that the
+mark of an insult is not as blood-stained on my conscience as ever it
+was?"
+
+"Nothing but passion could blind you to the fact that there can be no
+insult where no intention could exist."
+
+"Spare me your casuistry, sir," replied he, with an insolent wave of his
+hand, while he sank into a chair, and laid his head upon the table.
+
+For an instant my temper, provoked beyond endurance, was about to give
+way, when I perceived that a handkerchief was bound tightly around his
+leg above the knee, where a great stain of blood marked his trouser. The
+thought of his being wounded banished every particle of resentment, and
+laying my hand on his shoulder, I said,--
+
+"De Beauvais, I know not one but yourself to whom I would three times
+say, forgive me. But we were friends once, when we were both happier.
+For the sake of him who is no more,--poor Charles de Meudon--"
+
+"A traitor, sir,--a base traitor to the king of his fathers!"
+
+"This I will not endure!" said I, passionately. "No one shall dare--"
+
+"Dare!"
+
+"Ay, dare, sir!--such was the word. To asperse the memory of one like
+him is to dare that which no man can, with truth and honor."
+
+"Come, sir, I'm ready," said Be Beauvais, rising, and pointing to the
+door, "Sortons!"
+
+No one who has not heard that one word pronounced by the lips of a
+Frenchman can conceive how much of savage enmity and deadly purpose
+it implies. It is the challenge which, if unaccepted, stamps cowardice
+forever on the man who declines it: from that hour all equality ceases
+between those whom a combat had placed on the same footing.
+
+"Sortons!" The word rang in my ears, and tingled through my very heart,
+while a host of different impulses swayed me,--shame, sorrow, wounded
+pride, all struggling for the mastery: but above them all, a better
+and a higher spirit,--the firm resolve, come what would, to suffer no
+provocation De Beauvais could offer, to make me stand opposite to him as
+an enemy.
+
+"What am I to think, sir?" said he, with a voice scarcely articulate
+from passion,--"what am I to think of your hesitation? or why do you
+stand inactive here? Is it that you are meditating what new insult can
+be added to those you have heaped on me?"
+
+"No, sir," I replied, firmly; "so far from thinking of offence, I am but
+too sorry for the words I have already spoken. I should have remembered,
+and remembering, should have made allowance for, the strength of
+partisan feelings, which have their origin in a noble, but, as I
+believe, a mistaken source."
+
+"Indeed!" interrupted he, in mockery. "Is it, then, come to this? Am
+I, a Frenchman born, to be lectured on my loyalty and allegiance by a
+foreign mercenary?"
+
+"Not even that taunt, De Beauvais, shall avail you anything. I am firm
+in my resolve."
+
+"_Pardieu!_ then," cried he, with savage energy, "there remains but
+this!"
+
+As he spoke, he leaped from his chair, and sprang towards me. In so
+doing, however, his knee struck the table, and with a groan of agony,
+he reeled back and fell on the floor, while from his reopened wound a
+torrent of blood gushed out and deluged the room.
+
+For a second or two he motioned me away with his hand; but as his
+weakness increased, he lay passive and unresisting, and suffered me to
+arrest the bleeding by such means as I was able to practise.
+
+It was a long time ere I could stanch the gaping orifice, which had been
+inflicted by a sabre, and cut clean through the high boot and deep into
+the thigh. Fortunately for his recovery, he had himself succeeded in
+getting off the boot before, and the wound lay open to my surgical
+skill. Lifting him cautiously in my arms, I laid him on the bed, and
+moistened his lips with a little wine. Still the debility continued,--no
+signs of returning strength were there; but his features, pale and
+fallen, were glazed with a cold sweat that hung in heavy drops upon his
+brow and forehead.
+
+Never was agony like mine. I saw his life was ebbing fast; the
+respiration was growing fainter and more irregular; his pulse could
+scarce be felt; yet dare I not leave my post to seek for assistance. A
+hundred thoughts whirled through my puzzled brain, and among the rest,
+the self-accusing one that I was the cause of his death. "Yes," thought
+I, "better far to have stood before his pistol, at all the hazard of my
+life, than see him thus."
+
+In an instant all his angry speeches and his insulting gestures were
+forgotten. He looked so like what I once knew him, that my mind was
+wandering back again to former scenes and times, and all resentment was
+lost in the flood of memory. Poor fellow! what a sad destiny was his!
+fighting against the arms of his country,--a mourner over the triumphs
+of his native land! Alien that I was, this pang at least was spared me.
+
+As these thoughts crossed my mind, I felt him press my hand. Overjoyed,
+I knelt down and whispered some words in his ear.
+
+"No, no," muttered he, in a low, plaintive tone; "not all lost,--not
+all! La Vendee yet remains!" He was dreaming.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII. THE ARMISTICE.
+
+As I sat thus watching with steadfast gaze the features of the sleeping
+man, I heard the clattering of a horse's hoofs on the pavement beneath,
+and the next moment the heavy step of some one ascending the stairs.
+Suddenly the door was flung wide open, and an officer in the handsome
+uniform of the Austrian Imperial Guard entered.
+
+"Excuse this scant ceremony, Monsieur," said he, bowing with much
+courtesy, "but I almost despaired of finding you out. I come from
+Holitsch with despatches for your Emperor; they are most pressing, as I
+believe this note will inform you."
+
+While I threw my eye over the few lines addressed by General Savary to
+the officer in waiting at Holitsch, and commanding the utmost speed in
+forwarding the despatch that accompanied them, the officer drew near the
+bed where De Beauvais was lying.
+
+"_Mere de ciel_, it is the count!" cried he, starting back with
+astonishment.
+
+"Yes," said I, interrupting him; "I found him here on my arrival. He is
+badly wounded, and should be removed at once. How can this be done?"
+
+"Easily. I 'll despatch my orderly at once to Holitsch, and remain here
+till he return."
+
+"But if our troops advance?"
+
+"No, no! we're all safe on that score; the armistice is signed. The very
+despatch in your hands, I believe, concludes the treaty."
+
+This warned me that I was delaying too long the important duty intrusted
+to me, and with a hurried entreaty to the Austrian not to leave De
+Beauvais, I hastened down the stairs, and proceeded to saddle for the
+road.
+
+"One word, Monsieur," said the officer, as I was in the act of mounting.
+"May I ask the name of him to whom my brother officers owe the life of a
+comrade much beloved?"
+
+"My name is Burke; and yours, Monsieur?"
+
+"Berghausen, _chef d'escadron_ of the Imperial Guard. If ever you should
+come to Vienna--" But I lost the words that followed, as, spurring my
+horse to a gallop, I set out towards the headquarters of the Emperor.
+
+As I rode forward, my eyes were ever anxiously bent in the direction of
+our camp, not knowing at what moment I might see the advance of a column
+along the road, and dreading lest, before the despatches should reach
+the Emperor's house, the advanced vedettes should capture the little
+party at Holitsch. At no period of his career was Napoleon more incensed
+against the adherents of the Bourbons; and if De Beauvais should fall
+into his hands, I was well aware that nothing could save him. The
+Emperor always connected in his mind--and with good reason, too--the
+machinations of the Royalists with the plans of the English Government.
+He knew that the land which afforded the asylum to their king was
+the refuge of the others also; and many of the heaviest denunciations
+against the "perfide Albion" had no other source than the dread, of
+which he could never divest himself, that the legitimate monarch would
+one day be restored to France.
+
+While such were Napoleon's feelings, the death of the Duc d'Enghien had
+heightened the hatred of the Bourbonists to a pitch little short of
+madness. My own unhappy experience made me more than ever fearful of
+being in any way implicated with the members of this party, and I
+rode on as though life itself depended on my reaching the imperial
+headquarters some few minutes earlier.
+
+As I approached the camp, I was overjoyed to find that no movement
+was in contemplation. The men were engaged in cleaning their arms
+and accoutrements, restoring the broken wagons and gun-carriages, and
+repairing, as far as might be, the disorders of the day of battle. The
+officers stood in groups here and there, chatting at their ease; while
+the only men under arms were the new conscript? just arrived from
+France,--a force of some thousands,--brought by forced marches from the
+banks of the Rhine.
+
+The crowd of officers near the headquarters of the Emperor pressed
+closely about me as I descended from my horse, eager to learn what
+information I brought from Holitsch; for they were not aware that I had
+been stationed nearly half-way on the road.
+
+"Well, Burke," said General d'Auvergne, as he drew his arm within mine,
+"your coming has been anxiously looked for this morning. I trust the
+despatches you carry may, if not Contradict, at least explain what has
+occurred."
+
+"Is this the officer from Holitsch?" said the aide-decamp of the
+Emperor, coming hurriedly forward. "The despatch, sir!" cried he; and
+the next moment hastened to the little hut which Napoleon occupied as
+his bivouac.
+
+The only other person in the open space where I stood was an officer of
+the lancers, whose splashed and travel-stained dress seemed to say he
+had been employed like myself.
+
+"I fancy, Monsieur," said he, bowing, "that you have had a sharp ride
+also this morning. I have just arrived from Goeding--four leagues--in
+less than an hour; and with all that, too late, I believe, to remedy
+what has occurred."
+
+"What, then, has happened?"
+
+"Davoust has been tricked into an armistice, and suffered the Russians
+to pass the bridge. The Emperor Alexander has taken advantage of the
+negotiations with Austria, and got his army clear through; so, at least,
+it would seem. I saw Napoleon tear the despatch into fragments, and
+stamp his foot upon them. But here he comes."
+
+The words were scarcely spoken when the Emperor came rapidly up,
+followed by his staff. He wore a gray surtout, trimmed with dark fur,
+and had his hands clasped within the cuffs of the coat. His face was
+pale as death, and save a slight contraction of his brows, there was
+nothing to show any appearance of displeasure.
+
+"Who brought the despatch from Goeding?"
+
+"I did, Sire," said the officer.
+
+"How are the roads, sir?"
+
+"Much cut up, and in one place a torrent has carried away part of a
+bridge."
+
+"I knew it,--I knew it," said he, bitterly; "it is too late. Duroc,"
+cried he, while the words seemed to come forth with a hissing sound,
+"did I not tell you, 'Grattez le Russe, et vous trouverez le Tartare!'"
+
+The words were graven in my memory from that hour; even yet, I can
+recall the very accents as when I heard them.
+
+"And you, sir," said he, turning suddenly towards me, "you came from
+General Savary. Return to him with this letter. Have you written, Duroc?
+Well, you'll deliver this to General Savary at Holitsch. He may require
+you to proceed to Goeding. Are you well mounted?"
+
+"Yes, Sire."
+
+"Come, then, sir. I made you a captain yesterday; let us see if you can
+win your spurs to-day."
+
+From the time I received the despatch to that in which I was in the
+saddle not more than five minutes elapsed. The idea of being chosen by
+the Emperor himself for a service was a proud one, and I resolved to
+acquit myself with credit. With what concert does one's heart beat to
+the free stride of a mettled charger! how does each bold plunge warm
+the blood and stir up the spirits! and as, careering free over hill and
+valley, we pass in our flight the clouds that drift above, how does the
+sense of freedom, realized as it is, impart a feeling of ecstasy to
+our minds! Our thoughts, revelling on the wayward liberty our course
+suggests, rise free and untrammelled from the doubts and cares of
+every-day life.
+
+Onward I went, and soon the old mill came in sight, rearing its ruined
+head amid the black desolation of the plain. I could not resist the
+impulse to see what had become of De Beauvais; and leading my horse into
+the kitchen, I hastened up the stairs and through the rooms. But all
+were deserted; the little chamber lay open, the granary too; but no one
+was there.
+
+With a mind relieved, in a great measure, from anxiety, I remounted
+and continued my way; and soon entered the dark woods of Holitsch. The
+chateau and demesne were a private estate of the Emperor Francis,
+and once formed a favorite resort of Joseph the Second in his hunting
+excursions. The chateau itself was a large, irregular mass of building,
+but still, with all its incongruity of architecture, not devoid of
+picturesque effect,--and the older portion of it was even handsome.
+While I stood in front of a long terrace, on which several windows
+opened from a gallery that ran along one side of the chateau, I was
+somewhat surprised that no guard was to be seen, nor even a single
+sentinel on duty. I dismounted, and leading my horse, approached the
+avenue that led up between a double range of statues to the door. An
+old man, dressed in the slouched hat and light blue jacket of a Bohemian
+peasant, was busily engaged in wrapping matting around some shrubs,
+to protect them from the frost. A little boy--his second self in
+costume--stood beside him with his pruning-knife, and stared at me with
+a kind of stupid wonder as I approached. With some difficulty I made out
+from the old man that the Emperor occupied a smaller building called
+the Kaiser-Lust, about half a league distant in the forest, having given
+strict orders that no one was to approach the chateau nor its immediate
+grounds. It was his favorite retreat, and perhaps he did not wish it
+should be associated in his mind with a period of such misfortune. The
+old peasant continued his occupation while he spoke, never lifting his
+head from his work, and seeming all absorbed in the necessity of what he
+was engaged in. As I inquired the nearest road to the imperial quarters,
+he employed me to assist him for a moment in his task by holding one end
+of the matting, with which he was now about to envelop a marble statue
+of Maria Theresa.
+
+I could not refuse a request so naturally proffered; and while I did
+so, a little wicket opened at a short distance off, and a tall man, in a
+gray surtout and a plain cocked hat without a feather, came forward. He
+held a riding-whip in his hand, and seemed, from his splashed equipment,
+to have just descended from the saddle.
+
+"Well, Fritz," said he, "I hope the frost has done us no mischief?"
+
+The old gardener turned round at the words, and, touching his hat
+respectfully, continued his work, while he replied,--
+
+"No, Mein Herr; it was but a white hoar, and everything has escaped
+well."
+
+"And whom have you got here for an assistant, may I ask?" said he,
+pointing to me, whom he now saw for the first time.
+
+As the question was asked in German, although I understood it I left the
+reply to the gardener.
+
+"God knows!" said the old fellow, in a tone of easy indifference; "I
+think he must be a soldier of some sort."
+
+The other smiled at the remark, and, turning towards me, said, in
+French,--
+
+"You are, perhaps, unaware, sir, being a stranger, that it is the
+Emperor of Austria's desire this chateau should not be intruded on."
+
+"My offending, sir," interrupted I, "was purely accidental. I am the
+bearer of despatches for General Savary; and having stopped to inquire
+from this honest man--"
+
+"The general has taken his departure for Goeding," he broke in, without
+paying further attention to my explanation.
+
+"For Goding! and may I ask what distance that may be?"
+
+"Scarcely a league, if you can hit upon the right path; the road lies
+yonder, where you see that dead fir-tree."
+
+"I thank you, sir," said I, touching my hat; "and must now ask my friend
+here to release me,--my orders are of moment."
+
+"You may find some difficulty in the wood, after all," said he; "I 'll
+send my groom part of the way with you."
+
+Before I could proffer my thanks suitably for such an unexpected
+politeness, he had disappeared in the garden through which he entered a
+few minutes before.
+
+"I say, my worthy friend, tell me the name of that gentleman; he's one
+of the Emperor's staff, if I mistake not. I 'm certain I 've seen the
+face before."
+
+"If you had," said the old fellow, laughing, "you could scarcely forget
+him; old Frantzerl is just the same these twenty years."
+
+"Whom did you say?"
+
+Before he could reply, the other was at my side.
+
+"Now, sir," said he, "he will conduct you to the highroad. I wish you a
+good journey."
+
+These words were uttered in a tone somewhat more haughty than his
+previous ones; and contenting myself with a civil acknowledgment of his
+attention, I bowed and returned to my horse, which the little peasant
+child had been holding.
+
+"This way, Monsieur," said the groom, who, dressed in a plain dark brown
+livery, was mounted on a horse of great size and symmetry.
+
+As he spoke, he dashed forward at a gallop which all my efforts could
+not succeed in overtaking. In less than ten minutes the man halted,
+and, waiting till I came up, he pointed to a gentle acclivity before me,
+across which the highroad led.
+
+"There lies the road, sir; continue your speed, and in twenty minutes
+you reach Goeding."
+
+"One word," said I, drawing forth my purse as I spoke,--"one word. Tell
+me, who is your master?"
+
+The groom smiled, slightly touched his hat, and without uttering a word,
+wheeled round his horse, and before I could repeat my question, was far
+on his road back to the chateau.
+
+Before me lay the river, and the little bridge of Goeding, across which
+now the Russian columns were marching in rapid but compact order. Their
+cavalry had nearly all passed, and was drawn with some field-guns along
+the bank; while at half-cannon-shot distance, the corps of Davoust were
+drawn up in order of battle, and standing spectators of the scene. On an
+eminence of the field a splendid staff were assembled, accompanied by a
+troop of Tartar horsemen, whose gay colors and strange equipment were
+a remarkable feature of the picture; and here, I learned, the Emperor
+Alexander then was, accompanied by General Savary.
+
+As I drew near, my French uniform caught the eye of the latter, and he
+cantered forward to meet me. Tearing open the despatch with eagerness,
+he rapidly perused the few lines it contained; then, seizing me by the
+arm in his-strong grasp, he exclaimed,--
+
+"Look yonder, sir! You see their columns extending to Serritz. Go back
+and tell his Majesty. But no; my own mission here is ended. You may
+return to Austerlitz."
+
+So saying, he rode back to the group around the Emperor, where I saw
+him a few minutes after addressing his Majesty; and then, after a formal
+leave-taking, turn his horse's head and set out towards Brunn.
+
+As I retraced my steps towards the camp, I began to muse over the events
+which had just occurred; and even by the imperfect glimpses I
+could catch of the negotiations, could perceive that the Czar had
+out-manoeuvred Napoleon. It is true, I was not aware by what means
+the success had been obtained; nor was it for many a year after that I
+became cognizant of the few autograph lines by which Alexander induced
+Davoust to suspend his operations, under the pretence that the Austrian
+armistice included the Russian army. It was an unworthy act and ill
+befitting one whose high personal courage and chivalrous bearing gave
+promise of better things.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII. THE COMPAGNIE D'ELITE
+
+With whatever triumphant feelings the Emperor Napoleon may have
+witnessed the glorious termination of this brief campaign, to the young
+officers of the army it brought anything rather than satisfaction,
+and the news of the armistice was received in the camp with gloom and
+discontent. The brilliant action at Elchingen, and the great victory at
+Austerlitz, were hailed as a glorious presage of future successes, for
+which the high-sounding phrases of a bulletin were deemed but a poor
+requital. A great proportion of the army were new levies, who had not
+seen service, and felt proportionably desirous for opportunities of
+distinction; and to them the promise of a triumphant return to France
+was a miserable exchange for those battlefields on which they dreamed
+they should win honor and fame, and from whence they hoped to date their
+rise of fortune. Little did we guess, that while words of peace and
+avowals of moderation were on his lips, Napoleon was at that very moment
+meditating on the opening of that great campaign, which, beginning at
+Jena, was to end in the most bloody and long sustained of all his wars.
+
+Nothing, however, was now talked of but the fetes which awaited us on
+our return to Paris,--while liberal grants of money were made to all the
+wounded, and no effort was spared which should mark that feeling of the
+Emperor's, which so conspicuously opened his bulletin, in the emphatic
+words, "Soldiers, I am content with you!"
+
+Napoleon well understood, and indeed appeared to have anticipated, the
+disappointment the army would experience at this sudden cessation
+of hostilities; and endeavored now to divert the torrent of their
+enthusiasm into another and a safer channel. The bulk of the army were
+cantoned around Brunn and Olmutz; some picked regiments were recalled
+to Vienna, where the Emperor was soon expected to establish his
+headquarters; while many of those who had suffered most severely
+from forced marches and fatigues were formed into corps of escort to
+accompany the Russian prisoners--sixteen thousand in number--on their
+way to France; and lastly, a _compagnie d'elite_, as it was called,
+was selected to carry to the Senate the glorious spoils of
+victory,--forty-five standards taken on the field of Austerlitz, and now
+destined to grace the Palace of the Luxembourg.
+
+I had scarcely seated myself to the humble supper of my bivouac, when an
+orderly came to command me to General d'Auvergne's quarters. The little
+sitting-room he occupied, in a peasant hut, was so filled with officers
+that it was some time before I could approach him; and my impatience
+was not lessened by more than once hearing my name mentioned aloud,--a
+circumstance not a little trying to a young man in the presence of his
+superiors in station.
+
+"But here he is," said the general, beckoning to me to come forward.
+"Burke, his Majesty has most graciously permitted me to include your
+name in the _compagnie d'elite_,--a testimony of his satisfaction you've
+every reason to be proud of. And just at the moment I was about to
+communicate the fact to you, I have received a message from Marshal
+Murat, requesting that I may permit you to serve on his own staff."
+
+"Yes, Captain," said an officer in the uniform of a colonel,--it was the
+first time I had been addressed by my new title, and I cannot express
+what a thrill of pleasure the word gave me,--"Marshal Murat witnessed
+with pleasure the alacrity and steadiness of your conduct on the 2d, and
+has sent me with an offer which I fancy few officers would not deem a
+flattering one."
+
+"Unquestionably it is, Colonel," said General d'Auvergne; "nay, more, I
+will say I regard it as the making of a young man's fortune, thus early
+in his career to have attracted such high notice. But I must be passive
+here; Captain Burke shall decide for himself."
+
+"In that case, sir, I shall cause you but little delay, if you will
+still permit me to serve on your own staff."
+
+"But stay, my boy, do not be rash in this affair. I will not insult your
+better feeling by dwelling on the little power I possess, and the very
+great enjoyed by Marshal Murat, of serving your interests; but I
+must say, that with him, and on his personal staff, opportunities of
+distinction--"
+
+"And here I must interpose," said the colonel, smiling courteously:
+"with no officer in this army can a man expect to see service, in its
+boldest and most heroic colors, rather than with General d'Auvergne."
+
+"I know it,--I feel it, too; and with him, if he will allow me--"
+
+"Enough, my dear boy," said the old man, grasping my hand in his.
+"Colonel, you must explain to the marshal how stands this matter; and he
+is too kind of heart and too noble of soul to think the worse of any of
+us for our obstinacy. And now, my young friend, make your arrangements
+to join the _compagnie d'elite_; they march to-morrow afternoon,--and
+this is a service you cannot decline. Leave me to make your
+acknowledgments to the marshal, and lose no more time here."
+
+Short as had been my absence from my quarters, when I re-entered, I
+descried Tascher seated at the table, and busily employed in discussing
+the last fragments of my supper.
+
+"You see, my dear friend," said he, speaking with his mouth full,--"you
+see what it is to have a _salmi_ for supper. I sat eating a confounded
+mess of black bread, and blacker veal, for fifteen minutes, when the
+breeze brought me the odor of your delicious _plat_. It was in vain I
+summoned all my virtue to resist it; if there ever was a dish made to
+seduce a subaltern on service, it is this. But, I say, won't you eat
+something?"
+
+"I fear not," said I, half angrily.
+
+"And why?" replied he. "See what a capital wing that is,--a little bare,
+to be sure; and there's the back of a pigeon. _Ma foi!_ you have no
+reason to complain. I say, is it true you are named among the _compagnie
+d'elite_?"
+
+I nodded, and ate on.
+
+"_Diable!_ there never was such fortune. What a glorious exchange
+for this confounded swamp, with its everlasting drill from morning to
+night,--shivering under arms for four hours, and shaking with the ague
+the rest of the day after,--marching, mid-leg in water, half frozen, and
+trying quick movements, when the very blood is in icicles! And then
+you 'll be enjoying Paris,--delightful Paris!--dining at the 'Rocher,'
+supping at the 'Cadran,' lounging into the _salons_, at the very time we
+shall be hiding ourselves amidst the straw of our bivouacs. I go mad to
+think of it. And, what's worse than all, there you sit, as little
+elated as if the whole thing were only the most natural in the world. I
+believe, on my word, you 'd not condescend to be surprised if you were
+gazetted Marechal de France in to-morrow's gazette."
+
+"When I can bear, without testifying too much astonishment, to see my
+supper eaten by the man who does nothing but rate me into the bargain,
+perhaps I may plume myself on some equanimity of temper."
+
+"Confound your equanimity! It's very easy to be satisfied when one has
+everything his own way."
+
+"And so, Tascher, you deem me such a fortunate fellow?"
+
+"That I do," replied he, quickly. "You have had more good luck, and made
+less of it, than any one I ever knew. What a career you had before you
+when we met first! There was that pretty girl at the Tuileries quite
+ready to fall in love with you; I know it, because she rather took an
+air of coldness with me. Well, you let her be carried off by an old
+general, with a white head and a queue,--unquestionably a bit of pique
+on her part. Then, somehow or other, you contrived to pink the best
+swordsman of the army, little Francois there; and I never heard that the
+circumstance gained you a single conquest."
+
+"Quite true, my friend," said I, laughing; "I confess it all. And, what
+is far worse, I acknowledge that until this moment I did not even know
+the advantages I was wilfully wasting."
+
+"And even now," continued he, not minding my interruption,--"even now,
+you are about to return to Paris as one of the _elite_. Well, I 'll
+wager twenty Naps that the only civil speeches you 'll hear will be from
+some musty old senators at the Luxembourg. Oh dear! if my amiable aunt,
+the Empress, would only induce my most benevolent uncle, the Emperor,
+to put me on that same list, depend upon it you 'd hear of Lieutenant
+Tascher in the 'Faubourg St. Honore.'"
+
+"But you seem to forget," said I, half piqued at last by the
+impertinence of his tone, "that I have neither friends nor
+acquaintances; that, although a Frenchman by service, I am not so by
+birth."
+
+"And I,--what am I?" interrupted he. "A Creole, come from Heaven knows
+what far-away place beyond seas; that there never was a man with
+more expensive tastes, and smaller means to supply them,--with worse
+prospects, and better connections; in short, a kind of live antithesis.
+And yet, with all that, exchange places with me now, and see if, before
+a fortnight elapse, I have not more dinner invitations than any officer
+of the same grade within the Boulevards; watch if the prettiest girl
+at Paris is not at my side in the Opera. But here comes your official
+appointment, I take it."
+
+As he said this, an orderly of the "Garde" delivered a sealed packet
+into my hands, which, on opening, I discovered was a letter from General
+Duroc, wherein I read, that "it was the wish of his Majesty, Emperor and
+King, that I, his well-beloved Thomas Burke, in conformity with certain
+instructions to be afterwards made known to me, should proceed with the
+_compagnie d'elite_ to Paris, then and there--"
+
+As I read thus far aloud, Tascher interrupted me, snatching the paper
+from my hands, and continued thus:--
+
+"Then and there to mope, muse, and be _ennuye_ until such time as active
+service may again recall him to the army. My dear Burke, I am really
+sorry for you. Wars and campaigning may be--indeed they are--very fine
+things; but as the means, not the end. His Majesty, my uncle,--whom may
+Heaven preserve and soften his heart to his relations!--loves them for
+their own sake; but we,--you and I, for instance,--what possible reason
+can we have for risking our bones, and getting our flesh mangled, save
+the hope of promotion? And to what end that same promotion, if not for
+a wider sphere of pleasure and enjoyment? Think what a career a colonel,
+at our age, would have in Paris!"
+
+"Come, Tascher, I will not believe you in all this. If there were
+not something higher to reward one for the fatigues and dangers of a
+campaign than the mere sensual delights you allude to, I, for one, would
+soon doff the epaulettes."
+
+"You are impracticable," said he, half angrily; "but it is as much from
+the isolation in which you have lived as any conviction on the subject.
+You must let me introduce you to some relatives of mine in Paris. They
+will be delighted to know you; for, as one of the _compagnie d'elite_,
+you might figure as a very respectable 'lion' for two, nay, three entire
+evenings. And you will have the _entree_ to the pleasantest house in
+Paris; they receive every evening, and all the best people resort there.
+I only exact one condition."
+
+"And that is--"
+
+"You must not make love to Pauline. That you will fall in love with her
+yourself is a fact I can't help,--nor you either. But no advance on your
+part; promise me that."
+
+"In such case, Tascher, it were best for all parties I should not know
+the lady. I have no fancy, believe me, for being smitten whether I will
+or no."
+
+"I see, Master Burke, there is a bit of impertinence in all this. You
+sneer at my warnings about _la belle cousine_; now, I am determined
+you shall see her at least. Besides, you must do me a service with the
+countess I have had the bad luck to be for some time out of favor with
+my aunt Josephine,--some trumpery debts of mine they make a work
+about at the Tuileries. Well, perhaps you could persuade Madame de
+Lacostellerie to take up my cause; she has great influence with the
+Empress, and can make her do what she pleases. And, if I must confess
+it, it was this brought me over to your quarters tonight; and I ate
+your supper just to pass away time till you came back again. You 'll not
+refuse me?"
+
+"Certainly not. But reflect for a moment, Tascher, and you will see that
+no man was ever less intended for a diplomate. It is only a few minutes
+since you laughed at my solitary habits and hermit propensities."
+
+"I've thought of all that, Burke, and am not a whit discouraged. On the
+contrary, you are the more likely to think of my affairs because you
+have none of your own; and I don't know any one but yourself I should
+fancy to meet Pauline frequently and on terms of intimacy."
+
+"This, at least, is not a compliment," said I, laughing.
+
+He shrugged his shoulders, and threw up his eyebrows with a French
+expression, as though to say, it can't be helped; and then continued:--
+
+"And now remember, Burke, I count on you. Get me out of this confounded
+place; I 'd rather be back at Toulon again, if need be. And as I shall
+not see you again before you leave, farewell. I 'll send the letter for
+the countess early to-morrow."
+
+We shook hands warmly and parted: he to return to his quarters; and I
+to sit down beside my fire, and muse over the events that had just
+occurred, and think of Tascher himself, whose character had never been
+so plainly exposed to me before.
+
+If De Beauvais, with his hot-headed impetuosity, his mad devotion to the
+cause of the Legitimists, was a type of the followers of the Bourbons;
+so, in all the easy indifference and quiet selfishness of his nature,
+was Tascher a specimen of another class of his countrymen,--a class
+which, wrapped up in its own circle of egotistical enjoyments, believed
+Paris the only habitable spot of the whole globe. Without any striking
+traits of character, or any very decided vices, they led a life of
+pleasure and amusement, rendering every one and everything around them,
+so far as they were able, subservient to their own plane and wishes;
+and perfectly unconscious the while how glaring their selfishness
+had become, and how palpable, even to the least observant, was the
+self-indulgence they practised on every occasion. Without cleverness
+or tact enough to conceal their failings, they believed they imposed
+on others because they imposed on themselves,--just as the child deems
+himself unseen when he closes his eyes.
+
+Josephine's followers were, many of them, like this, and formed a
+striking contrast to the young men of the Napoleonite party, who,
+infatuated by the glorious successes of their chief, deemed the
+career of arms alone honorable. St. Cyr and the Polytechnique were the
+nurseries of these,--the principles instilled there were perpetuated
+in after life; and however exaggerated their ideas of France and her
+destiny, their undoubted heroism and devotion might well have palliated
+even heavier errors.
+
+It was in ruminating thus over the different characters of the few I
+had ever known intimately, that I came to think seriously on my own
+condition, which, for many a day before, I had rather avoided than
+sought to reflect on. I felt,--as how many must have done!--that the
+bond of a common country, the inborn patriotism of the native of the
+soil, is the great resource on which men fall back when they devote
+themselves to the career of arms; that the alien's position, disguise it
+how he will, is that of the mere mercenary. How can he identify himself
+with interests on which he is but half-informed, or feel attachment to
+a land wherein he has neither hearth nor home? In the very glory he wins
+he can scarce participate. In a word, his is a false position, which no
+events nor accidents of fortune can turn to good account, and he must
+rest satisfied with a life of isolation and estrangement.
+
+I felt how readily, if I had been a Frenchman born, I could have excused
+and palliated to my conscience many things which now were matters of
+reproach. Aggressive war had lost its horrors in the glory of enlarged
+dominions; the greatness of France and the honor of her arms had made
+me readily forget the miseries entailed on other nations by her lust of
+conquest. But I--the stranger, the alien--had no part in the inheritance
+of glory; and personal ambition,--what means it, save to stand high
+amongst those we once looked up to as superiors? For me there were
+no traditions of a childhood passed amid great names, revered and
+worshipped; no early teachings of illustrious examples beside the
+paternal hearth. And yet there was one, although lost to me forever,
+before whose eyes I would gladly seem to hold a high place. Yes! could
+I but think that she had not forgotten me,--would hear my name with
+interest, or feel one throb of pleasure if I were spoken of with
+honor,--I asked no more!
+
+"A letter, Monsieur le Capitaine," said my servant, as he deposited
+a package on my table. Supposing it was the epistle of which Tascher
+spoke, I paid but slight attention to it, when by chance I remarked it
+was in General d'Auvergne's handwriting. I opened it at once, and read
+as follows:--
+
+      Bivouac, 11 o'clock.
+
+      My dear Burke,--No one ever set off for Paris without being
+      troubled with commissions for his country friends, and you
+      must not escape the ills of common humanity. Happily for
+      you, however, the debt is easily acquitted; I have neither
+      undiscovered shades of silk to be matched, nor impossible
+      bargains to be effected. I shall simply beg of you to
+      deliver with your own hand the enclosed letter to its
+      address at the Tuileries; adding, if you think fit, the
+      civil attentions of a visit.
+
+      We shall both, in all likelihood, be much hurried when we
+      meet to-morrow,--for I also have received orders to march,--
+      so that I take the present opportunity to enclose you a
+      check on Paris for a trifle in advance of your pay;
+      remembering too well, in my own aide-de-camp days, the
+      dilatory habits of the War Office with new captains.
+
+      Yours ever, dear Burke,
+
+      D'Auvergne, Lieut-General.
+
+The letter of which he spoke had fallen on the table, where I now read
+the address,--"A Madame la Comtesse d'Auvergne, nee Comtesse de Meudon,
+dame d'honneur de S. M. l'Imperatrice." As I read these lines, I felt my
+face grow burning hot, my cheeks flushed up, and I could scarcely have
+been more excited were I actually in her presence to whom the letter
+was destined. The poor general's kind note, his check for eight thousand
+francs, lay there: I forgot them both, and sat still, spelling over
+the letters of that name so woven in my destiny. I thought of the first
+night I had ever heard it, when, a mere boy, I wept over her sorrows,
+and grieved for her whose fate was so soon to throw its shadow over my
+own. But in a moment all gave way before the one thought,--I should see
+her again, speak to her and hear her voice. It is true, she was the wife
+of another: but as Marie de Meudon, our destinies were as wide apart;
+under no circumstances could she have been mine, nor did I ever dare
+to hope it. My love to her--for it was such, ardent and passionate--was
+more the devotion of some worshipper at a shrine than an affection that
+sought return. The friendless soldier of fortune, poor, unknown, uncared
+for,--how could he raise his thoughts to one for whose hand the noblest
+and the bravest were suitors in vain? Yet, with all this, how my heart
+throbbed to think that we should meet again! Nor was the thought less
+stirring that I felt, that even in the short interval of absence I had
+won praise from him for whom her admiration was equal to my own. With
+all the turmoil of my hopes and fears I felt a rush of pleasure at my
+heart; and when I slept, it was to dream of happy days to come, and a
+future far brighter than the past.
+
+My first thought when morning broke was to ride over to Beygern, to
+learn the fate of my wounded friends. On my way thither I fell in with
+several officers bound on a similar errand, for already the convent had
+become the great hospital to which the sufferers were brought from every
+part of the camp. As we went along, I was much struck by the depression
+of spirit so remarkable everywhere. The battle over, all the martial
+enthusiasm seemed to have evaporated: many grumbled at the tiresome
+prospect of a winter in country quarters, or cantoned in the field; some
+regretted the briefness of the campaign; while others again complained
+that to return to France after so little of active service would only
+expose them to ridicule from their companions who had seen Italy and
+Egypt.
+
+"Spare your sorrows on that score, my young friends," said a colonel,
+who listened patiently to the complaints around him; "we shall not
+see the dome of the Invalides for some time yet. Except the _compagnie
+d'elite_, I fancy few of us will figure on the Boulevards."
+
+"There, again," cried another: "I never heard anything so unfair as that
+_compagnie d'elite_; they have been, with two solitary exceptions, taken
+from the cavalry. Austerlitz was to be the day of honor for the infantry
+of France, said the bulletin."
+
+"And so it was," interrupted a little dark-eyed major; "and I suppose
+his Majesty thought we had enough of it on the field, and did not wish
+to surfeit us with glory. But I ask pardon," said he, turning towards
+me; "monsieur is, if I mistake not, named one of the _elite_?"
+
+As I replied in the affirmative, I observed all eyes turned towards me;
+but not with any kindly expression,--far from it. I saw that there was a
+deliberate canvass of me, as though to see by my outward man how I could
+possibly deserve such a favor.
+
+"Can you explain to us, Monsieur," said the little major to me, "on what
+principle the _elite_ were chosen? For we have a thousand contradictory
+reports in the camp: some say by ballot; some, that it was only those
+who never soiled their jackets in the affair of the other day, and
+looked fresh and smart."
+
+A burst of laughter from the rest interrupted the major's speech, for
+its impertinence was quite sufficient to secure it many admirers.
+
+"I believe, sir," said I, angrily, "I can show you some reasons against
+the selection of certain persons."
+
+As I got thus far, an officer whispered something into the major's ear,
+who, with a roar of laughing, exclaimed,--
+
+"A thousand pardons! ten thousand, _parbleu!_ I did n't know you. It was
+monsieur pinked Francois, the maitre d'armes? Yes, yes; don't deny it,"
+said he, as I made no reply whatever to a question I believed quite
+irrelevant to the occasion,--"don't deny it. That lunge over the guard
+was a thing to be proud of; and, by Jove! you shall not practise it at
+my expense."
+
+This speech excited great amusement among the party, who seemed to
+coincide perfectly with the reasoning of the speaker; while I myself
+remained silent, unable to decide whether I ought to be annoyed or the
+reverse.
+
+"Come, Monsieur," resumed the major, addressing me with courtesy, "I
+ask-pardon for the liberty of my speech. By Saint Denis! if all the
+_compagnie d'elite_ have the same skill of fence, I 'll not question
+their appointment."
+
+The candor of the avowal was too much for my gravity, and I now joined
+in the mirth of his companions.
+
+If I have mentioned so trivial an incident as this here, it is because I
+wish to mark, even thus passingly, a trait of French military life. The
+singular confession of a man who regretted his impertinence because he
+discovered his adversary was a better swordsman, would, under any other
+code or in any other country, have argued poltroonery. Not so here;
+no one for a moment suspected his comrade's courage, nor could any
+circumstance arise to make it doubtful save an actual instance of
+cowardice. The inequality of the combat was reason enough for not
+engaging in it: the odds were unfair, because duelling was like a game
+where each party was to have an equal chance; and hence no shame was
+felt at declining a contest where this inequality existed.
+
+Such a system, it is obvious, could not have prevailed in communities
+where duelling was only resorted to in extreme cases; but here it was
+an every-day occurrence, and often formed but a brief interval, scarce
+interrupting the current of an old friendship. Any resentful spirit,
+any long-continued dislike to the party with whom you once fought, would
+have been denounced as unofficer-like and ungenerous; and every day saw
+men walking arm-inarm in closest intimacy, who but the morning before
+stood opposed to each other's weapons. I now perceived the truth of
+what Minette had once said, and which at the time I but imperfectly
+comprehended. "Maitre Francois will be less troublesome in future; and
+you, Lieutenant, will have an easier life also."
+
+"Halt there!" shouted a sentry, as we approached the narrow causeway
+that led up to the convent. We now discovered, that by a general order
+no one was permitted to approach the hospital save such as were provided
+with a leave from the medical staff. A bulletin of the deaths was daily
+published on the guard-house, except which no other information was
+afforded of the condition of the wounded; and to this we turned eagerly,
+and with anxious hearts, lest we might read the name of some friend
+lost forever. I ran over with a rapid glance the list, where neither St.
+Hilaire nor poor Pioche occurred; and then, setting spurs to my horse,
+hurried back to my quarters at the top of my speed. When I arrived, the
+preparations for the departure of the _elite_ were already in progress,
+and I had but time to make my few arrangements for the road when the
+order came to join my comrades.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX. PARIS IN 1800
+
+A portion of the Luxembourg was devoted to the reception of the
+_compagnie d'elite_ for whom a household on the most liberal scale was
+provided, a splendid table maintained, and all that wealth and the taste
+of a voluptuous age could suggest, procured, to make their life one of
+daily magnificence and pleasure. Daru himself, the especial favorite
+of the Emperor, took the head of the table each day, to which generally
+some of the ministers were invited; while the "Moniteur" of every
+morning chronicled the festivities, giving _eclat_ to the most minute
+circumstance, and making Paris re-echo to the glories of him of
+whose fame they were but the messengers. The most costly equipages,
+saddle-horses of great price, grooms in gorgeous liveries, all that
+could attract notice and admiration, were put in requisition; while
+ceremonies of pomp went forward day by day, and the deputation received
+in state the congratulatory visits of different departments of the
+Government.
+
+While thus this homage was paid to the semblance of Napoleon's glory,
+his progress through Germany was one grand triumphal procession. One day
+we read of his arrival at Munich, whither the Empress had gone to meet
+him. There he was welcomed with the most frantic enthusiasm: he had
+restored to them their army almost without loss, and covered with
+laurels; he had elevated their elector to a throne; while he cemented
+the friendship between the two nations by the marriage of Eugene
+Beauharnais with the Princess of Bavaria. Another account would tell
+us of sixteen thousand Russian prisoners on their way to France,
+accompanied by two thousand cannon taken from the Austrians. All
+that could excite national enthusiasm and gratify national vanity was
+detailed by the Government press, and popular excitement raised to a
+higher pitch than in the wildest periods of the Revolution.
+
+Hourly was his arrival looked forward to with anxiety and impatience.
+Fetes on the most splendid scale of magnificence were in preparation,
+and the public bodies of Paris held meetings to concert measures for
+his triumphal reception. At last a telegraphic despatch announced his
+arrival at Strasburg. He crossed the Rhine at the very place where,
+exactly one hundred days before, he passed over on his march against
+the Austrians; one hundred days of such glory as not even his career had
+equalled,--Ulm and Austerlitz, vanquished Russia, and ruined Austria the
+trophies of this brief space! Never had his genius shone with greater
+splendor; never had Fortune shown herself 'more the companion of his
+destiny.
+
+Each hour was now counted, and every thought turned to the day when he
+might be expected to arrive; and on the 24th came the intelligence that
+the Emperor was approaching Paris. He had halted part of a day at Nancy
+to review some regiments of cavalry, and now might be expected in less
+than twenty-four hours. The next morning all Paris awoke at an early
+hour; when what was the surprise and disappointment to see the great
+flag floating from the pavilion of the Tuileries! His Majesty had
+arrived during the night, when, at once sending for the Minister of
+Finance, he proceeded, without taking a moment's repose, to examine into
+the dreadful crisis which threatened the Bank of France and the very
+existence of the Government.
+
+At eleven, the Council of State were assembled at the Tuileries; and
+at twelve, a proclamation, dispersed through Paris, announced that M.
+Molien was appointed minister, and M. Marbois was dismissed from his
+office. The rapidity of these changes, and the avoidance of all public
+homage by the Emperor, threw for several days a cast of gloom over the
+whole city; which was soon dissipated by the reappearance of Napoleon,
+and the publication of that celebrated report by M. Champagny in which
+the glories of France--her victories, her acquisitions in wealth,
+territory, and influence--were recited in terms whose adulation it would
+be now difficult to digest.
+
+From that moment the festivities of Paris commenced, and with a splendor
+unsurpassed by any period of the Empire. It was the Augustan era of
+Napoleon's life in all that concerned the fine arts; for literature,
+unhappily, did not flourish at any time beneath his reign. Gerard and
+Gros, David, Ingres, and Isabey committed to canvas the glories of the
+German campaigns; and the capitulation of Ulm, the taking of Vienna,
+the passage of the Danube, and the field of Austerlitz still live in the
+genius of these great painters.
+
+The Opera, too, under the direction of Gimerosa, had attained to an
+unwonted excellence; while Spontini and Boieldieu, in their separate
+walks, gave origin to the school so distinctly that of the Comic Opera.
+Still, the voluptuous tastes of the day prevailed above all; and the
+ballet, and the strange conceptions of Nicolo, a Maltese composer,--in
+which music, dancing, romance, and scenery all figured,--were the
+passion of the time.
+
+Dancing was, indeed, the great art of the era. Vestris and Trenis were
+the great names in every _salon_; and all the extravagant graces and
+voluptuous groupings of the ballet were introduced into the amusements
+of society: even the taste in dress was made subordinate to this
+passion,--the light and floating materials, which mark the figure and
+display symmetry, replacing the heavier and more costly robes of former
+times. The reaction to the stern puritanism of the Republican age had
+set in, and secretly was favored by Napoleon himself; who saw in all
+this extravagance and abandonment to pleasure the basis of that new
+social state on which he purposed to found his dynasty.
+
+Never were the entertainments at the Tuileries more costly; never was
+a greater magnificence displayed in all the ceremonial of state. The
+marshals of the Empire were enjoined to maintain a style corresponding
+to their exalted position; and the reports of the police were actually
+studied respecting such persons as lived in what was deemed a manner
+unbefitting their means of expense. Cambaceres and Fouche, Talleyrand
+and Murat, all maintained splendid establishments. Their dinners were
+given twice each week, and their receptions were almost every evening.
+If the Emperor conferred wealth with a liberal hand, so did he expect to
+see it freely expended. He knew well the importance of conciliating the
+affections of the _bourgeoisie_ of Paris; and that by no other means
+could such an end be accomplished more readily than by a lavish
+expenditure of money throughout all classes of society. This was alone
+wanting to efface every trace of the old Republican spirit. The simple
+habits and uncostly tastes of the Jacobins were at once regarded as
+meannesses; their frugal and unpretending modes of life pronounced low
+and vulgar; and many, who could have opposed a stout heart against
+the current of popular feeling on stronger grounds, yielded to the
+insinuations and mockeries of their own class, and conformed to tastes
+which eventually engendered opinions and even principles.
+
+I ask pardon of my reader for digressing from the immediate subject of
+my own career, to speak of topics which are rather the province of the
+historian than a mere story-teller like myself; still, I should not be
+able to present to his view the picture of manners I desired, without
+thus recalling some features of that time, so pregnant with the fate of
+Europe and the future destiny of France. And now to return.
+
+Immediately on the Emperor's arrival, the Empress and her suite took
+their departure for Versailles; from whence it was understood they were
+not to return before the end of the month, for which time a splendid
+ball was announced at the Tuileries. Unwilling to detain General
+d'Auvergne's letter so long, and unable from the position I occupied
+to obtain leave of absence from Paris, I forwarded the letter to the
+comtesse, and abandoned the only hope of meeting her once more. The
+disappointment from this source; the novelty of the circumstances in
+which I found myself; the fascinations of a world altogether strange
+to me,--all conspired to confuse and excite me, and I entered into the
+dissipation of those around me, if not with all their zest, at least
+with as headlong a resolution to drown all reflection in a life of
+voluptuous enjoyment.
+
+The only person of my own standing among the _compagnie d'elite_ was a
+captain of the Chasseurs of the Guard, who, although but a few years
+my senior, had seen service in the Italian campaign. By family a
+Bour-bonist, he joined the revolutionary armies when his relatives fled
+from France, and slowly won his steps to his present rank. A certain
+_hauteur_ in his manner with men--an air of distance he always wore--had
+made him as little liked by them as it usually succeeds in making a man
+popular with women, to whom the opposite seems at once a compliment.
+He was a man who had seen much of the world, and in the best society;
+gifted with the most fascinating address, whenever he pleased to exert
+it, and singularly good-looking, he was the _beau ideal_ of the French
+officer of the highest class.
+
+The Chevalier Duchesne and myself had travelled together for some
+days without exchanging more than the ordinary civilities of distant
+acquaintance, when some accident of the road threw us more closely
+together, and ended by forming an intimacy which, in our Paris life,
+brought us every hour into each other's society.
+
+Stranger as I was in the capital, to me the acquaintance was a boon of
+great price. He knew it thoroughly: in the gorgeous and stately _salons_
+of the Faubourg; in the _guingettes_ of the Rue St. Denis; in the costly
+mansion of the modern banker (the new aristocracy of the land); or in
+the homely _menage_ of the shopkeeper of the Rue St. Honore,--he was
+equally at home, and by some strange charm had the _entree_ too.
+
+The same "sesame" opened to him the _coulisse_ of the Opera and the
+penetralia of the Francais. In fact, he seemed one of those privileged
+people who are met with occasionally in life in places the most
+incongruous and with acquaintances the most opposite, yet never carrying
+the prestige of the one or the other an inch beyond the precincts it
+belongs to. Had he been wealthy I could have accounted for much of this,
+for never was there a period when riches more abounded nor when their
+power was more absolute: but he did not seem so; although in no want of
+money, his retinue and simple style of living betrayed nothing beyond
+fair competence. Neither, as far as I could perceive, did he incline to
+habits of extravagance; on the contrary, he was too apt to connect every
+display with vulgarity, and condemn in his fastidiousness the gorgeous
+splendor that characterized the period.
+
+Such, without going further, did Duchesne appear to be, as we took up
+our quarters at the Luxembourg, and commenced an intimacy which each day
+served to increase.
+
+"Well, thank Heaven, this vaudeville is over at last!" said he, as he
+threw himself into a large chair at my fire, and pitched his chapeau,
+all covered with gold and embroidery, into a far corner of the room.
+
+We had just returned from Notre Dame, where the grand ceremonial of
+receiving the standards was held by the Senate with all the solemnity of
+a high mass and the most imposing observances.
+
+"Vaudeville?" said I, turning round rapidly.
+
+"Yes; what else can you call it? What, I ask you, had those poor
+decrepit senators, those effeminate priests in the costumes of
+_beguines_, to do with the eagles of a brave but unfortunate army? In
+what way can you connect that incense and that organ with the smoke of
+artillery and the crash of mitraille? And, lastly, was it like old
+Daru himself to stand there, half crouching, beside some wretched
+half-palsied priest? But I feel heartily ashamed of myself, though I
+played but the smallest part in the whole drama."
+
+"Is it thus you can speak of the triumph of our army? the glories--"
+
+"You mistake me much. I only speak of that miserable mockery which
+converts our hard-won laurels into chap-lets of artificial flowers.
+These displays are far beneath us, and would only become the victories
+of some national guard."
+
+"So, then," said I, half laughingly, "it is your Republican gorge that
+rises against all this useless ceremonial?"
+
+"You are the very first ever detected me in that guise," said he,
+bursting into a hearty laugh. "But come, I'd wager you agree with me
+all this while. This was a very contemptible exhibition; and, for my own
+part, I 'd rather see the colors back again with those poor fellows we
+chased at Austerlitz, than fluttering in the imbecile hands of dotage
+and bigotry."
+
+"Then I must say we differ totally. I like to think of the warlike
+spirit nourished in a nation by the contemplation of such glorious
+spoils. I am young enough to remember how the Invalides affected me--"
+
+"When you took your Sunday walk there from the Poly-technique, two and
+two, with a blue ribbon round your neck for being a good boy during the
+week. Oh, I know it all; delicious times they were, with their souvenirs
+of wooden legs and plum-pudding. Happy fellow you must be, if the
+delusion can last this while!"
+
+"You are determined it shall not continue much longer," said I,
+laughing; "that is quite evident."
+
+"No; on the contrary, I shall be but too happy to be your convert,
+instead of making you mine. But unfortunately, Sa Majeste, Empereur et
+Roi, has taught me some smart lessons since I gave up mathematics; and I
+have acquired a smattering of his own policy, which is to look after
+the substance, and leave the shadow--or the _drapeau_, if you like it
+better--to whoever pleases."
+
+"I confess, however," said I, "I don't well understand your enthusiasm
+about war and your indifference about its trophies. To me the
+associations they suggest are pleasurable beyond anything."
+
+"I think I remember something of that kind in myself formerly," said he,
+musing. "There was a time when the blast of a trumpet, or even the clank
+of a sabre, used to set my heart thumping. Happily, however, the organ
+has grown steeled against even more stirring sounds; and I listened to
+the salute to-day, fired as it was by that imposing body, the artillery
+of the 'Garde Nationale,' with an equanimity truly wonderful. Apropos,
+my dear Burke; talk of heroism and self-devotion as you will, but show
+me anything to compare with the gallantry of those fellows we saw to-day
+on the Quai Voltaire,--a set of grocers, periwig-makers, umbrella and
+sausage men, with portly paunches and spectacles,--ramming down charges,
+sponging, loading, and firing real cannon. On my word of honor, it was
+fearful."
+
+"They say his Majesty is very proud indeed of the National Guard of
+Paris."
+
+"Of course he is. Look at them, and just think what must be the
+enthusiasm of men who will adopt a career so repugnant, not only to
+their fancy, but their very formation. Remember that he who runs
+yonder with a twenty-four pounder never handled anything heavier than a
+wig-block, and that the only charges of the little man beside him have
+been made in his day-book. By Saint Denis! the dromedary guard we had
+in Egypt were more at home in their saddles than the squadron who rode
+beside the archbishop's carriage."
+
+"It is scarcely fair, after all," said I, half laughing, "to
+criticise them so severely; and the more, as I think you had some old
+acquaintances among them."
+
+"Ha! you saw that, did you?" said he, smiling. "No, by Jove! I never met
+them before. But that _confrerie_ of soldiers--you understand--soon made
+us acquainted; and I saw one old fellow speaking to a very pretty girl I
+guessed to be his daughter, and soon cemented a small friendship with
+him: here's his card."
+
+"His card! Why, are you to visit him?"
+
+"Better again; I shall dine there on Monday next. Let us see how he
+calls himself: 'Hippolyte Pierrot, stay and corset-maker to her Majesty
+the Empress, No. 22 Rue du Bac,--third floor above the _entresol._'
+_Diable!_ we 're high up. Unfortunately, I am scarcely intimate enough
+to bring a friend."
+
+"Oh, make no excuses on that head," said I, laughing; "I really have no
+desire to see Monsieur Hippolyte Pierrot's _menage_. And now, what are
+your engagements for this evening? Are you for the Opera?"
+
+"I don't well know," said he, pausing. "Madame Caulaincourt receives,
+and of course expects to see our gay jackets in her _salon_ any time
+before or after supper. Then there's the Comtesse de Nevers: I never go
+there without meeting my tailor; the fellow's a spy of the police, and
+a confectioner to boot, and he serves the ices, and reports the
+conversations in the Place Vendome and that side of the Rue St.
+Honore,--I couldn't take a glass of lemonade without being dunned. Then,
+in the Faubourg I must go in plain clothes,--they would not let the
+'livery of the Usurper' pass the porter's lodge; besides, they worry one
+with their enthusiastic joy or grief,--as the last letter from England
+mentions whether the Comte d'Artois has eaten too many oysters, or found
+London beer too strong for him."
+
+"From all which I guess that you are indisposed to stir."
+
+"I believe that is about the fact. Truth is, Burke, there is only one
+soiree in all Paris I 'd take the trouble to dress for this evening;
+and, strange enough, it's the only house where I don't know the people.
+He is a commissary-general, or a 'fournisseur' of some kind or other of
+the army; always from home, they say; with a wife who was once, and a
+daughter who is now, exceeding pretty; keeps a splendid house; and, like
+an honest man, makes restitution of all he can cheat in the campaign by
+giving good dinners in the capital. His Majesty, at the solicitation of
+the Empress, I believe, made him a count,--God's mercy it was not a
+king!--and as they come from Guadaloupe, or Otaheite, no one disputes
+their right. Besides, this is not a time for such punctilio. This is all
+I know of them, for unfortunately they settled here since I joined the
+army."
+
+"And the name?"
+
+"Oh, a very plausible name, I assure you. Lacostellerie,--Madame la
+Comtesse de Lacostellerie."
+
+"By Jove! you remind me I have letters for her,--a circumstance I had
+totally forgotten, though it was coupled with a commission."
+
+"A letter! Why, nothing was ever so fortunate. Don't lose a moment; you
+have just time to leave it, with your card, before dinner. You'll have
+an invitation for this evening at once."
+
+"But I have not the slightest wish."
+
+"No matter, _I_ have; and you shall bring me."
+
+"You forget," said I, mimicking his own words, "I am unfortunately not
+intimate enough."
+
+"As to that," replied he, "there is a vast difference between the
+etiquette Rue du Bac, No. 22, three floors above the _entresol_, and the
+gorgeous _salons_ of the Hotel Clichy, Rue Faubourg St. Honore; ceremony
+has the advantage in the former by a height of three pair of stairs, not
+to speak of the _entresol_."
+
+"But I don't know the people."
+
+"Nor I."
+
+"But how am I to present you?"
+
+"Easily enough,--'Captain Duchesne, Imperial Guard;' or, if you prefer
+it, I 'll do the honors for _you_."
+
+"With all my heart, then," said I, laughing; and pre-pared to pay the
+visit in question.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X. THE HOTEL DE CLICHY
+
+Duchesne was correct in all his calculations. I had scarcely reached the
+Luxembourg when a valet brought me a card for the comtesse's soiree
+for that evening. It was accordingly agreed upon that we were to go
+together; I as the invited, he as my friend.
+
+"All your finery, Burke, remember that," said he, as we separated to
+dress. "The uniform of the _compagnie d'elite_ is as much a decoration
+in a _salon_ as a camellia or a geranium."
+
+When he re-entered my room half an hour later, I was struck by the blaze
+of orders and decorations with which his jacket was covered; while at
+his side there hung a magnificent _sabre d'honneur_, such as the Emperor
+was accustomed to confer on his most distinguished officers.
+
+"You smile at all this bravery," said he, wilfully misinterpreting
+my look of admiration; "but remember where we are going."
+
+"On the contrary," interrupted I; "but it is the first time I knew you
+had the cross of the Legion."
+
+"_Parbleu!_" said he, with an insolent shrug of his shoulders, "I had
+lent it to my hairdresser for a ball at the 'Cirque.' But here comes the
+carriage."
+
+While we drove along towards the Faubourg I had time to learn some
+further particulars of the people to whose house we were proceeding;
+and for my reader's information may as well impart them here, with such
+other facts as I subsequently collected myself.
+
+Like most of the _salons_ of the new aristocracy, Madame Lacostellerie
+received people of every section of party and every class of political
+opinion. Standing equally aloof from the old regime and the members
+of the Jacobin party, her receptions were a kind of neutral territory,
+where each could come without compromise of dignity: for already, except
+among the most starched adherents of the Bourbons, few of whom remained
+in France, there was a growing spirit to side with the Napoleonists
+in preference to the revolutionary section; while the latter, with all
+their pretensions to simplicity and primitive tastes, felt no little
+pride in mixing with the very aristocracy they so loudly inveighed
+against. Besides all this, wealth had its prestige. Never, in the
+palmiest days of the royalty, were entertainments of greater splendor;
+and the Legitimists, however disposed to be critical on the company,
+could afford to be just regarding the cuisine,--the luxury of these
+modern dinners eclipsing the most costly displays of former times, where
+hereditary rank and ancient nobility contributed to adorn the scene.
+And, lastly, the admixture of every grade and class extended the field
+of conversational agreeability, throwing in new elements and eliciting
+new features in a society where peers, actors, poets, bankers, painters,
+soldiers, speculators, journalists, and adventurers were confusedly
+mixed together; making, as it were, a common fund of their principles
+and their prejudices, and starting anew in life with what they could
+seize in the scramble.
+
+After following the long line of carriages for above an hour, we at last
+turned into a large courtyard, lit up almost to the brightness of day.
+Here the equipages of many of the ministers were standing,--a privilege
+accorded to them above the other guests. I recognized among the number
+the splendid liveries of Decres; and the stately carriage of Talleyrand,
+whose household always proclaimed itself as belonging to a "seigneur"
+of the oldest blood of France,--the most perfect type of a highbred
+gentleman. Our progress from the vestibule to the stairs was a slow one.
+The double current of those pressing upwards and downwards delayed us
+long; and at last we reached a spacious antechamber, where even greater
+numbers stood awaiting their turn, if happily it should come, to move
+forward.
+
+While here, the names of those announced conveyed tous a fair impression
+of the whole company. Among the first was Le General Junot, Berthollet
+(the celebrated chemist), Lafayette, Monges, Daru, Comte de Mailles (a
+Legitimist noble), David (the regicide), the Ambassador of Prussia,
+M. Pasquier, Talma. Such were the names we heard following in quick
+succession; when suddenly an avenue was opened by a master of the
+ceremonies before me, who read from my card the words, "Le Capitaine
+Burke, officier d'elite; le Chevalier Duchesne, presente par lui." And
+advancing within the doorway, I found myself opposite a very handsome
+woman, whose brilliant dress and blaze of diamonds concealed any ravages
+time might have made upon her beauty.
+
+She was conversing with the Arch-Chancellor, Cambaceres, when my name
+was announced; and turning rapidly round, touched my arm with her
+bouquet, as she said, with a most gracious smile,--
+
+"I am but too much flattered to see you on so short an invitation; but
+M. de Tascher's note led me to hope I might presume so far. Your friend,
+I believe?"
+
+"I have taken the great liberty--"
+
+"Indeed, Madame la Comtesse," said Duchesne, interrupting, "I must
+exculpate my friend here. This intrusion rests on my own head, and has
+no other apology than my long cherished wish to pay my homage to the
+most distinguished ornament of the Parisian world."
+
+As he spoke, the quiet flow of his words, and the low deferential bow
+with which he accompanied them, completely divested his speech of its
+tone of gross flattery, and merely made it seem a very fitting and
+appropriate expression.
+
+"This would be a very high compliment, indeed," replied Madame de
+Lacostellerie, with a flush of evident pleasure on her cheek, "had it
+even come from one less known than the Chevalier Duchesne. I hope the
+Duchesse de Montserrat is well,--your aunt, if I mistake not?" "Yes,
+Madame," said he, "in excellent health; it will afford her great
+pleasure when I inform her of your polite inquiry."
+
+Another announcement now compelled us to follow the current in front,
+which I was well content to do, and escape from an interchange of fine
+speeches, of whose sincerity, on one side at least, I had very strong
+misgivings.
+
+"So, then, the comtesse is acquainted with your family?" said I, in a
+whisper.
+
+"Who said so?" replied he, laughing.
+
+"Did she not ask after the Duchesse de Montserrat?"
+
+"And then?"
+
+"And didn't you promise to convey her very kind message?"
+
+"To be sure I did. But are you simple enough to think that either of us
+were serious in what we said? Why, my dear friend, she never saw my
+aunt in her life; nor, if I were to hint at her inquiry for her to
+the duchesse, am I certain it would not cost me something like a half
+million of francs the old lady has left me in her will,--on my word, I
+firmly believe she'd never forgive it. You know little what these people
+of the _vieille roche_, as they call themselves, are like. Do you see
+that handsome fellow yonder, with a star on a blue cordon?"
+
+"I don't know him; but I see he's a Marshal of France."
+
+"Well, I saw that same aunt of mine rise up and leave the room because
+_he_ sat down in her presence!"
+
+"Oh! that was intolerable."
+
+"So she deemed his insolence. Come, move on; they 're dancing in the
+next _salon_." And without saying more, we pushed through the crowd in
+the direction of the music.
+
+It is only by referring to the sensations experienced by those who see
+a ballet at the Opera for the first time that I can at all convey my own
+on entering the _salle de danse_. My first feeling was that of absolute
+shame. Never before had I seen that affectation of stage costume which
+then was the rage in society. The short and floating jupe--formed of
+some light and gauzy texture, which, even where it covered the figure,
+betrayed the form and proportions of the wearer--was worn low on the
+bosom and shoulders, and attached at the waist by a ribbon, whose knot
+hung negligently down in seeming disorder. The hair fell in long and
+floating masses loose upon the neck, waving in free tresses with every
+motion of the figure, and adding to that air of abandon which seemed so
+studiously aimed at. But more than anything in mere costume was the
+look and expression, in which a character of languid voluptuousness
+was written, and made to harmonize with the easy grace of floating
+movements, and sympathize with gestures full of passionate fascination.
+
+[Illustration: The Dance 134]
+
+"Now, Burke," said Duchesne, as he threw his eyes over the room, "shall
+I find a partner for you? for I believe I know most of the people here.
+That pretty blonde yonder, with the diamond buckles in her shoes, is
+Mademoiselle de Rancy, with a dowry of some millions of francs; what say
+you to pushing your fortune there? Don't forget the _officier d'elite_
+is a trump card just now; and there's no time to lose, for there will
+soon be a new deal."
+
+"Not if she had the throne of France in reversion," said I; turning away
+in disgust from a figure which, though perfectly beautiful, outraged at
+every movement that greatest charm of womanhood,--her inborn modesty.
+
+"Ah, then, you don't fancy a blonde!" said he, carelessly, whether
+wilfully misunderstanding me or not I could not say. "Nor I either,"
+added he. "There, now, is something far more to my taste; is she not a
+lovely girl?"
+
+She to whom he now directed my attention was standing at the side of
+the room, and leaning on her partner's arm; her head slightly turned,
+so that we could not see her features, but her figure was actually
+faultless. Hers was not one of those gossamer shapes which flitted
+around and about us, balancing on tiptoe, or gracefully floating with
+extending arms. Rather strongly built than otherwise, she stood with
+the firm foot and the straight ankle of a marble statue; her arms, well
+rounded, hung easily from her full, wide shoulders; while her head,
+slightly thrown back, was balanced on her neck with an air at once
+dignified and easy. Her dress well suited the character of her figure:
+it was entirely of black, covered with a profusion of deep lace,--the
+jupe looped up in Andalusian fashion to display the leg, whose symmetry
+was perfect. Even her costume, however, had something about it too
+theatrical for my taste; but there was a stamp of firmness, _fierte_
+even, in her carriage and her attitude, that at once showed hers was
+no vulgar desire of being remarkable, but the womanly consciousness of
+being dressed as became her. She suddenly turned her head around, and
+we both exclaimed in the same breath, "How lovely!" Her features were of
+that brilliant character only seen in Southern blood: eyes large, black,
+and lustrous, fringed with lashes that threw their shadow on the very
+cheek; full lips, curled with an air of almost saucy expression; while
+the rich olive tint of her transparent skin was scarce colored with the
+pink flush of exercise, and harmonized perfectly with the proud repose
+of her countenance.
+
+"She must be Spanish,--that's certain," said Duchesne. "No one ever saw
+such an instep come from this side the Pyrenees; and those eyes have got
+their look of sleepy wickedness from Moorish blood. But here comes one
+will tell us all about her."
+
+This was the Baron de Treve,--a withered-looking, dried-up old man,
+rouged to the eyes, and dressed in the extravagance of the last fashion;
+the high collar of his coat rising nearly to the back of his head, as
+his deep cravat in front entirely concealed his mouth, and formed a kind
+of barrier around his features.
+
+As Duchesne addressed him, he stopped short, and assuming an attitude
+of great intended grace, raised his glass slowly to his eye, and looked
+towards the lady.
+
+"Ah! the senorina. Don't you know _her?_ Why, where have you been, my
+dear chevalier? Oh! I forgot. You've been in Austria, or Russia, or some
+barbarous place or other. She is the belle, _par excellence_; nothing
+else is talked of in Paris."
+
+"But her name? Who is she?" said Duchesne, impatiently.
+
+"Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie, the daughter of the house," said the
+baron, completely overcome with astonishment at our ignorance. "And you
+not to know this!--you, of all men living! Why," he continued, dropping
+his voice to a lower key, "there never was such a fortune. Mines of
+rubies and emeralds; continents of coffee, rice, and sandal-wood; spice
+islands and sugar plantations, to make one's mouth water."
+
+"By Jove, Baron! you seem somewhat susceptible yourself."
+
+"I had my thoughts on the subject," said he, with a half sigh. "But,
+_helas!_ there are so many ties to be broken! so many tender chains one
+must snap asunder!"
+
+"I understand," said Duchesne, with an air of well-assumed seriousness;
+"the thing was impossible. Now, then, what say you to assist a friend?"
+
+"You,--yourself, do you mean?"
+
+"Of course, Baron; no other."
+
+"Come this way," said the old man, taking him by the arm, and leading
+him along to another part of the room, while Duchesne, with a sly look
+at me, followed.
+
+While I stood awaiting his return, my thoughts became fixed on Duchesne
+himself, of whose character I never felt free from my misgivings. The
+cold indifference he manifested on ordinary occasions to everything and
+everybody, I now saw could give way to strong impetuosity; but even this
+might be assumed also. As I pondered thus, I had not remarked that the
+dance was concluded; and already the dancers were proceeding towards
+their seats, when I heard my name uttered beside me,--"Capitaine
+Burke." I turned; it was the countess herself, leaning on the arm of her
+daughter.
+
+"I wish to present you to my daughter," said she, with a courteous
+smile. "The college friend and brother officer of your cousin Tascher,
+Pauline."
+
+The young lady courtesied with an air of cold reserve; I bowed deeply
+before her; while the countess continued,--
+
+"We hope to have the pleasure of seeing you frequently during your
+stay in Paris, when we shall have a better opportunity of making your
+acquaintance."
+
+As I expressed my sense of this politeness, I turned to address a few
+words to mademoiselle; and requesting to have the honor of dancing
+with her, she looked at me with an air of surprise, as though not
+understanding my words, when suddenly the countess interposed,--
+
+"I fear that my daughter's engagements have been made long since; but
+another night--"
+
+"I will hope--"
+
+But before I could say more, the countess addressed another person near
+her, and mademoiselle, turning her head superciliously away, did not
+deign me any further attention; so that, abashed and awkward at so
+unfavorable a _debut_ in the gay world, I fell back, and mixed with the
+crowd.
+
+As I did so, I found myself among a group of officers, one of whom was
+relating an anecdote just then current in Paris, and which I mention
+merely as illustrating in some measure the habits of the period.
+
+At the levee of the Emperor on the morning before, an old general of
+brigade advanced to pay his respects, when Napoleon observed some drops
+of rain glistening on the embroidery of his uniform. He immediately
+turned towards one of his suite, and gave orders to ascertain by what
+carriage the general had arrived. The answer was, that he had come in
+a _fiacre_,--a hired vehicle, which by the rules of the Court was not
+admitted within the court of the Tuileries, and thus he was obliged to
+walk above one hundred yards before he could obtain shelter. The old
+officer, who knew nothing of the tender solicitude of the Emperor, was
+confounded with astonishment to observe at his departure a handsome
+_caleche_ and two splendid horses at his service.
+
+"Whose carriage is this?" said he.
+
+"Yours, Monsieur le General."
+
+"And the servant, and the horses?"
+
+"Yours, also. His Majesty has graciously been pleased to order them for
+you; and desires you will remember that the sum of six thousand francs
+will be deducted from your pay to meet the cost of the equipage which
+the Emperor deems befitting your rank in the service."
+
+"It is thus," said the narrator, "the Emperor would enforce that
+liberality on others he so eminently displays himself. The spoils of
+Italy and Austria are destined, not to found a new _noblesse_, but to
+enrich the _bourgeoisie_ of this good city of Paris. I say, Edward,
+is not that Duchesne yonder? I thought he was above patronizing the
+_salons_ of a mere commissary-general."
+
+"You don't know the chevalier," replied the other; "no game flies
+too high or too low for his mark. Depend upon it, he's not here for
+nothing."
+
+"If mademoiselle be the object," said a third, "I'll swear he shall have
+no rivalry on my side. By Jove I I 'd rather face a charge of Hulans
+than speak to her."
+
+"If thou wert a Marshal of France, Claude, thou wouldst think
+differently."
+
+"If I were a Marshal of France," repeated he, with energy, "I'd rather
+marry Minette, the vivandiere of ours."
+
+"And no bad choice either," broke in a large! heavy-looking officer.
+"There is but one objection to such an arrangement."
+
+"And that, if I might ask--"
+
+"Simple enough. She would n't have you."
+
+The young man endeavored to join in the laugh this speech excited among
+the rest, though it was evident he felt ill at ease from the ridicule.
+
+"A thousand pardons, my dear Burke," said Duchesne, at this moment, as
+he slipped his arm through mine; "but I thought I should have been in
+need of your services a few minutes ago."
+
+"Ah! how?"
+
+"Move a little aside, and I 'll tell you. I wished to ask mademoiselle
+to dance, and approached her for the purpose. She was standing with
+a number of people, all strangers to me, at the doorway
+yonder,--Dobretski, that Russian prince, the only man I knew amongst
+them. A very chilling 'Engaged, sir,' was the answer of the lady to my
+first request. The same reply met my second and third; when the Russian,
+as if desirous to increase the awkwardness of my position, interposed
+with, 'And the fourth set mademoiselle dances with me.'
+
+"'In that case,' said I, 'I may fairly claim the fifth.'
+
+"'On what grounds, sir?' said she, with a look of easy impertinence.
+
+"'The Emperor's orders, Mademoiselle,' said I, proudly.
+
+"'Indeed, sir! May I ask how and when?'
+
+"'Austerlitz, December 2. The order of four o'clock, dated from Reygern,
+says, "The Imperial Guard will follow closely on the track of the
+Russians." (Signed) "Napoleon."'
+
+"'In that case, sir,' said she, 'I cannot dispute his Majesty's orders.
+I shall dance the fifth with you.'"
+
+"And the Russian,--what said he?"
+
+"_Ma foi!_ I paid no attention to him; for as mademoiselle moved off
+with her partner, I strolled away in search of you."
+
+If I was amused at this recital of the chevalier, I could not avoid
+feeling piqued at the greater success he had than myself; for still the
+chilling reception I had met with was rankling in my mind.
+
+"Let us move away from this quarter," said Duchesne. "Here we have got
+ourselves among a knot of old campaigners, with their stupid stories
+of Cairo and Acre, Alexandria and the Adige. By Jove! if anything would
+make me a Legitimist, it is my disgust at those confounded narratives
+about Kleber and Desaix; the Emperor himself does not despise the time
+of the Revolution more heartily than I do. Come, there's _bouillotte_
+yonder; let us go and win some pieces. I feel I'm in vein; and even
+to lose would be better than listen to these people. It was only a few
+minutes ago I was hunted, away from Madame de Muraire by old Berthollet,
+who is persuading her that her diamonds are but charcoal, and that a
+necklace is only fit to roast an ortolan. This comes of letting savants
+into society; decidedly, they had much better taste in the time of the
+Monarchy."
+
+It was with some difficulty we succeeded in approaching the _bouillotte_
+table, where, to judge from the stakes, very high play was going
+forward. Duchesne was quickly recognized among the players, who made
+place for him among them. I soon saw that he was not mistaken in
+supposing he was in luck; every _coup_ was successful, and, while he
+continued to win time after time, the heap of gold grew greater, till it
+covered the part of the table before him.
+
+"Most certainly, Burke," said he, in a whisper, "this is a strong turn
+of Fortune, who, being a woman, won't long be of the same mind. Five
+thousand francs," cried he, throwing the _billet de banque_ carelessly
+before him, while he turned to resume what he was saying to me. "Were I
+in action now, I 'd win the _baton de marechal_. I feel it; there's an
+innate sense of luck when it means to be steady."
+
+"The Chevalier Duchesne! the Chevalier Duchesne!" was repeated from
+voice to voice, outside the circle; "Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie is
+waiting to waltz with you."
+
+"A thousand pardons," said he, rising. "Burke, continue my game, while
+I try if I can't push fortune the whole way." So saying, and without
+listening to my excuses about ignorance of play, he pressed me into his
+seat, and pushed his way through the crowd to join the dancers.
+
+It was only when the players asked me if I intended to go on that I was
+aware of the position in which I found myself. I knew little more of the
+game than I had learned in looking over the table; but I was aware of
+the strict etiquette in all the play of society, which enjoins a revenge
+to every loser, so that I continued to bet and stake for Duchesne as
+I had seen him do already,--not, however, with such fortune. He had
+scarcely left the table when luck changed; and now I saw his riches
+decreasing even more rapidly than they had been accumulated. At last,
+after a long run of ill fortune, when I had staked a very large sum on
+the board, just as the banker was about to begin, I changed my mind and
+withdrew half of it.
+
+"No, no,--let it stay," whispered a voice in my ear; "the sooner this is
+over the better."
+
+I turned. It was Duchesne himself, who for some time had been seated
+behind my chair and looking on at the game.
+
+Fleeting as was the glance I had of his features, I fancied they were
+somewhat paler than usual. Could this be from the turn of fortune? But
+no. I watched him now, and I perceived that he never even looked at the
+game. At last, I staked all that remained in one _coup_, and lost; when,
+drawing forth my own purse, I was about to make another bet,--
+
+"No, no, Burke," whispered he in my ear; "I was only waiting for this
+moment. Let us come away now. I rise as I sat down, Messieurs," he said,
+gayly; while he added, in a lower tone, "Sauf l'honneur."
+
+"Have you had enough of gayety for one night?" said he, as he drew my
+arm within his. "Shall we turn home wards?"
+
+"Willingly," said I; for somehow I felt chagrined and vexed at my
+ill-luck, and was angry with myself for playing.
+
+"Come along, then; this door will bring us to the stairs."
+
+As we passed along hastily through the crowd, I saw that a young officer
+in a hussar uniform whispered something in Duchesne's ear; to which
+he quickly replied, "Certainly." And as he spoke again in the same low
+tone, Duchesne answered, "Agreed, sir," with a courteous smile, and a
+look of much pleasure.
+
+"Well, Burke," said he, turning to me, "these are about the most
+splendid _salons_ in Paris; I think I never saw more perfect taste. I
+certainly must thank you for being my chaperon here."
+
+"You forget, Duchesne, the Duchesse de Montserrat, it seems," said I,
+laughing.
+
+"By Jove, and so I had!" said he. "Yet the initiative lay with you;
+how the termination may be is another matter," added he, in a mumbling
+voice, not intended to be heard.
+
+"At all events," said I, puzzled what to say, and feeling I should
+say something, "I am happy your Russian friend took no notice of your
+speech."
+
+"And why?" said he, with a peculiar smile,--"and why?"
+
+"I abhor a duel, in the first place."
+
+"But, my dear boy, that speech smacks much more of the Ecole de Jesuites
+than of St. Cyr. Don't let any one less your friend than I am hear you
+say so."
+
+"I care not who may hear it. Necessity may make me meet an adversary in
+single combat; but as to acting the cold-blooded part of a bystander--as
+to being the witness of my friend's crime, or his own death--"
+
+"Come, come; when you exchange the dolman for an alb I 'll listen to
+this from you, if I can listen to it from any one. But happily, now we
+have no time for more morality, for here comes the carriage."
+
+Chatting pleasantly about the soiree and its company, we rolled along
+towards our quarters, and parted with a cordial shake of the hand for
+the night.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI. A SALLE DE POLICE
+
+When I entered the breakfast-room the following morning, I found
+Duchesne stretched before the fire in an easy-chair, busily engaged
+in reading the "Moniteur" of that day, where a long list of imperial
+_ordonnances_ filled nearly three columns.
+
+"Here have I been," said he, "conning over this catalogue of princely
+favor these twenty minutes, and yet cannot discern one word of our
+well-beloved cousins Captains Burke and Duchesne. And yet there seems to
+be a hailstorm of promotions. Some of them have got grand duchies; some
+principalities; some have the cross of the Legion; and here, by
+Jove! are some endowed with wives. Now that his Majesty has taken to
+christening and marrying, I suppose we shall soon see him administering
+all the succors of Holy Church. Have you much interest in hearing
+that Talleyrand is to be called Prince of Benevente, and Murat is now
+Grand-Duke of Berg,--that Sebastiani is to be married to Mademoiselle de
+Coigny, and Monsieur Decazes, _fils de_ M. Decazes, has taken some one
+else to wife? Oh dear, oh dear! It's all very tiresome, and not even the
+fete of Saint Napoleon--"
+
+"Of whom?" said I, laughing.
+
+"Saint Napoleon, _parbleu!_ It's no joking matter, I assure you. Here
+is the letter of the cardinal legate to the arch-bishops and bishops
+of France, commanding that the first Sunday in the August of each year
+should be set apart to celebrate his saintship, with an account of the
+processions to take place, and various plenary indulgences to the pious
+who shall present themselves on the occasion. Fouche could tell you the
+names of some people who bled freely to get rid of all this trumpery;
+and, in good sooth, it's rather hard, if we could not endure Saint
+Louis, to be obliged to tolerate Saint Napoleon,--saints, like Bordeaux
+wine, being all the more palatable when they have age to mellow them. I
+could forgive anything, however, but this system of forced marriages;
+it smacks too much of old Frederick for my taste. And one cannot always
+have the luck of your friend General d'Auvergne."
+
+I felt my cheek grow burning hot at the words. Duchesne did not notice
+my confusion, but continued,--
+
+"And yet, of all the ill-assorted unions for which his sainted Majesty
+will have to account hereafter, that was unquestionably the most
+extraordinary."
+
+"But I have heard, and I believe too, that the marriage was not of the
+Emperor's making; it was purely a matter of liking."
+
+"Come, come, Burke," said he, laughing, "you will not tell me that the
+handsomest girl at the Court, with a large dowry, an ancient name, and
+every advantage of position, marries an old weather-beaten soldier--the
+senior officer of her own father once--of her own free will and choice.
+The thing is absurd. No, no; these are the Imperial recompenses, when
+grand duchies are scarce and confiscations few. The Emperor does not
+travel for nothing. He brought back with him from Egypt something
+besides his Mameluke Guard: that clever trick the pachas have of
+providing a favorite with an ex-sultana. There, there! don't look so
+angrily. We shall both be marshals of France one of these days, and that
+may reconcile one to a great deal."
+
+"You are determined to owe nothing of your promotion to a blind devotion
+to Napoleon,--that's certain," said I, annoyed at the tone of insolent
+disparagement in which he spoke.
+
+"You are right,--perfectly right there," replied he, in a quiet tone of
+voice. "No man would rather hug himself up in an illusion, if he could
+but make it minister to his pleasure or his enjoyment; but when it does
+neither,--when the material is so flimsy as to be seen through at every
+minute,--I throw it from me as a worthless garment, unfit to wear."
+
+"Can you, then, deem Napoleon's glory such?"
+
+"Of course, to me it is. How am I a sharer in his triumphs, save as the
+charger that marches in the cavalcade? You don't perceive that I, as the
+descendant of an old Loyalist family, would have fared far better with
+the Bourbons, from reasons of blood and kindred; and a hundred times
+better with the Jacobins, from very recklessness."
+
+"How then came it--"
+
+"I will spare you the question. I liked neither emigration nor the
+guillotine, and preferred the slow suffering of ennui to the quick death
+of the scaffold. There has been but one career in France for many a day
+past. I adopted it as much from necessity as choice; I followed it more
+from habit than either."
+
+"But you cannot be insensible to the greatness of your country, nor her
+success in arms."
+
+"Nor am I; but these things are a small ingredient in patriotism. You,
+the stranger, share with us all our triumphs in the field. But the
+inherent features of a nation,--the distinctive traits of which every
+son of the soil feels proud,--where are they now? What is France to me
+more than to you? One half my kindred are exiled; of those who remain,
+many regard me as a renegade. Their properties confiscated, themselves
+suspected, what tie binds them to this country? You are not more an
+alien here than I am."
+
+"And yet, Duchesne, you shed your blood freely for this same cause you
+condemn. You charged the Pratzen, some days ago, with four squadrons,
+against a whole column of Russian cavalry."
+
+"Ay, and would again to-morrow, boy. Had you been a gambler, I need n't
+have told you that it is the game, not the stake, that interests the
+real gamester. But come, do not fancy I want to make you a convert to
+these tiresome theories of mine. What say you to the pretty Mademoiselle
+Pauline? Did you admire her much?"
+
+"She is unquestionably very handsome; but, if I must confess it, her
+manner towards me was too ungracious to make me loud in her praise."
+
+"I like that, I vow," said Duchesne; "that saucy air has an
+indescribable charm for me. I don't know if it is not the very thing
+which pleases me most about her. She has been spoiled by flattery and
+admiration; for her beauty and her fortune are prizes in the great
+wheel. And that she is aware of the fact is nothing wonderful,
+considering that she hears it repeated every evening of her life, by
+every-rank in the service, from a marshal of France down to--a captain
+in the _chasseurs a cheval_," said he, laughing.
+
+"Who, probably, was one of the last to tell her so," said I, looking at
+him slyly.
+
+"What have we here?" said he, suddenly, without paying any attention to
+my remark, as he again took up the "Moniteur." "'It is rumored that the
+Russian Prince, Drobretski, was dangerously wounded this morning in an
+affair of honor. The names of the other party and the seconds are
+still unknown; but the efforts of the police, stimulated by the express
+command of the Emperor, will, it is to be hoped, succeed in discovering
+them ere long.'"
+
+"Is not that the name of your Russian friend of last night, Duchesne?"
+
+"Yes. And the same person, too, formerly Russian minister at Madrid, and
+latterly residing on his parole at Paris," continued he, reading from
+the paper. "'The very decided part his Majesty has taken against the
+practice of duelling is strengthened on this occasion by a recent order
+of council respecting the prisoners on parole.' _Diable!_ Burke, what
+a scrupulous turn Napoleon seems to have taken in regard to these
+Cossacks! And here follows a long list of witnesses who have seen
+nothing, and suspicious circumstances that occur every morning in the
+week without remark. After all, I don't think the Empire has advanced
+us much on the score of police,--the same threadbare jests, the same
+old practical jokes, amused the _bourgeoisie_ in the time of Louis the
+Fourteenth."
+
+"I don't clearly understand your meaning."
+
+"It is simply this,--that every Government of France, from Pepin
+downwards, has understood the value of throwing public interest, from
+time to time, on a false scent, and to this end has maintained a police.
+Now, if for any cause his Majesty thought proper to incarcerate that
+Russian prince in the Temple or La Force, the affair would cause a
+tremendous sensation in Paris, and soon would ring over the whole of
+Germany and the rest of Europe, with every variation of despotism,
+tyranny, and all that, attached to it, long before any advantages to be
+derived from the step could be realized. Whereas see the effect of an
+opposite policy. By this report of a duel, for instance,--I don't
+mean to assert it false, here,--the whole object is attained, and
+an admirable subject of Imperial praise obtained into the bargain.
+Governments have learned wisdom from the cuttlefish, and can muddy
+the water on their enemies at the moment of danger. I should not be
+surprised if the affairs of the Bank looked badly this morning."
+
+"It is evident, then, you disbelieve the whole statement about the
+duel."
+
+"My dear friend," said he, smiling, "who is there in all Paris, from
+Montmartre to St. Denis, believes, or disbelieves, any one thing in the
+times we live in? Have we not trusted so implicitly for years past to
+the light of our reason that we have actually injured our eyesight with
+ils brilliancy. Little reproach, indeed, to our minds, when our very
+senses seem to mislead us; when one sees the people who enter the
+Tuileries now with embroidered coats, who in our father's days never
+came nearer to it than the Place de Carrousel. _Helas!_ it's no time for
+incredulity, that's certain. But to conclude," said he, turning to the
+paper once more: "'The _commissaires de police_ throughout Paris have
+received orders to spare no effort to unravel the mystery and detect the
+other parties in this unhappy affair.' Military tribunal; prisoners
+on parole; rights of hospitality; honor of France; and the old
+peroration,--the usual compliment on the wisdom which presides over
+every department of state. How weary I do become of all this! Let your
+barber puff his dye for the whiskers, or your bootmaker the incomparable
+effulgence of his blacking,--the thing is in keeping, no one objects to
+it. I don't find fault with my old friend, Pigault Lebrun, if he now and
+then plays the critic on himself, and shows the world the beauties they
+neglectfully slurred over. But, Burke, have you ever seen a _bureau de
+police?_"
+
+"Never; and I have the greatest curiosity to do so."
+
+"Come, then, I 'll be your guide. The _commissaire_ of this quarter
+has a very extended jurisdiction, stretching away towards the Bois de
+Boulogne, and if there be anything in this report, he is certain to
+know it; and assuredly, no other topic will be talked of till to-morrow
+evening, for it's not Opera night, and Talma does not play either."
+
+I willingly accepted this proposition; and when our breakfast was over,
+we mounted our horses, and set out for the place in question.
+
+"If the forms of justice where we are now going," said Duchesne,
+"be divested of much of their pomp and ceremony, be assured of one
+thing,--it is not at the expense of the more material essence. Of all
+the police tribunals about Paris, this obscure den in the Bue de Dix
+Sous is the most effective. Situated in a quarter where crime is as
+rife as fever in the Pontine Marshes, it has become acquainted with
+the haunts and habits of the lowest class in Paris,--the lowest class,
+probably, in any city of Europe. Watching with parental solicitude,
+it tracks the criminal from his first step in vice to his last deed in
+crime; from his petty theft to his murder. Knowing the necessities to
+which poverty impels men, and studying with attention the impulses
+that grow up amid despair and hunger, it sees motives through a mist of
+intervening circumstances that would baffle less subtle observers, and
+can trace the tortuous windings of crime where no other sight could
+find the clew. Is it not strange to think with what ingenuity men will
+investigate the minute anatomy of vice, and how little they will do to
+apply this knowledge to its remedy? Like the surgeon, enamored of
+his operating skill, he would rather exhibit his dexterity in the
+amputation, than his science in the saving, of the limb. Such is the
+bureau of the police in the poorer quarters. In the more fashionable
+ones it takes a higher flight; amusing the world with its scenes,
+alternately humorous and pathetic, it forms a kind of feature in the
+literature of the period, and is the only reading of thousands. In these
+places the _commissaire_ is usually a _bon vivant_ and a wit; despising
+the miserable function of administering the law, he takes his seat upon
+the bench to cap jokes with the witnesses, puzzle the complainant,
+and embarrass the prisoner. To the reporters alone is he civil; and in
+return, his poor witticisms appear in the morning papers, with the usual
+'loud laughter' that never existed save in type."
+
+As we thus chatted, we entered a quarter of dirty and narrow streets,
+inhabited by a poor-looking, squalid population. The women, with little
+to mark their sex in their coarse, heavy countenances, wore colored
+kerchiefs on their heads in lieu of a cap, and were for the most part
+without shoes or stockings. The men, a brutalized, stupid race, sat
+smoking in the doorways, scarcely lifting their eyes as we passed; or
+some were eating a coarse morsel of black rye bread, which, by their
+eagerness in devouring it, seemed an unusual delicacy.
+
+"You scarcely believed there was such poverty in Paris," said he; "but
+this is by no means the worst of the quarter. Though M. de Champagny, in
+his late report, makes no mention of these 'signs of prosperity,' we are
+now entering the region where, even in noonday, the passage is deemed
+perilous; but the number of police agents on duty to-day will make the
+journey a safe one."
+
+The street we entered at the moment consisted of a mass of tall houses,
+almost falling from decay and neglect,--scarcely a window remained in
+many of them; while in front, a row of miserable booths, formed of rude
+planks, narrowed the passage to a mere path, scarce wide enough for
+three people abreast. There, vice of every description, and drunkenness,
+waited not for the dark hours to shroud them, but came forth in the
+sunlight,--the ruffian shouts of intoxication mingling with the almost
+maniacal laugh of misery or the reckless chorus of some degrading song.
+Half-naked wretches leaned from the windows as we passed along,--some
+staring in stupid wonderment at our appearance; others saluting us with
+mockery and grimace, or even calling out to us in the slang dialect of
+the place.
+
+"Yes," said Duchesne, as he saw the expression of horror and disgust
+the scene impressed on me, "here are the rotting seeds of revolutions
+putrefying, to germinate at some future day. Starvation and vice,
+misery, even to despair, inhabit every den around you. The furious
+and bloodthirsty wretch of '92, the Chouan, the Jacobite, the escaped
+galley-slave, the untaken murderer, are here side by side,--crime their
+great bond of union. To this place men come for an assassin or a false
+witness, as to a market. Such are the wrecks the retiring waves of a
+Revolution have left us. So long as the trade of blood lasted, openly,
+like vultures, they fattened on it; but once the reign of order
+restored, they were driven to murder and outrage as a livelihood."
+
+While he was speaking, we approached a narrow arched passage, within
+which a flight of stone steps arose. "We dismount here," said he.
+
+At the same moment a group of ragged creatures, of every age, surrounded
+us to hold our horses, not noticing the orderly who rode at some
+distance behind us. I followed Duchesne up the steps, and along a gloomy
+corridor, to a little courtyard, where several dismounted gendarmes
+were standing in a circle, chatting. Passing through this, we entered a
+dirty, mean-looking house, around the door of which several people were
+collected, some of whom saluted the chevalier as he came up.
+
+"Who are these fellows?" said I. "They seem to know you."
+
+"Oh! nothing but the common police spies," said he, carelessly; "the
+fellows who lounge about the cabarets and the low gambling-houses. But
+here comes one of higher mark."
+
+As he spoke, he laid his hand on the arm of a tall, powerful-looking
+man, in a blouse; he wore immense whiskers, and a great beard,
+descending far below his chin. "Ah! Bocquin, what have we got going
+forward to-day? I came to show a young friend here the interior of your
+_salle_."
+
+"Monsieur le Capitaine, your most obedient," said the man, in a deep
+voice, as he removed his casquette, and bowed ceremoniously to us; "and
+yours also, Monsieur," added he, turning to me. "Why, there is nothing
+to speak of, save that duel, Capitaine."
+
+"Come, come, Bocquin; no nonsense with me. What was that story got up
+for?"
+
+"Ah! you mistake there," said Bocquin. "By Jove! there's a man badly
+wounded, shot through the neck, and no one to tell a word about it. No
+seconds present, the thing done quite privately; the wounded man left at
+his own door, and the other off,--Heaven knows where."
+
+"And you believe this tale, Bocquin?" said Duchesne, superciliously.
+
+"Believe it!--that I do. I have been to see the place where the man lay;
+and by tracking the wheel marks, I have discovered they came from the
+Champs Elysees. The cabriolet, too, was a private one; no _fiacre_ has
+got so narrow a tire to the wheel."
+
+"Closely followed up,--eh, Burke?" said the chevalier, turning towards
+me with a smile of admiration at his sagacity. "Go on, Bocquin."
+
+"Well, I followed the scent to the Barriere de l'Etoile, where I learned
+that one cabriolet passed towards the Bois de Boulogne, and returned in
+about half an hour. As the pace was a sharp one, I guessed they could
+not have gone far, and so I turned into the wood at the first road to
+the right, where there is least recourse of people; and, by Jove! I was
+all correct. There, in a small open space between the trees, I saw the
+marks of recent footsteps, and a little farther on found the grass all
+covered with blood."
+
+"Monsieur Bocquin! Monsieur Bocquin! the _commissaire_ wants you," cried
+a voice from the landing of the stair; and with an apology for leaving
+thus suddenly, he turned away.
+
+We followed, however, curious to hear the remainder of this singular
+history; and, after some difficulty, succeeded in gaining admittance to
+a small room, now densely crowded with people, the most of whom were
+of the very lowest class. The _commissaire_ speedily made place for
+us beside him on the bench; for, like every one else in a conspicuous
+position, he also was an acquaintance of Duchesne.
+
+While the _commissaire_ conversed with Bocquin in a low tone, we had
+time to observe the _salle_ and its occupants. Except the witnesses,
+two or three of whom were respectable persons, they were the
+squalid-looking, ragged wretches of the quarter, listening with the
+greedy appetite of crime to any tale of bloodshed. The surgeon, who had
+just returned from visiting the wounded man, was waiting to be examined.
+To him now the _commissaire_ directed his attention. It appeared that
+the wound was by no means of the dangerous character described, being
+merely through the fleshy portion of the neck, without injuring any
+part of importance. Having described circumstantially the extent of
+the injury and its probable cause, he replied to a question of the
+_commissaire_, that no entreaty could persuade the wounded man to
+give any explanation of the occurrence, nor mention the name of his
+adversary. Duchesne paid little apparent attention to the evidence, and
+before it was concluded, asked me if I were satisfied with my police
+experience, and disposed to move away.
+
+Just at this moment there was a stir among the people round the door,
+and we heard the officers of the court cry out, "Room! make way
+there!" and the same moment General Duroc entered, accompanied by an
+aide-de-camp. He had been sent specially by the Emperor to ascertain
+what progress the investigation had made. His Majesty had determined to
+push the inquiry to its utmost limits. The general appeared dissatisfied
+with the little prospect there appeared of elucidation; and turning to
+Duchesne, remarked,--
+
+"This is peculiarly ill-timed just now, as negotiations are pending with
+Russia, and the prince's family are about the person of the Czar."
+
+"But as the wound would seem of little consequence, in a few days
+perhaps the whole thing may blow over," said Duchesne.
+
+"It is for that very reason," replied Duroc, earnestly, "that we are
+pressed for time. The object is to mark the sentiments of his Majesty
+_now_. Should the prince be once pronounced out of danger, it will be
+too late for sympathy."
+
+"Oh! I perceive," said Duchesne, smiling; "your observation is most
+just. If my friend here, however, cannot put you on the track, I fear
+you have little to hope for elsewhere."
+
+"I am aware of that; and Monsieur Cauchois knows the great reliance his
+Majesty reposes in his skill and activity."
+
+Monsieur Cauchois, the _commissaire_, bowed with a most respectful air
+at the compliment, probably of all others the highest that could be paid
+him.
+
+"A brilliant soiree we had last evening, Duchesne," said the general. "I
+hope this unhappy affair will not close that house at present; you are
+aware the prince is the suitor of mademoiselle?"
+
+"I only suspected as much," said the chevalier, with a peculiar smile;
+"it was my first evening there."
+
+As General Duroc addressed a few words in a low tone to the
+_commissaire_, the man called Bocquin approached the bench, and handed
+up a small slip of paper to Duchesne. The chevalier opened it, and
+having thrown his eyes over it, passed it into my hand. All I could see
+were two words, written coarsely with the pencil,--"How much?"
+
+The chevalier turned the back of the paper, and wrote, "Fifty
+napoleons."
+
+On reading which the large man tore the scrap, and nodding slightly
+with his head, sauntered from the room. We rose a few moments after,
+and having taken a formal leave of the general and the _commissaire_,
+proceeded towards the street, where we had left our horses. As we passed
+along the corridor, however, we found Bocquin awaiting us. He opened
+a door into a small, mean-looking apartment, of which he appeared the
+owner. Having ushered us in, and cautiously closed it behind him, he
+drew from his pocket a piece of cloth, to which a button and a piece of
+gold embroidery were attached.
+
+"Your jacket would be spoiled without this morsel, Captain," said he,
+laughing, in a low, dry laugh.
+
+"So it would, Bocquin," said Duchesne, examining his coat, which I now
+perceived was torn on the shoulder, and a small piece--the exact one in
+his hand--wanting, but which had escaped my attention from the mass of
+gold lace and embroidery with which it was covered.
+
+"Do you know, Bocquin," said Duchesne, in a tone much graver than he had
+used before, "I never noticed that?"
+
+"_Parbleu!_ I believe you," said he, laughing; "nor did I, till you sat
+on the bench, when I was so pleased with your coolness, I could not for
+the life of me interrupt you."
+
+"Have you got any money, Burke?" said the chevalier; "some twenty gold
+pieces--"
+
+"No, no, Captain," said Bocquin, "not now; another time. I must call
+upon you one of these mornings about another affair, and it will be time
+enough then."
+
+"As you please, Bocquin," said the chevalier, putting up his purse
+again; "and so, till we meet."
+
+"Till we meet, gentlemen," replied the other, as he bowed us
+respectfully to the door.
+
+"You seem to have but a very faint comprehension of all this, Burke,"
+said Duchesne, as he took my arm; "you look confoundedly puzzled, I must
+say."
+
+"If I didn't, I should be an admirable actor, that's all," said I.
+
+"Why, I think the thing is plain enough, in all conscience; Bocquin
+found that piece of my jacket on the ground, and, of course, the affair
+was in his hands."
+
+"Why, do you mean to say--"
+
+"That I shot Monsieur le Prince this morning, at a quarter past seven
+o'clock, and felt devilish uncomfortable about it till the last ten
+minutes, my boy. If I did not confide the matter to you before, it
+was because that until all chance of detection was passed, I could not
+expose you to the risk of an examination before the _prefet de police_.
+Happily, now these dangers are all over. Bocquin is too clever a fellow
+not to throw all the other spies on a wrong scent, so that we need have
+no fear of the result."
+
+I could scarcely credit the evidence of my senses at the coolness and
+duplicity of the chevalier throughout an affair of such imminent
+risk, nor was I less astonished at the account he gave of the whole
+proceeding.
+
+One word, on leaving the soiree, had decided there should be a meeting
+the following day; and as the Russian well knew the danger of his
+adventure, from the law which was recently passed regarding prisoners
+on parole, he proposed they should meet without seconds on either side.
+Duchesne acceded; and it was arranged that the chevalier should drive
+along the Bue de Rivoli at seven the next morning, where the Russian
+would join him, and they should drive together to the Bois de Boulogne.
+
+"To do my Cossack justice," said Duchesne, "he behaved admirably
+throughout the whole affair; and on taking his place beside me in the
+cab, entered into conversation freely and easily on the topics of
+the day. We chatted of the campaign; of the cavalry; of the Russian
+service,--their size and equipment, only needing a higher organization
+to make them first-rate troops. We spoke of the Emperor Alexander, of
+whom he was evidently proud, and much pleased to hear the favorable
+opinion Napoleon entertained of his ability and capacity; and it was in
+the middle of an anecdote about Savary and the Czar we arrived at the
+Bois de Boulogne.
+
+"I need not tell you the details of the affair, save that we loaded
+our own pistols, and stepped the ground ourselves. They were like other
+things of the same sort,--the first shot concluded the matter. I aimed
+at his shoulder, but the pistol threw high. As to his bullet, it was
+only awhile ago I knew it went so near me. It was nervous work passing
+the _barriere_; for had he not made an effort to sit up straight in the
+cab, the sentry might have detained and examined us. All that you heard
+about his being left at his own door, covered with blood and fainting, I
+need not tell you has no truth. I never left the spot till the door was
+opened, and I saw him in the hands of a servant. Of course I concealed
+my face, and then drove off at full speed."
+
+By this time we arrived at the Luxembourg, and Duchesne, with all the
+coolness in the world, joined a knot of persons engaged in discussing
+the duel, and endeavoring, by sundry clever and ingenious explanations,
+to account for the circumstance.
+
+As I sauntered along to my quarters, I pondered over the adventure and
+the character of the chevalier; and however I might turn the matter in
+my mind, one thought was ever uppermost,--a sincere wish that I had not
+been made his confidant in the secret.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII. THE RETURN OF THE WOUNDED
+
+A few mornings after this occurrence, when, as Duchesne himself
+prophesied, all memory of it was completely forgotten, the _ordre du
+jour_ from the Tuileries commanded all the troops then garrisoned in
+Paris to be under arms at an early hour in the Champs Elysees, when the
+Emperor would pass them in review. The spectacle had, however, another
+object, which was not generally known. The convoys of the wounded from
+Austerlitz were that same day to arrive at Paris, and the display of
+troops was intended at once to honor this _entree_, and give to the sad
+procession of the maimed and dying the semblance of a triumph. Such were
+the artful devices which ever ministered to the deceit of the nation,
+and suffered them to look on but one side of their glory.
+
+As I anticipated, the chevalier was greatly out of temper at the
+whole of this proceeding. He detested nothing more than those military
+displays which are got up for the populace; he despised the exhibition
+of troops to the vulgar and unmeaning criticism of tailors and barbers;
+and, more than all, he shrank from the companionship of the National
+Guard of Paris,--those shop-keeping soldiers, with their umbrellas and
+spectacles, who figured with such pride on these occasions.
+
+"Another affair like this," said he, passionately, "and I'd resign my
+commission. A procession at the Porte St. Martin,--the _boeuf gras_ on
+Easter Monday,--I'm your man for either: but to sit bolt upright on your
+saddle for three, maybe four hours; to be stared at by every _bourgeois_
+from the Rue du Bac; to be pointed at with pink parasols and compared
+with some ribbon-vender of the Boulevards,--_par Saint Louis!_ I can't
+even bear to think of it! Look yonder," said he, pointing to the court
+of the Palace, where already a regiment was drawn up under arms,
+and passing in inspection before the colonel; "there begins the
+dress-rehearsal already. His Majesty says mid-day; the generals of
+division draw out their men at eleven o'clock; the colonels take a
+look at their corps at ten; the _chefs de bataillon_ at nine; and,
+_parbleu!_the corporals are at work by daybreak. Then, what confounded
+drilling and dressing up, as if Napoleon could detect the slightest
+waving of the line over two leagues of ground; while you see the
+luckless adjutants flying hither and thither, cursing, imprecating,
+and threatening, and hastily reiterating at the head of each company,
+'Remember, men, be sure to remember, that when the drums beat to arms,
+you shout "Vive l'Empereur!"' Rely upon it, Burke, if we had but one
+half of these preparations before a battle, we 'd not be the dangerous
+fellows those Russians and Austrians think us."
+
+"Come, come," said I, "you shall not persuade me that the soldiers feel
+no pride on these occasions. The same men who fight so valiantly for
+their Emperor--"
+
+"Stop there, I beg of you," said he, bursting into a fit of laughter.
+"I must really cry halt now. So long as you live, my dear friend, let
+nothing induce you to repeat that worn cant, 'Fight for their Emperor!'
+Why, they fought as bravely for Turenne, and Villars, and Marechal Saxe;
+they were as full of courage under Moreau, and Kleber, and Desaix, and
+Hoche; ay, and will be again when the Emperor is no more, and Heaven
+knows who stands in his place. The genius of a French army is fighting,
+not for gain, nor plunder, nor even for glory, so much as for fighting
+itself; and he is the best man who gives them most of it. What reduced
+the reckless hordes of the Revolution to habits of discipline and
+obedience but the warlike spirit of their leaders, whose bravery they
+respected? And think you Napoleon himself does not feel this in his
+heart, and know the necessity of continual war to feed the insatiable
+appetite of his followers? In a word, my friend," added he, in a tone of
+mock solemnity, "we are a great people; and Nature intended us to be so
+by giving us a language in which _Gloire_ rhymes with _Victoire_. And
+now for the march, for I fancy we are late enough already."
+
+There are few sources of annoyance more poignant than to discover any
+illusion we have long indulged in assailed by the sneers and sarcasms
+of another, who assumes a tone of superior wisdom on the faith of a
+difference of opinion. The mass of our likings and dislikings find their
+way into our heart more from impulse than reason, and when attacked are
+scarcely defensible by any effort of the understanding. This very fact
+renders us more painfully alive to their preservation, and we shrink
+instinctively from any discussion of them. While such is the case, we
+feel more bitterly the cruelty of him who, out of mere wantonness, can
+sport with the sources of our happiness, and assail the hidden stores
+of so many of our pleasures; for unhappily the mockery once listened to
+lies associated with the idea forever.
+
+Already had Duchesne stripped me of more than one delusion, and made me
+feel that I was but indulging in a deceptive happiness in my dream of
+life; and often did I regret that I ever knew him. It is not enough to
+feel the sophistry of one's adversary, you should be able to detect and
+expose it, otherwise the triumphant tone he assumes gives him an air
+of victory which ends by imposing on yourself. And of this I now felt
+convinced in my own case.
+
+These thoughts rendered me silent as we wended our way towards the
+Tuileries, where the various officers of the staff and the _corps
+d'elite_ were assembled. Here we found several of the marshals in
+waiting for the Emperor, while the Mameluke Guard, in all the splendor
+of its gay equipments, stood around the great entrance to the Palace.
+Many handsome equipages were also there; one, conspicuous above the
+rest for its livery of white and gold, with four outriders, belonged to
+Madame Murat, the Grand-Duchess of Berg, whose taste for splendor and
+show extended to every department of her household.
+
+At last there was a movement in those nearest the Palace; the drums
+beat to arms, the guard within the vestibule presented, and the Emperor
+appeared, followed by a brilliant staff. He stood for a few seconds on
+the steps, his hands clasped behind his back, and his head a little bent
+forwards as if in thought; then, drawing himself up, he looked with
+a gaze of proud composure on the crowd that filled the court of the
+Palace, and where now all was silent and still. Never before had I
+remarked the same imperious expression of his features; but as his
+eye ranged over the brilliant array, now I could read the innate
+consciousness of superiority in which he excelled. Ney, Murat, Victor,
+Bessieres,--how little seemed they all before that mighty genius, whose
+glory they but reflected!
+
+Oh, how lightly then did I deem the mocking jests of Duchesne, or all
+that his sarcasm could invent! There stood the conqueror of Italy
+and Egypt, the victor of Marengo and Austerlitz, looking every inch a
+monarch and a soldier. Whether from thoughtless inattention or studied
+affectation I cannot say, but at that moment, when all stood in
+respectful silence before the Emperor, Duchesne had approached the
+grille of the Palace, next to the Place du Carrousel, and was busily
+chatting with a pretty-looking girl, who, with a number of others, sat
+in a hired caleche. A hearty burst of laughter at something he said rang
+through the court, and turned every eye in that direction. In an instant
+the Emperor's eagle glance pierced the distance, and fastened on the
+chevalier, who, seated carelessly on one side of his saddle, paid no
+attention to what was going forward; when suddenly an aide-de-camp
+touched him on the arm, and said,--
+
+"Monsieur le Capitaine Duchesne, his Majesty the Emperor would speak
+with you."
+
+Duchesne turned; a faint, a very faint flush, covered his cheek, and
+putting spurs to his horse, he galloped up to the front of the terrace,
+where the Emperor was standing. From the distance at which I stood,
+to hear what passed was impossible; but I watched with a most painful
+interest the scene before me.
+
+The Emperor's attitude was unchanged as the chevalier rode up; and when
+Duchesne himself seemed to listen with a respectful manner to the words
+of his Majesty, I could see by his easy bearing that his self-possession
+had never deserted him. The interview lasted not many minutes, when the
+Emperor waved his hand haughtily; and the chevalier, saluting with his
+sabre, backed his horse some paces, and then, wheeling round, rapidly
+galloped towards the gate, through which he passed.
+
+"This evening, then, Mademoiselle," said he, with a smile, "I hope to
+have the honor." And, with a courteous bow, rode on towards the archway
+opening on the quay.
+
+"What has happened?" said I, eagerly, to the officer at my side.
+
+He shook his head as if doubtful, and half fearing even to whisper at
+the moment.
+
+"His privilege of the _elite_ is withdrawn, sir," said an old general
+officer. "He must leave Paris to join his regiment in twenty-four
+hours."
+
+"Poor fellow!" muttered I, half aloud, when a savage frown from the
+veteran officer corrected my words.
+
+"What, sir!" said he, in a low voice, where every word was thickened to
+a guttural sound--"what, sir! is the court of the Tuileries no more than
+a canteen or a bivouac? _Pardieu!_ if it was not for his laced jacket he
+had been degraded to the ranks; ay, and deserved it too!"
+
+The coarse accents and underbred tone of the speaker showed me at once
+that it was one of the old generals of the Republican army, who never
+could endure the descendants of aristocratic families in the service,
+and who were too willing always to attribute to insolence and
+premeditated affront even the slightest breaches of military etiquette.
+
+Meanwhile the Emperor mounted, and accompanied by the officers of his
+staff, rode forward towards the Champs Elysees, while all of lesser note
+followed at a distance. From the garden of the Tuileries to the Barriere
+de l'Etoile the troops were ranged in four lines, the cavalry of the
+Guard and the artillery forming the ranks along the road by which the
+convoy must pass. It was a bright day, with a clear, frosty atmosphere
+and a blue sky, and well suited the brilliant spectacle.
+
+Scarcely had the Emperor issued from the Tuileries, when ten thousand
+shouts of "Vive l'Empereur!" rent the air; the cannon of the Invalides
+thundered forth at the same moment; and the crash of the military bands
+added their clangor to the sounds of joy. He rode slowly along the
+line, stopping frequently to speak with some of the soldiers, and giving
+orders to his suite concerning them. Of the officers in his staff that
+day, the greater number had been wounded at Austerlitz, and still bore
+the traces of their injuries. Rapp displayed a tremendous scar from a
+sabre across his cheek; Sebastiani wore his sword-arm in a sling; and
+Friant, unable to mount his horse, followed the Emperor on foot, leaning
+on a stick, and walking with great difficulty. The sight of these brave
+men, whose devotion to Napoleon had been proved on so many battlefields,
+added to the interest of the scene, and tended to excite popular
+enthusiasm to its utmost. But on Napoleon still all eyes were bent. The
+general who led their armies to victory, the monarch who raised France
+to the proudest place among the nations, was there, within a few paces
+of them. Each word he spoke was sinking deeply into some heart, prouder
+of that moment than of rank or riches.
+
+So slow was the Emperor's progress along the ranks that it was near
+three o'clock before he had arrived at the extremity of the line. The
+cavalry were now ordered to form in squadrons, and move past in
+close order. While this movement was effecting, a cannon-shot at the
+_barriere_ announced the approach of the convoy. The cavalry were halted
+in line once more, and the same moment the first wagon of the train
+appeared above the summit of the hill. So secretly had the whole been
+managed that none, save the officers of the various staffs, knew what
+was coming. While each look was turned, then, towards the _barriere_
+in astonishment, gradually the wagon rolled on, another followed, and
+another: these were, however, but the ambulances of the hospitals. And
+now the wounded themselves came in sight,--a white flag, that well-known
+signal, waving in front of each wagon, while a guard of honor,
+consisting of picked men of the different regiments, rode at either
+side.
+
+One loud cheer--a shout echoed back from the Tuileries itself--rang out,
+as the soldiers saw their brave companions restored to them once more.
+With that impulse which, even in discipline, French soldiers never
+forget, the men rushed forward to the wagons, and in a moment officers
+and men were in the arms of their comrades. What a scene it was to
+see the poor and wasted forms, mangled by shot and maimed of limb,
+brightening up again as home and friends surrounded them,--to hear their
+faint voices mingle with the questions for this one or for that, while
+the fate of some brave fellow met but one word in elegy!
+
+On they passed,--a sad train, but full of glorious memories. There were
+the grenadiers of Oudinot, who carried the Russian centre; eleven
+wagons were filled with their wounded. Here come the voltigeurs of
+Bernadotte's brigade; see how the fellows preserve their ancient
+repute, cheering and laughing,--ever the same, whether roistering at
+midnight in the Faubourg St. Antoine or rushing madly upon the ranks of
+the enemy! There are the dragoons of Nansouty, who charged the Imperial
+Guard of Russia; see the proud line that floats on their banner, "All
+wounded by the sabre!" And here come the cuirassiers of the Guard, with
+a detachment of their own as escort; how splendidly they look in the
+bright sun, and how proudly they come!
+
+As I looked, the Emperor rode forward, bareheaded, his whole staff
+uncovered. "Chapeau bas, Messieurs!" said he, in a loud voice. "Honor to
+the brave in misfortune!"
+
+Just then the escort halted, and I heard a laugh in front, close to
+where the Emperor was standing; but from the crowded staff around him,
+could not see what was going forward.
+
+"What is it?" said I, curious to learn the least incident of the scene.
+
+"Advance a pace or two, Captain," said the young officer I addressed;
+"you can see it all."
+
+I did so, and then beheld--oh, with what delight and surprise!--my poor
+friend, Pioche, seated on the driving-seat of a gun, with his hand in
+salute as the Emperor spoke to him.
+
+"Thou wilt not have promotion, nor a pension. What, then, can I do for
+thee?" said Napoleon, smiling. "Hast any friend in the service whom I
+could advance for thy sake?"
+
+"Yes, _parbleu!_" said Pioche, scratching his forehead, with a sort of
+puzzle and confusion even the Emperor smiled at, "I have a friend. But
+mayhap those wouldn't like--"
+
+"Ask me for nothing thou thinkest I could not, ought not to grant," said
+the Emperor, sternly. "What is't now?"
+
+The poor corporal seemed thoroughly nonplussed, and for a second or
+two could not reply. At last, as if summoning all his courage for the
+effort, he said,--
+
+"Well, thou canst but refuse, and then the fault will be all thine. She
+is a brave girl, and had she been a man--"
+
+"Whom can he mean?" said Napoleon. "Is the man's head wandering?"
+
+"No, _mon general!_ all right there; that shell has turned many a sabre's
+edge. I was talking of Minette, the vivandiere of ours. If thou art so
+bent on doing me a service, why, promote _her_, and thou'lt make the
+whole regiment proud of it."
+
+This speech was lost in the laugh which, beginning with the Emperor,
+extended to the staff, and at last to all the bystanders.
+
+"Dost wish I should make her one of my aides-de-camp?" said Napoleon,
+still laughing.
+
+"_Parbleu!_ thou hast more ill-favored ones among them," said Pioche,
+with a significant look at the grim faces of Rapp and Dam, whose hard
+and weather-beaten features never deigned a smile, while every other
+face was moved in laughter.
+
+"But thou hast not said yet what I am to do," rejoined the Emperor.
+
+"Thou used not to be so hard to understand," grumbled out Pioche. "I
+have seen the time thou 'd have said, 'Is it Minette that was wounded at
+the Adige? Is that the girl stood in the square at Marengo? _Parbleu!_ I
+'ll give her the cross of the Legion!'"
+
+"And she shall have it, Corporal Pioche," said Napoleon, as he detached
+the decoration he wore on the breast of his coat. "Give the order for
+the vivandiere to advance."
+
+Scarce were the words spoken, when the sound of a horse pressed to his
+speed was heard, and mounted upon a small but showy Arab, a present from
+the regiment, Minette rode up, in the bloom of health, and flushed
+by exercise and the excitement of the moment. I never saw her look
+so handsome. Reining in her horse short, as she came in front of the
+Emperor, the animal reared up, almost straight, and pawed the air with
+his forelegs; while she, with all the composure in life, raised her hand
+to her cap, and saluted the Emperor with an action the most easy and
+graceful.
+
+"Thou hast some yonder," said Pioche, with a grim smile at the staff,
+"would be sore puzzled to keep their saddles as well."
+
+[Illustration: Minnette 170]
+
+[Illustration: BrowneMinnette105]
+
+"Minette," said the Emperor, while he gazed on her handsome features
+with evident pleasure, "your name is well known to me for many actions
+of kindness and self-devotion. Wear this cross of the Legion of Honor;
+you will not value it the less that until now it has been only worn by
+me. Whenever you find one worthy to be your husband, Minette, I will
+charge myself with the dowry."
+
+"Oh, Sire!" said the trembling girl, as she pressed the Emperor's
+fingers to her lips,--"oh, Sire, is this real?"
+
+"Yes, _parbleu!_" said Pioche, wiping a large tear from his eye as he
+spoke; "he can make thee be a man, and make me feel like a girl."
+
+As Duroc attached the cross to the buttonhole of the vivandiere's frock,
+she sat pale as death, totally overcome by her sensations of pride, and
+unable to say more than "Oh, Sire!" which she repeated three or four
+times at intervals.
+
+Again the procession moved on; other wagons followed with their brave
+fellows; but all the interest of the scene was now, for me at least,
+wrapped up in that one incident, and I took but little notice of the
+rest.
+
+For full two hours the cortege continued to roll on,--wagon after
+wagon, filled with the shattered remnants of an army. Yet such was the
+indomitable spirit of the people, such the heartfelt passion for glory,
+all deemed that procession the proudest triumph of their arms. Nor was
+this feeling confined to the spectators; the wounded themselves leaned
+eagerly over the sides of the _charrettes_ to gaze into the crowds on
+either side, seeking some old familiar face, and looking through all
+their sufferings proudly on the dense mob beneath them. Some tried
+to cheer, and waved their powerless hands; but others, faint and
+heart-sick, turned their glazed eyes towards the "Invalides," whose
+lofty dome appeared above the trees, as though to say, that was now
+their resting-place,--the only one before the grave.
+
+He who witnessed that day could have little doubt about the guiding
+spirit of the French nation; nor could he distrust their willingness to
+sacrifice anything--nay, all--to national glory. Suffering and misery,
+wounds, ghastly and dreadful, were on every side; and yet not one word
+of pity, not a look of compassion was there. These men were, in _their_
+eyes, far too highly placed for sympathy; theirs was that path to which
+all aspired, and their trophies were their own worn frames and mangled
+bodies. And then how they brightened up as the Emperor would draw near!
+how even the faintest would strive to catch his eye and gaze with parted
+lips on him as he spoke, as though drinking in his very words,--the balm
+to their bruised hearts,--and the faint cry of "l'Empereur! l'Empereur!"
+passed like a murmur along the line.
+
+Not until the last wagon had defiled before him did the Emperor leave
+the ground. It was then nearly dark, and already the lamps were lighted
+along the quays, and the windows of the Palace displayed the brilliant
+lustre of the preparations for a grand dinner to the marshals.
+
+As we moved slowly along in close order, I found myself among a group
+of officers of the Emperor's staffs eagerly discussing the day and its
+events.
+
+"I am sorry for Duchesne," said one; "with all his impertinences--and
+he had enough of them--he was a brave fellow, and a glorious leader at a
+moment of difficulty."
+
+"Well, well, the Emperor has perhaps forgiven him by this time; and
+it is not likely he would mar the happiness of a day like this by
+disgracing an officer of the _elite_."
+
+"You are wrong, my friend; his Majesty is not sorry for the occasion
+which can prove that he knows as well how to punish as to reward.
+Duchesne's fate is sealed. You are not old enough to remember, as I can,
+the morning at Lonado, where the same _ardre du jour_ conferred a mark
+of honor on one brother, and condemned another to be shot."
+
+"And was this, indeed, the case?"
+
+"Ay, was it. Many can tell you of it, as well as myself. They were both
+in the same regiment--the fifteenth demi-brigade of light infantry. They
+held a chateau at Salo against the enemy for eight hours, when at length
+the elder, who commanded at the front, capitulated and laid down his
+arms; the younger refused to comply, and continued to fight. They were
+reinforced an hour afterwards, and the Austrians beaten off. The day
+after they were both tried, and the result was as I have told you; the
+utmost favor the younger could obtain was, not to witness the execution
+of his brother."
+
+As I heard this story, my very blood curdled in my veins, and I looked
+with a kind of dread on him who now rode a few paces in front of
+me,--the stern and pitiless Napoleon.
+
+At last we entered the court of the Tuileries, when the Emperor,
+dismissing his staff, entered the Palace, and we separated, to follow
+our own plans for the evening. For a moment or two I remained uncertain
+which way to turn. I wished much to see Duchesne, yet scarcely hoped to
+meet with him by returning to the Luxembourg. It was not the time to be
+away from him, at a moment like this, and I resolved to seek him out.
+
+For above an hour I went from cafe to cafe, where he was in the habit of
+resorting, but to no purpose. He had not been seen in any of them during
+the day; so that at length I turned homeward with the faint hope that I
+should see him there on my arrival.
+
+Somehow I never had felt more sad and depressed; and the events of the
+day, so far from making me participate in the general joy, had left me
+gloomy and desponding. My spirit was little in harmony with the gay and
+merry groups that passed along the streets, chanting their campaigning
+songs, and usually having some old soldier of the "Guard" amongst
+them; for they felt it as a fete, and were hurrying to the cabarets to
+celebrate the day of Austerlitz.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII. THE CHEVALIER.
+
+When men of high courage and proud hearts meet with reverses in life,
+our anxiety is rather to learn what new channel their thoughts and
+exertions will take in future, than to hear how they have borne up under
+misfortune. I knew Duchesne too well to suppose that any turn of fate
+would find him wholly unprepared; but still, a public reprimand, and
+from the lips of the Emperor, too, was of a nature to wound him to the
+quick, and I could not guess, nor picture to myself in what way he would
+bear it. The loss of grade itself was a thing of consequence, as the
+service of the _elite_ was reckoned a certain promotion; not to speak
+of--what to him was far more important--the banishment from Paris and
+its _salons_ to some gloomy and distant encampment. In speculations like
+these I returned to my quarters, where I was surprised to discover that
+the chevalier had not been since morning. I learned from his servant
+that he had dismissed him, with his horses, soon after leaving the
+Tuileries, and had not returned home from that time.
+
+I dined alone that day, and sat moodily by myself, thinking over the
+events of the morning, and wondering what had become of my friend, and
+watching every sound that might tell of his coming. It is true there
+were many things I liked not in Duchesne: his cold, sardonic spirit, his
+_moqueur_ temperament, chilled and repelled me; but I recognized, even
+through his own efforts at concealment, a manly tone of independence,
+a vigorous reliance on self, that raised him in my esteem, and made me
+regard him with a certain species of admiration. With his unsettled or
+unstable political opinions, I greatly dreaded the excess to which a
+spirit of revenge might carry him.
+
+I knew that the Jacobin party, and the Bourbons themselves, lay in
+wait for every erring member of the Imperial side; and I felt no little
+anxiety at the temptations they might hold out to him, at a moment when
+his excitement might have the mastery over his cooler judgment.
+
+Late in the evening a Government messenger arrived with a large letter
+addressed to him from the Minister of War; and even this caused me fresh
+uneasiness, since I connected the despatch in my mind with some detail
+of duty which his absence might leave unperformed.
+
+It was long past midnight, as I sat, vainly endeavoring to occupy myself
+with a book, which each moment I laid down to listen, when suddenly
+I heard the roll of a _fiacre_ in the court beneath, the great doors
+banged and closed, and the next moment the chevalier entered the room.
+
+He was dressed in plain clothes, and looked somewhat paler than usual,
+but though evidently laboring under excitement, affected his wonted ease
+and carelessness of manner, as, taking a chair in front of me, he sat
+down.
+
+"What a day of worry and trouble this has been, my dear friend!" he
+began. "From the moment I last saw you to the present one, I have not
+rested, and with four invitations to dinner, I have not dined anywhere."
+
+He paused as he said thus much, as if expecting me to say something;
+and I perceived that the embarrassment he felt rather increased than
+otherwise. I therefore endeavored to mumble out something about his
+hurried departure and the annoyance of such a sentence, when he stopped
+me suddenly.
+
+"Oh, as to _that_, I fancy the matter is arranged already; I should have
+had a letter from the War Office."
+
+"Yes, there is one here; it came three hours ago."
+
+He turned at once to the table, and breaking the seal, perused the
+packet in silence, then handed it to me, as he said,--
+
+"Bead that; it will save a world of explanation."
+
+It was dated five o'clock, and merely contained the following few
+words:--
+
+      His Majesty I. and R. accepts the resignation of Senior
+      Captain Duchesne, late of the Imperial Guard; who, from the
+      date of the present, is no longer in the service of France.
+
+      (Signed)
+
+      BERTHIER, Marshal of France.
+
+A small sealed note dropped from the packet, which Duchesne took up, and
+broke open with eagerness.
+
+"Ha! _parbleu!_" cried he, with energy; "I thought not. See here, Burke;
+it is Duroc who writes:--"
+
+      My dear Duchesne,--I knew there was no use in making such a
+      proposition, and told you as much. The moment I said the
+      word 'England,' he shouted out 'No!' in such a tone you
+      might have heard it at the Luxembourg. You will perceive,
+      then, the thing is impracticable; and perhaps, after all,
+      for your own sake, it is better it should be so.
+
+      Yours ever,                                    D.
+
+"This is all mystery to me, Duchesne; I cannot fathom it in the least."
+
+"Let me assist you; a few words will do it. I gave in my _demission_ as
+Captain of the Guard, which, as you see, his Majesty has accepted;
+we shall leave it to the 'Moniteur' of to-morrow to announce whether
+graciously or not. I also addressed a formal letter to Duroc, to ask the
+Emperor's permission to visit England, on private business of my own."
+His eyes sparkled with a malignant lustre as he said these last words,
+and his cheek grew deep scarlet. "This, however, his Majesty has not
+granted, doubtless from private reasons of his own; and thus we stand.
+Which of us, think you, has most spoiled the other's rest for this
+night?"
+
+"But still I do not comprehend. What can take you to England? You have
+no friends there; you've never been in that country."
+
+"Do you know the very word is proscribed,--that the island is covered
+from his eyes in the map he looks upon, that _perfide_ Albion is the
+demon that haunts his dark hours, and menaces with threatening gesture
+the downfall of all his present glory? Ah, by Saint Denis, boy! had I
+been you, it is not such an epaulette as this I had worn."
+
+"Enough, Duchesne; I will not hear more. Not to you, nor any one, am
+I answerable for the reasons that have guided my conduct; nor had I
+listened to so much, save that such excitement as yours may make that
+pardonable which in calmer moments is not so."
+
+"You say right, Burke," said he, quickly, and with more seriousness of
+manner; "it is seldom I have been betrayed into such a passionate warmth
+as this. I hope I have not offended you. This change of circumstance
+will make none in our friendship. I knew it, my dear boy. And now let us
+turn from such tiresome topics. Where, think you, have I been spending
+the evening? But how could you ever guess? Well, at the Odeon, attending
+Mademoiselle Pierrot, and a very pretty friend of hers,--one of our
+vivandieres, who happens to be in the brigade with mademoiselle's
+brother, and dined there to-day. She only arrived in Paris this morning;
+and, by Jove! there are some handsome faces in our gay _salons_ would
+scarcely stand the rivalry with hers. I must show you the fair Minette."
+
+"Minette!" stammered I, while a sickly sensation--a fear of some unknown
+misfortune to the poor girl--almost stopped my utterance. "I know her;
+she belongs to the Fourth Cuirassiers."
+
+"Ah, you know her? Who would have suspected my quiet friend of such an
+acquaintance? And so, you never hinted this to me. _Ma foi!_ I 'd have
+thought twice about throwing up my commission if I had seen her half
+an hour earlier. Come, tell me all you know of her. Where does she come
+from?"
+
+"Of her history I am totally ignorant; I can only tell you that her
+character is without a stain or reproach, in circumstances where few, if
+any save herself, ever walked scathless; that on more than one occasion
+she has displayed heroism worthy of the best among us."
+
+"Oh dear, oh dear, how disappointed I am! Indeed, I half feared as much:
+she is a regular vivandiere of the melodrame,--virtuous, high-minded,
+and intrepid. You, of course, believe all this,--don't be angry,
+Burke,--but I don't; and the reason is I can't,--the gods have left
+me incredulous from the cradle. I have a rooted obstinacy about me,
+perfectly irreclaimable. Thus, I fancy Napoleon to be a Corsican; a
+modern marshal to be a promoted sergeant; a judge of the upper court to
+be a public prosecutor; and a vivandiere of the _grande armee_--But I'll
+not offend,--don't be afraid, my poor fellow,--even at the risk of the
+rivalry. Upon my life, I 'm glad to see you have a heart susceptible
+of any little tenderness. But you cannot blame me if I 'm weary of this
+eternal travesty of character which goes on amongst us. Why will our
+Republican and _sans culotte_ friends try courtly airs and graces, while
+our real aristocracy stoop to the affected coarseness of the _canaille?_
+Is it possible that they who wish to found a new order of things do not
+see that all these pantomime costumes and characters denote nothing
+but change,--that we are only performing a comedy after all? I scarcely
+expect it will be a five-act one. And, apropos of comedies,--when shall
+we pay our respects to Madame de Lacostellerie? It will require all my
+diplomacy to keep my ground there under my recent misfortune. Nothing
+short of a tender inquiry from the Duchesse de Montserrat will open the
+doors for me. Alas, and alas! I suppose I shall have to fall back on the
+Faubourg."
+
+"But is the step irrevocable, Duchesne? Can you really bring yourself to
+forego a career which opened with such promise?"
+
+"And terminated with such disgrace," added he, smiling placidly.
+
+"Nay, nay; don't affect to take it thus. Your services would have placed
+you high, and won for you honors and rank."
+
+"And, _ma foi!_ have they not done so? Am I not a very interesting
+individual at this moment,--more so than any other of my life? Are not
+half the powdered heads of the Faubourg plotting over my downfall, and
+wondering how they are to secure me to the 'true cause'? Are not the hot
+heads of the Jacobites speculating on my admission, by a unanimous vote,
+into their order? And has not Fouche gone to the special expense of a
+new police spy, solely destined to dine at the same cafe, play at the
+same _salon_, and sit in the same box of the Opera with me? Is this
+nothing? Well, it will be good fun, after all, to set their wise brains
+on the wrong track; not to speak of the happiness of weeding one's
+acquaintance, which a little turn of fortune always effects so
+instantaneously."
+
+"One would suppose from your manner, Duchesne, that some unlooked-for
+piece of good luck had befallen you; the event seems to have been the
+crowning one of your life."
+
+"Am I not at liberty, boy? have I not thrown the slavery behind me? Is
+that nothing? You may fancy your collar, because there is some gold upon
+it; but, trust me, it galls the neck as cursedly as the veriest brass.
+Come, Burke, I must have a glass of champagne, and you must pledge me in
+a creaming bumper. If you don't join in the sentiment now, the time will
+come later on. We may be many a mile apart,--ay, perhaps a whole world
+will divide us; but you'll remember my toast,--'To him that is free!'
+I am sick of most things; women, wine, war, play,--the game of life
+itself, with all its dashing and existing interests,--I have had them
+to satiety. But liberty has its charm; even to the palsied arm and the
+withered hand freedom is dear; and why not to him who yet can strike?"
+
+His eyes flashed fire as he spoke, and he drained glass after glass of
+wine, without seeming aware of what he was doing.
+
+"If you felt thus, Duchesne, why have you remained so long a soldier?"
+
+"I 'll tell you. He who travels unwillingly along some dreary path stops
+often as he goes, and looks around to see if, in the sky above or the
+road beneath, some obstacle may not cross his way and bid him turn. The
+faintest sound of a brewing storm, the darkening shadow of a cloud,
+a swollen rivulet, is enough, and straightway he yields: so men seem
+swayed in life by trifles which never moved them, by accidents which
+came not near their hearts. These, which the world called their
+disappointments, were often but the pivots of their fortune. I have
+had enough, nay, more than enough, of all this. You must not ask the
+hackneyed actor of the melodrama to start at the blue lights, and feel
+real fear at burning forests and flaming chateaux. This mock passion of
+the Emperor--"
+
+"Come, my friend, that is indeed too much; unquestionably there was no
+feigning there."
+
+Duchesne gave a bitter laugh, and laying his hand on my arm, said,--
+
+"My good boy, I know him well. The knowledge has cost me something; but
+I have it. A soldier's enthusiasm!" said he, in irony,--"bah! Shall I
+tell you a little incident of my boyhood? I detest story-telling, but
+this you must hear. Fill my glass! listen, and I promise you not to be
+lengthy."
+
+It was the first time in our intimacy in which Duchesne referred
+distinctly to his past life; and I willingly accepted the offer he made,
+anticipating that any incident, no matter how trivial, might throw a
+light on the strange contrarieties of his character.
+
+He sat for several minutes silent, his eyes turned towards the ground. A
+faint smile, more of sadness than aught else, played about his lips, as
+he muttered to himself some words I could not catch. Then rallying, with
+a slight effort, he began thus--But, short as his tale was, we must give
+him a chapter to himself.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV. A BOYISH REMINISCENCE
+
+"I believe I have already told you, Burke, that my family were most of
+them Royalists. Such as were engaged in trade followed the fortunes
+of the day, and cried 'Vive la Republique!' like their neighbors. Some
+deemed it better to emigrate, and wait in a foreign land for the happy
+hour of returning to their own,--a circumstance, by the way, which must
+have tried their patience ere this; and a few, trusting to their obscure
+position, living in out-of-the-way, remote spots, supposed that in
+the general uproar they might escape undetected; and, with one or two
+exceptions, they were right. Among these latter was an unmarried brother
+of my mother, who having held a military command for a great many years
+in the Ile de Bourbon, retired to spend the remainder of his days in
+a small but beautiful chateau on the seaside, about three leagues
+from Marseilles. The old viscount (we continued to call him so among
+ourselves, though the use of titles was proscribed long before) had met
+with some disappointment in love in early life, which had prevented his
+ever marrying, and turned all his affections towards the children of his
+brothers and sisters, who invariably passed a couple of months of
+each summer with him, arriving from different parts of France for the
+purpose.
+
+"And truly it was a strange sight to see the mixture of look,
+expression, accent, and costume, that came to the rendezvous: the
+long-featured boy, with blue eyes and pointed chin,--cold, wary,
+and suspicious, brave but cautious,--that came from Normandy; the
+high-spirited, reckless youth from Brittany; the dark-eyed girl of
+Provence; the quick-tempered, warm-hearted Gascon and, stranger than
+all, from his contrast to the rest the little Parisian, with his airs
+of the capital and his contempt for his rustic brethren, nothing daunted
+that in all their boyish exercises he found himself so much their
+inferior. Our dear old uncle loved nothing so well as to have us around
+him; and even the little ones, of five and six years old, when not
+living too far off, were brought to these reunions, which were to us the
+great events of each year of our lives.
+
+"It was in the June of the year 1794--I shall not easily forget the
+date--that we were all assembled as usual at 'Le Luc.' Our party was
+reinforced by some three or four new visitors, among whom was a little
+girl of about twelve years old,--Annette de Noailles, the prettiest
+creature I ever beheld. Every land has its own trait of birth distinctly
+marked. I don't know whether you have observed that the brow and the
+forehead are more indicative of class in Frenchmen than any other
+portion of the face: hers was perfect, and though a mere child,
+conveyed an impression of tempered decision and mildness that was most
+fascinating; the character of her features was thoughtful, and were
+it not for a certain vivacity in the eyes, would have been even sad.
+Forgive me, if I dwell--when I need not--on these traits: she is no
+more. Her father carried her with him in his exile, and your lowering
+skies and gloomy air soon laid her low.
+
+"Annette was the child of Royalist parents. Both her father and mother
+had occupied places in the royal household; and she was accustomed from
+her earliest infancy to hear the praise of the Bourbons from lips which
+trembled when they spoke. Poor child! how well do I remember her
+little prayer for the martyred saint,--for so they styled the murdered
+king,--which she never missed saying each morning when the mass was over
+in the chapel of the chateau. It is a curious fact that the girls of a
+family were frequently attached to the fortunes of the Bourbons, while
+the boys declared for the Revolution; and these differences penetrated
+into the very core, and sapped the happiness of many whose affection had
+stood the test of every misfortune save the uprooting torrent of anarchy
+that poured in with the Revolution. These party differences entered
+into all the little quarrels of the schoolroom and the nursery; and the
+taunting epithets of either side were used in angry passion by those who
+neither guessed nor could understand their meaning. Need it be
+wondered at, if in after life these opinions took the tone of intense
+convictions, when even thus in infancy they were nurtured and fostered?
+Our little circle at Le Luc was, indeed, wonderfully free from such
+causes of contention; whatever paths in life fate had in store for us
+afterwards, then, at least, we were of one mind. A few of the boys,
+it is true, were struck by the successes of those great armies the
+Revolution poured over Europe; but even they were half ashamed to
+confess enthusiasm in a cause so constantly allied in their memory with
+everything mean and low-lived.
+
+"Such, in a few words, was the little party assembled around the
+supper-table of the chateau, on one lovely evening in June. The windows,
+opening to the ground, let in the perfumed air from many a sweet and
+flowery shrub without; while already the nightingale had begun her lay
+in the deep grove hard by. The evening was so calm we could hear the
+plash of the making tide upon the shore, and the minute peals of the
+waves smote on the ear with a soft and melancholy cadence that made
+us silent and thoughtful. As we sat for some minutes thus, we suddenly
+heard the sound of feet coming up the little gravel walk towards the
+chateau, and on going to the window, perceived three men in uniform
+leading their horses slowly along. The dusky light prevented our being
+able to distinguish their rank or condition; but my uncle, whose fears
+were easily excited by such visitors, at once hastened to the door to
+receive them.
+
+"His absence was not of many minutes' duration; but even now I can
+remember the strange sensations of dread that rendered us all speechless
+as we stood looking towards the door by which he was to enter. He came
+at last, and was followed by two officers; one, the elder, and the
+superior evidently, was a thin, slight man, of about thirty, with a
+pale but stern countenance, in which a certain haughty expression
+predominated; the other was a fine, soldierlike, frank-looking fellow,
+who saluted us all as he came in with a smile and a pleasant gesture of
+his hand.
+
+"'You may leave us, children,' said my uncle, as he proceeded towards
+the bell.
+
+"'You were at supper, if I mistake not?' said the elder of the two
+officers, with a degree of courtesy in his tone I scarcely expected.
+
+"'Yes, General. But my little friends--'
+
+"'Will, I hope, share with us,' said the general, interrupting; 'and I,
+at least, am determined, with your permission, that they shall remain.
+It is quite enough that we enjoy the hospitality of your chateau for the
+night, without interfering with the happiness of its inmates; and I beg
+that we may give you as little inconvenience as possible in providing
+for our accommodation.'
+
+"Though these words were spoken with an easy and a kindly tone, there
+was a cold, distant manner in the speaker that chilled us all, and
+while we drew over to the table again, it was in silence and constraint.
+Indeed, our poor uncle looked the very picture of dismay, endeavoring
+to do the honors to his guests and seem at ease, while it was clear his
+fears were ever uppermost in his mind.
+
+"The aide-de-camp--for such the young officer was--looked
+like one who could have been agreeable and amusing if the restraint of
+the general's presence was not over him. As it was, he spoke in a low,
+subdued voice, and seemed in great awe of his superior.
+
+"Unlike our usual ones, the meal was eaten in mournful stillness, the
+very youngest amongst us feeling the presence of the stranger as a thing
+of gloom and sadness.
+
+"Supper over, my uncle, perhaps hoping to relieve the embarrassment
+he labored under, asked permission of the general for us to remain,
+saying,--
+
+"'My little people, sir, are great novelists, and they usually amuse me
+of an evening by their stories. Will this be too great an endurance for
+you?'
+
+"'By no means,' said the general, gayly; 'there's nothing I like better,
+and I hope they will admit me as one of the party. I have something of a
+gift that way myself.'
+
+"The circle was soon formed, the general and his aide-de-camp making
+part of it; but though they both exerted themselves to the utmost to win
+our confidence, I know not why or wherefore, we could not shake off the
+gloom we had felt at first, but sat awkward and ill at ease, unable to
+utter a word, and even ashamed to look at each other.
+
+"'Come,' said the general, 'I see how it is. I have broken in upon a
+very happy party. I must make the only _amende_ in my power,--I shall be
+the story-teller for this evening.'
+
+"As he said this, he looked around the little circle, and by some
+seeming magic of his own, in an instant he had won us every one. We drew
+our chairs close towards him, and listened eagerly for his tale. Few
+people, save such as live much among children, or take the trouble to
+study their tone of feeling and thinking, are aware how far reality
+surpasses in interest the force of mere fiction. The fact is with them
+far more than all the art of the narrative; and if you cannot say 'this
+was true,' more than half of the pleasure your story confers is lost
+forever. Whether the general knew this, or that his memory supplied
+him more easily than his imagination, I cannot say; but his tale was
+a little incident of the siege of Toulon, where a drummer boy was
+killed,--having returned to the breach, after the attack was repulsed,
+to seek for a little cockade of ribbon his mother had fastened on his
+cap that morning. Simple as was the story, he told it with a subdued and
+tender pathos that made our hearts thrill and filled every eye around
+him.
+
+"'It was a poor thing, it's true,' said he, 'that knot of ribbon, but it
+was glory to him to rescue it from the enemy. His heart was on the time
+when he should show it, blood-stained and torn, and say, "I took it from
+the ground amid the grapeshot and the musketry. I was the only living
+thing there that moment; and see, I bore it away triumphantly."' As the
+general spoke, he unbuttoned the breast of his uniform, and took forth
+a small piece of crumpled ribbon, fastened in the shape of a cockade.
+'Here it is,' said he, holding it up before on? eyes; 'it was for this
+he died.' We could scarce see it through our tears. Poor Annette held
+her hands upon her face, and sobbed violently. 'Keep it, my sweet
+child,' said the general, as he attached the cockade to her shoulder;'
+it is a glorious emblem, and well worthy to be worn by one so pure and
+so fair as you are.'
+
+"Annette looked up, and as she did, her eyes fell upon the tricolor that
+hung from her shoulder,--the hated, the despised tricolor, the badge
+of that party whose cruelty she had thought of by day and dreamed of
+by night. She turned deadly pale, and sat, with lips compressed and
+clenched hands, unable to speak or stir.
+
+"'What is it? Are you ill, child?' said the general, suddenly.
+
+"'Annette, love! Annette, dearest!' said my uncle, trembling with
+anxiety, 'speak; what is the matter?'
+
+"'It is that!' cried I, fiercely, pointing to the knot, on which her
+eyes were bent with a shrinking horror I well knew the meaning of,--' it
+is that!'
+
+"The general bent on me a look of passionate meaning, as with a hissing
+tone he said, 'Do you mean this?'
+
+"'Yes,' said I, tearing it away, and trampling it beneath my
+feet,--'yes! it is not a Noailles can wear the badge of infamy and
+crime; the blood-stained tricolor can find slight favor here.'
+
+"'Hush, boy! hush, for Heaven's sake!' cried my uncle, trembling with
+fear.
+
+"The caution came too late. The general, taking a note-book from his
+pocket, opened it leisurely, and then turning towards the viscount,
+said, 'This youth's name is--'
+
+"'Duchesne; Henri Duchesne.'
+
+"'And his age?'
+
+"'Fourteen in March,' replied my uncle, as his eyes filled up; while he
+added, in a half whisper, 'if you mean the conscription, General, he has
+already supplied a substitute.'
+
+"'No matter, sir, if he had sent twenty; such defect of education as his
+needs correction. He shall join the levies at Toulon in three days; in
+three days, mark me! Depend upon it, sir,' said he, turning to me, 'you
+shall learn a lesson beneath that tricolor you'll be somewhat long
+in forgetting. Dumolle, look to this.' With this direction to his
+aide-de-camp he arose, and before my poor unhappy uncle could recover
+his self-possession to reply, had left the room.
+
+"'He will not do this, sir; surely, he will not,' said the viscount to
+the young officer.
+
+"'General Bonaparte does not relent, sir; and if he did, he 'd never
+show it,' was the cold reply.
+
+"That day week I carried a musket on the ramparts of Toulon. Here began
+a career I have followed ever since; with how much of enthusiasm I leave
+you to judge for yourself."
+
+As Duchesne concluded this little story he arose, and paced the room
+backwards and forwards with rapid steps, while his compressed lips and
+knitted brow showed he was lost in gloomy recollections of the past.
+
+"He was right, after all, Burke," said he, at length. "Personal honor
+will make the soldier; conviction may make the patriot. I fought as
+stoutly for this same cause as though I did not loathe it: how many
+others may be in the same position? You yourself, perhaps."
+
+"No, no; not I."
+
+"Well, be it so," rejoined he, carelessly. "Goodnight" And with that he
+strolled negligently from the room, and I heard him humming a tune as he
+mounted the stairs towards his bedroom.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV. A GOOD-BY
+
+"I have come to bring you a card for the Court ball, Capitaine," said
+General Daru, as he opened the door of my dressing-room the following
+morning. "See what a number of them I have here; but except your own,
+the addresses are not filled up. You are in favor at the Tuileries, it
+would seem."
+
+"I was not aware of my good fortune, General," replied I.
+
+"Be assured, however, it is such," said he. "These things are not, as so
+many deem them, mere matters of chance; every name is well weighed
+and conned over: the officers of the household serve one who does not
+forgive mistakes. And now that I think of it, you were intimate--very
+intimate, I believe--with Duchesne?"
+
+"Yes, sir; we were much together."
+
+"Well, then, after what has occurred, I need scarcely say your
+acquaintance with him had better cease. There is no middle course in
+these matters. Circumstances will not bring you, as formerly, into each
+other's company; and to continue your intimacy would be offensive to his
+Majesty."
+
+"But surely, sir, the friendship of persons so humble as we are can be
+a subject neither for the Emperor's satisfaction nor displeasure, if he
+even were to know of it?"
+
+"You must take my word for that," replied the general, somewhat sternly.
+"The counsel I have given to-day may come as a command to-morrow. The
+Chevalier Duchesne has given his Majesty great and grave offence; see
+that you are not led to follow his example." With a marked emphasis on
+the last few words, and with a cold bow, he left the room.
+
+"That I am not led to follow his example!" said I, repeating his words
+over slowly to myself. "Is that, then, the danger of which he would warn
+me?"
+
+The remembrance of the misfortunes which opened my career in life came
+full before me,--the unhappy acquaintance with De Beauvais, and the long
+train of suspicious circumstances that followed; and I shuddered at the
+bare thought of being again involved in apparent criminality. And yet,
+what a state of slavery was this! The thought flashed suddenly across my
+mind, and I exclaimed aloud, "And this is the liberty for which I have
+perilled life and limb,--this the cause for which I have become an alien
+and an exile!"
+
+"Most true, my dear friend," said Duchesne, gayly, as he slipped into
+the room, and drew his Chair towards the fire. "A wise reflection, but
+most unwisely spoken. But there are men nothing can teach; not even the
+'Temple' nor the 'Palais de Justice.'"
+
+"How, then,--you know of my unhappy imprisonment?"
+
+"Know of it? To be sure I do. Bless your sweet innocence! I have been
+told, a hundred times over, to make overtures to you from the Faubourg.
+There are at least a dozen old ladies there who believe firmly you are a
+true Legitimist, and wear the white cockade next your heart. I have had,
+over and over, the most tempting offers to make you. Faith, I 'm
+not quite certain if we are not believed to be, at this very moment,
+concocting how to smuggle over the frontier a brass carronade and a
+royal livery, two pounds of gunpowder and a court periwig, to restore
+the Bourbons!"
+
+He burst into a fit of laughing as he concluded; and however little
+disposed to mirth at the moment, I could not refrain from joining in the
+emotion.
+
+"But now for a moment of serious consideration, Burke; for I can be
+serious at times, at least when my friends are concerned. You and I must
+part here; it is all the better for you it should be so. I am what the
+world is pleased to call a 'dangerous companion;' and there's more truth
+in the epithet than they wot of who employ it. It is not because I am a
+man of pleasure, and occasionally a man of expensive habits and costly
+tastes, nor that I now and then play deep, or drink deep, or follow up
+with passionate determination any ruling propensity of the moment; but
+because I am a discontented and unsettled man, who has a vague ambition
+of being something he knows not what, by means he knows not how,--ever
+willing to throw himself into an enterprise where the prize is great and
+the risk greater, and yet never able to warm his wishes into enthusiasm
+nor his belief into a conviction: in a word, a Frenchman, born a
+Legitimist, reared a Democrat, educated an Imperialist, and turned
+adrift upon the world a scoffer. Such men as I am are dangerous
+companions; and when they increase, as they are likely to do in our
+state of society, will be still more dangerous citizens. But come, my
+good friend, don't look dismayed, nor distend your nostrils as if you
+were on the scent for a smell of brimstone,--'Satan s'en va!'"
+
+With these words he arose and held out his hand to me. "Don't let your
+Napoleonite ardor ooze out too rapidly, Burke, and you 'll be a marshal
+of France yet. There are great prizes in the wheel, to be had by those
+who strive for them. Adieu!"
+
+"But we shall meet, Duchesne?"
+
+"I hope so. The time may come, perhaps, when we may be intimate without
+alarming the police of the department. But, for the present, I am about
+to leave Paris; some friends in the South have been kind enough to
+invite me to visit them, and I start this afternoon."
+
+We shook hands once more, and Duchesne moved towards the door; then,
+turning suddenly about, he said, "Apropos of another matter,--this
+Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie.
+
+"What of her?" said I, with some curiosity in my tone.
+
+"Why, I have a kind of half suspicion, ripening into something like an
+assurance, that when we meet again she may be Madame Burke."
+
+"What nonsense, my dear friend! the absurdity--"
+
+"There is none whatever. An acquaintance begun like yours is very
+suggestive of such a termination. When the lady is saucy and the
+gentleman shy, the game stands usually thus: the one needs control and
+the other lacks courage. Let them change the cards, and see what comes
+of it."
+
+"You are wrong, Duchesne,--all wrong."
+
+"Be it so. I have been so often right, I can afford a false prediction
+without losing all my character as prophet. Adieu!"
+
+No sooner was I alone than I sat down to think over what he had said.
+The improbability, nay, as it seemed to me, the all but impossibility,
+of such an event as he foretold, seemed not less now than when first I
+heard it; but somehow I felt a kind of internal satisfaction, a sense of
+gratified vanity, to think that to so acute an observer as Duchesne such
+a circumstance did not appear even unreasonable. How hard it is to call
+in reason against the assault of flattery! How difficult to resist
+the force of an illusion by any appeal to our good sense and calmer
+judgment!
+
+It must not be supposed from this that I seriously contemplated such a
+possible turn of fortune,--far less wished for it. No; my satisfaction
+had a different source. It lay in the thought that I, the humble captain
+of hussars, should ever be thought of as the suitor of the greatest
+beauty and the richest dowry of the day: here was the mainspring of
+my flattered pride. As to any other feeling, I had none. I admired
+Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie greatly; she was, perhaps, the very
+handsomest girl I ever saw; there was not one in the whole range
+of Parisian society so much sought after; and there was a degree of
+distinction in being accounted even among the number of her admirers.
+Besides this, there lay a lurking desire in my heart that Marie de
+Meudon (for as such only could I think of her) should hear me thus
+spoken of. It seemed to me like a weak revenge on her own indifference
+to me; and I longed to make anything a cause of connecting my fate with
+the idea of her who yet held my whole heart.
+
+Only men who live much to themselves and their own thoughts know the
+pleasure of thus linking their fortunes, by some imaginary chain, to
+that of those they love. They are the straws that drowning men catch at;
+but still, for the moment, they sustain the sinking courage, and nerve
+the heart where all is failing. I felt this acutely. I knew well that
+she was not, nor could be, anything to me; but I knew, also, that to
+divest my mind of her image was to live in darkness, and that the mere
+chance of being remembered by her was happiness itself. It was while
+hearing of her I first imbibed the soldier's ardor from her own brother.
+She herself had placed before me the glorious triumphs of that career in
+words that never ceased to ring in my ears. All my hopes of distinction,
+my aspirations for success, were associated with the half prediction
+she had uttered; and I burned for an occasion by which I could signalize
+myself,--that she might read my name, perchance might say, "And _he_
+loved me!"
+
+In such a world of dreamy thought I passed day after day. Duchesne was
+gone, and I had no intimate companion to share my hours with, nor with
+whom I could expand in social freedom. Meanwhile, the gay life of the
+capital continued its onward course; fetes and balls succeeded
+each other; and each night I found myself a guest at some splendid
+entertainment, but where I neither knew nor was known to any one.
+
+It was on one morning, after a very magnificent fete at the
+Arch-Chancellor's, that I remembered, for the first time, I had not seen
+my poor friend Pioche since his arrival at Paris. A thrill of shame
+ran through me at the thought of having neglected to ask after my old
+comrade of the march, and I ordered my horse at once, to set out for
+the Hotel-Dieu, which had now been in great part devoted to the wounded
+soldiers.
+
+The day was a fine one for the season; and as I entered the large
+courtyard I perceived numbers of the invalids moving about in groups, to
+enjoy the air and the sun of a budding spring. Poor fellows! they were
+but the mere remnants of humanity. Several had lost both legs, and few
+were there without an empty sleeve to their loose blue coats. In a large
+hall, where three long tables were being laid for dinner, many were
+seated around the ample fireplaces; and at one of these a larger
+group than ordinary attracted my attention. They were not chatting and
+laughing, like the rest, but apparently in deep silence. I approached,
+curious to know the reason; and then perceived that they were all
+listening attentively to some one reading aloud. The tones of the voice
+were familiar to me; I stopped to hear them more plainly.
+
+It was Minette herself--the vivandiere--who sat there in the midst;
+beside her, half reclining in a deep, old-fashioned armchair, was "le
+gros Pioche," his huge beard descending midway on his chest, and his
+great mustache curling below his upper lip. He had greatly rallied since
+I saw him last, but still showed signs of debility and feebleness by the
+very attitude in which he lay.
+
+[Illustration 194]
+
+Mingling unperceived with the crowd, who were far too highly interested
+in the recital to pay any attention to my approach, I listened
+patiently, and soon perceived that mademoiselle was reading some
+incident of the Egyptian campaign from one of those innumerable volumes
+which then formed the sole literature of the garrison.
+
+"The redoubt," continued Minette, "was strongly defended in front by
+stockades and a ditch, while twelve pieces of artillery and a force of
+seven hundred Mamelukes were within the works. Suddenly an aide-de-camp
+arrived at full gallop, with orders for the Thirty-second to attack the
+redoubt with the bayonet, and carry it. The major of the regiment (the
+colonel had been killed that morning at the ford) cried out,--
+
+"'Grenadiers, you hear the order,--Forward!' But the same instant a
+terrible discharge of grape tore through the ranks, killing three and
+wounding eight others. 'Forward, men! forward!' shouted the major. But
+no one stirred."
+
+"_Tete d'enfer_," growled out Pioche, "where was the tambour?"
+
+"You shall hear," said Minette, and resumed.
+
+"'Do you hear me?' cried the major, 'or am I to be disgraced forever?
+Advance--quick time--march!'
+
+"'But, Major,' said a sergeant, aloud, 'they are not roasted apples
+those fellows yonder are pelting.'
+
+"'Silence!' called out the major; 'not a word! Tambour, beat the
+charge!'
+
+"Suddenly a man sprang up to his knees from the ground where he had been
+lying, and began to beat the drum with all his might. Poor fellow! his
+leg was smashed with a shot, but he obeyed his orders in the midst of
+all his suffering.
+
+"'Forward, men! forward!' cried the major, waving his cap above his
+head. 'Fix bayonets--charge!' And on they dashed after him.
+
+"'Halloo, comrades!' shouted the tambour; 'don't leave me behind you.'
+And in an instant two grenadiers stooped down and hoisted him on their
+shoulders, and then rushed forward through the smoke and flame. Crashing
+and smashing went the shot through the leading files; but on they went,
+leaping over the dead and dying."
+
+"With the tambour still?" asked Pioche.
+
+"To be sure," said Minette; "there he was. But listen:--
+
+"Just as they reached the breach a shot above their heads came whizzing
+past, and a terrible bang rang out as it went.
+
+"'He is killed,' said one of the grenadiers, preparing to lower the
+body; 'I heard his cry.'
+
+[Illustration: BrowneDrummerBoy121]
+
+"'Not yet, Comrade,' cried the tambour; 'it is the drum-head they have
+carried away, that's all;' and he beat away on the wooden sides harder
+than ever. And thus they bore him over the glacis, and up the rampart,
+and never stopped till they placed him, sitting, on one of the guns on
+the wall."
+
+"Hurrah! well done!" cried Pioche; while every throat around him
+re-echoed the cry, "Hurrah!"
+
+"What was his name, Mademoiselle?" cried several voices. "Tell us the
+name of the tambour!"
+
+"_Ma foi, Messieurs!_they have not given it."
+
+"Not given his name," growled they out. "_Ventrebleu!_ that is too bad!"
+
+"An he had been an officer of the Guard they would have told us his
+whole birth and parentage," said a wrinkled, sour-looking old fellow,
+with one eye.
+
+"Or a lieutenant of hussars, Mademoiselle!" said Pioche, looking fixedly
+at the vivandiere, who held the book close to her face to conceal a deep
+blush that covered it.
+
+"But, halloo, there! Qui vive?" The cuirassier had just caught a glimpse
+of me at the moment, and every eye was turned at once to where I was
+standing. "Ah, Lieutenant, you here! Not invalided, I hope?"
+
+"No, Pioche. My visit was intended for you; and I have had the good
+fortune to come in for the tale mademoiselle was reading."
+
+Before I had concluded these few words, the wounded soldiers, or such of
+them as could, had risen from their seats, and stood respectfully around
+me; while Minette, retreating behind the great chair where Pioche lay,
+seemed to wish to avoid recognition.
+
+"Front rank, Mademoiselle! front rank!" said Pioche. "_Parbleu!_when one
+has the 'cross of the Legion' from the hands of the Emperor himself, one
+need not be ashamed of being seen. Besides," added he, in a lower tone,
+but one I could well overhear, "thou art not dressed in thy uniform now;
+thou hast nothing to blush for!"
+
+Still she hung down her head, and her confusion seemed only to increase;
+so that, unwilling to prolong her embarrassment, which I saw my presence
+had caused, I merely made a few inquiries from Pioche regarding his own
+health, and took my leave of the party.
+
+As I rode homeward, I could not help turning over in my mind the words
+of Pioche, "Thou art not in thy uniform now; thou hast nothing to blush
+for!" Here, then, seemed the key to the changed manner of the poor girl
+when I met her at Austerlitz,--some feeling of womanly shame at being
+seen in the costume of the vivandiere by one who had known her only in
+another guise. But could this be so? I asked myself,--a question a
+very little knowledge of a woman's heart might have spared me. And thus
+pondering, I returned to the Luxembourg.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI. AN OLD FRIEND UNCHANGED
+
+They who took their tone in politics from the public journals of France
+must have been somewhat puzzled at the new and unexpected turn of
+the papers in Government influence at the period I now speak of. The
+tremendous attacks against the "perfide Albion," which constituted
+the staple of the leading articles in the "Moniteur," were gradually
+discontinued; the great body of the people were separated from the
+"tyrannical domination of an insolent aristocracy;" an occasional eulogy
+would appear, too, upon the "native good sense and right feeling of John
+Bull" when not led captive by appeals to his passions and prejudices;
+and at last a wish more boldly expressed that the two countries, whose
+mission it should be to disseminate civilization over the earth, could
+so far understand their real interest as to become "fast friends,
+instead of dangerous enemies."
+
+The accession of the Whigs to power in England was the cause of this
+sudden revolution. The Emperor, when First Consul, had learned to
+know and admire Charles Fox,--sentiments of mutual esteem had grown up
+between them,--and it seemed now as if his elevation to power were
+the only thing wanting to establish friendly relations between the two
+countries.
+
+How far the French Emperor presumed on Fox's liberalism,--and the strong
+bias to party inducing him to adopt such a line of policy as would run
+directly counter to that of his predecessors in office, and thus dispose
+the nation to more amicable views towards France,--certain it is that he
+miscalculated considerably when he built upon any want of true English
+feeling on the part of that minister, or any tendency to weaken, by
+unjust concessions, the proud attitude England had assumed at the
+commencement and maintained throughout the entire Continental war.
+
+A mere accident led to a renewal of negotiations between the two
+countries. A villain, calling himself Guillet de la Grevilliere, had
+the audacity to propose to the English minister the assassination of
+Napoleon, and to offer himself for the deed. He had hired a house at
+Passy, and made every preparation for the execution of his foul scheme.
+To denounce this wretch to the French minister of foreign affairs,
+Talleyrand, was the first step of Fox. This led to a reply, in which
+Talleyrand reported, word for word, a conversation that passed between
+the Emperor and himself, and wherein expressions of the kindest nature
+were employed by Napoleon with regard to Fox, and many flattering
+allusions to the times of their former intimacy; the whole concluding
+with the expression of an ardent desire for a good understanding and
+a "lasting peace between two nations designed by nature to esteem each
+other."
+
+Although the whole scheme of the assassination was a police stratagem
+devised by Fouche to test the honor and good faith of the English
+minister, the result was eagerly seized on as a basis for new
+negotiations; and from that hour the temperate language of the French
+papers evinced a new policy towards England. The insolent allusions of
+journalists, the satirical squibs of party writers, the caricatures of
+the English eccentricity, were suppressed at once; and by that magic
+influence which Napoleon wielded, the whole tone of public feeling
+seemed altered as regarded England and Englishmen. From the leaders
+in the "Moniteur" to the shop windows of the Palace an Anglomania
+prevailed; and the idea was thrown out that the two nations had divided
+the world between them,--the sea being the empire of the British, the
+land that of Frenchmen. Commissioners were appointed on both sides:
+at first Lord Yarmouth, and then Lord Lauderdale, by England; General
+Clarke and M. Champagny, on the part of France. Lord Yarmouth, at that
+time a _detenu_ at Verdun, was selected by Talleyrand to proceed to
+England, and learn the precise basis on which an amicable negotiation
+could be founded.
+
+Scarcely was the interchange of correspondence made public, when the
+new tone of feeling and acting towards England displayed itself in every
+circle and every _salon_. If a proof were wanting how thoroughly the
+despotism of Napoleon had penetrated into the very core of society, here
+was a striking one: not only were many of the _detenus_ liberated and
+sent back to England, but were feted and entertained at the various
+towns they stopped at on their way, and every expedient practised to
+make them satisfied with the treatment they had received on the soil
+of France. An English guest was deemed an irresistible attraction at
+a dinner party, and the most absurd attempts at imitation of English
+habits, dress, and language were introduced into society as the last
+"mode," and extolled as the very pinnacle of fashionable excellence.
+
+It would be easy for me here to cite some strange instances of this new
+taste; but I already feel that I have wandered from my own path, and owe
+an apology to my reader for invading precincts which scarce become me.
+Yet may I observe here,--and the explanation will serve once for all,--I
+have been more anxious in this "true history" to preserve some passing
+record of the changeful features of an eventful period in Europe, than
+merely to chronicle personal adventures, which, although not devoid of
+vicissitudes, are still so insignificant in the great events by which
+they were surrounded. The Consulate, the Empire, and the Restoration
+were three great tableaux, differing in their groupings and color, but
+each part of one mighty whole,--links in the great chain, and evidencing
+the changeful aspect of a nation crouching beneath tyranny, or dwindling
+under imbecility and dotage.
+
+I have said the English were the vogue in Paris; and so they were, but
+especially in those _salons_ which reflected the influence of the Court,
+and where the tone of the Tuileries was revered as law. Every member of
+the Government, or all who were even remotely connected with it, at once
+adopted the reigning mode; and to be _a l'Anglaise_ became now as much
+the type of fashion as ever it had been directly the opposite. Only such
+as were in the confidence of Fouche and his schemes knew how hollow all
+this display of friendly feeling was, or how ready the Government
+held themselves to assume their former attitude of defiance when
+circumstances should render it advisable.
+
+Among those who speedily took up the tone of the Imperial counsels,
+the _salons_ of the Hotel Glichy were conspicuous. English habits, as
+regarded table equipage; English servants; even to English cookery did
+French politeness extend its complaisance; and many of the commonest
+habitudes and least cultivated tastes were imported as the daily
+observances of fashionable people _outremer_.
+
+In this headlong Anglomania, my English birth and family (I say English,
+because abroad the petty distinctions of Irishman or Scotchman are
+not attended to) marked me out for peculiar attention in society; and
+although my education and residence in France had well-nigh rubbed off
+all or the greater part of my national peculiarities, yet the flatterers
+of the day found abundant traits to admire in what they recognized as
+my John Bull characteristics. And in this way, a blunder in French, a
+mistake in grammar, or a false accentuation became actually a _succes
+de salon_. Though I could not help smiling at the absurdity of a vogue
+whose violence alone indicated its unlikeliness to last, yet I had
+sufficient of the spirit of my adopted country to benefit by it while it
+did exist, and never spent a single day out of company.
+
+At the Hotel Clichy I was a constant guest; and while with Mademoiselle
+de Lacostellerie my acquaintance made little progress, with the countess
+I became a special favorite,--she honoring me so far as to take me into
+her secret counsels, and tell me all the little nothings which Fouche
+usually disseminated as state secrets, and circulated twice or thrice
+a week throughout Paris. From him, too, she learned the names of the
+various English who each day arrived in Paris from Verdun, and thus
+contrived to have a succession of those favored guests at her dinner and
+evening parties.
+
+During all this time, as I have said, my intimacy with mademoiselle
+advanced but slowly, and certainly showed slight prospect of verifying
+the prophecy of Duchesne at parting. Her manner had, indeed, lost its
+cold and haughty tone; but in lieu of it there was a flippant, half
+impertinent, _moqueur_ spirit, which, however easily turned to advantage
+by a man of the world like the chevalier, was terribly disconcerting to
+a less forward and less enterprising person like myself. Dobretski still
+continued an invalid; and although she never mentioned his name nor
+alluded to him in any instance, I could see that she suspected I knew
+something more of his illness and the cause of it than I had ever
+confessed. It matters little what the subject of it be, let a secret
+once exist between a young man and a young woman,--let there be the
+tacit understanding that they mutually know of something of which others
+are in ignorance,--and from that moment a species of intelligence is
+established between them of the most dangerous kind. They may not be
+disposed to like each other; there may be attachments elsewhere; there
+may be a hundred reasons why love should not enter into the case; yet
+will there be a conscious sense of this hidden link which binds them;
+strangely at variance with their ordinary regard for each other,
+eternally mingling in all their intercourse, and suggesting modes
+of acting and thinking at variance with the true tenor of the
+acquaintanceship.
+
+Such, then, was my position at the Hotel Clichy, at which I was almost
+daily a visitor or a guest, in the morning, to hear the chit-chat of the
+day,--the changes talked of in the administration, the intended plans of
+the Emperor, or the last modes in dress introduced by the Empress, whose
+taste in costume and extravagant habits were much more popular with the
+tradespeople than with Napoleon.
+
+An illness of a few days' duration had confined me to the Luxembourg,
+and unhappily deprived me of the Court ball, for which I had received
+my invitation several weeks before. It seemed as if my fate forbade any
+chance of my ever seeing her once more whose presence in Paris was the
+great hope I held out to myself when coming. Already a rumor was afloat
+that several officers had received orders to join their regiments; and
+now I began to fear lest I should leave the capital without meeting her,
+and was thinking of some plan by which I could attain that object, when
+a note arrived from Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie, written with more
+than her usual cordiality, and inviting me to dinner on the following
+day with a very small party, but when I should meet one of my oldest
+friends.
+
+I thought of every one in turn who could be meant under the designation,
+but without ever satisfying my mind that I had hit upon the right one.
+Tascher it could not be, for the very last accounts I had seen from
+Germany spoke of him as with his regiment. My curiosity was sufficiently
+excited to make me accept the invitation; and, true to time, I found
+myself at the Hotel Clichy at the hour appointed.
+
+On entering the _salon_, I discovered that I was alone. None of the
+guests had as yet arrived, nor had the ladies of the house made their
+appearance; and I lounged about the splendid drawing-room, where every
+appliance of luxury was multiplied: pictures, vases, statues, and
+bronzes abounded,--for the apartment had all the ample proportions of
+a gallery,--battle scenes from the great "vents of the Italian and
+Egyptian campaigns; busts of celebrated generals and portraits of
+several of the marshals, from the pencils of Gerard and David. But
+more than all was I struck by one picture: it was a likeness of Pauline
+herself, in the costume of a Spanish peasant. Never had artist caught
+more of the character of his subject than in that brilliant sketch,--for
+it was no more. The proud tone of the expression; the large, full eye,
+beaming a bright defiance; the haughty curl of the lip; the determined
+air of the figure, as she stood one foot in advance, and the arms
+hanging easily on either side,--all conveyed an impression of high
+resolve and proud determination quite her own.
+
+I was leaning over the back of a chair, my eye steadfastly fixed on the
+painting, when I heard a slight rustling of a dress near me. I turned
+about: it was mademoiselle herself. Although the light of the apartment
+was tempered by the closed jalousies, and scarcely more than a mere
+twilight admitted, I could perceive that she colored and seemed confused
+as she said,--
+
+"I hope you don't think that picture is a likeness?"
+
+"And yet," said I, hesitatingly, "there is much that reminds me of you;
+I mean, I can discover--"
+
+"Say it frankly, sir; you think that saucy look is not from mere fancy.
+I deemed you a closer observer; but no matter. You have been ill; I
+trust you are recovered again."
+
+"Oh, a mere passing indisposition, which unfortunately came at the
+moment of the Court ball. You were there, of course?"
+
+"Yes; it was there we had the pleasure to meet your friend, the general:
+but perhaps this is indiscreet on my part; I believe, indeed, I promised
+to say nothing of him."
+
+"The general! Do you mean General d'Auvergne?"
+
+"That much I will answer you,--I do not. But ask me no more questions.
+Your patience will not be submitted to a long trial; he dines with us
+to-day."
+
+I made no reply, but began to ponder over in my mind who the general in
+question could be.
+
+"There! pray do not worry yourself about what a few moments will reveal
+for you, without any guessing. How strange it is, the intense feeling of
+curiosity people are afflicted with who themselves have secrets."
+
+"But I have none, Mademoiselle; at least, none worth the telling."
+
+"Perhaps," replied she, saucily. "But here come our guests."
+
+Several persons entered the _salon_ at this moment, with each of whom I
+was slightly acquainted; they were either members of the Government
+or generals on the staff. The countess herself soon after made her
+appearance; and now we only waited for the individual so distinctively
+termed "my friend" to complete the party.
+
+"Pauline has kept our secret, I hope," said the countess to me. "I shall
+be sadly disappointed if anything mars this surprise."
+
+"Who can it be?" thought I. "Or is the whole thing some piece of
+badinage got up at my expense?"
+
+Scarcely had the notion struck me, when a servant flung wide the
+folding-doors, and announced "le General" somebody, but so mumbled was
+the word, the nearest thing I could make of it was "Bulletin." This
+time, however, my curiosity suffered no long delay; for quickly after
+the announcement a portly personage in an English uniform entered
+hastily, and approaching madame, kissed her hand with a most gallant
+air; then turning to mademoiselle, he performed a similar ceremony. All
+this time my eyes were riveted upon him, without my being able to make
+the most remote guess as to who he was.
+
+"Must I introduce you, gentlemen?" said the countess: "Captain Burke."
+
+"Eh, what! my old friend, my boy Tom! This you, with all that mustache?
+Delighted to see you," cried the large unknown, grasping me by the
+hands, and shaking them with a cordiality I had not known for many a
+year.
+
+"Really, sir," said I, "I am but too happy to be recognized; but a most
+unfortunate memory--"
+
+"Memory, lad! I never forgot anything in life. I remember the doctor
+shaking the snow off his boots the night I was born; a devilish cold
+December. We lived at Benhungeramud, in the Himalaya."
+
+"What!" cried I; "is this Captain Bubbleton, my old and kind friend?"
+
+"General, Tom,--Lieutenant-General Bubbleton, with your leave," said he,
+correcting me. "How the boy has grown! I remember him when he was scarce
+so high."
+
+"But, my dear captain--"
+
+"General, lieutenant-general--"
+
+"Well, Lieutenant-General,--to what happy chance do we owe the pleasure
+of seeing you here?"
+
+"War, boy,--the old story. But we shall have time enough to talk over
+these things; and I see we are detaining the countess."
+
+So saying, the general gave his arm to madame, and led the way
+towards the dinner; whither we followed,--I in a state of surprise
+and astonishment that left me unable to collect my faculties for a
+considerable time after.
+
+Although the party, with the exception of Bubbleton, were French,
+he himself, as was his wont, supported nearly the whole of the
+conversation; and if his French was none of the most accurate, he amply
+made up in volubility for all accidents of grammar. It appeared that he
+had been three years at Verdun, a prisoner; though how he came there,
+whence, and at what exact period, there was no discovering. And now
+his arrival at Paris was an event equally shrouded in mystery, for no
+negotiations had been opened for his exchange whatsoever; but he had
+had the eloquence to persuade the prefet that the omission was a mere
+accident,--some blunder of the War-Office people, which he would rectify
+on his arrival at Paris. And there he was, though with what prospect
+of reaching England none but one of his inventive genius could possibly
+guess. He was brimful of politics, ministerial secrets, state news, and
+Government intentions, not only as regarded England, but Austria and
+Russia: and communicated in deep confidence a grand scheme by which the
+Fox ministry were to immortalize themselves,--which was by giving up
+Malta to the Bourbons, Louis the Eighteenth to be king, Goza to be a
+kind of dependency to be governed by a lieutenant-general whom "he would
+not name;" finishing his glass with an ominous look as he spoke.
+Thence he wandered on to his repugnance to state, and dislike to any
+government, function,--illustrating his quiet tastes and simple habits
+by recounting a career of Oriental luxury in which he described himself
+as living for years past; every word he spoke, whatever the impression
+on others, bringing me back most forcibly to my boyish days in the old
+barrack, where first I met him. Years had but cultivated his talents;
+his visions were bolder and more daring than ever; while he had
+chastened down his hurried and excited tone of narrative to a quiet flow
+of unexaggerated description, which, taking his age and appearance into
+account, it was difficult to discredit.
+
+Whether the Frenchmen really gave credit to his revelations, or only
+from politeness affected to do it at first, I cannot say, but assuredly
+he put all their courtesy to a rude test by a little anecdote before he
+left the dinner-room.
+
+While speaking of the memorable siege of Valenciennes in '93, at which
+one of the French officers was present and in a high command, Bubbleton
+at once launched forth into some very singular anecdotes of the
+campaign, where, as he alleged, he also had served.
+
+"We took an officer of one of your infantry regiments prisoner in a
+sortie one evening," said the Frenchman. "I commanded the party, and
+shall never forget the daring intrepidity of his escape. He leaped from
+the wall into the fosse, a height of thirty feet and upwards. _Parbleu!_
+we had not the heart to fire after him, though we saw that after the
+shock he crawled out upon his hands and feet, and soon afterwards gained
+strength enough to run. He gave me his pocket-book with his name; I
+shall not forget it readily,--it was Stopford."
+
+"Ah, poor Billy! He was my junior lieutenant," said Bubbleton; "an
+active fellow, but he never could jump with me. Confound him! he has
+left me a souvenir also, though a very different kind from yours,--a
+cramp in the stomach I shall never get rid of."
+
+As this seemed a somewhat curious legacy from one brother officer to
+another, we could not help calling on the general for an explanation,--a
+demand Bubbleton never refused to gratify.
+
+"It happened in this wise," said he, pushing back his chair as he spoke,
+and seating himself with the easy attitude of your true story-teller.
+"The night before the assault--the 24th of July, if my memory serves
+me right--the sappers were pushing forward the mines with all despatch.
+Three immense globes were in readiness beneath the walls, and some minor
+details were only necessary to complete the preparations. The stormers
+consisted of four British and three German regiments,--my own, the Welsh
+Fusiliers, being one of the former. We occupied the lines stretching
+from L'Herault to Damies."
+
+The French officer nodded assent, and Bubbleton resumed.
+
+"The Fusiliers were on the right, and divided into two parties,--an
+assaulting column and a supporting one; the advanced companies at half
+cannon-shot from the walls, the others a little farther off. Thus we
+were, when, about half-past ten, or it might be even eleven o'clock (we
+were drinking some mulled claret in my quarters), a low, swooping
+kind of a noise came stealing along the ground. We listened,--it grew
+stronger and stronger; and then we could hear musket-shot and shouting,
+and the tramp of men as if running. Out we went; and, by Jove! there
+we saw the first battalion in full retreat towards the camp. It was a
+sortie in force from the garrison, which drove in our advanced posts,
+and took several prisoners. The drums now soon beat to quarters; the
+men fell in rapidly, and we advanced to meet them,--no pleasant affair,
+either, let me remark, for the night was pitch dark, and we could not
+even guess the strength of your force. It was just then that I was
+running with all my speed to come up with the flank companies, that my
+cover-sergeant, a cool, old Scotch fellow, shouted out,--
+
+"'Take care, sir! Stoop there, sir! stoop there!'
+
+"But the advice came too late. I could just discern through the gloom
+something black, hopping and bounding along towards me; now striking the
+ground, and then rebounding again several feet in the air.
+
+"'Stoop, sir! down!' cried he.
+
+"But before I could throw myself flat, plump it took me here. Over I
+went, breathless, and deeming all was finished; but, miraculous to say,
+in a few minutes after I found myself coming to, and except the shock,
+nothing the worse for the injury.
+
+"'Was that a shell, Sergeant?' said I; 'a spent shell?'
+
+"'Na, sir,' said he, in his own broad way, 'it was naething o' the kind;
+it was only Lieutenant Stopford's head that was snapped aff up there.'"
+
+"His head!" exclaimed we all of a breath,--"his head!"
+
+"Yes, poor fellow, so it was; a damned hard kind of a bullet-head, too!
+The blow has left a weakness of the stomach I suppose I shall never
+recover from; and the occurrence being so singular, I have actually
+never asked for a pension,--there are people, by Jove! would throw
+discredit on it."
+
+This latter observation seemed so perfectly to sum up our own thoughts
+on the matter that we really had nothing to remark on it; and after a
+silence of a few seconds, politely relieved by the countess hinting at
+coffee in the drawing-room, we arose and followed her.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII. THE RUE DES CAPUCINES
+
+Before I parted with Bubbleton that evening be promised to breakfast
+with me on the following morning; and true to his word, entered my
+quarters soon after ten o'clock. I longed to have an opportunity of
+talking to him alone, and learning some intelligence of that country,
+which, young as I had left it, was still hallowed in memory as my own.
+
+"Eh, by Jupiter! this is something like a quarter,--gilded mouldings,
+frescos, silk hangings, and Persian rugs. I say, Tom, are you sure you
+haven't made a mistake, my boy, and just imagined that you were somebody
+else,--Murat or Bernadotte, for example? The thing is far easier than
+you may think; it happened to me before now."
+
+"Be tranquil on that score," said I, "we are both at home; though
+these quarters are, as you remark, far beyond the mark of a captain of
+hussars."
+
+"A captain! Why, hang it, you're not captain already?"
+
+"Yes, to be sure. What signifies it? Only think of your own rapid rise
+since we parted; you were but a captain then, and to be now a
+lieutenant-general!"
+
+"Ah, true, very true," said he, hurriedly, while he bustled about the
+room, examining the furniture, and inspecting the decorations most
+narrowly. "Capital service this must be," muttered he, between his
+teeth; "not much pay, I fancy, but a deal of plunder and private
+robbery."
+
+"I cannot say much on that head," said I, laughing outright at what
+he intended for a soliloquy; "but I must confess I have no reason to
+complain of my lot."
+
+"Egad! I should think not," rejoined he; "better than Old George's
+Street. Well, well, I wish I were but back there,--that's all."
+
+"Come, sit down to your breakfast; and perhaps when we talk it over some
+plan may present itself for your exchange."
+
+How thoroughly had I forgotten my friend when I uttered the sentiment;
+for scarcely was he seated at table, when he launched out, as of old,
+into one of his visionary harangues,--throwing forth dark hints of his
+own political importance, and the keen watch the Emperor had set upon
+his movements.
+
+"No, my friend, the thing is impossible," said he, ominously. "Nap.
+knows me; he knows my influence with the Tories. To let me escape would
+be to blow all his schemes to the winds. I am destined for the 'Temple,'
+if not for the guillotine."
+
+The solemnity of his voice and manner at this moment was too much for
+me, and I laughed outright.
+
+"Ay, you may laugh; so does Anna Maria."
+
+"And is Miss Bubbleton here, too?"
+
+"Yes; we are both here," ejaculated he, with a deep sigh. "Rue Neuve
+des Capucines, No. 46, four flights above the entresol! Ay, and in
+that entresol they have two spies of Fouche's police; I know them well,
+though they pretend to be hairdressers. I'm too much for old Fouche yet;
+depend upon it, Tom."
+
+It was in vain I endeavored to ascertain what circumstances led him
+to believe himself suspected by the Government; neither was I more
+fortunate in discovering how he first became a _detenu_. The mist of
+imaginary events, places, and people which he had conjured up around
+him, prevented his ever being able to see his way, or know clearly any
+one fact connected with his present position. Dark hints about spies,
+suspicious innuendoes of concealed enemies, plotting prefets and opened
+letters, had actually filled his brain to the exclusion of everything
+rational and reasonable, and I began seriously to fear for my poor
+friend's intellect.
+
+Hoping by a change of topic to induce a more equable tone of thinking, I
+asked about Ireland.
+
+"All right there! they've hanged 'em all," said he. Then, as if suddenly
+remembering himself, he added, with a slight confusion, "You were well
+out of that scrape, Tom. Your old friend Barton had a warrant for you
+the morning you left, and there was a reward of five hundred pounds for
+your apprehension; and something, too, for a confounded old piper,--old
+Blast-the-Bellows, I think they called him."
+
+"Darby! What of him, Bubbleton? they did not take him, I trust?"
+
+"No, by Jove! They hanged two fellows, each of whom they believed to
+be him, and he was in the crowd looking on, they say. But he's at large
+still; and the report goes, Barton does not stir out at night for fear
+of meeting him, as the fellow has an old score to settle with him."
+
+"And so, all hopes of liberty would seem extinguished now," said I,
+gloomily.
+
+"That is as you may take it, Tom. I'm a bad judge of these things; but I
+fancy that a man who can live here might contrive to eke out life under
+a British Government; though he might yearn now and then for a secret
+police, a cabinet noir, or perhaps a tight cravat in the Temple."
+
+"Hush! my friend."
+
+"Ay, there it is! Now, if we were in Dame Street, we might abuse the
+ministers and the army and the Lord-Lieutenant to our heart's content;
+and if Jemmy O'Brien was n't one of the company, I 'd not mind a hit at
+Barton himself."
+
+"But does England still maintain her proud tone of ascendency towards
+Ireland? Is the Saxon the hereditary lord, and the Celt the slave,
+still?"
+
+"There again you puzzle me; for I never saw much of this same
+ascendency, or slavery either. Loyal people, some way or other, were
+usually in favor with the Government, and had what many thought a most
+unjust proportion of the good things to their share. But even the
+others got off in most cases easily too; a devilish deal better than you
+treated those luckless Austrians the other day. You killed some thirty
+thousand, and made bankrupts of the rest of the nation. But then, to be
+sure, it was the cause of liberty you were fighting for. And as for the
+Italians--"
+
+"Yes! but you forget these were wars not of our seeking; the treachery
+of false-hearted allies led to these sad results."
+
+"I suppose so. But certain it is, nations, like individuals, that have a
+taste for fighting, usually have the good luck to find an adversary; and
+as your Emperor here seems to have learned the Donnybrook Fair trick of
+trailing his coat after him, it would be strange enough if nobody would
+gratify him by standing on it."
+
+Without being able to say why, I felt piqued and annoyed at the tone of
+Bubbleton's remarks, which, coming from one of his narrow intelligence
+on ordinary topics, worried me only the more. I had long since seen that
+the liberty with which in boyhood I was infatuated had no existence save
+in the dreams of ardent patriotism; that the great and the mighty felt
+ambition a goal, and power a birthright; that the watchwords of freedom
+were inscribed on banners when the sentiments had died out of men's
+hearts, while as a passion the more dazzling one of glory made every
+other pale before it; and that the calm head and moderate judgment could
+scarce survive contact with the intoxicating triumphs of a nation's
+successes.
+
+Such was, indeed, the real change Napoleon had wrought in France. Their
+enthusiasm could not rest content with national liberty; glory alone
+could satisfy a nation drunk with victory. Against the stern followers
+of the Republican era--the soldiers of the Sambre and Meuse, the men
+of Jemmappes--he had arrayed the ardent, high-spirited youth of the
+Consulate and the Empire, the heroes of Areola, of Rivoli, of Cairo, and
+Austerlitz. How vain to discuss questions of social order or national
+freedom with the cordoned and glittering bands who saw monarchy and
+kingdoms among the prizes of their ambition! And even I, who had few
+ambitious hopes, how the ardor that once stimulated me and led me to the
+soldier's life,--how had it given way to the mere conventional aspirings
+of a class! The grade of colonel was far oftener in my thoughts than the
+cause of freedom; the cross of the Legion would have reconciled me to
+much that in my calmer judgment I might deem harsh and tyrannical.
+
+"Believe me, Tom," said Bubbleton, who saw in my silence that his
+observations had their weight with me, "believe me, my philosophy is the
+true one,--never to meddle where you cannot serve yourself or some
+of your friends. The world will always consist of two parties,--one
+governing, the other governed. We belong to the latter category, and
+shall only get into a scrape by poking our heads where they have no
+business to be."
+
+"Why, a few moments since you were full of state secrets, and plots, and
+secret treaties, and Heaven knows what besides!"
+
+"To be sure I was. And for whose interest, man,--for whose sake? George
+Frederick Augustus Bubbleton's. Ay, no doubt of it. Here am I, a
+_detenu_,--and have been these two years and a half--wasting away
+existence at Verdun, while my property is going to the devil from sheer
+neglect. My West India estates, who can say how I shall find them? my
+Calcutta property, the same; then there's that fee-simple thing in
+Norfolk. But I can't even think of it. Well, I verily believe no single
+step has been taken for my release or exchange. The Whigs, you know,
+will do nothing for me. I may tell you in confidence,"--here he dropped
+his voice to a low whisper,--"I may tell you, Charles Fox hates me. But
+more of this another time. What was I to do in all this mess of trouble
+and misfortune? Stand still and bear it? No, faith; that's not Bubbleton
+policy. You 'd never guess what I did."
+
+"I fear not."
+
+"Well, it chanced that some little literary labors of mine--you know I
+dally sometimes with the muse--became known to the prefet at Verdun.
+I saw that they watched me; and consequently I made great efforts at
+secrecy, concealing my papers in the chimney, under the floor, sewing
+them in the linings of my coat, and so on. The bait took: they made
+a regular search, seizing my manuscripts, put great seals on all
+the packages, and sent them up to Paris. The day after, I made
+submission,--offered to reveal all to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
+And accordingly they sent me up here with an escort. What would have
+come next I cannot tell you, if Anna Maria had not found out Lord
+Lauderdale, and trumped up some story to him, so that he interfered. And
+we are now living at the Rue Neuve des Capucines; but how long we shall
+be there, and where they may send us next, I wish I could only guess."
+
+A few minutes' consideration satisfied me that the police were concerned
+in Bubbleton's movements, and, knowing at once that no danger was to
+be apprehended from such a source, were merely holding him up for some
+occasion when they could make use of him to found some charge against
+the British Government,--a manoeuvre constantly employed, and always
+successful with the Parisians, wherever an explanation became necessary
+in the public papers.
+
+It would have served no purpose to impart these suspicions of mine to
+Bubbleton himself; on the contrary, he would inevitably have destroyed
+all clew to their confirmation by some false move, had I done so. With
+this impression, then, I resolved to wait patiently, watch events, and
+when the time came, see what best could be done towards effecting his
+liberation.
+
+As I was disposed to place more reliance on Miss Bubbleton's statements
+than those of her imaginative brother, I agreed to his proposal to pay
+her a visit; and accordingly we set out together for the Rue Neuve des
+Capucines.
+
+Lieutenant-General Bubbleton's quarters were by no means of that
+imposing character which befitted his rank in the British army.
+Traversing a dirty courtyard strewed with firewood, we entered a little
+gloomy passage, from which a still gloomier stair ascended to the
+topmost regions of the house, where, unlocking a door, he pushed me
+before him into a small, meanly-furnished apartment, the centre of which
+was occupied by a little iron stove, whose funnel pierced the ceiling
+above, and gave the chamber somewhat the air of a ship's cabin.
+Bubbleton, however, either did not or would not perceive any want of
+comfort or propriety in the whole; on the contrary, he strode the floor
+with the step of an emperor, and placed the chair for me to sit on as
+though he were about to seat me on a throne. While exchanging his coat
+for a most ragged dressing-gown, he threw himself on an old sofa with
+such energy of ease that the venerable article of furniture creaked and
+groaned in every joint.
+
+"She's out," said he, with a toss of his thumb to a half-open door;
+"gone to take a stroll in the Tuileries for half an hour, so that we
+shall have a little chat before she comes. And now, what will ye take? A
+little sherry and water? a glass of maraschino, eh? or what say you to a
+nip of real Nantz?"
+
+"Nothing, my dear friend; you forget the hour, not to speak of my French
+education."
+
+"Oh, very true," said he. "When I was in the Forty-fifth--" When he had
+uttered these words, he stopped suddenly, hesitated, and stammered,
+and at last, fairly overcome with confusion, he unfolded a huge
+pocket-handkerchief, and blew his nose with the sound of a cavalry
+trumpet, while he resumed: "We had a habit in the old Forty-fifth--a
+deuced bad one, I confess--of a mess breakfast, that began after parade
+and always ran into luncheon--But hush! here she comes," cried he,
+in evident delight at the interruption so opportunely arriving. Then,
+springing up, he threw open the door, and called out, "I say, Anna
+Maria, you 'll not guess who's here?"
+
+Either the ascent of the steep stair called for all the lady's spare
+lungs, or the question had little interest for her, as she certainly
+made no reply whatever, but continued to mount, step by step, with
+that plodding, monosyllabic pace one falls into at the highest of six
+flights.
+
+"No," cried he aloud, "no, you're wrong; it is not Lauderdale." Then,
+turning towards me, with a finger to his nose, he added, with pantomimic
+action, "She thinks you are Yarmouth. Wrong again, by Jove! What do you
+say to Tom Burke,--Burke of 'Ours.' as I used to call him long ago?"
+
+By this time Miss Bubbleton had reached the door, and was holding the
+handle to recover her breath after the fatigue of the ascent. Even in
+that momentary glance, however, I recognized her. Nothing altered
+by time, she was the same crabbed, crossgrained-looking personage I
+remembered years before. She carried a little basket on her arm, of
+which her brother hastened to relieve her, and showed no little concern
+to remove out of sight. Being divested of this, she held out her hand,
+and saluted me with more cordiality than I looked for.
+
+Scarcely had our greetings been exchanged, when Bubbleton broke in, "I
+'ve told him everything, Anna Maria. He knows the whole affair; no use
+in boring him with any more. I say, isn't he grown prodigiously? And a
+captain already,--just think of that."
+
+"And so, sir, you've heard of the sad predicament his folly has brought
+us into?"
+
+"Hush, hush, Anna Maria!" cried Bubbleton; "no nonsense, old girl. Burke
+will put all to rights; he's aide-de-camp to Murat, and dines with him
+every day,--eh, Tom?"
+
+"What if he be?" interrupted the lady, without permitting me time to
+disclaim the honor. "How can he ever--"
+
+"I tell you, it's all arranged between us; and don't make a fuss about
+nothing. You 'll only make bad worse, as you always do. Come, Tom; the
+secret is, I shall be ruined if I don't get back to England soon. Heaven
+knows who receives my dividends all this time. Then that confounded
+tin mine! they 've mismanaged the thing so much I haven't received five
+hundred pounds from Cornwall since this time twelve months."
+
+"That you haven't," said the lady, as with clasped hands and eyes fixed
+she sat staring at the little stove with the stern stoicism of a martyr.
+
+"She knows that," said Bubbleton, with a nod, as if grateful for even so
+much testimony in his favor. "And as for that scoundrel, Thistlethwait,
+the West India agent, I've a notion he's broke; not a shilling from him
+either."
+
+"Not sixpence," echoed the lady.
+
+"You hear that," cried he, overjoyed at the concurrence. "And the fact
+is,--you will smile when I tell you, but upon my honor it's true,--I am
+actually hard up for cash."
+
+The idea tickled him so much, and seemed so ludicrous withal, that he
+fell back on the sofa, and laughed till the tears ran down his face. Not
+so Miss Bubbleton: her grim face grew more fixed, every feature hardened
+as if becoming stone, while gradually a sneer curled her thin lip; but
+she never spoke a word.
+
+"I'll not speak of the annoyance of being out of England, nor the loss
+of influence a man sustains after a long absence," said Bubbleton, as he
+paced the room with his hands deep thrust in his dressing-gown pockets.
+"These are things one can feel; and as for me, they weigh more on my
+mind than mere money considerations."
+
+"But, General," said I--
+
+"General!" echoed the lady with a start round, and holding up both her
+hands,--"General! You have n't been such a fool,--it's not possible you
+could be such a fool--"
+
+"Will you please to be quiet, old damsel?" said Bubbleton, with more of
+harshness than he had yet used in his manner. "Can you persuade yourself
+to mind your own household concerns, and leave George Frederick Augustus
+Bubbleton to manage his own matters as he deems best?"
+
+Here he turned short round towards me, and throwing up his eyebrows to
+their full height, he touched his forehead knowingly with the tip of his
+forefinger, and uttered the words,--
+
+"You understand! Poor thing!" concluding the pantomime with a deep sigh
+from the bottom of his chest, while he added something in a low whisper
+about "a fall from an elephant when she was a child!"
+
+"Mr. Burke, will you listen to me?" said the lady, with an energy
+of voice and manner there was no gainsaying--"listen to me for five
+minutes; and probably, short as the time is, I may be able to put you in
+possession of a few plain facts concerning our position, and if you have
+the inclination and the power to serve us, you may then know how best it
+can be done."
+
+Bubbleton made me a sign to gratify her desire of loquaciousness, while
+with a most expressive shrug he intimated that I should probably hear a
+very incoherent statement. This done, he lighted his meerschaum, wrapped
+his ragged _robe de chambre_ around him, and lay down full length on
+the sofa, with the air of a man who had fortified himself to undergo any
+sacrifices that might be demanded at his hands; taking care the while to
+assume his position in such a manner that he could exchange glances with
+me without his being observed by his sister.
+
+"We came over, Mr. Burke, only a few months before the war broke out,
+and like the rest of our countrymen and women were made _detenus_. This
+was bad enough; but my wise brother made it far worse, for instead of
+giving his name, with his real rank and position, he would call himself
+a lieutenant-general, affect to have immense wealth and great political
+influence. The consequence was, when others were exchanged and sent
+home, his name not being discoverable in any English list, was passed
+over; while his assumed fortune involved us in every expense and
+extravagance, and his mock importance made us the object of the secret
+police, who never ceased to watch and spy after us."
+
+"Capital! excellent! by Jove!" cried Bubbleton, as he rolled forth a
+long curl of blue smoke from the angle of his mouth; "she 's admirable!"
+
+"I ought to have told you before," said the lady, not paying the least
+attention to his interruption, "that he was obliged to sell out of
+the Forty-fifth; a certain Mr. Montague Crofts, whom you may remember,
+having won every shilling he possessed, even to the sale of his
+commission. This was the cause of our coming abroad; so that at the very
+moment that he was giving himself these airs of pretended greatness, we
+were ruined."
+
+"Upon my life, she believes all that," whispered Bubbleton, with a wink
+at me. "Poor old thing! I must get Larrey to look at her."
+
+"Happily, or unhappily--who shall say which?--there was a greater fool
+even than himself in the village; and he was the _maire_. This
+wise functionary became alarmed at the piles of papers and rolls of
+manuscripts that were seen about our rooms, and equally suspicious about
+the dark hints and mysterious innuendoes he threw out from time to time.
+The prefet was informed of it; and the result was, an order for our
+removal to Paris. Here, then, we are; with what destiny before us who
+shall tell? For, as he still persists in his atrocious nonsense, and
+calls himself major-general--"
+
+"Lieutenant-general, my dear," said Bubbleton, mildly; "I never was
+major-general."
+
+"Is it not too bad?" said she. "Could any patience endure this?"
+
+"Don't be violent; take care, Anna Maria," said he, rebukingly. "Potts
+said I should use restraint again, if you showed any return of the
+paroxysm. That's the way she takes it," said he in a low whisper,
+"with a blinking about the eyes and a pattering of the feet. Bathe your
+temples, dear, and you'll be better presently."
+
+Anna Maria sat still, not uttering a word, and actually fearing by a
+gesture to encourage a commentary on her manner.
+
+"Sometimes she 'll mope for hours," muttered he in my ear; "at others,
+she's furious,--there's no saying how it will turn. You wouldn't like a
+pipe? I forgot to ask you."
+
+"And worse than all, sir," said the lady, as if no longer able to
+restrain her temper, "he is supposed to be a spy of the police. I heard
+it myself this morning."
+
+"Eh, what!" exclaimed Bubbleton, jumping up in an ecstasy of delight. "A
+spy! By Jove! I knew it. Lord! what fellows they are, these French! not
+two days here yet, and they discovered I was no common man,--eh,
+Burke? Maybe I haven't frightened them, my boy. It's not every one would
+create such a sensation, let me tell you; I knew I'd do it."
+
+Miss Bubbleton looked at him for an instant with a sneer of the most
+withering contempt, and then rising abruptly, left the room. But the
+general little cared for such evidences of her censure; he danced about
+the room, snapping his fingers, and chuckling with self-satisfaction,
+the thought of being believed to be a police spy giving him the most
+intense and heartfelt pleasure.
+
+"She has moments, Tom, when she's downright clear; you 'd not think it,
+but sometimes she's actually shrewd. You saw how she hit upon that."
+
+"Would that her brother was favored with some of these lucid intervals!"
+was the thought that ran through my head at the moment; for I knew
+better than he did how needful a clearer brain and sharper faculties
+than his would be to escape the snares his folly and vanity were
+spreading around him.
+
+"Shall we make a morning call at our friend the countess's,
+Tom?" said Bubbleton. "She told me she received every day about this
+hour."
+
+I felt nowise disposed for the visit; and so, having engaged my friend
+to dine with me at the Luxembourg the next day, we parted.
+
+As I sauntered homewards, I was surprised how difficult I found it to
+disabuse my mind of the absurd insinuations Bubbleton had thrown out
+against his sister's sanity; for, though well knowing his fondness for
+romance, and his taste for embellishment on every occasion, I. yet could
+not get rid of the impression that her oddity of manner might only be
+another feature of eccentricity, just as extravagant, but differing in
+its tendencies, as his own.
+
+To assist him whose kindness to myself of old I never ceased to remember
+with gratitude, was my firm resolve; but to ascertain his exact position
+was all-essential for this purpose, and I could not help saying, half
+aloud, "If I had but Duchesne here now!"
+
+"Speak of the devil, _mon ami!_" said he, drawing his arm within mine,
+while I was scarcely able to avoid a cry of astonishment. "Where do you
+dine to-day, Burke?" said he, in his quiet, easy tone.
+
+"But where did you come from, Duchesne? Are you long here?"
+
+"Answer my question first. Can you dine with me?"
+
+"To be sure; with pleasure."
+
+"Then meet me at the corner of the Rue des Trois Tetes, at six o'clock,
+and I 'll be your guide afterwards. This is _my_ way now. _Au revoir_."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII. THE MOISSON d'OR
+
+When I arrived at the rendezvous, I found Duchesne already awaiting me
+with a carriage, into which we stepped, and drove rapidly away.
+
+"A man of your word, Burke; and, what is scarcely less valuable in the
+times we live in, a man of prudence too."
+
+"As how the latter, may I ask?"
+
+"You have not come in uniform, which is all the better where we are
+going; besides, it gives me the hope of presenting you to my respected
+aunt, the Duchesse de Montserrat, who will take your black coat as a
+compliment to the whole Bourbon dynasty. You must come with me there, if
+it only be for half an hour. And now tell me, have you ever dined at the
+'Moisson d'Or'?"
+
+"Never; not even heard of the house."
+
+"Well, then, you shall to-day. And meanwhile I may tell you, that
+although in a remote and little-visited quarter of Paris, it stands
+unrivalled for the excellence of its fare and the rare delicacy of its
+wines,--a reputation not of yesterday, but of some years' standing.
+Nor is that the only thing remarkable about it, as I shall explain
+hereafter. But come! How are your friends at the Hotel Clichy? and how
+fares your suit with mademoiselle?"
+
+"My suit? It never was such. You know, to the full as well as I do, my
+pretensions aspired not half so high."
+
+"So much the better, and so much the worse. I mean the former for me,
+as I hate to have a friend for a rival; the latter for you, who ought to
+have learned by this time that a handsome girl and a million of
+francs are more easily won than a cross of the Legion or a colonel's
+epaulette."
+
+"And are you serious, Duchesne? Have you really intentions in that
+quarter?"
+
+"_Morbleu!_ to be sure I have. It is for that I am here in Paris in
+the dog days; travelled one hundred and twenty leagues; ay, and
+more, too,--have brought with me my most aristocratic aunt, who never
+remembers in her life to have seen full-grown leaves in the Tuileries
+gardens. I knew what an ally she would be in the negotiation; and so I
+managed, through some friends in the bureau of the minister, to give her
+a rare fright about an estate of hers, which by some accident escaped
+confiscation in the Revolution, and which nothing but the greatest
+efforts on her part could now rescue from the fangs of the crown. You
+may be sure she is not particularly in love with the present Government
+on this score; but the trick secures her speaking more guardedly than
+she has the habit of doing, besides inducing her to make acquaintances
+nothing but such a threat would accomplish."
+
+"You intend, then, she should know Madame de Lacostellerie?"
+
+"Of course. I have already persuaded her that the Hotel Clichy is the
+pivot of all Paris, and that nothing but consummate tact and management
+on her part will succeed there."
+
+"But I scarcely thought you cared for mademoiselle; and never dreamed of
+your proposing to marry her."
+
+"Nor I, till about a week ago. However, my plans require money, and
+would not be encumbered by my having a wife. I see nothing better at
+the moment, and so my mind is soon made up. But here we are; this is our
+resting-place."
+
+The "Moisson d'Or," although not known to me, was then the most
+celebrated place for dining in Paris. The habits of the house--for there
+was no _table d'hote_--required that everything should be ordered
+beforehand, and the parties all dined separately. The expensive habits
+and extravagant prices secured its frequenters from meeting the class
+who usually dined at restaurants; and this gave it a vogue among the
+wealthy and titled, whose equipages now thronged the street, and filled
+the _porte cochere_. I had but time to recognize the face of one of the
+marshals and a minister of state, as we pushed our way through the
+court, and entered a small pavilion beyond it.
+
+"I'll join you in an instant," said Duchesne, as he left the room
+hastily after the waiter. In a couple of minutes he was back again.
+"Come along; it's all right," said he. "I wish to show you a corner of
+the old house that only the privileged ever see, and we are fortunate in
+finding it unoccupied."
+
+We recrossed the court, and mounted a large oak stair to a corridor,
+which conducted us, by three sides of a quadrangle, to a smaller stair,
+nearly perpendicular. At the top of this, a strong door, barred and
+padlocked, stood, which, being opened, led into a large and lofty
+_salon_, opening by three spacious windows on a terrace that formed
+the roof of the building. Some citron and orange trees were disposed
+tastefully along this, and filled the room with their fragrance.
+
+"Here, Antoine; let us be served here," said Duchesne to the waiter;
+"I have already given orders about the dinner. And now, Burke, come out
+here. What think you of that view?"
+
+Scarcely had I set foot on the terrace, when I started back in mingled
+admiration and amazement. Beneath us lay the great city, in the mellow
+light of an evening in September. Close--so close as actually to
+startle--was the large dome of the Invalides shining like a ball of
+molten gold, the great courtyard in front dotted with figures; beyond,
+again, was the Seine, the surface flashing and flickering in the
+sunlight,--I traced it along to the Pont Neuf; and then my eye rested on
+Notre-Dame, whose tall, dark towers stood out against the pinkish sky,
+while the deep-toned bell boomed through the still air. I turned towards
+the Tuileries, and could see the guard of honor in waiting for
+the Emperor's appearing. In the gardens, hundreds were passing and
+repassing, or standing around the band which played in front of the
+pavilion. A tide of population poured across the bridges and down the
+streets, along which equipages and horsemen dashed impetuously onward.
+There was all the life and stir of a mighty city, its sounds dulled
+by distance, but blended into one hoarse din, like the far-off sea at
+night.
+
+"You don't know, Burke, that this was a favorite resort of the courtiers
+of the last reign. The gay young Gardes du Corps, the gallant youths of
+the royal household, constantly dined here. The terrace we now stand on
+once held a party who came at the invitation of no less a personage than
+him whom men call Louis the Eighteenth. It was a freak of the time to
+pronounce the Court dinners execrable: and they even go so far as to
+say that Marie Antoinette herself once planned a party here; but this I
+cannot vouch for."
+
+At this moment Duchesne was interrupted by the entrance of the waiters
+who came to serve the dinner. I had not a moment left to admire the
+beauty and richness of the antique silver dishes which covered the
+table, when a gentle tap at the door attracted my attention.
+
+"Ha! Jacotot himself!" said Duchesne, as, rising hastily, he advanced
+to meet the new arrival. He was a tall, thin old man, much stooped by
+years, but with an air and carriage distinctly well bred; his white
+hair, brushed rigidly back, fastened into a queue behind, and his lace
+"jabot" and ruffles, bespoke him as the remnant of a date long past. His
+coat was blue, of a shade somewhat lighter than is usually worn. He also
+wore large buckles in his shoes, whose brilliancy left no doubt of their
+real value. Bowing with great ceremony, he advanced slowly into the
+room.
+
+"You are come to dine with us,--is it not so, Jacotot?" said Duchesne,
+as he still held his hand.
+
+"Excuse me, my dear chevalier; the Comte de Chambord and Edouard de
+Courcelles are below,--I have promised to join them."
+
+"And is Courcelles here?"
+
+"Yes," said the old man, with a timid glance towards where I sat, and a
+look as if imploring caution and reserve.
+
+"Oh, fear nothing. And that reminds me I have not presented my friend
+and brother officer: Captain Burke,--Monsieur Jacotot. You may feel
+assured, Jacotot, I make no mistake in the friends I introduce here."
+
+The old man gave a smile of pleasure; while, turning to me, he said,--
+
+"He is discretion itself; and I am but too happy to make your
+acquaintance. And now, Chevalier, one word with you."
+
+He retreated towards the door, holding Duchesne's arm, and whispering as
+he went. Duchesne's face, however, expressed his impatience as he spoke;
+and at last he said,--
+
+"As you please, my worthy friend; I always submit to your wiser
+counsels. So farewell for the present."
+
+He looked after the old man as he slowly descended the stairs, and then
+closing the door and locking it, he exclaimed,--
+
+"_Parbleu!_I found it very hard to listen to his prosing with even a
+show of patience, and was half tempted to tell him that the Bourbons
+could wait, though the soup could not."
+
+"Then Monsieur Jacotot is a Royalist, I presume?"
+
+"Ay, that he is; and so are all they who frequent this house. Don't
+start; the police know it well, and no one is more amused at their
+absurd plottings and conspirings than Fouche himself. Now and then, to
+be sure, some fool, more rash and brainless than the others, will come
+up from La Vendee and try to knock his head against the walls of the
+Temple,--like De Courcelles there, who has no other business in Paris
+except to be guillotined, if it were worth the trouble. Then the
+minister affects to stir himself and be on the alert, just to terrify
+them; but he well knows that danger lurks not in this quarter. Believe
+me, Burke, the present rulers of France have no greater security than
+in the contemptible character of all their opponents. There is no course
+for a man of energy and courage to adopt. But I ask your pardon, my dear
+friend, for this treasonable talk. What think you of the dinner? The
+Royalists would never have fallen if they had understood government as
+well as cuisine. Taste that _supreme_, and say if you don't regret the
+Capets,--a feeling you can indulge the more freely because you never
+knew them."
+
+"I cannot comprehend, Duchesne, what are the grievances you charge
+against the present Government of France. Had you been an old courtier
+of the last reign,--a hanger-on of Versailles or the Tuileries,--the
+thing were intelligible; but you, a soldier, a man of daring and
+enterprise--"
+
+"Let me interrupt you. I am so only because it is the taste of the day;
+but I despise the parade of military glory we have got into the habit
+of. I prefer the period when a _mot_ did as much and more than a
+discharge of _mitraille_, and men's _esprit_ and talent succeeded better
+than a strong sword-arm or a seat on horseback. There were gentlemen
+in France once, my dear Burke. Ay, _parbleu!_ and ladies too,--not
+marchionesses of the drum-head nor countesses of the bivouac, but women
+in whom birth heightened beauty, whose loveliness had the added charm of
+high descent beaming from their bright eyes and sitting throned on their
+lofty brows; before whom our mustached marshals had stood trembling and
+ashamed,--these men who lounge so much at ease in the _salons_ of the
+Tuileries! Let me help you to this _salmi_; it is _a la Louis Quinze_,
+and worthy of the Regency itself. Well, then, a glass of Burgundy."
+
+"Your friend Monsieur Jacotot seems somewhat of an original," said I,
+half desirous to change a topic which I always felt an unpleasant one.
+
+"You are not wrong; he is so. Jacotot is a thorough Frenchman; at
+least, he has had the fortune to mix up in his destiny those extremes of
+elevated sentiment and absurdity which go very far to compose the life
+of my good countrymen. I must tell you a short anecdote--But
+shall we adjourn to the terrace? for, to prevent the interruption of
+servants, I have ordered our dessert there."
+
+This was a most agreeable proposal; and so, having seated ourselves in
+a little arbor of orange-shrubs, with a view of the river and the Palace
+gardens beneath us, Duchesne thus began:--
+
+"I am going somewhat far back in history; but have no fears on that
+head, Burke,--my story is a very brief one. There was, once upon a time,
+in France, a monarch of some repute, called Louis the Fourteenth; a man,
+if fame be not unjust, who possessed the most kingly qualities of which
+we have any record in books. He was brave, munificent, high-minded,
+ardent, selfish, cruel, and ungrateful, beyond any other man in his own
+dominions; and, like people with such gifts, he had the good fortune to
+attach men to him just as firmly and devotedly as though he was not in
+his heart devoid of every principle of friendship and affection. I need
+not tell you what the ladies of his reign thought of him; my present
+business is with the ruder sex.
+
+"Among the courtiers of the day was a certain Vicomte Arnoud de Gency,
+a young man who, at the age of eighteen, won his grade of colonel at the
+siege of Besancon by an act of coolness and courage worthy recording. He
+deliberately advanced into one of the breaches, and made a sketch of the
+interior works of the fortification while the enemy's shot was tearing
+up the ground around him. When the deed was reported to the king, he
+interrupted the relation, saying, 'Don't tell me who did this, for I
+have made De Gency a colonel for it;' so rapidly did Louis guess the
+author of so daring a feat.
+
+"From that hour, the young colonel's fortune was made. He was appointed
+one of the gentlemen of the chamber to his Majesty, and distinguished by
+almost daily marks of royal intimacy. His qualities eminently fitted him
+for the tone of the society he lived in; he was a most witty converser,
+a good musician, and had, moreover, a very handsome person,--gifts not
+undervalued at Saint-Germain.
+
+"Such were his social qualities; and so thoroughly did he understand
+the king's humor, that even La Valliere herself saw the necessity of
+retaining him at the Court, and, in fact, made a confidant of him
+on several occasions of difficulty. Still, with all these favors
+of fortune, when the object of envy to almost all the rest of the
+household, Arnoud de Gency was suffering in his heart one of the most
+trying afflictions that can befall a proud man so placed; he was in
+actual poverty,--in want so pressing that all the efforts he could
+make, all the contrivances he could practise, were barely sufficient
+to prevent his misery being public. The taste for splendor in dress and
+equipage which characterized the period had greatly injured his private
+fortune, while the habit of high play, which Louis encouraged and liked
+to see about him, completed his ruin. The salary of his appointments was
+merely enough to maintain his daily expenditure; and thus was he, with
+a breaking heart, obliged not only to mix in all the reckless gayety and
+frivolity of that voluptuous Court, but, still more, tax his talents and
+his energies for new themes of pleasure, fresh sources of amusement.
+
+"Worn out at length by the long struggle between his secret sorrow and
+his pride, he resolved to appeal to the king, and in a few words
+tell his Majesty the straits to which he was reduced, and implore his
+protection. To this he was impelled not solely on his own account, but
+on that also of his only child, a boy of eight or nine years old, whose
+mother died in giving him birth.
+
+"An occasion soon presented itself. The king had given orders for a
+hunting-party at St. Cloud; and at an early hour of the morning De Gency
+in his hunting-dress took up his position in one of the ante-chambers
+through which the king must pass: not alone, however; at his side there
+stood a lovely boy, also dressed in the costume of the chase. He wore
+a velvet doublet of green, slashed with gold, and ornamented by a
+broad belt, from which hung his _couteau de chasse_; even to the falcon
+feather in his cap, nothing was forgotten.
+
+"He had not waited long when the folding-doors were thrown wide, and
+a moment after Louis appeared, accompanied by a single attendant,
+the Marquis de Verneuil, unhappily one of the very few enemies Arnoud
+possessed in the world.
+
+"'Ah, De Gency! you here?' said the king, gayly. 'They told me "brelan"
+had been unfavorable lately, and that we should not see you.'
+
+"'It is true, Sire,' said he, with a sad effort at a smile; 'it is only
+on your Majesty fortune always smiles.'
+
+"'_Pardieu!_ you must not say so; I lost a rouleau last night. But whom
+have we here?'
+
+"'My son; so please you, Sire, my only son, who desires, at an earlier
+age than even his father did, to serve your Majesty.'
+
+[Illustration: 230]
+
+"'How like his mother!' said the king, pushing back the fair ringlets
+from the boy's forehead, and gazing almost fondly on his handsome
+features,--'how like her! She was a Courcelles?'
+
+"'She was, Sire,' said Arnoud, as the tears fell on his cheek and
+coursed slowly along his face.
+
+"'And you want something for him?' said the king, resuming his wonted
+tone, while he busied himself with his sword-knot; 'is it not so?'
+
+"'If I might dare to ask--'
+
+"'Assuredly you may. The thing is, what can we do? Eh, Verneuil, what
+say you? He is but an infant.'
+
+"'True, Sire,' replied the marquis, with a look of respect, in which
+the most subtle could not discover a trait of his sarcastic nature; 'but
+there is a place vacant.'
+
+"'Ah, indeed,' said the king, quickly. 'What is it? He shall have it.'
+
+"'Monsieur Jacotot, your Majesty's head cook, stands in need of a
+turnspit,' said he, in a low whisper, only audible to the king.
+
+"'A turnspit!' said the king. And scarcely was the word uttered when,
+as if the irony was his own, he burst into a most immoderate fit of
+laughter,--an emotion that seemed to increase as he endeavored to
+repress it; when at the instant the _cor de chasse_, then heard
+without, gave a new turn to his thoughts, and he hurried forward with
+De Yerneuil, leaving De Gency and his son rooted to the spot,--indignant
+passion in that heart which despair and sorrow had almost rendered
+callous.
+
+"His Majesty was still laughing as he mounted his barb in the courtyard;
+and the courtiers, like well-bred gentlemen, laughed as became them,
+with that low, quiet laugh which is the meet chorus of a sovereign's
+mirth, when suddenly two loud reports, so rapidly following on each
+other as almost to seem one, startled the glittering cortege, and even
+made the Arab courser of the king plunge madly in the air.
+
+"'_Par Saint Denis!_Messieurs,' said Louis, passionately, 'this
+pleasantry of yours is ill thought of. Who has dared to do this?'
+
+"But none spoke. A terrified look around the circle was the only reply
+to the king's question, when a page rushed forward, his dress spotted
+and blood-stained, his face pale with horror,--
+
+"'Your Majesty,--ah, Sire!' said he, kneeling. But sobs choked him, and
+he could not utter more.
+
+"'What is this? Will no one tell?' cried the king, as a frown of dark
+omen shadowed his angry features.
+
+"'Your Majesty has lost a brave, an honest, and a faithful follower,
+Sire,' said Monsieur de Coulanges. 'Arnoud de Gency is no more.'
+
+"'Why, I saw him this instant,' said the king. 'He asked me some favor
+for his boy.'
+
+"'True, Sire,' replied De Coulanges, mournfully. But he checked himself
+in time, for already the well-known and dreaded expression of passion
+had mounted to the king's face.
+
+"'Dismiss the _chasse_, gentlemen,' said he, in a low thick voice. 'And
+do you, Monsieur de Verneuil, attend me.'
+
+"The cortege was soon scattered; and the Marquis de Verneuil followed
+the king with an expression where fear and dread were not to be
+mistaken.
+
+"Monsieur de Verneuil did indeed seem an altered man when he appeared
+among his friends that evening. Whatever the king had said to him
+assuredly had worked its due effect; for all his raillery was gone, and
+even the veriest trifler of the party might have dared an encounter with
+wits which then were subdued and broken.
+
+"Next morning, however, the sun shone out brilliantly. The king was
+in high spirits; the game abounded; and his Majesty with his own hand
+brought down eight pheasants. The Marquis de Verneuil could hit nothing;
+for although the best marksman of the day, his hand shook and his sight
+failed him, and the king won fifty louis from him before they reached
+Saint-Germain.
+
+"Never was there a happier day nor followed by a pleasanter evening.
+The king supped in Madame de la Valliere's apartment; the private band
+played the most delicious airs during the repast; and when at length the
+party retired to rest, not one bright dream was clouded by the memory of
+Arnoud de Gency.
+
+"Here, now, were I merely recounting an anecdote, I should stop,"
+said the chevalier; "but must continue a little longer, though all the
+romance of my story is over. The Marquis de Verneuil was a good hater:
+even poor De Gency's fate did not move him, and he actually did do what
+he had only threatened in mockery,--he sent the orphan child to be a
+turnspit in the royal kitchen. Of course he changed his name,--the title
+of an old and honored family would soon have betrayed the foul
+deed,--and the boy was called Jacotot, after the _chef_ himself. The
+king inquired no further on the subject; Arnoud's name recalled too
+unpleasant a topic for the lips of a courtier ever to mention; and the
+whole circumstance was soon entirely forgotten.
+
+"This same Jacotot was the grandfather of my old friend, whom you saw a
+few minutes since. Fate, that seems to jest with men's destinies, made
+them as successful at the fire of the kitchen as ever their ancestors
+were at that of a battery; and Monsieur Jacotot, our present host, has
+not his equal in Paris. Here for years the younger members of the royal
+family used to sup; this room was their favorite apartment; and one
+evening, when at a later sitting than usual the ruler of the feast was
+carried beyond himself in the praise of an admirable plat, he sent for
+Jacotot, and told him, whatever favor he should ask, he himself would
+seek for him at the hands of the king.
+
+"This was the long-wished-for moment of the poor fellow's life. He drew
+from his bosom the title-deeds of his ancient name and fortune, and
+placed them in the prince's hand without uttering a word.
+
+"'What! and are you a De Gency?' said the prince.
+
+"'Alas! I shame to say it, I am.'
+
+"'Come, gentlemen,' said the gay young prince, 'a bumper to our worthy
+friend, whom, with God's blessing, I shall see restored right soon to
+his fitting rank and station. Yes, De Gency! my word upon it, the next
+evening I sup here I shall bring with me his Majesty's own signature to
+these title-deeds. Make place, gentlemen, and let him sit down!'
+
+"But poor Jacotot was too much excited by his feelings of joy and
+gratitude, and he rushed from the room in a torrent of tears.
+
+"The evening the prince spoke of never came. Soon after that commenced
+the troubles to the royal family; the dreadful events of Versailles; the
+flight to Varennes; the 10th August,--a horrible catalogue I cannot bear
+to trace. There, yonder, where now the groups are loitering, or sitting
+around in happy knots, there died Louis the Sixteenth. The prince I
+spoke of is an exile: they call him Louis the Eighteenth; but he is a
+king without a kingdom.
+
+"But Jacotot lives on in hope. He has waded through all the terrors of
+the Revolution; he has seen the guillotine erected almost before his
+door and beheld his former friends led one by one to the slaughter.
+Twice was he himself brought forth, and twice was his life spared by
+some admirer of his cuisine. But perhaps all his trials were inferior
+to the heart-burning with which he saw the places once occupied by the
+blood of Saint Louis now occupied by the _canaille_ of the Revolution.
+Marat and Robespierre frequented his house; and Barras seldom passed
+a week without dining there. This, I verily believe, was a heavier
+affliction than any of his personal sufferings; and I have often heard
+him recount, with no feigned horror, the scenes which took place among
+the _incroyables_, as they called themselves, whose orgies he contrasted
+so unfavorably with the more polished excesses of his regal visitors.
+Through all the anarchy of that fearful period; through the scarce less
+sanguinary time of the Directory; through the long, dreary oppression of
+the consulate; and now, in the more grinding tyranny of the Empire, he
+hopes, ay, still hopes on, that the day will come when from the hands of
+the king himself he shall receive his long-buried rank, and stand forth
+a De Gency. Poor fellow! there is something noble and manly in the long
+struggle with fortune,--in that long-sustained contest in which he would
+never admit defeat.
+
+"Such are the followers of the Bourbons: their best traits, their
+highest daring, their most long-suffering endurance, only elicited in
+the pursuit of some paltry object of personal ambition. They have tasted
+the cup of adversity, ay, drained it to the very dregs; they have seen
+carnage and bloodshed such as no war ever surpassed: and all they
+have learned by experience is, to wish for the long past days of
+royal tyranny and frivolity back again; to see a glittering swarm
+of debauchees fluttering around a sensualist king; and to watch the
+famished faces of the multitude, without a thought that the tiger is
+only waiting for his spring. As to a thought of true liberty, one single
+high and noble aspiration after freedom, they never dreamed of it.
+
+"You see, my friend, I have no desire to win you over to the Bourbon
+cause; neither, if I could, would I make you a Jacobin. But how is
+this? Can it really be so late? Come, we have no time to lose: it is not
+accounted good breeding to be late in a visit at the Faubourg."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX. THE TWO SOIREES
+
+Duchesne's story had unfortunately driven all memory of Bubbleton out of
+my head; and it was only as we entered the street where the Duchesse de
+Montserrat lived that I remembered my friend, and thought of asking the
+chevalier's advice about him.
+
+In a few words I explained so much of his character and situation as was
+necessary, and was going on to express my fears lest a temperament so
+unstable and uncertain should involve its possessor in much trouble,
+when Duchesne interrupted me by saying,--
+
+"Be of courage on that head. Your friend, if the man you describe him,
+is the very person to baffle the police. They can see to any depth, if
+the water be only clear; muddy it, and it matters little how shallow it
+be. This Bubbleton might be of the greatest service just now; you must
+present me to him, Burke."
+
+"Most willingly. But first promise that you will not involve my poor
+friend in the snares of any plot. Heaven knows, his own faculties are
+quite sufficient for his mystification."
+
+"Plot! snares!--why, what are you thinking of? But come, this is our
+halting-place; and here we are, without my even having a moment to give
+you any account of my good aunt."
+
+As he spoke he turned the handle of a large door, which led into a
+gloomy _porte cochere_, dimly illuminated by a single old-fashioned
+lantern. A fat, unwieldy-looking porter peeped at us from his den in the
+conciergerie; and then, having announced our approach by ringing a bell,
+he closed the shutter, and left us to find the way ourselves.
+
+Ascending the great spacious stair, the wall alongside which was covered
+with family portraits,--grim-looking heroes in mail, or prim dames with
+bouquets in their jewelled hands,--we reached a species of gallery, from
+which several doors led off. Here a servant, dressed in deep black, was
+standing to announce the visitors.
+
+As the servant preceded us along the corridor, I could not help feeling
+the contrast of this gloomy mansion, where every footstep had its own
+sad echo, with the gorgeous splendor of the Hotel Clichy. Here, all was
+dark, cold, and dreary; there, everything was lightsome, cheerful, and
+elegant. What an emblem, to my thinking, were they both of the dynasties
+they represented! But the reflection was only made as one half of the
+folding-door was thrown open,--the double-door was the prerogative of
+the blood-royal,--and we were announced.
+
+The apartment--a large, sombre-looking one--was empty, however, and we
+traversed this, and a second similar to it, our names being repeated as
+before; when at length the low tones of voices indicated our approach to
+the _salon_ where the visitors were assembled.
+
+Dimly lighted by a few lamps, far apart from each other, the apartment
+as we entered seemed even larger than it really was. At one end, around
+a huge antique fireplace, sat a group of ladies, whom in a glance I
+recognized as of the class so distinctively called dowager. They were
+seated in deep-cushioned fauteuils, and were mostly employed in some
+embroidery work, which they laid down each time they spoke; and resumed,
+less to prosecute the labor, than, as it were, from mere habit.
+
+With all the insinuating gracefulness of a well-bred Frenchman, Duchesne
+approached the seat next the chimney, and respectfully kissed the hand
+extended towards him.
+
+"Permit me, my dear aunt, to present a very intimate friend,--Captain
+Burke," said he, as he led me forward.
+
+At the mention of the word "captain," I could perceive that every hand
+dropped its embroidery-frame, while the group stared at me with no
+feigned astonishment. But already the duchess had vouchsafed a very
+polite speech, and motioned me to a seat beside her; while the chevalier
+insinuated himself among the rest, evidently bent on relieving the stiff
+and constrained reserve which pervaded the party. Not even his tact and
+worldly cleverness was equal to the task. The conversation, if such
+it could be called, was conducted almost in monosyllables,--some stray
+question for an absent "marquise," or a muttered reply concerning a late
+"countess," was the burden; not an allusion even being made to any topic
+of the day, nor any phrase dropped which could show that the speakers
+were aware of the year or the nation in which they lived and breathed.
+
+It was an inexpressible relief to me when gradually some three or four
+other persons dropped in, some of them men, who, by their manner, seemed
+favorites of the party. And soon after the entrance of the servant
+with refreshments permitted a movement in the group, when I took the
+opportunity to stand up and approach Duchesne, as he bent over a table,
+listlessly turning over the leaves of a volume.
+
+"Just think of the contradictions of human nature, Burke," said he, in a
+low whisper. "These are the receptions for which the new noblesse
+would give half their wealth. These melancholy visits of worn-out
+acquaintances, these sapless twigs of humanity, are the envy of
+such houses as the Hotel Clichy; and to be admitted to these gloomy,
+moth-eaten _salons_, is a greater honor than an invitation to the
+Tuileries. So long as this exists, depend upon it, there is rottenness
+in the core of society. But come, let us take our leave; I see you
+are well wearied of all this. And now for an hour at Madame de
+Lacostellerie's,--_en revanche_."
+
+As we came forward to make our adieux to the duchess, she rose from her
+seat, and in so doing her sleeve brushed against a small marble statue
+of Louis the Sixteenth, which, had I not opportunely caught it, would
+have fallen to the ground.
+
+"Thank you, sir," said she, graciously. "You have prevented what I
+should have deemed a sad accident."
+
+"Nay, more, Aunt," said Duchesne, smiling; "he has shown his readiness
+to restore the Bourbon."
+
+This speech, evidently spoken in jest, was repeated from lip to lip in
+the circle; and certainly I never felt my awkwardness more oppressive
+than when bowing to the party, whose elated looks and pleased
+countenances now were turned towards me.
+
+"My poor, bashful friend," said Duchesne, as we descended the stair;
+"get rid of the habit of blushing with all convenient despatch. It has
+marred more fortunes than pharo or bouillotte."
+
+"This, assuredly, is well done!" said the chevalier, as he looked
+around him, while we slowly ascended the stairs of the Hotel Glichy:
+the brilliant light, almost rivalling day; the servants in gorgeous
+liveries; the air of wealth around on every side, so different from
+the sad-colored mansion of the Faubourg; while, as the opening doors
+permitted it to be heard, the sound of delicious music came wafted to
+the ear.
+
+"I say, Burke," said he, stopping suddenly, and laying his hand on my
+arm, "this might content a man who has seen as much as I have. And the
+game is well worth the playing; so here goes!"
+
+The first person I saw as we entered the ante-chamber was Bubbleton. He
+was the centre of a knot of foreigners, who, whatever the topic, seemed
+highly amused at his discourse.
+
+"That is your friend, yonder," said Duchesne. "He has the true type of
+John Bull about him; introduce me at once."
+
+Duchesne scarcely permitted me to finish the introduction, when he
+extended his hand, and saluted Bubbleton with great cordiality; while
+the "general" did not suffer the ceremony to interrupt the flow of
+his eloquence, but continued to explain, in the most minute and
+circumstantial manner, the conditions of the new peace secretly
+concluded between France and England. The incredulity of the listeners
+was, I could perceive, considerably lessened by observing the
+deferential attention with which Duchesne listened, only interrupting
+the speaker by an occasional assent, or a passing question as to the
+political relations of some of the great Powers.
+
+"As to Prussia," said Bubbleton, pompously--"as to Prussia--"
+
+"Well, what of Prussia, General?"
+
+"We have our doubts on that subject," replied he, looking thoughtfully
+around him on the group, who, completely deceived by Duchesne's manner,
+now paid him marked attention.
+
+"You'll not deprive her of Genoa, I trust," said the chevalier, with a
+gravity almost inconceivable.
+
+"That is done already," said Bubbleton. "For my own part, I told
+Lauderdale we were nothing without the Bosphorus,--'the key of our
+house, as your Emperor called it."
+
+"He spoke of Russia, if I don't err," said Duchesne, with an insinuating
+air of correction.
+
+"Pardon me, you are wrong. I know Russia well. I travelled through the
+steppes of Metchezaromizce with Prince Drudeszitsch. We journeyed three
+hundred versts over his own estates, drawn on sledges by his serfs. You
+are aware they are always harnessed by the beard, which they wear long
+and plaited on purpose."
+
+"That is towards the Crimea," interrupted the chevalier.
+
+"Precisely. I remember a curious incident which occurred one night as
+we approached Chitepsk. (You know Chitepsk? It is where they confine the
+state prisoners,--a miserable, dreary tract, where the snow never melts,
+and the frost is so intense you often see a drove of wolves glued fast
+to the snow by the feet, and howling fearfully: a strange sight, to
+be sure!) Well, the night was falling, and a thin, cutting snowdrift
+beginning to drop, when Dru (I always call him so,--short) said to me,--
+
+"'Bub' (he did the same to me) 'Bub,' said he, 'do you remark that
+off-side leader?'
+
+"'I see him,' said I.
+
+"'I have been watching the fellow since the last stage, and confound me
+if he has ever tightened a trace; and you see he is a right active one,
+notwithstanding. He capers along gayly enough. I 'll touch him up a
+bit.' And with that he gave a flourish of his knouted whip, and came
+down on him with a smarting cut. Lord, how he jumped! Five feet off the
+ground at one spring! And, hang me, if he didn't tear off his beard!
+There it was, hanging to the pole! A very shocking sight, I must
+confess; though Dru did n't seem to mind it. However, we were obliged to
+pull up, and get out the team. Well, you would not believe what we saw
+when we got down. You 'd never guess who was the off-leader. It was the
+Princess Odoznovskoi! Poor thing! the last time I saw her, before that,
+she was dancing in the Amber Palace with Prince Alexander. She and her
+husband had been banished to Chitepsk, and as he was ill, she had put on
+a false beard and was taking a short stage in his place."
+
+I did not venture to wait for more; but, leaving Duchesne to make the
+most of the general, passed onwards towards the _salon_, which already
+was rapidly filling with visitors.
+
+The countess received me with more than wonted kindness of manner, and
+mademoiselle assumed a tone of actual cordiality I had never perceived
+before; while, as she exchanged greetings with me, she said, in a low
+voice,--
+
+"Let me speak with you, in the picture-gallery, in half an hour."
+
+Before I could utter my assent she had passed on, and was speaking to
+another.
+
+Somewhat curious to conceive what Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie might
+mean by her appointment in the gallery, I avoided the groups where I
+perceived my acquaintances were, and strolled negligently on towards the
+place of meeting. The gallery was but half lighted, as was customary on
+mere nights of visiting, and I found it quite deserted. I was sauntering
+slowly along, musing on the strange effects of the half-seen pictures,
+where all, save the most forcible and striking tints, were sombred down
+to blackness, when I heard a step behind me. I turned my head, and saw
+mademoiselle herself. She was alone, and, though she evidently had seen
+me, continued to walk onward, without speaking, towards a small boudoir,
+which occupied one angle of the gallery. I followed, and we entered it
+together.
+
+There was something in the secret interview which, while it excited my
+curiosity, served at once to convince me that had I indulged in any hope
+of succeeding to her affections, nothing could be less promising,--this
+very proof of her confidence was the strongest earnest of her
+indifference. But, indeed, I had never any such expectation. My pride
+might have been flattered by such a supposition; my heart could never
+have sympathized in the emotion.
+
+"We are alone here," said she, hurriedly, "and we may be missed; so let
+me be brief. It will seem strange that I should ask you to meet me here,
+but I could not help it. You alone, of all who frequent this, have never
+paid me the least attention, nor seemed disposed to flatter me; this
+leads me to trust you. I have no other reason but that, and because I am
+friendless." There was a tremulous sadness in the last word which
+went to my heart, and I could mark that her breathing was hurried
+and irregular for some few seconds after. "Will you promise me your
+friendship in what I ask? or, if that be too much, will you pledge
+yourself at least to secrecy? Enough, I am quite satisfied. Now, tell
+me, who is this Chevalier Duchesne?--what is he?"
+
+I ran over in a few words all I knew of him, dwelling on whatever might
+most redound to his credit; his distinguished military career, his
+undoubted talent, and, lastly, alluding to his family, to which I
+conceived the question might most probably apply.
+
+"Oh, it is not that," said she, vehemently, "I wish to know. I care not
+for his bravery, nor his birth either. Tell me, what are the sources of
+his power? How is he admitted everywhere, intimate with every one, with
+influence over all? Why does Fouche fear, and Talleyrand admit him? I
+know they do this; and can you give me no clew, however faint, to
+guide me? The Comte de Lacostellerie was refused the Spanish contract;
+Duchesne interferes, and it is given him. There is a difficulty about a
+card for a private concert at St. Cloud; Duchesne sends it. Nor does it
+end here. _You_ know"--here her voice assumed a forced distinctness,
+as though it cost her an effort to speak calmly--"of his duel with the
+Prince Dobretski; but perhaps you may not know how he has obtained an
+imperial order for his recall to St. Petersburg?"
+
+"Of that I never heard. Can it be possible?"
+
+"Have you, then, never tasted of his arbitrary power," said she, smiling
+half superciliously, "that these things seem strange to you? or does
+he work so secretly that even those most intimate with him are in
+ignorance? But this must be so." She paused for a second or two, and
+then went on: "And now, brief as our acquaintance with him has been, see
+what influence he already possesses over my mother! Even to her I dare
+not whisper my suspicions; while to you, a stranger," added she, with
+emotion, "I must speak my fears."
+
+"But are they not groundless?" said I, endeavoring to calm the agitation
+she suffered from. "In all that you have mentioned, I can but trace the
+devotion of one seeking to serve, not injure; to be loved, not dreaded."
+
+Scarce had I said these words, when I heard a noise behind me, and
+before I could turn round, Duchesne stood beside us.
+
+"I implore your pardon, Mademoiselle," said he, in a voice of
+well-affected timidity, "nor should I venture to interrupt so
+interesting a conference, but that the Comtesse de Lacostellerie had
+sent me to look for you."
+
+"You could scarcely have come more apropos, sir. The conversation was
+entirely of yourself," said she, haughtily, as if in defiance of him.
+
+"How could I possibly have merited so great an honor, Mademoiselle?"
+replied he, bowing with the deepest respect; "or is it to the kindness
+of a _friend_ I am indebted for such interest?"
+
+There was an evident sneer in the way he uttered the word "friend,"
+while a sidelong glance he gave beneath his deep eyelashes was still
+more decisive of his feeling.
+
+"Few probably owe more to their friends than the Chevalier Duchesne,"
+said mademoiselle, tauntingly, as she took my arm to return to the
+_salon_.
+
+"True, most true!" replied he, with a low and deferential bow; "and I
+hope I am not the man to forget my debts to either friends or enemies."
+
+I turned round rapidly as he said this. Our eyes met, and we exchanged a
+short, brief glance of open defiance. His, however, as quickly changed;
+and an easy smile of careless indifference succeeded, as he lounged
+after us towards the _salon_, where now a considerable number of
+persons were assembled, and a more than usual excitement prevailed. Some
+generals of the imperial staff were also there; and the rumor ran that
+the negotiations with England had been suddenly interrupted, and that
+the negotiators had demanded their passports.
+
+"That is not all, Madame," said an old officer to the countess. "The
+accounts from Mayence are threatening. Large bodies of Prussian troops
+are reported on the march from the eastward. The telegraph has been
+actively at work since noon, and several couriers have been sent off
+from the War Office."
+
+"What is to come next?" said the countess, sighing, as she thought
+of Paris once more deserted by its gay Court and brilliant crowd of
+officers, the only society of the period.
+
+"What next, Madame?" said Duchesne, taking up the word. "_Parbleu!_ the
+thing is easily told. A conscription, a march, a bivouac, and a battle
+will form act the first. Then a victory; and a bulletin and an imperial
+edict, showing that Prussia, both by her language and geographical
+position, was intended by Providence to belong to France; that Prussians
+have no dearer wish than to be thrashed and taxed,--the honor of
+becoming a portion of the Grande Nation being an ample recompense for
+any misfortune."
+
+"And so it is, Monsieur," broke in a bluff, hard-featured veteran, whose
+coarse and weather-beaten traits bespoke one risen from the ranks; "he
+is no Frenchman who says otherwise."
+
+"To your good health, Colonel," said Duchesne, as he lifted a glass
+of champagne to his lips. "Such patriotism is really refreshing in our
+degenerate days. I wish you every success in your campaign; though what
+is to reward your valor in that miserable land of beer and Protestantism
+I cannot possibly conceive."
+
+"To-morrow; let me see you to-morrow, in the afternoon." said
+mademoiselle, in a whisper, as she passed close to me.
+
+As I nodded in acknowledgment, Duchesne turned slightly around, and I
+saw in his eyes he had overheard the words, though uttered in a mere
+whisper. Still he went on,--
+
+"As for us who remain ingloriously behind you, we have nothing to do but
+to read your exploits in the 'Moniteur.' And would to Heaven the worthy
+editor would print his battles in better fashion! The whole page usually
+looks more like a beaten than a conquering army; wounded vowels and
+broken consonants at every step, and the capital letters awkward,
+hard-featured fellows, as though risen from the ranks."
+
+"_Tonnerre de Dieu_, sir! do you mean an insult to me?" said the old
+colonel, in a voice which, though intended for a whisper, was heard over
+the whole circle.
+
+"An insult, my dear colonel? nothing within a thousand leagues of
+such. I was only speaking of the 'type' of our army, which may be very
+efficient, but is scarcely too good-looking."
+
+No words can convey the sarcastic tone in which the speech was
+delivered, nor the mortification of the indignant colonel, who felt, but
+knew not how to reply to, such a taunt. Happily Madame de Lacostellerie
+interposed, and by skilfully changing the topic of conversation, averted
+further unpleasantness.
+
+My desire to learn something accurately as to the state of events made
+me anxious to reach my quarters, and I took the first opportunity of
+quitting the _salon_. As I passed through the outer room, Duchesne
+was standing against a sideboard, holding a glass in his hand. It was
+necessary that I should pass him closely, and I was preparing to salute
+him with the distant courtesy of our present acquaintance, when he said,
+in his former tone of easy raillery,--
+
+"Going so early? Won't you have a glass of wine before you leave?"
+
+"No, I thank you," said I, coldly, and going on towards the door.
+
+"Nor wait for the concert; Grassini will be here in half an hour?"
+
+I shook my head in negation; and as I passed out I heard him humming,
+with an emphasis which there was no mistaking, the couplet of a popular
+song of the day which concluded thus,--
+
+"To-day for me; To-morrow for thee,--But will that to-morrow ever be?"
+
+That Duchesne intended to challenge me seemed now almost certain; and I
+ran over in my mind the few names of those I could ask to be my friends
+on such an occasion, but without being able to satisfy myself on the
+subject. A moment's recollection might have taught me that it was a
+maxim with the chevalier never to send a message, but in every case
+to make the adversary the aggressor; he had told me so over and over
+himself. That, however, did not occur to me at the moment, and I walked
+onward, thinking of our meeting. Could I have known what was passing in
+_his_ mind, I should have spared many serious and some sad thoughts to
+my own.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX. A SUDDEN DEPARTURE
+
+So firmly had I persuaded myself, on my way homeward, that Duchesne
+intended a duel with me, that I dreamed of it all night, and awoke in
+the morning perfectly convinced that the event was prearranged between
+us. Now, although the habits of the service I lived in had, in a great
+measure, blunted the feelings I once entertained towards duelling, still
+enough of detestation of the practice remained to make my anticipations
+far from satisfactory; besides, I knew that Duchesne had in reality no
+cause of quarrel with me, but from misapprehension alone could demand
+a meeting, which our military code of honor always decided should be
+accepted first, and inquired into afterwards. I regretted also, and
+deeply too, that I should appear to his eyes in an unworthy part, as
+though betraying the interests he had confided to me.
+
+There were, as I have said, many things I liked not in the chevalier:
+the insatiable desire he felt for revenge where he had once been
+injured; the spirit of intrigue he cherished; and, perhaps more than
+either, I shunned the scoffing habit he had of depreciating what every
+one around him loved or respected,--of stripping off every illusion
+which made life valuable, and reducing to the miserable standard of
+mere selfish gratification all that was great, or noble, or venerable.
+Already had his evil influence done me injury in this way. Even now I
+felt, that of the few daydreams I once indulged in he had robbed me
+of the best, and reduced me to the sad reflection which haunted me
+throughout my whole career, and imbittered every passing enjoyment of my
+life: I mean, the sorrowful thought of being an alien, of having but the
+hireling's part in that career of glory which others followed; that
+I alone could have no thrill of patriotism, when all around me were
+exulting in its display; that I had neither home nor country! Oh! if
+they who feel, or fancy that they feel, the wrongs and oppressions of
+misgovernment at home,--who, with high aspirations after liberty and
+holy thoughts for the happiness of their fellow-men, war against the
+despotism which would repress the one or the cruelty which would despise
+the other; if they could only foresee, that in changing allegiance
+they did but shift the burden, not rid themselves of the load; that the
+service of a foreign land is no requital for the loss of every feeling
+which ties a man to kindred and to friends,--which links his manhood
+with his youth, his age with both,--which gives him, in the language of
+his forefathers, a sympathy with the land that bore them; if they could
+know and feel these things; if they could learn how, in surrendering
+them, they have made themselves such mere waifs and strays upon life's
+ocean that objects of purely selfish and personal advancement must be
+to them for evermore in place of the higher and more ennobling thoughts
+which mix with other men's ambitions: they might hesitate ere they left
+home and country to fight for the cause of the stranger.
+
+If such thoughts found entrance into _my_ heart, how must they have
+dwelt in many another's? I, who had neither family nor kindred,--who
+from earliest childhood had never tasted the sweets of affection nor
+known the blessings of a father's love; and yet scarce a day crept by
+without some thought of the far-away land of my birth,--some memory of
+its hills and valleys, of its green banks and changeful skies: and in
+my dreams, some long-forgotten air would bring me back in memory to the
+cottier's fireside, where around the red blazing turf were seated the
+poor but happy peasantry, beguiling the time with song or story,--now
+telling of the ancient greatness of their country, now breathing a hope
+of its one day prosperity.
+
+"Captain Burke's quarters?" said a voice without. At the same instant,
+the jingling of spurs and the clank of a sabre bespoke the questioner as
+a soldier. My door opened, and an officer in the full dress of the staff
+entered. As I requested him to be seated, I already anticipated
+the object of his visit, which he seemed determined to open in most
+diplomatic fashion; for, the first salutations over, he began coolly to
+ransack his sabretasche, and search among a heap of papers which crowded
+it.
+
+"Ah! here it is," said he at length. "I ask your pardon for all this
+delay. But, of course, you guess the reason of my being here?"
+
+"I must confess I suspect it," said I, with a smile.
+
+"Oh, that I am certain of. These things never are secrets very long;
+nor, for my part, do I think there is any need they should be. I
+conclude you are quite prepared?"
+
+"You shall find me so."
+
+"So the minister said," replied he; while, once more, his eyes were
+buried in the recesses of the sabretasche, leaving me in the most
+intense astonishment at the last few words. That the minister, whoever
+he might be, should know of, and, as it seemed, acquiesce in my fighting
+a duel, was a puzzle I could make nothing of.
+
+"Here is the note I looked for," said he as he took forth a small slip
+of paper, written on both sides. "May I beg you will take down the
+details; they are brief, but important."
+
+"You may trust my memory with them," said I, rather surprised at the
+circumstantial style of his conduct.
+
+"As you please; so pay attention for one moment, while I read: 'Captain
+Burke of the Eighth, will proceed by extra post to Mayence, visiting
+the following garrisons _en route_'(here come the names, which you can
+copy), where his attention will be specially directed to the points
+marked A. B. and--'"
+
+"Forgive my interrupting you; but really I am unaware of what you are
+alluding to. You are not here on the part of the Chevalier Duchesne?"
+
+"The Chevalier Duchesne? Duchesne? No; this is a war despatch from the
+minister. You must set out in two hours. I thought you said you were
+prepared."
+
+"Hem! there has been a mistake here," said I, endeavoring to remember
+how far I might have committed myself by any unguarded expression.
+
+"All my fault, Captain Burke," said he, frankly. "I should have been
+more explicit at first. But I really thought from something--I forget
+precisely what now--that you knew of the movement on the frontier, and
+were, in fact, prepared for your orders. Heaven knows how far our
+mystification might have gone on; for when you spoke of Duchesne--the
+ex-captain of the Imperial Guard, I suppose--
+
+"Yes! what of him?"
+
+"Why, it so chanced that he was closeted with the minister this morning,
+and only left five minutes before your orders were made out. But come,
+neither of us can well spare more time. This is your despatch for the
+commandant of the troops at Mayence, to whom you will report verbally on
+the equipment of the smaller bodies of men visited _en route_. I shall
+give you my note, which, though hurriedly written, will assist your
+memory. Above all things, get speedily on the road, and reach Mayence
+by Wednesday. Half an hour's speed in times like these is worth a whole
+year in one's way to promotion. And so, now, good-by!"
+
+I stood for several minutes after he left the room so confused and
+astonished, that had not the huge envelope, with its great seal of
+office, confirmed the fact, I could have believed the whole a mere trick
+of my imagination.
+
+The jingle of the postilion's equipment in the court beneath now
+informed me that a Government _caleche_ stood awaiting me, and I
+speedily began my preparations for the road.
+
+One thought filled my mind to the exclusion of all others. It was
+Duchesne's influence on which my fortune now rested. The last few words
+he uttered as I left the _salon_ were ringing in my ears, and here was
+their explanation. This rapid journey was planned by him to remove me
+from Paris, where possibly he supposed my knowledge of him might be
+inconvenient, and where in my absence his designs might be prosecuted
+with more success. Happy as I felt to think that a personal _rencontre_
+was not to occur between us, my self-love was deeply wounded at the
+thought of how much I was in this man's power, and how arbitrarily he
+decided on the whole question of my destiny. If my pride were gratified
+on the one hand by my having excited the chevalier's vengeance, it was
+offended on the other by feeling how feeble would my efforts prove to
+oppose the will of an antagonist who worked with such secret and such
+powerful means. The same philosophy which so often stood my part in life
+here came to my aid,--to act well my own part, and leave the result to
+time. And so, with this patient resolve, I mentally bade defiance to my
+adversary, and set out from Paris.
+
+The ardent feeling which filled my heart on the approach of my first
+campaign was now changed into a soldierly sense of duty, which, if less
+enthusiastic, was a steadier and more sustaining motive. I felt whatever
+distinctions it should be my lot to win must be gained in the camp, not
+in the Court-, that my place was rather where squadrons were charging
+and squares were kneeling, than among the intrigues of the capital, its
+wiles and its plottings. In the one, I might win an honorable name; in
+the other, I should be but the dupe of more designing heads and less
+scrupulous hearts than my own.
+
+Early on the third morning from the time of my leaving Paris, I reached
+Mayence. The garrisons which I visited on the road seldom detained me
+above half an hour. The few questions which I had to ask respecting the
+troops were soon and easily answered; and in most instances the officers
+in command had been apprised that their reports would be required, and
+came ready at once to afford the information.
+
+The disposable force at that time was not above eighty thousand new
+levies,--the conscripts of the past year,--who, although well drilled
+and equipped, had never undergone the fatigues of a campaign nor met an
+enemy in the field. But beyond the frontier were the veteran legions of
+the Austrian campaign, who, while advancing on their return to France,
+were suddenly halted, and now only awaited the Emperor's orders whither
+they should carry their victorious standards.
+
+As at the outbreak of all Napoleon's wars, the greatest uncertainty
+prevailed regarding the direction of the army, and in what place and
+against what enemy the first blow was to be struck. The Russian army,
+defeated and routed at Austerlitz, was said to be once more in the
+field, reorganized and strengthened; Austria, it was rumored, was
+faltering in her fealty; but the military preparations of Prussia were
+no longer a secret, and to many it seemed as if, as in the days of the
+Republic, France was about to contend single-handed against the whole of
+Europe.
+
+In Prussia the warlike enthusiasm of the people was carried to the
+very highest pitch. The Court, the aristocracy, but more powerful than
+either, the press, stimulated national courage by recalling to their
+minds the famous deeds of the Great Frederick, and bidding them remember
+that Rossbach was won against an army of Frenchmen. The students--a
+powerful and an organized class--stood foremost in this patriotic
+movement. Their excited imaginations warmed by the spirit-stirring songs
+of Kerner and Uhland, and glowing with the instincts of that chivalry
+which is a German's birthright, they spread over the country, calling
+upon their fellow-subjects to arise and defend the "Vaterland" against
+the aggression of the tyrant. So unequivocally was this feeling
+expressed, that even before the negotiations had lost their pacific
+character, the youthful aristocracy of Berlin used to go and sharpen
+their swords at the door-sill of the French ambassador at Berlin.
+
+To the exalted tone of patriotic enthusiasm the beautiful Queen of
+Prussia most powerfully contributed. The crooked and tortuous windings
+of diplomatic intrigue found no sympathy in her frank and generous
+nature. Belying on the native energy of German character, she bade an
+open and a bold defiance to her country's enemy, and was content to
+stake all on the chances of a battle. The colder and less confident mind
+of the king was rather impelled by the current of popular opinion than
+induced by conviction to the adoption of this daring policy. But once
+engaged in it, he exhibited the rarest fortitude and the most unyielding
+courage.
+
+Such, in brief, was the condition of that people, such the warlike
+spirit they breathed, when in the autumn of 1806 the cry of war
+resounded from the shores of the Baltic to the frontiers of Bohemia.
+Never was the effective strength of the Prussian army more conspicuous.
+Their cavalry, in number and equipment, was confessedly among the first,
+if not the very first, in Europe; while the artillery maintained a
+reputation which, since the days of Frederick, had proclaimed it the
+most perfect arm of the service.
+
+The Emperor knew these things well, and did not undervalue them; and
+it was with a very different impression of his present enemy from that
+which filled his mind in the Austrian campaign, that he remarked to
+Soult, "We shall want the mattock in this war,"--thereby implying that,
+against such an adversary, fieldworks and intrenchments would be needed,
+as well as the dense array of squadrons and the bristling walls of
+infantry.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI. THE SUMMIT OF THE LANDGRAFENBERG
+
+After a brief delay at Mayence, it was with sincere pleasure I received
+my orders to push forward to the advanced posts at Wetzlar, where
+General d'Auvergne was with his division. Already the battalions were
+crossing the Rhine, and directing their steps to different rendezvous
+along the Prussian frontier; some pressing on eastwards, where the Saxon
+territory joins the Prussian; others directly to the north, and taking
+up positions distant by a short day's march from each other. The same
+urgent haste which characterized the opening of the Austrian campaign
+a year before, was here conspicuous; many of the corps being obliged to
+march seven and eight leagues in the day, and frequently whole companies
+being forwarded in wagons drawn by six or eight horses, in order to
+come up with the main body of their regiments. Every road eastward was
+covered with some fragment of the army. Now an infantry corps of young
+conscripts, glowing with enthusiasm and eager for the fray, would
+cheer the _caleche_ in which I travelled, and which, as indicating a
+staff-officer, was surmounted by a small flag with an eagle. Now it was
+the hoarse challenge of an outpost, some veteran of Bernadotte's army,
+which occupied the whole line of country from Dusseldorf to Nuremberg.
+Pickets of dragoons, with troops of led horses for remounts, hurried on,
+and long lines of wagons crammed the road.
+
+At last I joined General d'Auvergne, who, with all the ardor of the
+youngest soldier, was preparing for the march. The hardy veteran,
+disdaining the use of a carriage, rode each day at the head of his
+column, and went through the most minute detail of regimental duty with
+the colonels under his command. From whatever cause proceeding I knew
+not, but it struck me as strange that he never alluded to my visit to
+Paris, nor once spoke to me of the countess; and while this reserve on
+his part slightly wounded me, I felt relieved from the embarrassment
+the mere mention of her name would cause me, and was glad when our
+conversation turned on the events of the war. Nor was he, save in this
+respect, less cordial than ever, manifesting the greatest pleasure at
+the prospect the war would open to my advancement, and kindly presaging
+for me a success I scarcely dared to hope for.
+
+"Nor is the hour distant," said he to me one morning in the latter end
+of September, as we rode side by side; "the grand movement is begun."
+
+Augereau, with his powerful _corps d'armee_ of twenty thousand, pressed
+on from Frankfort and Mayence; Bernadotte moved up on his flank from
+Nuremberg and Bamberg; Davoust hastened by forced marches from the
+Danube; while Soult and Ney with a strong force remained in the south,
+and in observation on the Austrian frontier. Farther to the north,
+again, were the new levies and the whole Imperial Guard, strengthened
+by four thousand additional men, which, together with Murat's cavalry,
+formed a vast line embracing the Prussian frontier on the west and
+south, and converging with giant strides towards the very heart of the
+kingdom. Still, mid all the thunders of marching squadrons and the
+din of advancing legions, diplomatists interchanged their respective
+assurances of a peaceful issue to their differences, and politely
+conveyed the most satisfactory sentiments of mutual esteem.
+
+On the 1st of September the Emperor left Paris; but, even then, covering
+his designs by an affected hope of peace, he was accompanied by the
+Empress and her suite to Mayence, where all the splendor of a Court was
+suddenly displayed amid the pomp and preparation of war. On the 6th he
+started by daybreak; relays of horses were in waiting along the road
+to Wetzlar, and with all speed he hastened forward to Bamberg, where he
+issued his grand proclamation to the army.
+
+With all his accustomed eloquence he represented to the army the
+insulting demands of Prussia, and called on them, as at Austerlitz, to
+reply to such a menace by one tremendous blow of victory, which should
+close the campaign. "Soldiers!" said he, "you were about to return to
+France to enjoy the well-won repose after all your victories. But an
+enemy is in the field; the road to Paris is no longer open to you:
+neither you nor I can tread it save under an arch of triumph."
+
+The day which succeeded the issue of this proclamation, a cavalry affair
+occurred at the advanced posts, in which the Prussians were somewhat the
+victors. Two days later, a courier arrived at the imperial headquarters
+with the account of another and more important action, between the
+grenadiers of Lannes and a part of Suchet's corps, against the advanced
+guard of Prince Hohenlohe, commanded by the most daring general in the
+Prussian service,--Prince Louis. A cavalry combat, which lasted for near
+an hour, closed this brief but bloody encounter with the death of the
+brave prince, who, refusing to surrender, was run through the body by
+the sabre of a quartermaster of the Tenth Hussars.
+
+General d'Auvergne's brigade had no share in this memorable action, for
+on the 9th we were marched to Rudolstadt, some miles to the left of the
+scene of the encounter; but having made a demonstration in that quarter,
+were speedily recalled, and ordered with all haste to cross the Saale,
+and move on to the eastward.
+
+It was now that Napoleon's manoeuvres became apparent. The same intrigue
+which succeeded at Ulm was again to be employed here: the enemy's flank
+was to be turned, the communication with his reinforcements cut off, and
+a battle engaged, in which defeat must prove annihilation. Such, then,
+was the complete success of the Emperor's movements, that on the 12th
+the French army was posted with the rear upon the Elbe, while the
+Prussians occupied a line between them and the Rhine. This masterly
+movement at once compelled the enemy to fall back and concentrate
+his troops around Jena and Weimar, which, from that instant, Napoleon
+pronounced must be the scene of a great battle.
+
+All this detail I have been obliged to force on my reader, and now again
+return to my story.
+
+On the morning of the 13th, Murat appeared for the first time at our
+headquarters, below Jena; and after a short consultation with the staff,
+our squadrons were formed and ordered to push on with haste towards
+Jena.
+
+Everything now showed that the decisive hour could not be distant:
+couriers passed and repassed; messengers and orderlies met us at every
+step; while, as is ever the case, the most contradictory rumors were
+circulated about the number and position of the enemy. As we neared
+Lausnitz, however, we learned that the whole Prussian army occupied the
+plateau of Jena, save a corps of twenty thousand men which were
+stationed at Auerstadt. From the elevated spot we occupied, the columns
+of Marshal Berna-dotte's division could be seen marching to the
+eastward. A halt was now commanded, and the troops prepared their
+bivouacs; when, as night was falling, a staff-officer rode up, with
+orders from the Emperor himself to push on without delay for Jena.
+
+The road was much cut up by the passage of cavalry and wagons, and as
+the night was dark, our pace was occasionally impeded. I was riding with
+one of the leading squadrons, when General d'Auvergne directed me to
+take an orderly with me, and proceed in advance to make arrangements for
+the quarters of the men at Jena. Selecting a German soldier as my guide,
+I dashed forwards, and soon left the squadron out of hearing. We had not
+gone far, when I remarked, from the tramp of the horses, that we were
+upon an earthen road, and not on the pavement. I questioned my orderly,
+but he was positive there had been no turning since we started. I paid
+no more attention to the circumstance, but rode on, hard as ever. At
+last the clay became deeper and heavier, the sides of the way closer,
+and all the appearance, as well as the gloom would allow us to guess,
+rather those of a byroad than the regular _chaussee_. To return would
+have been hopeless; the darkness gave no prospect of detecting at what
+precise spot we had left the main road, and so I determined to make my
+way straight onwards at all hazards.
+
+After about an hour's fast trotting, the orderly, who rode some paces
+in advance, called out, "A light!" and then, the moment after, he cried,
+"There are several lights yonder!"
+
+I reined in my horse at once, for the thought struck me that we had
+come down upon the Prussian lines. Giving my horse to the soldier, with
+orders to follow me noiselessly at a little distance, I walked on for
+above a mile, my eyes steadily fixed upon the lights, which moved from
+place to place, and showed, by their taper glare, that they were not
+watchfires. At length I gained a little ridge of the ground, and
+could distinctly see that it was a line of guns and artillery wagons,
+endeavoring to force their way through a narrow ravine; a few minutes
+after, I heard the sounds of French, and relieved of all apprehensions,
+I mounted my horse and soon came up with them.
+
+They were four troops of Lannes's artillery, which, by a mistake similar
+to my own, had left the highroad and entered one of the field-tracks,
+which thus led them astray; and here they were, jammed up in a narrow
+gorge, unable to get back or forward. The officer in command was a
+young colonel, who was completely overwhelmed by his misfortune; for he
+informed me that the whole artillery of the division was following him,
+and would inevitably be involved in the same mishap. The poor fellow,
+who doubtless would have faced the enemy without a particle of fear, was
+now so horrified by the event, that he ran wildly from place to place,
+ordering and counter-ordering every instant, and actually increasing
+the confusion by his own excitement. Some of the leading trains were
+unharnessed, and efforts made to withdraw the guns from their position;
+but the axles were, on both sides, embedded in the rock, and seemed to
+defy every effort to disengage them.
+
+At this moment, when the confusion had reached its height, and the
+horses were unharnessed from the guns, the men standing in groups around
+or shouting wildly to one another, a sullen silence spread itself over
+the whole, and a loud, stern voice called out,--
+
+"Who commands this division?"
+
+"General Latour," was the answer.
+
+"Where is he?" said the first speaker, so close to my ear that I started
+round, and saw the short square figure of a man in a great coat, holding
+a heavy whip in his hand.
+
+"With the main body at the rear."
+
+"Cannoneers, dismount!" said the other. "Bring the torches to the
+front."
+
+Scarcely was the order obeyed, when the light of the firewood fell upon
+his features, and I saw it was the Emperor himself. In an instant the
+whole scene was changed. The park tools were taken out, working parties
+formed, and the ravine began to echo to the strong blows of the brawny
+arms; while Napoleon, with a blazing torch in his hand, stood by to
+light their labors. Giving directions to the under-officers and the men,
+he never deigned a word to the officers, who now stood trembling around
+him, and were gradually joined by several more, who came up with the
+remainder of the train.
+
+I think still I can see that pale, unmoved face, which, as the light
+flickered upon it, gazed steadily at the working party. Not a syllable
+escaped him, save once, when he muttered half to himself, "And this was
+the first battery to open its fire to-morrow!"
+
+General Savary stood at his side, but never dared to address him. Too
+well he knew that his deepest anger showed itself by silence. By degrees
+the granite wall gave way, the axles once more became free, and the
+horses were again harnessed; the gun-carriages moved slowly through the
+ravine. Nor did the Emperor quit the spot before the greater part of
+the train passed; then mounting his horse, he turned towards Jena, and
+notwithstanding the utter darkness of the night he rode at full speed.
+Following the clatter of the horse's hoofs, I rode on, and in less than
+an hour reached a small cluster of houses, where a cavalry picket was
+placed, and several large fires were lighted, beside which, at small
+tables, sat above a dozen staff-officers busily writing despatches. The
+Emperor halted but for a second or two, and then dashed forward again;
+and I soon perceived we were ascending a steep hill, covered with ferns
+and brushwood. We had not gone far, when a single aide-de-camp who
+accompanied him turned his horse's head and rode rapidly down the
+mountain again.
+
+Napoleon was now alone, some fifty paces in front. I could see the faint
+outline through the darkness, my sight guided by my hearing to the spot.
+His pace, wherever the ground permitted, was rapid; but constantly he
+was obliged to hold in, and pick his steps among the stones and dwarf
+wood that covered the mountain. Never shall I cease to remember the
+strange sensations I felt as I followed him up that steep ascent.
+There was he, the greatest monarch of the universe, alone, wending his
+solitary way in darkness, his thoughts bent on the great event before
+him,--the tremendous conflict in which thousands must fall. There was a
+sense of awe in the thought of being so near to one on whose slightest
+word the destiny of nations seemed to hang; and I could not look on the
+dark object before me without a superstitious feeling, deeper than fear
+itself, for that mightiest of men.
+
+My thoughts permitted my taking no note of time, and I know not how long
+it was before we reached the crest of the hill, over whose bleak surface
+a cold, cutting wind was blowing. It seemed as if a great tableland
+extended now for some distance on every side, over which the Emperor
+took his way, as though accustomed to the ground. While I was wondering
+at the certainty with which he appeared to determine on his road, I
+remarked the feeble flickering of a light far away towards the horizon,
+and by which it was evident he guided his steps. As we rode on, several
+watchfires could be seen towards the northwest, stretching away to a
+great distance, and throwing a yellowish glare in the dark sky above
+them. Suddenly I perceived the Emperor halt and dismount, and as
+speedily again he was in the saddle; but now his path took a different
+direction, and diverged considerably to the southward. Curious to learn
+what might have caused his change of direction, I rode up to the
+spot, and got off. It was the embers of a watchfire; they were almost
+extinguished, but still, as the horse's hoof struck the wood, a few
+sparks were emitted. It was this, then, which altered his course; and
+once more he pressed his horse to speed.
+
+A steep ascent of some hundred yards lay before us now. But on gaining
+the top, a brilliant spectacle of a thousand watchfires met the eye: so
+close did they seem, it looked like one great volcanic crater blazing
+on the mountain top; while above, the lurid glow reddened the black sky,
+and melted away into the darkness in clouds of faint yellowish hue. Far,
+very far away, and to the north, stretched another much longer line of
+fires, but at great intervals apart, and occupying, as well as I might
+guess, about two leagues in extent. Several smaller fires dotted the
+plain, marking the outpost positions; and it was not difficult to trace
+the different lines of either army even by these indications.
+
+While I yet looked, the Emperor had gained a short distance in advance
+of me; and suddenly I heard the hoarse challenge of a sentry, calling
+out, "Qui vive?" Buried in his own thoughts,--perhaps far too deeply
+lost in meditation to hear the cry,--Napoleon never replied nor
+slackened his speed. "Qui vive?" shouted the voice again: and before
+I could advance, the sharp bang of a musket-shot rang out; another and
+another followed; and then a roll of fire swept along the plain, happily
+not in the direction of the Emperor. But already he had thrown himself
+from his horse, and lay flat upon the ground.
+
+[Illustration: 264]
+
+Not a moment was now to be lost. I dashed my spurs into my jaded horse,
+and rode forwards, calling aloud, at the top of my voice, "The Emperor!
+the Emperor!" Still, the panic overbore my words, and another discharge
+was given: with one bullet I was struck in the shoulder, another killed
+my horse; but springing to my legs in an instant, I rushed on, repeating
+my cry. Before I could do more than point to the spot, Napoleon
+came forward, leading his horse by the bridle. His step was slow and
+measured, and his face--for many a torchlight was now gathered to the
+place--was calm and tranquil.
+
+"Ye are well upon the alert, _mes enfant!_" said he, with a smile; "see
+that ye be as ready with your fire to-morrow!" A wild cheer answered
+these words, while he continued: "These are the new levies, Lieutenant;
+the Guards would have had more patience. Where is the officer who
+followed me?"
+
+"Here, Sire," said I, endeavoring to conceal the appearance of being
+wounded.
+
+"Mount, sir, and accompany me to headquarters."
+
+"My horse is killed, Sire."
+
+"Yes, _parbleu!_" said a young soldier, who had not learned much respect
+before his superiors; "and he has a ball in his neck himself."
+
+"Are you wounded?" said the Emperor, with a quickness in his manner.
+
+"A mere flesh-wound in the arm,--of no consequence, Sire."
+
+"Let the surgeon of the detachment see to this at once, Lieutenant,"
+said he to the officer of the party; "and do you come to headquarters
+when you are able."
+
+With this, the Emperor mounted again, and in a few seconds more was lost
+to our sight.
+
+"_Ventrebleu!_" said the old lieutenant, who had served without
+promotion from the first battles of the Republic, "you'll be a colonel
+for that scratch on your epaulette, if we only beat the Prussians
+to-morrow; and here am I, with eight wounds from lead and steel, and
+the Petit Caporal never bade me visit him at his bivouac. Come, come! I
+don't wish to be unfriendly; it's not _your_ fault, it's only _my_ bad
+fortune. And here comes the surgeon."
+
+The lieutenant was right,--the epaulette had the worst of the adventure;
+and, in half an hour I proceeded on my way to headquarters.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII. L'HOMME ROUGE
+
+On my way to the imperial quarters, I fell in with some squadrons of our
+dragoons, from whom I learned that General d'Auvergne had just received
+orders to repair to the Emperor's bivouac, to which several officers in
+command were also summoned. As I saw, therefore, that I could have no
+prospect of meeting the Emperor, I resolved merely to hold myself in
+readiness, should he, which seemed little likely, think of me; and
+accordingly I took up my post with some young under-officers of
+our brigade, at a huge fire, where a species of canteen had been
+established, and coffee and corn-brandy were served out to all comers.
+
+The recent escape of Napoleon at the outposts was already known far and
+near, and formed the great topic of conversation, in which, I felt hurt
+to remark, no mention of the part I took was ever made, although there
+were at least a dozen different versions of the accident. In one, his
+Majesty was represented to have rode down upon and sabred the advanced
+picket; in another, it was the Prussians who fired, he having penetrated
+within their lines to reconnoitre,--each agreeing in the one great fact,
+that the feat was something which no one save himself could have done
+or thought of. As for me, I felt it was not my part to speak of the
+incident at all until his Majesty should first do so. I listened,
+therefore, with due patience and some amusement to the various
+narratives about me; which served to show me, by one slight instance,
+the measure of that exaggeration with which the Emperor's name was ever
+treated, and convinced me that it required not time nor distance to
+color every incident of his life with the strongest hues of romance. The
+topic was a fruitful and favorite one; and certainly few subjects could
+with more propriety season the hours around a bivouac fire than the
+exploits of the Emperor Napoleon.
+
+Among those whose reminiscences went farthest back was an old
+sergeant-major of infantry,--a seared and seamed and weather-beaten
+little fellow, who, from fatigues and privations, was dried up to a mass
+of tendons and fibres. This little man presented one of those strange
+mixtures with which the army abounded,--the shrewdest common sense on
+all ordinary topics, with a most credulous faith in any story where
+Napoleon's name occurred. It seemed, indeed, as though that one element,
+occurring in any tale, dispensed at once with the rules which govern
+belief in common cases.
+
+The invulnerability of the Emperor was with him a fruitful theme; and he
+teemed with anecdotes of the Egyptian and Italian campaigns, in which it
+was incontestably shown that neither shot nor shell had any effect
+upon him. But of all the superstitions regarding Napoleon, none had such
+complete hold on his imagination, nor was more implicitly believed by
+him, than the story of that little "Red Man," who, it was asserted,
+visited the Emperor the night before each great battle, and arranged
+with him the manoeuvres of the succeeding day.
+
+"L'Homme Bouge," as he was called, was an article of faith in the French
+army that few of the soldiers ever thought of disputing. Some from
+pure credulity, some from the force of example, and some again from
+indolence, believed in this famed personage; but even the veriest
+scoffer on more solemn subjects would have hesitated ere he ventured
+to assail the almost universal belief in this supernatural agency.
+The Emperor's well-known habit of going out alone to visit pickets and
+outposts on the eve of a battle was a circumstance too favorable to this
+superstition not to be employed in its defence. Besides, it was well
+known that he spent hours by himself, when none even of the marshals had
+access to him; and on these occasions it was said "L'Homme Bouge" was
+with him. Sentinels had been heard to declare that they could overhear
+angry words passing between the Emperor and his guest; that threats had
+been interchanged between them; and on one occasion it was said that the
+"Red Man" went so 'far as to declare, that if his advice were neglected
+Napoleon should lose the battle, see his artillery fall into the hands
+of the enemy, and behold the Guard capitulate.
+
+"_Mille tonnerres!_ what are you saying?" broke in the little man,
+to the grim old soldier who was relating this. "You know nothing of
+'L'Homme Rouge,'--not a word; how should you? But I served in the
+Twenty-second of the Line, old Mongoton's corps; the 'Faubourg Devils,'
+as they were called. _He_ knew him well; it was 'L'Homme Rouge' had
+him shot for treason at Cairo. I was one of the company drawn for his
+execution; and when he knelt down on the grass, he held up his hand this
+way, and cried out,--
+
+"'Voltigeurs of the Line, hear me! You have all known me many years; you
+have seen whether I could face the enemy like a man; and you can tell
+whether I cared for the heaviest charge that ever shook a square. You
+know, also, whether I was true to our general. Well, it is "L'Homme
+Rouge" who has brought me to this. And now: Carry arms!--all together!
+Come, _mes enfants!_ try it again: Carry arms! (ay, that's better)
+present arms! fire!'
+
+"_Morbleu!_ the word was not well out when he was dead; and there,
+through the smoke, as plain as I see you now, I saw the figure of a
+little fellow, dressed in scarlet,--feather and boots all the same! He
+was standing over the corpse, and threatening it with his hands. And
+that," said he, in a solemn voice, "that was 'L'Homme Rouge!'"
+
+This anecdote was conclusive. There was no gainsaying the assertions
+of a man who had, with his own eyes, seen the celebrated "Red Man;"
+and from that instant he enjoyed a decided monopoly of everything that
+concerned his private history.
+
+According to the sergeant-major's version,--and who could venture to
+contradict him?--"L'Homme Rouge" was not the confidential adviser and
+friendly counsellor of the Emperor; but, on the contrary, his evil
+genius, perpetually employed in thwarting his plans and opposing his
+views. Each seemed to have his hour of triumph alternately. Now it was
+the Bed Man, now Napoleon, who stood in the ascendant. Fortune for a
+long period had been constant to the Emperor, and victory crowned every
+battle. This had, it seemed, greatly chagrined "L'Homme Bouge," who for
+years past had not been seen nor heard of. The last tradition of him was
+a story told by one of the sentinels on guard at the general's quarters
+at Mont Tabor.
+
+It was midnight: all was still and silent in the camp. The soldiers
+slept as men sleep before a battle, when the old grenadier who walked
+his short post before General Bonaparte's tent heard a quick tread
+approaching him. "Qui vive?" cried he; but there was no reply. "Qui
+vive?" called the sentry once more; but as he did so he leaped backwards
+and brought his musket to the charge, for just then something brushed
+close by him and entered the tent.
+
+For a moment or two he doubted what should be done. Should he turn out
+the guard? It was only to be laughed at; that would never do. But what
+if it really were somebody who had penetrated to the general's quarters?
+As this thought struck him, he crept up close to the tent; and there,
+true enough, he heard the voices of two persons speaking.
+
+"Ah! thou here?" said Bonaparte. "I scarce expected to see thee so far
+from France!"
+
+"Alas!" said the other, with a deep sigh, "what land is now open to me,
+or whither shall I fly to? I took refuge in Brussels; well, what should
+I see one morning, but the tall shakos of your grenadiers coming up the
+steep street. I fled to Holland; you were there the day after. 'Come,'
+thought I, 'he's moving northwards; I'll try the other extreme.' So I
+started for the Swiss. _Sacrebleu_! the roll of your confounded drums
+resounded through every valley. I reached the banks of the Po; your
+troops were there the same evening. I pushed for Rome; they were
+preparing your quarters, which you occupied that night. Away, then, I
+start once more; I cross mountains and rivers and seas, and gain the
+desert at last. I thank my fortune that there are a thousand leagues
+between us; and here you are now. For pity's sake, show me, on that map
+of the world, one little spot you don't want to conquer, and let me live
+there in peace, and be sure never to meet you more."
+
+Bonaparte did not speak for some minutes, and it seemed as though he
+were intently considering the request of "L'Homme Rouge."
+
+"There," said he at length, "there! You see that island in the great
+sea, with nothing near it; thou mayest go there."
+
+"How is it called?" said "L'Homme Rouge."
+
+"St. Helena," said the general. "It is not very large; but I promise
+thee to be undisturbed there."
+
+"You 'll never come there, then? Is that a pledge?"
+
+"Never; I promise it. At least, if I do, thou shalt be the master, and I
+the slave."
+
+"Enough! I go now. Adieu!" said the little man. And the same instant the
+sentinel felt his arm brushed by some one passing close beside him; and
+then all was silent in the tent once more.
+
+"Thus, you see," said the sergeant-major, "from that hour it was agreed
+on the Emperor should conquer the whole world, and leave that one little
+spot for 'L'Homme Rouge.' _Parbleu!_ he might well spare him that much."
+
+"How big might it be, that island?" said an old grenadier, who listened
+with the deepest attention to the tale.
+
+"Nothing to speak of; about the size of one battalion drawn up in
+square."
+
+"_Pardieu!_ a small kingdom too!"
+
+"Ah! it would not do for the Emperor," said the sergeant-major,
+laughing,--an emotion the others joined in at once; and many a jest went
+round at the absurdity of such a thought.
+
+I sat beside the watchfire, listening to the old campaigning stories,
+till one by one the speakers dropped off to sleep. The bronzed veteran
+and the boy conscript, the old soldier of the Sambre and the beardless
+youth, lay side by side: to some of these it was the last time they
+should slumber on earth. As the night wore on, the sounds became hushed
+in the camp, and through the thin frosty air I could hear from a long
+distance off the tramp of the patrols and the challenge of the reliefs
+as the outposts were visited. The Prussian sentries were quite close to
+our advanced posts, and when the wind came from that quarter, I often
+heard the voices as they exchanged their signals.
+
+Through the entire night, officers came and went to and from the tent of
+the Emperor. To him, at least, it seemed no season of repose. At length,
+when nigh morning, wearied with watching and tired out with expectancy,
+I leaned my head on my knees, and dropped into a half-sleep. Some vague
+sense of disappointment at being forgotten by the Emperor, was the
+last thought I had as I fell off, and in its sadness it colored all
+my dreams. I remembered, with all the freshness of a recent event, the
+curse of the old hag on the morning I had quitted my home forever,--her
+prayer that bad luck should track me every step through life; and in the
+shadowy uncertainty of my sleeping thoughts I believed I was predestined
+to misfortune.
+
+Almost every man has experienced the fact, that there are times in life
+when impressions, the slightest in their origin, will have an undue
+weight on the mind; when, as it were, the clay of our natures become
+softened, and we take the impress of passing events more easily. Some
+vague and shadowy conception--a doubt, a dream--is enough at moments
+like these to attain the whole force of a conviction; and it is
+wonderful with what ingenuity we wind to our purpose every circumstance
+around us, and what pains we take to increase the toils of our
+self-deception. It would be a curious thing to trace out how much of our
+good or evil fortune in life had its source in these superstitions; how
+far the frame of mind fashioned the events before it; and to what extent
+our hopes and fears were but the forerunners of destiny.
+
+My sleeping thoughts were of the saddest; and when I awoke, I could not
+shake them off. A heavy, dense fog clothed every object around, through
+which only the watchfires were visible, as they flared with a yellow,
+hazy light of unnatural size. The position of these signals was only
+to mark the inequality of the ground: and I now could perceive that we
+occupied the crest of a long and steep hill, down the sides and at the
+bottom of which fires were also burning; while in front another mountain
+arose, whose summit for a great distance was marked out by watchfires.
+This I conjectured, from its extent and position, to be the Prussian
+line.
+
+At the front of the Emperor's quarters several led horses were standing,
+whose caparison bespoke them as belonging to the staff; and although not
+yet five o'clock, there was an appearance of movement which indicated
+preparation. The troops, however, were motionless; the dense columns
+covered the ground like a garment, and stirred not. As I stood,
+uncertain what course to take, I heard the noise of voices and the heavy
+tramp of many feet near, and on turning perceived it was the Emperor,
+who came forth from his tent, followed by several of his staff. A large
+fire blazed in front of his bivouac, which threw its long light on the
+group; where, even in a fleeting glance, I recognized General Gazan, and
+Nansouty, the commander of the Cuirassiers of the Guard.
+
+"What hour is it?" said the Emperor to Duroc, who stood near him.
+
+"Almost five o'clock, Sire."
+
+"It is darker than it was an hour ago. Maison, where is Bernadotte by
+this?--at Domberg, think you?"
+
+"Not yet, Sire; he is no laggard if he reach it in three hours hence."
+
+"Ney would have been there now," was the quick reply of Napoleon. "Come,
+gentlemen, into the saddle, and let us move towards the front. Gazan,
+put your division under arms."
+
+The general waited not a second bidding, but wheeled his horse suddenly
+round, and followed by his aide-decamp, rode at full speed down the
+mountain.
+
+"There is the first streak of day," said the Emperor, pointing to a
+faint gray light above the distant forest; "it breaks like Austerlitz."
+
+"May it set as gloriously!" said old Nansouty, in his deep low voice.
+
+"And it will," said Napoleon. "What sayest thou, _grognard?_" continued
+he, turning with an affected severity of manner to the grenadier who
+stood sentinel on the spot, and who, with a French soldier's easy
+indifference, leaned on the cross of his musket to listen to the
+conversation; "what sayest thou? Art eager to be made corporal?"
+
+"_Parbleu!_" growled out the rough soldier, "the grade is little to
+boast of; were I even a general of division, there might be something to
+hope for."
+
+"What then?" said Napoleon, sharply, "what then?"
+
+"King of Prussia, to be sure; thou 'lt give away the title before this
+hour to-morrow."
+
+The Emperor laughed aloud at the conceit. Its flattery had a charm for
+him no courtier's well-turned compliment could vie with; and I could
+hear him still continuing to enjoy it as he rode slowly forward and
+disappeared in the gloom.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII. JENA AND AUERSTAeDT.
+
+"He has forgotten me!" said I, half aloud, as I watched the retiring
+figures of the Emperor and his staff till they were concealed by the
+mist; "he has forgotten me! Now to find out my brigade. A great battle
+is before us, and there may still be a way to refresh his memory." With
+such thoughts I set forward in the direction of the picket-fires, full
+sure that I should meet some skirmishers of our cavalry there.
+
+As I went, the drums were beating towards the distant left, and
+gradually the sounds crept nearer and nearer, as the infantry battalions
+began to form and collect their stragglers. A dense fog seemed to shut
+out the dawn, and with a thin and misty rain, the heavy vapor settled
+down upon the earth, wrapping all things in a darkness deep as night
+itself. From none could I learn any intelligence of the cavalry quarter,
+nor had any of those I questioned seen horsemen pass near them.
+
+"The voltigeurs in the valley yonder may perhaps tell you something,"
+said an officer to me, pointing to some fires in a deep glen beneath us.
+And thither I now bent my steps.
+
+The dull rolling of the drums gradually swelled into one continued roar,
+through which the clank of steel and the tremulous tramp of marching
+columns could be heard. Spirit-stirring echoes were they, these
+awakening sounds of coming conflict! and how they nerved my heart, and
+set it bounding again with a soldier's ardor! As I descended the hill,
+the noise became gradually fainter, till at length I found myself in a
+narrow ravine, still and silent as the grave itself. The transition was
+so sudden and unexpected, that for a moment I felt a sense of loneliness
+and depression; and the thought struck me, "What if I have pushed on too
+far? Can it be that I have passed our lines? But the officer spoke of
+the voltigeurs in front; I had seen the fires myself; there could be no
+doubt about it." I now increased my speed, and in less than half an hour
+gained a spot where the ground became more open and extended in front,
+and not more than a few hundred paces in advance were the watchfires;
+and as I looked I heard the swell of a number of voices singing in
+chorus on different sides of me. The effect was most singular, for the
+sounds came from various quarters at the same instant, and, as they
+all chanted the same air, the refrain rang out and filled the valley;
+beating time with their feet, they stepped to the tune, and formed
+themselves to the melody, as though it were the band of the regiment. I
+had often heard that this was a voltigeur habit, but never was witness
+to it before. The air was one well known in that suburb of Paris whence
+the wildest and most reckless of our soldiers came, and which they all
+joined in celebrating in this rude verse:--
+
+      "Picardy first, and then Champagne,--
+            France to the battle! on boys, on!
+            Anjou, Brittany, and Maine,--
+            Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine I
+
+     "How pleasant the life of a voltigeur!
+           In the van of the fight he must ever be;
+           Of roughing and rations he 's always sure,--
+           With a comrade's share he may well make free.
+
+     "Picardy first, and then Champagne,--
+           France to the battle I on boys, on!
+           Anjou, Brittany, and Maine,--
+           Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!
+
+     "The great guns thunder on yonder hill,--
+           Closer than that they durst not go;
+           But the voltigeur comes nearer still,--
+           With his bayonet fixed he meets the foe.
+
+    "The hussar's coat is slashed with gold;
+         He rides an Arab courser fleet:
+         But is the voltigeur less bold
+         Who meets his enemy on his feet?
+
+    "The cuirassier is clad in steel;
+         His massive sword is straight and strong:
+         But the voltigeur can charge and wheel
+         With a step,--his bayonet is just as long.
+
+    "The artillery-driver must halt his team
+         If the current be fast or the water deep:
+         But the voltigeur can swim the stream,
+         And climb the bank, be it e'er so steep.
+
+    "The voltigeur needs no trumpet sound,--
+         No bugle has he to cheer him on:
+         Where the fire is hottest, that 's his ground,--
+         Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!"
+
+
+As they came to the conclusion of this song, they kept up the air
+without words, imitating by their voices the roll of the drum in
+marching time. Joining the first party I came up with, I asked the
+officer in what direction of the field I should find the cuirassier
+brigade.
+
+"That I can't tell you, Comrade," said he. "No cavalry have appeared in
+our neighborhood, nor are they likely; for all the ground is cut up and
+intersected so much they could not act. But our maitre d'armes is the
+fellow to tell you. Halloo, Francois! come up here for a moment."
+
+Before I could ask whether this was not my old antagonist at Elchingen,
+the individual himself appeared.
+
+"Eh, what?" cried he, as he lifted a piece of firewood from the ground,
+and stared me in the face by its light. "Not my friend Burke, eh? By
+Jove! so it is."
+
+Our cordial greetings being over, I asked Maitre Francois if he could
+give me any intelligence of D'Auvergne's division, or put me in the way
+to reach them.
+
+"They're some miles off by this time," said he, coolly. "When I was
+below the Plateau de Jena last night, that brigade you speak of
+got their orders to push forward to Auerstadt, to support Davoust's
+infantry. I mind it well, for they were sorely tired, and had just
+picketed their horses, when the orderly came down with the despatch."
+
+"And where does Auerstadt lie?"
+
+"About four leagues to the other side of that tall mountain yonder."
+
+"What, then, shall I do? I am dismounted, to begin with."
+
+"And if you were not, if you had the best horse in the whole brigade,
+what would it serve you now, except to pass the day riding between two
+battle-fields, and see nothing of either? for we shall have hot work
+here, depend upon it. No, no; stay with us. Be a voltigeur for to-day,
+and we 'll show you something you 'll not see from your bearskin
+saddle."
+
+"But I shall be in a sad scrape on account of my absence."
+
+"Never mind that; the man that takes his turn with the voltigeurs of the
+Twenty-second won't be suspected of skulking. And here comes the major;
+report yourself to him at once."
+
+Without waiting for any reply, Maitre Francois accosted the officer in
+question, and in a very few words explained my position.
+
+"Nothing could come better timed," said the major. "One of ours has been
+sent with despatches to the rear, and we may not see him for some hours.
+Again, a light cavalryman must know how to skirmish, and we 'll try your
+skill that way. Come along with me."
+
+"To our next meeting, then," cried Francois, as I hurried on after the
+major; whilst once more the voltigeur ranks burst forth in full chorus,
+and the merry sounds filled the valley.
+
+I followed the major down a somewhat steep and rugged path, at the foot
+of which, and concealed by a low copse-wood, was a party consisting of
+two companies of the regiment, who formed the most advanced pickets, and
+were destined to exchange the first shots with the enemy.
+
+Before us lay a defile, partly overgrown with trees on either side,
+which ascended by a gradual slope to the foot of the hill on which the
+Prussian infantry was stationed, and whose lines were tracked out by a
+long train of watch-fires. A farmhouse and its out-buildings occupied
+the side of the hill about half-way up; and this was garrisoned by the
+enemy, and defended by two guns in position in the defile. To surprise
+the post and hold it until the main columns came up, was the object
+of the voltigeur attack; and for this purpose small bodies of men were
+assembling secretly and stealthily under cover of the brushwood, to
+burst forth on the word being given.
+
+There was something which surprised me not a little in the way all these
+movements were effected. Officers and men were mixed up, as it seemed,
+in perfect confusion; not approaching in regular order, or taking up
+a position like disciplined troops, they came in twos and threes,
+crouching and creeping, and suddenly concealing themselves at every
+opportunity of cover the ground afforded.
+
+Their noiseless and cautious gestures brought to my mind all that I
+had ever read of Indian warfare; and in their eager faces, and quick,
+piercing looks, I thought I could recognize the very traits of the red
+men. The commands were given by signals; and so rapidly interchanged
+were they from party to party, that the different groups seemed to move
+forward by one impulse, though the officer who led them was full a mile
+distant from where we were.
+
+"Can you use a firelock, comrade?" said the major, as he placed in my
+hand a short musket, such as the voltigeurs carried. "Sling it at your
+back; you may find it useful up yonder. And now I must leave you; keep
+to this party. But what is this? You mustn't wear that shako; you'd soon
+be picked off with that tower of black fur on your head. Corporal,
+have you no spare foraging-cap in your kit? Ah! that's something
+more becoming a tirailleur; and, by Jove! I think it improves you
+wonderfully."
+
+The circumstance of becomingness was not exactly uppermost in my mind
+at the moment; but certainly I felt no small gratification at being
+provided with the equipment both of cap and firearms which placed me on
+an equality with those about me.
+
+Scarcely had the major left us, when the corporal crept closely to
+my side, and with that mingled respect and familiarity a French
+sous-officier assumes so naturally, said,--
+
+"You wished to see something of a skirmish, Captain, I suppose? Well,
+you're like enough to be gratified; we're closing up rapidly now."
+
+"What may be the strength of your battalion, Corporal?"
+
+"Twelve hundred men, sir; and they're every one at this instant in the
+valley, though I'll wager you don't see a bough move nor a leaf stirring
+to show where they lie hid. You see that low copse yonder; well, there's
+a company of ours beneath its shelter. But there goes the word to move
+on."
+
+A motion with his sword, the only command he gave, communicated the
+order; and the men, creeping stealthily on, obeyed the mandate, till at
+another signal they were halted.
+
+From the little copse of brushwood where we now lay, to the farmhouse,
+the ground was completely open,--not a shrub nor a bush grew; a slight
+ascent of the road led up to the gate, which could not be more than
+three hundred paces in front of us. We were stationed at some distance
+to the right of the road, but the field presented no obstacle or
+impediment to our attack; and thither now were our looks turned,--the
+short road which would lead to victory or the grave.
+
+From my ambush I could see the two fieldpieces which commanded the road,
+and beside which the artillerymen stood in patient attention. With what
+a strange thrill I watched one of the party, as from time to time
+he stooped down to blow the fuse beside the gun, and then seemed
+endeavoring to peer into the valley, where all was still and noiseless!
+As well as I could judge, our little party was nearest to the front; and
+although a small clump to the left of the road offered a safe shelter
+still nearer the enemy, I could not ascertain if it were occupied.
+
+Not a word was now spoken. All save the corporal looked eagerly towards
+the enemy; he was watching for the signal, and knelt down with his drawn
+sword at his side. The deathlike stillness of the moment, so unlike the
+prelude to every movement in cavalry combat; the painful expectation
+which made minutes like years themselves; the small number of the party,
+so dissimilar to the closely crowded squadrons I was used to; but,
+more than all, the want of a horse,--that most stirring of all the
+excitements to heroism and daring,--unnerved me; and if my heart were
+to have been interrogated, I sadly fear it would have brought little
+corroboration to the song of the voltigeurs, which attributed so many
+features of superiority to their arm of the service above the rest of
+the army.
+
+A thousand and thousand times did I wish to be at the head of a cavalry
+charge up that narrow road in face of those guns; ay, though the
+mitraille should sweep the earth, there was that in the onward torrent
+of the horseman's course that left no room for fear. But this cold and
+stealthy approach, this weary watching, I could not bear.
+
+"See, see," whispered the corporal, as he pointed with his finger
+towards the clump to the left of the road, "how beautifully done! there
+goes another."
+
+As he spoke, I could perceive the dark shadow of something moving close
+to the ground, and finally concealing itself in the brushwood, beneath
+which now above twenty men lay hid. At the same instant a deep rolling
+sound like far-off thunder was heard; and then louder still, but less
+deep in volume, the rattling crash of musketry. At first the discharges
+were more prolonged, and succeeded one another more rapidly; but
+gradually the firing became less regular; then after an interval swelled
+more fully again, and once more relaxed.
+
+"Listen!" said the corporal; "can't you hear the cheering? There again;
+the skirmishers are falling back,--the fire is too heavy for them."
+
+"Which, the Prussians?"
+
+"To be sure, the Prussians. Hark! there was a volley; that was no
+tirailleur discharge; the columns are advancing. Down, men, down!"
+whispered he, as, excited by the sounds of musketry, some three or four
+popped up their heads to listen. At the same instant a noise in front
+drew our attention to that quarter; and we now saw that a party of horse
+artillerymen were descending the road with a light eight-pounder gun,
+which they were proceeding to place in position on a small knoll of
+ground about eighty yards from the coppice I have mentioned.
+
+"How I could pick off that fellow on the gray horse," whispered a
+soldier beside me to his comrade.
+
+"And bring the whole fire on us afterwards," said the other.
+
+"What can we be waiting for?" said the corporal, impatiently. "They are
+making that place as strong as a fortress; and there, see if that is not
+a reinforcement!"
+
+While he spoke, the heavy tramp of men marching announced the approach
+of fresh troops; and by the bustle and noise within the farmhouse it was
+clear the preparations for its defence were making with all the activity
+the exigency demanded.
+
+It was past seven o'clock; but as the day broke more out, the heavy
+fog increased, and soon grew so dense as to shut out from our view
+the Prussian picket and the guns upon the road. Meanwhile the firing
+continued at a distance, but, as it seemed, fainter than before.
+
+"Ha! there it comes now," said the corporal, as a shrill whistle was
+heard to our left. "Look to your pieces, men! steady." There was a
+pause; every ear was bent to listen, every breath drawn short, when
+again he spoke. "That 's it. _En avant_, lads! _en avant!_"
+
+With the word he sprang forward, but still crouching, he went as if the
+thick mist were not enough to conceal him. The men followed their leader
+with cautious steps, their carbines in hand and bayonets fixed. For some
+minutes we ascended the hill, gradually nearing the road, along which a
+low bank offered a slight protection against fire.
+
+The corporal halted here for a second or two, when another whistle, so
+faint as to be scarcely audible, was borne on the air. With a motion of
+his hand forwards he gave the order to advance, and led the way along
+the roadside.
+
+As we followed in single file, I found myself next the corporal, whose
+every motion I watched with an intensity of interest I cannot convey. At
+last he stopped and wheeled round; then, kneeling down, he levelled his
+piece upon the low bank,--a movement quickly followed by all the rest
+who in silence obeyed his signal.
+
+Directly in front of us now, and as it seemed not above a dozen yards
+distant, the yellow glare of the artillery fuse could be dimly discerned
+through the mist; thither every eye was bent and every musket pointed.
+Thus we knelt with beating hearts, when suddenly several shots rang out
+from the valley and the opposite side of the road; as quickly replied to
+by the enemy, and a smart but irregular clattering of musketry followed.
+
+"Now," cried the corporal, aloud, "now, and all together!"
+
+And then with one long, stunning report, every gun was discharged, and a
+wild cry of the wounded blended with the sounds as we cleared the fence
+and dashed at the guns.
+
+"Down, men, down!" called our leader, as we jumped into the road. The
+word was scarce uttered when a bright flash gleamed forth, a loud bang
+succeeded, and we heard the grapeshot crushing down the valley and
+tearing its way through the leaves and branches of the brushwood.
+
+"_En avant_, lads! now's your time!" cried the corporal, as he sprang to
+his feet and led towards the gun.
+
+With one vigorous dash we pushed up the height, just as the cannoneers
+were preparing to load. The gunners fell back, and a party of infantry
+as quickly presented themselves.
+
+The mist happily concealed the smallness of our force, otherwise the
+Prussians might have crushed us at once. For a second there was a pause;
+then both sides fired, an irregular volley was discharged, and the
+muskets were lowered to the charge. What must have been the fate of our
+little party now there could be no doubt; when suddenly, through the
+blue smoke which yet lingered near the guns, the bright gleaming of
+bayonets was seen to flash, while the loud _vivas_ of our own soldiers
+rent the air.
+
+So rapid was the rush, and so thronging did they come, it seemed as if
+the very ground had given them up. With a cry of "Forward!" on we went;
+the enemy retired and fell back behind the cover of the road, where they
+kept up a tremendous fire upon the gun, to which now all our efforts
+were directed, to turn against the walls of the farmhouse.
+
+The mist by this was cleared away, and we were exposed to the shattering
+fire which was maintained not only along the road, but from every window
+and crevice in the walls of the farmhouse. Our men fell fast,--several
+badly wounded; for the distance was less than half musket-range, even to
+the farthest.
+
+"The bayonet, men! the bayonet! Leave the gun, and sweep the road of
+those fellows yonder!" said the major, as, vaulting over the fence, he
+led the way himself.
+
+We were now reinforced, and numbered fully four companies; so that our
+attack soon drove in the enemy, who retreated, still firing, within the
+courtyard around the farmhouse.
+
+"Bring up the gun, lads, and we 'll soon breach them," said the major.
+But, unhappily, the party to whom it was committed, being annoyed at the
+service which kept them back when their companions were advancing, had
+hurled the piece off its carriage, and rolled it down the mountain.
+
+With a muttered _sacre_ on their stupidity, the officer cried out to
+scale the walls. If honor and rank and wealth had lain on the opposite
+side, and not death and agony, they could not have obeyed with more
+alacrity. Raised on one another's shoulders, the brave fellows mounted
+the wall; but it was only to fall back again into their comrades' arms,
+dead or mortally wounded. Still they pressed on: a reckless defiance of
+danger had shut out every other thought; and their cheers grew wilder
+and fiercer as the fire told upon them, while the shouts of triumph from
+those within stimulated them to the verge of madness.
+
+"Stand back, men! stand back!" called the major; "down! I say."
+
+As he spoke, a dead silence followed; the men retreated behind the cover
+of the fence, and lay down flat with their faces to the ground. A low,
+hissing noise was then heard; and then, with a clap like thunder, the
+strong gate was rent into fragments and scattered in blazing pieces
+about the field. The crash of the petard was answered by a cheer wild as
+a war-whoop, and onward the infuriated soldiers poured through the
+still burning timbers. And now began a scene of carnage which only a
+hand-to-hand encounter can ever produce. From every door and window the
+Prussians maintained a deadly fire: but the onward tide of victory was
+with us, and we poured down upon them with the bayonet; and as none
+gave, none asked for, quarter, the work of death was speedy. To the
+wild shouts of battle, the crash, the din, the tumult of the fight, a
+dropping irregular fire succeeded; and then came the low, wailing cries
+of the wounded, the groans of the dying, and all was over! We were the
+victors; but what a victory! The garden was strewn with our dead;
+the hall, the stairs, every room was covered with bodies of our brave
+fellows, their rugged faces even sterner than in life.
+
+For some minutes it seemed as though our emotions had unnerved us all,
+as we stood speechless, gazing on the fearful scene of bloodshed; when
+the low rolling of drums, heard from the mountain side, startled every
+listener.
+
+"The Prussians! the Prussians!" called out three or four voices
+together.
+
+"No, no!" shouted Francois; "I was too long a tambour not to know that
+beat; they 're our fellows."
+
+The drums rolled fuller and louder; and soon the head of a column
+appeared peering over the ascent of the road. The sun shone brightly on
+their gay uniforms and glancing arms, and the tall and showily-dressed
+tambour-major stepped in advance with the proud bearing of a conqueror.
+
+"Form, men, and to the front!" said the major of the voltigeurs, who
+knew that his place was in the advance, and felt a noble pride that he
+had won it bravely.
+
+As the column came up the road, the voltigeurs, scattered along the road
+on either side, advanced at a run. But no longer was there any obstacle
+to their course; no enemy presented themselves in sight, and we mounted
+the ascent without a single shot being fired.
+
+As I stopped for time to recover breath, I could not help turning to
+behold the valley, which, now filled with armed men, was a grand and
+a gorgeous sight. In long columns of attack they came, the artillery
+filling the interspaces between them. A brilliant sunlight shone out;
+and I could distinguish the different brigades, with whose colors I was
+now familiar. Still my eye ranged over the field in search of cavalry,
+the arm I loved above all others,--that which, more than all the rest,
+revived the heroic spirit of the chivalrous ages, and made the horseman
+feel the ancient ardor of the belted knight. But none were within sight.
+Indeed, the very nature of the ground offered an obstacle to their
+movement, and I saw that here, as at Austerlitz, the day was for the
+infantry.
+
+Meanwhile we toiled up the height, and at length reached the crest of
+the ridge. And then burst forth a sight such as all the grandeur I
+had ever beheld of war had never presented the equal to. On a vast
+tableland, slightly undulating on the surface, was drawn up the whole
+Prussian army in battle array,--a splendid force of nigh thirty thousand
+infantry, flanked by ten thousand sabres, the finest cavalry in Europe.
+By some inconceivable error of tactics, they had offered no other
+resistance to the French ascent of the mountain than the skirmishing
+troops, which fell back as we came on; and even now they seemed to wait
+patiently for the enemy to form before the conflict should begin. As our
+columns crowned the hill they instantly deployed, to cover the advance
+of those who followed: but the precaution seemed needless; for, except
+at the extreme left, where we heard the firing before, the Prussian army
+never moved a man, nor showed any disposition to attack.
+
+It was now nine o'clock; the sky clear and cloudless, and a bright
+autumnal day permitted the eye to range for miles on every side. The
+Prussian army, but forty thousand strong, was drawn up in the form of
+an arch, presenting the convexity to our front; while our troops, ninety
+thousand in number, overlapped them on either flank, and extended far
+beyond them.
+
+The battle began by the advance of the French columns and the retreat
+of the enemy,--both movements being accomplished without a shot being
+fired, and the whole seeming the manoeuvres of a field-day.
+
+At length, as the Prussians took up the position they intended to
+hold, their guns were seen moving to the front; squadrons of cavalry
+disengaged themselves from behind the infantry masses; and then a
+tremendous tire opened from the whole line. Our troops advanced _en
+tirailleurs_,--that is, whole regiments thrown out in skirmishing
+order,--which, when pressed, fell back, and permitted the columns to
+appear.
+
+The division to which I found myself attached received orders to move
+obliquely across the plain, in the direction of some cottages, which I
+soon heard was the village of Vierzehn Heiligen, and the centre of the
+Prussian position. A galling fire of artillery played upon the column
+as it went; and before we accomplished half the distance, our loss was
+considerable. More than once, too, the cry of "cavalry!" was heard; and
+quick as the warning itself, we were thrown into square, to receive the
+impetuous horsemen, who came madly on to the charge. Ney himself stood
+in the squares, animating the men by his presence, and cheering them at
+every volley they poured in.
+
+"Yonder, men! yonder is the centre of their position," said he, pointing
+to the village, which now bristled with armed men, several guns upon
+a height beyond it commanding the approach, and a cloud of cavalry
+hovering near, to pounce down upon those who might be daring enough to
+assail it. A wild cheer answered his words: both general and soldiers
+understood each other well.
+
+In two columns of attack the division was formed; and then the word
+"Forward!" was given. "Orderly time, men!" said General Dorsenne, who
+commanded that with which I was; and, obedient to the order, the ranks
+moved as if on parade.
+
+And now let me mention a circumstance, which, though trivial in
+itself, presents a feature of the peculiar character of courage which
+distinguished the French officer in battle. As the line advanced, the
+fire of the Prussian battery, which by this had found out our range most
+accurately, opened severely on us, but more particularly on the left;
+and as the men fell fast, and the grapeshot tore through the ranks, a
+wavering of the line took place, and in several places a broken front
+was presented. Dorsenne saw it at once, and placing himself in front of
+the advance, with his back towards the enemy, he called out, as if on
+parade, "Close order--close order! Move up there--left, right--left,
+right!" And so did he retire step by step, marking the time with
+his sword, while the shot flew past and about him, and the earth was
+scattered by the torrent of the grapeshot. Courage like this would seem
+to give a charmed life, for while death was dealing fast around him, he
+never received a wound.
+
+The village was attacked at the bayonet point, and at the charge the
+enemy received us. So long as their artillery could continue its fire,
+our loss was fearful; but once within shelter of the walls and close in
+with the Prussian ranks, the firing ceased, and the struggle was hand to
+hand. Twice did we win our way up the ascent; twice were we beaten back.
+Strong reinforcements were coming up to the enemy's aid; when a
+loud rolling of the drums and a hoarse cheer from behind revived our
+spirits,--it was Lannes's division advancing at a run. They opened to
+permit our retiring masses to re-form behind them, and then rushed on. A
+crash of musketry rang out, and through the smoke the glancing bayonets
+flashed and the red flame danced wildly.
+
+"En avant! en avant!" burst from every man, as, maddened with
+excitement, we plunged into the fray. Like a vast torrent tumbling
+from some mountain gorge, the column poured on, overwhelming all before
+it,--now struggling for a moment, as some obstacle delayed, but could
+not arrest, its march; now rushing headlong, it swept along. The village
+was won; the Prussians fell back. Their guns opened fiercely on us, and
+cavalry tore past, sabring all who sought not shelter within the walls:
+but the post was ours, the key of their position was in our hands; and
+Ney sent three messengers one after the other to the Emperor to let him
+know the result, and enable him to push forward and attack the Prussian
+centre.
+
+Suddenly a wild cry was heard from the little street of the village: the
+houses were in flames. The Prussians had thrown in heated shells, and
+the wooden roofs of the cottages caught up the fire. For an instant all
+became, as it were, panic-struck, and a confused movement of retreat was
+begun: but the next moment order was restored; the sappers scaled the
+walls of the burning houses, and with their axes severed the timbers,
+and suffered the blazing mass to fall within the buildings.
+
+But by this time the Prussians had re-formed their columns, and once
+more advanced to the attack. The moment was in their favor: the disorder
+of our ranks, and the sudden fear inspired by an unlooked-for danger
+still continued, when they came on. Then, indeed, began a scene of
+bloodshed the most horrible to witness: through the narrow streets,
+within the gardens, the houses themselves, the combatants fought hand
+to hand; neither would give way; neither knew on which side lay their
+supporting columns. It was the terrible carnage of deadly animosity on
+both sides.
+
+Meanwhile the flames burst forth anew, and amid the crackling of the
+burning timbers and the dense smoke of the lighted thatch, the fight
+went on.
+
+"Vandamme! Vandamme!" cried several voices, in ecstasy; "here come the
+grenadiers!" And, true enough, the tall shakos peered through the blue
+cloud.
+
+"Hurrah for the Faubourg!" shouted a wild voltigeur, as he waved his cap
+and sprang forward. "Let us not lose the glory now, boys!"
+
+The appeal was not made in vain. From every window and doorway the men
+leaped down into the street, and rushed at the Prussian column, which
+was advancing at the charge. Suddenly the column opened, a rushing
+sound was heard, and down with the speed of lightning rode a squadron
+of cuirassiers. Over us they tore, sabring as they went, nor halted till
+the head of Vandamme's column poured in a volley. Then wheeling, they
+galloped back, trampling on our wounded, and dealing death with their
+broadswords.
+
+As for me, a sabre-cut in the head had stunned me; and while I leaned
+for support against the wall of a house, a horseman tore past, and with
+one vigorous cut he cleft open my shoulder. I staggered back and fell,
+covered with bloody upon the door-sill. I saw our column pass on,
+cheering, and heard the wild cry, "En avant I en avant!" swelling from
+a thousand voices; and then, faint and exhausted, my senses reeled, and
+the rest was like an indistinct dream.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV. A FRAGMENT OF A MAITRE d'ARMES EXPERIENCES
+
+Stunned, and like one but half awake, I followed the tide of marching
+men which swept past like a mighty river, the roar of the artillery and
+the crash of battle increasing the confusion of my brain. All distinct
+memory of the remainder of the day is lost to me. I can recollect
+the explosion of several wagons of the ammunition train, and how the
+splinters wounded several of those around me; I also have a vague,
+dreamy sense of being hurried along at intervals, and then seeing masses
+of cavalry dash past. But the great prevailing thought above all others
+is, of leaning over the edge of a charrette, where I lay with some
+wounded soldiers, to watch the retreat of the Prussians, as they were
+pursued by Murat's cavalry. Francois was at my side, and described to
+me the great events of the battle; but though I seemed to listen, the
+sounds fell unregarded on my ear. Even now, it seems to me like a dream;
+and the only palpable idea before me is the heated air, the dark and
+lowering sky, And the deafening thunder of the guns.
+
+It is well known how the victory of Jena was crowned by the glorious
+issue of the battle of Auerstadt, where the main body of the Prussians,
+under the command of the king himself, was completely beaten by Davoust
+with a force not half their number. The two routed armies crossed in
+their flight, while the headlong fury of the French cavalry pressed down
+on them; nor did the terrible slaughter cease till night gave respite to
+the beaten.
+
+The victors and the vanquished entered Weimar together, a distance of
+full six leagues from the field of battle. All struggle had long ceased.
+An unresisting massacre it was; and such was the disappointment and
+anger of the people of the country, that the Prussian officers were
+frequently attacked and slain by the peasantry, whose passionate
+indignation made them suspect treachery in the result of the battle.
+
+All whose wounds were but slight, and whose health promised speedy
+restoration, were mounted into wagons taken from the enemy, and sent
+forward with the army. Among this number I found myself, and that same
+night slept soundly and peacefully in the straw of the charrette in
+which I travelled from Jena.
+
+The Emperor's headquarters were established at Weimar, and thither all
+the ambulances were conveyed; while the marshals, with their several
+divisions, were sent in pursuit of the enemy. As for myself, before the
+week elapsed, I was sufficiently recovered to move about; for happily
+the stunning effects which immediately followed the injury were its
+worst consequences, and my wound in the shoulder proved but trifling.
+
+"And so you are determined to join the cavalry again?" said Francois,
+as he sat by my side under a tree, where a cheerful fire of blazing
+wood had drawn several to enjoy its comfort. "That is what I cannot
+comprehend by any stretch of ingenuity,--how a man who has once seen
+something of voltigeur life can go back to the dull routine of dragoon
+service."
+
+"Perhaps I have had enough of skirmishing, Francois," said I, smiling.
+
+"Is it of that knock on the pate you speak?" said he, contemptuously.
+"Bah! the heavy shako you wear would give a worse headache. Come, come;
+think better on 't. I can tell you"--here he lowered his voice to a
+whisper--"I can tell you, Burke, the major noticed the manner you
+held your ground in the old farmhouse. I heard him refuse to send a
+reinforcement when the Prussians made their second attack. 'No, no,'
+said he; 'that hussar fellow yonder does his work so well, he wants no
+help from us.' When he said that, my friend, be assured your promotion
+is safe enough. You were made for a voltigeur."
+
+"Come, Francois, it's no use; all your flattery won't make me desert.
+I 'll try and join my brigade to-morrow; that is, if I can find them."
+
+"You never told me in what way you first became separated from your
+corps. How was it?"
+
+"There's something of a secret there, Francois; you mustn't ask me."
+
+"Ah, I understand," said he, with a knowing look, and a gesture of his
+hand, as if making a pass with his sword. "Did you kill him?"
+
+"No, not exactly," said I, laughing.
+
+"Merely gave him that pretty lunge _en tierce_ you favored me with,"
+said he, putting his hand on his side.
+
+"Nor even that."
+
+"_Diable!_ then how was it?"
+
+"I have told you it was a secret."
+
+"Secret! Confound it, man, there are no secrets in a campaign, except
+when the military chest is empty or the commissary falls short of grub;
+these are the only things one ever thinks of hushing up. Come, out with
+it!"
+
+"Well, if it must be, I may as well have the benefit of your advice. So
+draw closer, for I don't wish the rest to hear it."
+
+In as few words as I was able, I explained to Francois the circumstances
+of the night march, and the manner of my meeting with the Emperor at the
+ravine, where the artillery train was stopped. But when I came to the
+incident of the picket, and mentioned how, in rescuing the Emperor, my
+horse had been killed under me, he could no longer restrain himself, but
+turned to the rest, who, to the number of fifteen or sixteen, sat around
+the fire, and burst forth,--
+
+"_Mille tonnerres!_ but the boy is a fool!" And then, before I could
+interpose a word, blurted out the whole adventure to the company.
+
+There was no use now to attempt any concealment at all; neither was
+there to feel anger at his conduct. One would have been as absurd as
+the other; and so I had to endure, as best I could, the various comments
+that were passed on my behavior, on the prudence of which certainly no
+second opinion existed.
+
+"You must be right certain of promotion, Captain," said an old sergeant,
+with a gray beard and mustache, "or you wouldn't refuse such a chance as
+that."
+
+"_Diable!_" cried Francois; "don't you see he wouldn't accept of it.
+He is too proud to wait on the Petit Caporal, though he asked him to do
+so."
+
+"He 'd have given you the cross of the Legion anyhow," said another.
+
+"Ay, by Jove!" exclaimed the riding-master of a dragoon regiment, "and
+sent him a remount from his own stud."
+
+"And you think that modesty!" said Francois, whose indignation at my
+folly knew no bounds. "_Par Saint Joseph!_ if I'd been as modest, it's
+not maitre d'armes of a voltigeur battalion I 'd be to-day; though I may
+say, without boasting, I'm not afraid to cross a rapier with any man in
+the army. No, no; that's not the way I managed."
+
+"How was that, Maitre Francois?" said a young officer, who felt curious
+to learn the circumstance to which he seemed to attach a story.
+
+"If the honorable society cares to hear it," said Francois, uncovering,
+and bowing courteously to all around, "I shall have great pleasure in
+recounting a little incident of my life."
+
+A general cry of acclamation and "bravo" met the polite proposal; while
+Francois, accepting a _goutte_ from a canteen presented to him, began
+thus:--
+
+"I began my soldier's life at the first step of the ladder. I was a
+drummer-boy at Jemappes; and, when I grew old enough to exchange the
+drumstick for the sword, I was attached to the _chasseurs a cheval_, and
+went with them to Egypt. I could tell you some strange stories of
+our doings there,--I don't mean with the Turks, mark you, but amongst
+ourselves,--for we had little affairs with the sword almost every
+day; and I soon showed them I was their master. But that is not to the
+purpose; what I am about to speak of happened in this wise.
+
+"At break of day, one morning, the picket to which I was joined received
+orders to mount, and accompany the general along the bank of the Nile
+to the village of Chebrheis, where we heard that a Mameluke force were
+assembling, whose strength and equipment it was important to ascertain.
+Our horses were far from fresh when we started; the day previous had
+been spent in a fatiguing march from Rhemanieh, crossing a dreary
+desert, with hot sands and no water. But General Bonaparte always
+expected us to turn out, as if we had got a general remount; and so we
+made the best of it, and set out in as good style as we could. We had
+not gone above a league and a half, however, when we found that the
+slapping pace of the general had left the greater part of the escort out
+of sight; and of a score of four squadrons, not above twenty horsemen
+were present.
+
+"The Emperor--you know he was only general then, but it 's all the
+same--laughed heartily when he found he had outridden the rest; indeed,
+for that matter, he laughed at our poor blown beasts, that shook on
+every limb, and seemed like to push their spare, gaunt bones through the
+trappings with which, for shame's sake, we endeavored to cover them. But
+his joke was but shortlived; for just then, from behind the wall of an
+old ruined temple--whiz!--there came a shattering volley of musketry in
+the midst of us; the only miracle is how one escaped. The next moment
+there was a wild hurrah, and we beheld some fifty Mameluke fellows,
+all glittering with gold, coming down full speed on us, on their Arab
+chargers. _Mille cadavres!_ what was to be done? Nothing, you'd say, but
+run for it. And so we should have done, if the beasts were able: but not
+a bit of it; they couldn't have raised a gallop if Mourad Bey had been
+there with his whole army. And so we put a good face on it, and drew up
+across the way, and looked as if going to charge. Egad! the Turks were
+amazed. They halted up short, and stared about them to see what infantry
+or artillery there might be coming up to our assistance, so boldly did
+we hold our ground.
+
+"'We'll keep them in check, General,' said the officer of the picket.
+'Lose no time now, but make a dash for it, and you'll get away.' And so,
+without more ado, Bonaparte turned his horse's head round, and, driving
+his spurs into him, set out at top speed.
+
+"This was the signal for the Mameluke charge; and down they came.
+_Sacristi!_ how the infidels rode us down! Over and over our fellows
+rolled, men and horses together, while they slashed with their keen
+cimeters on every side; few needed a second cut, I warrant you.
+
+[Illustration: 296]
+
+"By some good fortune, my beast kept his legs in the _melee_, and, with
+even better luck, got so frightened that he started off, and struck out
+in full gallop after the general, who, about two hundred paces in front
+of me, was dashing along, pursued by a Mameluke, with a cimeter held
+over his head. The Turk's horse, however, was wounded, and could not
+gain even on the tired animal before him, while mine was at every stride
+overtaking him.
+
+"The Mameluke, hearing the clatter behind, turned his head. I seized the
+moment, and discharged my only remaining pistol at him,--alas! without
+effect. With a wild war-cry the fellow swerved round and came down upon
+me, intending to take my horse in flank, and hurl me over. But the good
+beast plunged forward, and my enemy passed behind, and only grazed the
+haunches as he went; the moment after he was at my side. _Parbleu!_ I
+did n't like the companionship. I knew every turn of a broadsword or a
+rapier well; but a curved cimeter, keen as a razor, of Damascus steel,
+glittering and glistening over my head, was a different thing: the great
+dark eyes of the fellow, too, glared like balls of fire, and his white
+teeth were clenched. With a swing of his blade over his head, so loosely
+done I thought he had almost flung the weapon from his hand, he aimed
+a cut at my neck; but, quick as lightning, I dropped upon the mane,
+and the sharp blade shaved the red feather from my shako, and sent it
+floating in the air, while, with a straight point, I ran him through
+the body, and heard his death-shout as he fell bathed in blood upon the
+sands. The general saw him fall, and cried out something; but I could
+not hear the words, nor, to say truth, did I care much at the time: my
+happiest thought just then was to see the remainder of the escort, which
+we had left behind, coming up at a smart canter.
+
+"The Turks no sooner perceived them than they wheeled and fled; and so we
+returned to the camp, with a loss of some twenty brave fellows, and none
+the wiser for all our trouble.
+
+"'What shall I do for you, friend?' said the general to me, as I stood
+by his orders at the door of his tent, 'what shall I do for you?'
+
+"_Ma foi!_ said I, with a shrug of my shoulders, 'I can't well say at a
+moment; perhaps the best thing would be to promise you 'd never take
+me as one of your escort when you make such an expedition as this
+morning's.'
+
+"'No, no, I 'll not say that. Who are you? What's your grade?'
+
+"'Francois, maitre d'armes of the Fourth Chasseurs of the Guard,' said
+I, proudly. And, indeed, I thought he might have known me without the
+question.
+
+"'Ah, indeed!' replied he, gravely. 'Promotion is then of no use here;
+a maitre d'armes, like a general of division, is at the top of the tree.
+Come, I have it; a fellow of your sort is never out of scrapes,--always
+duelling and quarrelling, under arrest three days in every week; I know
+you well. Now, Maitre Francois, I 'll forgive you the first time you ask
+me for any offence within my power to pardon. Go; you are satisfied with
+that promise,--is it not so?'
+
+"'Yes, General; and I'll soon jog your memory about it,' said I,
+saluting and retiring from the tent.
+
+"I see some old 'braves' of the Pyramids about me now," continued
+Francois, "and so I need not dwell on the events of the campaign. You
+all know how General Bonaparte left the army to Kleber, and went back to
+France; and somehow we never had much luck after that. But so it was, I
+came back with the regiment, and was at the battle of Marengo when our
+brigade captured four guns of Skal's battery, and carried off eleven of
+their officers our prisoners. You'd wonder now, Comrades, how that piece
+of good fortune should turn out so ill for me; but such was the case.
+After the battle was gained, General Bonaparte retired to Gerofola with
+his staff, and I was ordered to proceed after him, with the Hauptmann
+Klingenswert of the Austrian army,--one of our prisoners who had served
+on Melas's staff, and knew everything about the effective strength of
+the army and all their plans.
+
+"We set off at daybreak. It was in June, and a lovely morning too; and
+as my prisoner was an officer and a man of honor, I took no escort, but
+rode along at his side. We halted at noon to dine in a little grove of
+cedars, where I opened my canteen and spread the contents on the grass:
+and after regaling ourselves pleasantly, we lighted our meerschaums
+and chatted away like old comrades over the war and its chances. A more
+agreeable fellow than the Austrian I never met. He told me his whole
+history, and I told him mine; and we drank Bruederschaft together, and
+swore I don't know how many eternal friendships. The devil was just
+amusing himself with us all this time though, as you 'll see presently;
+for we soon got into an argument about the charge in which our brigade
+captured the guns. He said that if the ammunition had not failed we
+never would have dared the attack; and I swore that the discharges were
+pouring in while we rode down on the battery.
+
+"We grew warm with the dispute, and drank deeper to cool us; and, what
+between the wine and our own passion, we became downright angry, and
+went so far as to interchange something not like Bruederschaft.
+
+"'Ah, how unfortunate I always am!' said I, sighing. 'If I had only the
+good luck to be the prisoner now, and you the escort--'
+
+"'What then?' said he.
+
+"'How easily, and how pleasantly too, could we settle this little
+affair. The ground is smooth as velvet; there is no sun; all still, and
+quiet, and peaceful.'
+
+"'No, no,' said the Austrian; 'I couldn't do what you propose,--I should
+be dishonored forever if I took such an advantage of you. You must
+know, Francois,' for he called me so, recurring at once to his tone of
+kindliness, 'I am the first swordsman of my brigade.'
+
+"I could scarcely avoid throwing myself into his arms as he spoke; never
+was there such a piece of fortune. 'And I,' cried I, in ecstasy, 'I the
+first of the whole French army!' You know, Comrades, I only said that
+_en gascon_, and to afford him the greater pleasure in our _rencontre_.
+
+"We soon measured our swords and threw off our jackets. 'Francois,' said
+he, 'I ought to mention to you that my lunge _en tierce_ is my famous
+stroke; I rarely miss running my adversary through the chest with it.'
+
+"'I know the trick well,' said I; 'take care of my "pass" outside the
+guard.'
+
+"'Oh! if that's your game,' said he, laughing, 'I'll make short work of
+it. Now, to begin.'
+
+"'All ready,' said I; 'en garde!' And we crossed our weapons. For
+a German he was a capital swordsman, and had a very pretty trick of
+putting in his point over the hilt, and wounding the sword-arm; but if
+it had not been for all the wine I drank the affair would have been over
+in a second or two. As it was, we both fenced loose, and without any
+judgment whatever.
+
+"'Ah! you got that,' said I, 'at last!' as I pierced him in the back,
+outside the guard.
+
+"'No, no!' cried he, passionately; for his temper was up, and he would
+not confess a touch.
+
+"'Well, then, that's home!' said I, thrusting beneath his hilt, till the
+blood spurted out along my blade and even in my eyes.
+
+"'Yes, that's home,' said he, staggering back, while one of his legs
+crossed over the other, and he fell heavily on the grass. I stooped down
+to feel his heart; and as I did so my senses failed, my limbs tottered,
+and I rolled headlong over him. Truth was, I was badly wounded, though I
+never knew when; for his sword had entered my chest, beneath a rib, and
+cut some large vessels in the lungs.
+
+"The end of it all was, the Austrian was buried, and I was broke the
+service without pay or pension, my wound being declared by the doctors
+an incapacity to serve in future.
+
+"Comrades, we often hear men talk of the happy day before them when they
+shall leave the army and throw off the knapsack, and give up the musket
+for the mattock. Well, trust me, it's no such pleasure as they deem it,
+after all. There was I, turned loose upon the world, with nothing but a
+suit of ragged clothes my comrades made up amongst them, my old rapier,
+and a bad asthma. Such was my stock-in-trade, to begin life anew, at the
+age of forty-seven. And so, I set out on my weary way back to Paris."
+
+"Didn't you try your chance with the Petit Caporal first?" asked one of
+the listeners.
+
+"To be sure I did. I sent him a long petition, setting forth the whole
+circumstance, and detailing every minute particular of the duel; but I
+received it back, unopened,--with Duroc's name, and the word 'Rejected,'
+on the back.
+
+"It is strange-how unfit we old soldiers are for any occupation in a
+civil way, when we 've spent half a lifetime campaigning. When I reached
+Paris, I could almost have wedged myself into the scabbard of my
+sword. Long marches and short rations had told heavily on me; and the
+custom-house officer at the barrier told me to pass on, without ever
+stopping to see that I carried no contraband goods about me.
+
+"I had a miserable time enough of it for twelve or fourteen months.
+The only way of support I could find was teaching recruits the sword
+exercise; and you know they could n't be very liberal in their rewards
+for the service. But even this poor trade was soon interdicted, as the
+police reported that I encouraged the young soldiers to fight duels,--a
+great offence, truly! But you see everything went unluckily with me at
+that time.
+
+"What was to become of me now I couldn't tell; when an old comrade,
+pensioned off from Moreau's army, had interest to get me appointed
+supernumerary, as they call it, in the Grand Opera, where I used to
+perform as a Roman soldier, or a friar, or a peasant, or some such
+thing, for five francs a week. Not a sou more had I, and the duty was
+heavier than on active service.
+
+"After two years, the 'big drum' died of a rheumatic fever, from beating
+a great solo in a new German Opera, and I was promoted to his place;
+for by this time I was quite recovered from the effects of my wound, and
+could use my arms as well as ever.
+
+"Some of the honorable company may remember the first night that
+Napoleon visited the Grand Opera after he was named Emperor. It was a
+glorious sight, and one can never forget it. The whole house was filled
+with generals and field-marshals: it was a grand field-day, by the glare
+of ten thousand wax-lights. And the Empress was there, and her whole
+suite, and all the prettiest women in France. Little time had I to look
+at them, though; for there was I, in the corner of the orchestra, with
+my big drum before me, on which I was to play the confounded thing that
+killed the other fellow.
+
+"It was a strange performance, sure enough: for in the midst of a great
+din and crash, came a dead pause; and then I was to strike three solemn
+bangs on the drum,--to be followed by a succession of blows, fast
+as lightning, for five minutes. This was the composer's notion of a
+battle,--distant firing! Heaven bless his heart! I was wishing he 'd
+seen some of it. This was to come on in the second act, up to which time
+I had nothing to do.
+
+"Why do I say nothing? I had to gaze at the Petit Caporal, who sat there
+in the box over my head, looking as stern and as thoughtful as ever, and
+not minding much what the Empress said, though she kept prattling into
+his ear all the time, and trying to attract his attention. _Parbleu!_ he
+was not thinking of all the nonsense before him,--his mind was on real
+battles: he had seen real smoke,--that he had! He was fatter and paler
+than he used to be; and I thought, too, his frown was darker than when
+I saw him last: but, to be sure, that was at Marengo, and he ever looked
+pleased on the field of battle. I could n't take my eyes from him: his
+fine thoughtful face, so full of determination and energy, reminded me
+of my old days of campaigning. I thought of Areola and Rivoli, of Cairo
+and the Pyramids, and the great charge at Marengo when Desaix's division
+came up,--and my heart was nigh bursting when I remembered that I wore
+the epaulette no longer. I forgot, too, where I was; and expected every
+instant to hear him call for one of the marshals, or see him stretch out
+his hand to point to a distant part of the field. And so absorbed was I
+in my reveries, that I had neither eyes nor ears for anything around
+me; when suddenly all the din of the orchestra ceased,--not a sound was
+heard; and a hand rudely shook me by the arm, while a voice whispered,
+'Now! now!'
+
+[Illustration: 303]
+
+"Mechanically I seized the drumsticks. But my eyes still were riveted
+in the Emperor,--my whole heart and soul were centred in him. Again
+the voice called to me to begin; and a low murmur of angry meaning ran
+through the orchestra.
+
+"I sprang to my legs, and in the excitement of the moment, losing all
+memory of time and place, I rolled out the _pas de charge!_
+
+"Scarce had the first _roulade_ of the well-known sounds reverberated
+through the house, when one cry of 'Vive l'Empereur!' burst forth. It
+was not a cheer; it was the heart-given outbreak of ten thousand devoted
+followers. Marshals, generals, colonels, ambassadors, ministers, all
+joined; and the vast assembly rocked to and fro like the sea in a
+storm, while Napoleon himself, slowly rising, bent his proud head in
+acknowledgment, and then sat down again amid the thundering shouts of
+acclamation. It was full twenty minutes before the piece could proceed;
+and even then momentary outbreaks of enthusiasm would occur to interrupt
+it, and continued to burst forth till the curtain fell.
+
+"Just then an aide-de-camp appeared beside the orchestra, and ordered
+me to the Emperor's box. _Satristi!_how I trembled! I did n't know what
+might come of it.
+
+"'Ah, _coquin!_ said he, as I stood ready to drop with fear at the door
+of the box, 'this has been one of thy doings, eh?'
+
+"'Yes, Sire,' muttered I in a half whisper.
+
+"'And how hast thou dared to spoil an opera in this fashion?' said he,
+frowning fiercely. 'Answer me, sirrah!'
+
+"'It was your Majesty's fault,' said I, becoming reckless of all
+consequences. 'You did n't seem to care much for all their scraping and
+blowing, and so I thought the old _roulade_ might raise you a bit. You
+used to like it once; and might still, if the times be not altered.'
+
+"'And they are not,' said he, sternly. 'Who art thou, that seem'st to
+know me thus well?'
+
+"'Old Francois, that was maitre d'armes of the Fourth in Egypt, and who
+saved you from the stroke of a Mameluke sabre at Chebrheis.'
+
+"'What! the fellow who killed an Austrian prisoner after Marengo? Why, I
+thought thee dead.'
+
+"'Better for me I had been!' said I. 'You would n't read my petition.
+('Yes, you may frown away, General,' said I to Duroc, who kept glowering
+at me like a tiger.) I began life at the tambour; I have come down to it
+again. You can't bring me lower, _parbleu!_
+
+"The Emperor whispered something to the Empress, who turned round
+towards me and laughed; and then he made a sign for me to withdraw.
+Before I had got a dozen paces from the box, an aide-de-camp overtook
+me.
+
+"'Francois,' said he, 'you are to appear before the medical commission
+to-morrow; and if their report be favorable, you are to have your old
+grade of maitre d'armes.'
+
+"And so it was. Not only was I restored, but they even placed me in the
+same regiment I served in during the campaigns of Egypt and Italy. The
+corps, however, was greatly changed since I knew it before; and so
+I asked the Emperor to appoint me to a voltigeur battalion, where
+discipline is not so rigid, and pleasant comrades are somewhat more
+plentiful. I had my wish, gentlemen. And now, with your permission,
+we'll drink the 'Faubourg St. Antoine,' the cradle of our arm of the
+service."
+
+In repeating Maitre Francois's tale, I could only wish it might have
+one half the success with my reader it met with from his comrades of the
+bivouac. This, however, I cannot look for, and must leave it and him to
+their fortunes, and now turn to follow the course of my own.
+
+Francois was not the only one who felt surprised at my being able to
+resist the pleasures of a voltigeurs life; and my companion the corporal
+looked upon my determination to join the hussar brigade as one of those
+extraordinary instances of duty predominating over inclination. "Not,"
+said he, "but there may be brave fellows and good soldiers among the
+dragoons; though having a horse to ride is a sore drawback on a man's
+courage. And when one has felt the confidence of standing face to face,
+and foot to foot, with the enemy, I cannot see how he can ever bring
+himself to fight in any other fashion."
+
+"A man can accustom himself to anything, Corporal," said an old,
+hardy-looking soldier, who sat smoking with the most profound air of
+thoughtful reflection. "I remember being in the 'dromedary brigade' at
+Cairo. Few of us could keep our seats at first; and when we fell off,
+it was often hard enough to resist the Mamelukes and hold the beasts
+besides; but even that we learned with time."
+
+This explanation, little flattering as it was to the cavalry, seemed to
+convince the listeners that time, which smoothes so many difficulties,
+will even make a man content to be a dragoon.
+
+"Well, since you will not be 'of ours,'" said Francois, "let us drink a
+parting cup, and say good-by, for I hear the bugle sounding the call."
+
+"A health to the 'Faubourg St. Antoine,' boys!" cried I, and a hearty
+cheer re-echoed the toast; and with many a shake-hands, and many a
+promise of welcome whenever I saw the error of my ways sufficiently to
+doff the dolman for the voltigeur's jacket, I took leave of the gallant
+Twenty-second, and set out towards Weimar.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV. BERLIN AFTER "JENA."
+
+As the battle of Austerlitz was the deathblow to the empire of Austria,
+so with the defeat at Jena did Prussia fall, and that great kingdom
+became a prey to the conquering Napoleon. Were this a fitting place,
+it might be curious to inquire into the causes which involved a ruin so
+sudden and so complete; and how a vast and highly organized army seemed
+at one fell stroke annihilated and destroyed.
+
+The victories of Jena and Auerstadt, great and decisive as they were,
+were nevertheless inadequate to such results; and if the genius of the
+Emperor had not been as prompt to follow up as to gain a battle, they
+never would have occurred. But scarcely had the terrible contest ceased,
+when he sent for the Saxon officers who were taken prisoners, and
+addressing them in a tone of kindness, declared at once that they were
+at liberty and might return to their homes, first pledging their words
+not to carry arms against France or her allies. One hundred and twenty
+officers of different grades, from lieutenant-general downwards, gave
+this promise and retired to their own country, extolling the generosity
+of Napoleon. This first step was soon followed up by another and more
+important one; negotiations were opened with the Elector of Saxony,
+and the title of king offered to him on condition of his joining the
+Confederacy of the Rhine; and thus once more the artful policy already
+pursued with regard to Bavaria in the south, was here renewed in the
+north of Germany, and with equal success.
+
+This deep-laid scheme deprived the Prussian army of eighteen thousand
+men, and that on the very moment when defeat and disaster had spread
+their demoralizing influences through the entire army. Several of their
+greatest generals were killed, many more dreadfully or fatally wounded:
+Prince Louis, Ruchel, Schmettau, among the former; the Duke of Brunswick
+and Prince Henry both severely wounded. The Duke survived but a few
+days, and these in the greatest suffering; Marshal Moellendorf, the
+veteran of nigh eighty years, had his chest pierced by a lance. Here was
+misfortune enough to cause dismay and despair; for unhappily the nation
+itself was but an army in feeling and organization, and with defeat
+every hope died out and every arm was paralyzed. The patriotism of the
+people had taken its place beneath a standard, which when once lowered
+before a conqueror, nothing more remained. Such is the destiny of a
+military monarchy: its only vitality is victory; the hour of disaster is
+its deathblow.
+
+The system of a whole corps capitulating, which the Prussians had not
+scrupled to sneer at when occurring in Austria, now took place here with
+even greater rapidity. Scarcely a day passed that some regiment did not
+lay down their arms, and surrender _sur parole_. A panic spread through
+the whole length and breadth of the land; places of undoubted strength
+were surrendered as insecure and untenable. No rest nor respite was
+allowed the vanquished: the gay plumes of the lancers fluttered over the
+vast plains in pursuit; columns of infantry poured in every direction
+through the kingdom; and the eagles glittered in every town and every
+village of conquered Prussia.
+
+Never did the spirit of Napoleon display itself more pitiless than in
+this campaign; for while in his every act he evinced a determination to
+break down and destroy the nation, the "Moniteur" at Paris teemed with
+articles in derision of the army whose bravery he should never have
+questioned. Even the gallant leaders themselves--old and scarred
+warriors--were contemptuously described as blind and infatuated
+fanatics, undeserving of clemency or consideration. Not thus should he
+have spoken of the noble Prince Louis and the brave Duke of Brunswick;
+they fought in a good cause, and they met the death of gallant soldiers.
+"I will make their nobles beg their bread upon the highways!" was
+the dreadful sentence he uttered at Weimar. And the words were never
+forgotten.
+
+The conduct and bearing of the Emperor was the more insulting from its
+contrast with that of his marshals and generals, many of whom could not
+help acknowledging in their acts the devotion and patriotism of their
+vanquished foes. Murat lost no occasion to evince this feeling; and
+sent eight colonels of his own division to carry the pall at General
+Schmettau's funeral, who was interred with all the honors due to one who
+had been the companion of the Great Frederick himself.
+
+Soult, Bernadotte, Augereau, Ney, and Davoust, with the several corps
+under their command, pursued the routed forces with untiring hostility.
+In vain did the King of Prussia address a supplicating letter asking for
+a suspension of arms. Napoleon scarcely deigned a reply, and ordered the
+advanced guard to march on Berlin.
+
+But a year before and he had issued his royal mandates from the palace
+of the Caesars; and he burned now to date his bulletins from the palace
+of the Great Frederick. And on the tenth day after the battle of Jena
+the troops of Lannes's division bivouacked in the plain around Potsdam.
+I had joined my brigade the day previous, and entered Berlin with them
+on the morning of the 23d of October.
+
+The preparations for a triumphal entry were made on the day before; and
+by noon the troops approached the capital in all the splendor of full
+equipment. First came the grenadiers of Oudinot's brigade,--one of
+the finest corps in the French army; their bright yellow facings
+and shoulder-knots had given them the _sobriquet_ of the _Grenadiers
+jaunes_: they formed part of Davonst's force at Auerstadt, and were
+opposed to the Prussian guard in the greatest shock of the entire day.
+After them came two battalions of the _Chasseurs a pied_,--a splendid
+body of infantry, the remnant of four thousand who went into battle
+on the morning of the 15th. Then followed a brigade of artillery,
+each gun-carriage surmounted by a Prussian standard. These again were
+succeeded by the red lancers of Berg, with Murat himself at their
+head; for they were his own regiment, and he felt justly proud of such
+followers: the grand duke was in all the splendor of his full dress, and
+wore a Spanish hat, looped up, with an immense brilliant in front, and
+a plume of ostrich feathers floated over his neck and shoulders. Two
+hundred and forty chosen men of the Imperial Guard marched two and
+two after these, each carrying a color taken from the enemy in battle.
+Nansouty's cuirassiers came next; they had suffered severely at Jena,
+and were obliged to muster several of their wounded men to fill up the
+gaps in their squadrons. Then there were the horse artillery brigade,
+whose uniforms and equipments, notwithstanding every effort to
+conceal it, showed the terrible effects of the great battle. General
+d'Auvergne's division, with the hussars and the light cavalry attached,
+followed. These were succeeded by the voltigeurs, and eight battalions
+of the Imperial Guard,--whose ranks were closed up with the _Grenadiers
+a cheval_, and more artillery,--in all, a force of eighteen thousand,
+the _elite_ of the French army.
+
+Advancing in orderly time, they came,--no sound heard save the dull
+reverberation of the earth as it trembled beneath the columns, when
+the hoarse challenge to "halt" was called from rank to rank as often as
+those in the rear pressed on the leading files; but as they reached the
+Brandenburg gate, the band of each regiment burst forth, and the wide
+Platz resounded with the clang of martial music.
+
+In front of the palace stood the Emperor, surrounded by his staff, which
+was joined in succession by each general of brigade as his corps moved
+by. A simple acknowledgment of the military salute was all Napoleon gave
+as each battalion passed,--until the small party of the Imperial Guard
+appeared, bearing the captured colors. Then his proud features relaxed,
+his eye flashed and sparkled, and he lifted his chapeau straight above
+his head, and remained uncovered the whole time they were marching past.
+This was the moment when enthusiasm could no longer be restrained, and a
+cry of "Vive l'Empereur!" burst forth, that, caught up by those behind,
+rose in ten thousand echoes along the distant suburbs of Berlin.
+
+To look upon that glorious and glittering band, bronzed with battle,
+their proud faces lit up with all the pride of victory, was indeed a
+triumph; and one instinctively turned to see the looks of wondering
+and admiration such a sight must have inspired. But with what sense of
+sadness came the sudden thought: this is the proud exultation of the
+conqueror over the conquered; here come no happy faces and bright looks
+to welcome those who have rescued them from slavery; here are no voices
+calling welcome to the deliverer. No: it was a people crushed and
+trodden down; their hard-won laurels tarnished and dishonored; their
+country enslaved; their monarch a wanderer, no one knew where. Little
+thought they who raised the statue of brass to the memory of the Great
+Frederick, that the clank of French musketry would be heard around it.
+Rossbach was, indeed, avenged,--and cruelly avenged.
+
+Never did a people behave with more dignity under misfortune than the
+Prussians on the entrance of the French into their capital. The streets
+were deserted; the houses closed; the city was in mourning; and
+none stooped to the slavish adulation which might win favor with the
+conqueror. It was a triumph; but there were none to witness it. Of the
+nobles, scarce one remained in Berlin. They had fallen in battle, or
+followed the fortunes of their beaten army, now scattered and dispersed
+through the kingdom. Their wives and daughters, in deepest mourning,
+bewailed their ruined country as they would the death of a dearest
+friend. They cut off their blonde locks, and sorrowed like those without
+a hope. Their great country was to be reduced to the rank of a mere
+German province; their army disbanded; their king dethroned. Such
+was the contrast to our hour of triumph; such the sad reverse to the
+gorgeous display of our armed squadrons.
+
+Scarcely had the Emperor established his headquarters at Potsdam than
+the whole administration of the kingdom was begun to be placed under
+French rule. Prefects were appointed to different departments of the
+kingdom; a heavy contribution was imposed upon the nation; and all the
+offices of the state were subjected to the control of persons named by
+the Emperor.
+
+Among these, the first in importance was the post-office; for, while
+every precaution was taken that no interruption should occur in the
+transmission of the mails as usual, a _cabinet noir_ was established
+here, as at Paris, whose function it was to open the letters of
+suspected persons, and make copies of them; the latter, indeed, were
+often so skilfully executed as to be forwarded to the address, while the
+originals were preserved as "proofs" against parties, if it were found
+necessary to accuse them afterwards. (And here I might mention that the
+art of depositing metals in a mould by galvanic process was known and
+used in imitating and fabricating the seals of various writers, many
+years before the discovery became generally known in Europe.)
+
+The invasion of private right involved in this breach of trust gave, as
+might be supposed, the greatest offence throughout the kingdom. But the
+severity with which every case of suspicious meaning was followed up and
+punished converted the feelings of indignation and anger into those of
+fear and trepidation. For this was ever part of Napoleon's policy: the
+penalty of any offence was made to exclude the sense of ridicule its
+own littleness might have created, and men felt indisposed to jest where
+their mirth might end in melancholy.
+
+The most remarkable case, and that which more than any other impressed
+the public mind of the period, was that of the Prince de Hatzfeld, whose
+letter to the King of Prussia was opened at the post-office, and made
+the subject of a capital charge against him. Its contents were, as
+might be imagined from the channel of transmission, not such as could
+substantiate any treasonable intention on his part. A respectful homage
+to his dethroned sovereign; a detail of the mournful feeling experienced
+throughout his capital; and some few particulars of the localities
+occupied by the French troops, was the entire. And for this he was tried
+and condemned to death,--a sentence which the Emperor commanded to be
+executed before sunset that same day. Happily for the fate of the noble
+prince, as for the fair fame of Napoleon, both Duroc and Rapp were
+ardently attached to him, and at their earnest entreaties his life was
+spared. But the impression which the circumstances made upon the minds
+of the inhabitants was deep and lasting; and there was a day to come
+when all these insults were to be remembered and avenged. If I advert
+to the occurrence here, it is because I have but too good reason to bear
+memory of it, influencing, as it did, my own future fortunes.
+
+It chanced that one evening, when sitting in a cafe with some of my
+brother officers, the subject of the Prince de Hatzfeld's offence
+was mooted; and in the unguarded freedom with which one talks to his
+comrades, I expressed myself delighted at the clemency of the Emperor,
+and conceived that he could have no part in the breach of confidence
+which led to the accusation, nor countenance in any way his prosecution.
+My companions, who had little sympathy for Prussians, and none for
+aristocracy whatever, took a different view of the matter, and scrupled
+not to regret that the sentence of the court-martial had not been
+executed. The discussion grew warm between us; the more, as I was
+alone in my opinion, and assailed by several who overbore me with loud
+speaking. Once or twice, too, an obscure taunt was thrown out against
+aliens and foreigners, who, it was alleged, never could at heart forgive
+the ascendency of France and Frenchmen.
+
+To this I replied hotly, for while not taking to myself an insult which
+my conduct in the service palpably refuted, I was hurt and offended.
+Alas! I knew too well in my heart what sacrifices I had made in changing
+my country; how I had bartered all the hopes which attach to one's
+fatherland for a career of mere selfish ambition. Long since had I
+seen that the cause I fought in was not that of liberty, but despotism.
+Napoleon's glory was the dazzling light which blinded my true vision;
+and my following had something of infatuation, against which reason was
+powerless. I say that I answered these taunts with hasty temper; and
+carried away by a momentary excitement, I told them, that they it was,
+not I, who would detract from the fair renown of the Emperor.
+
+"The traits you would attribute to him," said I, "are not those of
+strength, but weakness. Is it the conqueror of Egypt, of Austria, and
+now of Prussia, who need stoop to this? We cannot be judges of his
+policy, or the great events which agitate Europe. We would pronounce
+most ignorantly on the greatness of his plans regarding the destinies of
+nations; but, on a mere question of high and honorable feeling, of manly
+honesty, why should we not speak? And here I say this act was never
+his."
+
+A smile of sardonic meaning was the only reply this speech met with; and
+one by one the officers rose and dropped off, leaving me to ponder over
+the discussion, in which I now remembered I had been betrayed into a
+warmth beyond discretion.
+
+This took place early in November; and as it was not referred to in any
+way afterwards by my comrades, I soon forgot it. My duties occupied me
+from morning till night; for General d'Auvergne, being in attendance on
+the Emperor, had handed me over for the time to the department of the
+adjutant-general of the army, where my knowledge of German was found
+useful.
+
+On the 17th of the month a general order was issued, containing the
+names of the various officers selected for promotion, as well as of
+those on whom the cross of the "Legion" was to be conferred. Need I say
+with what a thrill of exultation I read my own name among the latter,
+nor my delight at finding it followed by the words, "By order of his
+Majesty the Emperor, for a special service on the 13th October, 1806."
+This was the night before the battle; and now I saw that I had not been
+forgotten, as I feared,--here was proof of the Emperor's remembrance of
+me. Perhaps the delay was intended to test my prudence as to secrecy;
+and perhaps it was deemed fitting that my name should not appear except
+in the general list: in any case, the long-wished reward was mine,--the
+proud distinction I had desired for so many a day and night.
+
+The distribution of the "cordons" was always made the occasion of a
+grand military spectacle, and the Emperor determined that the present
+one should convey a powerful impression of the effective strength of his
+army, as well as of its perfect equipment; and accordingly orders
+were despatched to the different generals of division within twelve or
+fifteen leagues of Berlin, to march their corps to the capital. The 28th
+of November was the day fixed for this grand display, and all was bustle
+and preparation for the event.
+
+On the morning of the 22d, I received an official note from the bureau
+of the adjutant-general desiring me to wait on him before noon that same
+day. Concluding it referred to my promised promotion to the "Legion," it
+was with somewhat of a fluttered and excited feeling I found myself, at
+some few minutes after eleven o'clock, in the antechamber, which already
+was crowded with officers, some seeking, some summoned to an interview.
+
+In the midst of the buzz of conversation, which, despite the reserve
+of the place, still prevailed, I heard my name called, and followed
+an aide-de-camp along a passage into a large room, which opened into
+a smaller apartment, where, standing with his back to the fire, I
+perceived Marshal Berthier, his only companion being an officer in a
+staff uniform, busily engaged writing at a table.
+
+"You are Captain Burke, of the Eighth Hussars, I believe, sir?" said the
+marshal, reading slowly from a slip of paper he held twisted round one
+finger.
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"By birth an Irishman," continued the marshal; "entered at the
+Polytechnique in August, 1801. Am I correct?" I bowed. "Subsequently
+accused of being concerned in the conspiracy of Georges and Pichegru,"
+resumed he, as he raised his eyes slightly from the paper, and fixed
+them searchingly upon me.
+
+"Falsely so, sir," was my only reply.
+
+"You were acquitted,--that's enough: a reprimand for imprudence, and
+a slight punishment of arrest, was all. Since that time, you have
+conducted yourself, as the report of your commanding officer attests,
+with zeal and steadiness."
+
+He paused here, and seemed as if he expected me to say something; but
+as I thought the whole a most strange commencement to the ceremony of
+investing me with a cross of the Legion, I remained silent.
+
+"At Paris, when attached to the _elite_, you appear to have visited the
+Duchess of Montserrat, and frequented her soirees."
+
+"Once, sir; but once I was in the house of the duchess. My visit
+could scarcely have occupied as many minutes as I have spent here this
+morning."
+
+"Dined occasionally at the 'Moisson d'Or," continued the marshal, not
+noticing in any way my reply. "Well, as I believe you are now aware that
+there are no secrets with his Majesty's Government, perhaps you will
+inform me what are your relations with the Chevalier Duchesne?"
+
+For some minutes previous my mind was dwelling on that personage; and
+I answered the question in a few words, by stating the origin of our
+acquaintance, and briefly adverting to its course.
+
+"You correspond with the chevalier?" said he, interrupting.
+
+"I have never done so; nor is it likely, from the manner in which we
+parted last, that I ever shall."
+
+"This scarcely confirms that impression, sir," said the marshal, taking
+an open letter from the table and holding it up before me. "You know his
+handwriting; is that it?"
+
+"Yes; I have no doubt it is."
+
+"Well, sir, that letter belongs to you; you may take and read it.
+There is enough there, sir, to make your conduct the matter of a
+court-martial; but I am satisfied that a warning will be sufficient.
+Let this be such then. Learn, sir, that the plottings of a poor and
+mischievous party harmonize ill with the duties of a brave soldier; and
+that a captain of the Guards might choose more suitable associates than
+the dupes and double-dealers of the Faubourg St. Germain. There is your
+brevet to the 'Legion,' signed by the Emperor. I shall return it to
+his Majesty; mayhap at some future period your conduct may merit
+differently. I need hardly say that a gentleman so very little
+particular in the choice of his friends would be a most misplaced
+subject for the honor of the 'Legion.'"
+
+He waved his hand in sign for me to withdraw, and overwhelmed with
+confusion, I bowed and left the room. Nor was it till the door closed
+behind me that I felt how cruelly and unjustly I had been treated; then
+suddenly the blood rushed to my face and temples, my head seemed as
+if it would burst at either side, and forgetting every circumstance of
+place and condition, I seized the handle of the door and wrenched it
+open.
+
+"Marshal," said I, with the fearlessness of one resolved at any risk to
+vindicate his character, "I know nothing of this letter; I have not
+read one line of it. I have no further intimacy with the writer than an
+officer has with his comrade; but if I am to be the subject of espionage
+to the police,--if my chance acquaintances in the world are to be matter
+of charges against my fealty and honor,--if I, who have nothing but my
+sword and my epaulette--"
+
+When I had got thus far I saw the marshal's face turn deadly pale, while
+the officer at the table made a hurried sign to me with his finger to be
+silent. The door closed nearly at the same instant, and I turned my head
+round, and there stood the Emperor. The figure is still before me;
+he was standing still, his hands behind his back, and his low chapeau
+deeply pressed upon his brows. His gray frock was open, and looked as if
+disordered from haste.
+
+"What is this?" said he, in that hissing tone he always assumed when in
+moments of passion,--"what is this? Are we in the bureau of a minister?
+or is it the _salle de police?_ Who are you, sir?"
+
+It was not until the question had been repeated that I found courage to
+reply. But he waited not for my answer, as, snatching the open letter
+from my fingers, he resumed,--
+
+"It is not thus, sir, you should come here. Your petition or memorial--
+Ha! _parbleu!_ what is this?"
+
+At the instant his eyes fell upon the writing, and as suddenly his face
+grew almost livid. With the rapidity of lightning he seemed to peruse
+the lines. Then waving his hand, he motioned towards the door, and
+muttered,--"Wait without!"
+
+Like one awaking from a dreadful dream, I stood, endeavoring to recall
+my faculties, and assure myself how much there might be of reality in
+my wandering fancies, when I perceived that a portion of the letter
+remained between my fingers as the Emperor snatched it from my hand.
+
+A half-finished sentence was all I could make out; but its tone made me
+tremble for what the rest of the epistle might contain:--
+
+"Surpassed themselves, of course, my dear Burke; and so has the Emperor
+too. It remained for the campaign in Prussia to prove that one hundred
+and eighty-five thousand prisoners can be taken from an army numbering
+one hundred and fifty-four thousand men. As to Davoust, who really had
+all the fighting, though he wrote no bulletin, all Paris feels--"
+
+Such was the morsel I had saved; such a specimen of the insolence of the
+entire.
+
+The dreadful fact then broke suddenly upon me that this letter had been
+written by Duchesne to effect my ruin; and as I stood stupefied with
+terror, the door was suddenly opened, and the Emperor passed, out.
+His eyes were turned on me as he went, and I shrank back from their
+expression of withering anger.
+
+"Captain Burke!" said a voice from within the room, for the door
+continued open.
+
+I entered slowly, but with a firm step. My mind was made up; and in the
+force of a resolute determination, I found strength for whatever might
+happen.
+
+"It would appear, sir," said the marshal, addressing me with a stern and
+severe expression of features, "it would appear that you permit yourself
+the widest liberty in canvassing the acts of his Majesty the Emperor;
+for I find you here mentioned "--he took a paper from the table as he
+spoke--"as declaiming, in a public cafe, on the subject of the Prince de
+Hatzfeld, and expressing, in no measured terms, your disapproval of his
+imprisonment."
+
+"All that I said upon the subject, sir, so far as I can recollect, was
+in praise of the Emperor for clemency so well bestowed."
+
+"There was no high-flown sentiment on the breach of honorable confidence
+effected in opening private letters?" said the marshal, sarcastically.
+
+"Yes, sir; I do remember expressing myself strongly on that head."
+
+"I am not surprised, sir," interrupted he, "at your indignation; your
+own conscience must have prompted you on the occasion. When a gentleman
+has such correspondents as the Chevalier Duchesne, he may well feel on
+a point like this. But enough of this. I have his Majesty's orders
+regarding you, which are as follows--"
+
+"Forgive me, I beg you, sir, the liberty of interrupting you for one
+moment. I am an alien, and therefore little versed in the habits and
+usages of the land for whose service I have shed my blood; but I am sure
+a marshal of France will not refuse a kindness to an officer of the
+army, however humble his station. I merely ask the answer to one
+question."
+
+"What is it?" said the marshal, quickly.
+
+"Am I, as an officer, at liberty to resign my grade, and quit the
+service?"
+
+"Yes, _parbleu!_" said he, reddening, "yes, that you are."
+
+"Then here I do so," rejoined I, drawing my sword from its scabbard.
+"The career I can no longer follow honorably and independently, I shall
+follow no more."
+
+"Your corps, sir?" said the marshal.
+
+"The Eighth Hussars of the Guard."
+
+"Take a note of that, Gardanne. I shall spare you all unnecessary delay
+in tendering a written resignation of your rank; I accept it now. You
+leave Berlin in twenty-four hours."
+
+I bowed, and was silent.
+
+"Your passport shall be made out for Paris; you shall receive it
+to-morrow morning." He motioned with his hand towards the door as he
+concluded, and I left the room.
+
+The moment I felt myself alone, the courage which had sustained me
+throughout at once gave way, and I leaned against the wall, and covered
+my face with my hands. Yes, I knew it in my heart,--the whole dream of
+life was over; the path of glory was closed to me forever; all the hopes
+on which, in sanguine hours, I used to feed my heart, were scattered.
+And to the miseries of my exiled lot were now added the sorrows of an
+unfriended, companionless existence. The thought that no career was open
+to me came last; for at first I only remembered all I was leaving, not
+the dark future before me. Yet, when I called to mind the injustice with
+which I had been treated,--the system of espionage to which, as an alien
+more particularly, I was exposed,--I felt I had done right, and that
+to have remained in the service at such a sacrifice of my personal
+independence would have been base and unworthy.
+
+With a half-broken heart and faltering step I regained my quarters,
+where again my grief burst forth with more violence than at first.
+Every object about recalled to me the career I was leaving forever; and
+wherever my eye rested, some emblem lay to open fresh stores of sorrow.
+The pistols I carried at Elchingen, a gift from General d'Auvergne;
+an Austrian sabre I had taken from its owner, still ornamented with a
+little knot of ribbon Minette had fastened to the hilt,--hung above the
+chimney; and I could scarce look on them without tears. On the table
+still lay open the _ordre du jour_ which named me to the Legion of
+Honor; and now the humblest soldier that carried his musket in the ranks
+was my superior. Not all the principle on which I founded my resolve was
+proof against this first outburst of my sorrow.
+
+The chivalrous ardor of a soldier's life had long supplied to me the
+place of those appliances to happiness which other men possess. Each day
+I followed it the path grew dearer to me. Every bold and daring feat,
+every deed of enterprise or danger, seemed to bring me, in thought at
+least, nearer to him whose greatness was my idolatry. And now, all this
+was to be as a mere dream,--a thing which had been, and was to be no
+more.
+
+While I revolved such sad reflections, a single knock came to my door.
+I opened it, and saw a soldier of my own regiment. His dress was
+travel-stained and splashed, and he looked like one off a long journey.
+He knew me at once, and accosted me by name, as he presented a letter
+from General d'Auvergne.
+
+"You've had a smart ride," said I, as I surveyed his flushed face and
+disordered uniform.
+
+"Yes, Captain,--from the Oder. Our division is full twelve leagues from
+this. I left on yesterday morning; for the general was particular that
+the charger should not suffer on the way,--as if a beast like that would
+mind double the distance."
+
+By this time I had opened the letter, which merely contained the
+following few lines:--
+
+      Encampment on the Oder, Nov. 21, 1806.
+
+      My dear Burke,--Every new arrival here has brought me some
+      fresh intelligence of you, and of your conduct at Jena; nor
+      can I say with what pride I have heard that the Emperor has
+      included you among the list of the _decores_. This is the
+      day I often prophesied for you, and the true and only
+      refutation against the calumnies of the false-hearted and
+      the envious. I send you a Polish charger for your gala
+      review. Accept him from me; and believe that you have no
+      warmer friend, nor more affectionate, than yours,
+
+      D'Auvergne, Lieut-General.
+
+
+Before I had finished reading the letter, my eyes grew so dimmed I
+could scarcely trace the letters. Each word of kindness, every token of
+praise, now cut me to the heart. How agonizing are the congratulations
+of friends on those events in life where our own conscience bears
+reproach against us! how poignant the self-accusation that is elicited
+by undeserved eulogy! How would _he_ think of my conduct? By what means
+should I convince _him_ that no alternative remained to me? I turned
+away, lest the honest soldier should witness my trouble; and as I
+approached the window, I beheld in the courtyard beneath the beautiful
+charger which, with the full trappings of a hussar saddle, stood proudly
+flapping his deep flanks with his long silken tail. With what a thrill
+I surveyed him! How my heart leaped, as I fancied myself borne along on
+the full tide of battle, each plunge he gave responsive to the stroke of
+my sword-arm! For an instant I forgot all that had happened, and gazed
+on his magnificent crest and splendid shape with an ecstasy of delight.
+
+"Ay," said the dragoon, whose eyes were riveted in the same quarter,
+"there's not a marshal of France so well mounted; and he knows the
+trumpet-call like the oldest soldier of the troop."
+
+"You will return to-morrow," said I, recovering myself suddenly, and
+endeavoring to appear composed and at ease. "Well, then, to-night I
+shall give you an answer for the general; be here at eight o'clock."
+
+I saw that my troubled air and broken voice had not escaped the
+soldier's notice, and was glad when the door closed, and I was again
+alone.
+
+My first care was to write to the general; nor was it till after many
+efforts I succeeded to my satisfaction in conveying, in a few and simple
+words, the reasons of that step which must imbitter my future life. I
+explained how deeply continued mistrust had wounded me; how my spirit,
+as a soldier and a gentleman, revolted at the espionage established over
+my actions; that it was in weighing these insults against the wreck of
+all my hopes, I had chosen that path which had neither fame nor rank nor
+honor, but still left me an untrammelled spirit and a mind at peace with
+itself. "I have now," said I, "to begin the world anew, without one clew
+to guide me. Every illusion with which I had invested life has left me;
+I must choose both a career and a country, and bear with me from this
+nothing but the heartfelt gratitude I shall ever retain for one who
+befriended me through weal and woe, and whose memory I shall bless while
+I live."
+
+I felt relieved and more at ease when I finished this letter; the
+endeavor to set my conduct in its true light to another had also its
+effect upon my own convictions. I knew, besides, that I had sacrificed
+to my determination all my worldly prospects, and believed that where
+self-interest warred with principle, the right course could scarcely be
+doubtful.
+
+All this time, not one thought ever occurred to me of how I was to meet
+the future. It was strange; but so perfectly had the present crisis
+filled my mind, there was not room for even a glance at what was to
+come.
+
+My passport was made out for Paris, and thither I must go. So much was
+decided for me without intervention on my part; and now it only remained
+for me to dispose of the little trappings of my former estate, and take
+the road.
+
+The Jews who always accompanied the army, offered a speedy resource in
+this emergency. My anxiety to leave Berlin by daybreak, and thus avoid
+a meeting of any acquaintances there, made me accept of the sums they
+offered. To them such negotiations were of daily occurrence, and they
+well knew how to profit by them. My whole worldly wealth consisted of
+two hundred napoleons; and with this small pittance to begin life, I sat
+myself down to think whither I should turn, or what course adopt.
+
+The night passed over thus, and when day dawned, I had not closed my
+eyes. About four o'clock the diligence in which I had secured a place
+for Weimar drew up at my door. I hurried down, and mounting to a seat
+beside the _conducteur_, I buried my face in the folds of my cloak, nor
+dared to look up until we had passed beyond the precincts of the city,
+and were travelling along on the vast plain of sand which surrounds
+Berlin.
+
+The _conducteur_ was a Prussian, and divining my military capacity in my
+appearance, he maintained a cold and distant civility; never speaking,
+except when spoken to, and even then in as few words as possible. This
+was itself a relief to me; my heart was too full of its own sufferings
+to find pleasure in conversation, and I dreamed away the hours till
+nightfall.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI. A FOREST PATH.
+
+When I reached Wiemar I quitted the diligence, resolved to make the
+remainder of the journey on foot; for thus I should both economize
+the little means I possessed, and escape many of the questionings and
+inquiries to which as a traveller by public conveyance I was exposed.
+Knapsack on shoulder, then, and staff in hand, I plodded onward, and
+although frequently coming up with others on their way homeward, I
+avoided all companionship with those whom I could no longer think of as
+comrades.
+
+The two tides of population which met upon that great highway told the
+whole history of war. Here came the young soldiers, fresh enrolled
+in the conscription, glowing with ardor, and bounding with life and
+buoyancy, and mingling their village songs with warlike chants. There,
+footsore and weary, with tattered uniform and weather-beaten look,
+toiled along the tired veteran, turning as he went a glance of
+compassionate contempt on those whose wild _vivas_ burst forth in
+greeting. As for me, I could neither partake of the high hopes of
+the one, nor sympathize with the war-worn nature of the other.
+Disappointment, bitter disappointment, in every cherished expectation,
+had thrown a chill over me, and I wanted even the energy to become
+reckless. In this state, I did not dare to face the future, but in moody
+despondency reflected on the past. Was this the destiny Marie de Meudon
+predicted for me? was the ever-present thought of my mind. Is it thus I
+should appear before her?
+
+A hundred times came the thought to join the new levies as a soldier,
+to carry a musket in the ranks. But then came back in all its force
+the memory of the distrust and suspicion my services had met with: the
+conviction hourly became clearer to me, that I fought not for liberty,
+but despotism; that it was not freedom, but slavery, in whose cause I
+shed my blood.
+
+To avoid meeting with the detachments which each day occupied the road,
+I turned from the _chaussee_ on passing Eisenach, and took a forest
+path that led through Murbach to Fulda. My path led through the Creutz
+Mountains,--a wild and unfrequented tract of country, where few cottages
+were to be seen, and scarcely a village existed. Vast forests of dark
+pines, or bleak and barren mountains, stretched away on either side; a
+few patches of miserable tillage here and there met the view; but the
+scene was one of saddening influence, and harmonized but too nearly with
+my own despondency.
+
+To reach a place of shelter for the night, I was more than once obliged
+to walk twelve leagues during the day, and had thus to set out before
+daylight. This exertion, however, brought its own reward: the stimulant
+of labor, the necessity of a task, gradually allayed the mental
+irritation I suffered under; a healthier and more manly tone of thinking
+succeeded to my former regrets; and with a heart elevated, if not
+cheered, I continued my way.
+
+The third day of my toilsome journey was drawing to a close. A mass of
+heavy and lowering clouds, dark and thunder-charged, slowly moved along
+the sky; and a low, moaning sound, that seemed to sigh along the
+ground, boded the approach of a storm. I was still three leagues from my
+halting-place, and began to deliberate within myself whether the dense
+pine-wood, which came down to the side of the road, might not afford
+a safer refuge from the hurricane than the chances of reaching a house
+before it broke forth.
+
+The shepherds who frequented these dreary tracts often erected little
+huts of bark as a shelter against the cold and severity of the wintry
+days, and to find out one of these now was my great endeavor. Scarcely
+had I formed the resolve, when I perceived a small path opening into the
+wood, at the entrance to which a piece of board nailed against the
+trunk of a tree, gave tidings that such a place of security was not far
+distant. These signs of forest life I had learned in my wanderings, and
+now strode forward with renewed vigor.
+
+The path led gradually upwards, along the mountain-side, which soon
+became so encumbered with brushwood that I had much difficulty in
+pushing my way, and at last began to doubt whether I might not have
+wandered from the track. The darkness was now complete; night had
+fallen, and a heavy crashing rain poured down upon the tree-tops, but
+could not penetrate through their tangled shelter. The wind, too,
+swept in loud gusts above, and the long threatened storm began. A
+loud, deafening roar, like that of the sea itself, arose, as the leafy
+branches bent before the blast, or snapped with sudden shock beneath
+the hurricane; clap after clap of thunder resounded, and then the rain
+descended in torrents,--the heavy drops at last, trickling from leaf to
+leaf, reaching me as I stood. Once more I pushed forward, and had not
+gone many paces when the red glare of a fire caught my eye. Steadfastly
+fastening my gaze upon the flame, I hurried on, and at length perceived
+with ecstasy that the light issued from the window of a small hovel,
+such as I have already mentioned. To gain the entrance of the hut I was
+obliged to pass the window, and could not resist the temptation to give
+a glance at the interior, whose cheerful blaze betokened habitation.
+
+It was not without surprise that, instead of the figure of a shepherd
+reposing beside his fire, I beheld that of an old man, whose dress
+bespoke the priest, kneeling in deep devotion at the foot of a small
+crucifix attached to the wall. Not all the wild sounds of the raging
+storm seemed to turn his attention from the object of his worship;
+his eyes were closed, but the head thrown backwards showed his face
+upturned, when the lips moved rapidly in prayer. Never had I beheld
+so perfect a picture of intense devotional feeling; every line in his
+marked countenance indicated the tension of a mind filled with one
+engrossing thought, while his tremulous hands, clasped before him, shook
+with the tremor of strong emotion.
+
+What a contrast to the loud warring of the elements, that peaceful
+figure, raised above earth and its troubles, in the spirit of his holy
+communing! how deeply touching the calm serenity of his holy brow, with
+the rolling crash of falling branches, and the deep baying of the storm!
+I did not dare to interrupt him; and when I did approach the door it was
+with silent step and noiseless gesture. As I stood, the old priest--for
+now I saw that he was such--concluded his prayer, and detaching his
+crucifix from the wall, he kissed it reverently, and placed it in his
+bosom; then, rising slowly from his knees, he turned towards me. A
+slight start of surprise, as quickly followed by a smile of kindly
+greeting, escaped him, while he said in French,--
+
+"You are welcome, my son; come in and share with me the shelter, for it
+is a wild night."
+
+"A wild night, indeed, Father," said I, casting my eyes around the
+little hut, where nothing indicated the appearance of habitation.
+"I could have wished you a better home than this against the storms of
+winter."
+
+"I am a traveller like yourself," said he, smiling at my mistake; "and a
+countryman, too, if I mistake not."
+
+The accents in which these words were spoken pronounced him a Frenchman,
+and a very little sufficed to ratify the terms of our companionship; and
+having thrown a fresh billet on the fire, we both seated ourselves
+before it My wallet was, fortunately, better stored than the good
+father's; and having produced its contents, we supped cheerfully, and
+like men who were not eating their first bivouac meal.
+
+"I perceive, Father," said I, as I remarked the manner in which he
+disposed his viands, "I perceive you have campaigned ere now; the habits
+of the service are not easily mistaken."
+
+"I did not need that observation of yours," replied he, laughing
+slightly, "to convince me you were a soldier; for, as you truly say,
+the camp leaves its indelible traces behind it. You are hastening on to
+Berlin, I suppose?"
+
+I blushed deeply at the question; the shame of my changed condition had
+been hitherto confined to my own heart, but now it was to be confessed
+before a stranger.
+
+"I ask your pardon, my son, for a question I had no right to ask; and
+even there, again, I but showed my soldier education. I am returning to
+France; and in seeking a short path from Eisenach, found myself where
+you see; as night was falling, well content to be so well lodged,--all
+the more, if I am to have your companionship."
+
+Few and simple as these words were, there was a tone of frankness in
+them, not less than the evidence of a certain good breeding, by which
+he apologized for his own curiosity in speaking thus freely of
+himself, that satisfied me at once; and I hastened to inform him that
+circumstances had induced me to leave the service, in which I had been a
+captain, and that I was now, like himself, returning to France.
+
+"You must not think, Father," added I, with some eagerness, "you must
+not think that other reasons than my own free will have made me cease to
+be a soldier."
+
+"It would ill become me to have borne such a suspicion," interrupted he,
+quickly. "When one so young and full of life as you are leaves the
+path where lie honor and rank and fame, he must have cause to make the
+sacrifice; for I can scarce think, that at your age, these things seem
+nought to your eyes."
+
+"You are right, Father, they are not so. They have been my guiding stars
+for many a day; alas, that they can be such no longer!"
+
+"There are higher hopes to cherish than these," said he,
+solemnly,--"higher than the loftiest longings of ambition; but we all
+of us cling to the things of life, till in their perishable nature they
+wean us off with disappointment and sorrow. From such a trial am I now
+suffering," added he, in a low voice, while the tears rose to his eyes
+and slowly coursed along his pale cheeks.
+
+There was a pause neither of us felt inclined to break, when at length
+the priest said,--
+
+"What was your corps in the service?"
+
+"The Eighth Hussars of the Guard," said I, trembling at every word.
+
+"Ah, _he_ was in the Guides," repeated he, mournfully, to himself; "you
+knew the regiment?"
+
+"Yes, they belonged to the Guard also; they wore no epaulettes, but a
+small gold arrow on the collar."
+
+"Like this," said he, unfastening the breast of his cassock, and
+taking out a small package, which, among other things, contained the
+designation of the _Corps des Guides_ in an arrow of gold embroidery.
+"Had he not beautiful hair, long and silky as a girl's?" said he, as he
+produced a lock of light and sunny brown. "Poor Alphonse! thou wouldst
+have been twenty hadst thou lived till yesterday. If I shed tears, young
+man, it is because I have lost the great earthly solace of my solitary
+life. Others have kindred and friends, have happy homes, which, even
+when bereavements come, with time will heal up the wound; I had but
+him!"
+
+"He was your nephew, perhaps?" said I, half fearing to interfere with
+his sorrow.
+
+The old man shook his head in token of dissent, while he muttered to
+himself,--
+
+"Auerstadt may be a proud memory to some; to me it is a word of sorrow
+and mourning. The story is but a short one; alas! it has but one color
+throughout:--
+
+"Count Louis de Meringues--of whom you have doubtless heard that he rode
+as postilion to the carriage of his sovereign in the celebrated flight
+to Varennes--fell by the guillotine the week after the king's trial;
+the countess was executed on the same scaffold as her husband. I was the
+priest who accompanied her at the moment; and in my arms she placed her
+only child,--an infant boy of two years. There was a cry among the crowd
+to have the child executed also, and many called out that the spawn
+would be a serpent one day, and it were better to crush it while it was
+time; but the little fellow was so handsome, and looked so winningly
+around him on the armed ranks and the glancing weapons, that even
+_their_ cruel hearts relented, and he was spared. It is to me like
+yesterday, as I remember every minute circumstance; I can recall even
+the very faces of that troubled and excited assemblage, that at one
+moment screamed aloud for blood, and at the next were convulsed with
+savage laughter.
+
+"As I forced my way through the dense array, a rude arm was stretched
+out from the mass, and a finger dripping with the gore of the scaffold
+was drawn across the boy's face, while a ruffian voice exclaimed, 'The
+Meringues were ever proud of their blood; let us see if it be redder
+than other people's.' The child laughed; and the mob, with horrid
+mockery, laughed too.
+
+"I took him home with me to my _presbytere_ at Sevres,--for that was my
+parish,--and we lived together in peace until the terrible decree was
+issued which proclaimed all France atheist. Then we wandered southwards,
+towards that good land which, through every vicissitude, was true to its
+faith and its king,--La Vendee. At Lyons we were met by a party of the
+revolutionary soldiers, who, with a commissary of the Government, were
+engaged in raising young men for the conscription. Alphonse, who was
+twelve years old, felt all a boy's enthusiasm at the warlike display
+before him, and persuaded me to follow the crowd into the _Place des
+Terreaux_, where the numbers were read out.
+
+"'Paul Ducos,' cried a voice aloud, as we approached the stage on which
+the commissary and his staff were standing; 'where is this Paul Ducos?'
+
+"'I am here,' replied a fine, frank-looking youth, of some fifteen
+years; 'but my father is blind, and I cannot leave him.'
+
+"'We shall soon see that,' called out the commissary. 'Clerk, read out
+his _signalement_.'
+
+"'Paul Ducos, son of Eugene Ducos, formerly calling himself Count Ducos
+de la Breche--'
+
+"'Down with the Royalists! _a bas_ the tyrants!' screamed the mob, not
+suffering the remainder to be heard.
+
+"'Approach, Paul Ducos!' said the commissary.
+
+"'Wait here, Father,' whispered the youth; 'I will come back presently.'
+
+"But the old man, a fine and venerable figure, the remnant of a noble
+race, held him fast, and, as his lips trembled, said, 'Do not leave me,
+Paul; my child, my comforter, stay near me.'
+
+"The boy looked round him for one face of kindly pity in this emergency,
+when, turning towards me, he said rapidly, 'Stand near him!' He broke
+from the old man's embrace, and rushing through the crowd, mounted the
+scaffold.
+
+"'You are drawn for the conscription, young man,' said the commissary;
+'but in consideration of your father's infirmity, a substitute will be
+accepted. Have you such?'
+
+"The boy shook his head mournfully and in silence.
+
+"'Have you any friend who would assist you here? Bethink you awhile,'
+rejoined the commissary, who, for his station and duties, was a kind and
+benevolent man.
+
+"'I have none. They have left us nothing, neither home nor friends,'
+said the youth, bitterly; 'and if it were not for his sake, I care not
+what they do with me.'
+
+"'Down with the tyrants!' yelled the mob, as they heard these haughty
+words.
+
+"'Then your fate is decreed,' resumed the commissary.
+
+"'No, not yet!' cried out Alphonse, as, breaking from my side, he gained
+the steps and mounted the platform; 'I will be his substitute!'
+
+"Oh! how shall I tell the bitter anguish of that moment, which at once
+dispelled the last remaining hope I cherished, and left me destitute
+forever. As I dashed the tears from my eyes and looked up, the two boys
+were locked in each other's arms. It was a sight to have melted any
+heart, save those around them; but bloodshed and crime had choked up
+every avenue of feeling, and left them, not men, but tigers.
+
+"'Alphonse de Meringues,' cried out the boy, in answer to a question
+regarding his name.
+
+"There is no such designation in France,' said a grim-looking,
+hard-featured man, who, wearing the tri-colored scarf, sat at the table
+beside the clerk.
+
+"'I was never called by any other,' rejoined the youth, proudly.
+
+"'Citizen Meringues,' interposed the commissary, mildly, 'what is your
+age?'
+
+"'I know not the years,' replied he; 'but I have heard that I was but an
+infant when they slew my father.'
+
+"A fierce roar of passion broke from the mob below the scaffold as they
+heard this; and again the cry broke forth, 'Down with the tyrants!'
+
+"'Art thou, then, the son of that base sycophant who rode courier to the
+Capet to Varennes?' said the hard-featured man at the table.
+
+"'Of the truest gentleman of France,' called out a loud voice from below
+the platform; 'Vive le roi!' It was the blind man who spoke, and waved
+his cap above his head.
+
+"'To the guillotine! to the guillotine!' screamed a hundred voices, in
+tones wilde than the cries of famished wolves, as, seizing the aged man,
+they tore his clothes to very rags.
+
+"In an instant all attention was turned from the platform to the scene
+below it, where, with shouts and screams of fury, the terrible mob
+yelled aloud for blood. In vain the guards endeavored to keep back the
+people, who twice rescued their victim from the hands of the soldiery;
+and already a confused murmur arose that the commissary himself was a
+traitor to the public, and favored the tyrants, when a dull, clanking
+sound rose above the tumult, and a cheer of triumph proclaimed the
+approach of the instrument of torture.
+
+"In their impetuous torrent of vengeance they had dragged the guillotine
+from the distant end of the 'Place,' where it usually stood; and there
+now still knelt the figure of a condemned man, lashed with his arms
+behind him, on the platform, awaiting the moment of his doom. Oh, that
+terrible face, whereon death had already set its seal! With glazed,
+lack-lustre eye, and cheek leaden and quivering, he gazed around on the
+fiendish countenances like one awakening from a dream, his lips parted
+as though to speak; but no sound came forth.
+
+"'Place! place for Monsieur le Marquis!' shouted a ruffian, as he
+assisted to raise the figure of the blind man up the steps; and a ribald
+yell of fiendish laughter followed the brutal jest.
+
+"'Thou art to make thy journey in most noble company,' said another to
+the culprit on the platform.
+
+"'An he see not his way in the next world better than in this, thou must
+lend him a hand, friend,' said a third. And with many a ruffian joke
+they taunted their victims, who stood on the last threshold of life.
+
+"Among the crowd upon the scaffold of the guillotine I could see the
+figure of the blind man as it leaned and fell on either side, as the
+movement of the mob bore it.
+
+"'_Parbleu!_ these Royalists would rather kneel than stand," said a
+voice, as they in vain essayed to make the old man place his feet under
+him; and ere the laughter which this rude jest excited ceased, a cry
+broke forth of--'He is dead! he is dead!' And with a heavy sumph, the
+body fell from their hands; for when their power of cruelty ended, they
+cared not for the corpse.
+
+"It was true: life was extinct, none knew how,--whether from the
+violence of the mob in its first outbreak, or that a long-suffering
+heart had burst at last; but the chord was snapped, and he whose proud
+soul lately defied the countless thousands around, now slept with the
+dead.
+
+"In a few seconds it seemed as though they felt that a power stronger
+than their own had interposed between them and their vengeance, and
+they stood almost aghast before the corpse, where no trace of blood
+proclaimed it to be their own; then, rallying from this stupor, with
+one voice they demanded that the son should atone for the crimes of the
+father.
+
+"'I am ready,' cried the youth, in a voice above the tumult. 'I did not
+deem I could be grateful to ye for aught, but I am for this.'
+
+"To no purpose did the commissary propose a delay in the sentence; he
+was unsupported by his colleagues. The passions of the mob rose
+higher and higher; the thirst for blood, unslaked, became intense and
+maddening; and they danced in frantic glee around the guillotine, while
+they chanted one of the demoniac songs of the scaffold.
+
+"In this moment, when the torrent ran in one direction, Alphonse might
+have escaped all notice, but that the condemned youth turned to embrace
+him once more before he descended from the people.
+
+"'They are so sorry to separate, it is a shame to part them,' cried a
+ruffian in the crowd.
+
+"'You forget, Citizen, that this boy is his substitute,' said the
+commissary, mildly; 'the Republic most not be cheated of its defenders.'
+
+"'Vive la Republique!' cried the soldiers; and the cry was re-echoed by
+thousands, while amid their cheers there rose the last faint sigh of an
+expiring victim.
+
+"The scene was over; the crowd dispersed; and the soldiers marched back
+to quarters, accompanied by some hundred conscripts, among whom was
+Alphonse,--a vague, troubled expression betokening that he scarce knew
+what had happened around him.
+
+"The regiment to which he was appointed was at Toulon, and there I
+followed him. They were ordered to the north of Italy soon after,
+and thence to Egypt. Through the battlefields of Mount Tabor and the
+Pyramids I was ever beside him; on the heights of Austerlitz I stanched
+his wounds; and I laid him beneath the earth on the field of Auerstadt."
+
+The old man's voice trembled and became feeble as he finished speaking,
+and a settled expression of grief clothed his features, which were pale
+as death.
+
+"I must see Sevres once more," said he, after a pause. "I must look on
+the old houses of the village, and the little gardens, and the venerable
+church; they will be the only things to greet me there now, but I must
+gaze on them ere I close my eyes to this world and its cares."
+
+"Come, come, Father," said I; "to one who has acted so noble a part as
+yours, life is never without its own means of happiness."
+
+"I spoke not of death," replied he, mildly; "but the holy calm of a
+convent will better suit my seared and worn heart than all that the
+world calls its joys and pleasures. You, who are young and full of
+hope--"
+
+"Alas! Father, speak not thus. One can better endure the lowering skies
+of misfortune as the evening of life draws near than when the morn
+of existence is breaking. To me, with youth and health, there is no
+future,--no hope."
+
+"I will not hear you speak thus," said the priest; "fatigue and
+weariness are on you now. Wait until to-morrow,--we shall be
+fellow-travellers together; and then, if you will reveal to me your
+story, mayhap my long experience of the world may suggest comfort and
+consolation where you can see neither."
+
+The storm by this time had abated much of its violence, and across the
+moon the large clouds were wafted speedily, disclosing bright patches of
+light at every moment.
+
+"Such is our life here," said the father,--"alternating with its days of
+happiness and sorrow. Let us learn, in the dark hour of our destiny, to
+bear the glare of our better fortunes; for, believe me, that when our
+joys are greatest, so are our trials also."
+
+He ceased speaking, and I saw that soon afterwards his lips moved as if
+in prayer. I now laid myself down in my cloak beside the fire, and was
+soon buried in a sleep too sound even for a dream.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII. A CHANCE MEETING.
+
+With the good priest of Sevres I journeyed along towards the frontier of
+France, ever selecting the least frequented paths, and such as were not
+likely to be taken by the troops of soldiery which daily moved towards
+Berlin. The frankness of my companion had made me soon at ease with
+him; and I told him, without reserve, the story of my life, down to the
+decisive moment of my leaving the army.
+
+"You see, Father," said I, "how completely my career has failed; how,
+with all the ardor of a soldier, with all the devotion of a follower, I
+have adhered to the Emperor's fortunes; and yet--"
+
+"Your ambition, however great it was, could not stifle conscience. I
+can believe it well. They who go forth to the wars with high hopes and
+bounding hearts, who picture to their minds the glorious rewards of
+great achievements, should blind their eyes to the horrors and injustice
+of the cause they bleed for. Any sympathy with misfortune would sap the
+very principle of that heroism whose essence is success. Men cannot
+play the double game, even in matters of worldly ambition. Had you not
+listened to the promptings of your heart, you had been greater; had you
+not followed the dazzling glare of your hopes, you had been happier:
+both you could scarcely be. Be assured of this, my son, the triumphs
+of a country can only be enjoyed by the child of the soil; the brave
+soldier, who lends his arm to the cause, feels he has little part in the
+glory."
+
+"True, indeed,--most true; I feel it."
+
+"And were it otherwise, how unsatisfying is the thirst for that same
+glory! how endless the path that leads to it! how many regrets accompany
+it! how many ties broken! how many friendships forfeited! No, no; return
+to your own land,--to the country of your birth; some honorable career
+will always present itself to him who seeks but independence and the
+integrity of his own heart. Beneath the conquering eagles of the Emperor
+there are men of every shade of political opinion; for the conscription
+is pitiless. There are Royalists, who love their king and hate the
+usurper; there are Jacobins, who worship freedom and detest the tyrant;
+there are stern Republicans--Vendeens, and followers of Moreau: but yet
+all are Frenchmen. 'La belle France' is the watchword that speaks to
+every heart, and patriotism is the bond between thousands. _You_ have
+no share in this; the delusion of national glory can never throw its
+deception around you. Return, then, to your country; and be assured,
+that in _her_ cause your least efforts will be more ennobling to
+yourself than the boldest deeds the hand of a mercenary ever achieved."
+
+The inborn desire to revisit my native land needed but the counsels
+of the priest to make it all-powerful; and as, day by day, I plodded
+onward, my whole thoughts turned to the chances of my escape, and
+the means by which I could accomplish my freedom; for the war still
+continued between France and England, and the blockade of the French
+ports was strictly maintained by a powerful fleet. The difficulty of the
+step only increased my desire to effect it; and a hundred projects did I
+revolve in my mind, without ever being able to fix on one where success
+seemed likely. The very resolve, however, had cheered my spirits, and
+given new courage to my heart; and an object suggested a hope,--and with
+a hope, life was no longer burdensome.
+
+Each morning now I set forward with a mind more at ease, and more open
+to receive pleasure from the varied objects which met me as I went. Not
+so my poor companion; the fatigue of the journey, added to great mental
+suffering, began to prey upon his health, and brought back an ague he
+had contracted in Egypt, from the effect of which his constitution had
+never perfectly recovered. At first the malady showed itself only in
+great depression of spirits, which made him silent for hours of the way.
+But soon it grew worse; he walked with much difficulty, took but little
+nourishment, and seemed impressed with a sad foreboding that the disease
+must be fatal.
+
+"I wanted to reach my village; my own quiet churchyard should have been
+my resting-place," said he, as he sank wearied and exhausted on a
+little bank at the roadside. "But this was only a sick man's fancy. Poor
+Alphonse lies far away in the dreary plain of Auerstadt."
+
+The sun was just setting of a clear day in December as we halted on a
+little eminence, which commanded a distant view on every side. Behind
+lay the dark forest of Germany, the tree-tops presenting their massive
+wavy surface, over which the passing clouds threw momentary shadows;
+before, but still some miles away, we could trace the Rhine, its bright
+silver current sparkling in the sun; beyond lay the great plains of
+France, and upon these the sick man's eyes rested with a steadfast gaze.
+
+"Yes!" said he, after a long silence on both sides, "the fields and the
+mountains, the sunshine and the shade, are like those of other lands;
+but the feeling which attaches the heart to country is an inborn
+sense, and the very word 'home' brings with it the whole history of our
+affections. Even to look thus at his native country is a blessing to an
+exile's heart."
+
+I scarcely dared to interrupt the reverie which succeeded these few
+words; but when I perceived that he still remained seated, his head
+between his hands and lost in meditation, I ventured to remind him that
+we were still above a league from Heimbach, the little village where we
+should pass the night, and that on a road so wild and unfrequented there
+was little hope of finding shelter any nearer.
+
+"You must lean on me, Father; the night air is fresh and bracing, and
+after a little it will revive you."
+
+The old man rose without speaking, and taking my arm, began the descent
+of the mountain. His steps, however, were tottering and uncertain, his
+breathing hurried and difficult, and his carriage indicated the very
+greatest debility.
+
+"I cannot do it, my son," said he, sinking upon the grassy bench which
+skirted the way; "you must leave me. It matters little now where this
+frail body rests; a few hours more, and the rank grass will wave above
+it and the rain beat over it unfelt. Let us part here: an old man's
+blessing for all your kindness will follow you through life, and may
+cheer you to think on hereafter."
+
+"Do you then suppose I could leave you thus?" said I, reproachfully. "Is
+it so you think of me?"
+
+"My minutes are few now, my child," replied he, more solemnly, "and I
+would pass the last moments of my life alone. Well, then, if you will
+not,--leave me now for a little, and return to me; by that time my mind
+will be calmer, and mayhap, too, my strength greater, and I may be able
+to accompany you to the village."
+
+I acceded to this proposal the more willingly, because it afforded me
+the hope of finding some means to convey him to Heimbach; and so, having
+wrapped him carefully in my cloak, I hastened down the mountain at the
+top of my speed.
+
+The zigzag path by which I went discovered to me from time to time the
+lights of the little hamlet, which twinkled star-like in the valley; and
+as I drew nearer, the confused hum of voices reached me. I listened,
+and to my amazement heard the deep, hoarse bray of a trumpet. How well
+I knew that sound! it was the night-call to gather in the stragglers.
+I stopped to listen; and now, in the stillness, could mark the tramp of
+horsemen and the clank of their equipments: again the trumpet sounded,
+and was answered by another at some distance. The road lay straight
+below me at some hundred yards off, and leaving the path, I dashed
+directly downwards just as the leading horsemen of a small detachment
+came slowly up. To their loud _Qui vive?_ I answered by giving an
+account of the sick man, and entreating the sergeant who commanded the
+party to lend assistance to convey him to the village.
+
+"Yes, _parbleu!_ that we will," said the honest soldier; "a priest who
+has made the campaign of Egypt and Austria is worthy of all our care.
+Where is he?"
+
+"About a mile from this; but the road is not practicable for a
+horseman."
+
+"Well, you shall have two of my men; they will soon bring him hither."
+And as he spoke, he ordered two troopers to dismount, who, quickly
+disencumbering themselves of their sabres, prepared to follow me.
+
+"We shall expect you at the bivouac," cried the sergeant, as he resumed
+his way; while I, eager to return, breasted the mountain with renewed
+energy.
+
+"You belong to the Guard, my friends," said I, as I paused for breath at
+a turn of the path.
+
+"The Fourth Cuirassiers of the Guard," replied the soldier I addressed;
+"Milhaud's brigade."
+
+How my heart leaped as he said these words! They were part of the
+division General d'Auvergne once commanded; it was the regiment of poor
+Pioche, too, before the dreadful day of Austerlitz.
+
+"You know the Fourth, then?" rejoined the man, as he witnessed the
+agitation of my manner.
+
+"Know the Fourth?" echoed his comrade, in a voice of half-indignant
+meaning. "_Sacrebleu!_who does not know them? Does not all the world
+know them by this time?"
+
+"It is the Fourth who wear the motto 'Dix contre un' on their caps,"
+said I, desirous to flatter the natural vanity of my companions.
+
+"Yes, Monsieur; I see you have served also."
+
+I answered by a nod, for already every word, every gesture, recalled to
+me the career I had quitted; and my regrets, so late subdued by reason
+and reflection, came thronging back, and filled ray heart to bursting.
+
+Hurrying onward now, I mounted the steep path, and soon regained the
+spot I sought. The poor father was sleeping; overcome by fatigue and
+weariness, he had fallen on the mossy bank, and lay in a deep, soft
+slumber. Lifting him gently, the strong troopers crossed their hands
+beneath, and bore him along between them. For an instant he looked up;
+but seeing me at his side, he merely pressed my hand, and closed his
+eyes again.
+
+"_Ma foi!_" said one of the dragoons, in a low voice, "I should not be
+surprised if this were the Pere Arsene, who served with the army in
+Italy. We used to call him 'old Scapulaire'. He was the only priest I
+ever saw in the van of a brigade. You knew him too, Auguste."
+
+"Yes, that I did," replied the other soldier. "I saw him at Elkankah,
+where one of ours was unhorsed by a Mameluke, spring forward, and
+seizing a pistol at the holster, shoot the Turk through the head, and
+then kneel down beside the dying man he was with before, and go on with
+his prayers. _Ventrebleu!_ that's what I call discipline."
+
+"Where was that, Comrade?"
+
+"At Elkankah."
+
+"At Quoreyn, rather, my friend, two leagues to the southward," whispered
+a low voice.
+
+"_Tonnerre de ciel!_" cried the two soldiers in a breath, "it is
+himself;" for the words were spoken by the priest, who was no other than
+the Pere Arsene they spoke of.
+
+The effort of speech and memory was, however, a mere passing one; for
+to all their questions he was now deaf, and lay apparently unconscious
+between them. On me, therefore, they turned their inquiries, but with
+little more of success; and thus we descended the mountain, eager to
+reach some place of succor for the good father.
+
+As we approached the village, I was soon made aware of the objects of
+the party who occupied it. The little street was crowded with cattle,
+bullocks, and sheep, fast wedged up amid huge wagons of forage and carts
+of corn; mounted dragoons urging on the jaded animals, regardless of
+the angry menaces or the impatient appeals incessantly making by the
+peasantry, who in great numbers had followed their stock from their
+farms.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneForagingParty121]
+
+The soldiers, who were detachments of different corps, were also
+quarrelling among themselves for their share of the spoil; and these
+altercations, in which more than once I saw a sabre flash, added to
+the discord. It was, indeed, a scene of tumult and confusion almost
+inconceivable. Here were a party of cuirassiers, carbine in hand,
+protecting a drove of sheep; around which the country people were
+standing, seemingly irresolute whether they should essay an attack,--a
+movement often prompted by the other soldiers, who hoped in the _melee_
+to seize a part of the prey. Many of the oxen were bestrode by hussars
+or lancers, whose gay trappings formed a strange contrast with the
+beasts they rode on; while more than one stately horseman held a sheep
+before him on the saddle, for whose protection a cocked pistol seemed no
+ineffectual guarantee.
+
+The task of penetrating this dense and turbulent mob seemed to me almost
+impossible, and I expressed my fears to the soldiers. But they replied
+that there were too many _braves_ of Egypt there not to remember the
+Pere Arsene; saying which, one of the soldiers, whispering a word to
+his companion, laid the priest gently upon the ground, and then mounting
+rapidly on a forage-cart, he shouted, in a voice heard above the din,--
+
+"Comrades of the Fourth, we have found an old companion; the Pere
+Scapulaire is here. Place for the good father! place there!"
+
+A hundred loud _vivas_ welcomed this announcement; for the name was well
+known to many who never had seen the priest, and cheer after cheer for
+the _bon pere_ now rang through this motley assemblage.
+
+To the wild confusion of a moment before the regularity of discipline
+at once succeeded, and a lane was quickly formed for the soldiers to
+advance with the priest between them, each horseman saluting as he
+passed as if to his general on parade.
+
+"To the Trauben,--the Trauben!" cried several voices, as we went
+along; and this I learned was the little inn of the village, where the
+non-commissioned officers in charge of the several parties were seated
+in council to arrange the subdivision of the booty.
+
+Had not a feeling stronger than mere personal consideration occupied me,
+I would have now left the good priest among his old comrades, with
+whom he was certain to meet kindness and protection. But I could not so
+readily part with one whom, even in the few hours of our intercourse, I
+had learned to like; and therefore, enduring as well as I was able
+the rugged insubordination of a soldiery free from the restraint of
+discipline, I followed on, and soon found myself at the door of the
+Trauben.
+
+A dismounted dragoon, with drawn sword, guarded the entrance, around
+which a group of angry peasants were gathered, loudly protesting against
+the robbery of their flocks and farmyards. It was with great difficulty
+I could persuade the sentry to suffer me to enter; and when I at last
+succeeded, I found none willing to pay any attention to my request
+regarding a billet for the priest, for unhappily his name and character
+were unknown to those to whom I addressed myself. In this dilemma I was
+deliberating what step to take, when one of the soldiers, who with such
+zealous devotion had never left us, came up to say that his corporal
+had just given up his own quarters for the good father's use; and this,
+happily, was a small summer-house in the garden at the back of the inn.
+
+"He cannot come with us himself," said the soldier, "for he is engaged
+with the forage rations, but I have got his leave to take the quarters."
+
+A small wicket beside the inn led us into a large, wildly-grown orchard,
+through which a broad path led to the summer-house in question; at
+least such we guessed to be the little building from whose windows there
+gleamed the bright glare of a cheerful fire.
+
+The door lay open into a little hall, from which two doors led
+into different chambers. Over one of these was marked in chalk
+"quartier-general," in imitation of the title assigned to a general's
+quarters, and this the soldiers pronounced must belong to the corporal.
+I opened it accordingly and entered. The room was small and neatly
+furnished, and with the blazing wood upon the hearth, looked most
+comfortable and inviting.
+
+"Yes, we are all right here; I know his helmet,--this is it," said the
+dragoon. "So here we must leave you. You'll tell the good father it was
+two troopers of the Fourth who carried him hither, won't ye? Ay, and say
+Auguste Prevot was one of them; he 'll know the name,--he nursed me in a
+fever I had in Italy."
+
+"I wish he were able to give me his blessing again," said the other; "I
+had it before that affair at Brescia, and there were four of my comrades
+killed about me, and never a shot touched me. But good-night, Comrade;
+goodnight." And so saying, having left the father at his length upon a
+couch, they made their military salute and departed.
+
+A rude-looking flagon of beer which stood on the table was the only
+thing I could discover in the chamber, save a canvas bag of tobacco
+and some pipes. I filled a goblet with the liquor and placed it to the
+priest's lips. He swallowed a little of it, and then opening his eyes,
+slowly looked around him, while he murmured to my question a faint sound
+of "Better,--much better." I knew enough of such matters to be aware
+that perfect rest and repose were the greatest aids to his recovery;
+and so, replenishing the fire, I threw myself down on the large dragoon
+cloak which lay on the floor, and prepared to pass my night where I was.
+
+The long-drawn breathings of the sleeping man, the perfect quiet and
+stillness of all around,--for though not far distant from the village,
+the thick wood of trees intercepted every sound from that quarter,--and
+my fatigue combined, soon brought on drowsiness.
+
+I struggled, so long as I was able, against the tendency; but a humming
+sound filled my ears, the objects grew fainter before my vision, and I
+sank into that half-dreamy state when consciousness remains, but clouded
+and indistinct in all its perceptions. Twice the door was opened and
+some persons entered; but though they spoke loudly, I heard not their
+words, nor could I recognize their appearance. To this succeeded a deep,
+sound sleep, the recompense of great fatigue.
+
+The falling of a piece of firewood on the hearth awoke me. I opened my
+eyes and looked about. The room had no other light than from the embers
+of the wood fire and the piece of blazing pine which had just fallen;
+but even by that uncertain glare I could see enough to amaze and confuse
+me.
+
+On the couch where I had left the priest sleeping, the old man was now
+seated, his head uncovered, and a scarf of light blue silk across his
+shoulders and falling to his feet. Before him, and kneeling, was a
+figure, of which for some minutes I in vain endeavored to ascertain the
+traits; for while in the military air of the dress there was something
+to mark the soldier, a waving mass of hair loosely falling on the back
+bespoke another sex. While I yet doubted, the flickering flame burst
+forth and showed me the small and beautiful shaped foot which from
+beneath a loose trouser peeped forth, and in the neat boot and
+tastefully ornamented spur I recognized in an instant it was a
+vivandiere of the army,--one of those who, amid all the reckless abandon
+of the life of camps and battlefields, can yet preserve some vestige of
+coquetry and feminine grace.
+
+So strange the sight, so complete the heavy stupor of my faculties, that
+again and again I doubted whether the whole might not be the creation of
+a dream; but the well-known tones of the old man's voice soon reassured
+me, as I heard him say,--
+
+"I know it too, my child; I have followed too long the fortunes of an
+army not to feel and to sorrow for these things. But be comforted."
+
+A passionate burst of tears from her who knelt at his feet interrupted
+him here; nor did it seem that all he could speak of consolation was
+able to assuage the deep sorrow of the poor girl, whose trembling frame
+bespoke her agony.
+
+By degrees, however, she grew calmer. A deep sob or a long-drawn
+sigh alone would be heard, as the venerable father, with impassioned
+eloquence, depicted the happiness of those who sought the blessings of
+religion, and could tear themselves from the world and its ambitions.
+Warming with his theme, he descanted on the lives of those saints
+on earth whose every minute was an offering of heavenly love; and
+contrasted the holy calm of a convent with the wild revelry of the camp,
+or the more revolting carnage of the battlefield.
+
+"Speak not of these things, Father; your own voice trembles with proud
+emotion at the mention of glorious war. Tell me, oh! tell me that I may
+have hope, and yet leave not all that makes life endurable."
+
+The old man spoke again; but his tones were low, and his words seemed a
+reproof, for she bowed her head between her hands and sobbed heavily.
+
+To the long and impassioned appeal of the priest there now succeeded a
+silence, only broken by the deep-drawn sighs of her who knelt in sadness
+and penitence before him.
+
+"And his name?" said the father; "you have not told his name."
+
+A pause followed, in which not even a breathing was heard; then a low,
+murmuring sound came, and it seemed to meas though I heard my own name
+uttered. I started at the sound, and with the noise the vivandiere
+sprang to her feet.
+
+"I heard a noise there," said she, resolutely.
+
+"It is my companion of the journey," said the priest. "Poor fellow! he
+is tired and weary; he sleeps soundly."
+
+"I did not know you had a fellow-traveller, Father."
+
+"Yes; we met in the Creutz Mountains, and since that" have wended our
+way together. A soldier--"
+
+"A soldier! Is he wounded, then?"
+
+"No, my child; he is leaving the army."
+
+"Leaving the army, and not wounded! He is old and disabled, perhaps."
+
+"Neither; he is both young and vigorous."
+
+"Shame on him, then, that he turn his back on fame and fortune, and
+leave the path that brave men tread! He never was a soldier! No, Father;
+he in whose heart the noble passion once has lived can never forget it."
+
+"Hush, child, hush!" said the priest, motioning with his hand to her to
+be silent.
+
+"Let me look on him!" said the vivandiere, as she stooped down and took
+from the hearth a piece of lighted wood; "let me see this man, and learn
+the features of one who can be so craven of spirit, so poor of heart, as
+to fly the field, while thousands are flocking towards it."
+
+Burning with shame and indignation, I arose, just as she approached me.
+The pine-branch threw its red gleam over her bright uniform, and then
+upon her face.
+
+"Minette! Minette!" I exclaimed. But with a wild shriek she let fall the
+burning wood, and fell senseless to the ground.
+
+It was some time before, with all our care, she recovered consciousness;
+and even then, in her wild, excited glance, one might read the struggles
+of her mind to credit what had occurred. A few broken, unconnected
+phrases would escape her at intervals; and she seemed laboring to regain
+the lost clew to her recollections, when again she turned her eyes
+towards me. At the same instant, the trumpet sounded without for the
+_reveil_, and was answered by many a call from other parties around.
+With a steadfast gaze of wonderment she fixed her look on me; and twice
+passed her hands across her eyes, as though she doubted the evidence of
+her senses.
+
+[Illustration: 346]
+
+"Minette, hear me! let me speak but one word." "There it is again,"
+cried she, as the blast rang out a second time, and the clatter of
+horsemen resounded from the street. "Adieu, sir; our roads lie not
+together. Father, your blessing; if your good counsel this night has
+not made its way to my heart, the lesson has come elsewhere. Good-by!
+good-by!" She pressed the old man's hand to her lips, and darted from
+the room.
+
+Stunned, and like one spell-bound, I could not move for a few seconds;
+and then, with a wild cry, I bounded after her through the garden.
+The wicket, however, was fastened on the outside, and it was some time
+before I could scale the wall and reach the street.
+
+The day was just breaking, but already the village was thronged with
+soldiers, who were preparing for the march, and arranging their parties
+to conduct the wagons. Hurrying on through the crowded and confused
+mass, I looked on every side for the vivandiere; but in vain. Groups
+of different regiments passed and repassed me; but to my questions they
+returned either a jeering reply, or a mere laugh of derision. "But a few
+days ago," thought I, "and these fellows had scarce dared to address me;
+and now--" Oh, the blighting misery of that thought! I was no longer a
+soldier; the meanest horseman of his troop was my superior.
+
+I passed through the village, and reached the highroad. Before me was a
+party of dragoons, escorting a drove of cattle; I hastened after them,
+but on coming near, discovered they were a light cavalry detachment.
+Sick at heart, I leaned against a tree at the wayside, when again
+I heard the tramp of horses approaching. I looked, and saw the tall
+helmets of the Fourth, who were coming slowly along, conducting some
+large wagons, drawn by eight or ten horses. In front of the detachment
+rode a man, whose enormous stature made him at once remarkable, as well
+as the air of soldierly bearing he displayed. Beside him was Minette;
+the reins had fallen on her horse's neck, and her face was buried in her
+hands.
+
+"Ah! if I had thought that priest would have made thee so sad,
+Mademoiselle, I'd have let him spend his night beneath a wagon rather
+than in my quarters," said a deep, hollow voice I at once recognized
+as that of Pioche. "But the morning air will revive thee; so let us
+forward: by threes--open order--trot."
+
+The word was obeyed; the heavy tramp of the horses, with the dull roll
+of the wagons, drowned all other sounds The cortege moved on, and I was
+alone.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneDeathOfMinette127]
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII. THE PENSION DE LA RUE MI-CAREME.
+
+When I returned to the garden, I found that the Pere Arsene was seized
+by an access of that dreadful malady, whose intervals of comparative
+release are but periods of dread or despondence. The tertian of Egypt,
+so fatal among the French troops, now numbered him among its victims,
+and he looked worn and exhausted, like one after weeks of illness.
+
+My first care was to present myself to the official whose business it
+was to inspect the passports, and by explaining the condition of my poor
+friend, to entreat permission to delay my journey,--at least until
+he should be somewhat recovered. The gruff old sergeant, however,
+deliberately examined my passport, and as rigidly decided that I could
+not remain. The words of the minister were clear and definite,--"Day
+by day, without halt, to the nearest frontier of France," was the
+direction; and with this I must comply. In vain I assured him that no
+personal convenience, no wish of my own, urged the request, but the duty
+of humanity towards a fellow-traveller, and one who had strong claims on
+every soldier of the Empire.
+
+"Leave him to me, Monsieur," was the only reply I could obtain; and the
+utmost favor he would grant was the permission to take leave of my poor
+friend before I started.
+
+Amid all the sufferings of his malady, I found the good priest dwelling
+in his mind on the scene with the vivandiere,--which, perhaps, from
+the impressionable character of a sick man's temperament, had entirely
+filled his thoughts; and thus he wandered from the subject of his
+sorrows to hers, with scarcely a transition between them.
+
+When I mentioned the necessity of our parting, he seemed to feel it more
+on my account than his own.
+
+"I wished to have reached Paris with you," he repeated over and over.
+"It was not impossible I could have arranged your return home. But you
+must go down to Sevres,--the priest there, whoever he may be, will know
+of me; tell him everything without reserve. I am too ill to write, but
+if I get better soon--Well, well; that poor girl is an orphan too; and
+Alphonse was an orphan. With what misery have we struggled in France
+since this man has ruled our destinies! how have the crimes of a people
+brought their retribution to every heart and every home!--none
+too low, none too humble, to feel them. Leave this land; no blessing can
+rest upon it now. Poor thing! how worthy of a better lot she is! If this
+same officer should know,--it is not impossible. But, why do I say this?
+No, no; you'll never meet him now."
+
+He continued to mutter thus some broken and disjointed sentences,
+half-aloud, for some minutes, apparently unconscious of my presence.
+
+"He was in a regiment of the Guard. Alas! she told me which, but I
+forget it now; but his name, surely I remember his name! Well, well, it
+is a sad story. Adieu, my dear child! good-by! We have each a weary
+road before us; but my journey, although the longest, will be soonest
+accomplished. Do not forget my words to you. Your own country, and your
+country's cause, above every other; all else is the hireling's part. The
+sense of duty alone can sustain a man in the trials which fit him for
+this world, or that better one which is to follow. Adieu!" He threw his
+arm around me as he said this, and leaned exhausted and faint upon my
+shoulder.
+
+The few who journey through life with little sympathy or friendship from
+their fellow-men, may know how it rent my heart to part with one to whom
+I clung every hour closer; my throat swelled and throbbed, and I could
+only articulate a faint good-by as we parted. As the door was closing, I
+heard his voice again.
+
+"Yes, I have it now; I remember it well,--'Le Capitaine Burke.'"
+
+I started in amazement, for during all our intercourse he had never
+asked nor had I told my name, and I stood unable to speak; when he
+continued,--"You 'll think of the name,--she said, too, he was on the
+staff,--'Burke!' Poor girl!"
+
+I did not wait for more, but like one flying from some dreaded enemy I
+rushed through the garden, and gained the road, my heart torn with many
+a conflicting thought; the bitterest of all being the memory of Minette,
+the orphan girl, who alone of all the world cared for me. Oh! if strong,
+deep-rooted affection, the love of a whole heart, can raise the spirit
+above the every-day contentions of the world,--can ennoble thought,
+refine sentiments, and divest life of all its meaner traits, making a
+path of flowers among the rocks and briers of our worldly pilgrimage; so
+does the possession of affection for which we cannot give requital throw
+a gloom over the soul, for which there is no remedy. Better, a thousand
+times better, had I borne all the solitary condition of my lot,
+unrelieved by one token of regard, than think of her who had wrecked her
+fortunes on my own.
+
+With many a sad thought I plodded onward. The miles passed over seemed
+like the events in some troubled dream; and of my journey I have not a
+recollection remaining. It was late in the evening when I reached the
+Barriere de l'Etoile, and entered Paris. The long lines of lamps along
+the quays, the glittering reflection in the calm river, the subdued but
+continual hum of a great city, awoke me from my reverie, and I bethought
+me that my career of life must now begin anew, and all my energies must
+be called on to fashion out my destiny.
+
+On the morning after my arrival I presented myself, in compliance with
+the requisite form, before the minister of police. Little information
+of mine was necessary to explain the circumstances under which I was
+placed. He was already thoroughly acquainted with the whole, and seemed
+in nowise disposed to evince any undue lenity towards one who had
+voluntarily quitted the service of the Emperor.
+
+"Where do you purpose to remain, sir?" said the prefet, as he concluded
+a lengthened and searching scrutiny of my appearance.
+
+"In Paris," I replied, briefly.
+
+"In Paris, I suppose," said he, with a slight derisive curl of the
+lip,--"of that I should think there can be little doubt; but I wished to
+ascertain more accurately your address,--in what part of the city."
+
+"As yet I cannot tell; I am almost a stranger here. A day or two will,
+however, enable me to choose, and then I shall return here with the
+intelligence."
+
+"That is sufficient, sir; I shall expect to see you soon."
+
+He waved his hand in sign to me to withdraw, and I was but too happy to
+follow the indication. As I hastened down the stairs, and forced my way
+through the crowd of persons who awaited an audience with the prefet,
+I heard a voice close to my ear whisper, "A word; one word with you,
+Monsieur." Conceiving, however, it could not have been intended for me,
+to whom no face there was familiar, I passed on, and reached the court.
+
+The noise of footsteps rapidly moving on the grave behind me induced
+me to turn; and I beheld a small, miserably-dressed man, whose spare and
+wasted form bespoke the sorest trials of poverty, advancing towards me,
+hat in hand.
+
+"Will you deign me one word, Monsieur?" said he, in a voice whose tone,
+although that of entreaty, was yet remote from the habitual accent of
+one asking alms.
+
+"You must mistake me," said I, desirous to pass on; "I am unknown to
+you."
+
+"True, sir; but it is as a stranger I take the liberty of addressing
+you. I heard you say just now that you had not fixed on any place of
+abode in Paris; now, if I might venture to entreat your preference for
+this establishment, it would be too much honor for me, its poor master."
+
+Here he placed in my hands a small card, inscribed with the words,
+"Pension Bourgeoise, Rue de Mi-Careme, Boulevard Mont Parnasse, No. 46,"
+at top; and beneath was a paragraph, setting forth the economical fact
+that a man might eat, drink, and sleep for the sum of twelve francs a
+week, enjoying the delights of "agreeable society, pleasant environs,
+and all the advantages of a country residence."
+
+It was with difficulty I could avoid a smile at the shivering figure
+who ventured to present himself as an inducement to try the fare of his
+house. Whether my eyes did wander from the card to his countenance, or
+any other gesture of mine betrayed my thoughts, the old man seemed to
+divine what was passing in my mind, and said,--
+
+"Monsieur will not pronounce on the 'pension' from the humble guise of
+its master. Let him but try it; and I promise that these poor rags, this
+miserable figure, has no type within the walls."
+
+There was a tone of deep dejection, mingled with a sense of conscious
+pride, in which he said these few words, that at once decided me not to
+grieve him by a refusal.
+
+"You may count on me, then, Monsieur," said I. "My stay here is so far
+uncertain, that it depends not altogether on myself; but for the present
+I am your guest."
+
+I took my purse from my pocket as I spoke, knowing the custom in these
+humbler boarding-houses was to pay in advance; but the old man reddened
+slightly, and motioned with his hand a refusal.
+
+"Monsieur is a captain in the Guards," said he, proudly; "no more is
+necessary."
+
+"You mistake, friend, I am no longer so; I have left the army."
+
+"Left it, _en retraite?_" said he, inquiringly.
+
+"Not so; left it at my own free will and choice. And now, perhaps, I
+had better tell you, that as I may not enjoy any considerable share of
+goodwill from the police authorities here, my presence might be less
+acceptable to your other guests, or to yourself."
+
+The old man's eyes sparkled as I spoke, and his lips moved rapidly, as
+though he were speaking to himself; then, taking my hand, he pressed it
+to his lips, and said,--
+
+"Monsieur could not be more welcome than at present. Shall we expect you
+to-day at dinner?"
+
+"Be it so. Your hour?"
+
+"Four o'clock, to the moment. Do not forget the number, 46 Monsieur
+Rubichon; the house with a large garden in front."
+
+"Till then," said I, bowing to my host, whose ceremonious politeness
+made me feel my own salute an act of rudeness in comparison.
+
+As I parted from the old man, I was glad at the relief to my own
+thoughts which even thus much of speculation afforded, and sauntered on,
+fancying many a strange conceit about the "pension" and its inhabitants.
+At last the hour drew near; and having placed my few effects in a
+cabriolet, I set out for the distant boulevard of Mont Parnasse.
+
+I remarked with pleasure, that as we went along the streets and
+thoroughfares became gradually less and less crowded; scarcely a
+carriage of any kind was to be met with. The shops were, for the most
+part, the quiet, unpretending-looking places one sees in a provincial
+town; and an air of peacefulness and retirement prevailed, strongly at
+variance with the clamor and din of the heart of the capital. This was
+more than ever so as we emerged upon the boulevard itself: on one side
+of which houses, at long straggling intervals, alone were to be seen;
+at the other, the country lay open to the view, with its orchards and
+gardens, for miles away.
+
+"_Saprelotte!_" said the driver, who, like so many of his calling, was a
+blunt son of Alsace,--"_saprelotte!_ we have come to the end of the world
+here. How do you call the strange street you are looking for?"
+
+"The Rue de Mi-Careme."
+
+"Mi-Careme? I 'd rather you lived there than me; that name does not
+promise much in regard to good feeding. Can this be it?"
+
+As he spoke he pointed with his whip to a narrow, deserted-looking
+street, which opened from the boulevard. The houses were old and
+dilapidated, but stood in small gardens, and seemed like the remains
+of the villa residences of the Parisians in times long past. A few more
+modern edifices, flaring with red brick fronts, were here and there
+scattered amongst them; but for all the decay and dismantlement of the
+others, they seemed like persons of rank and condition in the company of
+their inferiors.
+
+Few of the larger houses were inhabited. Large placards, "a louer,"
+on the gateways or the broken railings of the garden, set forth the
+advantages of a handsome residence, situated between court and garden;
+but the falling roofs and broken windows were in sad discordance with
+the eulogy.
+
+The unaccustomed noise of wheels, as we went along, drew many to the
+doors to stare at us, and in the gathering groups I could mark the
+astonishment so rare a spectacle as a cabriolet afforded in these
+secluded parts.
+
+"Is this the Rue Mi-Careme?" said the driver to a boy, who stood gazing
+in perfect wonderment at our equipage.
+
+"Yes," muttered the child,--"yes. Who are you come for now?"
+
+"Come for, my little man? Not for any one. What do you mean by that?"
+
+"I thought it was the commissary," said the boy.
+
+"Ah, _sapperment!_ I knew we were in a droll neighborhood," murmured the
+driver. "It would seem they never see a cabriolet here except when it
+brings the _commissaire de police_ to look after some one."
+
+If this reflection did not tend to allay my previous doubts upon the
+nature of the locality, it certainly aided to excite my curiosity, and
+I was determined to persist in my resolution of at least seeing the
+interior of the "pension."
+
+"Here we are at last," cried the driver, throwing down his whip on the
+horse's back, as he sprang to the ground, and read aloud from a board
+fastened to a tree, "'Pension Bourgeoise. M. Rubichon, proprietaire.'
+Shall I wait for monsieur?"
+
+"No. Take out that portmanteau and cloak; I'm not going back now."
+
+A stare of most undisguised astonishment was the only reply he made, as
+he took forth my baggage, and placed it at the little gate.
+
+"You 'll be coming home at night," said he, at length; "shall I come
+to fetch you? Not to-night," repeated he, in amazement. "Well, adieu,
+Monsieur,--you know best; but I 'd not come a-pleasuring up here, if I
+was a young fellow like you."
+
+As he drove away, I turned to look at the building before me, which up
+to this time I had not sufficiently noted. It was a long, two-storied
+house, which evidently at an early period had been a mansion of no mean
+pretension. The pilasters which ornamented the windows, the balustrades
+of the parapet, and the pediment above the entrance, were still
+remaining, though in a dilapidated condition. The garden in front showed
+also some signs of that quaint taste originally borrowed from the Dutch,
+and the yew-trees still preserved some faint resemblance to the beasts
+and animals after which they had once been fashioned, though time and
+growth had altered the outlines, and given to many a goodly lion or stag
+the bristly coat of a porcupine. A little fountain, which spouted from
+a sea-monster's nostrils, was grass-grown and choked with weeds.
+Everything betokened neglect and ruin; even the sundial had fallen
+across the walk, and lay moss-grown and forgotten; as though to say that
+Time had no need of a record there. The _jalousies_, which were closed
+in every window, permitted no view of the interior; nor did anything,
+save a faint curl of light blue smoke from one chimney, give token of
+habitation.
+
+I could not help smiling to myself at the absurd fancy which had
+suffered me to feel that this deserted quarter, this lonesome dwelling,
+contained anything either adventurous or strange about it, or that
+I should find either in the "pension" or its guests wherewithal to
+interest or amuse me. With this thought I opened the wicket, and,
+crossing the garden, pulled the bell-rope that hung beside the door.
+
+The deep clanging echoed again and again to my summons, and ere it
+ceased the door was opened, and M. Rubichon himself stood before me: no
+longer, however, the M. Rubichon of the morning, in garments of worn
+and tattered poverty, but attired in a suit which, if threadbare, was
+at least clean and respectable-looking,--a white vest, and ruffles also,
+added to the air of neatness of his costume; and whether from his
+own deserts, or my surprise at the transformation, he seemed to me to
+possess the look and bearing of a true gentleman.
+
+Having welcomed me with the well-bred and easy politeness of one who
+knew the habits of society, he gave orders to a servant girl to conduct
+me to a room, adding, "May I beg of monsieur to make a rapid toilet, for
+the dinner will be served in less than ten minutes?"
+
+The M. Rubichon of the morning no more prepared me for that gentleman at
+evening than did the ruinous exterior of the dwelling for the neat and
+comely chamber into which I was now installed. The articles of furniture
+were few, but scrupulously clean; and the white curtains of the little
+bed, the cherry-wood chairs, the table, with its gray marble top,--all
+were the perfection of that propriety which gives even to humble things
+a look of elegance.
+
+I had but time to make a slight change in my dress when the bell sounded
+for dinner, and at the same instant a gentle knock came to my door. It
+was M. Rubichon, come to conduct me to the _salle_, and anxious to know
+if I were satisfied with my chamber.
+
+"In summer, Monsieur, if we shall have the happiness of possessing you
+here at that season, the view of the garden is delightful from this
+window; and,--you have not noticed it, of course, but there is a little
+stair, which descends from the window into the garden, which you will
+find a great convenience when you wish to walk. This way, now. We are a
+small party to-day, and indeed shall be for a few weeks. What name shall
+I have the honor to announce?"
+
+"Mr. Burke."
+
+"Ah! an Irish name," said he, smiling, as he threw open the door of a
+spacious but simply furnished apartment, in which about a dozen persons
+were standing or sitting around the stove.
+
+I could not help remarking, that as Monsieur Rubichon presented me to
+his other guests, my name seemed to meet a kind of recognition from each
+in turn. My host perceived this, and explained it at once by saying,--
+
+"We have a namesake of yours amongst us; not exactly at this moment,
+for he is in Normandy, but he will be back in a week or so. Madame de
+Langeac, let me present Mr. Burke."
+
+Monsieur Rubichon's guests were all persons somewhat advanced in life;
+and though in their dress evincing a most unvarying simplicity and
+economy, had yet a look of habitual good tone and breeding which could
+not be mistaken. Among these, the lady to whom I was now introduced was
+conspicuous, and in her easy and graceful reception of me, showed the
+polished manners of one accustomed to the best society.
+
+After some half-jesting observations, expressive of surprise that a
+young man--and consequently, as she deemed, a gay one--should have
+selected as his residence an unvisited quarter and a very retired house,
+she took my arm, and proceeded to the dinner-room.
+
+The dinner itself, and the table equipage, were in keeping with the
+simplicity of the whole establishment; but if the fare was humble and
+the wine of the very cheapest, all the habitudes of the very highest
+society presided at the meal, and the polished ease and elegance, so
+eminently the gift of ancient French manners, were conspicuous.
+
+There prevailed among the guests all the intimacy of a large family;
+at the same time a most courteous deference was remarkable, which never
+approached familiarity. And thus they talked lightly and pleasantly
+together of mutual friends and places they had visited; no allusion ever
+being made to the popular topics of the day,--to me a most inexplicable
+circumstance, and one which I could not avoid slightly expressing my
+astonishment at to the lady beside me. She smiled significantly at my
+remark, and merely said,--
+
+"It is so agreeable to discuss matters where there can be no great
+difference of opinion,--at least, no more than sharpens the wit of the
+speakers,--that you will rarely hear other subjects talked of here."
+
+"But have the great events which are yet passing no interest?"
+
+"Perhaps they interest too deeply to admit of much discussion," said
+she, with some earnestness of manner.
+
+"But I am myself transgressing; and, what is still worse, losing you the
+observations of Monsieur de Saint George on Madame de Sevigne."
+
+The remark was evidently made to change the current of our conversation;
+and so I accepted it,--listening to the chit-chat around me, which, from
+its novelty alone, possessed a most uncommon charm to my ears. It was
+so strange to hear the allusions to the courtiers and the beauties of
+bygone days made with all the freshness of yesterday acquaintance; and
+the stores of anecdotes about the court of Louis the Fifteenth and the
+Regency told with a piquancy that made the event seem like an occurrence
+of the morning.
+
+Before we retired to the drawing-room for coffee, I saw that the
+"pension" was a Royalist establishment, and wondered how it happened
+that I should have been selected by the host to make one of his guests.
+Yet unquestionably there seemed no reserve towards me; on the contrary,
+each evinced a tone of frankness and cordiality which made me perfectly
+at ease, and well satisfied at the fortune which led me to the Rue
+Mi-Careme.
+
+The little parties of dominoes and piquet scattered through the _salon_;
+some formed groups to converse; the ladies resumed their embroidery; and
+all the occupations of indoor life were assumed with a readiness that
+betokened habit, and gave to the "pension" the comfortable air of a
+home.
+
+Thus passed the first evening. The next morning the party assembled at
+an early hour to breakfast; after which the gentlemen went out, and did
+not appear until dinnertime,--day succeeding day in unvarying but to me
+not unpleasing monotony. I rarely wandered from the large wilderness of
+a garden near the house, and saw weeks pass over without a thought ever
+occurring to me that life must not thus be suffered to ebb.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX. MY NAMESAKE
+
+About a month after I came to live in the "pension," I was sitting one
+evening at the window, watching, with the interest an idle man will ever
+attach to slight things,--the budding leaves of an early spring,--when I
+heard a step approach my chair, and on turning my head perceived Madame
+de Langeac. She carried her taboret in her hand, and came slowly towards
+me.
+
+"I am come to steal some of your sunshine, Monsieur Burke," said the old
+lady, smiling good-naturedly, as I rose to present a chair, "but not to
+drive you away, if you will be generous enough to keep me company."
+
+I stammered out some commonplace civility in reply, and was silent,
+for my thoughts were bent upon my future, and I was ill disposed to
+interruption.
+
+"You are fond of flowers, I have remarked," continued she, as if
+perceiving my preoccupation, and willing to relieve it by taking the
+burden of the conversation. "And it is a taste I love to witness; it
+seems to me like the evidence of a homely habit. It is only in childhood
+we learn this love; we may cultivate it in after life as we will."
+
+"My mother was passionately fond of them," said I, calling up a
+long-buried memory of home and kindred.
+
+"I thought so. These simple tastes are the inheritance a mother gives
+her child; and happily they survive every change of fortune."
+
+I sighed heavily as she spoke, for thus accidentally was touched the
+weakest chord of my heart.
+
+"And, better still," resumed she, "they are the links that unite us to
+the past, that bind the heart of manhood to infancy, that can bring down
+pride and haughtiness, and call forth guileless affection and childlike
+faith."
+
+"They are happy,"' said I, musing, "who can mingle such early memories
+with the present."
+
+"And who cannot?" interrupted she, rapidly. "Who has not felt the love
+of parents,--the halo of a home? Old as I am, even I can recall the
+little walks I trod in infancy, and the hand that used to guide me. I
+can bring up the very tones of that voice which vibrated on my heart as
+they spoke my name. But how much happier they to whom these memories
+are linked with tokens of present affection, and who, in their manhood's
+joys, can feel a father's or a mother's love!"
+
+"I was left an orphan when a mere child," said I, as though the
+observation had been specially addressed to me.
+
+"But you have brothers,--sisters, perhaps."
+
+I shook my head. "A brother, indeed; but we have never met since we were
+children."
+
+"And yet your country has not suffered the dreadful convulsion of ours;
+no social wreck has scattered those who once lived in close affection
+together. It is sad when such ties are broken. You came early to
+France, I think you told me?"
+
+"Yes, Madame. When a mere child my heart conceived a kind of devotion
+to the Emperor: his fame, his great exploits, seemed something more
+than human,--filled every thought of my brain; and to be a soldier,_his_
+soldier, was the limit of my ambition. I fancied, too, that the cause he
+asserted was that of freedom; that liberty, universal liberty, was the
+watchword that led to victory."
+
+"And you have discovered your error," interrupted she. "Alas! it were
+better to have followed the illusion. A faith once shaken leaves an
+unsettled spirit, and with such there is little energy."
+
+"And less of hope," said I, despondingly.
+
+"Not so, if there be youth. Come, you must tell me your story. It is
+from no mere curiosity I ask you; but that I have seen much of the
+world, and am better able than you to offer counsel and advice. I have
+remarked, for some time past, that you appear to have no acquaintance
+in Paris,--no friend. Let me be such. If the confidence have no other
+result, it will relieve your heart of some portion of its burden;
+besides, the others here will learn to regard you with less distrust."
+
+"And is such their feeling towards me?"
+
+"Forgive me; I did not exactly use the word I sought for. But now that
+I have ventured so far, I may as well confess that you are an object of
+the greatest interest in their eyes; nor can they divest themselves of
+the impression that some deep-laid plot had led you hither."
+
+"Had I known this before--"
+
+"You had left us. I guessed as much: I have remarked it in your
+character already, that a morbid dread of being suspected is ever
+uppermost in your thoughts; and accounted for it by supposing that you
+might have been thrown at too early an age into life. But you must
+not feel angry with us here. As for me, I have no merit in my right
+appreciation of you: Monsieur Rubichon told me how you met,--a mere
+accident, at the bureau of the prefet."
+
+"It was so; nor have I been able to divine why he addressed himself to
+me, nor what circumstance could have led him to believe my sentiments in
+accordance with those of his guests."
+
+"Simple enough the reason. He heard from your own lips you were a
+stranger, without any acquaintance in Paris. The police for a time
+have been somewhat frequent in their visits here, when the exclusively
+Royalist feature of the 'pension' excited some dissatisfaction. To
+overcome the impression, M. Rubichon determined to wait each day at the
+bureau of the prefet, and solicit at hazard among the persons there
+to patronize his house. We all here consented to the plan, feeling
+its necessity. Our good fortune sent us you. Still, you must not be
+surprised if long sorrows and much suffering have engendered suspicion,
+nor that the old followers of a king look distrustfully on the soldier
+of"--she hesitated and blushed slightly, then added, in a low voice--"of
+the Emperor."
+
+The word seemed to have cost a pang in its utterance; for she did not
+speak for several minutes after.
+
+"And these gentlemen,--am I to conclude that they cherish disaffection
+to the present Government, or harbor a hope of its downfall?"
+
+Whether some accidental expression of disdain escaped me as I said this,
+I cannot say; but Madame de Langeao quickly replied,--
+
+"They are good Frenchmen, sir, and loyal gentlemen; what they _hope_
+must be a matter for their own hearts."
+
+"I entreat your pardon, Madame, if I have said one syllable which could
+reflect upon their motives."
+
+"I forgive you readily," said she, smiling courteously; "he who has worn
+a sabre so long, may well deem its influence all-powerful. But believe
+me, young man, there is that within the heart of a nation against which
+mere force is nothing; opposed to it, armed squadrons and dense ranks
+are powerless. Devotion to a sovereign, whose claim comes hallowed by a
+long line of kings, is a faith to which religion lends its sanction and
+tradition its hope. Look on these very persons here; see, has adversity
+chilled their affection, or poverty damped their ardor? You know them
+not; but I will tell you who they are.
+
+"There, at the fire, that venerable old man with the high, bold
+forehead, he is Monsieur de Plessis (Comte Plessis de Riancourt). His
+grandfather entertained Louis the Fourteenth and his suite within his
+chateau; he himself was grand falconer to the king. And what is he
+now? I shame to speak it,--a fencing-master at an humble school of the
+Faubourg.
+
+"And the other opposite to him (he is stooping to pick something from
+the floor), I myself saw him kneel at the levee of his Majesty, and
+beheld the king assist him to rise, as he said, 'Monsieur de Maurepas, I
+would make you a duke, but that no title could be so dear to a Maurepas
+as that his ancestors have borne for six hundred years.' And he, whose
+signature was but inferior to the royal command, copies pleadings of a
+lawyer to earn his support.
+
+"And that tall man yonder, who has just risen from the table,--neither
+years nor poverty have erased the stamp of nobility from his graceful
+figure,--Comte Felix d'Ancelot, captain of the Gardes du Corps; the
+same who was left for dead on the stairs at Versailles pierced by eleven
+wounds. He gives lessons in drawing! two leagues from this, at the other
+extremity of Paris.
+
+"You ask me if they hope; what else than hope, what other comforter,
+could make such men as these live on in want and indigence, declining
+every proffer of advancement, refusing every temptation that should warp
+their allegiance? I have read of great deeds of your Emperor,--I have
+heard traits of heroism of his generals, compared to which the famed
+actions of the Crusaders paled away; but tell me if you think that all
+the glory ever won by gallant soldier, tried the courage or tested the
+stout heart like the long struggle of such men as these? And here, if I
+mistake not, comes another, not inferior to any."
+
+As she spoke, the steps of a _caleche_ at the door were suddenly
+lowered, and a tall and powerfully built man stepped lightly out. In
+an instant we heard his footstep in the hall, and in another moment the
+door of the _salon_ opened, and M. Rubichon announced "Le General Count
+Burke."
+
+The general had just time to divest himself of his travelling pelisse as
+he entered, and was immediately surrounded by the others, who welcomed
+him with the greatest enthusiasm.
+
+"Madame la Marquise de Langeac," said he, approaching the old lady, as
+she sat in the recess of the window, and lifted her hand to his lips,
+"I am overjoyed to see you in such health. I passed three days with
+your amiable cousin, Arnold de Rambuteau; who, like yourself, enjoys the
+happiest temperament and the most gifted mind."
+
+"If you flatter thus, General," said Madame de Langeac, "my young friend
+here will scarcely recognize in you a countryman,--a kinsman, perhaps.
+Let me present Mr. Burke."
+
+The general's face flushed, and his eyes sparkled, as taking my hand in
+both of his own, he said,--
+
+"Are you indeed from Ireland? Is your name Burke? Alas! that I cannot
+speak one word of English to you. I left my country thirty-eight years
+since, and have never revisited it."
+
+The general overwhelmed me with questions: first about my family, of
+which I could tell him little; and then of my own adventures, at which,
+to my astonishment, he never evinced those symptoms of displeasure I
+so confidently expected from an old follower of the Bourbons. This he
+continued to do, as he ate a hurried meal which was laid out for him in
+the _salon_; all the rest standing in a circle around, and pressing him
+with questions for this friend or that at every pause he made.
+
+"You see, gentlemen," cried he, as I replied to some inquiry about my
+campaign, "this is an instance of what I have so often spoken to you.
+Here is a youth who leaves his country solely for fighting sake; he
+does not care much for the epaulette, he cares less for the cause. Come,
+come, don't interrupt me; I know you better than you know yourself.
+You longed for the conflict and the struggle and the victory; and,
+_parbleu!_ we may say as we will, but you could have scarcely made a
+better selection than with his Majesty, Emperor and King, as they style
+him."
+
+This speech met with a sorry reception from the bystanders, and in the
+dissatisfied expression of their faces, a less confident speaker might
+have read his condemnation; but the general felt not this, or, if he
+did, he effectually concealed it.
+
+"You have not inquired for Gustave de Me is in," said he, looking round
+at the circle.
+
+"You have not seen him, surely?" cried several together; "we heard he
+was at Vienna."
+
+"No, _parbleu!_ he lives about a league from his old home,--the very
+house we spent our Christmas at eighteen years ago. They have made a
+barrack of his chateau, and thrown his park into a royal _chasse_; but
+he has built a hut on the river-side, and walks every day through his
+own ground, which he says he never saw so well stocked for many a year.
+He is as happy as ever, and loves to look out on the Seine before his
+door when the bright stream is rippling through many a broad leaf; ay,
+Messieurs, of good augury, too,--the lilies of France." He lifted a
+bumper to his lips as he spoke, and drank the toast with enthusiasm.
+
+This sudden return to loyalty, so boldly announced, served to reinstate
+him in their estimation; and once again all their former pleasure at
+his appearance came back, and again the questions poured in from every
+quarter.
+
+"And the abbe," said one; "what of him? Has he made up his mind yet?"
+
+"To be sure he has, and changed it too, at least twice every twenty-four
+hours. He is ever full of confidence and brimming with hope when the
+wind is from the eastward; but let it only come a point west, his
+spirits fall at once, and he dreams of frigates and gunboats, and the
+hulks in the Thames; and though they offered him a cardinal's hat, he 'd
+not venture out to sea."
+
+The warning looks of the bystanders, and even some signals to be
+cautious, here interrupted the speaker, who paused for a few seconds,
+and then fixed his eyes on me.
+
+"I have no fears, gentlemen, on that score. I know my countrymen well,
+though I have lived little among them. My namesake here may like the
+service of the Emperor better than that of a king,--he may prefer the
+glitter of the eagle to the war-cry of Saint Louis,--but he 'll never
+betray the private conversations nor expose the opinions expressed
+before him in all the confidence of social intercourse.
+
+"We are speaking, Mr. Burke, of an abbe who is about to visit Ireland,
+and whose fears of the English cruisers seem little reasonable to some
+of my friends here, though you can explain, perhaps, that they are not
+groundless. I forgot,--you were but a boy when you crossed that sea."
+
+"But he will go at last," said Madame de Langeac; "I suppose we may rely
+on that?"
+
+"We hope," said the general, shrugging his shoulders with an air of
+doubt, "because, when we can do nothing else, we can always hope." And
+so saying he arose from the table, and taking a courteous leave of each
+person in turn, pleading the fatigue of his journey, he retired for the
+night.
+
+I left the saloon soon after, and went to my room full of all I had
+heard, and pondering many thoughts about the abbe and his intended
+voyage. I spent a sleepless night. Thoughts of home, long lost in the
+excitement of my career, came flocking to my brain, and a desire
+to revisit my country--stronger, perhaps, because undefined in its
+object--made me restless and feverish. It was with delight I perceived
+the day dawning, and dressing myself hastily, I descended into the
+garden. To my surprise, I found General Burke already there. He was
+sauntering along slowly by himself, and seemed wrapped in meditation.
+The noise of my approach startled him, and he looked up.
+
+"Ah! my countryman,--so early astir?" said he, saluting me courteously.
+"Is this a habit of yours?"
+
+"No, sir; I cannot claim the merit of such wakefulness. But last night
+I never closed my eyes. A few words you dropped in conversation in the
+drawing-room kept possession of my heart, and even yet I cannot expel
+them."
+
+"I saw it at the time I spoke," replied the general, with a keen, quick
+glance; "you changed color twice as I mentioned the Abbe Gernon. Do you
+know him?"
+
+"No, sir; it was his intended journey, not himself, for which I felt
+interested."
+
+"You would wish to accompany him, perhaps. Well, the matter is not
+impossible; but as time presses, and we have little leisure for
+mysteries, tell me frankly why are you here?"
+
+In few words, and without a comment on any portion of my conduct, I told
+him the principal circumstances of my life, down to the decisive moment
+of my leaving the army.
+
+"After that step," said I, "feeling that no career can open to me here,
+I wish to regain my own country."
+
+"You are right," said the general, slowly; "it is your only course now.
+The venture is not without risk,--less from the English cruisers than
+the French, for the abbe is well known in England, and Ireland too;
+but his Royalist character would find slight favor with Fouche. You are
+willing to run the risk, I suppose?"
+
+"I am."
+
+"And to travel as the abbe's servant, at least to Falaise? there the
+disguise will end."
+
+"Perfectly so."
+
+"And for this service, are you also ready to render us one in return?"
+said he, peering at me beneath his eyelashes.
+
+"If it involve the good faith I once swore to preserve towards the
+Emperor Napoleon, I refuse it at once. On such a condition, I cannot
+accept your aid."
+
+"And does your heart still linger where your pride has been so
+insulted?"
+
+"It does, it does; to be his soldier once more, I would submit to
+everything but dishonor."
+
+"In that case," said he, smiling good-naturedly, "my conscience is a
+clear one; and I may forward your escape with the satisfying reflection
+that I have diminished the enemies of his Majesty Louis the Eighteenth
+by one most inveterate follower of Napoleon. I shall ask no conditions
+of you. When are you ready?"
+
+"To-day,--now."
+
+"Let me see; to-morrow will be the 8th,--to-morrow will do. I will write
+about it at once. Meanwhile, it is as well you should not drop any hint
+of your intended departure, except to Madame de Langeac, whose secrecy
+may be relied on."
+
+"May I ask," said I, "if you run any risk in thus befriending me? It is
+an office, believe me, of little promise."
+
+"None whatever. Rarely a month passes over without some one or other
+leaving this for England. The intercourse between Rome and Ireland is
+uninterrupted, and has been so during the hottest period of the war."
+
+"This seems most unaccountable to me; I cannot understand it."
+
+"There is a key to the mystery, however," said he, smiling. "The English
+Government have confidence in the peaceful efforts of the priesthood as
+regards Ireland, and permit them to hold unlimited intercourse with the
+Holy See, which fears France and the spirit of her Emperor. The Bourbons
+look to the Church as the last hope of the Restoration. It is in the
+Catholic religion of this country, and its traditions, that monarchy
+has its root. Sap one, and you undermine the other. Legitimacy is a holy
+relic,--like any other, the priests are the guardians of it; and as for
+the present ruler of France, he trusts in the spirit of the Church to
+increase its converts, and believes that Ireland is ripening to revolt
+through the agency of the priests. Fouche alone is not deceived. Between
+him and the Church the war is to the knife; and but for him the high
+seas would be more open than the road to Strasburg,--at least, to
+all with a shaven crown and a silk frock. Here, then, is the simple
+explanation of what seemed so difficult; and I believe you will find it
+the true one."
+
+"But two out of the three parties must be deceived," said I.
+
+"Perhaps all three are," replied he, smiling sarcastically. "There are
+some, at least, who deem the return of the rightful sovereign is more to
+be hoped from the sabre than the crosier, and think that Rome never was
+true except to Rome. As to your journey, however, its only difficulty
+or danger is the transit through France; once at the coast, and all
+is safe. Your passport shall be made out as a retired sous-officier
+returning to his home. You will take Marboeuf in the route, and I will
+give you the necessary directions for discovering the abbe."
+
+"Is it not possible," said I, "that _he_ may feel no inclination
+to encumber himself with a fellow-traveller, and particularly one a
+stranger to him?"
+
+"Have no fear on that head. Your presence, on the contrary, will give
+him courage, and we must let him suppose you accompany him at our
+suggestion."
+
+"Not with any implied knowledge or any connection with your views,
+however," said I. "This is well understood between us?"
+
+"Perfectly so. And now meet me here this evening, after coffee, and I
+will give you your final instructions, Adieu, for the present."
+
+He waved his hand and left me. Then, after walking a few paces, turned
+quickly round, and said,--
+
+"You will remember, a blouse and knapsack are indispensable for your
+equipment. Adieu!"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX. AN OLD SAILOR OF THE EMPIRE
+
+No circumstance of any interest occurred on my journey to Marboeuf; my
+passport, made out in my own name as a sous-officier on leave, secured
+me against any interruption or delay; and on the third evening I reached
+the little wayside cabaret, about a league beyond the town, where I was
+informed by the count that the abbe would await me.
+
+To my surprise, however, I discovered that the house was occupied by a
+detachment of the Marines of the Guard, proceeding from Marboeuf to the
+coast; with these, assuming the "camaraderie" of the service, I soon
+made acquaintance, and being possessed of some information about
+the army, my company was at once coveted by the sailors, who had no
+opportunity of learning the events of the campaign.
+
+The flurried manner and the over-solicitous desire of the landlord
+to please, did not escape me; and taking the first opportunity that
+offered, I followed him into his room, and closed the door behind me.
+
+"Has _he_ arrived?" said I, assuming at once the tone of one with whom
+there need be no secrecy.
+
+"Ha! you are the captain, then, and I was right?" said he, not replying
+to my question, but showing that he was aware who I was. But in an
+instant he resumed, "Alas! no, sir; the orders to have quarters ready
+for ten men reached me yesterday; and though I told his messenger that
+he might come in safety,--the marines never noticing any traveller,--he
+has evidently been afraid to venture. This is the 10th; on the 12th the
+vessel is to be off the coast; after that it will be too late."
+
+"But he may come yet."
+
+The man shook his head and sighed; then muttered half aloud, "It was a
+foolish choice to take a coward for a hazardous enterprise. The Comte de
+Chambord has been here twice to-day to see him, but in vain."
+
+"Where is he, then? at what distance from here?"
+
+"No one knows. It must be some leagues away, however, for his messenger
+seems tired and weary when he comes, and never returns the same day."
+
+"Is it not possible he may have pushed on to the coast, finding this
+place occupied?"
+
+"Ah, sir, it is plain you know him not; he has no daring like this, and
+would never seek a new path if the old were closed against him. But
+after all, it would be useless here."
+
+"How so?"
+
+"The letters have not come yet, and without them he could not leave the
+coast. Meanwhile, be cautious: take care lest your absence should be
+remarked by the men; return to them now, and if anything occur, I will
+make a signal for you."
+
+The landlord's advice was well timed, for I found that the party were
+already becoming impatient at my delay, and wondering what had caused
+it.
+
+"They say, Comrade," said a short-set, dark-featured Breton, whose black
+beard and mustache left little vestige of a human face visible,--"they
+say that the cavalry of the Guard give themselves airs with us marines,
+and that our company is not good enough for them. Is this the case?"
+
+"It is the first time I have heard the remark," replied I, "and I hope
+it may be the last; with us of the Eighth I know such a feeling never
+existed; and yet we thought ourselves not inferior to our neighbors."
+
+"Then why did you leave us just now?" grumbled out two or three in a
+breath.
+
+"You shall know that presently," said I, smiling; at the same time I
+arose and opened the door. "You may bring in the Burgundy now, Master
+Joseph; we are all ready for it."
+
+A hearty cheer welcomed this speech, and many a rude hand was stretched
+forth to grasp mine; at the same instant the host, accurately divining
+the necessity of the moment, entered with a basket containing six
+bottles, whose cobwebbed necks and crusted surface bespoke the choicest
+bin of his cellar.
+
+"_Macon!_ gentlemen," said he, drawing the cork of a flask with all the
+steadiness of hand of one accustomed to treat Burgundy properly.
+
+"Ah, _parbleu!_ a generous grape, too," said the short sailor, who spoke
+first, as he drained his glass and refilled it. "_Allons_, Comrades,
+'The Emperor! '"
+
+"The Emperor!" repeated each voice in turn, even to the poor landlord,
+whose caution was stronger than his loyalty.
+
+"The Emperor, and may Heaven preserve him!" said the dark-whiskered
+fellow.
+
+"The Emperor, and may Heaven forgive him!" said the host, who this time
+uttered the true sentiments of his heart, without knowing it.
+
+"Forgive him!" roared three or four together,--"forgive him what?"
+
+"For not making thee an admiral of the fleet," said the landlord,
+slapping the stout sailor familiarly on the shoulder.
+
+A burst of rude laughter acknowledged the success of this speech, and
+by common consent the host was elected One of the company. As the wine
+began to work upon the party, the dark fellow, whose grade of sergeant
+was merely marked by a gold cord on his cuff, and which had hitherto
+escaped my notice, assumed the leadership, and recounted some stories
+of his life; which, treating of a service so novel to me in all its
+details, were sufficiently interesting, though the materials themselves
+were slight and unimportant.
+
+One feature struck me in particular through all he said, and gave a
+character most distinctive to the service he belonged to, and totally
+unlike what I had observed among the soldiers of the army. With _them_
+the armies of all Europe were accounted the enemy,--the Austrian, the
+Russian, the Italian, and the Prussian were the foes he had met and
+conquered in so many fields of glory. The pride he felt in his triumphs
+was a great but natural sentiment; involving, however, no hatred of his
+enemy, nor any desire to disparage his courage or his skill. With the
+sailor of the Empire, however, there was but one antagonist, and that
+one he detested with his whole heart: England was a word which stirred
+his passion from its very inmost recesses, and made his blood boil
+with intense excitement. The gay insolence of the soldier, treating his
+conquest as a thing of ease and certainty, had no resemblance to the
+collected and impassioned hate of the sailor, who felt that _his_
+victories were not such as proclaimed his superiority by evidence
+incontestable. The victories on land contrasted, too, so strongly
+with even what were claimed as such at sea, that the sailors could not
+control their detestation of those who had robbed them of a share of
+their country's praise, and made the hazardous career they followed one
+of mere secondary interest in the eyes of France.
+
+A more perfect representative of this mingled jealousy and hate could
+not be found than Paul Dupont, the sous-officier in command of this
+little party. He was a Breton, and carried the ruling trait of his
+province into the most minute feature of his conduct. Bold, blunt,
+courageous, open-hearted, and fearless, but passionate to the verge of
+madness when thwarted, and unforgiving in his vengeance when insulted,
+he only believed in Brittany, and for the rest of France he cared as
+little as for Switzerland. His whole life had been spent at sea, until
+about two years previous, when from boatswain he was promoted to be a
+sergeant of the Marines of the Guard,--a step he regretted every day,
+and was now actually petitioning to be restored to his old grade, even
+at the sacrifice of pay and rank; such was the impression a short life
+ashore had made on him, and so complete his contempt for any service
+save that in blue water.
+
+"Come, old 'sea-wolf,'"--such was the sobriquet Paul went by among his
+comrades,--"thou art dull to-night," said an old sailor with a head as
+white as snow. "I haven't seen thee so low of heart this many a day."
+
+"What wonder, Comrade, if I am so?" retorted Paul, gruffly. "This shore
+service is bad enough, not to make it worse by listening to such yarns
+as these we have been hearing, about platoons and squadrons; of charges
+here and counter-marches there. _Ventre d'enfer!_ that may amuse
+those who never saw a broadside or a boarding; but as for me, look ye,
+Comrade!"--here he addressed himself to me, laying his great hand upon
+my shoulder as he spoke,--"until ye can bring your mounted lines to
+charge up to the mouth of a battery vomiting grape and roundshot, ye
+must not tell your stories before old sailors, ay, though they be only
+Marines' of the Guard, some of them."
+
+"Don't be angry with old Paul, Comrade," said the man who spoke before;
+"he does not mean to offend you."
+
+"Who told you that?" said Paul, sternly. "Why can't you sheer off, and
+leave me to' lay alongside of my enemy my own way?"
+
+"You must not call me by such a name," said I; "we all serve the
+Emperor, and have no enemies save his. Come, Paul, let us have a cup of
+wine together."
+
+"Agreed! an ye promise to tell no more tales of dragoons and hussars,
+and such like cattle, I'll drink with you. Bah! it's not Christianlike
+to fight a-horse-back,--it's only fit for Turks and Arabs; but for men
+that are made to stand fast on their own stout timbers, they have no
+need of four-footed beasts to carry them against an enemy. Here's my
+hand, Comrade; is it a bargain?"
+
+"Willingly," said I, laughing. "If you consent, instead, to tell us some
+of your own adventures, I promise faithfully not to trouble you with one
+of mine."
+
+"That's like a man," said Paul, evidently flattered by the successful
+assertion of his own superiority. "And now, if the host will let us have
+some more wine, I'm ready."
+
+"Ay, ay," cried several together; "replenish the basket once more."
+
+"This time, gentlemen, you must permit me to treat you. It is not every
+day such guests assemble under my poor roof," said the landlord, bowing
+courteously, "nor am I likely soon to pass so pleasant an evening."
+
+"That's as you please it," said Paul, carelessly. "If you are too good
+a fellow to care for money, there's three naps for the poor of the
+village; mayhap there may be an old sailor amongst them."
+
+A murmur of satisfaction at their comrade's conduct ran round the
+circle, as the host disappeared for the fresh supply of wine. In an
+instant he was back again, carrying a second basket under his arm, which
+he placed carefully on the table, saying, "Pomard of '87, gentlemen; I
+wish it were Chambertin for your sakes."
+
+"_Tete bleue!_that's what I call wine," said one, smacking his lips, as
+he tasted the generous liquor.
+
+"Yes," said Paul, "that's better than drinking the pink water they serve
+us out on service. _Morbleu!_ how we 'd fight, if they'd tap an aume of
+that when they beat to quarters."
+
+The bottle now passed freely from hand to hand; and Paul, leaning
+back in his chair, crossed his arms before him, as, with his eyes
+half closed, he seemed to be occupied in remembering some long passed
+occurrence.
+
+"Ay, Comrades," said he, after a long pause, "the landlord was not so
+far out as you may think him. I might have been, if not an admiral of
+the fleet, at least a captain or a commodore by this time, if I only
+wished it, but I wouldn't."
+
+"You wouldn't, Paul?" cried three or four in a breath. "How do you mean,
+you wouldn't? Is it that you didn't like it?"
+
+"That's it: I didn't like it," replied he, glaring around him as he
+spoke, with a look which had repressed any tendency to mirth, if such
+an inclination existed in the party. "Mayhap there are some here don't
+believe this," he continued, as if anxious to extort a contradiction
+from any one bold enough to adventure it; but none seemed disposed to
+meet his wishes. He resumed. "The way of it was this:--
+
+"We sailed from Brest, seven sail and two frigates, on a cruise, in the
+Messidor of the year '13, (it was the time of the Republic then), and
+our orders were to keep together, and afford protection to all vessels
+of our flag; and wherever an opportunity offered to engage the enemy, to
+do so, if we had a fair chance of success. There was one heavy sailer
+of the fleet, the 'Old Torch,' and by good luck I was in her; and so,
+before we were eight days out, it came on to blow a hurricane from the
+northeast, with a great sea that threatened to poop us at every stroke.
+How the others weathered it I can't say; we rolled so badly that we
+carried away our mainmast and half our bulwarks, and when day broke we
+could see nothing of the rest. We were lying floundering there in the
+trough of the sea, with nothing left but a storm-jib to keep her head
+straight, and all hands at the pumps; for in working she had opened her
+old seams, and leaked like a basket. Well, we cut away the wreck of the
+mast, and we threw twelve of our guns over,--short eighteens they were,
+and all heavy metal,--and that lightened her a bit, and we began to have
+hopes of weathering out the gale, when the word was passed of a strange
+sail to windward.
+
+"We looked, and there saw a great vessel looming, as large as a
+three-decker, coming down towards us with close-reefed topsails, but
+going through the water like a swordfish. At first we hoped it was one
+of our own; but that hope did not last long, for as she neared us we
+saw floating from the peak that confounded flag that never boded us good
+fortune. She was an English eighty-gun ship; the 'Blanche' they called
+her. _Ventrebleu!_ I didn't know how they ever got so handsome a model;
+but, I learned after, she was a French ship, and built at Toulon,--for
+you see, Comrades, they never had such craft as ours. Well, down they
+came, as if they were about to come right over us, and never once made
+a signal, nor took any notice of us whatever, till quite close; when
+a fellow from the poop-deck shouted out in French,--bad enough it was,
+too,--desiring us to keep close till the sea went down a bit, and then
+to send a boat to them. _Sacristi!_there was no more about it than that;
+and they made a prize of us at once.
+
+"But our captain was not one of that mould, and he answered by beating
+to quarters; and just as the 'Blanche' swept past, up flew our ports,
+and eight carronades threw in a fire of grape along her deck that made
+them dance to the music. _Diable!_ the fun was short, though. Round she
+came in stays like a pinnace, down helm, and passed us again; when, as
+if her sides slit open, forty guns flashed forth their flame, and sent
+us a broadside that made the craft tremble again, and left our deck one
+mass of dead and wounded. There was no help for it now. The clear
+water came gushing up the hatchways from many a shothole; the craft was
+settling fast, and so we hauled down the ensign and made the signal of
+distress. The answer was, 'Keep her afloat if you can.' But, faith, our
+fellows didn't care much to save a prize for the English, and they would
+n't lend a hand to the pumps, but crossed their arms and stood still,
+waiting for her to go down; when what did we see but two boats lowered
+from the 'Blanche' and dropped into the sea, which was then running
+mountains high. _Feu d'enfer!_ they don't know where there is danger and
+where not, these English; and that's the reason they seem so brave!
+For a minute or two we thought they were swamped, for they were hidden
+entirely; then we saw them on the top of a wave, balancing, as it might
+be; and again they disappeared, and the huge dark swell seemed to have
+swallowed them. And so we strained eyes after them, just as if our own
+danger was not as great as theirs; when suddenly a fearful cry for'ed
+was heard, and a voice called out. 'She is sinking by the head!'
+
+"And so it was. A crash like falling timber was heard above the storm
+and the sea, and the 'Torch' rolled heavily from side to side, and then
+plunged bowsprit down, and the boiling surf met over her. There was
+a wild yell; some said it was a cheer; I thought it like a drowning
+cry,--and I remember no more. That is, I have a kind of horrid dreamy
+remembrance of buffeting in the waves, and shaking off a hand that
+grasped me by the shoulder, and then feeling the water gathering over me
+as I grew more and more exhausted. But the end of it was, I came to
+my senses some hours after, and found myself in a hammock on board the
+'Blanche,' with twenty-eight of my comrades. All the rest--above two
+hundred and fifty--had perished, the captain and the officers among
+them.
+
+"The 'Blanche' was under orders for St. Domingo, and was in no way
+anxious to have our company; and before a week was over we were drafted
+into a small sloop of war, carrying eight guns, and called the 'Fawn,'
+She was bound for England with despatches from Nelson,--one of their
+English admirals they 're always talking about. This little craft could
+sail like the wind, but she was crowded with sick and invalided men from
+some foreign station, and there was not a place the size of a dog-kennel
+on board of her that was not occupied. As for us, we were only
+prisoners, and you may think they were n't very particular about
+our comforts; and so they ranged us along under the bulwarks to
+leeward,--for they would n't spoil her sailing trim by suffering us to
+sit to windward; and there we were, drenched to the skin, and shivering
+from day to dark.
+
+"Four days went over in this way, when, on the fifth, about eight
+o'clock in the morning, the lookout announced several strange sail
+in sight; and the same instant we perceived the officers setting the
+glasses to observe them. We could remark that the sight did not seem to
+please them much; but more we knew not, for we were not allowed to stand
+up nor look over the bulwarks. The lieutenant of the watch called up the
+commander; and when he came on deck he ordered the men to cram on more
+sail, and hold her head a point or so off the wind; and as soon as
+it was done, the rushing noise at the cutwater told the speed she was
+making through the sea. It was a fine day, with a fresh breeze and a
+nice curl from the water; and it was a handsome thing to see how the
+sloop bent to the gale and rose again, her canvas white as snow and
+steady as a board; and we soon knew, from the manner of the officers
+and the anxious looks they 'd give to leeward from time to time, that
+another vessel was in chase of the 'Fawn.' Not a man stirred on the deck
+save the lieutenant of the watch, who walked the quarterdeck with his
+glass in his hand; now lifting it to his eye, and now throwing a glance
+aloft to see how the sails were drawing.
+
+"'She's gaining on us, sir,' cried the boatswain, as he went aloft, to
+the lieutenant. 'Shall we ease her off a little more?'
+
+"'No, no,' said he, impatiently. 'She's coming handover-hand now. Clear
+the deck, and prepare for action.'
+
+"My heart jumped to my throat as I heard the words; and waiting until
+the lieutenant's back was turned, I stole my eyes above the bulwark,
+and beheld the tall masts and taper spars of a frigate, all covered
+with canvas, about two miles astern of us. She was a good-sized craft,
+apparently of thirty-eight guns; but what I liked best about her was the
+broad tricolor that fluttered from her masthead. Every curl that floated
+on the breeze whispered liberty to my heart.
+
+"'You know her?' said the lieutenant, laying his hand on my shoulder,
+before I was aware he was behind me. 'What is she?'
+
+"'Lend me your glass, Lieutenant, and perhaps I can tell you,' said
+I; and with that he gave the telescope into my hand, and leaned on the
+bulwark beside me. 'Ha!' said I, as soon as I caught the side of her
+hull, 'I ought to know her well; I sailed in her for two years and a
+half. She's the "Creole," of thirty-eight guns, the fastest frigate in
+our navy; she has six carronades on her quarterdeck, and never goes to
+sea without three hundred and twenty men.'
+
+"'If she had three tiers of them we 'd not flinch from her,' said a
+voice behind. It was the commander himself, who was now in full uniform,
+and wore a belt with four pistols stuck around it.
+
+"There is no use in denying it,--the English prepared for action like
+brave fellows, and soon cleared the deck of everything in the way of the
+guns. But what use was it? In less than an hour the 'Creole' worked to
+windward, and opened a fire from her long guns to which the other could
+make no reply. There they came plumping in,--some into the hull, some
+splintering through the bulwarks, and some crashing away through the
+rigging; and all the crew could do was to repair the mischief the
+distant cannonade was making.
+
+"'It's a cowardly way your countrymen come into action, after all,' said
+the lieutenant, as he watched the shot hopping and skipping along the
+water to leeward. 'With four times our strength, they don't bear down
+and encourage us.'
+
+"As he spoke, a shot cut the peak halyards in two, and down came the
+spar with a crash, carrying with it in its fall that ensign they 're so
+proud of. It was all we could do, prisoners as we were, not to cheer at
+this; but the faces around us did not encourage us to such a course, and
+we sat silently watching them.
+
+"The moment the accident happened, twenty stout fellows were clambering
+up the rigging, and as many more engaged to repair the mischief. But
+suddenly the commander whispered something to the lieutenant; the
+men were called down again, and the craft was let fall off the wind,
+trailing the sails and the tangled rigging over her sides.
+
+"'And the prisoners, sir?' said the lieutenant, at the close of
+something I could not hear.
+
+"'Send them below,' was the short reply.
+
+"'We cannot; the space between decks is crowded to suffocation. But here
+she comes.' And, as he spoke, the frigate came bearing down in gallant
+style, her whole deck swarming with men.
+
+"'Down, men, down!' whispered the lieutenant, and he dropped on his
+knee behind the bulwark, and motioned to the rest to kneel. And I now
+perceived that every sailor had a drawn cutlass in his hand and pistols
+in his belt, as he lay crouching on the deck.
+
+"The frigate was now so close, I could hear the commands of the officers
+on the quarterdeck, and the words 'Bas les branles'--the signal to
+board--passed from mouth to mouth. The next instant, she closed on us,
+and showed her tall sides towering above us.
+
+"'Now, men!' cried the commander of the 'Fawn,' 'now, forward! 'All who
+care to live, there's your ground,' said he, pointing to the frigate.
+'Such as like to die on a British deck, remain with me.' The boarders
+sprang up the side of the 'Creole' before the crew could fasten the
+grapples. _Tonnerre de Dieu!_ what a moment it was! The fellows cheered
+like madmen, as they poured in to certain death; the lieutenant himself
+was one of the first on board, and fell back the same instant, dead upon
+his own deck. The struggle was a bloody but brief one; for a few
+minutes the English pressed our men back, and gained a footing on
+the quarterdeck, but a murderous fire from the tops cut them down in
+numbers, and they now fought, not for victory, but vengeance.
+
+"'Now, Captain, now!' screamed a youth, in a lieutenant's uniform, but
+all covered with blood, and his face gashed with a cutlass-wound, as he
+leaned over the bulwark of the 'Creole,' and waved his cap in the air.
+
+"'I'm ready,' replied the English commander, and sprang down the main
+hatchway as he spoke, with a pistol in his hand. At the same instant,
+a fearful cry burst forth from the prisoners; for, with the instinct of
+despair, they guessed his desperate resolve was to blow up the vessel.
+We were tied, wrist to wrist, and the rope run through the blocks at our
+back in such a way as to prevent our moving more than a few inches. But
+what will not the fear of a dreadful death do? With one unanimous effort
+we tore the lashings in pieces, and got free. I was myself the first
+at liberty, and sprang towards the 'Creole.' Alas! they had divined
+the awful doom awaiting us, and were endeavoring to shove off at once.
+Already there were some ten or twelve feet between the vessels. I rushed
+forward to gain the bowsprit, a vague hope of escape suggesting the
+effort. As I did so, my eyes caught sight of a book, which, with his
+hat, the captain threw from him as he hastened below. I stooped down
+and put it in my bosom,--why, I know not. Life, and life only, was my
+thought at that moment. Then, with lightning's speed, I ran along the
+deck, and out on the bowsprit.
+
+"At this instant, the frigate shot ahead of us; I made a leap, the last
+effort of despair, and caught the fluke of the anchor; a friendly
+hand threw me a rope and dragged me on the deck. As I gained it, a
+thunderclap, louder than ten broadsides, broke forth, and the frigate
+fell over on one side as if sinking; while over her rigging and her
+masts flew spars and timbers, blazing and burning, amid a black smoke
+that filled the air on every side. Every man about dropped wounded
+or terrified on the deck, where they lay amid the falling fire of the
+wreck, and the terrible carnage. I wiped the blood from my eyes, for
+I was bleeding profusely from a splinter cut, and looked about me. The
+deck was a mass of dead and dying; their piercing cries and groans were
+maddening to hear. The frigate, however, was flying fast through the
+water; the 'Fawn' was gone!"
+
+"_Tete-bleue!_ he blew her up?" said three or four in a breath.
+
+Paul nodded, and resumed:--
+
+"Ay, Comrades, and the half-dozen of her crew who stood alive on our
+quarterdeck cheered the explosion as if it was a victory; and one
+fellow, as he lay bleeding on the planks, cried out, 'See, there; look,
+if our gay flag is not high above yours, as it always will be! 'And that
+time he was right, for the spar that bore it was nigh the clouds.
+
+"Well, to finish my story: In eight days we made Brest, and all of us
+who were wounded were sent on shore to the naval hospital. A sorry set
+we were; most of us disabled by splinter-wounds, and many obliged to
+suffer amputation. I was about again sooner than the rest, and was sent
+for one morning on board the admiral's ship, to give some account of the
+'Fawn,' of which they never could hear enough; and when I came to that
+part where I made my escape, they all began a-laughing at my stopping
+to take up a book at such a moment. And one of the lieutenants said,
+jokingly,--
+
+"'Well, Paul, I suppose it was the Englishman's breviary saved your
+life, was n't it?'
+
+"'No, Lieutenant,' said I; 'but you 'd be mighty proud this day to have
+that same breviary in your possession.'
+
+"'How so, good fellow?' said the admiral himself, old Villaret Joyeuse,
+who always talked like one of ourselves. 'What is this book, then, that
+is so precious?'
+
+"'I 'll show it you, sir, because I 've no fear of foul play at your
+hands; but there's not another man of the fleet I 'd let see it,' And
+with that I took it out of my breast, where I always carried it, and
+gave it to him. Ah! if you'd seen his face,--how it flushed up as he
+turned over the leaves, and how his eyes sparkled with fire!
+
+"'Paul Dupont,' said he, 'are you aware what this is?'
+
+"'Yes, Admiral,' said I, 'as well as you are.'
+
+"'Your fortune's made, then, my brave fellow,' said he, slapping me on
+the shoulder. 'The finest frigate in the English navy is a less prize
+than this.'
+
+"_Mille tonnerres!_ how the others stared at me then. But I stood
+without minding how they looked, for I was the same Paul Dupont they
+laughed at a few minutes before.
+
+"Meanwhile the admiral laid down the book on the table, and covered
+it with his cocked hat; and then taking a pen he wrote some lines on a
+piece of paper before him.
+
+"'Will that do, Paul?' said he, handing it towards me.
+
+"It was just this: 'Bureau of the Marine, Brest. Pay Paul Dupont the sum
+of ten thousand francs, for service rendered to his Imperial Majesty,
+and attested in a note by me Villaret Joyeuse, Admiral of France.'
+
+"I could scarce read the lines, Comrades, for pure passion.
+
+"'Ten thousand francs!' said I at last, as soon as I found breath,--'ten
+thousand francs!'
+
+"'What!' cried the admiral, 'not content? Well, then, thou shalt have
+more; but I have rarely met one of your cloth with so mercenary a
+spirit.'
+
+"'Stay, Admiral,' said I, as I saw him about to write a new order; 'we
+both are in an error here. You mistake me, and I you. An old admiral of
+the fleet ought to know his sailors better than to think that money is
+their highest reward; it never was so at least with Paul Dupont Let me
+have my book again.'
+
+"'Come, come, Paul; I believe I understand you now,' laid he. 'Your
+warrant shall be made out this day.'
+
+"'No, Admiral, it's too late,' said I. 'If that had come first, and from
+yourself, all well; but it looks like a bargain now, and I 'll not have
+promotion that way.'
+
+"'Mort du diable!' said he, stamping with passion. 'But they 're all
+the same; these Bretons are as brutal in their obstinacy as their own
+cattle.'
+
+"'You say true, Admiral,' said I; 'but if they're obstinate in wrong,
+they're resolute in right. You are a Breton gentleman; give me back my
+book.'
+
+"'Take it,' said he, flinging it at me, 'and let me never see your face
+again.' And with that he left the cabin, and banged the door after him
+in a rage.
+
+"And so, I went my way, Comrades, back to my ship, and served for many a
+long year after, carrying that book always in my breast, and thinking
+to myself, 'Well, what if thou art only a boatswain, Paul; thou hast
+wherewithal in thy keeping to make thee a commodore any day.'"
+
+"And what can it be, then, this book?" said the party, in a breath.
+
+"You shall see," said Paul, solemnly; "for though I have never shown it
+since, nor have I ever told the story before, here it is."
+
+With these words he drew from his bosom a small square volume, bound in
+vellum, and fastened by a clasp; lettered on the cover, "Signals of the
+Channel Fleet."
+
+This was the secret of honest Paul's life; and as he turned over the
+leaves, he expatiated with eloquent delight on the various British
+emblems which were represented there, in all their brilliant coloring.
+
+"That double streak of yellow on the black is to make all sail,
+Comrades," said he. "Whenever they see us standing out to sea you may
+remark that signal flying."
+
+"And what is this large blue flag here, with all the colored bars across
+it?" said one.
+
+"Ay," cried another, "they're very fond of that ensign; what can it be?"
+
+"Close action," growled out Paul, sullenly, who didn't fancy even the
+reflective praise this question implied to the hated rival.
+
+"_Sacrebleu!_" said a third, "they've no other to announce a victory.
+Look here; it is the same flag for both."
+
+Paul shut up the book at this, with a muttered curse, which might have
+been intended either for his comrades or the English, or both together,
+and the whole party became suddenly silent.
+
+It was now that the landlord's tact became conspicuous; for instead
+of any condoling expressions on what might have been deemed the
+unsuccessful result of Paul's career, he affected to think that the
+brave seaman was more to be envied for the possession of that volume
+than if he walked the deck an admiral of France.
+
+This flattery, aided by a fresh supply of Burgundy, had full success;
+and from story-telling the party fell to singing,--the songs being
+only a more boastful detail of their prowess at sea than their prose
+narratives; and even here Paul maintained his supremacy.
+
+Sleep, however, stronger than self-glorification and pride, fell on the
+party one by one, and they lay down at last on the tables and benches,
+and slumbered heavily.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.  A MOONLIGHT RECOGNITION
+
+I sat on my bed in the little chamber allotted me, and as the bright
+moonlight streamed along the floor, and lit up the wide landscape
+without, I hesitated within myself whether I should await the morning,
+or at once set forth on my way to the coast. It was true the abbe had
+not arrived; and without him I knew nothing of the vessel, nor where she
+lay, much less by what means I should induce the crew to receive me as
+a passenger. But my heart was fixed on gaining the coast; once there,
+I felt that the sea alone rolled between me and my country, and I had
+little doubt some means of escape would present itself.
+
+The desire to return to Ireland, long stilled, was now become a passion.
+I thought some new career must there open for me, and in its active
+vicissitudes I should make amends for the wearisome languor of my late
+life. What this novel path was to be, and where to lead, I cannot
+say; nor am I able now, in looking back, to guess by what sophistry I
+persuaded myself into this belief. It was the last ray of hope within
+me, however, and I cherished it only the more fondly for its very
+uncertainty.
+
+As I sat thus deliberating with myself what course to take, the door was
+cautiously opened, and the landlord entered.
+
+"He is come," whispered he; "and, thank Heaven! not too late."
+
+"The abbe?" inquired I.
+
+"No, not the abbe; but the Comte de Chambord. The abbe will not venture;
+but it matters not, if you will. The letters are all ready; the sloop is
+off the coast; the wind is fair--"
+
+"And not a moment to be lost," added a deep, low voice, as the figure of
+a tall man, wrapped in a travelling cloak, darkened the doorway. "Leave
+us, Pierre; this is the gentleman, I suppose?"
+
+"Yes, sir," said the landlord. "Should you need a light, I 'll bring
+one."
+
+"Thank you, friend; we can dispense with any, save what the moon affords
+us."
+
+As the door closed on the retiring figure of the host, the stranger took
+his place beside me on the bed, and in a low voice thus began:--
+
+"I only know, sir, that you have the full confidence of one of my
+stanchest and best friends, who tells me that you are willing to incur
+great risk, provided you gain the chance of reaching your native land.
+That chance--nay, I will call it that certainty--lies in my power; and,
+in return for the assistance, are you willing to do me a service?"
+
+"I served the Emperor, sir; ask me not anything unworthy of one who wore
+his epaulette. Aught else, if it be but honorable and fair, I 'll do."
+
+"I have no leisure for casuistry, nor is it my humor, sir," replied he
+angrily. "Neither do I seek any wondrous devotion at your hands. The
+service is an easy one: costs nothing at the present; involves nothing
+for the future."
+
+"The slight value you place upon it may detract but little from my
+objection," said I.
+
+"_Sacre ciel!_" exclaimed he, in a louder voice, as he sprang from the
+bed and clasped his hands before him. "Is it to be ever thus? Is every
+step we take to be marred by some unlooked for casualty? Is the stamp
+of fear and vacillation to be on every act of our lives? This abbe, the
+creature we have made, the man whose fortune is our handiwork, could
+render but one service to our cause; and he fails us in our need. And
+now, you--"
+
+"Beware, sir, how you speak to one who has never been accustomed to
+hear his name slightingly used nor his honor impugned. With your cause,
+whatever it be, I have no sympathy. Remember that; and remember, also,
+we are strangers to each other."
+
+"No, _par Saint Denis!_ that we are not!" said he, seizing me by the
+arm, as he turned his head round, and stared me steadfastly in the face.
+"It was but this instant I deemed my fortune at the worst; and now I
+find myself mistaken. Do you know me now?" said he, throwing off his
+travelling cap, and letting his cloak fall from his shoulders to the
+ground.
+
+"De Beauvais!" exclaimed I, thunderstruck at the sight.
+
+"Yes, sir; the same De Beauvais whose fortunes you have blighted,
+whose honor you have tarnished--Interrupt me not. The mill at Holbrun
+witnessed the latter, if even the former were an error; and now we meet
+once more."
+
+"Not as enemies, however; at least on my side. You may persist, if you
+will, in attributing to me wrongs I never inflicted. I can better bear
+the imputation, unjust though it be, than involve myself in any quarrel
+with one I feel no anger towards. I was in hopes a few hours hence might
+have seen me on my way from France forever; but here, or elsewhere, I
+will not reply to your enmity."
+
+De Beauvais made no reply as I concluded, but with his arms crossed, and
+head bent down, seemed lost in thought.
+
+"And so," said he, at length, in a slow, sad voice, "you have not found
+the service of the Usurper as full of promise as you hoped; you have
+followed his banner long enough to learn how mean a thing even ambition
+may be, and how miserably selfish is the highest aspiration of an
+adventurer!"
+
+"The Emperor was my good master," said I, sternly; "it would ill become
+me to vent my disappointment on aught save my own demerits."
+
+"I have seen as slight deservings bring a high reward, notwithstanding,"
+replied he; "ay, and win their meed of praise from lips whose eulogy was
+honor. There was a service, Burke--"
+
+"Stay, no more of this!" said I. "You are unjust to your own cause and
+to me, if you deem that the hour of baffled hopes is that in which I
+could see its justice. _You_ are true and faithful to one whose fortunes
+look darkly. I respect the fidelity, while I will not follow its
+dictates. I leave the path where fame and riches abound; I only ask you
+to believe that I do so with honor. Let us part, then."
+
+"Where do you mean to go, hence?"
+
+"I know not; a prospect of escape had led me hither. I must now bethink
+me of some other course."
+
+"Burke, I am your debtor for one kindness, at least," said De Beauvais,
+after a brief pause. "You saved my life at the risk of your own. The
+night at the Chateau d'Ancre should never be forgotten by me; nor had
+it been, if I did not revenge my own disappointed hopes, in not
+seducing you to our cause, upon yourself. It may be that I wrong you in
+everything as in this."
+
+"Believe me, that you do, De Beauvais."
+
+"Be it as it may, I am your debtor. I came here to-night to meet one who
+had pledged himself to perform a service. He has failed in his promise;
+will you take his place? The same means of escape shall be yours. All
+the precautions for his safety and sure conduct shall be taken in your
+behalf. I ask no pledge for the honorable discharge of what I seek at
+your hands, save your mere assent."
+
+"What is it you require of me?"
+
+"That you deliver these letters to their several addresses; that you
+do so with your own hands; that when questioned, as you may be, on the
+state of France, you will not answer as the partisan of the Usurper."
+
+"I understand you. Enough: I refuse your offer. Your zeal for the cause
+you serve must indeed be great when it blinds you to all consideration
+for one placed as I am."
+
+"It has made me forget more, sir, far more than that, as I might prove
+to you, were I to tell what my life has been for two years past. But for
+such forgetfulness there is an ample recompense, a glorious one,--the
+memory of our king." He paused at these words, and in his tremulous
+voice and excited gesture I could read the passion that worked within
+him. "Come, then; there shall be no more question of a compact between
+us. I ask no conditions, I seek for no benefits: you shall escape.
+Take my horse; my servant, who is also mounted, will accompany you to
+Beudron, where you will find fresh horses in readiness. This passport
+will prevent all interruption or delay; it is countersigned by Fouche
+himself. At Lisieux, which you will reach by sunset, you can leave the
+cattle, and the boy of the cabaret will be your guide to the Falaise
+de Biville. The tide will ebb at eleven o'clock, and a rocket from the
+sloop will be your signal to embark."
+
+"And for this I can render nothing in return?" said I, sadly.
+
+"Yes. It may be that in your own country you will hear the followers
+of our king scoffed at and derided,--called fools or fanatics, perhaps
+worse. I would only ask of you to bear witness that they are at least
+ardent in the cause they have sworn to uphold, and firm to the faith
+to which they have pledged themselves. This is the only service you can
+render us, but it is no mean one. And now, farewell!"
+
+"Farewell, De Beauvais! But ere we separate forever, let me hear from
+your lips that you bear me no enmity; that we are friends, as we used to
+be."
+
+"Here is my hand. I care not if you injured me once; we can be friends
+now, for we are little likely to meet again as enemies. Adieu!"
+
+While De Beauvais left the room to order the horses to be in readiness,
+the landlord entered it, and seemed to busy himself most eagerly in
+preparing my knapsack for the road.
+
+"I trust you will be many a mile hence ere the day breaks," said
+he, with an anxiety I could ill comprehend, but which at the time
+I attributed to his desire for the safety of one intrusted with an
+important mission. "And now, here come the horses.'"
+
+A moment more, and I was seated in the saddle. A brief word at parting
+was all De Beauvais spoke, and turned away; and the minute after I was
+hurrying onward towards Beudron.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII. THE FALAISE DE BIVILLE.
+
+Everything occurred as De Beauvais had predicted. The authorities in the
+little villages we passed glanced at my passport, and as instantaneously
+handed it back, and we journeyed like couriers of the Emperor, without
+halt or impediment.
+
+We reached Lisieux early in the evening, where, having dismissed the
+servant and horses, I took my way on foot towards a small fishing
+village, called La Hupe, where at a certain cabaret I was to find my
+guide to Biville.
+
+The address of the sailor written on a card, and marked with a peculiar
+cipher by De Beauvais, was at once recognized by the old Norman, who
+welcomed me with a rude but kindly hospitality.
+
+"Thou art more like a man to make this venture than the last three who
+came down here," said he, as he slowly measured me with his eye from
+head to foot. "These priests they sent us never dared even to look at
+the coast, much less to descend the cliffs; but thou hast a look about
+thee of another fashion. And now, the first thing is to have something
+to eat, and I promise thee a _goutte_ of brandy will not be amiss to
+prepare thee for what is before thee."
+
+"Is there, then, so much of danger in the descent?"
+
+"Not if a man's head be steady and his hand firm; but he must have both,
+and a stout heart to guide them, or the journey is not over-pleasant.
+Art thou cool enough in time of peril to remember what has been told
+thee for thy guidance?"
+
+"Yes; I hope I can promise so much."
+
+"Then thou art all safe; so eat away, and leave the rest to me."
+
+Although the sailor's words had stimulated my curiosity in the highest
+degree, I repressed every semblance of the feeling, and ate my supper
+with a well-feigned appearance of easy indifference; while he questioned
+me about the hopes of the Bourbon party in their secret machinations,
+with a searching inquisitiveness that often nearly baffled all my
+ingenuity in reply.
+
+"Ah! _par Saint Denis!_" said he, with a deep sigh, "I see well thou
+hast small hope now; and, in truth, I feel as thou dost. When George
+Cadoudal and his brave fellows failed, where are we to look for success?
+I mind well the night he supped here."
+
+"Here, said you?"
+
+"Ay, where you sit now,--on the same seat. There was an English
+officer with him. He wore a blue uniform, and sat yonder, beneath that
+fishing-net; the others were hid along the shore."
+
+"Was it here they landed, then?"
+
+"Yes, to be sure, at the Falaise; there is not another spot to land on
+for miles along the coast."
+
+The old sailor then began a circumstantial account of the arrival of
+George and his accomplices from England; and told how they had one by
+one scaled the cliffs by means of a cord, well known in these parts,
+called the "smuggler's rope." "Thou shalt see the spot now," added he,
+"for there's the signal yonder."
+
+He pointed as he spoke to an old ruined tower, which crowned a cliff
+about half a mile distant, and from a loophole in which I could see a
+branch of ivy waving, as though moved by the wind.
+
+"And what may that mean?"
+
+"The cutter is in sight; as the wind is off shore, she 'll be able to
+come in close to-night. Indeed, if it blew from the westward, she dared
+not venture nearer, nor thou, either, go down to meet her. So, now let's
+be moving."
+
+About twenty minutes' walking brought us to the old signal-tower, on
+looking from the window of which I beheld the sea plashing full three
+hundred feet beneath. The dark rocks, fissured by time and weather, were
+abrupt as a wall, and in some places even overhung the waves that rolled
+heavily below. Masses of tangled seaweed and shells, which lay in the
+crevices of the cliffs, showed where in times of storm the wild waters
+were thrown; while lower down, amid fragments of rocks, the heavy beams
+and planks of shipwrecked vessels surged with every motion of the tide.
+
+"You cannot see the cutter now," said the old sailor,--"the setting sun
+leaves a haze over the sea; but in a few minutes more we shall see her."
+
+"I am rather looking for the pathway down this bold cliff," replied I,
+as I strained my eyes to catch something like a way to descend by.
+
+"Then throw thine eyes in this direction," said the sailor, as he
+pointed straight down beneath the window of the tower. "Seest thou that
+chain there? Well, follow it a little farther, and thou may'st mark a
+piece of timber jutting from the rock."
+
+"Yes, I see it plainly."
+
+"Well, the path thou asketh for is beneath that spar. It is a good rope
+of stout hemp, and has carried the weight of many a brave fellow before
+now."
+
+"The smuggler's rope?"
+
+"The same. Art afraid to venture, now thou seest the place?"
+
+"You'll not find me so, friend. I have seen danger as close before now,
+and did not blink it."
+
+"Mark me well, then," said he, laying his hand on my arm. "When thou
+readiest that rope, thou wilt let thyself cautiously down to a small
+projecting point of rock; we cannot see it here, but thou wilt soon
+discern it in the descent. The rope from this goes no farther, for that
+spot is nigh sixty fathom below us. From thence the cliff slopes sharply
+down about thirty or forty feet. Here thou must creep cautiously,--for
+the moss is dry and slippery at this season,--till thou nearest the
+edge. Mark me well, now: near the edge thou'lt find a large stone
+fast-rooted in the ground; and around that another rope is fastened, by
+which thou may'st reach the bottom of the precipice. There is but one
+place of peril in the whole."
+
+"The sloping bank, you mean?"
+
+"Yes; that bit will try thy nerve. Remember, if thy foot slip, there's
+nothing to stop thy fall; the cliff is rounded over the edge, and the
+blue sea beats two hundred feet below it. And see! look yonder, far away
+there! Seest thou the twinkling, as of a small star, on the water?"
+
+"The cutter will throw up a rocket, will she not?"
+
+"A rocket!" repeated he, contemptuously; "that's some landsman's story
+thou hast been listening to. A rocket would bring the whole fleet of
+boats from Treport on her. No, no; they know better than that: the
+faintest glimmer of a fishing-craft is all they 'll dare to show. But
+see how steadily it burns now! we must make the signal seawards."
+
+"Halloo, Joseph! a light there."
+
+A boy's voice answered from the upper part of the tower,--the same
+figure who made the signal towards the shore, and whose presence there I
+had altogether forgotten; and in a few minutes a red glare on the rocks
+below showed that the old man's command was obeyed, and the beacon
+lighted.
+
+"Ah! they see it already," cried he, triumphantly, pointing seawards;
+"they've extinguished the light now, but will show it again, from time
+to time."
+
+"But tell me, friend, how happens it that the marines of the Guard, who
+line this coast, do not perceive these signals?"
+
+"And who tells thee that they do not? They may be looking, as we are
+now, at that same craft, and watching Her as she beats in shore; but
+they know better than to betray us. Ah, _ma foi!_ the 'contrebande'
+is better than the Government. Enough for them if they catch some poor
+English prisoner now and then, and have him shot; that contents the
+Emperor, as they call him, and he thinks the service all that is brave
+and vigilant. But as to us, it is our own fault if we fall in with them;
+it would need the rocket you spoke of a while ago to shame them into it.
+There, look again,--thou seest how far in shore they've made already;
+the cutter is stealing fast along the water. Answer the signal, Joseph."
+
+The boy replenished the fire with some dry wood, and it blazed up
+brilliantly, illuminating the gray cliffs and dark rocks, on which the
+night was fast falling, but leaving all beyond its immediate sphere in
+deepest blackness.
+
+"I see not, friend, by what means I am to discover this sloping cliff,
+much less guide my way along it," said I, as I gazed over the precipice,
+and tried to penetrate the gloomy abyss below me.
+
+"Thou 'lt have the moon at full in less than two hours; and if thou 'lt
+take a friend's counsel, thou 'lt have a sleep ere that time. Lay thee
+down yonder on those rushes; I 'll awake thee when time comes for it."
+
+The rather that I resolved to obey my old guide in his every direction,
+than from any desire for slumber at such a time, I followed his advice,
+and threw myself full length in a corner of the tower. In the perfect
+stillness of the hour, the sea alone was heard, surging in slow, minute
+peals through many a deep cavern below; and then, gathering for fresh
+efforts, it swelled and beat against the stern rocks in passionate fury.
+Such sounds, heard in the silence of the night, are of the saddest; nor
+was their influence lightened by the low, monotonous chant of the old
+sailor, who, seated in a corner, began to repair a fishing-net, as he
+sang to himself some ditty of the sea.
+
+How strangely came the thought to my mind, that all the peril I once
+incurred to reach France, the hoped-for, wished-for land, I should
+again brave to escape from its shores! Every dream of boyish ambition
+dissipated, every high hope flown, I was returning to my country as poor
+and humble as I left it, but with a heart shorn of all the enthusiasm
+that gave life its coloring. In what way I could shape my future career
+I was not able even to guess; a vague leaning to some of England's
+distant colonies, some new world beyond the seas, being all my
+imagination could frame of my destiny. A sudden flash of light,
+illuminating the whole interior of the tower, startled me from my
+musings, while the sailor called out,--
+
+"Come, wake up, friend! The cutter is standing in close, and a signal to
+make haste flying from her mast."
+
+I sprang to my legs, and looked out. The sea was all freckled with the
+moonlight, and the little craft shone like silver, as the bright beams
+glanced on her white sails. The tall cliffs alone preserved their gloom,
+and threw a dark and frowning shadow over the waves beneath them.
+
+"I can see nothing close to shore," said I, pointing to the dark rocks
+beneath the window.
+
+"Thou'lt have the moon presently; she's rising above the crest of the
+hill, and then the cliffs are clear as at noonday. So, make haste! strap
+on that knapsack on your shoulder; high up, mind; and give thine arms
+full play,--that's it. Now fasten thy shoes over all; thou wert not
+about to wear them, surely?" said he in a tone almost derisive. "Take
+care, in keeping from the face of the rock, not to sway the rope; it
+wears the cordage. And, above all, mind well when thou reachest the
+cliff below; let not thy hold go before thou hast well felt thy footing.
+See, the moon is up already!"
+
+As he spoke, a vast sheet of yellow light seemed to creep over the whole
+face of the precipice, displaying every crag and projection, and making
+every spot of verdure or rock brilliant in color; while, many a fathom
+down below, the heavy waves were seen,--now rising in all their majestic
+swell, now pouring back in their thousand cataracts from every fissure
+in the precipice. So terribly distinct did each object show, so
+dreadfully was each distance marked, I felt that all its former gloom
+and darkness were not one half so thrilling as that moonlight splendor.
+
+"La bonne Marie guard thee now!" said the old seaman, as he wrung my
+hand in his strong fingers. "Be steady and cool of head, and there is
+no danger; and look not downwards till thou hast got accustomed to the
+cliff."
+
+As he said this, he opened a small door at the foot of the tower stair,
+and passing through himself, desired me to follow. I did so, and now
+found myself on a narrow ledge of rock, directly over the crag; below,
+at about ten feet, lay the chain to which the rope was attached, and to
+reach it was not the least perilous part of the undertaking. But in this
+I was assisted by the old man, who, passing a rope through a massive
+iron staple, gradually lowered me till my hand came opposite the chain.
+
+"Thou hast it now," cried he, as he saw me disengage one hand and grasp
+the iron links firmly.
+
+"Yes, all safe! Good-by, friend; good-by!"
+
+"Wait yet," cried he again. "Let not go the cord before thou thinkest
+a minute or so; I have known more than one change his mind when he felt
+himself where thou art."
+
+"Mine is made up. Farewell!"
+
+"Stay, stay!" shouted he rapidly. "See, thou hast forgotten this purse
+on the rock here; wait, and I will lower it with a cord."
+
+By this time I had grasped the chain firmly with both hands, and with
+the resolve of one who felt life depend on his own firmness, I began
+the descent. The old man's voice, as he muttered a prayer for my safety,
+grew fainter and fainter, till at length it ceased to reach my ears
+altogether.
+
+Then, for the first time, did my heart sink within me. The words of one
+human being, faint and broken by distance, suggested a sense of sympathy
+which nerved my courage and braced my arm; but the dreary silence that
+followed, only broken by the booming of the sea below, was awful beyond
+measure.
+
+Hand below hand I went, the space seeming never to lessen, as I strained
+my eyes to catch the cliff where the first rope ended. Time, as in
+some fearful dream, seemed protracted to years long; and I already
+anticipated the moment when, my strength failing, my hands would
+relinquish their hold, and I should be dashed upon the dark rocks below.
+The very sea-birds, which I startled in my descent, wheeled round my
+head, piercing the air with their shrill cries, and as if impatient for
+a prey. Above my head the frowning cliff beetled darkly; below, a depth
+unfathomable seemed to stretch, from whose black abyss arose the wild
+sounds of beating waves. More than once, too, I thought that the
+rope had given way above, and that I was actually falling through the
+air,--and held my breath in horror; then, again, the idea flashed
+upon me that death inevitable awaited me, and I fancied in the singing
+billows I could hear the wild shouts of demons rejoicing over my doom.
+
+Through all these maddening visions, the instinct to preserve my life
+held its strong sway, and I clutched the knotted rope with the eager
+grasp of a drowning man; when suddenly I felt my foot strike a rock
+beneath, and then discovered I was on the cliff of which the sailor had
+told me. In a few seconds the sense of security imparted a thrill of
+pleasure to my heart, and I uttered a prayer of thankfulness for my
+safety.
+
+But the fearful conviction of greater danger as suddenly succeeded. The
+rope I had so long trusted terminated here; the end hung listlessly on
+the rock, and from thence to the brow of the cliff nothing remained to
+afford a grip save the short moss and the dried ferns withered with the
+sun. The surface of this frightful ledge sloped rapidly towards the edge
+where was the rock around which the rope was tied.
+
+Fatigued by my previous exertion I sat down on that moss-grown cliff and
+gazed out upon the sea, along which the cutter came, proudly dashing
+the spray from her bows, and bending gracefully with every wave. She was
+standing fearlessly in, for the wind was off the land, and, as she swept
+along, I could have fancied her directly beneath my very feet.
+
+Arousing myself from the momentary stupor of my faculties, I began to
+creep down the cliff; but so slippery had the verdure become by heat,
+that I could barely sustain myself by grasping the very earth with my
+fingers. Aloud "Halloo!" was shouted from the craft, and arose in many
+an echo around me; I tried to reply, but could not. A second cheer
+saluted me, but I did not endeavor to answer it. The moment was full of
+peril. I had come to the last spot which offered a hold, and below me,
+at some feet, lay the rock, hanging, as it were, over the precipice; it
+seemed to me as though a sea-bird's weight might have sent it thundering
+into the depth beneath. The moon was on it, and I could see the rope
+coiled twice around it, and knotted carefully. What would I have given
+in that terrible minute for one tuft of grass, one slender bough, even
+enough to have sustained my weight for a second or two, until I should
+grasp the cord! But none was there.
+
+A louder cry from the cutter now rang in my ears, and the dreadful
+thought of destruction now flashed on me. I fixed my eyes on the rock to
+measure the place; and then, turning with my face towards the cliff, I
+suffered myself to slip downwards. At first I went slowly; then faster
+and faster. At last my legs passed over the brow of the precipice. I
+was falling! My head reeled. I uttered a cry, and in an agony of despair
+threw out my hands. They caught the rope. Knot after knot slipped past
+my fingers in the descent ere my senses became sufficiently clear to
+know what was occurring. But even then the instinct of self-preservation
+was stronger than reason; for I afterwards learned from the boat's crew
+with what skill I guided myself along the face of the cliff, avoiding
+every difficulty of the jagged rocks, and tracking my way like the most
+experienced climber.
+
+I stood upon a broad fiat rock, over which white sheets of foam were
+dashing. Oh, how I loved to see them curling on my feet t I could have
+kissed the bright water on which the moonbeams sported, for the moment
+of danger was passed; the shadow of a dreadful death had moved from
+my soul. What cared I now for the boiling surf that toiled and fretted
+about me? The dangers of the deep were as nothing to that I escaped
+from; and when the cutter's boat came bounding towards me, I minded
+not the oft-repeated warnings of the sailors, but plunging in, I dashed
+towards her on a retreating wave, and was dragged on board almost
+lifeless from my struggles.
+
+The red glare of the signal-fire was blazing from the old tower as we
+got under weigh. I felt my eyes riveted on it as I lay on the deck of
+the little vessel, which now stood out to sea in gallant style. It was
+my last look of France, and so I felt it.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII. THE LANDING
+
+With the crew of the cutter I had little intercourse. They were
+Jerseymen,--that hybrid race, neither French nor English,--who followed
+the trade of spies and smugglers, and were true to nothing save their
+own interests. The skipper, a coarse, ill-featured fellow, in no respect
+superior to the others, leisurely perused the letter De Beauvais gave
+me on my departure; then, tearing it slowly, threw the pieces into the
+fire.
+
+"What, then, is this?" said he, taking up a sealed packet, which I now
+for the first time perceived was fastened to my knapsack. "It seems
+meant for me; look at the address, 'Jacques Oloquette, on board the
+"Rouge Galant."'" And so saying, he broke the seal, and bent over the
+contents.
+
+"Oh," cried he, in a voice of triumphant delight, "this is a prize worth
+having,--the English signal-book!" And he held up the little volume
+which Paul Dupont had rescued from the "Fawn."
+
+"How came it here?" said I, horror-struck at the loss the poor sailor
+had sustained.
+
+"Old Martin, of the 'Star,' tells me he stole it from a marine of the
+Guard, and that it cost him twenty-four flasks of his best Pomard
+before the fellow and his companions were drunk enough to make the theft
+practicable."
+
+I remembered at once the eagerness of the landlord for my departure, and
+the hurried anxiety of his wish that morning might find me miles off on
+my journey, as well as the care he bestowed on strapping my knapsack,
+and saw how all had occurred.
+
+"I knew most of them already," continued the skipper. "But here is one
+will serve our turn well now,--the very thing we wanted, for it
+saves all delay and stoppage. That flag is the signal for Admiralty
+despatches, which are often brought by small craft like ours when they
+can't spare cruisers. We 'll soon rig it out, you 'll see, and run down
+Channel with all our canvas set."
+
+He went aft as he spoke; and in a few seconds the cutter's head was
+directed straight towards the English coast, while, crowding on more
+sail, she seemed to fly through the water.
+
+The cheering freshness of the sea-breeze, the sense of danger past,
+the hope of escape, all combining, raised my spirits and elevated my
+courage; but through all, I felt grieved beyond measure at the loss
+of poor Paul Dupont,--the prize the honest fellow valued next to life
+itself, if not above it, taken from him in the very moment of his
+exultation! Besides, I could not help feeling that suspicion must light
+on me from my sudden disappearance; and my indignation was deep, to
+think how such an imputation would tarnish the honor of that service I
+gloried in so much. "How far may such a calumny spread?" thought I. "How
+many lips may repeat the tale, and none be able to deny it?" Deep as was
+my regret at the brave Breton's loss, my anger for its consequences
+was still deeper; and I would willingly have perilled all my hope of
+reaching England to have been able to restore the book into Paul's own
+hand.
+
+These feelings did not tend to draw me closer in intimacy with the
+skipper; whose pleasure at the acquisition was only heightened by the
+subtlety of its accomplishment, and who seemed never so happy as when
+repeating some fragment of the landlord's letter, and rejoicing at the
+discomfiture the brave sailor must have experienced on discovering
+his loss. To witness the gratification a coarse nature feels in some
+unworthy but successful action, is the heaviest penalty an honorable
+mind can experience when unhappily its possessor has been in any way
+accessory to the result. With these reflections I fell off to sleep, and
+never woke till the bright sun was shining over the white-crested water,
+and the craft breasting the waves with a strong breeze upon her canvas.
+
+As we held on down Channel, we passed several ships of war beating up
+for Spithead; but our blue bunting, curiously streaked with white, was a
+signal which all acknowledged, and none ventured to retard. Thus passed
+the first day: as night was falling, we beheld the Needles on our lee,
+and with a freshening breeze, held on our course.
+
+A second morning broke. And now the sea was covered with the white sails
+of a magnificent fleet, bound for the West Indies; at least, so the
+skipper pronounced it. It was indeed a glorious sight to see the mighty
+vessels obeying the signals of the flag-ship, and shaping their course
+through the blue water as if instinct with life and reason. They were
+far seaward of us, however; for now we hugged the land, as the skipper
+was only desirous of an opportunity to land me unobserved before he
+proceeded on his own more immediate enterprise,--the smuggling of some
+hogsheads of brandy on the coasts of Ireland.
+
+Left to my own thoughts,--the memories of my past life,--I dreamed away
+the hours unconsciously, and as the time sped on, I knew not of its
+flight. Some strange sail, seen from afar off, would for an instant
+arouse my attention; but it was a mere momentary effect, and I fell back
+into my musings, as though they had never been interrupted. As I look
+back upon that voyage now, and think of the dreamy listlessness in which
+its hours were passed, I can half fancy that certain periods of our
+lives are destined to sustain the part which night performs in our daily
+existence, and by their monotony contribute to that renewal of energy
+and vigor so essential after times of labor and exertion. It seemed to
+me as though, the period of exertion past, I was regaining in rest and
+repose the power for future action; and I canvassed every act of
+the past to teach me more of my own heart, and to instruct me for my
+guidance in life after.
+
+"You can land now, whenever you please," said the skipper to me, as by a
+faint moonlight we moved along the waveless sea. "We can put you ashore
+at any moment here."
+
+I started with as much surprise as though the thought had never occurred
+to me; and without replying, I leaned over the bulwark, and gazed at the
+faint shadows of tall headlands about three miles distant.
+
+"How do you call that bluff yonder?" said I, carelessly.
+
+"Wicklow Head."
+
+"Wicklow Head! Ireland!" cried I, with a thrill of ecstasy my heart had
+never felt for many a day before. "Yes, yes; land me there,--now, at
+once!" said I, as a thousand thoughts came rushing to my mind, and hopes
+too vague for utterance, but palpable enough to cherish.
+
+With the speed their calling teaches, the crew lowered the boat, and as
+I took my place in the stern, pulled vigorously towards the shore. As
+the swift bark glided along the shallow sea, I could scarce restrain
+my impatience from springing out and rushing on land. Without family or
+friend, without one to welcome or meet me, still it was home,--the only
+home I ever had.
+
+The sharp keel grated on the beach; its sound vibrated within my heart.
+I jumped on shore; a few words of parting, and the men backed their
+oars; the boat slipped fast through the water. The cutter, too, got
+speedily under weigh again, and I was alone. Then the full torrent of my
+feelings found their channel, and I burst into tears. Oh! they were not
+tears of sorrow; neither were they the outpourings of excessive joy.
+They were the utterance of a heart loaded with its own unrelieved
+griefs, who now found sympathy on touching the very soil of home. I felt
+I was no longer friendless. Ireland, my own dear native country, would
+be to me a place of kindred and family, and I fell upon my knees, and
+blessed it.
+
+Following a little path, which led slantingly up the cliff, I reached
+the top as day was beginning to break, and gained a view of the country.
+The range of swelling hills, dotted with cottages and waving with
+wood; the fields of that emerald green one sees not in other lands;
+the hedge-rows bounding the little farms,--all so unlike the spreading
+plains of France,--struck me with delight, and it was with a rapture of
+happiness I called the land my country.
+
+Directing my steps towards Dublin, I set out at a good pace, but
+following a path which led near the cliffs, in preference to the
+highroad; for I was well aware that my appearance and dress would expose
+me to curiosity, and perhaps subject me to more serious annoyance. My
+first object was to learn some news of my brother; for although the
+ties of affection had been long since severed between us, those of blood
+still remained, and I wished to hear of, and it might be to see him,
+once more. For some miles I had kept my eyes directed towards a little
+cabin which crowned a cliff that hung over the sea; and this I reached
+at last, somewhat wearied and hungry.
+
+As I followed a little footpath which conducted to the door, a fierce
+terrier rushed out as if to attack me, but was immediately restrained
+by the voice of a man within, calling, "Down, Vicksey! down, you baste!"
+and the same moment a stout, middle-aged man appeared at the door.
+
+"Don't be afeard, sir; she's not wicked, but we're unused to strangers
+down here."
+
+"I should think so, friend, from my path," said I, throwing a glance
+at the narrow footway I had followed for some miles, over hill and
+precipice; "but I am unacquainted with the country, and was looking out
+for some house where I might obtain a breakfast."
+
+"There's a town about three miles down yonder, and a fine inn, I 'm
+tould, sir," replied he, as he scrutinized my appearance with a shrewd
+eye; "but if I might make so bould, maybe you 'd as lief not go there,
+and perhaps you 'd take share of what we have here?"
+
+"Willingly," said I, accepting the hospitable offer as freely as it was
+made, and entered the cabin at once.
+
+A good-featured countrywoman and some young children were seated at the
+table, where a large dish of potatoes and some fresh fish were smoking,
+a huge jug of milk occupying the middle of the board. The woman blushed
+as she heard that her husband had invited a gentleman to partake of his
+humble meal; but the honest fellow cared little for the simple fare he
+offered with so good a grace, and placed my chair beside his own with
+the air of one who was more anxious for his guest's comfort than caring
+what impression he himself might make upon him.
+
+After some passing words about the season and the state of the
+tides,--for my host was a fisherman,--I turned the conversation on the
+political condition of the country, avowing frankly that I had been for
+some years absent, and was ignorant of what had occurred meantime.
+
+"'Twas that same I was thinking, sir," said he, replying to the first
+and not the latter part of my remark. "When I saw your honor's face, and
+the beard you wore, I said to myself you wor a Frenchman."
+
+"You mistook there, then; I am your countryman, but have passed a good
+many years in France."
+
+"Fighting for Boney?" said he, as his eyes opened wide with surprise to
+behold one actually before him who might have served under Napoleon.
+
+"Yes, my good friend, even so; I was in the army of the Emperor."
+
+"Tare an ages! then, are they coming over here now?" cried he, almost
+gasping in his eagerness.
+
+"No, no," replied I, gravely; "and be thankful, too, for it, for your
+own and your children's sakes, that you see not a war raging in the
+fields and cities of your native land. Be assured, whatever wrongs you
+suffer,--I will not dispute their existence, for, as I told you, I am
+ignorant of the condition of the country,--but whatever they may be, you
+can pay too dearly for their remedy."
+
+"But sure they 'd be on our side, would n't they?"
+
+"Of course they would; but think you that they 'd fight your battles
+without their price? Do you believe that Frenchmen so love you here
+that they would come to shed their blood in your cause without their own
+prospect of advantage?"
+
+"They hate the English, I'm tould, as bad as we do ourselves."
+
+"They do so, and with more of justice for their hate. But that dislike
+might suffice to cause a war; it never would reward it. No, no; I know
+something of the spirit of French conquest. I glory in the bravery and
+the heroism that accomplished it; but I never wish to see my own country
+at the mercy of France. Whose soldier would you become if the Emperor
+Napoleon landed here to-morrow?--his. Whose uniform would you wear,
+whose musket carry, whose pay receive, whose orders obey?--his, and his
+only. And how long, think you, would your services be limited to home?
+What should prevent your being sent away to Egypt, to Poland, or to
+Russia? How much favor would an Irish deserter receive from a French
+court-martial, think you? No, good friend; while you have this warm roof
+to shelter you, and that broad sea is open for your industry and toil,
+never wish for foreign aid to assist you."
+
+I saw that the poor fellow was discouraged by my words, and gradually
+led him to speak of those evils for whose alleviation he looked
+to France. To my surprise, however, he descanted less on political
+grievances than those which affect the well-being of the country
+socially. It was not the severity of a Government, but the absence of
+encouragement to industry,--the neglect of the poor,--which afflicted
+him. England was no longer the tyrant; the landlord had taken her place.
+Still, with the pertinacity of ignorance, he visited all the wrongs on
+that land from which originally his first misfortunes came, and with
+perverse ingenuity would endeavor to trace out every hardship he
+suffered as arising from the ill-will and hatred the Saxon bore him.
+
+It was easy to perceive that the arguments he used were not of his own
+devising; they had been supplied by others, in whose opinion he had
+confidence; and though valueless and weak in reality, to him they were
+all-convincing and unanswerable,--not the less, perhaps, that they
+offered that value to self-love which comes from attributing any
+evils we endure to causes outside and independent of ourselves. These,
+confronted with extravagant hopes of what would ensue should national
+independence be established, formed his code; and however refuted on
+each point, a certain conviction, too deeply laid to be disturbed by any
+opposing force, remained; and in his "Well, well, God knows best!
+and maybe we'll have better luck yet," you could perceive that he was
+inaccessible to any appeal except from the quarter which ministered to
+his discontent and disaffection.
+
+One thing was clear to me from all he said, that if the spirit of open
+resistance no longer existed towards England, it was replaced by as
+determined and as rancorous hatred,--a brooding, ill-omened dislike had
+succeeded, to the full as hostile, and far less easily subdued. How it
+would end,--whether in the long-lingering fear which wastes the energies
+and saps the strength of a people, or in the conflict of a civil war,
+the prospect was equally ruinous.
+
+Sadly pondering on these things, I parted with my humble host, and set
+out towards the capital. If my conversation with the Irishman had taught
+me somewhat of the state of feeling then current in Ireland, it also
+conveyed another and very different lesson; it enabled me to take some
+account of the change years had effected in my own sentiments. As a
+boy, high-flown, vague, and unsettled ideas of national liberty and
+independence had made me look to France as the emancipator of Europe.
+As a man, I knew that the lust of conquest had extinguished the love of
+freedom in Frenchmen; that they who trusted to her did but exchange the
+dominion of their old masters for the tyranny of a new one; while such
+as boldly stepped forward in defence of their liberties, found that
+there was neither mercy nor compassion for the conquered.
+
+I had seen the Austrian prisoners and the Russian led captive through
+the streets of Paris; I had witnessed the great capital of Prussia in
+its day of mourning after Jena; and all my idolatry for the General
+scarce balanced my horror of the Emperor, whose vengeance had
+smitten two nations thus heavily: and I said within my heart, "May my
+countrymen, whatever be their day of need, never seek alliance with
+despotic France!"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV. A CHARACTER OF OLD DUBLIN
+
+It was about nine o'clock of a calm summer evening as I entered
+Dublin,--nearly the same hour at which, some ten years before, I had
+approached that city, poor, houseless, friendless; and still was I the
+same. In that great capital of my country I had not one to welcome
+me; not one who would rejoice at my coming, or feel any interest in my
+fortunes. This indeed was loneliness,--utter solitude. Still, if there
+be something which weighs heavily on the heart in the isolation of
+one like me, there is a proportionate sense of independence of his
+fellow-man that sustains the courage and gives energy to the will. I
+felt this as I mixed with the crowds that thronged the streets, and
+shrank not from the inquisitive glances which my questionable appearance
+excited as I passed.
+
+Though considerable changes had taken place in the outskirts of the
+capital since I had seen it last, the leading thoroughfares were just
+as I remembered them; and as I walked along Dame Street, and one by one
+each familiar object caught my eye, I could almost have fancied the
+long interval since I had been there before like a mere dream. National
+physiognomy, too, has a strange effect on him who has been long absent
+from his country. Each face you meet seems well known. The traits of
+features, to which the eye was once so well accustomed, awake a memory
+of individuals, and it is sometimes a moat difficult task to distinguish
+between the acquaintance and the passing stranger.
+
+This I experienced at every moment; and at length, as I stood gazing
+on the space before the Bank, and calling to mind the last scene I
+witnessed there, a tall, strongly-built man brushed close past me,
+and then turning round, fixed a steady and searching look on me. As I
+returned his stare, a sudden thought flashed upon me that I had seen
+the face before; but where, how, and when, I could not call to mind. And
+thus we stood silently confronting each other for some minutes.
+
+"I see you are a stranger here, sir," said he, touching his hat
+courteously; "can I be of service to you with any information as to the
+city?"
+
+"I was curious to know, sir," said I, still more puzzled by the voice
+than I had been by the features of the stranger, "if Miley's Hotel,
+which was somewhere in the neighborhood, exists still?"
+
+"It does, sir; but it has changed proprietors several times since you
+knew it," replied he, significantly. "The house is yonder, where you
+see that large lamp. I perceive, sir, I was mistaken in supposing you a
+foreigner. I wish you good-evening." And again saluting me, he resumed
+his way.
+
+As I crossed the street towards the hotel, I remarked that he turned as
+if to watch me, and became more than ever embarrassed as to who he might
+be.
+
+The doorway of the hotel was crowded with loungers and idlers of every
+class, from the loitering man about town to the ragged newsvendor,
+between whom, whatever disparity of condition existed, a tone of the
+most free-and-easy condition prevailed; the newsmen interpolating, amid
+the loud announcements of the latest intelligence, the reply to the
+observation beside him.
+
+One figure was conspicuous in the group. He was a short, dwarfish
+creature, with an enormous head, covered with a fell of black hair,
+falling in masses down his back and on his shoulders. A pair of
+fierce, fiery black eyes glared beneath his heavy brows; and a large,
+thick-lipped mouth moved with all the glib eloquence of his class and
+calling. Fearfully distorted legs and club feet gave to his gait a
+rolling motion, which added to the singularity of his whole appearance.
+
+Terry Regan was then at the head of his walk in Dublin; and to his
+capacious lungs and voluble tongue were committed the announcement of
+those great events which, from time to time, were given to the Irish
+public through the columns of the "Correspondent" and the "Dublin
+Journal."
+
+I soon found myself in the crowd around this celebrated character,
+who was, as usual, extolling the great value of that night's paper by
+certain brief suggestions regarding its contents.
+
+[Illustration: 410]
+
+"Here's the whole, full, and true account (bad luck to the less!) of the
+great and sanguinary battle between Boney and the Roosians; with all the
+particklars about the killed, wounded, and missing; with what Boney said
+when it was over."
+
+"What was that, Terry?"
+
+"Hould yer peace, ye spalpeen! Is it to the likes of yez I 'd be telling
+cabinet sacrets? (Here, yer honor),--'Falkner,' is it, or 'The Saunders'.
+With the report of Mr. O'Gogorman's grand speech in Ennis on the
+Catholic claims. There's, yer sowl, there's fippence worth any day ay
+the week. More be token, the letter from Jemmy O'Brien to his wife, wid
+an elegant epic poem called 'The Gauger.' Bloody news, gentlemen! bloody
+news! Won't yez sport a tester for a sight of a real battle, and
+ten thousand kilt; with 'The Whole Duty of an Informer, in two easy
+lessons.' The price of stocks and shares--Ay, Mr. O'Hara, and what
+boroughs is bringing in the market."
+
+This last sally was directed towards a large, red-faced man, who
+good-humoredly joined in the laugh against himself.
+
+"And who's this, boys?" cried the fellow, turning suddenly his piercing
+eyes on me, as I endeavored, step by step, to reach the door of the
+hotel. "Hurrool look at his beard, acushla! On my conscience, I wouldn't
+wonder if it was General Hoche himself. 'Tis late yer come, sir," said
+he, addressing me directly; "there's no fun here now at all, barrin'
+what Beresford has in the riding-house."
+
+"Get away, you ruffian!" said a well-dressed and respectable-looking
+man, somewhat past the middle of life; "how dare you permit your tongue
+to take liberties with a stranger? Allow me to make room for you, sir,"
+continued he, as he politely made an opening in the crowd, and suffered
+me to enter the house.
+
+"Ah, counsellor, dear, don't be cross," whined out the newsvendor;
+"sure, isn't it wid the bad tongue we both make our bread. And here,"
+vociferated he once more,--"and here ye have the grand dinner at the
+Lord Mayor's, wid all the speeches and toasts; wid the glorious, pious,
+and immortial memory of King William, who delivered us from Popery (by
+pitched caps), from slavery (by whipping), from brass money (by bad
+ha'pence), and from wooden shoes (by bare feet). Haven't we reason to
+bless his--? Ay, the heavens be his bed! 'Tis like Molly Crownahon's
+husband he was."
+
+"How was that, Terry?" asked a gentleman near.
+
+"Take a 'Saunders,' yer honor, and I 'll tell you."
+
+"Here, then, here's fippence; and now for the explanation."
+
+"Molly Crownahon, yer honor, was, like us poor craytures, always
+grateful and contented wid the Lord's goodness to us, even in taking
+away our chief comfort and blessing,--the darling up there on the horse!
+(Ah, 'tis an elegant sate ye have, without stirrups!) And she went
+one day to say a handful of prayers oyer his grave,--the husband's, ye
+mind,--and sure if she did, when she knelt down on the grass she sprung
+up again as quick as she went down, for the nettles was all over the
+place entirely. 'Bad scran to ye, Peter!' says she, as she rubbed her
+legs,--'bad scran to ye! living or dead, there was always a sting in
+ye.'"
+
+[Illustration: 414]
+
+As the latter part of this speech was addressed in a tone of apostrophe
+to the statue of King William, it was received by the assembled crowd
+with a roar of laughter.
+
+By this time I had entered the house, and only bethought me how little
+suited was the great hotel of the city to pretensions as humble as mine.
+It was now, however, too late to retreat, and I entered the coffee-room,
+carrying my knapsack in my hand. As I passed up the room in search of
+a vacant table, the looks of astonishment my appearance excited on each
+side were most palpable evidences that the company considered me as
+an interloper. While some contented themselves with a stare of steady
+surprise, others, less guarded in their impertinence, whispered with,
+and even winked at their neighbors, to attract attention towards me.
+
+Offensive as this unquestionably was, it amazed even more than it
+annoyed me. In France, such a display of feeling would have been
+impossible; and the humblest soldier of the army would not have been so
+received had he deemed fit to enter Beauvilliers' or Very's.
+
+Whether hurt at this conduct, and consequently more alive to affront
+from any quarter, or that the waiters participated in the sentiments
+of their betters, I cannot exactly say; but I certainly thought their
+manner even less equivocally betrayed the same desire of impertinence.
+This was not long a mere suspicion on my part; for on inquiring whether
+I could have a room for the night, the waiter, touching my knapsack,
+which lay on the ground beside me, with his foot, replied,--
+
+"Is this your luggage, sir?"
+
+Amazement so completely mastered my indignation at this insolence, that
+I could make no answer but by a look. This had its effect, however; and
+the fellow, without further delay, bustled off to make the inquiry.
+He returned in a few minutes with a civil message, that I could be
+accommodated, and having placed before me the simple meal I ordered,
+retired.
+
+As I sat over my supper, I could not help feeling that unless memory
+played me false, the company were little like the former frequenters
+of this house. I remembered it of old, when Bubbleton and his brother
+officers came there; and when the rooms were thronged with members
+of both Houses of Parliament,--when peers and gentlemen of the first
+families were grouped about the windows and fireplaces, and the highest
+names of the land were heard in the din of recognition; handsome
+equipages and led horses stood before the doors. But now the ragged mob
+without was scarce a less worthy successor to the brilliant display than
+were the company within to the former visitants. A tone of pretentious
+impertinence, an air of swagger and mock defiance,--the most opposite to
+the polished urbanity which once prevailed,--was now conspicuous; and
+in their loud speech and violent gesticulation, it was easy to mark
+how they had degenerated from that high standard which made the Irish
+gentleman of his day the most polished man of Europe.
+
+If in appearance and manner they fell far short of those my memory
+recalled, their conversation more markedly still displayed the long
+interval between them. Here, of old, were retailed the latest news of
+the debate,--the last brilliant thing of Grattan, or the last biting
+retort of Flood; here came, hot from debate, the great champions of
+either party to relax and recruit for fresh efforts; and in the groups
+that gathered around them you might learn how great genius can diffuse
+its influence and scatter intelligence around it,--as the Nile
+waters spread plenty and abundance wherever they flow: high and noble
+sentiments, holy aspirations and eloquent thoughts, made an atmosphere,
+to breathe which was to feel an altered nature. But now a vapid mixture
+of conceit and slang had usurped the place of these, and a tone of
+vulgar self-sufficiency unhappily too much in keeping with the externals
+of those who displayed it: the miserable contentions of different
+factions had replaced the bolder strife of opposite parties, and
+provincialism had put its stamp on everything. The nation, too, if I
+might trust my ears with what fell around me, had lost all memory of its
+once great names, and new candidates for popular favor figured in their
+places.
+
+Such were some of the changes I could mark, even as I sat. But my
+attention was speedily drawn from them by a circumstance more nearly
+concerning myself. This was the appearance in the coffee-room of the
+gentleman who first addressed me in the street.
+
+As he passed round the room, followed by a person whose inferiority was
+evident, he was recognized by most of those present, many of whom shook
+him warmly by the hand, and pressed him to join their parties. But this
+he declined, as he continued to walk slowly on, scrutinizing each face
+as he went. At last I saw his eyes turn towards me. It was scarcely a
+glance, so rapid was it, and so quickly were his looks directed to a
+different quarter; but I could mark that he whispered something to a
+person who followed, and then, after carelessly turning over a newspaper
+on the table, sauntered from the room. As he did so, the shaggy head of
+the dwarf newsvendor peeped in, and the great black eyes took a survey
+of the coffee-room, till finally they settled on me.
+
+"Ah!" cried the fellow, with a strange blending of irony and compassion
+in his voice; "be gorra, I knew how it would be,--the major has ye!" At
+this a general laugh broke out from all present, and every eye was fixed
+on me.
+
+Meanwhile the follower had taken his place nearly opposite me at the
+table, and was busily engaged examining a paper which he had taken from
+his pocket.
+
+"May I ask, sir, if your name be Burke?" said he, in a low voice, across
+the table.
+
+I started with amazement to hear my name pronounced where I believed
+myself so completely a stranger, and in my astonishment, forgot to
+answer.
+
+"I was asking, sir--" repeated he.
+
+"Yes, you are quite correct," interrupted I; "that is my name. May I beg
+to know, in return, for what purpose you make the inquiry?"
+
+"Thomas Burke, sir?" continued he, inattentive to my observation, and
+apparently about to write the name on the paper before him.
+
+I nodded, and he wrote down the words.
+
+"That saves a deal of trouble to all of us, sir," said he, as he
+finished writing. "This is a warrant for your arrest; but the major is
+quite satisfied if you can give bail for your appearance."
+
+"Arrest!" repeated I; "on what charge am I arrested?"
+
+"You'll hear in the morning, I suppose," said he, quietly. "What shall
+we say about the bail? Have you any acquaintance or friend in town?"
+
+"Neither; I am a perfect stranger here. But if you are authorized to
+arrest me, I here surrender myself at once."
+
+By this time, several persons of the coffee-room had approached the
+table, and among the rest the gentleman who so politely made way for me
+in the crowd to reach the door.
+
+"What is it, Roche?" said he, addressing the man at the table; "a
+warrant?"
+
+"Yes, sir; for this gentleman here. But we can take bail, if he has it."
+
+"I have told you already that I am a stranger, and know no one here."
+
+The gentleman threw his eyes over the warrant, and then looking me
+steadily in the face, muttered in a whisper to the officer, "Why, he
+must have been a boy, a mere child, at the time."
+
+"Very true, sir; but the major says it must be done. Maybe you'd bail
+him yourself."
+
+These words were added in a tone of half irony, as the fellow gave a sly
+look beneath his eyelashes.
+
+"I tell you, again," said I, impatient at the whole scene, "I am quite
+ready to accompany you."
+
+"Is this your name, sir?" said the strange gentleman, addressing me, as
+he pointed to the warrant.
+
+"Yes," interposed the officer, "there's no doubt about that; he gave it
+himself."
+
+"Come, come, then, Roche," said he, cajolingly; "these are not times
+for undue strictness. Let the gentleman remain where he is to-night,
+and to-morrow he will attend you. You can remain here, if you like, with
+him."
+
+"If you say so, I suppose we may do it," replied the officer, as he
+folded up the paper, and arose from the table.
+
+"Yes, yes; that's the proper course. And now," said he, addressing me,
+"will you permit me to join you while I finish this bottle of claret?"
+
+I could have no objection to so pleasant a proposal; and thus, for the
+time at least, ended this disagreeable affair.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV. AN UNFORSEEN EVIL
+
+"I perceive, sir," said the stranger, seating himself at my table, "they
+are desirous to restore an antiquated custom in regard to you. I thought
+the day of indemnities was past and gone forever."
+
+"I am ignorant to what you allude."
+
+"The authorities would make you out an emissary of France, sir,--as if
+France had not enough on her hands already, without embroiling herself
+in a quarrel from which no benefit could accrue; not to speak of the
+little likelihood that any one on such an errand would take up his
+abode, as you have, in the most public hotel of Dublin."
+
+"I have no apprehensions as to any charges they may bring against me.
+I am conscious of no crime, saving having left my country a boy, and
+returning to it a man."
+
+"You were in the service of France, then?"
+
+"Yes; since 1801 I have been a soldier."
+
+"So long? You must have been but a mere boy when you quitted Ireland.
+How have they connected you with the troubles of that period?"
+
+I hesitated for a second or two, uncertain what answer, if any, I
+should return to this abrupt question. A glance at the manly and frank
+expression of the stranger's face soon satisfied me that no unworthy
+curiosity had prompted the inquiry; and I told him in a few words,
+how, as a child, the opinions of the patriotic party had won me over to
+embark in a cause I could neither fathom nor understand. I traced out
+rapidly the few leading events of my early career down to the last
+evening I spent in Ireland. When I came to this part of my story, the
+stranger became unusually attentive, and more than once questioned
+me respecting the origin of my quarrel with Crofts, and the timely
+appearance of Darby; of whose name and character, however, I gave him no
+information, merely speaking of him as an old and attached follower of
+my family.
+
+"Since that period, then, you have not been in Ireland?" said he, as I
+concluded.
+
+"Never: nor had I any intention of returning until lately, when
+circumstances induced me to leave the Emperor's service; and from very
+uncertainty I came back here, without well knowing why."
+
+"Of course, then, you have never heard the catastrophe of your adventure
+with Crofts. It was a lucky hit for him."
+
+"How so? I don't understand you."
+
+"Simply this: Crofts was discovered in the morning, severely wounded,
+where you left him; his account being, that he had been waylaid by a
+party of rebels, who had obtained the countersign of the night, and
+passed the sentry in various disguises. You yourself--for so, at least,
+I surmise it must have been--were designated the prime mover of the
+scheme, and a Government reward was offered for your apprehension.
+Crofts was knighted, and appointed to the staff,--the reward of
+his loyalty and courage; of the exact details of which my memory is
+unfortunately little tenacious."
+
+"And the truth of the occurrence was never known?"
+
+"What I have told you is the only version current. I have reason to
+remember so much of it, for I was then, and am still, one of the legal
+advisers of the Crown, and was consulted on the case; of which, I
+confess, I always had my misgivings. There was a rage, however, for
+rewarding loyalty, as it was termed at the period, and the story went
+the round of the papers. Now, I fancy Crofts would just as soon not see
+you back again; he has made all he can of the adventure, and would as
+lief have it quietly forgotten."
+
+"But can I suffer it to rest here? Is such an imputation to lie on my
+character as he would cast on me?"
+
+"Take no steps in the matter on that score: vindication is time enough
+when the attack is made directly; besides, where should you find your
+witness? where is the third party who could prove your innocence, and
+that all you did was in self-defence? Without his testimony, your
+story would go for nothing. No, no; be well satisfied if the charge is
+suffered to sleep, which is not unlikely. Crofts would scarcely like to
+confess that his antagonist was little more than a child; his prowess
+would gain nothing by the avowal. Besides, the world goes well with him
+latterly; it is but a month ago, I think, he succeeded unexpectedly to a
+large landed property."
+
+The stranger, whose name was M'Dougall, continued to talk for some time
+longer; most kindly volunteered to advise me in the difficult position
+I found myself; and having given me his address in town, wished me a
+goodnight and departed.
+
+It was to no purpose I laid my head on my pillow. Tired and fatigued
+as I was, I could not sleep; the prospect of fresh troubles awaiting
+me made me restless and feverish, and I longed for day to break, that
+I might manfully confront whatever danger was before me, and oppose a
+stout heart to the arrows of adverse fortune. My accidental meeting with
+the stranger also reassured my courage; and I felt gratified to think
+that such _rencontres_ in life are the sunny spots which illumine our
+career in the world, the harbingers of bright days to come.
+
+This feeling was still more strongly impressed on me as I entered the
+small room on the ground-floor at the Castle, where was the secretary's
+office, and beheld M'Dougall seated in an armchair, reading the
+newspaper of the day. I could not help connecting his presence there
+with some kindly intention towards me, and already regarded him as my
+friend. Major Barton stood at the secretary's side, and whispered from
+time to time in his ear.
+
+"I have before me certain information, sir," said the secretary,
+addressing me, "that you were connected with parties who took an active
+part in the late rebellion in this country, and by them sent over to
+France to negotiate co-operation and assistance from that quarter,"
+(Barton here whispered something, and the secretary resumed), "and in
+continuance of this scheme are at present here."
+
+"I have only to observe, sir, that I left Ireland a mere boy, when,
+whatever my opinions might have been, they were, I suspect, of small
+moment to his Majesty's Government; that I have served some years in
+the French army, during which period I neither corresponded with any one
+here, nor had intercourse with any from Ireland; and lastly, that I have
+come back unaccredited by any party, not having, as I believe, a single
+acquaintance in the island."
+
+"Do you still hold a commission in the French service?"
+
+"No, sir; I resigned my grade as captain some time since."
+
+"What were your reasons for that step?"
+
+"They were of a purely personal nature, having no concern with politics
+of any sort; I should, therefore, ask of you not to demand them. I can
+only say, they reflect neither on my honor nor my loyalty."
+
+"His loyalty! Would you ask him, sir, how he applies the term, and to
+what sovereign and what government the obedience is rendered?" said
+Barton, with a half smile of malicious meaning.
+
+"Very true, Barton; the question is most pertinent."
+
+"When I said loyalty, sir," said I, in answer, "I confess I did not
+express myself as clearly as I intended. I meant, however, that as an
+Irishman, and a subject of his Majesty George the Third, as I now am, no
+act of mine in the French service ever compromised me."
+
+"Why, surely you fought against the allies of your own country?".
+
+"True, sir. I speak only with reference to the direct interests of
+England. I was the soldier of the Emperor, but never a spy under his
+Government."
+
+"Your name is amongst those who never claimed the indemnity? How is
+this?"
+
+"I never heard of it; I never knew such an act was necessary. I am not
+guilty of any crime, nor do I see any reason to seek a favor."
+
+"Well, well; the gracious intentions of the Crown lead us to look
+leniently on the past. A moderate bail for your appearance when called
+on, and your own recognizances for the same object, will suffice."
+
+"I am quite willing to do the latter; but as to bail, I repeat it, I
+have not one I could ask for such a service."
+
+"No relative? no friend?"
+
+"Come, come, young gentleman," said M'Dougall, speaking for the first
+time; "recollect yourself. Try if you can't remember some one who would
+assist you at this conjuncture."
+
+Basset was the only name I could think of; and however absurd the idea
+of a service from such a quarter, I deemed that, as my brother's agent,
+he would scarce refuse me. I thought that Barton gave a very peculiar
+grin as I mentioned the name; but my own securities being entered into,
+and a few formal questions answered, I was told I was at liberty to seek
+out the bail required.
+
+Once more in the streets, I turned my steps towards Basset's house,
+where I hoped, at all events, to learn some tidings of my brother. I
+was not long in arriving at the street, and speedily recognized the old
+house, whose cobwebbed windows and unwashed look reminded me of former
+times. The very sound of the heavy iron knocker awoke its train of
+recollections; and when the door was opened, and I saw the narrow
+hall, with its cracked lamp and damp, discolored walls, the whole
+heart-sinking with which they once inspired me came back again, and I
+thought of Tony Basset when his very name was a thing of terror to me.
+
+Mr. Basset, I was told, was at court, and I was shown into the office to
+await his return. The gloomy little den,--I knew it well, with its dirty
+shelves of dirtier papers, its old tin boxes, and its rickety desk,
+at which two meanly-dressed starveling youths were busy writing. They
+turned a rapid glance towards me as I entered; and as they resumed their
+occupation, I could hear a muttered remark upon my dress and appearance,
+the purport of which I did not catch.
+
+I sat for some time patiently, expecting Basset's arrival, but as
+the time stole by, I grew wearied with waiting, and determined on
+ascertaining, if I might, from the clerks, some intelligence concerning
+my brother.
+
+"Have you any business with Mr. Burke?" said the youth I addressed,
+while his features assumed an expression of vulgar jocularity.
+
+"Yes," was my brief reply.
+
+"Wouldn't a letter do as well as a personal interview?" said the other,
+with an air of affected courtesy.
+
+"Perhaps so," I replied, too deeply engaged in my own thoughts to mind
+their flippant impertinence.
+
+"Then mind you direct your letter 'Churchyard, Loughrea;' or, if you
+want to be particular, say 'Family vault.'"
+
+[Illustration: 426]
+
+"Is he dead? Is George dead?"
+
+"That's hard to say," interposed the other; "but they've buried him,
+that's certain."
+
+Like a stunning blow, the shock of this news left me unable to speak or
+hear. A maze of confused thoughts crossed and jostled each other in my
+brain, and I could neither collect myself nor listen to what was said
+around me. My first clear memory was of a thousand little childish
+traits of love which had passed between us. Tokens of affection long
+forgotten now rushed freshly to my mind; and he whom a moment before I
+had condemned as wanting in all brotherly feeling, I now sorrowed for
+with true grief. The low and vulgar insolence of the speakers made no
+impression on me; and when, in answer to my questions, they narrated
+the manner of his death,--a fever contracted after some debauch at
+Oxford,--I only heard the tidings, but did not notice the unfeeling tone
+it was conveyed in.
+
+My brother dead! the only one of kith or kindred belonging to me. How
+slight the tie seemed but a few moments back! what would I not give for
+it now? Then, for the first time, did I know how the heart can heap up
+its stores of consolation in secrecy, and how unconsciously the mind can
+dwell on hopes it has never confessed even to itself. How I fancied to
+myself our meeting, and thought over the long pent-up affection years of
+absence had accumulated, now flowing in a gushing stream from heart to
+heart I The grave is indeed hallowed when the grass of the churchyard
+can cover all memory save that of love. We dwell on every good gift
+of the lost one, as though no unworthy thought could cross that little
+mound of earth, the barrier between two worlds. Sad and sorrow-struck,
+I covered my face with my hands, and did not notice that Mr. Basset had
+entered, and taken his place at the desk.
+
+His voice, every harsh tone of which I well remembered, first made me
+aware of his presence. I lifted my eyes, and there he stood, little
+changed indeed since I had seen him last. The hard lines about the mouth
+had grown deeper, the brow more furrowed, and the hair more mixed with
+gray, but in other respects he was the same. As I gazed at him I could
+not help fancying that time makes less impression on men of coarse,
+unfeeling mould, than on natures of a finer temper. The world's changes
+leave no trace on the stern surface of the one, while they are wearing
+deep tracks of sorrow in the other.
+
+"Insert the advertisement again, Simms," said he, addressing one of the
+clerks, "and let it appear in some paper of the seaport towns. Among the
+Flemish or French smugglers who frequent them, there might be some one
+to give the information. They must be able to show that though Thomas
+Burke--"
+
+I started at the sound of my name. The motion surprised him; he looked
+round and perceived me. Quick and piercing as his glance was, I could
+not trace any sign of recognition; although, as he scanned my features,
+and suffered his eyes to wander over my dress, I perceived that his was
+no mere chance or cursory observation.
+
+"Well, sir," said he, at length, "is your business here with me?"
+
+"Yes; but I would speak with you in private."
+
+"Come in here, then. Meanwhile, Sam, make out that deed; for we may go
+on without the proof of demise."
+
+Few and vague as the words were, their real meaning flashed on me, and I
+perceived that Mr. Basset was engaged in the search of some evidence of
+my death, doubtless to enable the heir-at-law to succeed to the estates
+of my brother. The moment the idea struck me, I felt assured of its
+certainty, and at once determined on the plan I should adopt.
+
+"You have inserted an advertisement regarding a Mr. Burke," said I, as
+soon as the door was closed, and we were alone together. "What are the
+particular circumstances of which you desire proof?"
+
+"The place, date, and manner of his death," replied he, slowly; "for
+though informed that such occurred abroad, an authentic evidence of the
+fact will save some trouble. Circumstances to identify the individual
+with the person we mean, of course, must be offered; showing whence he
+came, his probable age, and so on. For this intelligence I am prepared
+to pay liberally; at least a hundred pounds may be thought so."
+
+"It is a question of succession to some property, I have heard."
+
+"Yes; but the information is not of such moment as you may suppose,"
+replied he, quickly, and with the wariness of his calling anticipating
+the value I might be disposed to place on my intelligence. "We are
+satisfied with the fact of the death; and even were it otherwise, the
+individual most concerned is little likely to disprove the belief, his
+own reasons will probably keep him from visiting Ireland."
+
+"Indeed!" I exclaimed, the word escaping my lips ere I could check its
+utterance.
+
+"Even so," resumed he. "But this, of course, has no interest for you.
+Your accent bespeaks you a foreigner. Have you any information to offer
+on this matter?"
+
+"Yes; if we speak of the same individual, who may have left this country
+about 1800 as a boy of some fourteen years of age, and entered the
+'Ecole Polytechnique' of Paris."
+
+"Like enough. Continue, if you please; what became of him afterwards?"
+
+"He joined the French service, attained the rank of captain, and then
+left the army; came back to Ireland, and now, sir, stands before you."
+
+Mr. Basset never changed a muscle of his face as I made this
+declaration. So unmoved, so stolid was his look, that for a moment or
+two I believed him incredulous of my story. But this impression soon
+gave way, as with his eyes bent on me he said,--
+
+"I knew you, sir, I knew you the moment I passed you in the office
+without; but it might have fared ill with you to have let my recognition
+appear."
+
+"As how? I do not understand you."
+
+"My clerks there might have given information for the sake of the
+reward; and once in Newgate, there was an end to all negotiation."
+
+"You must speak more intelligibly, sir, if you wish me to comprehend
+you. I am unaware of any circumstance which should threaten me with such
+a fate."
+
+"Have you forgotten Captain Crofts,--Montague Crofts?" said Basset, in a
+low whisper, while a smile of insulting malice crossed his features.
+
+"No; I remember him well. What of him?"
+
+"What of him! He charges you with a capital felony,--a crime for which
+the laws have little pity here, whatever your French habits may have
+taught you to regard it. Yes; the attempt to assassinate an officer in
+his Majesty's service, when foiled by him in an effort to seduce the
+soldiery, is an offence which might have a place in your memory."
+
+"Can the man be base enough to make such a charge as this against me,--a
+boy, as I then was?"
+
+"You were not alone; remember that fact."
+
+"True; and most thankful am I for it. There is one, at least, can prove
+my innocence, if I can but discover him."
+
+"You will find that a matter of some difficulty. Your worthy friend and
+early preceptor was transported five years since."
+
+"Poor fellow! I could better bear to hear that he was dead."
+
+"There are many of your opinion on that head," said Basset, with a
+savage grin. "But the fellow was too cunning for all the lawyers, and
+his conviction at last was only effected by a stratagem."
+
+"A stratagem!" exclaimed I, in amazement.
+
+"It was neither more nor less. Darby was arraigned four several times,
+but always acquitted. Now it was defective evidence; now a lenient jury;
+now an informal indictment: but so was it, he escaped the meshes of the
+law, though every one knew him guilty of a hundred offences. At last
+Major Barton resolved on another expedient. Darby was arrested in Ennis;
+thrown into jail; kept four weeks in a dark cell, on prison fare; and at
+the end, one morning the hangman appeared to say his hour was come, and
+that the warrant for his execution had arrived. It was to take place,
+without judge or jury, within the four walls of the jail. The scheme
+succeeded; his courage fell, and he offered, if his life was spared, to
+plead guilty to any transportable felony for which the grand Jury would
+send up true bills. He did so, and was then undergoing the sentence."
+
+"Great heavens! and can such iniquity be tolerated in a land where men
+call themselves Christians?" exclaimed I, as I heard this to the end.
+
+"Iniquity!" repeated he, in mockery; "to rid the country of a ruffian,
+stained with every crime,--a fellow mixed up in every outrage in the
+land? Is this your notion of iniquity? Not so do I reckon it. And if I
+have told you of it now, it is that you may learn that when loyal
+and well-affected men are trusted with the execution of the laws, the
+principle of justice is of more moment than the nice distinction of
+legal subtleties. You may learn a lesson from it worth acquiring."
+
+"I! how can it affect me or my fortunes?"
+
+"More nearly than you think. I have told you of the accusation which
+hangs over your head; weigh it well, and deliberate what are your
+chances of escape. We must not waste time in discussing your innocence.
+The jury who will try the cause will be more difficult of belief than
+you suspect; neither the opinions you are charged with, your subsequent
+escape, nor your career in France, will contribute to your exculpation,
+even had you evidence to adduce in your favor. But you have not; your
+only witness is equally removed as by death itself. On what do you
+depend, then? Conscious innocence! Nine out of every ten who mount the
+scaffold proclaim the same; but I never heard that the voice that cried
+it stifled the word 'guilty.' No, sir; I tell you solemnly, you will be
+condemned!"
+
+The tone of his voice as he spoke the last few words made my very blood
+run cold. The death of a soldier on the field of battle had no terrors
+for me; but the execrated fate of a felon I could not confront. The
+pallor of my cheek, the trembling of my limbs, must have betrayed my
+emotion; for even Basset seemed to pity me, and pressed me down into a
+chair.
+
+"There is one way, however, to avoid all the danger," said he, after
+a pause; "an easy and a certain way both. You have heard of the
+advertisements for information respecting your death, which it was
+surmised had occurred abroad. Now you are unknown here,--without a
+single acquaintance to recognize or remember you; why should not you,
+under another name, come forward with these proofs? By so doing, you
+secure your own escape and can claim the reward."
+
+"What! perjure myself that I may forfeit my inheritance!"
+
+"As to the inheritance," said he, sneeringly, "your tenure does not
+promise a very long enjoyment of it."
+
+"Were it but a day,--an hour!" exclaimed I, passionately; "I will make
+no compromise with my honor. On their own heads be it who sentence an
+innocent man to death; better such, even on a scaffold, than a life of
+ignominy and vain regret."
+
+"The dark hours of a jail change men's sentiments wonderfully," said
+he, slowly. "I have known some who faced death in its wildest and most
+appalling shape, shrink from it like cowards when it came in the guise
+of a common executioner. Come, sir, be advised by me; reflect at least
+on what I have said, and if there be any path in life where a moderate
+sum may assist you--"
+
+"Peace, sir! I beg of you to be silent. It may be that your counsel is
+prompted by kindly feeling towards me; but if you would have me think
+so, say no more of this,--my mind is made up."
+
+"Wait until to-morrow, in any case; perhaps some other plan may suggest
+itself. What say you to America? Have you any objection to go there?"
+
+"Had you asked me the question an hour since, I had replied, 'None
+whatever.' Now it is different; my departure would be like the flight of
+a guilty man. I cannot do it."
+
+"Better the flight than the fate of one," muttered Basset between his
+teeth, while at the same instant the sound of voices talking loudly
+together was heard in the hall without.
+
+"Think again, before it is too late. Remember what I have told you. Your
+opinions, your career, your associates, are not such as to recommend you
+to the favorable consideration of a jury. Is your case strong enough to
+oppose all these? Sir Montague will make liberal terms; he has no desire
+to expose the calamities of a family."
+
+"Sir Montague!--of whom do you speak?"
+
+"Sir Montague Crofts," said Basset, reddening, for he had unwittingly
+suffered the name to escape his lips. "Are you ignorant that he is
+your relative? a distant one, it is true, but your nearest of kin
+notwithstanding."
+
+"And the heir to the estate?" said I, suddenly, as anew light flashed on
+my mind; "the heir, in the event of my life lapsing?"
+
+Basset nodded an assent.
+
+"You played a deep game, sir," said I, drawing a long breath; "but you
+never were near winning it."
+
+"Nor you either," said he, throwing wide the door between the two rooms;
+"I hear a voice without there, that settles the question forever."
+
+At the same instant, Major Barton entered, followed by two men.
+
+"I suspected I should find you here, sir," said he, addressing me. "You
+need scarcely trouble my worthy friend for his bail; I arrest you now
+under a warrant of felony."
+
+"A felony!" exclaimed Basset, with a counterfeited astonishment in his
+look. "Mr. Burke accused of such a crime!"
+
+I could not utter a word; indignation and shame overpowered me, and
+merely motioning with my hand that I was ready to accompany him, I
+followed to the door, at which a carriage was standing, getting into
+which we drove towards Newgate.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI. THE PERIL AVERTED
+
+If I have dwelt with unnecessary prolixity on this dark portion of my
+story, it is because the only lesson my life teaches has lain in similar
+passages. The train of evils which flows from one misdirection in early
+life,--the misfortunes which ensue from a single false and inconsiderate
+step,--frequently darken the whole subsequent career. This I now thought
+over in the solitude of my cell. However I could acquit myself of the
+crime laid to my charge, I could not so easily absolve my heart of the
+early folly which made me suppose that the regeneration of a land should
+be accomplished by the efforts of a sanguinary and bigoted rabble. To
+this error could I trace every false step I made in life,--to this cause
+attribute the long struggle I endured between my love of liberty and my
+detestation of mob rule; and yet how many years did it cost me to learn,
+that to alleviate the burdens of the oppressed may demand a greater
+exercise of tyranny than ever their rulers practised towards them. Like
+many others, I looked to France as the land of freedom; but where was
+despotism so unbounded! where the sway of one great mind so unlimited!
+They had bartered liberty for equality, and because the pressure was
+equal on all, they deemed themselves free; while the privileges of class
+with us suggested the sense of bondage to the poor man, whose actual
+freedom was yet unencumbered.
+
+Of all the daydreams of my boyhood, the ambition of military glory
+alone survived; and that lived on amid the dreary solitude of my prison,
+comforting many a lonely hour by memories of the past. The glittering
+ranks of the mounted squadrons; the deep-toned thunder of the artillery;
+the solid masses of the infantry, immovable beneath the rush of
+cavalry,--were pictures I could dwell on for hours and days, and my
+dearest wish could point to no higher destiny than to be once more a
+soldier in the ranks of France.
+
+During all this time my mind seldom reverted to the circumstances of
+my imprisonment, nor did I feel the anxiety for the result my position
+might well have suggested. The conscious sense of my innocence kept the
+flame of hope alive, without suffering it either to flicker or vary. It
+burned like a steady fire within me, and made even the dark cells of a
+jail a place of repose and tranquillity. And thus time rolled on: the
+hours of pleasure and happiness to thousands, too short and flitting for
+the enjoyments they brought. They went by also to the prisoner, as to
+one who waits on the bank of the stream, nor knows what fortune may
+await him on his voyage.
+
+A stubborn feeling of conscious right had prevented my taking even the
+ordinary steps for my defence, and the day of trial was now drawing nigh
+without any preparation on my part. I was ignorant how essential the
+habits and skill of an advocate are in the conduct of every case,
+however simple; and implicitly relied on my guiltlessness, as though men
+can read the heart of a prisoner and know its workings. M'Dougall, the
+only member of the bar I knew even by name, had accepted a judicial
+appointment in India, and was already on his way thither, so that I had
+neither friend nor adviser in my difficulty. Were it otherwise, I felt I
+could scarcely have bent my pride to that detail of petty circumstances
+which an advocate might deem essential to my vindication; and was
+actually glad to think that I should owe the assertion of my innocence
+to nothing less than the pure fact.
+
+When November at length arrived, I learned that the trial had been
+deferred to the following February; and so listless and indifferent had
+imprisonment made me, that I heard the intelligence without impatience
+or regret. The publicity of a court of justice, its exposure to the gaze
+and observation of the crowd who throng there, were subjects of more
+shrinking dread to my heart than the weight of an accusation which,
+though false, might peril my life; and for the first time I rejoiced
+that I was friendless. Yes! it brought balm and comfort to me to think
+that none would need to blush at my relationship nor weep over my fate.
+Sorrow has surely eaten deeply into our natures, when we derive pleasure
+and peace from what in happier circumstances are the sources of regret.
+
+Let me now hasten on. My reader will readily forgive me if I pass with
+rapid steps over a portion of my story, the memory of which has not yet
+lost its bitterness. The day at last came; and amid all the ceremonies
+of a prison I was marched from my cell to the dock. How strange the
+sudden revolution of feeling,--from the solitude and silence of a jail
+to the crowded court, teeming with looks of eager curiosity, dread, or
+perhaps compassion, all turned towards him, who himself, half forgetful
+of his condition, gazes on the great mass in equal astonishment and
+surprise!
+
+My thoughts at once recurred to a former moment of my life, when I stood
+accused among the Chouan prisoners before the tribunal of Paris. But
+though the proceedings were less marked by excitement and passion, the
+stern gravity of the English procedure was far more appalling; and in
+the absence of all which could stir the spirit to any effort of its own,
+it pressed with a more solemn dread on the mind of the prisoner.
+
+I have said I would not linger over this part of my life. I could not
+do so if I would. Real events, and the impressions they made upon
+me,--facts, and the passing emotions of my mind,--are strangely confused
+and commingled in my memory; and although certain minute and trivial
+things are graven in my recollection, others of moment have escaped me
+unrecorded.
+
+The usual ceremonial went forward: the jury were impanelled, and the
+clerk of the Crown read aloud the indictment, to which my plea of "Not
+guilty" was at once recorded; then the judge asked if I were provided
+with counsel, and hearing that I was not, appointed a junior barrister
+to act for me, and the trial began.
+
+I was not the first person who, accused of a crime of which he felt
+innocent, yet was so overwhelmed by the statements of imputed guilt,--so
+confused by the inextricable web of truth and falsehood, artfully
+entangled.--that he actually doubted his own convictions when opposed to
+views so strongly at variance with them.
+
+The first emotion of the prisoner is a feeling of surprise to discover,
+that one utterly a stranger--the lawyer he has perhaps never seen, whose
+name he never so much as heard of--is perfectly conversant with his
+own history, and as it were by intuition seems acquainted with his
+very thoughts and motives. Tracing out not only a line of acting but
+of devising, he conceives a story of which the accused is the hero, and
+invests his narrative with all the appliances to belief which result
+from time and place and circumstance. No wonder that the very accusation
+should strike terror into the soul; no wonder that the statement of
+guilt should cause heart-sinking to him who, conscious that all is not
+untrue, may feel that his actions can be viewed in another and very
+different light to that which conscience sheds over them.
+
+Such, so far as I remember, was the channel of my thoughts. At first
+mere astonishment at the accuracy of detail regarding my name, age,
+and condition in life, was uppermost; and then succeeded a sense of
+indignant anger at the charges laid against me; which yielded gradually
+to a feeling of confusion as the advocate continued; which again merged
+into a sort of dubious fear as I heard many trivial facts repeated,
+some of which my refreshed memory acknowledged as true, but of which
+my puzzled brain could not detect the inapplicability to sustain the
+accusation,--all ending in a chaos of bewilderment, where conscience
+itself was lost, and nothing left to guide or direct the reason.
+
+The counsel informed the jury that, although they were not placed in the
+box to try me on any charge of a political offence, they must bear in
+mind, that the murderous assault of which I was accused was merely part
+of a system organized to overthrow the Government; that, young as I then
+was, I was in intimate connection with the disaffected party which the
+mistaken leniency of the Crown had not thoroughly eradicated on the
+termination of the late rebellion, my constant companion being one whose
+crimes were already undergoing their but too merciful punishment in
+transportation for life; that, to tamper with the military, I had
+succeeded in introducing myself into the barrack, where I obtained the
+confidence of a weak-minded but good-natured officer of the regiment.
+
+"These schemes," continued he, "were but partially successful. My
+distinguished client was then an officer of the corps; and with that
+ever-watchful loyalty which has distinguished him, he determined to keep
+a vigilant eye on this intruder, who, from circumstances of youth and
+apparent innocence, already had won upon the confidence of the majority
+of the regiment. Nor was this impression a false one. An event,
+apparently little likely to unveil a treasonable intention, soon
+unmasked the true character of the prisoner and the nature of his
+mission."
+
+He then proceeded to narrate with circumstantial accuracy the night in
+the George's Street barracks, when Hilliard, Crofts, and some others
+came with Bubbleton to his quarters to decide a wager between two of the
+parties. Calling the attention of the jury to this part of the case, he
+detailed the scene which occurred; and, if I could trust my memory, not
+a phrase, not a word escaped him which had been said.
+
+"It was then, gentlemen," said he, "at that instant, that the prisoner's
+habitual caution failed him, and in an unguarded moment developed the
+full story of his guilt. Captain Bubbleton lost his wager, of which my
+client was the winner. The habits of the service are peremptory in these
+matters; it was necessary that payment should be made at once. Bubbleton
+had not the means of discharging his debt, and while he looked around
+among his comrades for assistance, the prisoner steps forward and
+supplies the sum. Mark what followed.
+
+"A sudden call of service now summoned the officers beneath; all save
+Crofts, who, not being on duty, had no necessity for accompanying them.
+The bank-note so opportunely furnished by the prisoner lay on the table;
+and this Crofts proceeded leisurely to open and examine before he left
+the room. Slowly unfolding the paper, he spread it out before him; and
+what, think you, gentlemen, did the paper display? A Bank of England
+bill for twenty pounds, you'll say, of course. Far from it, indeed! The
+paper was a French assignat, bearing the words, 'Payez au porteur la
+somme de deux mille livres.' Yes; the sum so carelessly thrown on the
+table by this youth was an order for eighty pounds, issued by the French
+Government.
+
+"Remember the period, gentlemen, when this occurred. We had just
+passed the threshold of a most fearful and sanguinary rebellion,--the
+tranquillity of the land scarce restored after a convulsion that shook
+the very constitution and the throne to their centres. The interference
+of France in the affairs of the country had not been a mere threat; her
+ships had sailed, her armies had landed, and though the bravery and the
+loyalty of our troops had made the expedition result in utter defeat
+and overthrow, the emissaries of the land of anarchy yet lingered on our
+shores, and disseminated that treason in secret which openly they dared
+not proclaim. If they were sparing of their blood, they were lavish
+of their gold; what they failed in courage they supplied in assignats.
+Large promises of gain, rich offers of booty, were rife throughout the
+land; and wherever disaffection lurked or rebellion lingered, the enemy
+of England found congenial allies. Nothing too base, nothing too
+low, for this confederacy of crime; neither was anything too lowly in
+condition or too humble in efficiency. Treason cannot choose its agents;
+it must take the tools which chance and circumstances offer: they may
+be the refuse of mankind, but if inefficient for good, they are not the
+less active for evil. Such a one was the youth who now stands a prisoner
+before you, and here was the price of his disloyalty."
+
+At these words he held up triumphantly the French assignat, and waved it
+before the eyes of the court. However little the circumstances weighed
+within me, such was the impression manifestly produced upon the jury by
+this piece of corroborative evidence, that a thrill of anxiety for the
+result ran suddenly through me.
+
+Until that moment I believed Darby had repossessed himself of the
+assignat when Crofts lay insensible on the ground; at least I remembered
+well that he stooped over him and appeared to take something from him.
+While I was puzzling my mind on this point, I did not remark that
+the lawyer was proceeding to impress on the jury the full force of
+conviction such a circumstance implied.
+
+The offer I had made to Crofts to barter the assignat for an English
+note; my urgent entreaty to have it restored to me; the arguments I had
+employed to persuade him that no suspicion could attach to my possession
+of it,--were all narrated with so little of exaggeration that I was
+actually unable to say what assertion I could object to, while I was
+conscious that the inferences sought to be drawn from them were false
+and unjust.
+
+Having displayed with consummate skill the critical position this paper
+had involved me in, he took the opportunity of contrasting the anxiety I
+evinced for my escape from my difficulty, with the temperate conduct
+of my antagonist, whose loyalty left him no other course than to retain
+possession of the note, and inquire into the circumstances by which it
+reached my hands.
+
+Irritated by the steady determination of Crofts, it was said that I
+endeavored by opprobrious epithets and insulting language to provoke
+a quarrel, which a sense of my inferiority as an antagonist rendered a
+thing impossible to be thought of. Baffled in every way, I was said to
+have rushed from the room, double-locking it on the outside, and hurried
+down the stairs and out of the barrack; not to escape, however, but with
+a purpose very different,--to return in a few moments accompanied by
+three fellows, whom I passed with the guard as men wishing to recruit.
+To ascend the stairs, unlock the door, and fall on the imprisoned
+officer, was the work of an instant. His defence, although courageous
+and resolute, was but brief. His sword being broken, he was felled by a
+blow of a bludgeon, and thus believed dead. The ruffians ransacked his
+pockets, and departed.
+
+The same countersign which admitted, passed them out as they went; and
+when morning broke the wounded man was found weltering in his blood,
+but with life still remaining, and strength enough to recount what had
+occurred. By a mere accident, it was stated, the French bank-note had
+not been consigned to his pocket, but fell during the struggle, and was
+discovered the next day on the floor.
+
+These were the leading features of an accusation, which, however
+improbable while thus briefly and boldly narrated, hung together with a
+wonderful coherence in the speech of the lawyer, supported as they were
+by the number of small circumstances corroboratory of certain immaterial
+portions of the story. Thus, the political opinions I professed; the
+doubtful--nay, equivocal--position I occupied; the intercourse with
+France or Frenchmen, as proved by the _billet de banque_; my sudden
+disappearance after the event, and my escape thither, where I continued
+to live until, as it was alleged, I believed that years had eradicated
+all trace of, if not my crime, myself,--such were the statements
+displayed with all the specious inferences of habitual plausibility, and
+to confirm which by evidence Sir Montague Crofts was called to give his
+testimony.
+
+There was a murmur of expectancy through the court as this well-known
+individual's name was pronounced; and in a few moments the throng around
+the inner bar opened, and a tall figure appeared upon the witness table.
+The same instant that I caught sight of his features he had turned his
+glance on me, and we stood for some seconds confronting each other.
+Mutual defiance seemed the gage between us; and I saw, with a thrill
+of savage pleasure, that after a minute or so his cheek flushed, and he
+averted his face and appeared ill at ease and uncomfortable.
+
+To the first questions of the lawyer he answered with evident
+constraint, and in a low, subdued voice; but soon recovering his
+self-possession, gave his testimony freely and boldly, corroborating by
+his words all the statements of his advocate. By both the court and
+the jury he was heard with attention and deference; and when he took
+a passing occasion to allude to his loyalty and attachment to the
+constitution, the senior judge interrupted him by saying,--
+
+"On that point, Sir Montague, no second opinion can exist. Your
+character for unimpeachable honor is well known to the court."
+
+The examination was brief, lasting scarcely half an hour; and when the
+young lawyer came forward to put some questions as cross-examination,
+his want of instruction and ignorance were at once seen, and the witness
+was dismissed almost immediately.
+
+Sir Montague's advocate declined calling any other witness. The regiment
+to which his client then belonged was on foreign service; but he felt
+satisfied that the case required nothing in addition to the evidence the
+jury had heard.
+
+A few moments of deliberation ensued among the members of the bench; and
+then the senior judge called on my lawyer to proceed with the defence.
+
+The young barrister rose with diffidence, and expressed in few words his
+inability to rebut the statements that had been made by any evidence in
+his power to produce. "The prisoner, my lord," said he, "has confided
+nothing to me of his case. I am ignorant of everything, save what has
+taken place in open court."
+
+"It is true, my lord," said I, interrupting. "The facts of this unhappy
+circumstance are known but to three individuals. You have already heard
+the version which one of them has given; you shall now hear mine. The
+third, whose testimony might incline the balance in my favor, is, I am
+told, no longer in this country; and I have only to discharge the debt
+I feel due to myself and to my own honor, by narrating the real
+occurrence, and leave the issue in your hands, to deal with as your
+consciences may dictate."
+
+With the steadiness of purpose truth inspires, and in few words, I
+narrated the whole of my adventure with Crofts, down to the moment of
+Darby's sudden appearance. I told of what passed between us; and how
+the altercation, that began in angry words, terminated in a personal
+struggle, where, as the weaker, I was overcome, and lay beneath the
+weapon of my antagonist, by which already I had received a severe and
+dangerous wound.
+
+"I should hesitate here, my lords," said I, "before I spoke of one who
+then came to my aid, if I did not know that he is already removed by
+a heavy sentence, both from the penalty his gallant conduct might call
+down on him, and the enmity which the prosecutor would as certainly
+pursue him with. But he is beyond the reach of either, and I may speak
+of him freely."
+
+I then told of Darby's appearance that night in the barrack, disguised
+as a ballad-singer; how in this capacity he passed the sentry, and was
+present in the room when the officers entered to decide the wager; that
+he had quitted it soon after their arrival, and only returned on hearing
+the noise of the scuffle between Crofts and myself. The struggle itself
+I remembered but imperfectly, but so far as my memory bore me out,
+recapitulated to the court.
+
+"I will relate, my lords," said I, "the few events which followed,--not
+that they can in any wise corroborate the plain statement I have made,
+nor indeed that they bear, save remotely, on the events mentioned; but
+I will do so in the hope,--a faint hope it is,--that in this court there
+might be found some one person who could add his testimony to mine, and
+say, 'This is true; to that I can myself bear witness.'"
+
+With this brief preface, I told how Darby had brought me to a house in
+an obscure street, in which a man, apparently dying, was stretched upon
+a miserable bed; that while my wound was being dressed, a car came to
+the door with the intention of conveying the sick man away somewhere.
+This, however, was deemed impossible, so near did his last hour appear;
+and in his place I was taken off, and placed on board the vessel bound
+for France.
+
+"Of my career in that country it is needless that I should speak; it
+can neither throw light upon the events which preceded it, nor have
+any interest for the court My commission as a captain of the Imperial
+Hussars may, however, testify the position that I occupied; while the
+certificate of the minister of war on the back will show that I quitted
+the service voluntarily, and with honor."
+
+"The court would advise you, sir," said the judge, "not to advert to
+circumstances which, while they contribute nothing to your exculpation,
+may have a very serious effect on the minds of the jury against you.
+Have you any witnesses to call?"
+
+"None, my lord."
+
+A pause of some minutes ensued, when the only sounds in the court were
+the whispering tones of Crofts's voice, as he said something into his
+counsel's ear. The lawyer rose.
+
+"My task, my lords," said he, "is a short one. Indeed, in all
+probability, I need not trouble either your lordships or the jury
+with an additional word on a case where the evidence so conclusively
+establishes the guilt of the accused, and where attempt to contradict
+it has been so abortive. Never, perhaps, was a story narrated within
+the walls of a court so full of improbable--might I not almost say
+impossible--events, as that of the prisoner."
+
+He then recapitulated, with rapid but accurate detail, the principal
+circumstances of my story, bestowing some brief comment on each as he
+went. He sneered at the account of the struggle, and turned the whole
+description of the contest with Crofts into ridicule,--calling on the
+jury to bestow a glance on the manly strength and vigorous proportions
+of his client, and then remember the age of his antagonist,--a boy of
+fourteen.
+
+"I forgot, gentlemen (I ask your pardon), he confesses to one
+ally,--this famous piper. I really did hope that was a name we had done
+with forever. I indulged the dream, that among the memories of an
+awful period this was never to recur; but unhappily the expectation was
+delusive. The fellow is brought once more before us; and perhaps, for
+the first time in his long life of iniquity, charged with a crime he did
+not commit." In a few sentences he explained that a large reward was at
+that very moment offered for the apprehension of Darby, who never would
+have ventured under any disguise to approach the capital, much less
+trust himself within the walls of a barrack.
+
+"The tissue of wild and inconsistent events which the prisoner has
+detailed as following the assault, deserves no attention at my hands.
+Where was this house? What was the street? Who was this doctor of which
+he speaks? And the sick man, how was he called?"
+
+"I remember his name well; it is the only one I remember among all I
+heard," said I, from the dock.
+
+"Let us hear it, then," said the lawyer, half contemptuously.
+
+"Daniel Fortescue was the name he was called by."
+
+Scarcely was the name uttered by me, when Crofts leaned back in his seat
+and became pale as death; while, stretching out his hand, he took hold
+of the lawyer's gown and drew him towards him. For a second or two he
+continued to speak with rapid utterance in the advocate's ear; and then
+covering his face with his handkerchief, leaned his head on the rail
+before him.
+
+"It is necessary, my lords," said the lawyer, "that I should explain the
+reason of my client's emotion, and at the same time unveil the baseness
+which has dictated this last effort of the prisoner, if not to injure
+the reputation, to wound the feelings, of my client. The individual
+whose name has been mentioned was the half brother of my client; and
+whose unhappy connection with the disastrous events of the year '98
+involved him in a series of calamities which ended in his death,
+which took place in the year 1800, but some months earlier than the
+circumstance which we now are investigating. The introduction of this
+unhappy man's name was, then, a malignant effort of the prisoner to
+insult the feelings of my client, on which your lordships and the jury
+will place its true value."
+
+A murmur of disapprobation ran through the crowded court as these words
+were spoken; but whether directed against me or against the comment of
+the lawyer I could not determine; nor, such was the confusion I then
+felt, could I follow the remainder of the advocate's address with
+anything like clearness. At last he concluded; and the chief justice,
+after a whispered conversation with his brethren of the bench, thus
+began:--
+
+"Gentlemen of the jury, the case which you have this day to try, to my
+mind presents but one feature of doubt and difficulty. The great fact
+for your consideration is, to determine to which of two opposite and
+conflicting testimonies you will accord your credence. On the one side
+you have the story of the prosecutor, a man of position and character,
+high in the confidence of honorable men, and invested with all the
+attributes of rank and station; on the other, you have a narrative
+strongly coherent in some parts, equally difficult to account for in
+others, given by the prisoner, whose life, even by his own showing, has
+none of those recommendations to your good opinions which are based
+on loyalty and attachment to the constitution of these realms. Both
+testimonies are unsupported by any collateral evidence. The prosecutor's
+regiment is in India, and the only witnesses he could adduce are many
+thousand miles off. The prisoner appeals also to the absent, but with
+less of reason; for if we could call this man, M'Keown, before us,--if,
+I say, we had this same Darby M'Keown in court--"
+
+A tremendous uproar in the hall without drowned the remainder of the
+sentence; and although the crier loudly proclaimed silence, and
+the bench twice interposed its authority to enforce it, the tumult
+continued, and eventually extended within the court itself, where all
+semblance of respect seemed suddenly annihilated.
+
+"If this continues one moment longer," exclaimed the chief justice, "I
+will commit to Newgate the very first disorderly person I can discover."
+
+The threat, however, did but partially calm the disturbance, which, in
+a confused murmur, prevailed from the benches of the counsel to the very
+galleries of the court.
+
+"What means this?" said the judge, in a voice of anger. "Who is it that
+dares to interfere with the administration of justice here?"
+
+"A witness,--a witness, my lord," called out several voices from the
+passage of the court; while a crowd pushed violently forward, and came
+struggling onwards till the leading figures were pressed over the inner
+bar.
+
+Again the judge repeated his question, while he made a signal for the
+officer of the court to approach him.
+
+"'Tis me, my lord," shouted a deep-toned voice from the middle of
+the crowd. "Your lordship was asking for Darby M'Keown, and it isn't
+himself's ashamed of the name!"
+
+A perfect yell of approval broke from the ragged mob, which now filled
+every avenue and passage of the court, and even jammed up the stairs
+and the entrance halls. And now, raised upon the shoulders of the crowd,
+Darby appeared, borne aloft in triumph; his broad and daring face,
+bronzed with sun and weather, glowed with a look of reckless effrontery,
+which no awe of the court nor any fear for himself was able to repress.
+
+Of my own sensations while this scene was enacting I need not speak;
+and as I gazed at the weather-beaten features of the hardy piper, it
+demanded every effort of my reason to believe in the testimony of my
+eyesight. Had he come back from death itself the surprise would scarcely
+have been greater. Meanwhile the tumult was allayed; and the lawyers on
+either side--for, now that a glimmer of hope appeared, my advocate had
+entered with spirit on his duties--were discussing the admissibility
+of evidence at the present stage of the proceedings. This point being
+speedily established in my favor, another and a graver question arose:
+how far the testimony of a convicted felon--for such the lawyer at once
+called Darby--could be received as evidence.
+
+Cases were quoted and authorities shown to prove that such cannot be
+heard as witnesses,--that they are among those whom the law pronounces
+infamous and unworthy of credit; and while the lawyer continued to pour
+forth on this topic a perfect ocean of arguments, he was interrupted by
+the court, who affirmed the opinion, and concurred in his view of the
+case.
+
+"It only remains, then, my lord," said my counsel, "for the Crown to
+establish the identity of the individual--"
+
+"Nothing easier," interposed the other.
+
+"I beg pardon; I was about to add,--and produce the record of his
+conviction."
+
+This last seemed a felling blow; for although the old lawyer never
+evinced here or at any other time the slightest appearance of
+discomfiture at any opposition, I could see by the puckering of the
+deep lines around his mouth that he felt vexed and annoyed by this new
+suggestion.
+
+An eager and animated discussion ensued, in which my advocate was
+assisted by the advice of some senior counsel; and again the point was
+ruled in my favor, and Darby M'Keown was desired to mount the table.
+
+It required all the efforts of the various officers of the court to
+repress another outbreak of mob enthusiasm at the decision; for already
+the trial had assumed a feature perfectly distinct from any common
+infraction of the law. Its political bearing had long since imparted
+a character of party warfare to the whole proceeding; and while Sir
+Montague Crofts found his well-wishers among the better dressed and more
+respectable persons present, a much more numerous body of supporters
+claimed me as their own, and in defiance of all the usages and solemnity
+of the place, did not scruple to bestow on me looks and even words of
+encouragement at every stage of the trial. Darby's appearance was the
+climax of this popular enthusiasm. There were few who had not seen,
+or at least heard of, the celebrated piper in times past. His daring
+infraction of the law; his reputed skill in evading detection; his
+acquaintance with every clew and circumstance of the late rebellion; the
+confidence he enjoyed among all the leaders--had made him a hero in a
+land where such qualities are certain of obtaining their due estimation.
+And now, the reckless effrontery of his presence as a witness in a court
+of justice while the sentence of transportation still hung over him, was
+a claim to admiration none refused to acknowledge.
+
+His air and demeanor as he took his seat on the table seemed an
+acknowledgment of the homage rendered him: for though, as he placed his
+worn and ragged hat beside his feet, and stroked down his short black
+hair on his forehead, a careless observer might have suspected him
+of feeling awed and abashed by the presence in which he sat, one more
+conversant with his countrymen would have detected in the quiet leer of
+his roguish black eye, and a certain protrusion of his thick under lip,
+that Darby was as perfectly at his ease there as the eminent judge was
+who now fixed his eyes upon him. A short, but not disrespectful nod was
+the only notice he bestowed on me; and then concealing his joined hands
+within his sleeves, and drawing his legs back beneath the chair, he
+assumed that attitude of mock humility your least bashful Irishman is so
+commonly fond of.
+
+The veteran barrister was meanwhile surveying the witness with the
+peculiar scrutiny of his caste: he looked at him through his spectacles,
+and then he stared at him above them; he measured him from head to foot,
+his eye dwelling on every little circumstance of his dress or demeanor,
+as though to catch some clew to his habits of thinking or acting.
+Never did a matador survey the brawny animal with which he was about
+to contend in skill or strength with more critical acumen than did the
+lawyer regard Darby the Blast. Nor was the object of this examination
+unaware of it; very far from this, indeed. He seemed pleased by the
+degree of attention bestowed on him, and felt all the flattery
+such notice conveyed; but while doing so, you could only detect his
+satisfaction in an occasional sidelong look of drollery, which, brief
+and fleeting as it was, had still a numerous body of admirers through
+the court, whose muttered expressions of "Divil fear ye, Darby! but
+ye 're up to them any day;" or "Faix! 't is himself cares little about
+them!" showed they had no lack of confidence in the piper.
+
+
+[Illustration: BrownDarbyInTheChair294]
+
+"Your name is M'Keown, sir?" said the lawyer, with that abruptness
+which so often succeeds in oversetting the balance of a witness's
+self-possession. "Yes, sir; Darby M'Keown." "Did you ever go by any
+other than this?" "They do call me 'Darby the Blast' betimes, av that 'a
+a name."
+
+"Is that the only other name you have been called by?" "I misremember
+rightly, it's so long since I was among friends and acquaintances; but
+if yer honor would remind me a little, maybe I could tell." "Well, were
+you ever called 'Larry the Flail?'" "Faix, I was," replied he, laughing;
+"divil a doubt of it."
+
+"How did you come by the name of 'Larry the Flail'?"
+
+"They gave me the name up at Mulhuldad there, for bating one M'Clancy
+with a flail."
+
+"A very good reason. So you got the name because you beat a certain
+M'Clancy with a flail?"
+
+"I didn't say that; I only said they gave me the name because they said
+I bate him."
+
+"Were you ever called 'Fire-the-Haggard'?"
+
+"I was, often."
+
+"For no reason, of course?"
+
+"Divil a may son. The boys said it in sport, just as they talk of yer
+honor out there in the hall."
+
+"How do you mean,--talk of me?"
+
+"Sure I heard them say myself, as I was coming in, that you wor a clever
+man and a 'cute lawyer. They do be always humbugging that way."
+
+A titter ran round the benches of the barristers at this speech, which
+was delivered with a naive simplicity that would deceive many.
+
+"You were a United Irishman, Mr. M'Keown, I believe?" rejoined the
+counsel, with a frown of stern intimidation.
+
+"Yes, sir; and a White Boy, and a Defender, and a Thrasher besides. I
+was in all the fun them times."
+
+"The Thrashers are the fellows, I believe, who must beat any man they
+are appointed to attack; isn't that so?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"So that, if I was mentioned to you as a person to be assaulted,
+although I had never done you any injury, you 'd not hesitate to waylay
+me?"
+
+"No, sir, I wouldn't do that. I'd not touch yer honor."
+
+"Come, come; what do you mean? Why wouldn't you touch me?"
+
+"I' d rather not tell, av it was plazing to ye."
+
+"You must tell, sir; speak out! Why wouldn't you attack me?"
+
+"They say, sir," said Darby,--and as he spoke, his voice assumed a
+peculiar lisp, meant to express great modesty,--"they say, sir, that
+when a man has a big wart on his nose there, like yer honor, it's not
+lucky to bate him, for that's the way the divil marks his own."
+
+This time the decorum of the court gave way entirely, and the unwashed
+faces which filled the avenues and passages were all expanded in open
+laughter; nor was it easy to restore order again amid the many marks of
+approval and encouragement bestowed on Darby by his numerous admirers.
+
+"Remember where you are, sir," said the judge, severely.
+
+"Yes, my lord," said Darby, with an air of submission. "'T is the first
+time I was ever in sich a situation as this. I 'm much more at my ease
+when I 'm down in the dock there; it's what I 'm most used to, God help
+me."
+
+The whining tone in which he delivered this mock lament on his
+misfortunes occasioned another outbreak of the mob, who were threatened
+with expulsion from the court if any future interruption took place.
+
+"You were, then, a member of every illegal society of the time, Mr.
+Darby?" said the lawyer, returning to the examination. "Is it not so?"
+
+"Most of them, anyhow," was the cool reply.
+
+"You took an active part in the doings of the year '98 also?"
+
+"Throth I did,--mighty active. I walked from beyant Castlecomer one day
+to Dublin to see a trial here. Be the same token, it was Mr. Curran made
+a hare of yer honor that day. Begorrah I wonder ye ever held up yer head
+after."
+
+Here a burst of laughter at the recollection seemed to escape Darby
+so naturally, that its contagious effects were felt throughout the
+assembly.
+
+"You are a wit, Mr. M'Keown, I fancy, eh?"
+
+"Bedad I 'm not, sir; very little of that same would have kept out of
+this to-day."
+
+"But you came here to serve a friend,--a very old friend, he calls you."
+
+"Does he?" said Darby, with an energy of tone and manner very different
+from what he had hitherto used. "Does Master Tom say that?"
+
+As the poor fellow's cheek flushed, and his eyes sparkled with proud
+emotion, I could perceive that the lawyer's face underwent a change
+equally rapid. A look of triumph at having at length discovered the
+assailable point of the witness's temperament now passed over his pale
+features, and gave them an expression of astonishing intelligence.
+
+"A very natural thing it is, Darby, that he should call you so. You were
+companions at an early period,--at least of his life; fellow-travellers,
+too, if I don't mistake?"
+
+Although these words were spoken in a tone of careless freedom, and
+intended to encourage Darby to some expansion on the same theme, the
+cunning fellow had recovered all his habitual self-possession, and
+merely answered, if answer it could be called,--
+
+"I was a poor man, sir, and lived by the pipes."
+
+The advocate and the witness exchanged looks at this moment, in which
+their relative positions were palpably conveyed. Each seemed to say it
+was a drawn battle; but the lawyer returned with vigor to the charge;
+desiring Darby to mention the manner in which our first acquaintance
+began, and how the intimacy was originally formed.
+
+He narrated with clearness and accuracy every step of our early
+wanderings; and while never misstating a single fact, contrived
+to exhibit my career as totally devoid of any participation in the
+treasonable doings of the period. Indeed, he laid great stress on the
+fact that my acquaintance with Charles de Meudon had withdrawn me from
+all relations with the insurgent party, between whom and the French
+allies feelings of open dislike and distrust existed. Of the scene at
+the barrack his account varied in nothing from that I had already given;
+nor was all the ingenuity of a long and intricate cross-examination able
+to shake his testimony in the most minute particular.
+
+"Of course, then, you know Sir Montague Crofts? It is quite clear that
+you cannot mistake a person with whom you had a struggle such as you
+speak of."
+
+"Faix, I'd know his skin upon a bush," said Darby, "av he was like what
+I remember him; but sure he may be changed since that. They tell me
+I'm looking ould myself; and no wonder. Hunting kangaroos wears the
+constitution terribly."
+
+"Look around the court, now, and say if he be here."
+
+Darby rose from his seat, and shading his eyes with his hand, took
+a deliberate survey of the court. Though well knowing, from past
+experience, in what part of the assembly the person he sought would
+probably be, he seized the occasion to scrutinize the features of the
+various persons, whom under no other pretence could he have examined.
+
+"It's not on the bench, sir, you need look for him," said the lawyer,
+as M'Keown remained for a considerable time with his eyes bent in that
+direction.
+
+"Bedad there's no knowing," rejoined Darby, doubtfully; "av he was
+dressed up that way, I wouldn't know him from an old ram."
+
+He turned round as he said this, and gazed steadfastly towards the bar.
+It was an anxious moment for me: should Darby make any mistake in the
+identity of Crofts, his whole testimony would be so weakened in the
+opinion of the jury as to be nearly valueless. I watched his eyes,
+therefore, as they ranged over the crowded mass, with a palpitating
+heart; and when at last his glance settled on a far part of the court,
+very distant from that occupied by Crofts, I grew almost sick with
+apprehension lest he should mistake another for him.
+
+"Well, sir," said the lawyer; "do you see him now?"
+
+"Arrah, it's humbugging me yez are," said Darby, roughly, while he threw
+himself down into his chair in apparent ill temper.
+
+A loud burst of laughter broke from the bar at this sudden ebullition of
+passion, so admirably feigned that none suspected its reality; and while
+the sounds of mirth were subsiding, Darby dropped his head, and placed
+his hand above his ear. "There it is, by gorra; there's no mistaking
+that laugh, anyhow," cried he; "there's a screech in it might plaze an
+owl." And with that he turned abruptly round and faced the bench where
+Crofts was seated. "I heard it a while ago, but I couldn't say where.
+That's the man," said he, pointing with his finger to Crofts, who seemed
+actually to cower beneath his piercing glance.
+
+"Remember, sir, you are on your solemn oath. Will you swear that the
+gentleman there is Sir Montague Crofts?"
+
+"I know nothing about Sir Montague," said Darby, composedly, while
+rising he walked over towards the edge of the table where Crofts was
+sitting, "but I'll swear that's the same Captain Crofts that I knocked
+down while he was shortening his sword to run it through Master Burke;
+and by the same token, he has a cut in the skull where he fell on the
+fender." And before the other could prevent it, he stretched out his
+hand, and placed it on the back of the crown of Crofts's head. "There it
+is, just as I tould you."
+
+The sensation these words created in the court was most striking,
+and even the old lawyer appeared overwhelmed at the united craft and
+consistency of the piper. The examination was resumed; but Darby's
+evidence tallied so accurately with my statement that its continuance
+only weakened the case for the prosecution.
+
+As the sudden flash of the lightning will sometimes disclose what in the
+long blaze of noonday has escaped the beholder, so will conviction
+break unexpectedly upon the human mind from some slight but striking
+circumstance which comes with the irresistible force of unpremeditated
+truthfulness. From that moment it was clear the jury to a man were with
+Darby. They paid implicit attention to all he said, and made notes of
+every trivial fact he mentioned; while he, as if divining the impression
+he had made, became rigorously cautious that not a particle of his
+evidence could be shaken, nor the effect of his testimony weakened by
+even a passing phrase of exaggeration. It was, indeed, a phenomenon
+worth studying, to see this fellow, whose natural disposition was the
+irrepressible love of drollery and recklessness,--whose whole heart
+seemed bent on the indulgence of his wayward, careless humor,--suddenly
+throw off every eccentricity of his character, and become a steady and
+accurate witness, delivering his evidence carefully and cautiously,
+and never suffering his own leanings to repartee, nor the badgering
+allusions of his questioner, to draw him for a moment away from the
+great object he had set before him; resisting every line, every bait,
+the cunning lawyer threw out to seduce him into that land of fancy
+so congenial to an Irishman's temperament, he was firm against
+all temptation, and even endured that severest of all tests to the
+forbearance of his country,--he suffered the laugh more than once to be
+raised at his expense, without an effort to retort on his adversary.
+
+The examination lasted three hours; and at its conclusion, every fact
+I stated had received confirmation from Darby's testimony, down to the
+moment when we left the barrack together.
+
+"Now, M'Keown," said the lawyer, "I am about to call your recollection,
+which is so wonderfully accurate that it can give you no trouble in
+remembering, to a circumstance which immediately followed the affair."
+
+As he got thus far, Crofts leaned over and drew the counsel towards
+him while he whispered some words rapidly in his ear. A brief dialogue
+ensued between them; at the conclusion of which the lawyer turned round,
+and addressing Darby, said,--
+
+"You may go down, sir; I 've done with you." "Wait a moment," said the
+young barrister on my side, who quickly perceived that the interruption
+had its secret object. "My learned friend was about to ask you
+concerning something which happened after you left the barrack; and
+although he has changed his mind on the subject, we on this side would
+be glad to hear what you have to say."
+
+Darby's eyes flashed with unwonted brilliancy; and I thought I caught
+a glance of triumphant meaning towards Crofts, as he began his recital,
+which was in substance nothing more than what the reader already knows.
+When he came to the mention of Fortescue's name, however, Crofts, whose
+excitement was increasing at each moment, lost all command over himself,
+and cried out,--
+
+"It's false! every word untrue! The man was dead at the time."
+
+The court rebuked the interruption, and Darby went on.
+
+"No, my lord; he was alive. But Mr. Crofts is not to blame, for he
+believed he was dead; and, more than that, he thought he took the sure
+way to make him so."
+
+These words produced the greatest excitement throughout the court;
+and an animated discussion ensued, how far the testimony could go to
+inculpate a party not accused. It was ruled, at last, the evidence
+should be heard, as touching the case on trial, and not immediately as
+regarded Crofts. And then Darby began a recital, of which I had never
+heard a syllable before, nor had I conceived the slightest suspicion.
+
+The story, partly told in narrative form, partly elicited by
+questioning, was briefly this.
+
+Daniel Fortescue was the son of a Roscommon gentleman of large fortune,
+of whom also Crofts was the illegitimate child. The father, a man
+of high Tory politics, had taken a most determined part against the
+patriotic party in Ireland, to which his son Daniel had shown himself,
+on more than one occasion, favorable. The consequence was, a breach of
+affection between them; widened into an actual rupture, by the old man,
+who was a widower, taking home to his house the illegitimate son, and
+announcing to his household that he would leave him everything he could
+in the world.
+
+To Daniel, the blow was all that he needed to precipitate his ruin. He
+abandoned the university, where already he had distinguished himself,
+and threw himself heart and soul into the movement of the "United
+Irish" party. At first, high hopes of an independent nation,--a separate
+kingdom, with its own train of interests, and its own sphere of power
+and influence,--was the dream of those with whom he associated. But
+as events rolled on it was found, that to mature their plans it was
+necessary to connect themselves with the masses, by whose agency the
+insurrectionary movement was to be effected; and in doing so, they
+discovered, that although theories of liberty and independence, high
+notions of pure government, may have charms for men of intellect and
+intelligence, to the mob the price of a rebellion must be paid down
+in the sterling coin of pillage and plunder,--or even, worse, the
+triumphant dominion of the depraved and the base over the educated and
+the worthy.
+
+Many who favored the patriotic cause, as it was called, became so
+disgusted at the low associates and base intercourse the game of party
+required, that they abandoned the field at once, leaving to others, less
+scrupulous or more ardent, the path they could not stoop to follow. It
+was probable that young Fortescue might have been among these, had he
+been left to the guidance of his own judgment and inclination; for, as a
+man of honor and intelligence, he could not help feeling shocked at the
+demands made by those who were the spokesmen of the people. But this
+course he was not permitted to take, owing to the influence of a man who
+had succeeded in obtaining the most absolute power over him.
+
+This was a certain Maurice Mulcahy, a well-known member of the various
+illegal clubs of the day, and originally a country schoolmaster. Mulcahy
+it was who first infected Fortescue's mind with the poison of this
+party,--now lending him volumes of the incendiary trash with which
+the press teemed; now newspapers, whose articles were headed, "Orange
+outrage on a harmless and unresisting peasantry!" or, "Another sacrifice
+of the people to the bloody vengeance of the Saxon!" By these, his
+youthful mind became interested in the fate of those he believed to be
+treated with reckless cruelty and oppression; while, as he advanced in
+years, his reason was appealed to by those great and spirit-stirring
+addresses which Grattan and Curran were continually delivering, either
+in the senate or at the bar, and wherein the most noble aspirations
+after liberty were united with sentiments breathing love of country and
+devoted patriotism. To connect the garbled and lying statements of a
+debased newspaper press with the honorable hopes and noble conceptions
+of men of mind and genius, was the fatal process of his political
+education; and never was there a time when such a delusion was more
+easy.
+
+Mulcahy, now stimulating the boyish ardor of a high-spirited youth, now
+flattering his vanity by promises of the position one of his ancient
+name and honored lineage must assume in the great national movement,
+gradually became his directing genius, swaying every resolution and
+ruling every determination of his mind. He never left his victim for a
+moment; and while thus insuring the unbounded influence he exercised, he
+gave proof of a seeming attachment, which Fortescue confidently believed
+in. Mulcahy, too, never wanted for money; alleging that the leaders of
+the plot knew the value of Fortescue's alliance, and were willing
+to advance him any sums he needed, he supplied the means of every
+extravagance a wild and careless youth indulged in, and thus riveted the
+chain of his bondage to him.
+
+When the rebellion broke out, Fortescue, like many more, was
+horror-struck at the conduct of his party. He witnessed hourly scenes
+of cruelty and bloodshed at which his heart revolted, but to avow his
+compassion for which would have cost him his life on the spot. He was
+in the stream, however, and must go with the torrent; and what will not
+stern necessity compel? Daily intimacy with the base-hearted and the
+low, hourly association with crime, and perhaps more than either,
+despair of success, broke him down completely, and with the blind
+fatuity of one predestined to evil, he became careless what happened to
+him, and indifferent to whatever fate was before him.
+
+Still, between him and his associates there lay a wide gulf. The tree,
+withered and blighted as it was, still preserved some semblance of its
+once beauty; and among that mass of bigotry and bloodshed, his nature
+shone forth conspicuously as something of a different order of being. To
+none was this superiority more insulting than to the parties themselves.
+So long as the period of devising and planning the movement of an
+insurrection lasts, the presence of a gentleman, or a man of birth
+or rank, will be hailed with acclamation and delight. Let the hour of
+acting arrive, however, and the scruples of an honorable mind, or the
+repugnance of a high-spirited nature, will be treated as cowardice by
+those who only recognized bravery in deeds of blood, and know no heroism
+save when allied to cruelty.
+
+Fortescue became suspected by his party. Hints were circulated, and
+rumors reached him, that he was watched; that it was no time for hanging
+back. He who sacrificed everything for the cause to be thus accused! He
+consulted Mulcahy; and to his utter discomfiture discovered that
+even his old ally and adviser was not devoid of doubt regarding him.
+Something must be done, and that speedily,--he cared not what. Life had
+long ceased to interest him either by hope or fear. The only tie that
+bound him to existence was the strange desire to be respected by those
+his heart sickened at the thought of.
+
+An attack was at that time planned against the house and family of a
+Wexford gentleman, whose determined opposition to the rebel movement had
+excited all their hatred. Fortescue demanded to be the leader of that
+expedition; and was immediately named to the post by those who were glad
+to have the opportunity of testing his conduct by such an emergency.
+
+The attack took place at night,--a scene of the most fearful and
+appalling cruelty, such as the historian yet records among the most
+dreadful of that dreadful period. The house was burned to the ground,
+and its inmates butchered, regardless of age or sex. In the effort to
+save a female from the flames, Fortescue was struck down by one of his
+party; while another nearly cleft his chest across with a cut of a large
+knife. He fell, covered with blood, and lay seemingly dead. When his
+party retreated, however, he summoned strength to creep under shelter of
+a ditch, and lay there till near daybreak, when he was found by another
+gang of the rebel faction, who knew nothing of the circumstances of his
+wound, and carried him away to a place of safety.
+
+For some months he lay dangerously ill. Hectic fever, consequent on long
+suffering, brought him to the very brink of the grave; and at last he
+managed by stealth to reach Dublin, where a doctor well known to
+the party resided, and under whose care he ultimately recovered, and
+succeeded at last in taking a passage to America. Meanwhile his death
+was currently believed, and Crofts was everywhere recognized as the heir
+to the fortune.
+
+Mulcahy, of whom it is necessary to speak a few words, was soon after
+apprehended on a charge of rebellion, and sentenced to transportation.
+He appealed to many who had known him, as he said, in better times,
+to speak to his character. Among others, Captain Crofts--so he then
+was--was summoned. His evidence, however, was rather injurious than
+favorable to the prisoner; and although not in any way influencing the
+sentence, was believed by the populace to have mainly contributed to its
+severity.
+
+Such was, in substance, the singular story which was now told before the
+court,--told without any effort at concealment or reserve; and to the
+proof of which M'Keown was willing to proceed at once.
+
+"This, my lord," said Darby, as he concluded, "is a good time and place
+to give back to Mr. Crofts a trifling article I took from him the night
+at the barracks. I thought it was the bank-notes I was getting; but it
+turned out better, after all."
+
+With that he produced a strong black leather pocket-book, fastened by a
+steel clasp. No sooner did Crofts behold it, than, with the spring of a
+tiger, he leaped forward and endeavored to clutch it. But Darby was on
+his guard, and immediately drew back his hand, calling out,--
+
+"No, no, sir! I didn't keep it by me eight long years to give it up that
+way. There, my lords," said he, as he handed it to the bench, "there's
+his pocket-book, with plenty of notes in it from many a one well
+known,--Maurice Mulcahy among the rest,--and you'll soon see who it was
+first tempted Fortescue to ruin, and who paid the money for doing it."
+
+A burst of horror and astonishment broke from the assembled crowd as
+Darby spoke.
+
+Then, in a loud, determined tone, "He is a perjurer!" screamed Crofts. "I
+repeat it, my lord; Fortescue is dead."
+
+"Faix! and for a dead man he has a remarkable appetite," said Darby,
+"and an elegant color in his face besides; for there he stands."
+
+And as he spoke, he pointed with his finger to a man who was leaning
+with folded arms against one of the pillars that supported the gallery.
+
+Every eye was now turned in the direction towards him; while the young
+barrister called out, "Is your name Daniel Fortescue?"
+
+But before any answer could follow, several among the lawyers, who
+had known him in his college days, and felt attachment to him, had
+surrounded and recognized him.
+
+"I am Daniel Fortescue, my lord," said the stranger. "Whatever may be
+the consequences of the avowal, I say it here, before this court,
+that every statement the witness has made regarding me is true to the
+letter."
+
+A low, faint sound, heard throughout the stillness that followed these
+words, now echoed throughout the court; and Crofts had fallen, fainting,
+over the bench behind him.
+
+A scene of tumultuous excitement now ensued, for while Crofts's friends,
+many of whom were present, assisted to carry him into the air, others
+pressed eagerly forward to catch a sight of Fortescue, who had already
+rivalled Darby himself in the estimation of the spectators.
+
+He was a tall, powerfully-built man, of about thirty-five or thirty-six,
+dressed in the blue jacket and trousers of a sailor; but neither the
+habitude of his profession nor the humble dress he wore could conceal
+the striking evidence his air and bearing indicated of condition and
+birth. As he mounted the witness table,--for it was finally agreed
+that his testimony in disproof or corroboration of M'Keown should be
+heard,--a murmur of approbation went round, partly at the daring step he
+had thus ventured on taking, and partly excited by those personal gifts
+which are ever certain to have their effect upon any crowded assembly.
+
+I need not enter into the details of his evidence, which was given in
+a frank, straightforward manner, well suited to his appearance; never
+concealing for a moment the cause he had himself embarked in, nor
+assuming any favorable coloring for actions which ingenuity and the zeal
+of party would have found subjects for encomium rather than censure.
+
+His narrative not only confirmed all that Darby asserted, but also
+disclosed the atrocious scheme by which he had been first induced to
+join the ranks of the disaffected party. This was the work of Crofts,
+who knew and felt that Fortescue was the great barrier between himself
+and a large fortune. For this purpose Mulcahy was hired; to this end the
+whole long train of perfidy laid, which eventuated in his ruin: for
+so artfully had the plot been devised, each day's occurrence rendered
+retreat more difficult, until at last it became impossible.
+
+The reader is already aware of the catastrophe which concluded his
+career in the rebel army. It only remains now to be told that he escaped
+to America, where he entered as a sailor on board a merchantman;
+and although his superior acquirements and conduct might have easily
+bettered his fortune in his new walk in life, the dread of detection
+never left his mind, and he preferred the hardships before the mast to
+the vacillation of hope and fear a more conspicuous position would have
+exposed him to.
+
+The vessel in which he served was wrecked off the coast of New Holland,
+and he and a few others of the crew were taken up by an English ship on
+her voyage outward. In a party sent on shore for water, Fortescue came
+up with Darby, who had made his escape from the convict settlement, and
+was wandering about the woods, almost dead of starvation, and scarcely
+covered with clothing. His pitiful condition, but perhaps more still,
+his native drollery, which even then was unextinguished, induced the
+sailors to yield to Fortescue's proposal, and they smuggled him on
+board in a water cask; and thus concealed, he made the entire voyage to
+England, where he landed about a fortnight before the trial. Fearful of
+being apprehended before the day, and determined at all hazards to give
+his evidence, he lay hid till the time we have already seen, when he
+suddenly came forward to my rescue.
+
+Mulcahy, who worked in the same gang with Darby, or, to use the piper's
+grandiloquent expression,--for he burst out in this occasionally,--was
+"in concatenated proximity to him," told the whole story of his own
+baseness, and loudly inveighed against Crofts for deserting him in
+his misfortunes. The pocket-book taken from Crofts by Darby amply
+corroborated this statement. It contained, besides various memoranda
+in the owner's handwriting, several letters from Mulcahy, detailing the
+progress of the conspiracy: some were in acknowledgment of considerable
+sums of money; others asking for supplies; but all confirmatory of the
+black scheme by which Fortescue's destruction was compassed.
+
+Whatever might have been the sentiments of the crowded court regarding
+the former life and opinions of Fortescue and the piper, it was clear
+that now only one impression prevailed,--a general feeling of horror at
+the complicated villany of Crofts, whose whole existence had been one
+tissue of the basest treachery.
+
+The testimony was heard with attention throughout; no cross-examination
+was entered on; and the judge, briefly adverting to the case which
+was before the jury, and from whose immediate consideration subsequent
+events had in a great measure withdrawn their minds, directed them to
+deliver a verdict of "Not guilty."
+
+The words were re-echoed by the jury, who, man for man, exclaimed these
+words aloud, amid the most deafening cheers from every side.
+
+As I walked from the dock, fatigued, worn out, and exhausted, a dozen
+hands were stretched out to seize mine; but one powerful grasp caught my
+arm, and a well-known voice called in my ear,--
+
+"An' ye wor with Boney, Master Tom? Tare and 'ounds, didn't I know you'd
+be a great man yet."
+
+At the same instant Fortescue came through the crowd towards me, with
+his hands outstretched.
+
+"We should be friends, sir," said he, "for we both have suffered from a
+common enemy. If I am at liberty to leave this--"
+
+"You are not, sir," interposed a deep voice behind. We turned and beheld
+Major Barton. "The massacre at Kil-macshogue has yet to be atoned for."
+
+Fortescue's face grew actually livid at the mention of the word, and his
+breathing became thick and short.
+
+"Here," continued Barton, "is the warrant for your committal. And you
+also, Darby," said he, turning round; "we want your company once more in
+Newgate."
+
+"Bedad, I suppose there's no use in sending an apology when friends is
+so pressing," said he, buttoning his coat as coolly as possible; "but I
+hope you 'll let the master come in to see me."
+
+"Mr. Burke shall be admitted at all times," said Barton, with an
+obsequious civility I had never witnessed in him previously.
+
+"Faix, maybe you 'll not be for letting him out so aisy," said Darby,
+dryly, for his notions of justice were tempered by a considerable dash
+of suspicion.
+
+I had only time left to press my purse into the honest fellow's hand,
+and salute Fortescue hastily, as they both were removed, under the
+custody of Barton. And I now made my way through the crowd into the
+hall, which opened a line for me as I went; a thousand welcomes meeting
+me from those who felt as anxious about the result of the trial as if a
+brother or a dear friend had been in peril.
+
+One face caught my eye as I passed; and partly from my own excitement,
+partly from its expression being so different from its habitual
+character, I could not recognize it as speedily as I ought to have done.
+Again and again it appeared; and at last, as I approached the door into
+the street, it was beside me.
+
+"If I might dare to express my congratulations," said a voice, weak
+from the tremulous anxiety of the speaker, and the shame which, real or
+affected, seemed to bow him down.
+
+"What," cried I, "Mr. Basset!" for it was the worthy man himself.
+
+"Yes, sir. Your father's old and confidential agent,--I might venture to
+say, friend,--come to see the son of his first patron occupy the station
+he has long merited."
+
+"A bad memory is the only touch of age I remark in you, sir," said I,
+endeavoring to pass on, for I was unwilling at the moment of my escape
+from a great difficulty to lose temper with so unworthy an object.
+
+"One moment, sir, just a moment," said he, in a low whisper. "You'll
+want money, probably. The November rents are not paid up; but there's a
+considerable balance to your credit. Will you take a hundred or two for
+the present?"
+
+"Take money!--money from you!" said I, shrinking back.
+
+"Your own, sir; your own estate. Do you forget," said he, with a
+miserable effort of a smile, "that you are Mr. Burke of Cromore, with a
+clear rental of four thousand a year? We gained the Cluan Bog lawsuit,
+sir," continued he. "'Twas I, sir, found the satisfaction for the bond.
+Your brother said he owed it all to Tony Basset."
+
+The two last words were all that were needed to sum up the measure of my
+disgust and I once more tried to get forward.
+
+"I know the property, sir, for thirty-eight years I was over it. Your
+father and your brother always trusted me--"
+
+"Let me pass on, Mr. Basset," said I, calmly. "I have no desire to
+become a greater object of mob curiosity. Pray let me pass on."
+
+"And for Darby M'Keown," whispered he.
+
+"What of him?" said I; for he had touched the most anxious chord of my
+heart at that instant.
+
+"I'll have him free; he shall be at liberty in forty-eight hours for
+you. I have the whole papers by me; and a statement to the privy council
+will obtain his liberation."
+
+"Do this," said I, "and I 'll forgive more of your treatment of me than
+I could on any other plea."
+
+"May I call on you this evening, or to-morrow morning, at your hotel?
+Where do you stop, sir?"
+
+"This evening be it, if it hasten M'Keown's liberation. Remember,
+however, Mr. Basset, I'll hold no converse with you on any other subject
+till that be settled, and to my perfect satisfaction."
+
+"A bargain, sir," said he, with a grin of satisfaction; and dropping
+back, he suffered me to proceed.
+
+Along the quays I went, and down Dame Street, accompanied by a great mob
+of people, who thought in my acquittal they had gained a triumph. For
+so it was; every case had its political feature, and seemed to be
+intimately connected with the objects of one party or the other.
+Partisan cheers,--the watchwords of faction,--were uttered as I went,
+and I was made to suffer that least satisfactory of all conditions,
+which bestows notoriety without fame, and popularity without merit.
+
+As I entered the hotel, I recognized many of the persons I had seen
+there before; but their looks were no longer thrown towards me with the
+impertinence they then assumed. On the contrary, a studied desire to
+evince courtesy and politeness was evident. "How strange is it!" thought
+I; "how differently does the whole world smile to the rich man and to
+the poor!" Here were many who could in nowise derive advantage from my
+altered condition,--as perfectly independent of me as I of them; and
+yet even they showed that degree of deference in their manner which the
+expectant bestows upon a patron. So it is, however. The position which
+wealth confers is recognized by all; the individual who fills it is but
+an attribute of the station.
+
+Life had, indeed, opened on me with a new and very different aspect; and
+I felt, as I indulged in the daydreams which the sudden possession of
+fortune excites, that to enjoy thoroughly the blessings of independence,
+one must have experienced, as I had, the hard pressure of adversity. It
+seemed to me that the long road of gloomy fate had at length reached its
+turning point, and that I should now travel along a calmer and happier
+path. Thoughts of the new career that lay before me were blended with
+the memories of the past; hopes they were, but dashed with the shadows
+which a blighted affection will throw over the whole stream of life.
+Still that evening was one of happiness; not of that excited pleasure
+derived from the attainment of a long coveted object, but the calmer
+enjoyment felt in the safety of the haven by him who has experienced the
+hurricane and the storm.
+
+With such thoughts I went to rest, and laid my head on my pillow in
+thoughtfulness and peace. In my dreams my troubles still lingered. But
+who regrets the anxious minutes of a vision which wakening thoughts
+dispel? Are they not rather the mountain shadows that serve to brighten
+the gleam of the sunlight in the plain?
+
+It was thus the morning broke for me, with all the ecstasy of danger
+passed, and all the crowding hopes of a happy future. The hundred
+speculations which in poverty I had formed for the comfort of the poor
+and the humble might now be realized; and I fancied myself the centre of
+a happy peasantry, confiding and contented. It would be hard, indeed,
+to forget "the camp and the tented field" in the peaceful paths of a
+country life. But simple duties are often as engrossing as those of a
+higher order, and bring a reward not less grateful to the heart; and I
+flattered myself to think my ambition reached not above them.
+
+The moments in which such daydreams are indulged are the very happiest
+of a lifetime. The hopes which are based on the benefits we may render
+to others are sources of elevation to ourselves; and such motives purify
+the soul, and exalt the mind to a pitch far above the petty ambitions of
+the world.
+
+To myself, and to my own enjoyments, wealth could contribute less than
+to most men. The simple habits of a soldier's life satisfied every wish
+of my mind. The luxuries which custom makes necessary to others I never
+knew; and I formed my resolution not to wander from this path of humble,
+inexpensive tastes, so that the stream of charity might flow the wider.
+
+These were my waking thoughts. Alas, how little do we ever realize of
+such speculations! and how few glide down the stream of life unswayed by
+the eddies and crosscurrents of fortune! The higher we build the temple
+of our hopes, the more surely will it topple to its fall. Who shall say
+that our greatest enjoyment is not in raising the pile, and our happiest
+hours the full abandonment to those hopes our calmer reason never
+ratified?
+
+As yet it had not occurred to me to think what position the world might
+concede to one whose life had been passed like mine, nor did I bestow a
+care upon a matter whereon so much of future happiness depended. These,
+however, were considerations which could not be long averted. How they
+came, and in what manner they were met must remain for a future chapter
+of my history.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII. HASTY RESOLUTION
+
+In my last chapter I brought my reader to that portion of my story
+which formed the turning-point of my destiny. And here I might, perhaps,
+conclude these brief memoirs of an early life, whose chief object was
+to point out the results of a hasty and rash judgment, which, formed in
+mere boyhood, exerted its influence throughout the entire of a lifetime.
+Only one incident remains still to be told; and I shall not trespass on
+the good-natured patience of my readers by any delay in the narrative.
+
+From being poor, houseless, and unknown, a sudden turn of fortune
+had made me wealthy and conspicuous in station; the owner of a large
+estate,--almost a lead-ing man in my native county. My influence was
+sufficient to procure the liberation of M'Keown; and my interference in
+his behalf mainly contributed to procure for Fortescue the royal pardon.
+The world, as the phrase is, went with me; and the good luck which
+attended every step I took and every plan I engaged in was become a
+proverb among my neighbors.
+
+Let not any one suppose I was unmindful or ungrateful, if I confess,
+that even with all these I was not happy. No: the tranquil mind, the
+spirit at ease with itself, cannot exist where the sense of duty is not.
+The impulse which swayed my boyish heart still moved the ambition of the
+man. The pursuits I should have deemed the noblest and the purest seemed
+to me uninteresting and ignoble; the associations I ought to have
+felt the happiest and the highest appeared to me vulgar, and low, and
+commonplace. I was disappointed in my early dream of liberty, and
+had found tyranny where I looked for freedom, and intolerance where I
+expected enlightenment; but if so, I recurred with tenfold enthusiasm to
+the career of the soldier, whose glories were ever before me. That
+noble path had not deceived me; far from it. Its wild and whirlwind
+excitement, its hazardous enterprise, its ever-present dangers, were
+stimulants I loved and gloried in. All the chances and changes of a
+peaceful life were poor and mean compared to the hourly vicissitudes of
+war. I knew not then, it is true, how much of enjoyment I derived from
+forgetful ness; how many of my springs of happiness flowed from that
+preoccupation which prevented my dwelling on the only passion that ever
+stirred my heart,--my love for one whose love was hopeless.
+
+How thoroughly will the character of an early love tinge the whole of a
+life! Our affections are like flowers,--they derive their sweetness and
+their bloom from the soil in which they grow: some, budding in joy and
+gladness, amid the tinkling plash of a glittering fountain, live on ever
+bright and beautiful; others, struggling on amid thorns and wild
+weeds, overshadowed by gloom, preserve their early impressions to the
+last,--their very sweetness tells of sadness.
+
+To conquer the memory of this hopeless passion, I tried a hundred ways.
+I endeavored, by giving myself up to the duties of a country gentleman,
+to become absorbed in all the cares and pursuits which had such interest
+for my neighbors. Failing in this, I became a sportsman; I kept horses
+and dogs, and entered, with all the zest mere determination can impart,
+upon that life of manly exertion, so full of pleasure to thousands. But
+here again without succeeding.
+
+I went into society; but soon retired from it, on finding, that among
+the class of my equals the prestige of my early life had still tracked
+me. I was in their eyes a rebel, whose better fortune had saved him
+from the fate of his companions. My youth had given no guarantee for my
+manhood; and I was not trusted. Baffled in every endeavor to obliterate
+my secret grief, I recurred to it now, as though privileged by fate,
+to indulge a memory nothing could efface. I abandoned all the petty
+appliances by which I sought to shut out the past, and gave myself up in
+full abandonment to the luxury of my melancholy.
+
+Living entirely within the walls of my demesne, never seen by my
+neighbors, not making nor receiving visits, I appeared to many a
+heartless recluse, whose misanthropy sought indulgence in solitude;
+others, less harshly, judged me as one whose unhappy entrance on life
+had unfitted him for the station to which fortune had elevated him. By
+both I was soon forgotten.
+
+The peasantry were less ungenerous, and more just. They saw in me one
+who felt acutely for the privations they were suffering; yet never gave
+them that cheap, delusive hope, that legislative changes will touch
+social evils,--that the acts of a parliament will penetrate the thousand
+tortuous windings of a poor man's destiny. They found in me a friend and
+an adviser. They only-wondered at one thing,--how any man could feel for
+the poor, and not hate the rich. So long had the struggle lasted between
+affluence and misery, they could not understand a compromise.
+
+Bitter as their poverty had been, it never extinguished the poetry of
+their lives. They were hungry and naked; but they held to their ancient
+traditions, and they built on them great hopes for the future. The old
+family names, the time-honored memories of place, the famous deeds
+of ancestors, made an ideal existence powerful enough to exclude the
+pressure of actual daily evils; and they argued from what had been to
+what might be, with a persistency of hope it seemed almost cruel to
+destroy. So deeply were these thoughts engrained into their natures,
+they felt him but half their friend who ventured to despise them. The
+relief of present poverty, the succor of actual suffering, became in
+their eyes an effort of mere passing kindness. They looked to some great
+amelioration of condition, some wondrous change, some restoration to an
+imaginary standard of independence and comfort, which all the efforts
+of common interference fell sadly short of; and thus they strained their
+gaze to a government, a ruling power, for a boon undefined, unknown, and
+illimitable.
+
+To expectations like these advice and slight assistance are as the mere
+drop of water to the parched tongue of thirst; and so I found it. I
+could neither encourage them in their hopes of such legislative changes
+as would greatly ameliorate their condition, nor flatter them in the
+delusion that none of their misfortunes were of home origin; and thus,
+if they felt gratitude for many kindnesses, they reposed no confidence
+in my opinion. The trading patriot, who promised much while he pocketed
+their hard-earned savings; the rabid newspaper writer, who libelled
+the Government and denounced the landlord,--were their standards of
+sympathy; and he who fell short of either was not their friend.
+
+In a word, the social state of the people was rotten to its very core.
+Their highest qualities, degraded by the combined force of poverty,
+misrule, and superstition, had become sources of crime and misery. They
+had suffered so long and so much, their patience was exhausted; and they
+preferred the prospect of any violent convulsion which might change the
+face of the land, whatever dangers it might come with, to a slow and
+gradual improvement of condition, however safe and certain.
+
+To win their confidence at the only price they would accord it, I never
+could consent to; and without it I was almost powerless for good.
+Here again, therefore, did I find closed against me another avenue for
+exertion; and the only one of all I could have felt a fitting sphere
+for my labor. The violence of their own passionate natures, the headlong
+impulses by which they suffered themselves to be swayed, left them no
+power of judgment regarding those whose views were more moderate and
+temperate. They could understand the high Tory landlord, whom they
+invested with every attribute of tyranny, as their open, candid
+opponent; they could see a warm friend in the violent mob-orator of the
+day; but they recognized no trait of kindness in him who would rather
+see them fed than flattered, and behold them in the enjoyment of comfort
+sooner than in the ecstasy of triumph.
+
+From "Darby the Blast"--for he was now a member of my household--I
+learned the light in which I was regarded by the people, and heard the
+dissatisfaction they expressed that one who "sarved Boney" should not
+be ready to head a rising, if need be. Thus was I in a false position
+on every side. Mistrusted by all, because I would neither enter into the
+exaggerations of party, nor become blind to the truth my senses revealed
+before me, my sphere of utility was narrowed to the discharge of the
+mere duties of common charity and benevolence, and my presence among my
+tenantry no more productive of benefit than if I had left my purse as my
+representative.
+
+Years rolled on, and in the noiseless track of time I forgot its flight.
+I now had grown so wedded to the habits of my solitary life, that its
+very monotony was a source of pleasure. I had intrenched myself within a
+little circle of enjoyments, and among my books and in my walks my days
+went pleasantly over.
+
+For a long time, I did not dare to read the daily papers, nor learn the
+great events which agitated Europe. I tried to think that an interval of
+repose would leave me indifferent to their mention; and so rigidly did I
+abstain from indulging my curiosity, that the burning of Moscow, and the
+commencement of the dreadful retreat which followed, was the first fact
+I read of.
+
+From the moment I gave way, the passion for intelligence from France
+became a perfect mania. Where were the different corps of the "Grand
+Army"? where the Emperor himself? by what great stroke of genius would
+he emerge from the difficulties around him, and deal one of his fatal
+blows on the enemy?--were the questions which met me as I awoke, and
+tortured me during the day.
+
+Each movement of that terrible retreat I followed in the gazettes with
+an anxiety verging on insanity. I tracked the long journey on the map,
+and as I counted towns and villages, dreary deserts of snow, and vast
+rivers to be traversed, my heart grew faint to think how many a brave
+soldier would never reach that fair France for whose glory he had shed
+his best blood. Disaster followed disaster; and as the news reached
+England, came accounts of those great defections which weakened the
+force of the "Grand Army," and deranged the places formed for its
+retiring movements.
+
+They who can recall to mind the time I speak of, will remember the
+effect produced in England by the daily accounts from the seat of war;
+how heavily fell the blows of that altered fortune which once rested on
+the eagles of France; how each new bulletin announced another feature of
+misfortune,--some shattered remnant of a great _corps d'armee_ cut off
+by Cossacks,--some dreadful battle engaged against superior numbers, and
+fought with desperation, not for victory, but the liberty to retreat.
+Great names were mentioned among the slain, and the proudest chivalry of
+Gaul left to perish on the far-off steppes of Russia.
+
+Such were the fearful tales men read of that terrible campaign; and the
+joy in England was great, to hear that the most powerful of her enemies
+had at length experienced the full bitterness of defeat. While men vied
+with one another in stories of the misfortunes of the Emperor,--when
+each post added another to the long catalogue of disasters to the "Grand
+Army,"--I sat in my lonely house, in a remote part of Ireland, brooding
+over the sad reverses of him who still formed my ideal of a hero.
+
+I thought how, amid the crumbling ruins of his splendid force, his great
+soul would survive the crash that made all others despair; that each
+new evil would suggest its remedy as it arose, and the mind that never
+failed in expedient would shine out more brilliantly through the gloom
+of darkening fortune than even it had done in the noonday splendor
+of success. When all others could only see the tremendous energy of
+despair, I thought I could recognize those glorious outbursts of heroism
+by which a French army sought and won the favor of their Emperor. The
+routed and straggling bodies which hurried along in seeming disorder, I
+gloried to perceive could assume all the port and bearing of soldiers at
+the approach of danger, and form their ranks at the wild "houra" of the
+Cossack as steadily as in the proudest day of their prosperity.
+
+The retreat continued: the horrible suffering of a Russian winter added
+to the carnage of a battle-tide, which flowed unceasingly from the
+ruined walls of the Kremlin to the banks of the Vistula: the battle of
+Borisow and the passage of the Berezina followed fast on each other.
+And now we heard that the Emperor had surrendered the chief command
+to Murat, and was hastening back to France with lightning speed; for
+already the day of his evil fortune had thrown its shadow over the
+capital. No longer reckoned by tens of thousands, that vast army had now
+dwindled down to divisions of a few hundred men. The Old Guard scarce
+exceeded one thousand; and of twenty entire regiments of cavalry,
+Murat mustered a single squadron as a bodyguard. Crowds of wounded and
+mutilated men dragged their weary limbs along over the hardened snow,
+or through dense pine forests where no villages were to be met with,--a
+fatuous determination to strive to reach France, the only impulse
+surviving amid all their sufferings.
+
+With the defections of D'York and Massenbach, then began that new
+feature of disaster which was so soon to burst forth with all the fell
+fury of long pent-up hatred. The nationality of Germany--so long, so
+cruelly insulted--now saw the day of retribution arrive. Misfortune
+hastened misfortune, and defeat engendered treason in the ranks of the
+Emperor's allies. Murat, too, the favorite of Napoleon, the king of his
+creation, deserted him now, and fled ignominiously from the command of
+the army.
+
+"The Elbe! the Elbe!" was now the cry amid the shattered ranks of that
+army which but a year before saw no limit to its glorious path. The Elbe
+was the only line remaining which promised a moment's repose from the
+fatigues and privations of months long. Along that road the army could
+halt, and stem the tide of pursuit, however hotly it pressed. The
+Prussians had already united with the Russians; the defection of Austria
+could not be long distant; Saxony was appealed to, as a member of the
+German family, to join in arms against the Tyrant; and the wild "houra"
+of the Cossack now blended with the loud "Vorwarts" of injured Prussia.
+
+"Where shall he seek succor now? What remains to him in this last
+eventful struggle? How shall the Emperor call back to life the legions
+by whose valor his great victories were gained, and Europe made a vassal
+at the foot of his throne?" Such was the thought that never left me day
+or night. Ever present before me was his calm brow, and his face paler,
+but not less handsome, than its wont. I could recall his rapid glance;
+the quick and hurried motion of his hand; his short and thick utterance,
+as words of command fell from his lips; and his smile, as he heard some
+intelligence with pleasure.
+
+I could not sleep,--scarcely could I eat. A feverish excitement burned
+through my frame, and my parched tongue and hot hand told how the very
+springs of health were dried up within me. I walked with hurried steps
+from place to place; now muttering the words of some despatch, now
+fancying that I was sent with orders for a movement of troops. As I
+rode, I spurred my horse to a gallop, and in my heated imagination
+believed I was in presence of the enemy, and preparing for the fray.
+Great as my exhaustion frequently was, weariness brought no rest. Often
+I returned home at evening, overcome by fatigue; but a sleepless night,
+tortured with anxieties and harassed with doubts and fears, followed,
+and I awoke to pursue the same path, till in my weakened frame and
+hectic cheek the signs of illness could no longer be mistaken.
+
+Terrified at the ravages a few weeks had made in my health, and fearful
+what secret malady was preying upon me, Darby, without asking any leave
+from me, left the house one morning at daybreak, and returned with the
+physician of the neighboring town. I was about to mount my horse, when I
+saw them coming up the avenue, and immediately guessed the object of the
+visit. A moment was enough to decide me as to the course to pursue;
+for well knowing how disposed the world ever is to stamp the impress
+of wandering intellect on any habit of mere eccentricity, I resolved to
+receive the doctor as though I was glad of his coming, and consult with
+him regarding my state. This would at least refute such a scandal, by
+enlisting the physician among the allies of my cause.
+
+By good fortune, Dr. Clibborn was a man of shrewd common sense, as well
+as a physician of no mean skill.
+
+In the brief conversation we held together, I perceived, that while he
+paid all requisite attention to any detail which implied the existence
+of malady, his questions were more pointedly directed to the possibility
+of some mental cause of irritation,--the source of my ailment. I could
+see, however, that his opinion inclined to the belief that the events of
+the trial had left their indelible traces on my mind; which, inducing
+me to adopt a life of isolation and retirement, had now produced the
+effects he witnessed.
+
+I was not sorry at this mistake on his part. By suffering him to
+indulge in this delusive impression, I saved myself all the trouble of
+concealing my real feelings, which I had no desire to expose before him.
+I permitted him, therefore, to reason with me on the groundless notions
+he supposed I had conceived of the world's feeling regarding me,
+and heard him patiently as he detailed the course of public duty, by
+fulfilling which I should occupy my fitting place in society, and best
+consult my own health and happiness.
+
+"There are," said he, "certain fixed impressions, which I would not so
+combat. It was but yesterday, for instance, I yielded to the wish of
+an old general officer, who has served upwards of half a century, and
+desires once more to put himself at the head of his regiment. His
+heart was bent on it. I saw that though he might consent to abandon his
+purpose, I was not so sure his mind might bear the disappointment; for
+the intellect will sometimes go astray in endeavoring to retrace its
+steps. So I thought it better to concede what might cost more in the
+refusal."
+
+The last words of the doctor remained in my head long after he took his
+leave, and I could not avoid applying them to my own case. Was not _my_
+impression of this nature? Were not _my_ thoughts all centred on one
+theme as fixedly as the officer's of whom he spoke? Could I, by any
+effort of my reason or my will, control my wandering fancies, and call
+them back to the dull realities amongst which I lived?
+
+These were ever recurring to me, and always with the same reply. It is
+in vain to struggle against an impulse which has swallowed up all other
+ambitions. My heart is among the glittering ranks and neighing squadrons
+of France; I would be there once more; I would follow that career which
+first stirred the proudest hopes I ever cherished.
+
+That same evening the mail brought the news that Eugene Beauharnais had
+fallen back on Magdeburg, and sent repeated despatches to the Emperor,
+entreating his immediate presence among the troops, whom nothing but
+Napoleon himself in the midst of them could restore to their wonted
+bravery and determination. The reply of Napoleon was briefly,--
+
+"I am coming; and all who love me, follow me."
+
+How the words rang in my ears,--"_Tous ceux qui m'aiment!_" I heard
+them in every rustling of the wind and motion of the leaves against the
+window; they were whispered to my sense by every avenue of my brain;
+and I sat no longer occupied in reading as usual, but with folded arms,
+repeating word by word the brief sentence.
+
+It was midnight. All was still and silent through the house; no servant
+stirred, and the very wind was hushed to a perfect calm. I was sitting
+in my library, when the words I have repeated seemed spoken in a low,
+clear voice beside me. I started up: the perspiration broke over my
+forehead and fell upon my cheek with terror; for I knew I was alone, and
+the fearful thought flashed on me,--this may be madness! For a second or
+two the agony of the idea was almost insupportable. Then came a resolve
+as sudden. I opened my desk, and took from it all the ready money I
+possessed; I wrote a few hurried lines to my agent; and then, making my
+way noiselessly to the stable, I saddled my horse and led him out.
+
+In two hours I was nearly twenty miles on my way to Dublin. Day was
+breaking as I entered the capital. I made no delay there; but taking
+fresh horses, started for Skerries, where I knew the fishermen of the
+coast resorted.
+
+"One hundred pounds to the man who will land me on the coast of France
+or Holland," said I to a group that were preparing their nets on the
+shore.
+
+A look of incredulity was the only reply. A very few words, however,
+settled the bargain. Ere half an hour I was on board. The wind
+freshened, and we stood out to sea.
+
+"Let the breeze keep to this," said the skipper, "and we'll make the
+voyage quickly."
+
+Both wind and tide were in our favor. We held down Channel rapidly; and
+I saw the blue hills grow fainter and fainter, till the eye could but
+detect a gray cloud on the horizon, which at last disappeared in the
+bright sun of noon, and a wide waste of blue water lay on every side.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE LAST CAMPAIGN
+
+The snow, half melted with the heavy rains, lay still deeply on the
+roads, and a dark, lowering sky stretched above, as I harried onwards,
+with all the speed I could, towards the east of France.
+
+Already the Allies had passed the Rhine. Schwartzen-berg in the south,
+Blucher in the east, and Bernadotte on the Flemish frontier, were
+conveying their vast armies to bear down on him whom singly none had
+dared to encounter. All France was in arms, and every step was turned
+eastwards. Immense troops of conscripts, many scarce of the age of
+boyhood, crowded the highways. The veterans themselves were enrolled
+once more, and formed battalions for the defence of their native
+land. Every town and village was a garrison. The deep-toned rolling
+of ammunition wagons and the heavy tramp of horses sounded through
+the nights long. War, terrible war, spoke from every object around.
+Strongholds were strengthening, regiments brigading, cavalry organizing
+on all sides.
+
+No longer, however, did I witness the wild enthusiasm which I so
+well remembered among the soldiers of the army. Here were no glorious
+outbreaks of that daring spirit which so marked the Frenchman, and made
+him almost irresistible in arms. A sad and gloomy silence prevailed:
+a look of fierce but hopeless determination was over all. They marched
+like men going to death, but with the step and bearing of heroes.
+
+I entered the little town of Verviers. The day was breaking, but the
+troops were under arms. The Emperor had but just taken his departure
+for Chalons-sur-Marne. They told me of it as I changed horses,--not
+with that fierce pride which a mere passing glance at the great Napoleon
+would once have evoked; they spoke of him without emotion. I asked if he
+were paler or thinner than his wont: they did not know. They said that
+he travelled post, but that his staff were on horseback. From this I
+gathered that he was either ill, or in that frame of mind in which he
+preferred to be alone. While I was yet speaking, an officer of Engineers
+came up to the carriage, and called out,--
+
+"Unharness these horses, and bring them down to the barracks. These,
+sir," said he, turning towards me, "are not times to admit of ceremony.
+We have eighteen guns to move, and want cattle."
+
+"Enough, sir," said I. "I am not here to retard your movements, but if
+I can, to forward them. Can I, as a volunteer, be of any service at this
+moment?"
+
+"Have you served before? Of course you have, though. In what arm?"
+
+"As a Hussar of the Guard, for some years."
+
+"Come along with me; I 'll bring you to the general at once."
+
+Re-entering the inn, the officer preceded me up stairs, and after a
+moment's delay, introduced me into the presence of General Letort, then
+commanding a cavalry brigade.
+
+"I have heard your request, sir. Where is your commission? Have you got
+it with you?"
+
+I handed it to him in silence. He examined it rapidly; and then turning
+the reverse, read the few lines inscribed by the minister of war.
+
+"I could have given you a post this day, sir, this very hour," said
+he, "but for a blunder of our commissariat people. There's a troop here
+waiting for a re-mount, but the order has not come down from Paris; and
+our officials here will not advance the money till it arrives, as if
+these were times for such punctilio. They are to form part of General
+Kellermann's force, which is sadly deficient. Remain here, however, and
+perhaps by to-morrow--"
+
+"How much may the sum be, sir?" asked I, interrupting.
+
+The general almost started with surprise at the abruptness of my
+question, and in a tone of half reproof answered,--
+
+"The amount required is beside the matter, sir; unless," added he,
+sarcastically, "you are disposed to advance it yourself."
+
+"Such was the object of my question," said I, calmly, and determining
+not to notice the manner he had assumed.
+
+"_Parbleu!_" exclaimed he, "that is very different. Twenty thousand
+francs, however, is a considerable sum."
+
+"I have as much, and something more, if need be, in my carriage,--if
+English gold be no objection."
+
+"No, _pardie!_ that it is not," cried he, laughing; "I only wish we saw
+more of it. Are you serious in all this?"
+
+The best reply to his question was to hasten down stairs and return with
+two small canvas bags in my hands.
+
+"Here are one thousand guineas," said I, laying them on the table.
+
+While one of the general's aides-de-camp was counting and examining the
+gold, I repeated at his request the circumstances which brought me once
+again to France to serve under the banner of the Emperor.
+
+"And your name, sir," said he, as he seated himself to write, "is Thomas
+Burke, ci-devant captain of the Eighth Hussars of the Guard. Well, I can
+promise you the restoration of your old grade. Meanwhile, you must
+take command of these fellows. They are mere partisan troops, hurriedly
+raised, and ill organized; but I'll give you a letter to General
+Damremont at Chalons, and he 'll attend to you."
+
+"It is not a position for myself I seek, General," said I. "Wherever I
+can best serve the Emperor, there only I desire to be."
+
+"I have ventured to leave that point to General Damremont," said he,
+smiling. "Your motives do not require much explanation. Let us to
+breakfast now, and by noon we shall have everything in readiness for
+your departure."
+
+Thus rapidly, and as it were by the merest accident, was I again become
+a soldier of the Emperor; and that same day was once more at the head of
+a squadron, on my way to Chalons. My troop were, indeed, very unlike
+the splendid array of my old Hussars of the Guard. They were hurriedly
+raised, and not over well equipped, but still they were stout-looking,
+hardy peasants, who, whatever deficiency of drill they might display, I
+knew well would exhibit no lack of courage before an enemy.
+
+On reaching Chalons, I found that General Damremont had left with the
+staff for Vitry only a few hours before; and so I reported myself to the
+officer commanding the town, and was ordered by him to join the cavalry
+brigade then advancing on Vitry.
+
+Had I time at this moment, I could not help devoting some minutes to
+an account of that strange and motley mass which then were brigaded
+as Imperial cavalry. Dragoons of every class, heavy and
+light-armed,--grenadiers a cheval and hussars, cuirassiers, carbineers,
+and lancers,--were all, pell-mell, mixed up confusedly together, and
+hurried onwards; some to join their respective corps if they could find
+them, but all prepared to serve wherever their sabres might be
+called for. It was confusion to the last degree; but a tumult without
+enthusiasm or impulse. The superior officers, who were well acquainted
+with the state of events, made no secret of their gloomy forebodings;
+the juniors lacked energy in a cause where they saw no field for
+advancement; and the soldiers, always prepared to imbibe their feelings
+from their officers, seemed alike sad and dispirited.
+
+What a change was this from the wild and joyous spirit which once
+animated every grade and class,--from the generous enthusiasm that
+once warmed each bold heart, and made every soldier a hero! Alas! the
+terrible consequences of long defeat were on all. The tide of battle
+that rolled disastrously from the ruined walls of the Kremlin still
+swept along towards the great Palace of the Tuileries. Germany had
+witnessed the destruction of two mighty armies; the third and last was
+now awaiting the eventful struggle on the very soil of their country.
+The tide of fugitives, which preceded the retiring columns of Victor and
+Ney, met the advancing bodies of the conscripts, and spread dismay and
+consternation as they went.
+
+The dejection was but the shadow of the last approaching disaster.
+
+On the night of the 27th January, the cavalry brigade with which I was
+received orders to march by the Forest of Bar on Brienne, where Bluecher
+was stationed in no expectation of being attacked. The movement,
+notwithstanding the heavy roads, was made with great rapidity; and by
+noon on the following day we came up with the main body of the army in
+full march against the enemy.
+
+Then once more did I recognize the old spirit of the army. Joyous
+songs and gay cheers were heard from the different corps we passed.
+The announcement of a speedy meeting with the Prussians had infused new
+vigor among the troops. We were emerging from the deep shade of the wood
+into a valley, where a light infantry regiment were bivouacked. Their
+fires were formed in a wide circle, and the cooking went merrily on,
+amid the pleasant song and jocund cries.
+
+Our own brief halt was just concluded, when the bugles sounded to resume
+the march; and I stood for a moment admiring the merry gambols of
+the infantry, when an air I well remembered was chanted forth in full
+chorus. But my memory was not left long in doubt as to where and how
+these sounds were first heard. The wild uproar at once recalled both, as
+they sang out,--
+
+"Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!"
+
+No sooner did I hear the words, than I spurred my horse forward and rode
+down towards them.
+
+"What regiment's yours, Comrade?" said I, to a fellow hurrying to the
+ranks.
+
+"The Fifth, mon officier," said he, "Voltigeurs of the Line."
+
+"Have you a certain Francois, a maitre d'armes, still among you?"
+
+"Yes, that we have. There he is yonder, beating time to the roulade."
+
+I looked in the direction he pointed, and there stood my old friend. He
+was advanced in front of a company, and with the air of a tambour-major
+he seemed as if he was giving time to the melody.
+
+"Ah, _sacre_ conscripts that ye are!" cried he, as with his fist
+clenched he gesticulated fiercely towards them; "can't ye keep the
+measure? Once, now, and all together:--
+
+"'Picardy first, and then--."
+
+"Halloo, Maitre Francois! can you remember an old friend?"
+
+The little man turned suddenly, and bringing his hand to the salute,
+remained stiff and erect, as if on parade.
+
+"Connais pas, mon capitaine," was his answer, after a considerable
+pause.
+
+"What! not know me!--me, whom you made one of your own gallant company,
+calling me 'Burke of Ours'?"
+
+"Ah, _par la barbe de Saint Pierre!_ is this my dear comrade of the
+Eighth? Why, where have you been? They said you left us forever and
+aye."
+
+"I tried it, Francois; but it wouldn't do."
+
+"Mille bombes!" said he; "but you 're back in pleasant times,--to see
+the Cossacks learning to drink champagne, and leave us to pay the score.
+Come along, however; take your old place here. You are free to choose
+now, and needn't be a dragoon any longer; not but that your old general
+will be glad to see you again."
+
+"General d'Auvergne! Where is he now?"
+
+"With the light cavalry brigade, in front; I saw him pass here two hours
+since."
+
+"And how looks he, Francois?"
+
+"A little stooped, or so, more than you knew him; but his seat in the
+saddle seems just as firm. _Ventrebleu!_ if he 'd been a voltigeur, he
+'d be a good man these ten years to come."
+
+Delighted to learn that I was so near my dearest and oldest friend
+in the world, I shook Francois's hand, and parted; but not without a
+pledge, that whenever I joined the infantry, the Fifth Voltigeurs of the
+Line were to have the preference.
+
+As we advanced towards Brienne the distant thunder of large guns was
+heard; which gradually grew louder and more sustained, and betokened
+that the battle had already begun. The roads, blocked up with dense
+masses of infantry and long trains of wagons, prevented our rapid
+advance; and when we tried the fields at either side, the soil, cut up
+with recent rains, made us sink to the very girths of our horses. Still,
+order after order came for the troops to press forward, and every effort
+was made to obey the command.
+
+It was five o'clock as we debouched into the plain, and beheld the
+fields whereon the battle had been contested; for already the enemy were
+retiring, and the French troops in eager pursuit. Behind, however, lay
+the town of Brienne, still held by the Russians, but now little
+better than a heap of smoking ruins, the tremendous fire of the French
+artillery having reduced the place to ashes. Conspicuous above all rose
+the dismantled walls of the ancient military college; the school where
+Napoleon had learned his first lesson in war, where first he essayed
+to point those guns which now with such fearful havoc he turned against
+itself. What a strange, sad Subject of contemplation for him who now
+gazed on it! On either side, the fire of the artillery continued till
+nightfall; but the Russians still held the town. A few straggling shots
+closed the combat; and darkness now spread over the wide plain, save
+where the watchfires marked out the position of the French troops.
+
+A sudden flash of lurid flame, however, threw its gleam over the town,
+and a wild cheer was heard rising above the clatter of musketry. It
+was a surprise party of grenadiers, who had forced their way into the
+grounds of the old chateau, where Bluecher held his headquarters. Louder
+and louder grew the firing, and a red glare in the dark sky told how
+the battle was raging. Up that steep street, at the top of which the
+venerable chateau stood, poured the infantry columns in a run. The
+struggle was short. The dull sound of the Russian drum soon proclaimed
+a retreat; and a rocket darting through the black sky announced to the
+Emperor that the position had been won.
+
+The next day the Emperor fixed his headquarters at the chateau, and
+a battalion of the guard bivouacked in the park around it. I had sent
+forward the letter to General Damremont, and was wondering when and
+in what terms the reply might come, when the general himself rode up,
+accompanied by a single aide-de-camp.
+
+"I have had the opportunity, sir, to speak of your conduct in the proper
+quarter," said he, courteously; "and the result is, your appointment as
+major of the Tenth Hussars, or, if you prefer it, the staff."
+
+"Wherever, sir, my humble services can best be employed. I have no other
+wish."
+
+"Then take the regimental rank," said he; "your brigade will see enough
+of hot work ere long. And now push forward to Mezieres, where you'll
+find your regiment. They have received orders to march to-morrow,
+early."
+
+I was not sorry to be relieved from the command of my irregular horse,
+who went by the title of "brigands" in the army generally; though, if
+the truth were to be told, the reproach on the score of honesty came ill
+from those who conferred it. Still, it was a more gratifying position to
+hold a rank in a regiment of regular cavalry, and one whose reputation
+was second to none in the service.
+
+"I wish to present myself to the colonel in command, sir," said I,
+addressing an officer, who with two or three others stood chatting at
+the door of a cottage.
+
+"You 'll find him here, sir," said he, pointing to the hut. But, as he
+spoke, the clank of a sabre was heard, and at the same instant a tall,
+soldierlike figure stooped beneath the low doorway, and came forth.
+
+"The colonel of the Tenth, I presume?" said I, handing the despatch from
+General Damremont.
+
+"What! my old college friend and companion!" cried the colonel, as he
+stepped back in amazement. "Have I such good fortune as to see you in my
+regiment?"
+
+"Can it be really so?" said I, in equal astonishment. "Are you Tascher?"
+
+"Yes, my dear friend; the same Tascher you used to disarm so easily
+at college,--a colonel at last. But why are you not at the head of a
+regiment long since? Oh! I forgot, though," said he, in some confusion;
+"I heard all about it. But come in here; I've no better quarters to
+offer you, but such as it is, make it yours."
+
+My old companion of the Polytechnique was, indeed, little altered by
+time,--careless, inconsiderate, and good-hearted as ever. He told me
+that he had only gained the command of the regiment a few weeks before;
+"and," added he, "if matters mend not soon, I am scarcely like to hold
+it much longer. The despatches just received tell that the Allies are
+concentrating at Trannes; and if so, we shall have a battle against
+overwhelming odds. No matter, Burke; you have got into a famous
+corps,--they fight splendidly, and my excellent uncle, his Majesty,
+loves to indulge their predilection."
+
+I passed the day with Tascher, chatting over our respective fortunes;
+and in discussing the past and the future the greater part of the night
+went over. Before dawn, however, we were on the march towards Chaumiere,
+whither the army was directed, and the Emperor himself then stationed.
+
+It was the 1st of February, and the weather was dark, lowering, and
+gloomy. A cold wind drove the snowdrift in fitful gusts before it, and
+the deep roads made our progress slow and difficult. As our line
+of advance, however, was not that by which the other divisions were
+marching, it was already past noon before we knew that the enemy was but
+three leagues distant. On advancing farther, we heard the faint sounds
+of a cannonade; and then they grew louder and louder, till the whole air
+seemed tremulous with the concussion.
+
+"A heavy fire, Colonel," said a veteran officer of the regiment. "I
+should guess there are not less than eighty or a hundred guns engaged."
+
+"Press on, men! press on!" cried Tascher. "When his Majesty provides
+such music, it's scarcely polite to be late."
+
+At a quick trot we came on, and about three o'clock debouched in the
+plain behind Oudinot's battalions of reserve, which were formed in two
+dense columns, about a hundred yards apart.
+
+"Hussars to the front!" cried an aide-de-camp, as he galloped past, and
+waved his cap in the direction of the space between the columns.
+
+In separate squadrons we penetrated through the defile, and came out
+on an open plain behind the centre of the first line. The ground was
+sufficiently elevated here, so that I could overlook the front line; but
+all I could see was a dense, heavy smoke, which intervened between the
+two positions, in the midst of which, and directly in front, a village
+lay. Towards this, three columns of infantry were converging, and around
+the sounds of battle were raging. This was La Giberie: the hamlet formed
+the key of the French position, and had been twice carried by, and twice
+regained from, the Allies. As I looked, the supporting columns halted,
+wheeled, and retired; while a tremendous shower of grape was poured
+upon them from the village, which now seemed to have been retaken by the
+Allies.
+
+"Cavalry to the front!" was now the order; and a force of six thousand
+sabres advanced from between the battalions, and formed for attack. It
+was Nansouty who led them, and his heavy cuirassiers were in the van;
+and then came the grenadiers a cheval; ours was the third, in column.
+As each regiment debouched, the word "Charge!" rang out, and forward we
+went. The snow drifting straight against us, we could see nothing; nor
+was I conscious of any check to our course till the shaking of the
+vast column in front and then the opening of the squadrons denoted
+resistance, when suddenly a flash flared out, and a hurricane of
+cannon-shot tore through our dense files. Then I knew that we were
+attacking a battery of guns,--and not till then. Mad cheers and cries
+of wounded men burst forth upon the air, with the clashing din of sabres
+and small-arms; the mass of cavalry appeared to heave and throb like
+some great monster in its agony. The trumpet to retreat sounded, and we
+galloped back to our lines, leaving above five hundred dead behind us,
+on a field where I had not yet seen the enemy.
+
+Meanwhile the Russians were assembling a mighty force around the
+village; for now the cannonade opened with tenfold vigor in front,
+and fresh guns were called up to reply to the fire. Hitherto all was
+shrouded in the blue smoke of the artillery and the dense flakes of the
+snowdrift, when suddenly a storm of wind swept past, carrying with it
+both sleet and smoke; and now, within less than five hundred yards,
+we beheld the Allied armies in front of us. Two of the three villages,
+which formed our advanced position, already had been carried; and
+towards the third, La Bothiere, they were advancing quickly.
+
+Ney's corps, ordered up to its defence, rushed boldly on, and the
+clattering musketry announced that they were engaged; while twelve guns
+were moved up in full gallop to their support, and opened their fire at
+once. Scarce had they done so, when a wild hurrah was heard; and like
+a whirlwind, a vast mass of cavalry,--the Cossacks of the Don and the
+Uhlans of the South, commingled and mixed,--bear down on the guns.
+The struggle is for life or death; no quarter given. Ney recalls his
+columns, and the guns are lost.
+
+"Who shall bring the Emperor the tidings?" said Tascher, as his voice
+trembled with excitement. "I'd rather storm the battery single-handed
+than do it."
+
+"He has seen worse than that already to-day," said an aide-de-camp at
+our side. "He has seen Lahorie's squadrons of the Dragoons of the Guard
+cut to pieces by the Russian horse."
+
+"The Guard! the Guard!" repeated Tascher, in accents where doubt and
+despair were blended.
+
+"There goes another battalion to certain death!" muttered the
+aide-de-camp, as he pointed to a column of grenadiers emerging from the
+front line; "see,--I knew it well,--they are moving on La Bothiere. But
+here comes the Emperor."
+
+Before I could detect the figure among the crowd, the staff tore rapidly
+past, followed by a long train of cavalry moving towards the left.
+
+"His favorite stroke," said Tascher: "an infantry advance, and a
+flank movement with cavalry." And as the words escaped him, we saw the
+horsemen bearing down at top speed towards the village.
+
+But now we could look no longer; our brigade was ordered to support the
+attack, and we advanced at a trot. The enemy saw the movement, and a
+great mass of cavalry were thrown out to meet it.
+
+"Here they come!" was the cry repeated by three or four together, and
+the earth shook as the squadrons came down.
+
+Our column dashed forward to meet them; when suddenly through the drift
+we beheld a mass of fugitives, scattered and broken, approaching: they
+were our own cavalry, routed in the attempt on the flank, now flying to
+the rear, broken and disordered.
+
+Before we could cover their retreat, the enemy were upon us. The shock
+was dreadful, and for some minutes carried all before it; but then
+rallying, the brave horsemen of France closed up and faced the foe. How
+vain all the efforts of the redoubted warrior of the Dnieper and the
+Wolga against the stern soldier of Napoleon! Their sabres flashed like
+lightning glances, and as fatally bore down on all before them; and as
+the routed squadrons fell back, the wild cheers of "Vive l'Empereur!"
+told that at least one great moment of success atoned for the
+misfortunes of the day.
+
+"His Majesty saw your charge, Colonel," said a general officer to
+Tascher as he rode back at the head of a squadron. "So gallant a thing
+as that never goes unrewarded."
+
+Tascher's cheek flushed as he bowed in acknowledgment of the praise; but
+I heard him mutter to himself the same instant, "Too late! too late!"
+Fatal words they were,--the presage of the mishap they threatened!
+
+A great attack on La Rothiere was now preparing. It was to be made
+by Napoleon's favorite manoeuvre of cavalry, artillery, and infantry
+combined, each supporting and sustaining the other. Eighteen guns,
+with three thousand sabres, and two columns of infantry numbering four
+thousand each, were drawn up in readiness for the moment to move. Ney
+received orders to lead them, and now they issued forth into the plain.
+
+Our own impatience at not being of the number was quickly merged in
+intense anxiety for the result. It was a gorgeous thing, indeed, to see
+that mighty mass unravelling itself,--the guns galloping madly to the
+front, supported on either flank by cavalry; while, masked behind,
+marched the black columns of infantry, their tall shakos nodding like
+the tree-tops of a forest. The snow was now falling fast, and the
+figures grew fainter and fainter, and all that remained within our view
+was the tail of the columns, which were only disengaging themselves from
+the lines.
+
+A deafening cannonade opened from the Allied artillery on the advance,
+unreplied to by our guns, which were ordered not to fire until within
+half range of the enemy. Suddenly a figure is seen emerging from the
+heavy snowdrift at the full speed of his horse; another, and another,
+follow him in quick succession. They make for the position of the
+Emperor. "What can it be?" cries each, in horrible suspense; "see, the
+columns have halted!"
+
+Dreadful tidings! The guns are embedded in the soft ground,--the horses
+cannot stir them; one-half of the distance is scarcely won, and there
+they are beneath the withering cannonade of the Allied guns, powerless
+and immovable! Cavalry are dismounted, and the horses harnessed to the
+teams: all in vain! the wheels sink deeper in the miry earth. And now
+the enemy have found out the range, and their shot are sweeping through
+the dense mass with frightful slaughter. Again the aides-de-camp hasten
+to the rear for orders. But Ney can wait no longer; he launches his
+cavalry at the foe, and orders up the infantry to follow.
+
+Meanwhile a great cloud of cavalry issues from the Allied lines, and
+directs its course towards the flank of the column: the Emperor sees
+the danger, and despatches one of his staff to prepare them to receive
+cavalry. Too late! too late!--the snowdrift has concealed the advance,
+and the wild horsemen of the desert ride down on the brave ranks.
+Disorder and confusion ensue; the column breaks and scatters. The
+lancers pursue the fugitives through the plain; and before the very eyes
+of the Emperor, the Guard--his Guard--are sabred and routed.
+
+"What is to become of our cavalry?" is now the cry, for they have
+advanced unsupported against the village. Dreadful moment of suspense!
+None can see them; the guns lie deserted, alike by friend and foe.
+Who dares approach them now? "They are cheering yonder," exclaimed an
+officer: "I hear them again."
+
+"Hussars, to the front!" calls out Damremont,--"to your comrades'
+rescue! Men, yonder!" and he points in the direction of the village.
+
+Like an eagle on the swoop, the swift squadrons skim the plain, and
+mount the slope beyond it. The drift clears, and what a spectacle is
+before us! The cavalry are dismounted; their horses, dead or dying,
+cumber the ground; the men, sabre in hand, have attacked the village by
+assault. Two of the enemy's guns are taken and turned against them,
+and the walls are won in many places. An opening in the enclosure of a
+farmyard admits our leading squadron, and in an instant we have taken
+them in flank and rear.
+
+The Russians will neither retreat nor surrender, and the carnage is
+awful; for though overpowered by numbers, they still continue the
+slaughter, and deal death while dying. The chief farmhouse of the
+village has been carried by our troops, but the enemy still holds the
+garden: the low hedge offers a slight obstacle, and over it we dash, and
+down upon them ride the gallant Tenth with cheers of victory.
+
+At this instant the crashing sound of cannon-shot among masonry is
+heard. It is the Allied artillery, which, regardless of their own
+troops, has opened on the village. Every discharge tells; the range is
+at quarter distance, and whole files fall at every fire. The trumpet
+sounds a retreat; and I am endeavoring to collect my scattered
+followers, when my eye falls on the aigulet of a general officer among
+the heap of dead; and at the same time I perceive that some old and
+gallant officer has fallen sword in hand, for his long white hair is
+strewn loosely across his face.
+
+I spring down from my horse and push back the snowy locks, and with
+a shriek of horror I recognize the friend of my heart,--General
+d'Auvergne. I lift him in my arms, and search for the wound. Alas! a
+grapeshot had torn through his chest, and cut asunder that noble heart
+whose every beat was honor. Though still warm, no ray of life remained:
+the hand I had so often grasped in friendship, I wrung now in the last
+energy of despair, and fell upon the corpse in the agony of my grief.
+
+The night was falling fast. All was still around me; none remained near;
+the village was deserted. The deafening din of the cannonade continued,
+and at times some straggling shot crashed through the crumbling walls,
+and brought them thundering to the earth; but all had fled. By the pale
+crescent of a new moon I dug a grave beneath the ruined wall of the
+farmhouse. The labor was long and tedious; but my breaking heart took no
+note of time. My task completed, I sat down beside the grave, and taking
+his now cold hand in mine, pressed it to my lips. Oh, could I have
+shared that narrow bed of clay, what rapture would it have brought to my
+sorrowing soul! I lifted the body and laid it gently in the earth; and
+as I arose, I found that something had entangled itself in my uniform,
+and held me. It seemed a locket, which he wore by a ribbon round his
+neck. I detached it from its place, and put it in my bosom. One lock of
+the snowy hair I severed from his noble head, and then covered up the
+grave. "Adieu forever!" I muttered, as I wandered from the spot.
+
+It was the death of a true D'Auvergne,--"on the field of battle!"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX. THE BRIDGE OF MONTEREAU
+
+Ere I left the village, a shower of shells was thrown into it from the
+French lines, and in a few minutes the whole blazed up in a red flame,
+and threw a wide glare over the battlefield. Spurring my horse to
+his speed, I galloped onward, and now discovered that our troops were
+retiring in all haste. The Allies had won the battle, and we were
+falling back on Brienne.
+
+Leaving seventy-three guns in the hands of the enemy, above one thousand
+prisoners, and six thousand killed in battle, Napoleon drew off his
+shattered forces, and marched through the long darkness of a winter's
+night. Thus ended the battle of Arcis-sur-Aube,--the most fatal for the
+hopes of the Emperor since the dreadful day of Leipzic.
+
+From that hour Fortune seemed to frown on those whose arms she had so
+often crowned with victory; and he himself, the mighty leader of so
+many conquering hosts, stood at the window of the chateau at Brienne
+the whole night long, dreading lest the enemy should be on his track.
+He whose battles were wont to be the ovations of a conqueror, now beheld
+with joy his masses retiring unpursued.
+
+Why should I dwell on a career of disaster, or linger on the expiring
+moments of a mighty Empire? Of what avail now are the reinforcements
+which arrived to our aid,--the veteran legions of the Peninsula? The cry
+is ever, "Too late! too late!" Dreadful words, heard at every moment!
+sad omens of an army devoted and despairing!
+
+From Brienne we retreat to Troyes; from thence to Bar-sur-Aube,--ever
+nearer and nearer to that capital to which the Allies tend with wild
+shouts of triumph. On the last day of February our headquarters are at
+Nogent, not thirty leagues from Paris,--Nogent, with the great forest
+of Fontainebleau on its left; and Meaux, the ancient bishopric of the
+Monarchy, on its right; and behind that screen, Paris!
+
+Leaving Bourmont in command of the line which holds the Austrians in
+check, the Emperor himself hastens to oppose Bluecher,--the most intrepid
+and the most daring of all his enemies. A cross-march in the depth of
+winter, with the ground covered with half-frozen snow, will bring him
+on the flank of the Prussian army. It is dared! Dangers and difficulties
+beset every step; the artillery are almost lost, the cavalry exhausted.
+But the cry of "The enemy!" rouses every energy: they debouch on the
+plain of Champ-Aubert, to fall on the moving column of the Russians
+under Alsufief. Glorious stroke of fate! Victory again caresses the
+spoiled child of fortune: the enemy is routed, and retires on Montmirail
+and Chalons. The advanced army of the Prussians hear the cannonade, and
+fall back to support the Allies on Montmirail. But the Emperor already
+awaits them with the battalions of the Old Guard, and another great
+battle ends in victory. Areola and Rivoli were again remembered, and
+recalled by victories not less glorious; and once more hope returned to
+the ranks it seemed to have quitted forever. Another dreadful blow is
+aimed at Blucher's columns; Marmont attacks them at Vaux-Champs, and the
+army of Silesia falls back beaten.
+
+And now the Emperor hastens towards Nogent, where he has left Bourmont
+in front of the Austrians. "Too late! too late!" is again the cry,--the
+columns of Oudinot and Victor are already in retreat. Schwartzenberg,
+with a force triple their own, advances on the plains of the Seine; the
+Cossacks bivouac in the forest of Fontainebleau. Staff-officers hurry
+onward with the news that the Emperor is approaching; the victorious
+army which had subdued Blucher is on the march, reinforced by the
+veteran cavalry of Spain and the tried legions of the Peninsula. They
+halt, and form in battle. The Allies arrest their steps at Nangis, and
+again are beaten: Nangis becomes another name of glory to the ears of
+Frenchmen.
+
+Let me rest one instant in this rapid recital of a week whose great
+deeds not even Napoleon's life can show the equal of,--the last flash of
+the lamp of glory ere it darkened forever.
+
+Three days had elapsed from the sad hour in which I laid my dearest
+friend in his grave, ere I opened the locket I had taken from his
+bosom. The wild work of war mingled its mad excitement in my brain with
+thoughts of deep sorrow; and I lived in a kind of fevered dream, and
+hurried from the affliction which beset me into the torrent of danger.
+
+The gambler who cares not to win rarely loses, so he that seeks death
+in battle comes unscathed through every danger. Each day I threw myself
+headlong into some post where escape seemed scarcely possible; but
+recklessness has its own armor of safety. On the field of Montmirail I
+was reported to the Emperor; and for an attack on the Austrian rearguard
+at Melun made colonel of a cuirassier regiment on the field of battle.
+Such promotions rained on every side: hundreds were falling each day;
+many regiments were commanded by officers of twenty-three or twenty-four
+years of age. Few expected to carry their new epaulettes beyond the
+engagement they gained them in; none believed the Empire itself could
+survive the struggle. Each played for a mighty stake; few cared to
+outlive the game itself. The Emperor showered down favors on the heads
+which each battlefield laid low.
+
+It was on the return from Melun I first opened the locket, which I
+continued to wear around my neck. In the full expansion of a momentary
+triumph to see myself at the head of a regiment, I thought of him who
+would have participated in my pride. I was sitting in the doorway of a
+little cabaret on the roadside, my squadrons picketed around me, for
+a brief halt; and as my thoughts recurred to the brave D'Auvergne, I
+withdrew the locket from my bosom. It was a small oval case of gold,
+opening by a spring. I touched this, and as I did so, the locket sprang
+open, and displayed before me a miniature of Marie de Meudon. Yes!
+beautiful as I had seen her in the forest of Versailles: her dark hair
+clustering around her noble brow,--and her eyes, so full of tender
+loveliness, shadowed by their deep fringes,--were there as I remembered
+them; the lips were half parted, as though the artist had caught the
+speaking expression,--and as-I gazed, I could fancy that voice, so
+musically sweet, still ringing in my ears. I could not look on it
+enough: the features recalled the scenes when first I met her; and the
+strong current of love, against which so long I struggled and contended,
+flowed on with tenfold force once more. Should we ever meet again,--and
+how? were the questions which rushed to my mind, and to which hope and
+fear dictated the replies.
+
+The locket was a present from the Empress to the general,--at least,
+so I interpreted an inscription on the back; and this--shall I confess
+it?--brought pleasure to my heart. Like one whose bosom bore some
+wondrous amulet, some charm against the approach of danger, I now rode
+at the head of my gallant band. Life had grown dearer to me, without
+death becoming more dreaded. Her image next my heart made me feel as if
+I should combat beneath her very eyes, and I burned to acquit myself
+as became one who loved her. A wild, half frantic joy animated me as I
+went, and was caught by the gay companions around me.
+
+At midnight a despatch reached me, ordering me to hasten forward by a
+forced march to Montereau, the bridge of which town was a post of the
+greatest importance, and must be held against the Austrians till Victor
+could come up. We lost not a moment. It was a calm frosty night, with a
+bright moon, and we hastened along without halting. About an hour before
+daybreak we were met by a cavalry patrol, who informed us that Gerard
+and Victor had both arrived, but too late: Montereau was held by the
+Wurtemberg troops, who garrisoned the village, and defended the bridge
+with a strong force of artillery; twice the French troops had been
+beaten back with tremendous loss, and all looked for the morrow to renew
+the encounter. We continued our journey; and, as the sun was rising,
+discovered, at a distance on the road beside the river, the mass of an
+infantry column: it was the Emperor himself, come up with the Guard, to
+attack the position.
+
+Already the preparations for a fierce assault were in progress. A
+battery of twelve guns was posted on a height to command the bridge;
+another, somewhat more distant, overlooked the village itself. Different
+bodies of infantry and cavalry were disposed wherever shelter presented
+itself, and ready for the command to move forward. The approach to the
+bridge was by a wide road, which lay for some distance along the river
+bank; and this was deeply channelled by the enemy's artillery, which,
+stationed on and above the bridge, seemed to defy any attempt to
+advance.
+
+Never, indeed, did an enterprise seem more full of danger. Every house
+which looked on the bridge was crenelated for small-arms, and garrisoned
+by sharpshooters,--the fierce Jager of Germany, whose rifles are the
+boast of the Vaterland. Cannon bristled along the heights; their wide
+mouths pointed to that devoted spot, already the grave of hundreds.
+Withdrawn under cover of a steep hill, my regiment was halted, with two
+other heavy cavalry corps, awaiting orders; and from the crest of the
+ridge I could observe the first movements of the fight.
+
+As usual, a fierce cannonade was opened from either side; which,
+directed mainly against the artillery itself, merely resulted in
+dismantling a stray battery here and there, without further damage. At
+last the hoarse roll of a drum was heard, and the head of an infantry
+column was seen advancing up the road. They passed beneath a rock on
+which a little group of officers were standing, and as they went a cheer
+of "Vive l'Empereur!" broke from them. I strained my eyes towards
+the place, for now I knew the Emperor himself was there. I could
+not, however, detect him in the crowd, who all waved their hats in
+encouragement to the troops.
+
+On they went, descending a steep declivity of the highroad to the
+bridge. Suddenly the cannonade redoubles from the side of the enemy;
+the shot whistles through the air, while ten thousand muskets peal forth
+together. I rivet my eyes to watch the column. But what is my horror to
+perceive that none appear upon the ridge! The masses move up; they
+mount the ascent; they disappear behind it; and then are lost to sight
+forever. Not one escapes the dreadful havoc of the guns, which from a
+distance of less than two hundred yards enfilades the bridge.
+
+But still they moved up. I could hear, from where i lay, the commands
+of the officers, as they gave the word to their companies: no fear nor
+hesitation,--there they went to death; in less than fifteen minutes
+twelve hundred fell, dead or wounded. And at last the signal to fall
+back was given, and the shattered fragment of a column reeled back
+behind the ridge. Again the cannonade opened, and increasing on both
+sides, was maintained for above an hour without intermission. During
+this, our guns did tremendous execution on the village, but without
+effecting anything of importance respecting the bridge.
+
+The Grenadiers of the Guard had reached the scene of combat, by forced
+marches, from Nangis; and after a brief time to recruit their strength,
+were now ordered up. What a splendid force that massive column,
+conspicuous by their scarlet shoulder-knots and tall shakos of black
+bearskin! with what confidence they move! They halt beneath the rock.
+The Emperor is there too. And see! the officer who stands beside him
+descends from the height, and puts himself at the head of the column:
+it is Guyot, the colonel of the battalion; he waves his plumed hat in
+answer to the Emperor,--that salute is the last he shall ever give on
+earth.
+
+The drums roll out; but the hoarse shout of "En avant!" drowns their
+tumult. On they rush; they are over the height; they disappear down the
+descent. And see! there they are on the bridge! "Vive la Garde!" shouted
+ten thousand of their comrades, who watch them from the heights; "Vive
+la Garde!" is echoed from the tall cliffs beyond the river. The column
+moves on, and already reaches the middle of the bridge, when eighteen
+guns throw their fire into it: the blue smoke rolls down the rocky
+heights and settles on the bridge, broken here and there by flashes,
+like the forked gleam of lightning; the cloud passes oyer; the bridge is
+empty, save of dead and dying: the Grenadiers of the Guard are no more!
+
+"What heart is his who gives his fellow-men to death like this!" was my
+exclamation as I witnessed this terrible struggle.
+
+"The Cuirassiers and Carbineers of the Guard to form by threes in column
+of attack!" shouted an aide-de-camp, as he rode up to where I lay. And
+no more thought had I of _his_ motives, who now opened the path of glory
+to myself.
+
+The squadrons were arrayed under cover of the ridge; the shot and shells
+from the enemy's batteries flew thickly over us,--a presage of the storm
+we were about to meet. The order to mount was given; and as the men
+sprang into their saddles, a group of horsemen galloped rapidly round
+the angle of the cliff, and approached. One glance showed me it was the
+Emperor and his staff.
+
+"Cuirassiers of the Guard," said he, as with raised chapeau he saluted
+his brave followers, "I have ordered two battalions to carry that
+bridge; they have failed. Let those who never fail advance to the storm.
+Montereau shall be inscribed on your helmets, men, when I see you on
+yonder heights. Go forward!"
+
+"Forward! forward!" shouted the mailed ranks, half maddened by the
+exciting presence of Napoleon.
+
+The force was formed in four separate columns of attack: the First
+Cuirassiers leading; followed by the Carbineers of the Guard; then my
+own regiment; and lastly, the Fourth, the corps of poor Pioche. What
+would I have given to know he was there! But there was not time for such
+inquiry now. The squadrons were ready awaiting the moment to dash on.
+
+A loud detonation of nigh twenty guns shook the earth; and in the smoke
+that rolled from them the bridge was concealed from view. A trumpet
+sounded, and the cry of "Charge!" followed. The mass sprang forth. What
+a cheer was theirs as they swept past! The cannonade opens again;
+the whole ground trembles. The musketry follows; and the clatter of a
+thousand sabres mingles with the war-cries of the combatants. It is but
+brief,--the tumult is already subsiding.
+
+And now comes the order for the carbineers to move up; the cuirassiers
+have been cut to pieces. A few, mangled and bleeding, have reeled back
+behind the hill; but the regiment is gone!
+
+"Where are the troops of Wagram and Eylau?" said the Emperor, in
+bitterness, as he saw the one broken squadron, sole remnant of a gallant
+corps, reeling, bloodstained and dying, to the rear. "Where is that
+cavalry that carried the Russian battery at Moskowa? You are not what
+you once were!"
+
+This cruel taunt, at the very moment when the earth was steeped in the
+blood of his brave soldiers, was heard in mournful silence. None spoke a
+word, but with clenched lip and clasped hand sat waiting the command
+to charge. It came; but no cheer followed. The carbineers dashed on,
+prepared to die: what death so dreadful as the cold irony of Napoleon!
+
+"En avant! cuirassiers of the Tenth," called out the Emperor, as the
+last squadrons of the carbineers went by, "support your comrades! Follow
+up there, men of the Fourth! I must have that bridge."
+
+And now the whole line moved up. As we turned the cliff in full trot,
+the scene of combat lay before us: the terrible bridge now actually
+choked up with dead and wounded, the very battlements strewn with
+corpses. In an instant the carbineers were upon it; and struggling
+through the mass of carnage, they rode onward. Like men goaded to
+despair, they pressed on, and actually reached the archway beyond,
+which, defended by a strong gate, closed up the way. Whole files now
+fell at every discharge; but others took their places, to fall as
+rapidly beneath the murderous musketry.
+
+"A petard to the gate!" is now the cry,--"a petard, and the bridge is
+won!"
+
+Quick as lightning, four sappers of the Guard rush across the road and
+gain the bridge. They carry some thing between them, but soon are lost
+in the dense masses of the horse. The enemy's fire redoubles; the bridge
+crashes beneath the cannonade, when a loud shout is raised,--
+
+"Let the cavalry fall back!"
+
+A cheer of triumph breaks from the town as they behold the retiring
+squadrons; they know not that the petard is now attached to the gate,
+and that the horsemen are merely withdrawn for the explosion.
+
+The bridge is cleared, and every eye is turned to watch the discharge
+which shall break the strong door, and leave the passage open. But
+unhappily the fuze has missed, and the great engine lies inert and
+inactive. What is to be done? The cavalry cannot venture to approach the
+spot, which at any moment may explode with ruin on every side; and thus
+the bridge is rendered impregnable by our own fault.
+
+"Fatality upon fatality!" is the exclamation of Napoleon, as he heard
+the tidings. "This to the man who puts a match to the fuze!" said he, as
+he detaches the great cross of the Legion from his breast, and holds it
+aloft.
+
+With one spring I jump from my saddle, and dash at the burning match a
+gunner is holding near me. A rush is made by several others; but I am
+fleetest of foot, and before they reach the road I am on the bridge. The
+enemy has not seen me, and I am half-way across before a shot is aimed
+at me. Even then a surprise seems to arrest their fire, for it is a
+single ball whizzes past. I see the train; I kneel down; the fuze is
+faint, and I stoop to blow it; and then my action is perceived, and
+a shattering volley sweeps the bridge. The high projecting parapet
+protects me, and I am unhurt. But the fuze will not take: horrible
+moment of agonizing suspense,--the powder is clotted with blood,
+and will not ignite! I remember that my pistols are in my belt, and
+detaching one, I draw the charge, and scatter the fresh powder along the
+line. My shelter still saves me, though the balls are crashing like hail
+around me. It takes, it takes! the powder spits and flashes, and a loud
+cry from my comrades bursts out, "Come back! come back!"
+
+Forgetting everything in the intense anxiety of the moment, I spring to
+my legs; but scarce is my head above the parapet when a bullet strikes
+me in the chest. I fall covered with blood.
+
+"Save him! save him!" is the cry of a thousand voices; and a rush is
+made upon the bridge. The musketry opens on these brave fellows, and
+they fall back wounded and discouraged.
+
+[Illustration: 504]
+
+Crouching beneath the parapet, I try to stanch my wound; but the blood
+is gushing in torrents, my senses are reeling, the objects around grow
+dimmer, the noise seems fainter. But suddenly I feel a hand upon my
+neck, and at the same instant a flask is pressed to my lips. I drink,
+and the wine rallies me; the bleeding is stopped. My eyes open again;
+and dare I trust their evidence? Who is it that now shelters beneath the
+parapet beside me? Minette, the vivandiere! her handsome face flushed,
+her eyes wild with excitement, and her brown hair in great tangled
+masses on her back and shoulders.
+
+"Minette, is it indeed thee?" said I, pressing her hand to my lips.
+
+"I knew you at the head of your regiment some days ago, and I thought we
+should meet ere long. But lie still; we are safe here. The fire slackens
+too; they have fallen back since the gate was forced."
+
+"Is the gate forced, Minette?"
+
+"Ay, the petard has done its work; but the columns are not come up. Lie
+still till they pass."
+
+"Dear, dear girl! what a brave heart is thine!" said I, gazing on her
+beautiful features, tenfold handsomer from the expression which her
+heroism had lent them.
+
+"You would surely adventure as much for me," said she, half-timidly, as
+she pressed her handkerchief against the wound, which still oozed blood.
+
+The action entangled her fingers in a ribbon. She tried to extricate
+them; and the locket fell out, opening by accident at the same moment.
+With a convulsive energy she clasped the miniature in both hands, and
+riveted her eyes upon it. The look was wild as that of madness itself,
+and her features grew stiff as she gazed, while the pallor of death
+overspread them. It was scarce the action of a second; in another, she
+flung back the picture from her and sprang to her feet. One glance
+she gave me, fleeting as the lightning flash, but how full of storied
+sorrow!
+
+The moment after she was in the middle of the bridge. She waved her cap
+wildly above her head, and beckoned to the column to come on. A cheer
+answered her. The mass rushed forward; the fire again pealed forth; a
+shriek pierced the din of all the battle, and the leading files halt.
+Four grenadiers fall back to the rear, carrying a body between them:
+it is the corpse of Minette the vivandiere, who has received her
+death-wound!
+
+[Illustration: 506]
+
+The same evening saw me the occupant of a bed in the ambulance of the
+Guard. Dreadful as the suffering of my wound was, I carried a deeper one
+within my heart.
+
+"The Emperor has given you his own cross of the Legion, sir," said the
+surgeon, endeavoring to rally me from a dejection whose source he knew
+not.
+
+"He has made him a general of brigade, too," said a voice behind him.
+
+It was General Letort who spoke; he had that moment come from the
+Emperor with the tidings. I buried my head beneath my hands, and felt as
+though my heart was bursting.
+
+"That was a gallant girl, that vivandiere," said the rough old general;
+"she must have had a soldier's heart within that corsage. _Parbleu!_ I'd
+rather not have another such in my brigade, though, after what happened
+this evening."
+
+"What is it you speak of?" said I, faintly.
+
+"They gave her a military funeral this evening,--the Fourth Cuirassiers.
+The Emperor gave his permission, and sent General Degeon of the staff
+to be present. And when they placed her in the grave, one of the
+soldiers,--a corporal, I believe,--kneeled down to kiss her before they
+covered in the earth; and when he had done so, he lay slowly down on his
+face on the grass. 'He has fainted,' said one of his comrades; and they
+turned him on his back. _Morbleu!_ it was worse than that: he was stone
+dead,--one of the very finest fellows of the regiment!"
+
+"Yes, yes! I know him," muttered I, endeavoring to smother my emotion.
+
+The general looked at me as if my mind was wandering, and briefly
+added,--
+
+"And so they laid them in the same grave, and the same fusillade gave
+the last honors to both."
+
+"Your story has affected my patient overmuch, General," said the doctor;
+"you must leave him to himself for some time."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XL. FONTAINEBLEAU
+
+An order from Berthier, written at the command of the Emperor, admitted
+me into the ancient Palace of Fontainebleau, where I lay for upwards
+of two months under my wound. Twice had fever nearly brought me to
+the grave; but youth and unimpaired health succored me, and I rallied
+through all. A surgeon of the staff accompanied me, and by his kind
+companionship, not less than by his skill, did I recover from an illness
+where sorrow had made an iron inroad not less deep than disease.
+
+In my little chamber, which looked out upon the courtyard of the Palace,
+I passed my days, thinking over the past and all its vicissitudes. Each
+day we learned some intelligence either from the seat of war or from
+Paris: defeat in one, treason and disaffection in the other, were
+rapidly hastening the downfall of the mightiest Empire the genius of
+man had ever constructed. Champ-Aubert, Montmirail, and Montereau, great
+victories as they were, retarded not the current of events. "The week of
+glory" brought not hope to a cause predestined to ruin.
+
+It was the latter end of March. For some days previous the surgeon had
+left me to visit an outpost ambulance near Melun, and I was alone. My
+strength, however, enabled me to sit up at my window; and even in this
+slight pleasure my wearied senses found enjoyment, after the tedious
+hours of a sickbed. The evening was calm, and for the season mild and
+summerlike. The shrubs were putting forth their first leaves, and around
+the marble fountains the spring flowers were already showing signs
+of blossom. The setting sun made the tall shadows of the ancient
+beech-trees stretch across the wide court, where all was still as at
+midnight. No inhabitant of the Palace was about; not a servant moved,
+not a footstep was heard.
+
+It was a moment of such perfect stillness as leads the mind to reverie;
+and my thoughts wandered away to that distant time when gay cavaliers
+and stately dames trod those spacious terraces,--when tales of chivalry
+and love mingled with the plashing sounds of those bright fountains, and
+the fair moon looked down on more lovely forms than even those graceful
+marbles around. I fancied the time when the horn of the chasseur was
+heard-echoing through those vast courts, its last notes lost in the
+merry voices of the cortege round the monarch. And then I called up
+the brilliant group, with caracoling steeds and gay housings, proudly
+advancing up that great avenue to the royal entrance, and pictured the
+ancient ceremonial that awaited his coming,--the descendant of a long
+line of kings. The frank and kingly Francis, the valiant Henry the
+Fourth, the "Grand Monarch" himself,--all passed in review before my
+mind as once they lived, and moved, and spoke in that stately pile.
+
+The sun had set: the mingled shadows threw their gloom over the wide
+court, and one wing of the Palace was in' deep shade, when suddenly I
+heard the roll of wheels and the tramp of horses on the distant road.
+I listened attentively. They were coming near; I could hear the tread of
+many together; and my practised ear could detect the clank of dragoons,
+as their sabres and sabretasches jingled against the horses' flanks.
+"Some hurried news from the Emperor," thought I; "perhaps some marshal
+wounded, and about to be conveyed to the Palace." The same instant the
+guard at the distant entrance beat to arms, and an equipage drawn by
+six horses dashed in at full gallop; a second followed as fast, with a
+peloton of dragoons at the side. My anxiety increased. "What if it were
+the Emperor himself!" thought I. But as the idea flashed across me,
+it yielded at once on seeing that the carriages did not draw up at the
+grand stair, but passed on to a low and private door at the distant wing
+of the Palace.
+
+The bustle of the cortege arriving was but a moment's work. The
+carriages moved rapidly away, the dragoons disappeared, and all was as
+still as before, leaving me to ponder over the whole, and actually ask
+myself could it have been reality? I opened my door to listen; but not a
+sound awoke the echo of the long corridors. One could have fancied that
+no living thing was beneath that wide roof, so silent was all around.
+
+A strange feeling of anxiety,--the dread of something undefined, I knew
+not what, or whence coming,--was over me, and my nerves, long irritable
+from illness, became now jarringly sensitive, and banished all thought
+of sleep. Wild fancies and incoherent ideas crossed my mind, and made me
+restless and uneasy. I felt, too, as if the night were unusually close
+and sultry, and I opened my window to admit the air. Scarcely had I
+drawn the curtain aside, when my eye rested on a long line of light,
+that, issuing from a window on the ground-floor of the Palace, threw its
+bright gleam far across the courtyard.
+
+It was in the same wing where the carriages drew up. It must be so;
+some officer of rank, wounded in a late battle, was brought there. "Poor
+fellow!" thought I; "what suffering may he be enduring amid all the
+peace-fulness and calm of this tranquil spot! Who can it be?" was
+the ever-recurring question to my mind; for my impression had already
+strengthened itself to a conviction.
+
+The hours went on; the light shone steadily as at first, and the
+stillness was unbroken. Wearied with thinking, and half forgetful of my
+weakness, I tottered along the corridor, descended the grand stair, and
+passed out into the court. How refreshing did the night air feel! how
+sweet the fair odors of the spring, as, wafted by the motion of the
+_jet d'eau_, they were diffused around! The first steps of recovery from
+severe sickness have a strange thrill of youthfulness about them. Our
+senses seem once more to revel in the simple enjoyments of early days,
+and to feel that their greatest delight lies in the associations which
+gave pleasure to childhood. Weaned from the world's contentions, we seem
+to have been lifted for the time above the meaner cares and ambitions
+of life, and love to linger a little longer in that ideal state of
+happiness calm thoughts bestow; and thus the interval that brings back
+health to the body restores freshness to the heart, and purified in
+thought, we come forth hoping for better things, and striving for
+them with all the generous ardor of early years. How happy was I as I
+wandered in that garden! how full of gratitude to feel the current of
+health once more come back in all my veins,--the sense of enjoyment
+which flows from every object of the fair world restored to me, after so
+many dangers and escapes!
+
+As I moved slowly through the terraced court, my eye was constantly
+attracted to the small and starlike light which glimmered through
+the darkness; and I turned to it at last, impelled by a feeling of
+undefinable sympathy. Following a narrow path, I drew near to a little
+garden, which once contained some rare flowers. They had been favorites
+of poor Josephine in times past; but the hour was over in which that
+gave them a claim to care and attention, and now they were wild grown
+and tangled, and almost concealed the narrow walk which led to the
+doorway.
+
+I reached this at length; and as I stood, the faint moonlight, slanting
+beneath a cloud, fell upon a bright and glistening object almost at my
+feet. I stepped back, and looked fixedly at it. It was the figure of
+a man sleeping across the entrance of the porch. He was dressed
+in Mameluke fashion; but his gay trappings and rich costume were
+travel-stained and splashed. His unsheathed cimeter lay grasped in one
+hand, and a Turkish pistol seemed to have fallen from the other.
+
+Even by the imperfect light I recognized Rustan, the favorite Mameluke
+of the Emperor, who always slept at the door of his tent and his
+chamber,--his chosen bodyguard. Napoleon must then be here; his equipage
+it was which arrived so hurriedly; his the light which burned through
+the stillness of the night. As these thoughts followed fast on one
+another, I almost trembled to think how nearly I had ventured on his
+presence, where none dared to approach unbidden. To retire quickly and
+noiselessly was now my care. But my first step entangled my foot; I
+stumbled. The noise awoke the sleeping Turk, and with a loud cry for the
+guard he sprang to his feet.
+
+"La garde!" called he a second time, forgetting in his surprise that
+none was there. But then with a spring he seized me by the arm, and as
+his shining weapon gleamed above my head, demanded who I was, and for
+what purpose there.
+
+The first words of my reply were scarcely uttered, when a small door was
+opened within the vestibule, and the Emperor appeared. Late as was the
+hour, he was dressed, and even wore his sword at his side.
+
+"What means this? Who are you, sir?" was the quick, sharp question he
+addressed to me.
+
+A few words--the fewest in which I could convey it--told my story, and
+expressed my sorrow, that in the sick man's fancy of a moonlight walk I
+should have disturbed his Majesty.
+
+"I thought, Sire," added I, "that your Majesty was many a league distant
+with the army--"
+
+"There is no army, sir," interrupted he, with a rapid gesture of his
+hand; "to-morrow there will be no Emperor. Go, sir; go, while it is yet
+the time. Offer your sword and your services where so many others, more
+exalted than yourself, have done. This is the day of desertion; see that
+you take advantage of it."
+
+"Had my name and rank been less humble, they would have assured your
+Majesty how little I merited this reproach."
+
+"I am sorry to have offended you," replied he, in a voice of
+inexpressible softness. "You led the assault at Montereau? I remember
+you now. I should have given you your brigade, had I--" He stopped
+here suddenly, while an expression of suffering passed across his pale
+features; he rallied from it, however, in an instant, and resumed, "I
+should have known you earlier; it is too late! Adieu!"
+
+He inclined his head slightly as he spoke, and extended his hand. I
+pressed it fervently to my lips, and would have spoken, but I could not.
+The moment after he was gone.
+
+[Illustration: BrownePartingScene ]
+
+It is too late! too late!--the same terrible words which were uttered
+beneath the blackened walls of Moscow; repeated at every new disaster of
+that dreadful retreat; now spoken by him whose fortune they predicted.
+Too late!--the exclamation of the proud marshal, harassed by
+unsuccessful efforts to avert the destiny he saw inevitable. Too
+late!--the cry of the wearied soldier. Too late!--the fatal expression
+of the Czar when the brave and faithful Macdonald urged the succession
+of the King of Rome and the regency of the Empress.
+
+Wearied with a wakeful night, I fell into a slumber towards morning,
+when I started suddenly at the roll of drums in the court beneath. In
+an instant I was at my window. What was my astonishment to perceive that
+the courtyard was filled with troops! The Grenadiers of the Guard were
+ranged in order of battle, with several squadrons of the chasseurs and
+the horse artillery; while a staff of general officers stood in
+the midst, among whom I recognized Belliard, Montesquieu, and
+Turenne,--great names, and worthy to be recorded for an act of faithful
+devotion. The Duc de Bassano was there too, in deep mourning; his pale
+and careworn face attesting the grief within his heart.
+
+The roll of the drums continued; the deep, unbroken murmur of the salute
+went on from one end of the line to the other. It ceased; and ere I
+could question the reason, the various staff-officers became uncovered,
+and stood in attitudes of respectful attention, and the Emperor
+himself slowly, step by step, descended the wide stair of the "Cheval
+Blanc,"--as the grand terrace was styled,--and advanced towards the
+troops. At the same instant the whole line presented arms, and the drums
+beat the salute. They ceased, and Napoleon raised his hand to command
+silence, and throughout that crowded mass not a whisper was heard.
+
+I could perceive that he was speaking, but the words did not reach me.
+Eloquent and burning words they were, and to be recorded in history
+to the remotest ages. I now saw that he had finished, as General Petit
+sprang forward with the eagle of the First Regiment of the Guards, and
+presented it to him. The Emperor pressed it fervently to his lips,
+and then threw his arms round Petit's neck; while suddenly disengaging
+himself, he took the tattered flag that waved above him, and kissed it
+twice. Unable to bear up any longer, the worn, hard-featured veterans
+sobbed aloud like children, and turned away their faces to conceal their
+emotion. No cry of "Vive l'Empereur!" resounded now through those ranks
+where each had willingly shed his heart's blood for him. Sorrow had
+usurped the place of enthusiasm, and they stood overwhelmed by grief.
+
+A tall and soldierlike figure, with head uncovered, approached the
+Emperor, and said a few words. Napoleon waved his hand towards the
+troops, and from the ranks many rushed towards him, and fell on their
+knees before him. He passed his hand across his face and turned away. My
+eyes grew dim; a misty vapor shut out every object, and I felt as though
+the very lids were bursting. The great tramp of horses startled me, and
+then came the roll of wheels. I looked up: an equipage was passing from
+the gate, a peloton of dragoons escorted it; a second followed at full
+speed. The colonels formed their men; the word to march was given; the
+drums beat out; the grenadiers moved on; the chasseurs succeeded; and
+last the artillery rolled heavily up. The court was deserted; not a man
+remained: all, all were gone! The Empire was ended; and the Emperor, the
+mighty genius who created it, on his way to exile!
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI. THE CONCLUSION
+
+France never appeared to less advantage in the eyes of Europe than at
+the period I speak of. Scarcely had the proud star of Napoleon set, when
+the whole current of popular favor flowed along with those whom, but a
+few days before, they accounted their greatest enemies. The Russians and
+the Prussians, whom they lampooned and derided, they now flattered and
+fawned on. They deemed no adulation servile enough to lay at the feet
+of their conquerors,--not esteeming the exaltation of their victors
+sufficient, unless purchased at the sacrifice of their own honor as a
+nation.
+
+The struggle was no longer who should be first in glory, but who
+foremost in desertion of him and his fortunes whose word had made
+them. The marshals he had created, the generals he had decorated, the
+ministers and princes he had endowed with wealth and territory, now
+turned from him in his hour of misfortune, to court the favor of one
+against whom every act of their former lives was directed.
+
+These men, whose very titles recalled the fields of glory to which he
+led them, now hastened to the Tuileries to proffer an allegiance to a
+monarch they neither loved nor respected. Sad and humiliating spectacle!
+The long pent-up hatred of the Royalists found a natural vent in this
+moment of triumphant success. Chateaubriand, Constant, and Madame de
+Stael led the way to those declarations of the press which denounced
+Napoleon as the greatest of earthly tyrants; and inveighed even against
+his greatness and his genius, as though malevolence could produce
+oblivion.
+
+All Paris was in a ferment of excitement,--not the troubled agitation of
+a people whose capital owned the presence of a conquering army, but the
+tumultuous joy of a nation intoxicated with pleasure. Fetes and
+balls, gay processions and public demonstrations of rejoicing, met one
+everywhere; and ingenuity was taxed to invent flatteries for the
+very nations whom, but a week past, they scoffed at as barbarians and
+Scythians.
+
+Sickened and disgusted with the fickleness of mankind, I knew not where
+to turn. My wound had brought on a low, lingering fever, accompanied
+by extreme debility, increased in all likelihood by the harassing
+reflections every object around suggested. I could not venture abroad
+without meeting some evidence of that exuberant triumph by which
+treachery hopes to cover its own baseness; besides, the reputation of
+being a Napoleonist was now a mark for insult and indignity from those
+who never dared to avow an opinion until the tide of fortune had turned
+in their favor. The white cockade had replaced the tricolor; every
+emblem of the Empire was abolished; and that uniform, to wear which
+was once a mark of honorable distinction, was now become a signal for
+insult.
+
+I was returning one evening from a solitary ramble in the neighborhood
+of Paris,--for, by some strange fatality, I could not tear myself away
+from the scenes to which the most eventful portions of my life were
+attached,--and at length reached the Boulevard Montmartre, just as
+the leading squadrons of a cavalry regiment were advancing up the wide
+thoroughfare. I had hitherto avoided every occasion of witnessing
+any military display which should recall the past; but now the rapid
+gathering of the crowd to see the soldiers pass prevented my escape, and
+I was obliged to wait patiently until the cortege should move forward.
+
+They came on in dense column,--the brave Chasseurs of the Guard, the
+bronzed warriors of Jena and Wigram; but to my eyes they seemed sterner
+and sadder than their wont, and heeded not the loud "vivas" of the
+mob around them. Where were their eagles? Alas! the white banner that
+floated over their heads was a poor substitute for the proud ensign
+they had so often followed to victory. And here weie the dragoons,--old
+Kellermann's brave troopers; their proud glances were changed to a
+mournful gaze upon that crowd whose cheers they once felt proud of: and
+there, the artillery, that glorious corps which he loved so well,--did
+not the roll of their guns sound sorrowfully on the ear!
+
+They passed! And then came on a strange cortege of mounted
+cavaliers,--old and withered men, in uniforms of quaint antique fashion,
+their chapeaux decorated with great cockades of white ribbon, and their
+sword-knots garnished with similar ornaments; the order of St. Louis
+glittered on each breast, and in their bearing you might read the air of
+men who were enjoying a long-wished-for and long-expected triumph. These
+were the old seigneurs of the Monarchy; and truly they were not wanting
+in that look of nobility their ancient blood bestowed. Their features
+were proud; their glance elated; their very port and bearing spoke that
+consciousness of superiority, to crush which had cost all the horrors
+and bloodshed of a terrible Revolution. How strange! it seemed as if
+many of their faces were familiar to me,--I knew them well; but where,
+and how, my memory could not trace. Yes, now I could recall it: they
+were the frequenters of the old "Pension of the Rue de Mi-Careme,"--the
+same men I had seen in their day of adversity, bearing up with noble
+pride against the ills of fortune. There they were, revelling in the
+long-sought-after restoration of their former state. Were they not more
+worthy of admiration in their hour of patient and faithful watching,
+than in this the period of their triumph?
+
+The pressure of the crowd obliged the cavalcade to halt. And now the air
+resounded with the cries of "Vive le Roi!"--the long-forgotten cheer
+of loyalty. Thousands re-echoed the shout, and the horsemen waved their
+hats in exultation. "Vive le Roi!" cried the mob, as though the voices
+had not called "Vive l'Empereur!" but yesterday.
+
+"Down with the Napoleonist,--down with him!" screamed a savage-looking
+fellow, who, jammed up in the crowd, pointed towards me, as I stood a
+mere spectator of the scene.
+
+"Cry 'Vive le Roi!' at once," whispered a voice near me, "or the
+consequences may be serious. The mob is ungovernable at a moment like
+this."
+
+A dozen voices shouted out at the same time, "Down with him! down with
+him!"
+
+"Off with your hat, sir!" said a rude-looking fellow beside me, as he
+raised his hand to remove it.
+
+"At your peril!" said I, as I clenched my hand, and prepared to strike
+him down the moment he should touch me.
+
+The words were not well uttered, when the crowd closed on me, and a
+hundred arms were stretched out to attack me. In vain all my efforts to
+resist. My hat was torn from my head, and assailed on every side, I was
+dragged into the middle of the street, amid wild cries of vengeance and
+taunting insults. It was then, as I lay overcome by numbers, that a loud
+cry to fall back issued from the cavalcade, and a horseman, sword in
+hand, dashed upon the mob, slashing on every side as he went, mounted
+on a high-mettled horse. He cleared the dense mass with the speed of
+lightning, and drove back my assailants.
+
+[Illustration: BrowneBeauvais341]
+
+"Catch my horse's mane," said he, hurriedly. "Hold fast for a few
+seconds, and you are safe."
+
+Following the advice, I held firmly by the long mane of his charger,
+while, clearing away the mob on either side, he protected me by his
+drawn sabre above my head.
+
+"Safe this time!" said he, as we arrived within the ranks. And then
+turning round, so as to face me, added, "Safe! and my debt acquitted.
+You saved my life once; and though the peril seemed less imminent now,
+trust me, yours had not escaped the fury of that multitude without me."
+
+"What! Henri de Beauvais! Do we meet again?"
+
+"Yes; but with altered fortune, Burke. Our king, as the words of our
+Garde Ecossaise song says,--our king 'has got his own again.' The day
+of loyalty has again dawned on France, and a grateful people may carry
+their enthusiasm for the Restoration, even as far as vengeance on their
+opponents, and yet not merit much reproach. But no more of this. We can
+be friends now; or if not, it must be your fault."
+
+"I am not too proud, De Beauvais, either to accept or acknowledge a
+favor at your hands."
+
+"Then we are friends," said he, joyfully. "And in the name of
+friendship, let me beg of you to place this _cordon_ in your hat." And
+so saying, he detached the cockade of white ribbon he wore from his own,
+and held it towards me. "Well, then, at least remove the tricolor; it
+can but expose you to insult. Remember, Burke, its day is over."
+
+"I am not likely to forget it," replied I, sadly.
+
+"Monsieur le Colonel, his royal highness wishes to speak with you," said
+an aide-de-camp, riding up beside De Beauvais's horse.
+
+"Take care of this gentleman for me," said De Beauvais, pointing to me;
+and then, wheeling round his horse, he galloped at full speed to the
+rear.
+
+"I will spare you all trouble on my account, sir," said I. "My way lies
+yonder, and at present I see no obstacle to my pursuing it."
+
+"Let me at least send an escort with you."
+
+I thanked him and declined the offer; and leaving the ranks of the
+procession, mingled with the crowd, and in a few minutes after reached
+my hotel without further molestation. The hour was come, I saw plainly,
+in which I must leave France. Not only was every tie which bound me to
+that land severed, but to remain was only to oppose myself singly to
+the downward current of popular opinion which now threatened to overturn
+every landmark and vestige of the Empire. Up to this moment, I never
+confessed to my heart with what secret hope I had prolonged each day of
+my stay,--how I cherished within me the expectation that I should once
+again, though but for an instant, see her who lived in all my thoughts,
+and, unknown to my self, formed the mainspring of all my actions!
+
+This hope only became confessed when about to leave me forever.
+
+As I busied myself in the preparations for departure, a note arrived
+from De Beauvais, stating that he desired particularly to see and confer
+with me that same evening, and requesting me on no account to be from
+home, as his business was most pressing. I felt little curiosity to
+know to what he might allude, and saw him enter my room some hours later
+without a single particle of anxiety as to his communication.
+
+"I am come, Burke," said he, after a few commonplaces had been exchanged
+between us,--"I am come, Burke, on a mission which I hope you will
+believe the sincerest regard for you has prompted me to undertake, and
+which, whatever objections it may meet with from you, none can arise, I
+am certain, on the score of his fidelity who now makes this proposition
+to you. To be brief: the Count d'Artois has sent me to offer you your
+grade and rank in the army of his Majesty Louis the Eighteenth. Your
+last gazette was as colonel; but there is a rumor you should have
+received your appointment as general of brigade. There will be little
+difficulty in arranging your brevet on that understanding; for your
+services, brief as they were, have not been unnoticed. Marshal Ney
+himself bears testimony to your conduct at Montereau; and your name
+twice occurs on the list of the minister of war for promotion.
+Strange claims these, you will say, to recompense from the rightful
+sovereign of France, gained as they were in the service of the Usurper!
+But it is the prerogative of legitimacy to be great and noble-minded,
+and to recognize true desert wherever it occurs. Come, what say you?
+Does this proposal meet your wishes?"
+
+"If to surpass my expectations, and flatter my pride, were to convince
+my reason, and change my estimation of what is loyal and true, I should
+say, 'Yes, De Beauvais; the proposition does meet my wishes.' But not
+so. I wore these epaulettes first in my admiration of him whose fortunes
+I have followed to the last. My pride, my glory, were to be his soldier;
+that can be no longer, and the sword I drew in his cause shall never be
+unsheathed in another's."
+
+"Are you ignorant that such arguments apply with equal force to all
+those great men who have, within these few weeks past, sworn allegiance
+to his Majesty? What say you to the list of marshals, not one of whom
+has refused the graciously offered favor of his Majesty? Are Ney, Soult,
+Augereau, Macdonald, and Marmont nothing as examples?"
+
+"I will not say so, De Beauvais; but this I will say, they had had both
+more respect and esteem from me had they done otherwise. If they were
+true to the Emperor, they can scarce be loyal to the King."
+
+"Can you not distinguish between the forced services exacted by a tyrant
+and the noble duty rendered to a rightful sovereign?"
+
+"I can better estimate the fascinations which lead men to follow a hero,
+than to be the parade-soldier around the gilded gates of a palace."
+
+De Beauvais's cheek flashed scarlet, and his voice was agitated, as he
+replied,--
+
+"The nobles of France, sir, have shown themselves as high in deeds of
+chivalry and heroism as they have ever been in the accomplishments of
+true-born gentlemen."
+
+"Pardon me, De Beauvais! I meant no imputation of them and their
+motives. There is every reason why you and your gallant companions
+should enjoy the favors of that crown your efforts have placed upon the
+head of the King of France. Your true and fitting station is around the
+throne your bravery and devotion have restored. But as for us,--we
+who have fought and marched, have perilled limb and life, to raise
+the fortune and elevate the glory of him who was the enemy of that
+sovereign,--how can we be participators in the triumph we labored to
+avert, and rejoice in a consummation we would have died rather than
+witness?"
+
+"But it has come; the fates have decided against you. The cause you
+would serve is not merely unfortunate,--it is extinct; the Empire has
+left no banner behind it. Come, then, and rally round one whose boast it
+is to number among its followers the high-born and the noble,--to assert
+the supremacy of rank and worth above the claim of the base and low."
+
+"I cannot; I must not."
+
+"At least, you will wait on the Comte d'Artois. You must see his royal
+highness, and thank him for his gracious intentions."
+
+"I know what that means, De Beauvais; I have heard that few can resist
+the graceful fascinations of the prince's manner. I shall certainly not
+fear to encounter them, however dangerous to my principles."
+
+"But not to refuse his royal highness?" said he, quickly. "I trust you
+will not do that."
+
+"You would not have me yield to the flattery of a prince's notice what I
+refuse to the solicitations of a friend, would you?"
+
+"And such is your intention,--your fixed intention?"
+
+"Undoubtedly it is."
+
+De Beauvais turned away impatiently, and leaned on the window for some
+minutes. Then, after a pause, and in a slow and measured voice, added,--
+
+"You are known to the Court, Burke, by other channels than those I have
+mentioned. Your prospects of advancement would be most brilliant, if you
+accept this offer: I scarcely know to what they may not aspire. Reflect
+for a moment or two. There is no desertion,--no falling off here.
+Remember that the Empire was a vision, and like a dream it has passed
+away. Where there is no cause, there can be no fealty."
+
+"It is but a sorry memory, De Beauvais, that only retains while there
+are benefits to receive; mine is a more tenacious one."
+
+"Then my mission is ended," cried he, taking up his hat. "I may mention
+to his royal highness that you intend returning to England; that you
+are indisposed to service at present. It is unnecessary to state more
+accurately the views you entertain?"
+
+"I leave the matter completely to your discretion."
+
+"Adieu, then. Our roads lie widely apart, Burke; and I for one regret
+it deeply. It only remains that I should give you this note; which I
+promised to deliver into your hands in the event of your declining to
+accept the prince's offer."
+
+He blushed deeply, as he placed a small sealed note in my fingers; and
+as if anxious to get away, pressed my hand hurriedly, and left the room.
+
+My curiosity to learn the contents of the billet made me tear it open at
+once; but it was not before I had perused it several times that I could
+credit the lines before me. They were but few, and ran thus:--
+
+      Dear Sir,--May I request the honor of a visit from you this
+      evening at the Hotel de Grammont?
+
+      Truly yours,
+
+      Marie d'Auvergne, nee De Meudon.
+
+      Colonel Burke.
+
+How did I read these lines over again and again!--now interpreting them
+as messengers of future hope; now fearing they might exclude every ray
+of it forever. One solution recurred to me at every moment, and tortured
+me to the very soul. Her family had all been Royalists. The mere
+accidents of youth had thrown her brother into the army, and herself
+into the Court of the Empire, where personal devotion and attachment to
+the Empress had retained her. What if she should exert her influence to
+induce me to accept the prince's offer? How could I resist a request,
+perhaps an entreaty, from her? The more I reflected over it, the more
+firmly this opinion gained ground with me, and the more deeply did I
+grieve over a position environed by such difficulty; and ardently as I
+longed for the moment of meeting her once more, the desire was tempered
+by a fear that the meeting should be our last.
+
+The eventful moment of my destiny arrived, and found me at the door of
+the Hotel de Grammont. A valet in waiting for my arrival conducted me to
+a _salon_, saying the countess would appear in a few moments.
+
+What an anxious interval was that! I tried to occupy myself with
+the objects around, and distract my attention from the approaching
+interview; but every sound startled me, and I turned at each instant
+towards the door by which I expected her to enter.
+
+The time appeared to drag heavily on,--minutes became like hours; and
+yet no one appeared. My impatience had reached its climax, when I heard
+my name spoken in a low soft voice. I turned, and she was before me.
+
+She was dressed in deep mourning, and looked paler, perhaps thinner,
+than I had ever seen her,--but not less beautiful. Whether prompted by
+her own feelings at the moment, or called up by my unconsciously fixed
+look, she blushed deeply as our eyes met.
+
+"I was about to leave France, Colonel," said she, as soon as we were
+seated, "when I heard from my cousin, De Beauvais, that you were here,
+and delayed my departure to have the opportunity of seeing you."
+
+She paused here, and drew a deep breath to continue; but leaning her
+head on her hand, she seemed to have fallen into a reverie for some
+minutes, from which she started suddenly, by saying,--
+
+"His royal highness has offered you your grade in the service, I
+understand?"
+
+"Yes, Madame; so my friend De Beauvais informs me."
+
+"And you have refused,--is it not so?"
+
+"Even so, Madame."
+
+"How is this, sir? Are you so weary of a soldier's life, that you would
+leave it thus early?"
+
+"This was not the reason, Madame."
+
+"You loved the Emperor, sir," said she, hastily, and with a tone of
+almost passionate eagerness, "even as I loved my dear, kind mistress;
+and you felt allegiance to be too sacred a thing to be bartered at a
+moment's notice. Is this the true explanation?"
+
+"I am proud to say, you have read my motives; such were they."
+
+"Why are there not many more to act thus?" cried she, vehemently. "Why
+do not the great names _he_ made glorious, become greater by fidelity
+than ever they were by heroism? There was one, sir, who, had he lived,
+had given this example to the world."
+
+"True, most true, Madame. But was not his fate happier than to have
+survived for this?"
+
+A long pause, unbroken by a word on either side, followed; when at last
+she said,--
+
+"I had left with De Beauvais some few relics of my dear brother, hoping
+you would accept them for his sake. General d'Auvergne's sword,--the
+same he wore at Jena,--he desired might be conveyed to you when you left
+the service. These, and this ring," said she, endeavoring to withdraw a
+rich brilliant from her finger, "are the few souvenirs I would ask you
+to keep for their sakes, and for mine. You mean to return to England,
+sir?"
+
+"Yes, Madame; that is, I had intended,--I know not now whither I shall
+go. Country has few ties for one like me."
+
+"I, too, must be a wanderer," said she, half musingly, while still
+she endeavored to remove the ring from her finger. "I find," said she,
+smiling, "I must give you another keepsake; this will not leave me."
+
+"Give it me, then, where it is," said I. "Yes, Marie! the devotion of a
+heart, wholly yours, should not go unrewarded. To you I owe all that
+my life has known of happiness,--to memory of you, every high and noble
+hope. Let me not, after years of such affection, lose the guiding star
+of my existence,--all that I have lived for, all that I love!"
+
+These words, poured forth with all the passionate energy which a last
+hope inspires, were followed by a story of my long-concealed love. I
+know not how incoherently the tale was told; I cannot say how often
+I interrupted my own recital by some appeal to the past,--some
+half-uttered hope that she had seen the passion which burned within me.
+I can but remember the bursting feeling of my bosom, as she placed her
+hand in mine, and said,--
+
+"It is yours!"
+
+These words ended the story of a life whose trials were many, and
+encountered at an age in which few have braved the world's cares.
+The lessons I had learned, however, were acquired in that
+school,--adversity,--where few are taught in vain; and if the morning of
+my life broke in clouds and shadow, the noon has been not less peaceful
+and bright. And the evening, as it draws near, comes with an aspect of
+calm tranquillity, ample enough to recompense every vicissitude of those
+early days when the waves of fortune were roughest.
+
+
+
+
+A PARTING WORD.
+
+
+      Dear Friends,--Time has hallowed the custom of a word at
+      parting, and I am unwilling to relinquish the privilege. In
+      the tale I have just concluded, my endeavor was to portray,
+      with as little aid from fiction as might be, some lights and
+      shadows of the most wonderful and eventful period of modern
+      history,--the empire of Napoleon. The character I selected
+      for my hero was not all imaginary, neither were many of the
+      scenes, which bear less apparent proofs of reality. The
+      subject was one long meditated on before undertaken; but as
+      the work proceeded, I felt at some places, the difficulty of
+      creating interest for persons, and incidents removed both by
+      time and country from my reader; and at others, my own
+      inadequacy to an effort, which mere zeal could never
+      accomplish. These causes induced me to deviate from the plan
+      I originally set down for my guidance; and combined with
+      failing health, have rendered what might have been a matter
+      of interest and amusement to the writer, a task of labor and
+      anxiety.
+
+      It is the first time I have had to ask my reader's
+      indulgence on such grounds; nor should I now allude to it,
+      save as affording the only apology I can render for the many
+      defects in a story, which, in defiance of me, took its
+      coloring from my own mind at the period, rather from the
+      reflex of the events I related.
+
+      The moral of my tale is simple,--the fatal influence crude
+      and uncertain notions of liberty will exercise over a
+      career, which, under happier direction of its energies, had
+      won honor and distinction, and the impolicy of the effort,
+      to substitute an adopted for a natural allegiance.
+
+      My estimate of Napoleon may seem to some to partake of
+      exaggeration; but I have carefully distinguished between the
+      Hero and the Emperor, and have not suffered my unqualified
+      admiration of the one to carry me on to any blind devotion
+      of the other.
+
+      Having begun this catalogue of excuses and explanations, I
+      know not where to stop. So, once more asking forgiveness for
+      all the errors of these volumes, I beg to subscribe myself,
+      in great respect and esteem,
+
+      Your humble and obedient servant,
+
+      Harry Lorrequer.
+
+      Templeogue House,
+
+      August 26th, 1844.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II (of II), by
+Charles James Lever
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diff --git a/31902.zip b/31902.zip
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #31902 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31902)
diff --git a/old/31902-h.htm.2021-01-25 b/old/31902-h.htm.2021-01-25
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+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+
+<!DOCTYPE html
+   PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+   "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" >
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <title>
+      Tom Burke of 'Ours' by Charles Lever
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve">
+
+    body { margin:5%; text-align:justify}
+    P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; }
+    H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; }
+    hr  { width: 50%; text-align: center;}
+    .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; }
+    blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;}
+    .mynote    {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;}
+    .toc       { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;}
+    .toc2      { margin-left: 20%;}
+    div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; }
+    .figleft   {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;}
+    .figright  {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;}
+    pre     { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;}
+
+</style>
+  </head>
+  <body>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II (of II), by
+Charles James Lever
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II (of II)
+
+Author: Charles James Lever
+
+Illustrator: Phiz.
+
+Release Date: April 6, 2010 [EBook #31902]
+Last Updated: February 27, 2018
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM BURKE II ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <h1>
+      TOM BURKE OF &ldquo;OURS&rdquo;
+     </h1>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      By Charles Lever
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <h3>
+      With Illustrations By Phiz. and H. Browne
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <h3>
+      In Two Volumes, Vol. II.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="mynote">
+      <p>
+        <b>Transcriber's Note</b>: Two print editions have been used for this
+        Project Gutenberg Edition of &ldquo;Tom Burke of 'Ours'&rdquo;: The Little Brown
+        edition (Boston) of 1913 with illustrations by Phiz; and the Chapman and
+        Hall editon (London) of 1853 with illustrations by Browne. Illegible and
+        missing pages were found in both print editions.
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        DW
+      </p>
+      <br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <table summary="" border="3" cellpadding="0">
+      <tbody>
+        <tr>
+          <td>
+            &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a
+            href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31901/31901-h/31901-h.htm"><b>VOLUME
+            ONE</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</a>
+          </td>
+          <td>
+          </td>
+        </tr>
+      </tbody>
+    </table>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page121.jpg" alt="frontispiece2" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/titlepage2.jpg" alt="titlepage2" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <blockquote>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big>
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        <br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> <b>TOM BURKE OF &ldquo;OURS"</b> </a><br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE SICK LEAVE <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;LINTZ <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;AUSTERLITZ <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE FIELD AT
+        MIDNIGHT <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A
+        MAÎTRE D'ARMES <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        MILL ON THE HOLITSCH ROAD <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER
+        VII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE ARMISTICE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0008">
+        CHAPTER VIII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE COMPAGNIE D'ELITE <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;PARIS IN 1800 <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE HÔTEL DE CLICHY
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A SALLE
+        DE POLICE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        RETURN OF THE WOUNDED <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII.
+        </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE CHEVALIER <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0014">
+        CHAPTER XIV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A BOYISH REMINISCENCE <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A GOOD-BY <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;AN OLD FRIEND
+        UNCHANGED <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        RUE DES CAPUCINES <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER XVIII.
+        </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE MOISSON d'OR <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0019">
+        CHAPTER XIX. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE TWO SOIREES <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER XX. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A SUDDEN DEPARTURE
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER XXI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        SUMMIT OF THE LANDGRAFENBERG <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER
+        XXII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;L'HOMME ROUGE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0023">
+        CHAPTER XXII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;JENA AND AUERSTÄDT <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0024"> CHAPTER XXIV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A FRAGMENT OF A
+        MAÎTRE d'ARMES EXPERIENCES <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER
+        XXV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;BERLIN AFTER &ldquo;JENA.&rdquo; <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0026"> CHAPTER XXVI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A FOREST PATH <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0027"> CHAPTER XXVII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A CHANCE MEETING
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0028"> CHAPTER XXVIII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        PENSION DE LA RUE MI-CARÊME <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0029"> CHAPTER
+        XXIX. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;MY NAMESAKE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0030">
+        CHAPTER XXX. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;AN OLD SAILOR OF THE EMPIRE <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0031"> CHAPTER XXXI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A MOONLIGHT
+        RECOGNITION <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0032"> CHAPTER XXXII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        FALAISE DE BIVILLE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0033"> CHAPTER XXXIII.
+        </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE LANDING <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0034"> CHAPTER
+        XXXIV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;A CHARACTER OF OLD DUBLIN <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0035"> CHAPTER XXXV. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;AN UNFORSEEN EVIL
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0036"> CHAPTER XXXVI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        PERIL AVERTED <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0037"> CHAPTER XXXVII. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;HASTY
+        RESOLUTION <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0038"> CHAPTER XXXVIII. &nbsp;&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        LAST CAMPAIGN <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0039"> CHAPTER XXXIX. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        BRIDGE OF MONTEREAU <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0040"> CHAPTER XL. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;FONTAINEBLEAU
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0041"> CHAPTER XLI. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        CONCLUSION <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0043"> A PARTING WORD. </a>
+        <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <big><b>ILLUSTRATIONS</b></big>
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        <br />
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0001"> Browne: Murat and Minnette </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0002"> Phiz: Bivwac After the Battle </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0003"> Browne: Bivwac After the Battle </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0004"> Phiz: Locomotive Chair </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0005"> Browne: Locomotive Chair </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0006"> Phiz: The Scrimmage </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0007"> Phiz: The Dance </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0008"> Phiz: Minnette Receives Cross of the Legion
+        </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0009"> Browne: Minnette Receives Cross of the Legion
+        </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0010"> Phiz: Minnette </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0011"> Browne: The Drummer Boy </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0012"> Phiz: Moisson </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0013"> Phiz: A Slight Mistake </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0014"> Phiz: Cut and Run </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0015"> Phiz: The Big Drum </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0016"> Browne: The Foraging Party </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0017"> Phiz: The Summer House </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0019"> Phiz: The Newsvendor </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0020"> Phiz: There was Always a Sting in ye </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0021"> Phiz: The Law Office </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0022"> Brown: Darby in the Chair </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0023"> Phiz: Minnette at the Bridge </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0024"> Phiz: Death of Minnette </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0018"> Browne: Death of Minnette </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0025"> Browne: Parting from Napoleon </a>
+      </p>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <a href="#linkimage-0026"> Browne: Henri Beauvais </a>
+      </p>
+    </blockquote>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h1>
+      TOM BURKE OF &ldquo;OURS&rdquo;
+     </h1>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER I. THE SICK LEAVE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it, Minette?&rdquo; said I, for the third time, as I saw her lean her
+      head from out the narrow casement, and look down into the valley beside
+      the river; &ldquo;what do you see there?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I see a regiment of infantry coming along the road from Ulm,&rdquo; said she,
+      after a pause; &ldquo;and now I perceive the lancers are following them, and the
+      artillery too. Ah! and farther again, I see a great cloud of dust. <i>Mère
+      de Ciél!</i> how tired and weary they all look! It surely cannot be a
+      march in retreat; and, now that I think of it, they have no baggage, nor
+      any wagons with them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That was a bugle call, Minette! Did you not hear it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, it's a halt for a few minutes. Poor fellows! they are sadly
+      exhausted; they cannot even reach the side of the way, but are lying down
+      on the very road. I can bear it no longer. I must find out what it all
+      means.&rdquo; So saying, she threw round her a mantle which, Spanish fashion,
+      she wore over her head, and hurried from the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some time I waited patiently for her return; but when half an hour
+      elapsed, I arose and crept to the window. A succession of rocky precipices
+      descended from the terrace on which the house stood, down to the very edge
+      of the Danube, and from the point where I sat the view extended for miles
+      in every direction. What, then, was my astonishment to see the wide plain,
+      not marked by regular columns in marching array, but covered with
+      straggling detachments, hurrying onward as if without order or discipline.
+      Here was an infantry battalion mixed up with a cavalry corps, the
+      foot-soldiers endeavoring to keep up with the ambling trot of the
+      dragoons; there, the ammunition wagons were covered with weary soldiers,
+      too tired to march. Most of the men were without their firelocks, which
+      were piled in a confused heap on the limbers of the guns. No merry chant,
+      no burst of warlike music, cheered them on. They seemed like the scattered
+      fragments of a routed army hurrying onward in search of some place of
+      refuge,-sad and spiritless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can he have been beaten?&rdquo; was the fearful thought that flashed across me
+      as I gazed. &ldquo;Have the bold legions that were never vanquished succumbed at
+      last? Oh, no, no! I'll not believe it.&rdquo; And while a glow of fever warmed
+      my whole blood, I buckled on my sabre, and taking my shako, prepared to
+      issue forth. Scarcely had I reached the door, with tottering limbs, when I
+      saw Minette dashing up the steep street at the top speed of her pony,
+      while she flourished above her head a great placard, and waved it to and
+      fro.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The news! the news!&rdquo; cried I, bursting with anxiety. &ldquo;Are they advancing;
+      or is it a retreat?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Read that!&rdquo; said she, throwing me a large sheet of paper, headed with the
+      words, &ldquo;Proclamation! la Grande Armée!&rdquo; in huge letters,-&ldquo;read that! for
+      I've no breath left to tell you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Soldiers!&mdash;The campaign so gloriously begun will soon be completed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One victory, and the Austrian empire, so great but a week since, will be
+      humbled in the dust. Hasten on, then! Forced marches, by day and night,
+      will attest your eagerness to meet the enemy; and let the endeavor of each
+      regiment be to arrive soonest on the field of battle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette! dearest Minette!&rdquo; said I, as I threw my arms around her neck,
+      &ldquo;this is indeed good news.&rdquo; &ldquo;Gently, gently, Monsieur!&rdquo; said she, smiling,
+      while she disengaged herself from my sudden embrace. &ldquo;Very good news,
+      without doubt; but I don't think that there is any mention in the bulletin
+      about embracing the vivandières of the army.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At a moment like this, Minette&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The best thing to do is, to make up one's baggage and join the march,&rdquo;
+       said she, very steadily, proceeding at the same time to put her plan into
+      execution.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While I gave her all assistance in my power, the doctor entered to inform
+      us that all the wounded who were then not sufficiently restored to return
+      to duty were to be conveyed to Munich, where general military hospitals
+      had been established; and that he himself had received orders to repair
+      thither with his sick detachment, in which my name was enrolled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You'll keep your old friend, François, company, Lieutenant Burke; he is
+      able to move at last.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;François!&rdquo; said I, in ecstasy; &ldquo;and will he indeed recover?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have little doubt of it; though certainly he's not likely to practise
+      as maître d'armes again. You 've spoiled his tierce, though not before it
+      cost the army some of the prettiest fellows I ever saw. But as to yourself&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for me, I 'll march with the army. I feel perfectly recovered; my arm&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! as for monsieur's arms,&rdquo; said mademoiselle, &ldquo;I'll answer for it, they
+      are quite at his Majesty's service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed!&rdquo; said the doctor, knowingly; &ldquo;I thought it would come to that.
+      Well, well, Mademoiselle, don't look saucy; let us part good friends for
+      once in our lives.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hate being reconciled to a surgeon,&rdquo; said she, pettishly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why so, I pray?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, you know, when one quarrels with an officer, the poor fellow may be
+      killed before one sees him again; and it's always a sad thought, that. But
+      your doctor, nothing ever happens to him; you're sure to see him, with his
+      white apron and his horrid weapons, a hundred times after, and one is
+      always sorry for having forgiven such a cruel wretch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, Mademoiselle, you bear us all an ill-will for the fault of
+      one, and that's not fair. It was the hospital aide of the Sixth, Monsieur,
+      (a handsome fellow, too), who did not fall in love with her after her
+      wound,&mdash;a slight scratch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A slight scratch, do you call it?&rdquo; said I, indignantly, as I perceived
+      the poor girl's eyes fill at the raillery of her tormentor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! monsieur has seen it, then?&rdquo; said he, maliciously. &ldquo;A thousand
+      pardons. I have the honor to wish you both adieu.&rdquo; And with that, and a
+      smile of the most impertinent meaning, he took his leave.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How silly to be vexed for so little, Minette!&rdquo; said I, approaching and
+      endeavoring to console her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, but to call my wound a scratch!&rdquo; said she. &ldquo;Was it not too bad? and
+      I the only vivandière of the army that ever felt a bullet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And with that she turned away her head; but I could see, as she wiped her
+      eyes, that she cared less for the sarcasm on her wounded shoulder than the
+      insult to her wounded heart. Poor girl! she looked sick and pale the whole
+      day after.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We learned in the course of the day that some cavalry detachments would
+      pass early on the morrow, thus allowing us sufficient time to provide
+      ourselves with horses, and make our other arrangements for the march.
+      These we succeeded in doing to our satisfaction; I being fortunate enough
+      to secure the charger of an Austrian prisoner, mademoiselle being already
+      admirably mounted with her palfrey. Occupied with these details, the day
+      passed rapidly over, and the hour for supper drew near without my feeling
+      how the time slipped past.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0001" id="linkimage-0001">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page003.jpg" alt="Brownemuratandminettepage003 "   width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      At last the welcome meal made its appearance, and with it mademoiselle
+      herself. I could not help remarking that her toilette displayed a more
+      than common attention: her neat Parisian cap; her collar, with its deep
+      Valenciennes lace; and her <i>tablier</i>, so coquettishly embroidered,&mdash;were
+      all signs of an unusual degree of care; and though she was pale and in low
+      spirits, I never saw her look so pretty. All my efforts to make her
+      converse were, however, in vain. Some secret weight lay heavily on her
+      spirits, and not even the stirring topics of the coming campaign could
+      awaken one spark of her enthusiasm. She evaded, too, every allusion to the
+      following day's march, or answered my questions about it with evident
+      constraint. Tired at last with endeavoring to overcome her silent mood, I
+      affected an air of chagrin, thinking to pique her by it; but she merely
+      remarked that I appeared weary, and that, as I had a long journey before
+      me, it were as well I should retire early.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The marked coolness of her manner at this moment struck me so forcibly
+      that I began really to feel some portion of the ill-temper I affected, and
+      with the crossness of an over-petted child, I arose to withdraw at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-by, Monsieur; good-night, I mean,&rdquo; said she, blushing slightly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-night, Mademoiselle,&rdquo; said I, taking her hand coldly as I spoke. &ldquo;I
+      trust I may find you in better spirits to-morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-night,&mdash;adieu!&rdquo; said she, hastily; and before I could add a
+      word she was gone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is a strange girl,&rdquo; thought I, as I found myself alone, and tortured
+      my mind to think whether anything I could have dropped had offended her.
+      But no: we had parted a few hours before the best friends in the world;
+      nothing had then occurred to which I could attribute this sudden change. I
+      had often remarked the variable character of her disposition,&mdash;the
+      flashes of gayety mingled with outbursts of sorrow; the playful moods of
+      fancy alternating with moments of deep melancholy; and, after all, this
+      might be one of them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With these thoughts I threw myself on my bed, but could not sleep. At one
+      minute my brain went on puzzling about Minette and her sorrow; at the next
+      I reproached myself for my own harsh, unfeeling manner to the poor girl,
+      and was actually on the eve of arising to seek her and ask her pardon. At
+      last sleep came, and dreams too; but, strange enough, they were of the
+      distant land of my boyhood and the hours of my youth; of the old house in
+      which I was born, and its well-remembered rooms. I thought I was standing
+      before my father, while he scolded me for some youthful transgression; I
+      heard his words as though they were really spoken, as he told me that I
+      should be an outcast and a wanderer, without a friend, a house, or home;
+      that while others reaped wealth and honors, I was destined to be a
+      castaway: and in the torrent of my grief I awoke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was night,&mdash;dark, silent night. A few stars were shining in the
+      sky, but the earth was wrapped in shadow; and as I opened my window to let
+      the fresh breeze calm my fevered forehead, the deep precipice beneath me
+      seemed a vast gulf of yawning blackness. At a great distance off I could
+      see the watchfires of some soldiers bivouacking in the plain; and even
+      that much comforted my saddened heart, as it aroused me to the thoughts of
+      the campaign before me. But again my thoughts recurred to my dream, which
+      I could not help feeling as a sort of prediction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When our sleep leaves its strong track in our waking moments, we dread to
+      sleep again for fear the whole vision should come back; and thus I sat
+      down beside the window, and fell into a long train of thought. The images
+      of my dream were uppermost in my mind; and every little incident of
+      childhood, long lost to memory, came now fresh before me,&mdash;the
+      sorrows of my schoolboy years, unrelieved by the sense of love awaiting me
+      at home; the clinging to all who seemed to feel or care for me; and the
+      heart-sickening sorrow when I found that what I mistook for affection was
+      merely pity: all save one,&mdash;my mother! Her mild, sad looks, so seldom
+      cheered by a ray of pleasure,&mdash;I remember well how they fell on me!
+      with such a thrilling sensation at my heart, and such a gush of
+      thankfulness, as I felt then! Oh! if they who live with children knew how
+      needful it is to open their hearts to all the little sorrows and woes of
+      infant life; to teach confidence and to feed hope; to train up the
+      creeping tendrils of young desire, and not to suffer them to lie
+      straggling and tangled on the earth,&mdash;what a happier destiny would
+      fall to the lot of many whose misfortunes in late life date from the
+      crushed spirit of childhood!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My mother I&mdash;I thought of her as she would bend oyer me at night, her
+      last kiss pressed on my brow,&mdash;the healing balm of some sorrow for
+      which my sobs were still breaking,&mdash;her pale, worn cheek, her white
+      dress, her hand so bloodless and transparent, the very emblem of her
+      malady. The tears started to my eyes and rolled heavily along my cheek, my
+      chest heaved, and my heart beat till I could hear it. At this moment a
+      slight rustle stirred the leaves: I listened, for the night was calm and
+      still; not a breeze moved. Again I heard it close beside the window, on
+      the little terrace which ran along the building, and occupied the narrow
+      space beside the edge of the rock. Before I could imagine what it meant, a
+      figure in white glided from the shade of the trees and approached the
+      window. So excited was my mind, so wrought up my imagination by the
+      circumstances of my dream and the thoughts that followed, that I cried
+      out, in a voice of ecstasy, &ldquo;My mother!&rdquo; Suddenly the apparition stood
+      still, and then as rapidly retreated, and was lost to view in the dark
+      foliage. Maddened with intense excitement, I sprang from the window, and
+      leaped out on the terrace. I called aloud; I ran about wildly, unmindful
+      of the fearful precipice that yawned beside me. I searched every bush, I
+      crept beneath each tree, but nothing could I detect. The cold perspiration
+      poured down my face; my limbs trembled with a strange dread of I knew not
+      what. I felt as if madness was creeping over me, and I struggled with the
+      thought and tried to calm my troubled brain. Wearied and faint, I gave up
+      the pursuit at last, and, throwing myself on my bed, I sank exhausted into
+      the heavy slumber which only tired nature knows.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Sous-Lieutenant Burke,&rdquo; said a gruff voice, awakening me suddenly
+      from my sleep, while by the light of a lantern he held in his hand I
+      recognized the figure of an orderly sergeant in full equipment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes. What then?&rdquo; said I, in some amazement at the summons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is the order of march, sir, for the invalid detachment under your
+      command.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so? I have no orders.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are here, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, he presented me with a letter from the assistant-adjutant of
+      the corps, with instructions for the conduct of forty men, invalided from
+      different regiments, and now on their way to Lintz. The paper was
+      perfectly regular, setting forth the names of the soldiers and their
+      several corps, together with the daily marches, the halts, and distances.
+      My only surprise was how this service so suddenly devolved on me, whose
+      recovery could only have been reported a few hours before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When shall I muster the detachment, sir?&rdquo; said the sergeant, interrupting
+      me in the midst of my speculations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now,&mdash;at once. It is past five o'clock. I see Langenau is mentioned
+      as the first halting-place; we can reach it by eight.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The moment the sergeant withdrew, I arose and dressed for the road,
+      anxious to inform mademoiselle as early as possible of this sudden order
+      of march. When I entered the <i>salon</i>, I found to my surprise that the
+      breakfast table was all laid and everything ready. &ldquo;What can this mean?&rdquo;
+       said I; &ldquo;has she heard it already?&rdquo; At the same instant I caught sight of
+      the door of her chamber lying wide open. I approached, and looked in. The
+      room was empty; the various trunks and boxes, the little relics of
+      military glory I remembered to have seen with her, were all gone. Minette
+      had departed; when or whither, I knew not. I hurried through the building,
+      from room to room, without meeting any one. The door was open, and I
+      passed out into the dark street, where all was still and silent as the
+      grave. I hastened to the stable: my horse, ready equipped and saddled, was
+      feeding; but the stall beside him was empty,&mdash;the pony of the
+      vivandière was gone. While many a thought flashed on my brain as to her
+      fate, I tortured my mind to remember each circumstance of our last
+      meeting,&mdash;every word and every look; and as I called to my memory the
+      pettish anger of my manner towards her, I grew sick at heart, and hated
+      myself for my own cold ingratitude. All her little acts of kindness, her
+      tender care, her unwearying good-nature, were before me. I thought of her
+      as I had seen her often in the silence of the night, when, waking from
+      some sleep of pain, she sat beside my bed, her hand pressed on my heated
+      forehead; her low, clear voice was in my ear; her soft, mild look, beaming
+      with hope and tender pity. Poor Minette! had I then offended you? was such
+      the return I made for all your kindness?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The men are ready, sir,&rdquo; said the sergeant, entering at the moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is gone,&rdquo; said I, following out my own sad train of thought, and
+      pointing to the vacant stall where her pony used to stand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mademoiselle Minette&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, what of her&mdash;where is she?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Marched with the cuirassier brigade that passed here last night at twelve
+      o'clock. She seemed very ill, sir, and the officer made her sit on one of
+      the wagons.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Which road did they take? »
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They crossed the river, and moved away towards the forest. I think I
+      heard the troop-sergeant say something about Salzburg and the Tyrol.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I made no answer, but stood mute and stupefied; when I was again recalled
+      to thought by his asking if my baggage was ready for the wagons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a sullen apathy I pointed out my trunks in silence, and throwing one
+      last look on the room, the scene of my former suffering, and of much
+      pleasure too, I mounted my horse, and gave the word to move forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we passed from the gate, I stopped to question the sous-officier as to
+      the route of the cuirassier division. But he could only repeat what the
+      sergeant had already told me; adding, there were several men slightly
+      wounded in the squadrons, for they had been engaged twice within the week.
+      The gates closed! and we were on the highroad.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER II. LINTZ
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      As day was breaking, we came up with a strong detachment of the cavalry of
+      the Guard proceeding to join Bessiere's division at Lintz. From them we
+      learned that the main body of the army was already far in advance, several
+      entire corps having marched from Lintz with the supposed intention of
+      occupying Vienna. Ney's division, it was said, was also bearing down from
+      the Tyrol; Davoust and Mortier were advancing by the left bank of the
+      Danube; whilst Lannes and Murat, with an overwhelming force of light
+      troops, had pushed forward two days' march in advance on their way to the
+      capital. The fate of Ulm was already predicted for the Austrian city, and
+      each day's intelligence seemed to make it only the more inevitable.
+      Meanwhile the Emperor Francis had abandoned the capital, and retreated on
+      Brunn, a fortified town in Moravia, there to await the arrival of his
+      ally, Alexander, hourly expected from Berlin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As day after day we pressed forward, our numbers continued to increase. A
+      motley force, indeed, did we present: cavalry of every sort, from the
+      steel-clad cuirassier to the gay hussar, dragoons, chasseurs, guides, and
+      light cavalry, all mixed up together, and all eagerly recounting the
+      several experiences of the campaign as it fell under their eyes in
+      different quarters. From none, however, could I learn any tidings of
+      Minette; for though known to many there, the detachment she had joined had
+      taken a southerly direction, and was not crossed by any of the others on
+      their march. The General d'Auvergne, I heard, was with the headquarters of
+      the Emperor, then established at the monastery of Molk, on the Danube.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the evening of the 13th of November we arrived at Lintz, the capital of
+      Upper Austria, but at the time I speak of one vast barrack. Thirty-eight
+      thousand troops of all arms were within its walls; not subject to the
+      rigid discipline and regular command of a garrison town, but bivouacking
+      in the open streets and squares. Tables were spread in the thoroughfares,
+      at which the divisions as they arrived took their places, and after
+      refreshing themselves, moved on to make way for others. The great churches
+      were strewn with forage, and filled with the horses of the cavalry; there
+      might be seen the lumbering steeds of the cuirassier, eating their corn
+      from the richly-carved box of a confessional; here lay the travel-stained
+      figure of a dragoon, stretched asleep across the steps of the altar. The
+      little chapelries, where the foot of the penitent awoke no echo as it
+      passed, now rung with the coarse jest and reckless ribaldry of the
+      soldiers; parties caroused in the little sacristies; and the rude chorus
+      of a drinking song now vibrated through the groined roof where only the
+      sacred notes of the organ had been heard to peal. The Hôtel de Ville was
+      the quartier-général, where the generals of divisions were assembled, and
+      from which the orderlies rode forth at every moment with despatches. The
+      one cry, &ldquo;Forward!&rdquo; was heard everywhere. They who before had claimed
+      leave for slight wounds or illness, were now seen among their comrades
+      with bandaged arms and patched faces, eager to press on. Many whose
+      regiments were in advance became incorporated for the time with other
+      corps; and dismounted dragoons were often to be met with, marching with
+      the infantry and mounting guard in turn. Everything bespoke haste. The
+      regiments which arrived at night frequently moved off before day broke.
+      The cavalry often were provided with fresh horses to press forward,
+      leaving their own for the corps that were to follow. A great flotilla,
+      provided with all the necessaries for an army on the march, moved along
+      the Danube, and accompanied the troops each day. In a word, every
+      expedient was practised which could hasten the movement of the army;
+      justifying the remark so often repeated among the soldiers at the time,
+      &ldquo;Le Petit Caporal makes more use of our legs than our bayonets in this
+      campaign.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On the same evening we arrived came the news of the surprise of Vienna by
+      Murat. Never was there such joy as this announcement spread through the
+      army. The act itself was one of those daring feats which only such as he
+      could venture on, and indeed at first seemed so miraculous that many
+      refused to credit it. Prince Auersberg, to whom the great bridge of the
+      Danube was intrusted, had prepared everything for its destruction in the
+      event of attack. The whole line of woodwork was laid with combustibles;
+      trains were set, the matches burning; a strong battery of twelve guns,
+      posted to command the bridge, occupied the height on the right bank, and
+      the Austrian gunners lay, match in hand, beside their pieces: but a word
+      was needed, and the whole work was in a blaze.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was the state of matters when Sebastiani pushed through the faubourg
+      of the Leopoldstadt at the head of a strong cavalry detachment, supported
+      by some grenadiers of the Guard, and by Murat's orders, concealed his
+      force among the narrow streets which lead to the bridge from the left bank
+      of the Danube. This done, Lannes and Murat advanced carelessly along the
+      bridge, which, from the frequent passage of couriers between the two
+      headquarters, had become a species of promenade, where the officers of
+      either side met to converse on the fortunes of the campaign. Dressed
+      simply as officers of the staff, they strolled along till they came
+      actually beneath the Austrian battery; and then entered into conversation
+      with the Austrian officers, assuring them that the armistice was signed,
+      and peace already proclaimed between the two countries.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Austrians, trusting to their story, and much interested by what they
+      heard, descended from the mound, and joining them, proceeded to walk
+      backwards and forwards along the bridge, conversing on the probable
+      consequences of the treaty; when suddenly turning round by chance, as they
+      walked towards the right bank, they saw the head of a grenadier column
+      approaching at the quick step. The thought of treachery crossed their
+      minds; and one of them, rushing to the side of the bridge, called out to
+      the artillerymen to fire. A movement was seen in the battery, the matches
+      were uplifted, when Murat, dashing forward, cried aloud, &ldquo;Reserve your
+      fire; there is nothing to fear!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The same instant the Austrian officers were surrounded; the sappers
+      rushing on the bridge cleared away the combustibles, and cut off the
+      trains; and the cavalry, till now in concealment, pushing forward at a
+      gallop, crossed the bridge, followed by the grenadiers in a run,&mdash;before
+      the Austrians, who saw their own officers mingled with the French, could
+      decide on what was to be done,&mdash;while Murat, springing on his horse,
+      dashed forward at the head of the dragoons; and before five minutes
+      elapsed the battery was stormed, the gunners captured, and Vienna won.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Never was there a <i>coup de main</i> more hardy than this, whether we
+      look to the danger of the deed itself, or the insignificant force by which
+      it was accomplished. A few horsemen and some companies of foot, led on by
+      an heroic chief, thus turned the whole fortune of Europe; for, by securing
+      this bridge, Napoleon enabled himself, as circumstances might warrant, to
+      unite the different corps of his army on the right or left banks of the
+      Danube, and either direct his operations against the Russians, or the
+      Austrians under the Archduke Charles, as he pleased.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The treachery by which the bold deed was made successful, was, alas!
+      deemed no stain on the achievement. But one rule of judgment existed in
+      the Imperial army: Was the advantage on the side of France, and to the
+      honor of her arms? That covered every flaw, no matter whether inflicted by
+      duplicity or breach of faith. The habit of healing all wounds of
+      conscience by a bulletin had become so general, that men would not trust
+      to the guidance of their own reason till confirmed by some Imperial
+      proclamation; and when the Emperor declared a battle gained and glory
+      achieved, who would gainsay him? If this blind, headlong confidence tended
+      to lower the <i>morale</i> of the nation, in an equal degree did it make
+      them conquerors in the field; and thus&mdash;by a strange decree of
+      Providence, would it seem&mdash;were they preparing for themselves the
+      terrible reverse of fortune which, when the destinies of their leader
+      became clouded and their confidence in him shaken, was to fall on a people
+      who lived only in the mad intoxication of victory, and knew not the
+      sterner virtues that can combat with defeat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But so was it. Napoleon commanded the legions and described their
+      achievements; he led them to the charge and he apportioned their glory;
+      the heroism of the soldier had no existence until acknowledged by the
+      proclamation after the battle; the valor of the general wanted
+      confirmation till sealed by his approval. To fight beneath his eyes was
+      the greatest glory a regiment could wish for; to win one word from him was
+      fame itself forever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If I dwell on these thoughts here, it is because I now felt for the first
+      time the sad deception I had practised on myself; and how little could I
+      hope to realize in my soldier's life the treasured aspirations of my
+      boyhood Î Was this, then, indeed the career I had pictured to my mind,&mdash;the
+      chivalrous path of honor? Was this the bold assertion of freedom I so
+      often dreamed of? How few of that armed host knew anything of the causes
+      of the war,&mdash;how much fewer still cared for them! No sentiment of
+      patriotism, no devotion to the interests of liberty or humanity, prompted
+      us on. Yet these were the thoughts first led me to the career of arms;
+      such ambitious promptings first made my heart glow with the enthusiasm of
+      a soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This gloomy disappointment made me low-spirited and sad. Nor can I say
+      where such reflections might not have led me, when suddenly a change came
+      over my thoughts by seeing a wounded soldier, who had just arrived from
+      Mortier's division, with news of a fierce encounter they had sustained
+      against Kutusof's Russians. The poor fellow was carried past in a litter,&mdash;his
+      arm had been amputated that same morning, and a frightful shot-wound had
+      carried away part of his cheek; still, amid all his suffering, his eye was
+      brilliant, and a smile of proud meaning was on his lips.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lift it up, Guillaume; let me see it again,&rdquo; said he, as they bore him
+      along the crowded street.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it he wishes?&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;The poor fellow is asking for something.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, mon lieutenant. It is the <i>sabre d'honneur</i> the Emperor gave
+      him this morning. He likes to look at it every now and then; he says he
+      doesn't mind the pain when he sees that before him. <i>And it is natural,
+      too.</i>&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such is glory!&rdquo; said I to myself; &ldquo;and he who feels this in his heart has
+      no room for other thoughts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, give to me the trumpet's blast, And the champ of the charger
+      prancing; Or the whiz of the grape-shot flying past, That 'a music meet
+      for dancing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tralararalal&rdquo; sang a wild-looking voltigeur, as he capered along the
+      street, keeping time to his rude song with the tramp of his feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! there goes a fellow from the Faubourg!&rdquo; said an officer near me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Faubourg?&rdquo; repeated I, asking for explanation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, to be sure. The Faubourg St. Antoine supplies all the reckless
+      devils of the army; one of them would corrupt a regiment, and so, the best
+      thing to do is to keep them as much together as possible. The voltigeurs
+      have little else; and proof is, they are the cleverest corps in the
+      service, and if they could be kept from picking and stealing, lying,
+      drinking, and gambling, there's not a man might not be a general of
+      division in time. There goes another!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, a fellow passed by with a goose under his arm, followed by a
+      woman most vociferously demanding restitution; while he only amused
+      himself by replying with a mock courtesy, deploring in sad terms the
+      unhappy necessities of war and the cruel hardships of a campaign.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It's no use punishing those fellows,&rdquo; said the officer. &ldquo;They desert in
+      whole companies if you send one to the <i>salle de police</i>; and so we
+      have only one resource, which is, to throw them pretty much in advance,
+      and leave their chastisement to the enemy. And, sooth to say, they ask for
+      nothing better themselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus, even these fellows seemed to have their own sentiment of glory,&mdash;a
+      problem which the more I reasoned over the more puzzled did I become.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While a hundred conjectures were hourly in circulation, none save those
+      immediately about the person of Napoleon could possibly divine the quarter
+      where the great blow was to be struck, although all were in expectation of
+      the orders to prepare for battle. News would reach us of marchings and
+      counter-marchings; of smart skirmishes here, and prisoners taken there;
+      yet could we not form the slightest conception of where the chief force of
+      the enemy lay, nor what the direction to which our own army was pointed.
+      Indeed, our troops seemed to scatter on every side. Marmont, with a strong
+      force, was despatched towards Gratz, where it was said the Archduke
+      Charles was at the head of a considerable army; Davoust moved on Hungary,
+      and occupied Presburg; Bernadotte retraced his steps towards the Upper
+      Danube, to hold the Archduke Frederick in check, who had escaped from Ulm
+      with ten thousand men; Mortiers corps, harassed and broken by the
+      engagement with Kutusof, were barely sufficient to garrison Vienna; while
+      Soult, Lannes, and Murat pushed forward towards Moravia, with a strong
+      cavalry force and some battalions of the Guard. In fact, the whole army
+      was scattered like an exploded shell; nor could we see the means by which
+      its wide extended fragments were to be united at a moment, much less
+      divine the spot to which their combined force was to be directed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Had these Russians been fabulous creatures of a legend, instead of men of
+      mortal mould, they could scarcely have been endowed with more attributes
+      of ubiquity than we conferred on them. Sometimes we believed them at one
+      side of the Danube, sometimes at the other; now we heard of them as
+      retreating by forced marches into their native fastnesses, now as encamped
+      in the mountain regions of Moravia. Yesterday came the news that they laid
+      down their arms and surrendered as prisoners of war; to-day we heard of
+      them as having forced back our advanced posts and carried off several
+      squadrons as prisoners.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At length came the positive information that the allied armies were in
+      cantonments around Olmutz; while Napoleon had pushed forward to Brunn, a
+      place of considerable strength, communicating by the highroad with the
+      Russian headquarters. It was no longer doubtful, then, where the great
+      game was to be decided, and thither the various battalions were now
+      directed by marches day and night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the 29th of November our united detachments, now numbering several
+      hundred men, arrived at Brunn. I lost no time in repairing to
+      headquarters, where I found General d'Auvergne deeply engaged with the
+      details of the force under his command: his brigade had been placed under
+      the orders of Murat; and it was well known the prince gave little rest or
+      respite to those under his command. From him I learned that three days of
+      unsuccessful negotiation had just passed over, and that the Emperor had
+      now resolved on a great battle. Indeed, every moment was critical. Russia
+      had assumed a decidedly hostile aspect; the Swedes were moving to the
+      south; the Archduke Charles, by a circuitous route, was on the march to
+      join the Russian army, to whose aid fresh reinforcements were daily
+      arriving, and Benningsen was hourly expected with more. Under these
+      circumstances a battle was inevitable; and such a one, as, by its result,
+      must conclude the war.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This much did I learn from the old general as we rode over the field
+      together; examining with caution the nature of the ground, and where it
+      offered facilities, and where it presented obstacles, to the movement of
+      cavalry. Such were the orders issued that morning by Napoleon to the
+      generals of brigade, who might now be seen with their staffs traversing
+      the plain in every direction. As we moved along we could discover in the
+      distance the dark columns of the enemy marching, not towards us, but in a
+      southerly direction towards our extreme right. This movement attracted the
+      attention of several others, and more than one aide-de-camp was despatched
+      to Brunn to carry the intelligence to the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The same evening couriers departed in every direction to Bernadotte and
+      Davoust to hasten forward at once; even Mortier, with his mangled
+      division, was ordered to abandon Vienna to a division of Marmont's army,
+      and move on to Brunn. And now the great work of concentration began.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile the Russians advanced, and on the 30th drove in an advanced
+      post, and compelled our cavalry to fall back behind our position. The
+      following morning the allies resumed their flank movement. And now no
+      doubt could be entertained of their plan; which was, by turning our right,
+      to cut us off from our supporting columns resting at Vienna, and throw our
+      retreat back upon the mountainous districts of Bohemia. In this way five
+      massive columns moved past us scarce half a league distant from our
+      advanced posts, numbering eighty thousand men, of which fifteen were
+      cavalry in the most perfect condition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our position was in advance of the fortress of Brunn; the headquarters of
+      the Emperor occupied a rising piece of ground, at the base of which flowed
+      a small stream, a tributary to some of the numerous ponds by which the
+      field was intersected. The entire ground in our front was indeed a
+      succession of these small lakes, with villages interspersed, and
+      occasionally some stunted woods; great morasses extended around these
+      ponds, through which led the highroads or such bypaths as conducted from
+      one village to another. Here and there were plains where cavalry might act
+      with safety, but rarely in large bodies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our right rested on the lake of Moeritz, where Soult's division was
+      stationed; behind which, thrown back in such a manner as to escape the
+      observation of the enemy, was Davoust's corps, the reserve occupying a
+      cliff of ground beside the convent of Eeygern. Our left, under Lannes,
+      occupied the hill of Santon,&mdash;a wooded eminence, the last of a long
+      chain of mountains running east and west. Above, and on the crest of the
+      height, a powerful park of artillery was posted, and defended by strong
+      intrenchments. A powerful cavalry corps was placed at the bottom of the
+      mountain. Next came Bernadotte's division, separated by the highroad from
+      Brunn to Olmutz from the division under Murat, which, besides his own
+      cavalry, contained Oudinot's grenadiers and Bessière's battalions of the
+      Imperial Guard; the centre and right being formed of Soult's division, the
+      strongest of all; the reserve, consisting of several battalions of the
+      Guard and a strong force of artillery, being under the immediate orders of
+      Napoleon, to be employed wherever circumstances demanded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These were the dispositions for the coming battle, made with all the
+      precision of troops moving on parade; and such was the discipline of the
+      army at Boulogne, and so perfectly arranged the plans of the Emperor, that
+      the ground of every regiment was marked out, and each corps moved into its
+      allotted space with the regularity of some piece of mechanism.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER III. AUSTERLITZ
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The dispositions for the battle of Austerlitz occupied the entire day.
+      From sunrise Napoleon was on horse-back, visiting every position; he
+      examined each battery with the skill of an old officer of artillery; and
+      frequently dismounting from his horse, carefully noted the slightest
+      peculiarities of the ground,&mdash;remarking to his staff, with an
+      accuracy which the event showed to be prophetic, the nature of the
+      struggle, as the various circumstances of the field indicated them to his
+      practised mind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was already late when he turned his horse's head towards the bivouac
+      hut,&mdash;a rude shelter of straw,&mdash;and rode slowly through the
+      midst of that great army. The <i>ordre du jour</i>, written at his own
+      dictation, had just been distributed among the soldiers; and now around
+      every watchfire the groups were kneeling to read the spirit-stirring lines
+      by which he so well knew how to excite the enthusiasm of his followers.
+      They were told that &ldquo;the enemy were the same Russian battalions they had
+      already beaten at Hollabrunn, and on whose flying traces they had been
+      marching ever since.&rdquo; &ldquo;They will endeavor,&rdquo; said the proclamation, &ldquo;to
+      turn our right, but in doing so they must open their flank to us: need I
+      say what will be the result? Soldiers, so long as with your accustomed
+      valor you deal death and destruction in their ranks, so long shall I
+      remain beyond the reach of fire; but let the victory prove, even for a
+      moment, doubtful, your Emperor shall be in the midst of you. This day must
+      decide forever the honor of the infantry of France. Let no man leave his
+      ranks to succor the wounded,&mdash;they shall be cared for by one who
+      never forgets his soldiers,&mdash;and with this victory the campaign is
+      ended!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Never were lines better calculated to stimulate the energy and flatter the
+      pride of those to whom they were addressed. It was a novel thing in a
+      general to communicate to his army the plan of his intended battle, and
+      perhaps to any other than a French army the disclosure would not have been
+      rated as such a favor; but their warlike spirit and military intelligence
+      have ever been most remarkably united, and the men were delighted with
+      such a proof of confidence and esteem.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A dull roar, like the sound of the distant sea, swelled along the lines
+      from the far right, where the Convent of Reygern stood, and growing louder
+      by degrees, proclaimed that the Emperor was coming. It was already dark,
+      but he was quickly recognized by the troops, and with one burst of
+      enthusiasm they seized upon the straw of their bivouacs, and setting fire
+      to it, held the blazing masses above their heads, waving them wildly to
+      and fro, amid the cries of &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; For above a league along the
+      plain the red light flashed and glowed, marking out beneath it the dense
+      squares and squadrons of armed warriors. It was the anniversary of
+      Napoleon's coronation; and such was the fête by which they celebrated the
+      day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Emperor rode through the ranks uncovered. Never did a prouder smile
+      light up his features, while thronging around him the veterans of the
+      Guard struggled to catch even a passing glance at him. &ldquo;Do but look at us
+      tomorrow, and keep beyond the reach of shot,&rdquo; said a <i>grognard</i>,
+      stepping forward; &ldquo;we'll bring their cannon and their colors, and lay them
+      at thy feet.&rdquo; The marshals themselves, the hardened veterans of so many
+      fights, could not restrain their enthusiasm; and proffers of devotion unto
+      death accompanied him as he went.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last all was silent in the encampment; the soldiers slept beside their
+      watchfires, and save the tramp of a patrol or the <i>qui vive</i>? of the
+      sentinels, all was still. The night was cold and sharp; a cutting wind
+      blew across the plain, which gave way to a thick mist,&mdash;so thick, the
+      sentries could scarcely see a dozen paces off.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I sat in my little hovel of straw,&mdash;my mind far too much excited for
+      sleep,&mdash;watching the stars as they peeped out one by one, piercing
+      the gray mist, until at last the air became thin and clear, and a frosty
+      atmosphere succeeded to the weighty fog; and now I could trace out the
+      vast columns, as they lay thickly strewn along the plain. The old general,
+      wrapped in his cloak, slept soundly on his straw couch; his deep-drawn
+      breathing showed that his rest was unbroken. How slowly did the time seem
+      to creep along! I thought it must be nigh morning, and it was only a
+      little more than midnight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our position was a small rising ground about a mile in front of the left
+      centre, and communicating with the enemy's line by a narrow road between
+      the marshes. This had been defended by a battery of four guns, with a
+      stockade in front; and along it now, for a considerable distance, a chain
+      of sentinels were placed, who should communicate any movement that they
+      observed in the Russian lines, of which I was charged to convey the
+      earliest intelligence to the quartier-général. This duty alone would have
+      kept me in a state of anxiety, had not the frame of my mind already so
+      disposed me; and I could not avoid creeping out from time to time, to peer
+      through the gloom in the direction of the enemy's camp, and listen with an
+      eager ear for any sounds from that quarter. At last I heard the sound of a
+      voice at some distance off; then, a few minutes after, the hurried step of
+      feet, and a voltigeur came up, breathless with haste: &ldquo;The Russians were
+      in motion towards the right. Our advanced posts could hear the roll of
+      guns and tumbrels moving along the plain, and it was evident their columns
+      were in march.&rdquo; I knelt down and placed my ear to the ground, and almost
+      started at the distinctness with which I could hear the dull sound of the
+      large guns as they were dragged along; the earth seemed to tremble beneath
+      them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I awoke the general at once, who, resting on his arm, coolly heard my
+      report; and having directed me to hasten to headquarters with the news,
+      lay back again, and was asleep before I was in my saddle. At the top speed
+      of my horse I galloped to the rear, winding my way between the battalions,
+      till I came to a gentle rising ground, where, by the light of several
+      large fires that blazed in a circle I could see the dismounted troopers of
+      the <i>chasseurs à cheval</i>, who always formed the Imperial Bodyguard.
+      Having given the word, I was desired by the officer of the watch to
+      dismount, and following him, I passed forward to a space in the middle of
+      the circle, where, under shelter of some sheaves of straw piled over each
+      other, sat three officers, smoking beside a fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! here comes news of some sort,&rdquo; said a voice I knew at once to be
+      Murat's. &ldquo;Well, sir, what is't?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Russian columns are in motion, Monsieur le Maréchal; the artillery
+      moving rapidly towards our right.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Diantre!</i> it's not much more than midnight! Davoust, shall we awake
+      the Emperor?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; said a harsh voice, as a shrivelled, hard-featured man turned
+      round from the blaze, and showing a head covered by a coarse woollen cap,
+      looked far more like a pirate than a marshal of France; &ldquo;they 'll not
+      attack before day breaks. Go back,&rdquo; said he, addressing me; &ldquo;observe the
+      position well, and if there be any general movement towards the southward,
+      you may report it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By the time I regained my post, all was in silence once more; either the
+      Russians had arrested their march, or already their columns were out of
+      hearing,&mdash;not a gleam of light could I perceive along their entire
+      position. And now, worn out with watching, I threw myself down among the
+      straw, and slept soundly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There! there! that's the third!&rdquo; said General d'Auvergne, shaking me by
+      the shoulder; &ldquo;there again! Don't you hear the guns?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I listened, and could just distinguish the faint booming sound of far-off
+      artillery coming up from the extreme right of our position. It was still
+      but three o'clock, and although the sky was thick with stars, perfectly
+      dark in the valley. Meanwhile we could bear the galloping of cavalry quite
+      distinctly in the same direction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mount, Burke, and back to the quartier-général! But you need not; here
+      comes some of the staff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, D'Auvergne,&rdquo; cried a voice whose tones were strange to me, &ldquo;they
+      meditate a night attack, it would seem; or is it only trying the range of
+      their guns?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think the latter, Monsieur le Maréchal, for I heard no small arms; and,
+      even now, all is quiet again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe you are right,&rdquo; said he, moving slowly forward, while a number
+      of officers followed at a little distance. &ldquo;You see, D'Auvergne, how
+      correctly the Emperor judged their intentions. The brunt of the battle
+      will be about Reygern. But there! don't you hear bugles in the valley?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, the music of our tirailleurs' bugles arose from the glen in
+      front of our centre, where, in a thick beech-wood, the light infantry
+      regiments were posted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it, D'Esterre?&rdquo; said he to an officer who galloped up at the
+      moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say the Russian Guard, sir, is moving to the front; our skirmishers
+      have orders to fall back without firing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he heard this, the Marshal Bernadotte&mdash;for it was he&mdash;turned
+      his horse suddenly round, and rode back, followed by his staff. And now
+      the drums beat to quarters along the line, and the hoarse trumpets of the
+      cavalry might be heard summoning the squadrons throughout the field; while
+      between the squares, and in the intervals of the battalions, single
+      horsemen galloped past with orders. Soult's division, which extended for
+      nearly a league to our right, was the first to move, and it seemed like
+      one vast shadow creeping along the earth, as column beside column marched
+      steadily onward. Our brigade had not as yet received orders, but the men
+      were in readiness beside the horses, and only waiting for the word to
+      mount.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The suspense of the moment was fearful. All that I had ever dreamed or
+      pictured to myself of a soldier's enthusiasm was faint and weak, compared
+      to the rush of sensations I now experienced. There must be a magic power
+      of ecstasy in the approach of danger,&mdash;some secret sense of bounding
+      delight, mingled with the chances of a battle,&mdash;that renders one
+      intoxicated with excitement. Each booming gun I heard sent a wild throb
+      through me, and I panted for the word &ldquo;Forward!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Column after column moved past us, and disappeared in the dip of ground
+      beneath; and as we saw the close battalions filling the wide plain in
+      front, we sighed to think that it was destined to be the day of glory
+      peculiarly to the infantry. Wherever the nature of the field permitted
+      shelter or the woods afforded cover, our troops were sent immediately to
+      occupy. The great manoeuvre of the day was to be the piercing of the
+      enemy's centre whenever he should weaken that point by the endeavor to
+      turn our right flank.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A faint streak of gray light was marking the horizon when the single guns
+      which we had heard at intervals ceased; and then, after a short pause, a
+      long, loud roll of artillery issued from the distant right, followed by
+      the crackling din of small-arms, which increased at every moment, and now
+      swelled into an uninterrupted noise, through which the large guns pealed
+      from time to time. A red glare, obscured now and then by means of black
+      smoke, lit up the sky in that quarter, where already the battle was raging
+      fiercely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The narrow causeway between the two small lakes in our front conducted to
+      an open space of ground, about a cannon-shot from the Russian line; and
+      this we were now ordered to occupy, to be prepared to act as support to
+      the infantry of Soult's left, whenever the attack began. As we debouched
+      into the plain, I beheld a group of horsemen, who, wrapped up in their
+      cloaks, sat motionless in their saddles, calmly regarding the squadrons as
+      they issued from the wood: these were Murat and his staff, to whom was
+      committed the attack on the Russian Guard. His division consisted of the
+      hussars and chasseurs under Kellermann, the cuirassiers of D'Auvergne, and
+      the heavy dragoons of Nansouty,&mdash;making a force of eight thousand
+      sabres, supported by twenty pieces of field artillery. Again were we
+      ordered to dismount, for although the battle continued to rage on the
+      right, the whole of the centre and left were unengaged.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus stood we as the sun arose,&mdash;that &ldquo;Sun of Austerlitz!&rdquo; so often
+      appealed to and apostrophized by Napoleon as gilding the greatest of his
+      glories. The mist from the lakes shut out the prospect of the enemy's
+      lines at first; but gradually this moved away, and we could perceive the
+      dark columns of the Russians, as they moved rapidly along the side of the
+      Pratzen, and continued to pour their thousands towards Reygern.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last the roar of musketry swelled louder and nearer, and an officer
+      galloping past told us that Soult's right had been called up to support
+      Davoust's division. This did not look well; it proved the Russians had
+      pressed our lines closely, and we waited impatiently to hear further
+      intelligence. It was evident, too, that our right was suffering severely,
+      otherwise the attack on the centre would not have been delayed. Just then
+      a wild cheer to the front drew our attention thither, and we saw the heads
+      of three immense columns&mdash;Soult's division&mdash;advancing at a run
+      towards the enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Par Saint Louis</i>,&rdquo; cried General d'Auvergne, as he directed his
+      telescope on the Russian line, &ldquo;those fellows have lost their senses! See
+      if they have not moved their artillery away from the Pratzen, and weakened
+      their centre more and more! Soult sees it: mark how he presses his columns
+      on! There they go, faster and faster! But look! there's a movement yonder,&mdash;the
+      Russians perceive their mistake.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mount!&rdquo; was now heard from squadron to squadron; while dashing along the
+      line like a thunderbolt, Murat rode far in advance of his staff, the men
+      cheering him as he went.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There!&rdquo; cried D'Auvergne, as he pointed with his finger, &ldquo;that column
+      with the yellow shoulder-knots,&mdash;that's Vandamme's brigade of light
+      infantry; see how they rush on, eager to be first up with the enemy. But
+      St. Hilaire's grenadiers have got the start of them, and are already at
+      the foot of the hill. It is a race between them!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And so had it become. The two columns advanced, cheering wildly; while the
+      officers, waving their caps, led them on, and others rode along the flanks
+      urging the men forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The order now came for our squadrons to form in charging sections, leaving
+      spaces for the light artillery between. This done, we moved slowly forward
+      at a walk, the guns keeping step by step beside us. A few minutes after,
+      we lost sight of the attacking columns; but the crashing fire told us they
+      were engaged, and that already the great struggle had begun.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For above an hour we remained thus; every stir, every word loud spoken,
+      seeming to our impatience like the order to move. At last, the squadrons
+      to our right were seen to advance; and then a tremulous motion of the
+      whole line showed that the horses themselves participated in the eagerness
+      of the moment; and, at last, the word came for the cuirassiers to move up.
+      In less than a hundred yards we were halted again; and I heard an
+      aide-de-camp telling General d'Auvergne that Davoust had suffered
+      immensely on the right; that his division, although reinforced, had fallen
+      back behind Reygern, and all now depended on the attack of Soult's
+      columns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I heard no more, for now the whole line advanced in trot, and as our
+      formation showed an unbroken front, the word came,&mdash;&ldquo;Faster!&rdquo; and
+      &ldquo;Faster!&rdquo; As we emerged from the low ground we saw Soult's column already
+      half way up the ascent; they seemed like a great wedge driven into the
+      enemy's centre, which, opening as they advanced, presented two surfaces of
+      fire to their attack.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The battery yonder has opened its fire on our line,&rdquo; said D'Auvergne; &ldquo;we
+      cannot remain where we are.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forward!&mdash;charge!&rdquo; came the word from front to rear, and squadron
+      after squadron dashed madly up the ascent. The one word only, &ldquo;Charge!&rdquo;
+       kept ringing through my head; all else was drowned in the terrible din of
+      the advance. An Austrian brigade of light cavalry issued forth as we came
+      up, but soon fell back under the overwhelming pressure of our force. And
+      now we came down upon the squares of the red-brown Russian infantry.
+      Volley after volley sent back our leading squadrons, wounded and repulsed,
+      when, unlimbering with the speed of lightning, the horse artillery poured
+      in a discharge of grapeshot. The ranks wavered, and through their cleft
+      spaces of dead and dying our cuirassiers dashed in, sabring all before
+      them. In vain the infantry tried to form again: successive discharges of
+      grape, followed by cavalry attacks, broke through their firmest ranks; and
+      at last retreating, they fell back under cover of a tremendous battery of
+      field-guns, which, opening their fire, compelled us to retire into the
+      wood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nor were we long inactive. Bernadotte's division was now engaged on our
+      left, and a pressing demand came for cavalry to support them. Again we
+      mounted the hill, and came in sight of the Russian Guard, led on by the
+      Grand-Duke Constantino himself,&mdash;a splendid body of men, conspicuous
+      for their size and the splendor of their equipment. Such, however, was the
+      impetuous torrent of our attack that they were broken in an instant; and
+      notwithstanding their courage and devotion, fresh masses of our dragoons
+      kept pouring down upon them, and they were sabred, almost to a man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While we were thus engaged, the battle became general from left to right,
+      and the earth shook beneath the thundering sounds of two hundred great
+      guns. Our position, for a moment victorious, soon changed; for having
+      followed the retreating squadrons too far, the waves closed behind us, and
+      we now saw that a dense cloud of Austrian and Russian cavalry were forming
+      in our rear. An instant of hesitation would have been fatal. It was then
+      that a tall and splendidly-dressed horseman broke from the line, and with
+      a cry to &ldquo;Follow!&rdquo; rode straight at the enemy. It was Murat himself, sabre
+      in hand, who, clearing his way through the Russians, opened a path for us.
+      A few minutes after we had gained the wood; but one third of our force had
+      fallen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cavalry! cavalry!&rdquo; cried a field-officer, riding down at headlong speed,
+      his face covered with blood from a sabre-cut, &ldquo;to the front!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The order was given to advance at a gallop; and we found ourselves next
+      instant hand to hand with the Russian dragoons, who having swept along the
+      flank of Bernadotte's division, were sabring them on all sides. On we
+      went, reinforced by Nansouty and his carabineers, a body of nigh seven
+      thousand men. It was a torrent no force could stem. The tide of victory
+      was with us; and we swept along, wave after wave, the infantry advancing
+      in line for miles at either side, while whole brigades of artillery kept
+      up a murderous fire without ceasing. Entire columns of the enemy
+      surrendered as prisoners; guns were captured at each instant; and only by
+      a miracle did the Grand-Duke escape our hussars, who followed him till he
+      was lost to view in the flying ranks of the allies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we gained the crest of the hill, we were in time to see Soult's
+      victorious columns driving the enemy before them; while the Imperial
+      Guard, up to that moment unengaged, reinforced the grenadiers on the
+      right, and broke through the Russians on every side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The attempt to outflank us on the right we had perfectly retorted on the
+      left; where Lannes's division, overlapping the line, pressed them on two
+      sides, and drove them back, still fighting, into the plain, which, with a
+      lake, separated the allied armies from the village of Austerlitz. And here
+      took place the most dreadful occurrence of the day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two roads which led through the lake were soon so encumbered and
+      blocked up by ammunition wagons and carts that they became impassable; and
+      as the masses of the fugitives thickened, they spread over the lake, which
+      happened to be frozen. It was at this time that the Emperor came up, and
+      seeing the cavalry halted, and no longer in pursuit of the flying columns,
+      ordered up twelve pieces of the artillery of the Imperial Guard, which,
+      from the crest of the hill, opened a murderous fire on them. The slaughter
+      was fearful as the discharges of grape and round shot cut channels through
+      the jammed-up mass, and tore the dense columns, as it were, into
+      fragments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dreadful as the scene was, what followed far exceeded it in horror; for
+      soon the shells began to explode beneath the ice, which now, with a
+      succession of reports louder than thunder, gave way. In an instant whole
+      regiments were ingulfed, and amid the wildest cries of despair, thousands
+      sank never to appear again, while the deafening artillery mercilessly
+      played upon them, till over that broad surface no living thing was seen to
+      move, while beneath was the sepulchre of five thousand men. About seven
+      thousand reached Austerlitz by another road to the northward; but even
+      these had not escaped, save for a mistake of Bernadotte, who most
+      unaccountably, as it was said, halted his division on the heights. Had it
+      not been for this, not a soldier of the Russian right wing had been saved.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The reserve cavalry and the dragoons of the Guard were now called up from
+      the pursuit, and I saw my own regiment pass close by me, as I stood amid
+      the staff round Murat. The men were fresh and eager for the fray; yet how
+      many fell in that pursuit, even after the victory! The Russian batteries
+      continued their fire to the last. The cannoneers were cut down beside
+      their guns, and the cavalry made repeated charges on our advancing
+      squadrons; nor was it till late in the day they fell back, leaving two
+      thirds of their force dead or wounded on the field of battle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On every side now were to be seen the flying columns of the allies, hotly
+      followed by the victorious French. The guns still thundered at intervals;
+      but the loud roar of battle was subdued to the crashing din of charging
+      squadrons, and the distant cries of the vanquishers and the vanquished.
+      Around and about lay the wounded in all the fearful attitudes of
+      suffering; and as we were fully a league in advance of our original
+      position, no succor had yet arrived for the poor fellows whose courage had
+      carried them into the very squares of the enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Most of the staff&mdash;myself among the number&mdash;were despatched to
+      the rear for assistance. I remember, as I rode along at my fastest speed,
+      between the columns of infantry and the fragments of artillery which
+      covered the grounds, that a <i>peloton</i> of dragoons came thundering
+      past, while a voice shouted out &ldquo;Place! place!&rdquo; Supposing it was the
+      Emperor himself, I drew up to one side, and uncovering my head, sat in
+      patience till he had passed, when, with the speed of four horses urged to
+      their utmost, a calèche flew by, two men dressed like couriers seated on
+      the box. They made for the highroad towards Vienna, and soon disappeared
+      in the distance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What can it mean?&rdquo; said I, to an officer beside me; &ldquo;not his Majesty,
+      surely?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; replied he, smiling: &ldquo;it is General Lebrun on his way to Paris
+      with the news of the victory. The Emperor is down at Reygern yonder, where
+      he has just written the bulletin. I warrant you he follows that calèche
+      with his eye; he'd rather see a battery of guns carried off by the enemy
+      than an axle break there this moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus closed the great day of Austerlitz&mdash;a hundred cannons,
+      forty-three thousand prisoners, and thirty-two colors being the spoils of
+      this the greatest of even Napoleon's victories.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IV. THE FIELD AT MIDNIGHT.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      We passed the night on the field of battle,&mdash;a night dark and
+      starless. The heavens were, indeed, clothed with black, and a heavy
+      atmosphere, lowering and gloomy, spread like a pall over the dead and the
+      dying. Not a breath of air moved; and the groans of the wounded sighed
+      through the stillness with a melancholy cadence no words can convey. Far
+      away in the distance the moving lights marked where fatigue parties went
+      in search of their comrades. The Emperor himself did not leave the saddle
+      till nigh morning; he went, followed by an ambulance, hither and thither
+      over the plain, recalling the names of the several regiments, enumerating
+      their deeds of prowess, and even asking for many of the soldiers by name.
+      He ordered large fires to be lighted throughout the field, and where
+      medical assistance could not be procured, the officers of the staff might
+      be seen covering the wounded with greatcoats and cloaks, and rendering
+      them such aid as lay in their power.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dreadful as the picture was,&mdash;fearful reverse to the gorgeous
+      splendor of the vast army the morning sun had shone upon, and in the pride
+      of strength and spirit,&mdash;yet even here was there much to make one
+      feel that war is not bereft of its humanizing influences. How many a
+      soldier did I see that night, blackened with powder, his clothes torn and
+      ragged with shot, sitting beside a wounded comrade&mdash;now wetting his
+      lips with a cool draught, now cheering his heart with words of comfort!
+      Many, though wounded, were tending others less able to assist themselves.
+      Acts of kindness and self-devotion&mdash;not less in number than those of
+      heroism and courage&mdash;were met with at every step; while among the
+      sufferers there lived a spirit of enthusiasm that seemed to lighten the
+      worst pang of their agony. Many would cry out, as I passed, to know the
+      fate of the day, and what became of this regiment or of that battalion.
+      Others could but articulate a faint &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; which in the
+      intervals of pain they kept repeating, as though it were a charm against
+      suffering; while one question met me every instant,&mdash;&ldquo;What says the
+      Petit Caporal? Is he content with us?&rdquo; None were insensible to the
+      glorious issue of that day; nor amid all the agony of death, dealt out in
+      every shape of horror and misery, did I hear one word of anger or rebuke
+      to him for whose ambition they had shed their heart's blood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0002" id="linkimage-0002">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/050.jpg" alt="050 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0003" id="linkimage-0003">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page027.jpg" alt="Brownebivwacafterbattle027 "   width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Having secured a fresh horse, I rode forward in the direction of
+      Austerlitz, where our cavalry, met by the chevaliers of the Russian
+      Imperial Guard, sustained the greatest check and the most considerable
+      loss of the day. The old dragoon who accompanied me warned me I should
+      find few, if any, of our comrades living there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ventrebleu!</i> lieutenant, you can't expect it. The first four
+      squadrons went down like one man; for when our fellows fell wounded from
+      their horses, they always sabred or shot them as they lay.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I found this information but too correct. Lines of dead men lay beside
+      their horses, ranged as they stood in battle, while before them lay the
+      bodies of the Russian Guard, their gorgeous uniform all slashed with gold,
+      marking them out amid the dull russet costumes of their comrades. In many
+      places were they intermingled, and showed where a hand-to-hand combat had
+      been fought; and I saw two clasped rigidly in each other's grasp, who had
+      evidently been shot by others while struggling for the mastery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I told you, mon lieutenant, it was useless to come here; this was <i>à la
+      mort</i> while it lasted; and if it had continued much longer in the same
+      fashion, it's hard to say which of us had been going over the field now
+      with lanterns.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Too true, indeed! Not one wounded man did we meet with, nor did one human
+      voice break the silence around us. &ldquo;Perhaps,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;they may have
+      already carried up the wounded to the village yonder; I see a great blaze
+      of light there. Bide forward, and learn if it be so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When I had dismissed the orderly, I dismounted from my horse, and walked
+      carefully along the ridge of ground, anxious to ascertain if any poor
+      fellow still remained alive amid that dreadful heap of dead. A low
+      brushwood covered the ground in certain places; and here I perceived but
+      few of the cavalry had penetrated, while the infantry were all tirailleurs
+      of the Russian Guard, bayoneted by our advancing columns. As I approached
+      the lake the ground became more rugged and uneven; and I was about to turn
+      back, when my eye caught the faint glimmering of a light reflected in the
+      water. Picketing my horse where he stood, I advanced alone towards the
+      light, which I saw now was at the foot of a little rocky crag beside the
+      lake. As I drew near, I stopped to listen, and could distinctly hear the
+      deep tones of a man's voice, as if broken at intervals by pain, while in
+      his accents I thought I could trace a tone of indignant passion rather
+      than of bodily suffering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Leave me, leave me where I am,&rdquo; cried he, peevishly. &ldquo;I thought I might
+      have had my last few moments tranquil, when I staggered thus far.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, Comrade!&rdquo; said another, in a voice of comforting; &ldquo;come, thou
+      wert never faint-hearted before. Thou hast had thy share of bruises, and
+      cared little about them too. Art dry?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; give me another drink. Ah!&rdquo; cried he, in an excited tone, &ldquo;they
+      can't stand before the cuirassiers of the Guard. <i>Sacrebleu!</i> how
+      proud the Petit Caporal will be of this day!&rdquo; Then, dropping his voice, he
+      muttered, &ldquo;What care I who's proud? I have my billet, and must be going.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not so, <i>mon enfant</i>; thou'lt have the cross for thy day's work. He
+      knows thee well; I saw him smile to-day when thou madest the salute in
+      passing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Didst thou that?&rdquo; said the wounded man, with eagerness; &ldquo;did he smile?
+      Ah, villain! how you can allure men to shed their heart's blood by a
+      smile! He knows me! That he ought, and, if he but knew how I lay here now,
+      he 'd send the best surgeon of his staff to look after me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That he would, and that he will; courage, and cheer up.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no; I don't care for it now. I'll never go back to the regiment
+      again; I could n't do it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke the last words his voice became fainter and fainter, and at
+      last was lost in a hiccup; partly, as it seemed, from emotion, and partly
+      from bodily suffering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Qui vive?</i>&rdquo; cried his companion, as the clash of my sabre announced
+      my approach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An officer of the Eighth Hussars,&rdquo; said I, in a low voice, fearing to
+      disturb the wounded man, as he lay with his head sunk on his knees.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Too late, Comrade! too late,&rdquo; said he, in a stifled tone; &ldquo;the order of
+      route has come. I must away.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A brave cuirassier of the Guard should never say so while he has a chance
+      left to serve his Emperor in another field of battle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur! vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; shouted he, madly, as he lifted his
+      helmet and tried to wave it above his head. But the exertion brought on a
+      violent fit of coughing, which choked his utterance, while a torrent of
+      red blood gushed from his mouth, and deluged his neck and chest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>mon Dieu!</i> that cry has been his death,&rdquo; said the other,
+      wringing his hands in utter misery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is he wounded?&rdquo; said I, kneeling down beside the sick man, who now
+      lay, half on his face, upon the grass.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In the chest, through the lung,&rdquo; whispered the other. &ldquo;He doesn't know
+      the doctor saw him; it was he told me there was no hope. 'You may leave
+      him,' said he; 'an hour or two more are all that 's left him;' as if I
+      could leave a comrade we all loved. My poor fellow, it is a sad day for
+      the old Fourth when thou art taken from them!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! was he of the Fourth, then?&rdquo; said I, remembering the regiment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, <i>parbleu!</i> and though but a corporal, he was well known
+      throughout the army. Pioche&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pioche!&rdquo; cried I, in agony; &ldquo;is this Pioche?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here,&rdquo; said the wounded man, hearing the name, and answering as if on
+      parade,&mdash;&ldquo;here, mon commandant! but too faint, I 'm afraid, for duty.
+      I feel weak to-day,&rdquo; said he, as he pressed his hand upon his side, and
+      then slowly sank back against the rock, and dropped his arms at either
+      side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;we must lose no time. Let us carry him to the rear. If
+      nothing else can be done, he 'll meet with care&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hush! mon lieutenant! don't let him hear you speak of that. He stormed
+      and swore so much when the ambulance passed, and they wanted to bring him
+      along, that it brought on a coughing fit, just like what you saw, and he
+      lay in a faint for half an hour after. He vows he 'll never stir from
+      where he is. Truth is, Commandant,&rdquo; said he, in the lowest whisper, &ldquo;he is
+      determined to die. When his squadron fell back from the Russian square, he
+      rode on their bayonets, and cut at the men while the artillery was playing
+      all about him. He told me this morning he 'd never leave the field.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor fellow! what was the meaning of this sad resolution?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ma foi!</i> a mere trifle, after all,&rdquo; said the other, shrugging his
+      shoulders, and making a true French grimace of contempt. &ldquo;You 'll smile
+      when I tell you; but he takes it to heart, poor fellow. His mistress has
+      been false to him,&mdash;no great matter that, you 'd say,&mdash;but so it
+      is, and nothing more. See how still he lies now! is he sleeping?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fear not; he looks exhausted from loss of blood. Come, we must have him
+      out of this; here comes my orderly to assist us. If we carry him to the
+      road I 'll find a carriage of some sort.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I said this in a tone of command, to silence any scruples he might still
+      have about obeying his comrade in preference to the orders of an officer.
+      He obeyed with the instinct of discipline, and proceeded to fold his cloak
+      in such a manner that we could carry the wounded man between us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The poor corporal, too weak to resist us, faint from bleeding and
+      semi-stupid, suffered himself to be lifted upon the cloak, and never
+      uttered a word or a cry as we bore him along between us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We had not proceeded far when we came up with a convoy, conducting several
+      carts with the wounded to the convent of Reygern, which had now been
+      fitted up as an hospital. On one of these we secured a place for our poor
+      friend, and walked along beside him towards the convent. As we went along
+      I questioned his comrade closely on the point; and he told me that Pioche
+      had resolved never to survive the battle, and had taken leave of his
+      friends the evening before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; added he, with energy, &ldquo;mademoiselle is pretty
+      enough,&mdash;there 's no denying that; but her head is turned by flattery
+      and soft speeches. All the gay young fellows of the hussar regiment, the
+      aides-de-camp,&mdash;ay, and some of the generals, too,&mdash;have paid
+      her so much attention that it could not be expected she'd care for a poor
+      corporal. Not but that Pioche is a brave fellow and a fine soldier. <i>Sapristi!</i>
+      he 'd be no discredit to any girl's choice. But Minette&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette, the vivandière?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, to be sure, mon lieutenant; I'd warrant you must have known her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What of her? where is she?&rdquo; said I, burning with impatience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She's with the wounded, up at Reygern yonder. They sent for her to
+      Heilbrunn yesterday, where she was with the reserve battalions. <i>Ma foi!</i>
+      you don't think our fellows would do without Minette at the ambulance,
+      where there was a battle to be fought. They say they'd hard work enough to
+      make her come up. After all, she's a strange girl; that she is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How was that? Has she taken offence with the Fourth?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, that is not it; she likes the old regiment in her heart. I'd never
+      believe she didn't; but&rdquo; (here he dropped his voice to a low whisper, as
+      if dreading to be overheard by the wounded man), &ldquo;but they say&mdash;who
+      knows if it's true?&mdash;that when she was left behind at Ulm or
+      Elchingen, or somewhere up there on the Danube, that there was a young
+      fellow&mdash;I heard his name, too, but I forget it&mdash;who was brought
+      in badly wounded, and that mademoiselle was left to watch and nurse him.
+      He got well in time, for the thing was not so serious as they thought. And
+      what do you think was the return he made the poor girl? He seduced her!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It's false! false as hell!&rdquo; cried I, bursting with passion. &ldquo;Who has
+      dared to spread such a calumny?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don't be angry, mon lieutenant; there are plenty to answer for the
+      report. And if it was yourself&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; it was by <i>my</i> bedside she watched; it was to <i>me</i> she
+      gave that care and kindness by which I recovered from a dangerous wound.
+      But so far from this base requital&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why did she leave you, then, and march night and day with the chasseur
+      brigade into the Tyrol? Why did she tell her friends that she'd never see
+      the old Fourth again? Why did she fret herself into an illness&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did she do this, poor girl?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, that she did. But, mayhap, you never heard of all this. I can only
+      say, mon lieutenant, that you'd be safer in a broken square, charged by a
+      heavy squadron, than among the Fourth, after what you 've done.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I turned indignantly from him without a reply; for while my pride revolted
+      at answering an accusation from such a quarter, my mind was harassed by
+      the sad fate of poor Minette, and perplexed how to account for her sudden
+      departure. My silence at once arrested my companion's speech, and we
+      walked along the remainder of the way without a word on either side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The day was just breaking when the first wagon of the convoy entered the
+      gates of the convent. It was an enormous mass of building, originally
+      destined for the reception of about three thousand persons; for, in
+      addition to the priestly inhabitants, there were two great hospitals and
+      several schools included within the walls. This, before the battle, had
+      been tenanted by the staffs of many general officers and the corps of
+      engineers and sappers, but now was entirely devoted to the wounded of
+      either army; for Austrians and Russians were everywhere to be met with,
+      receiving equal care and attention with our own troops.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the first time I had witnessed a military hospital after a battle,
+      and the impression was too fearful to be ever forgotten by me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The great chambers and spacious rooms of the convent were soon found
+      inadequate for the numbers who arrived; and already the long corridors and
+      passages of the building were crowded with beds, between which a narrow
+      path scarcely permitted one person to pass. Here, promiscuously, without
+      regard to rank, officers in command lay side by side with the meanest
+      privates, awaiting the turn of medical aid, as no other order was observed
+      than the necessities of each case demanded. A black mark above the bed,
+      indicating that the patient's state was hopeless, proclaimed that no
+      further attention need be bestowed; while the same mark, with a white bar
+      across it, implied that it was a case for operation. In this way the
+      surgeons who arrived at each moment from different corps of the army
+      discovered, at a glance, where their services were required, and not a
+      minute's time was lost.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dreadful operations of surgery&mdash;for which, in the events of
+      every-day life, every provision of delicate secrecy, and every minute
+      detail which can alleviate dread, are so rigidly studied,&mdash;were here
+      going forward on every side; the horrible preparations moved from bed to
+      bed with a rapidity which showed that where suffering so abounded there
+      was no time for sympathy; and the surgeons, with arms bare to the shoulder
+      and bedaubed with blood, toiled away as though life no longer moved in the
+      creeping flesh beneath the knife, and human agony spoke not aloud with
+      every motion of their hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Place there! move forward!&rdquo; said an hospital surgeon, as they carried up
+      the litter on which Pioche lay stretched and senseless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What's this?&rdquo; cried a surgeon, leaning forward, and placing his hand on
+      the sick man's pulse. &ldquo;Ah! take him back again; it 's all over there!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, no!&rdquo; cried I, in agony, &ldquo;it can scarcely be; they lifted him alive
+      from the wagon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He's not dead, sir,&rdquo; replied the surgeon, in a whisper, &ldquo;but he will soon
+      be; there's internal bleeding going on from that wound, and a few hours,
+      or less perhaps must close the scene.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can nothing be done? nothing?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fear not.&rdquo; He opened the jacket of the wounded man as he spoke, and
+      slitting the inner clothes asunder with a quick stroke of his scissors,
+      disclosed a tremendous sabre-wound in the side. &ldquo;That is not the worst,&rdquo;
+       said he. &ldquo;Look here,&rdquo; pointing to a small bluish mark of a bullet hole
+      above it; &ldquo;here lies the mischief.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      An hospital aid whispered something at the instant in the surgeon's ear,
+      to which he quickly replied, &ldquo;When?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This instant, sir; the ligature slipped, and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remove him,&rdquo; was the reply. &ldquo;Now, sir, I have a bed for your poor fellow
+      here; but I have little hope to give you. His pulse is stronger, otherwise
+      the endeavor would be lost time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While they carried the litter forward, I perceived that another party were
+      lifting from a bed near a figure, over whose face the sheet was carelessly
+      thrown. I guessed from the gestures that the form they lifted was
+      lifeless; the heavy sumph of the body upon the ground showed it beyond a
+      doubt. The bearers replaced the dead man by the dying body of poor Pioche;
+      and from a vague feeling of curiosity, I stooped down and drew back the
+      sheet from the face of the corpse. As I did so, my limbs trembled, and I
+      leaned back almost fainting against the wall. Pale with the pallor of
+      death, but scarcely altered from life, I beheld the dead features of
+      Amédée Pichot, the captain whose insolence had left an unsettled quarrel
+      between us. The man for whose coming I waited to expiate an open insult,
+      now lay cold and lifeless at my feet. What a rush of sensations passed
+      through my mind as I gazed on that motionless mass! and oh, what gratitude
+      my heart gushed to think that he did not fall by <i>my</i> hand!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A brave soldier, but a quarrelsome friend,&rdquo; said the surgeon, stooping
+      down to examine the wound, with all the indifference of a man who regarded
+      life as a mere problem. &ldquo;It was a cannon-shot carried it off.&rdquo; As he said
+      this, he disclosed the mangled remains of a limb, torn from the trunk too
+      high to permit of amputation. &ldquo;Poor Amédée! it was the death he always
+      wished for. It was a strange horror he had of falling by the hand of an
+      adversary, rather than being carried off thus. And now for the
+      cuirassier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, he turned towards the bed on which Pioche lav, still as death
+      itself. A few minutes' careful investigation of the case enabled him to
+      pronounce that although the chances were many against recovery, yet it was
+      not altogether hopeless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All will depend on the care of whoever watches him,&rdquo; said the surgeon.
+      &ldquo;Symptoms will arise, requiring prompt attention and a change in
+      treatment; and this is one of those cases where a nurse is worth a hundred
+      doctors. Who takes charge of this bed?&rdquo; he called aloud.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette, Monsieur,&rdquo; said a sergeant. &ldquo;She has lain down to take a little
+      rest, for she was quite worn out with fatigue.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Me voici!&rdquo; said a silvery voice I knew at once to be hers. And the same
+      instant she pierced the crowd around the bed, and approached the patient.
+      No sooner had she beheld the features of the sick man than she reeled
+      back, and grasped the arms of the persons on either side. For a few
+      seconds she stood, with her hands pressed upon her face, and when she
+      withdrew them, her features were almost ghastly in their hue, while, with
+      a great effort over her emotion, she said, in a low voice, &ldquo;Can he
+      recover?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Minette!&rdquo; replied the surgeon, &ldquo;and will, if care avail anything.
+      Just hear me for a moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With that he drew her to one side, and commenced to explain the treatment
+      he proposed to adopt. As he spoke, her cloak, which up to this instant she
+      wore, dropped from her shoulders, and she stood there in the dress of the
+      vivandière: a short frock coat, of light blue, with a thin gold braid upon
+      the collar and the sleeve; loose trousers of white jean, strapped beneath
+      her boots; a silk sash of scarlet and gold entwined was fastened round her
+      waist, and fell in a long fringe at her side; while a cap of blue cloth,
+      with a gold band and tassel, hung by a hook at her girdle. Simple as was
+      the dress, it displayed to perfection the symmetry of her figure and her
+      carriage, and suited the character of her air and gesture, which, abrupt
+      and impatient at times, was almost boyish in the wayward freedom of her
+      action.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The surgeon soon finished his directions, the crowd separated, and Minette
+      alone remained by the sick man's bed. For some minutes her cares did not
+      permit her to look up; but when she did, a slight cry broke from her, and
+      she sank down upon the seat at the bedside.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette, dear Minette, you are not angry with me?&rdquo; said I, in a low and
+      trembling tone. &ldquo;I have not done aught to displease you,&mdash;have I so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She answered not a word, but a blush of the deepest scarlet suffused her
+      face and temples, and her bosom heaved almost convulsively.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To you I owe my life,&rdquo; continued I, with earnestness; &ldquo;nay more, I owe
+      the kindness which made of a sick-bed a place of pleasant thoughts and
+      happy memories. Can I, then, have offended you, while my whole heart was
+      bursting with gratitude?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A paleness, more striking than the blush that preceded it, now stole over
+      her features, but she uttered not a word. Her eyes turned from me and fell
+      upon her own figure, and I saw the tears till up and roll slowly along her
+      cheeks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why did you leave me, Minette?&rdquo; said I, wound up by her obstinate silence
+      beyond further endurance. &ldquo;Did the few words of impatience&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, no!&rdquo; broke she in, &ldquo;not that! not that!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What then? Tell me, for Heaven's sake, how have I earned your
+      displeasure? Believe me, I have met with too little kindness in my way
+      through life, not to feel poignantly the loss of a friend. What was it, I
+      beseech you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, do not ask me!&rdquo; cried she, with streaming eyes; &ldquo;do not, I beg of
+      you. Enough that you know&mdash;and this I swear to you,&mdash;that no
+      fault of yours was in question. You were always good and always kind to
+      me,&mdash;too kind, too good,&mdash;but not even your teaching could alter
+      the waywardness of my nature. Speak of this no more, I ask you, as the
+      greatest favor you can bestow on me. See here,&rdquo; cried she, while her lips
+      trembled with emotion; &ldquo;I have need of all my courage to be of use to him;
+      and you will not, I am sure, render me unequal to my task.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But we are friends, Minette; friends as before,&rdquo; said I, taking her hand,
+      and pressing it within mine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, friends!&rdquo; muttered she, in a broken voice, while she turned her head
+      from me. &ldquo;Adieu! Monsieur, adieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adieu, then, since you wish it so, Minette! But whatever your secret
+      reason for this change towards me, you never can alter the deep-rooted
+      feeling of my heart, which makes me know myself your friend forever.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The more I thought of Minette's conduct, the more puzzled I was. No
+      jealousy on the part of Pioche could explain her abrupt departure from
+      Elchingen, and her resolve never to rejoin the Fourth. She was, indeed, a
+      strange girl, wayward and self-willed; but her impulses all had their
+      source in high feelings of honor and exalted pride. It might have been
+      that some chance expression had given her offence; yet she denied this.
+      But still, her former frankness was gone, and a sense of coldness, if not
+      distrust, had usurped its place. I could make nothing of it. One thing
+      alone did I feel convinced of,&mdash;she did not love Pioche. Poor fellow!
+      with all the fine traits of his honest nature, the manly simplicity and
+      openness of his character, he had not those arts of pleasing which win
+      their way with a woman's mind. Besides that, Minette, from habit and tone
+      of voice, had imbibed feelings and ideas of a very different class in
+      society, and with a feminine tact, had contrived to form acquaintance
+      with, and a relish for, the tastes and pleasures of the cultivated World.
+      The total subversion of all social order effected by the Revolution had
+      opened the path of ambition in life equally to women as to men; and all
+      the endeavors of the Consulate and the Empire had not sobered down the
+      minds of France to their former condition. The sergeant to-day saw no
+      reason why he might not wear his epaulettes to-morrow, and in time
+      exchange his shako even for a crown; and so the vivandière, whose life was
+      passed in the intoxicating atmosphere of glory, might well dream of
+      greatness which should be hers hereafter, and of the time when, as the
+      wife of a marshal or a peer of France, she would walk the <i>salons</i> of
+      the Tuileries as proudly as the daughter of a Rohan or a Tavanne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was, then, nothing vain or presumptuous in the boldest flight of
+      ambition. However glittering the goal, it was beyond the reach of none;
+      and the hopes which, in better-ordered communities, had been deemed
+      absurd, seemed here but fair and reasonable. And from this element alone
+      proceeded some of the greatest actions, and by far the greatest portion of
+      the unhappiness, of the period. The mind of the nation was unfixed; men
+      had not as yet resolved themselves into those grades and classes, by the
+      means of which public opinion is brought to bear upon individuals from
+      those of his own condition. Each was a law unto himself, suggesting his
+      own means of advancement and estimating his own powers of success; and the
+      result was, a general scramble for rank, dignity, and honors, the
+      unfitness of the possessor for which, when attained, brought neither
+      contempt nor derision. The epaulette was noblesse; the shako, a coronet.
+      What wonder, then, if she, whose personal attractions were so great, and
+      whose manners and tone of thought were so much above her condition, had
+      felt the stirrings of that ambition within her heart which now appeared to
+      be the moving spirit of the nation!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Lost in such thoughts, I turned homewards towards my quarters, and was
+      already some distance from the convent when a dragoon galloped up to my
+      side, and asked eagerly if I were the surgeon of the Sixth Grenadiers. As
+      I replied in the negative, he muttered something between his teeth, and
+      added louder, &ldquo;The poor general; it will be too late after all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, and before I could question him further, he set spurs to his
+      horse, and dashing onwards, soon disappeared in the darkness of the night.
+      A few minutes afterwards I beheld a number of lanterns straight before me
+      on the narrow road, and as I came nearer, a sentinel called out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Halt there! stand!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I gave my name and rank, when the man, advancing towards me, said in a
+      half whisper,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is our general, sir; they say he cannot be brought any farther, and
+      they must perform the operation here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier's voice trembled at every word, and he could scarcely falter
+      out, in reply to my question, the name of the wounded officer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General St. Hilaire, sir, who led the grenadiers on the Pratzen,&rdquo; said
+      the poor fellow, his sorrow struggling with his pride.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I pressed forward; and there on a litter lay the figure of a large and
+      singularly fine-looking man. His coat, which was covered with orders, lay
+      open, and discovered a shirt stained and clotted with blood; but his most
+      dangerous wound was from a grapeshot in the thigh, which shattered the
+      bone, and necessitated amputation. A young staff surgeon, the only medical
+      man present, was kneeling at his side, and occupied in compressing some
+      wounded vessels to arrest the bleeding, which, at the slightest stir of
+      the patient, broke out anew. The remainder of the group were grenadiers of
+      his own regiment, in whose sad and sorrow-struck faces one might read the
+      affection his men invariably bore him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is he coming? can you hear any one coming?&rdquo; said the young surgeon, in an
+      anxious whisper to the soldier beside him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir; but he cannot be far off now,&rdquo; replied the man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall I ride back to Reygern for assistance?&rdquo; said I, in a low voice, to
+      the surgeon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thank you, sir,&rdquo; said the wounded man, in a low, calm tone,&mdash;for
+      with the quick ear of suffering he had overheard my question,&mdash;&ldquo;I
+      thank you, but my orderly has already been sent thither. If you could
+      relieve my young friend here from his fatiguing duty for a little, you
+      would render us both a service. I am truly grieved to see him so much
+      exhausted.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, sir!&rdquo; stammered the youth, as the tears ran fast down his cheeks;
+      &ldquo;this is my place. I will not leave it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Kind fellow!&rdquo; muttered the general, as he pressed his hand gently on the
+      young man's arm; &ldquo;I can bear this better than you can.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, here he comes now,&rdquo; said the sentinel; and the same moment a man
+      dismounted from his horse, and came forward towards us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was Louis, the surgeon of the Emperor himself, despatched by Napoleon
+      the moment he heard of the event. At any other moment, perhaps, the abrupt
+      demeanor of this celebrated surgeon would have savored little of delicacy
+      or feeling; nor even then could I forgive the sudden announcement in which
+      he conveyed to the sufferer that immediate amputation must be performed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No chance left but this, Louis?&rdquo; said the general.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;None, sir,&rdquo; replied the doctor, while he unlocked an instrument case, and
+      busied himself in preparation for the operation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can you defer it a little; an hour or two, I mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An hour, perhaps; not more, certainly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But am I certain of your services then, Louis?&rdquo; said the general, trying
+      to smile. &ldquo;You know I always promised myself your aid when this hour
+      came.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall return in an hour,&rdquo; replied the doctor, pulling out his watch; &ldquo;I
+      am going to Rapp's quarters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor Rapp! is he wounded?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A mere sabre-cut; but Sebastiani has suffered more severely. Now then,
+      Lanusse,&rdquo; said he, addressing the young surgeon, &ldquo;you remain here.
+      Continue as you are doing, and in an hour&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In an hour,&rdquo; echoed the wounded man, with a shudder, as though the
+      anticipation of the dreadful event had thrilled through his very heart.
+      Nor was it till the retiring sounds of the surgeon's horse had died away
+      in the distance that his features recovered their former calm and tranquil
+      expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A prompt fellow is Louis,&rdquo; said he, after a pause; &ldquo;and though one might
+      like somewhat more courtesy in the Faubourg, yet on the field of battle it
+      is all for the best; this is no place nor time for compliments.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The young man answered not a word, either not daring to criticise too
+      harshly his superior, or perhaps his emotion at the moment was too strong
+      for utterance. In reply to my offer to remain with him, however, he
+      thanked me heartily, and seemed gratified that he was not to be left alone
+      in such a trying emergency.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; said St. Hilaire, after a pause, &ldquo;I have asked for time, and am
+      already forgetting how to employ it. Who can write here? Can you,
+      Guilbert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, no, sir!&rdquo; said a dark grenadier, blushing to the very eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you will permit a stranger, sir,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;I will be but too proud and
+      too happy to render you any assistance in my power. I am on the staff of
+      General d'Auvergne, and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A French officer, sir,&rdquo; interrupted he; &ldquo;quite enough. I ask for no other
+      guerdon of your honor. Sit down here, then, and&mdash;But first try if you
+      can discover a pocket-book in my sabretache; I hope it has not been lost.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here it is, General,&rdquo; said a soldier, coming forward with it; &ldquo;I found it
+      on the ground beside you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, I will ask you to write down from my dictation a few lines,
+      which, should this affair,&rdquo;&mdash;he faltered slightly here,&mdash;&ldquo;this
+      affair prove unfortunate, you will undertake to convey, by some means or
+      other, to the address I shall give you in Paris. It is not a will, I
+      assure you,&rdquo; continued he with a faint smile. &ldquo;I have no wealth to leave;
+      but I know his Majesty too well to fear anything on that score. But my
+      children, I wish to give some few directions&mdash;&rdquo; Here he stopped for
+      several minutes, and then, in a calm voice, added, &ldquo;Whenever you are
+      ready.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was with a suffering spirit and a faltering hand I wrote down, from his
+      dictation, some short sentences addressed to each member of his family. Of
+      these it is not my intention to speak, save in one instance, where St.
+      Hilaire himself evinced a wish that his sentiments should not be a matter
+      of secrecy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I desire,&rdquo; said he, in a firm tone of voice, as he turned round and
+      addressed the soldiers on either side of him,&mdash;&ldquo;I desire that my son,
+      now at the Polytechnique, should serve the Emperor better than, and as
+      faithfully as, his father has done, if his Majesty will graciously permit
+      him to do so, in the grenadier battalion, which I have long commanded; it
+      will be the greatest favor I can ask of him.&rdquo; A low murmur of grief, no
+      longer repressible, ran through the little group around the litter. &ldquo;The
+      grenadiers of the Sixth,&rdquo; continued he, proudly, while for an instant his
+      pale features flushed up, &ldquo;will not love him the less for the name he
+      bears. Come, come, men! do not give way thus; what will my kind young
+      friend here say of us, when he joins the hussar brigade? This is not their
+      ordinary mood, believe me,&rdquo; said he, addressing me. &ldquo;The Russian Guard
+      would give a very different account of them; they are stouter fellows at
+      the <i>pas dé charge</i> than around the litter of a wounded comrade.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While he was yet speaking, Louis returned, followed by two officers, one
+      of whom, notwithstanding his efforts at concealment, I recognized to be
+      Marshal Murat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must remove him, if it be possible,&rdquo; said the surgeon, in a whisper.
+      &ldquo;And yet the slightest motion is to be dreaded.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May I speak to him?&rdquo; said Murat, in a low voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, that you may,&rdquo; replied Louis, who now pushed his way forward and
+      approached the litter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, so soon!&rdquo; said the wounded man, looking up; &ldquo;a man of your word,
+      Louis. And how is Rapp? Nothing in this fashion, I hope,&rdquo; added he,
+      pointing to his fractured limb with a sickly smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; replied the surgeon. &ldquo;But here is Marshal Murat come to inquire
+      after you, from the Emperor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A flush of pride lit up St. Hilaire's features as he heard this, and he
+      asked eagerly, &ldquo;Where, where?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must remove you, St. Hilaire,&rdquo; said Murat, endeavoring to speak
+      calmly, when it was evident his feelings were highly excited; &ldquo;Louis says
+      you must not remain here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you like, Marshal. What says his Majesty? Is the affair as decisive as
+      he looked for?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Far more so. The allied army is destroyed; the campaign is ended.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, then, this is not so bad as I deemed it,&rdquo; rejoined St. Hilaire,
+      with a tone of almost gayety; &ldquo;I can afford to be invalided if the Emperor
+      has no further occasion for me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While these few words were interchanging, Louis had applied a tourniquet
+      around the wounded limb, and having given the soldiers directions how they
+      were to step, so as not to disturb or displace the shattered bones, he
+      took his place beside the litter, and said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are ready now, General.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      They lifted the litter as he spoke, and moved slowly forward. Murat
+      pressed the hand St. Hilaire extended to him without a word; and then,
+      turning his head away, suffered the party to pass on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before we reached Beygern, the wounded general had fallen into a heavy
+      sleep, from which he did not awake as they laid him on the bed in the
+      hospital.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-night, sir,&mdash;or rather, good-morning,&rdquo; said Louis to me, as I
+      turned to leave the spot. &ldquo;We may chance to have better news for you than
+      we anticipated, when you visit us here again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And so we parted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER V. A MAÎTRE D'ARMES.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The day after the battle of Austerlitz the Prince of Lichtenstein arrived
+      in our camp, with, as it was rumored, proposals for a peace. The
+      negotiations, whatever they were, were strictly secret, not even the
+      marshals themselves being admitted to Napoleon's confidence on this
+      occasion. Soon after mid-day, a great body of the Guard who had been in
+      reserve the previous day were drawn up in order of battle, presenting an
+      array of several thousand men, whose dress, look, and equipment, fresh as
+      if on parade before the Tuileries, could not fail to strike the Austrian
+      envoy with amazement. Everything that could indicate the appearance of
+      suffering, or even fatigue, among the troops, was sedulously kept out of
+      view. Such of the cavalry regiments as suffered least in the battle were
+      under arms; while the generals of division received orders to have their
+      respective staffs fully equipped and mounted, as if on a day of review.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was late in the afternoon when the word was passed along the lines to
+      stand to arms; and the moment after a <i>calèche</i>, drawn by six horses,
+      passed in full gallop, and took the road towards Austerlitz. The return of
+      the Austrian envoy set a thousand conjectures in motion, and all were
+      eager to find out what had been the result of his mission.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must soon learn it all,&rdquo; said an old colonel of artillery near me. &ldquo;If
+      the game be war, we shall be called up to assist Davoust's movement on
+      Göding. The Russians have but one line of retreat, and that is already in
+      our possession.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot for the life of me understand the Emperor's inaction,&rdquo; said a
+      younger officer; &ldquo;here we remain just as if nothing had been done. One
+      would suppose that a Russian army stood in full force before us, and that
+      we had not gained a tremendous battle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Depend on it, Auguste,&rdquo; said the old officer, smiling, &ldquo;his Majesty is
+      not the man to let slip his golden opportunities. If we don't advance, it
+      is because it is safer to remain where we are.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Safer than pursue a flying enemy?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Even so. It is not Russia, nor Austria, we have in the field against us;
+      but Europe,&mdash;the world.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With all my heart,&rdquo; retorted the other, boldly; &ldquo;nor do I think the odds
+      unfair. All I would ask is, the General Bonaparte of Cairo or Marengo, and
+      not the purple-clad Emperor of the Tuileries.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not while the plain is yet reeking with the blood of Austerlitz
+      that such a reproach should be spoken,&rdquo; said I, indignantly. &ldquo;Never was
+      Bonaparte greater than Napoleon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur has served in Egypt?&rdquo; said the young man, contemptuously, while
+      he measured me from head to foot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Would that I had! Would that I could give whatever years I may have
+      before me, for those whose every day shall live in history!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, young man,&rdquo; said the old colonel; &ldquo;they were glorious
+      times, and a worthy prelude to the greatness that followed them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A bright promise of the future,&mdash;never to come,&rdquo; rejoined the
+      younger, with a flash of anger on his cheek.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu</i>, sir, you speak boldly!&rdquo; said a harsh, low voice from
+      behind. We turned: it was Napoleon, dressed in a gray coat, all covered
+      with fur, and looking like one of the couriers of the army. &ldquo;I did not
+      know my measures were so freely canvassed as I find them. Who are you,
+      sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Legrange, Sire, chef d'escadron of the Second Voltigeurs,&rdquo; said the young
+      man, trembling from head to foot while he uncovered his head, and stood,
+      cap in hand, before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since when, sir, have I called you into my counsels and asked your
+      advice? or what is it in your position which entitles you to question one
+      in mine? Duroc, come here. Your sword, sir!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The young man let fall his shako from his hand, and laid it on his
+      sword-hilt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah!&rdquo; cried the Emperor, suddenly; &ldquo;what became of your right arm?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I left it at Aboukir, Sire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Napoleon muttered something between his teeth; then added, aloud,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, sir, you are not the first whose hand has saved his head. Return to
+      your duty, and, mark me! be satisfied with doing yours, and leave me to
+      mine. And you, sir,&rdquo; said he, turning towards me, and using the same harsh
+      tone of voice, &ldquo;I should know your face.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lieutenant Burke, of the Eighth Hussars.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! I remember,&mdash;the Chouanist. So, sir, it seems that I stand
+      somewhat higher in your esteem than when you kept company with Messieurs
+      Georges and Pichegru, eh?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, Sire; your Majesty ever occupied the first place in my admiration and
+      devotion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Sacristi!</i> then you took a strange way to show it when first I had
+      the pleasure of your acquaintance. You are on General St. Hilaire's
+      staff?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General d'Auvergne's, Sire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True. D'Auvergne, a word with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He turned and whispered something to the old general, who during the whole
+      colloquy stood at his back, anxious but not daring to interpose a word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well,&rdquo; said Napoleon, in a voice of much kinder accent, &ldquo;I am
+      satisfied. Your general, sir, reports favorably of your zeal and capacity.
+      I do not desire to let your former conduct prove any bar to your
+      advancement; and on his recommendation, of which I trust you may prove
+      yourself worthy, I name you to a troop in your own regiment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And still to serve on my staff?&rdquo; said the general, half questioning the
+      Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you wish it, D'Auvergne.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With that he moved forward ere I could do more than express my gratitude
+      by a respectful bow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I told you, Burke, the time would come for this,&rdquo; said D'Auvergne, as he
+      pressed my hand warmly, and followed the cortege of the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hitherto I had lived an almost isolated life. My staff duties had so
+      separated me from my brother officers that I only knew them by name; while
+      the other aides-de-camp of the general were men much older than myself,
+      and with none of them had I formed any intimacy whatever. It was not
+      without a sense of this loneliness that I now thought over my promotion.
+      The absence of those who sympathize with our moments of joy and sorrow
+      reduces our enjoyment to a narrow limit indeed. The only one of all I knew
+      who would really have felt happy in my advancement was poor Pioche. He was
+      beyond every thought of pleasure or grief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus reflecting, I turned towards my quarters at Brunn. It was evening:
+      the watchfires were lighted, and round them sat groups of soldiers at
+      their supper, chatting away pleasantly, and recounting the events of the
+      battle. Many had been slightly wounded, and by their bandaged foreheads
+      and disabled arms claimed a marked pre-eminence above the rest. A straw
+      bivouac, with its great blazing fire in front, would denote some officer's
+      quarters; and here were generally some eight or ten assembled, while the
+      savory odor of some smoking dish, and the merry laughter, proclaimed that
+      feasting was not excluded from the life of a campaign.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I passed one of these I heard the tones of a voice which, well known,
+      had somehow not been heard by me for many a day before. Who could it be? I
+      listened, but in vain. I asked myself whose was it. I dismounted, and
+      leading my horse by the bridle, passed before the hut. The strong light of
+      the blazing wood lit up the interior, and showed me a party of about a
+      dozen officers, seated and lying on a heap of straw, occupied in
+      discussing a supper, which, however wanting in all the elegancies of table
+      equipment, even where I stood had a most appetizing odor. Various drinking
+      vessels, some of them silver, passed from hand to hand rapidly; and the
+      clinking of cups proclaimed that, although of different regiments,&mdash;as
+      I saw they were,&mdash;a kindly feeling united them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, François,&rdquo; said the same voice, whose accents were so familiar to
+      me without my being able to say why,&mdash;&ldquo;well, Francois, you have not
+      told us how it happened.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Easily enough,&rdquo; said another; &ldquo;he broke my blade in his back, and gave
+      point afterwards and ran me through the chest.&rdquo; It was the maître d'armes
+      of the Fourth, my old antagonist, who said this, and I drew near to hear
+      the remainder. &ldquo;You could not call the thing unfair,&rdquo; continued he; &ldquo;but,
+      after all, no one ever heard of such a <i>passe</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I could have told you of it, though,&rdquo; rejoined the other; &ldquo;for I remember
+      once, in the fencing school at the Polytechnique, I saw him catch his
+      antagonist's blade in his sleeve, and when he had it secure, snap it
+      across, and then thrust home with his own. <i>Parbleu!</i> he lost a coat
+      by it; and I believe, at the time, poor fellow, he could ill spare it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This story, which was told of myself, was an incident which occurred in a
+      school duel, and was only known to two or three others; and again was I
+      puzzled to think which of my former companions the speaker could be. My
+      curiosity was now stronger than aught else; and so, affecting to seek a
+      light for my cigar, I approached the blaze.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Halloo, Comrade! a cup of wine with you,&rdquo; cried out a voice from within;
+      &ldquo;Melniker is no bad drinking&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When Chambertin can't be had,&rdquo; said another, handing me a goblet of red
+      wine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Par Saint Denis!</i> it's the very man himself,&rdquo; shouted a third.
+      &ldquo;Why, Burke, my old comrade, do you forget Tascher?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; said I, in amazement, turning from one to the other of the
+      mustached faces, and unable to discover my former friend, while they
+      laughed loud and long at my embarrassment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Make way for him there; make way, lads! Come, Burke, here's your place,&rdquo;
+       said he, stretching out his hand and pressing me down beside him on the
+      straw. &ldquo;So you did not remember me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In truth, there was enough of change in his appearance since last I saw
+      him to warrant my forgetfulness. A dark, bushy beard, worn cuirassier
+      fashion, around the mouth and high on the cheeks, almost concealed his
+      face, while in figure he had grown both taller and stouter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Art colonel of the Eighth Regiment?&rdquo; said he, laughing; &ldquo;you know I
+      promised you were to be, when we were to meet again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; but, if I mistake not,&rdquo; said a hussar officer opposite, &ldquo;monsieur is
+      in the way to become so. Were you not named to a troop, about half an hour
+      ago, by the Emperor himself?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes!&rdquo; said I, with an effort to suppress my pride.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Diantre bleu!</i>&rdquo; exclaimed Tascher, &ldquo;what good fortune you always
+      have I I wish you joy of it, with all my heart. I say, Comrades, let us
+      drown his commission for him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agreed! agreed!&rdquo; cried they all in a breath. &ldquo;Francois will make us a
+      bowl of punch for the occasion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Most willingly,&rdquo; said the little maître d'armes. &ldquo;Monsieur le Capitaine,
+      I am sure, bears me no ill-will for our little affair. I thought not,&rdquo;
+       added he, seizing my hand in both his. &ldquo;<i>Ma foi!</i> you spoiled my
+      tierce for me; I shall never be the same man again. Now, gentlemen, pass
+      down the brandy, and let the man with most credit go seek for sugar at the
+      canteen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While François commenced his operations, Tascher proceeded to recount to
+      me the miserable life he had spent in garrison towns, till the outbreak of
+      the campaign had called him on active service.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was no use that I asked the Empress to intercede for me, and get me
+      appointed to another regiment; being the nephew of Napoleon seemed to set
+      a complete bar to my advancement. Even now,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;my name has been
+      sent forward by my colonel for promotion, and I wager you fifty Naps I
+      shall be passed over.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what if you be?&rdquo; said a huge, heavy-browed major beside him; &ldquo;what
+      great hardship is it to be a lieutenant in the cuirassiers at two and
+      twenty? I was a sergeant ten years later.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; cried another, &ldquo;I won my epaulettes at Cairo, when
+      three officers were reported living, in a whole regiment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure,&rdquo; said François, looking up from his operation of
+      lemon-squeezing; &ldquo;here am I, a maître d'armes, after twenty-six years'
+      service; and there's Davoust, who never could stand before me, he's a
+      general of brigade.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The whole party laughed aloud at the grievances of Maître Francois, whose
+      seriousness on the subject was perfectly real.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah; you may laugh,&rdquo; said he, half in pique; &ldquo;but what a mere accident can
+      determine a man's fortune in life! Would Junot there be a major-general
+      to-day if he did not measure six feet without his boots? We were at school
+      together, and, <i>ma foi!</i> he was always at the bottom of the class.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so, Francois, it was your size, then, that stopped your promotion?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course it was. When a man is but five feet&mdash;with high heels, too&mdash;he
+      can only be advanced as a maître d'armes. <i>Parbleu!</i> what should I be
+      now if I had only grown a little taller?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is all better as it is,&rdquo; growled out an old captain, between the puffs
+      of his meerschaum. &ldquo;If thou wert an inch bigger, there would be' no living
+      in the same brigade with thee.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For all that,&rdquo; rejoined Maître François, &ldquo;I have put many a pretty fellow
+      his full length on the grass.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How many duels, François, did you tell us, the other evening, that you
+      fought in the Twenty-second?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Seventy-eight!&rdquo; said the little man; &ldquo;not to speak of two affairs which,
+      I am ashamed to confess, were with the broadsword; but they were fellows
+      from Alsace, and they knew no better.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Tonnerre de ciel!</i>&rdquo; cried the major, &ldquo;a little devil like that is a
+      perfect plague in a regiment. I remember we had a fellow called Piccotin&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! Piccotin; poor Piccotin! We were foster-brothers,&rdquo; interrupted
+      Francois; &ldquo;we were both from Châlons-sur-Marne.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Egad! I 'd have sworn you were,&rdquo; rejoined the major. &ldquo;One might have
+      thought ye were twins.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;People often said so,&rdquo; responded François, with as much composure as
+      though a compliment had been intended. &ldquo;We both had the same colored hair
+      and eyes, the same military air, and gave the <i>passe en tierce</i>
+      always outside the guard exactly in the same way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What became of Piccotin?&rdquo; asked the major. &ldquo;He left us at Lyons.&rdquo; &ldquo;You
+      never heard, then, what became of him?&rdquo; &ldquo;No. We knew he joined the <i>chasseurs
+      à pied</i>.&rdquo; &ldquo;I can tell you, then,&rdquo; said Francois; &ldquo;no one knows better.
+      I parted from Piccotin when we were ordered to Egypt. We did our best to
+      obtain service in the same brigade, for we were like brothers, but we
+      could not manage it; and so, with sad hearts, we separated,&mdash;he to
+      return to France, I to sail for Alexandria. This was in the spring of
+      1798, or, as we called it, the year Six of the Republic. For three years
+      we never met; but when the eighth demi-brigade returned from Egypt, we
+      went into garrison at Bayonne, and the first man I saw on the ramparts was
+      Piccotin himself. There was no mistaking him; you know the way he had of
+      walking with a long stride, rising on his instep at every step, squaring
+      his elbows, and turning his head from side to side, just to see if any one
+      was pleased to smile, or even so much as to look closely at him. Ah, <i>ma
+      foi!</i> little Piccotin knew how to treat such as well as any one.
+      Methinks I see him approaching his man with a slide and a bow, and then,
+      taking off his cap, I hear him say, in his mildest tone, 'Monsieur
+      assuredly did not intend that stare and that grimace for me. I know I must
+      have deceived myself. Monsieur is only a fool; he never meant to be
+      impertinent.' Then, <i>parbleu!</i> what a storm would come on, and how
+      cool was Piccotin the whole time! How scrupulously timid he would be of
+      misspelling the gentleman's name, or misplacing an accent over it! How
+      delicately he would inquire his address, as if the curiosity was only
+      pardonable I And then with what courtesy he would take his leave, retiring
+      half a dozen paces before he ventured to turn his back on the man he was
+      determined to kill next morning!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite true; perfectly true, Francois,&rdquo; said the major; &ldquo;Piccotin did the
+      thing with the most admirable temper and good-breeding.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That was the tone of Chalons when we were both boys,&rdquo; said François,
+      proudly; &ldquo;he and I were reared together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He finished a bumper of wine as he made this satisfactory explanation, and
+      looked round at the company with the air of a conqueror.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Piccotin saw me as quickly as I perceived him, and the minute after we
+      were in each other's arms. 'Ah! <i>mon cher!</i> how many?' said he to me,
+      as soon as the first burst of enthusiasm had subsided.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Only eighteen,' said I, sadly; 'but two were Mamelukes of the Guard.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Thou wert ever fortunate, François,' he replied, wiping his eyes with
+      emotion; 'I have never pinked any but Christians.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Come, come,' said I, 'don't be down-hearted; good times are coming. They
+      say Le Petit Caporal will have us in England soon.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Mayhap,' said he, sorrowfully, for he could not get over my Turks. Well,
+      in order to cheer him up a little, I proposed that we should go and sup
+      together at the 'Grenadier Rouge;' and away we went accordingly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would amuse you, perhaps,&rdquo; said Maître François, &ldquo;were I to tell some
+      of the stories we related to each other at night. We both had had our
+      share of adventure since we met, and some droll ones among the number.
+      However, that is not the question at present. We sat late; so late that
+      they came to close the café at last, and we were obliged to depart. You
+      know the 'Grenadier Rouge,' don't you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I know it well,&rdquo; replied the major; &ldquo;it's over the glacis, about a
+      mile outside the barrier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just so; and there's a pleasant walk across the glacis to the gate. As
+      Piccotin and I set out together on our way to the town, the night was calm
+      and mild; a soft moonlight shed a silvery tint over every object, and left
+      the stately poplars to throw a still longer shadow on the smooth grass.
+      For some time we walked along without speaking; the silence of the night,
+      the fragrant air, the mellow light, were all soft and tranquillizing
+      influences, and we sank each into his own reflections.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When we reached the middle of the plain,&mdash;you know the spot, I'm
+      sure; there's a little bronze fountain, with four cedars round it,&rdquo; (the
+      major nodded, and he resumed),&mdash;&ldquo;Piccotin came to a sudden halt, and
+      seizing my hand in both of his, said, 'François, canst thou guess what I
+      'm thinking of?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I looked at him, and I looked around me, and after a few seconds' pause I
+      answered, 'Yes, Piccotin, I know it; it is a lovely spot.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Never was anything like it!' cried he, in a rapture; 'look at the turf,
+      smooth as velvet, and yet soft to the foot; see the trees, how they fall
+      back to give the light admittance; and there, that little fountain, if one
+      felt thirsty, eh! What say you?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Agreed,' said I, grasping him by both hands; 'for this once; once only,
+      Piccotin.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Only once, François; a few passes, and no more.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Just so; the first touch.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Exactly; the first touch,' said he, as, taking off his cloak, and
+      folding it neatly, he laid it on the grass.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was a strange thing, but in all our lives, from earliest boyhood up,
+      we never had measured swords together; and though we were both maîtres
+      d'armes, we never crossed blades, even in jest. Often and often had our
+      comrades pitted us against each other, and laid wagers on the result, but
+      we never would consent to meet; I cannot say why. It was not fear; I know
+      not how to account for it, but such was the fact.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What blade do you wear, François?' said he, approaching me, as I
+      arranged my jacket and vest, with my cap, on the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'A Rouen steel,' said I; 'too limber for most men, but I am so accustomed
+      to it, I prefer it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah! a pretty weapon indeed,' said he, drawing it from the scabbard, and
+      making one or two passes with it against an elder trunk. 'Was this the
+      blade you had with you in Egypt?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes; I have worn none other for eight years.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, <i>ma foi!</i> those Mamelukes. How I envy you those Mamelukes!' he
+      muttered to himself, as he walked back to his place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Move a little, a very little, to the left; there's a shadow from that
+      tree. Can you see me well?' said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Perfectly; are you ready? Well; <i>en garde!</i>'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Piccotin's forte, I soon saw, lay in the long meditated attack, where
+      each movement was part of an artfully devised series; and I perceived that
+      he suffered his adversary to gain several trifling advantages, by way of
+      giving him a false confidence, biding his own time to play off the scores.
+      In this description of fence he was more than my equal. <i>My</i> strength
+      was in the skirmishing passages, where most men lunge at random; then, no
+      matter how confused the rally, I was as cool as in the salute.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For some time I permitted him to play his game out; and certainly nothing
+      could be more beautiful than his passes over the hilt. Twice he planted
+      his point within an inch of my bosom; and nothing but a spring backwards
+      would have saved me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At length, after a long-contested struggle, he made a feint within, and
+      then without, the guard, and succeeded in touching my sword-arm, above the
+      wrist.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'A touch, I believe,' said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'A mere nothing,' said I; for although I felt the blood running down my
+      sleeve, and oozing between my fingers, I was annoyed to think he had made
+      the first hit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, François, these Mamelukes were not of the première force, after all.
+      I have only been jesting all this time; see here.' With that he closed on
+      me, in a very different style from his former attack. Pushing and parrying
+      with the rapidity of lightning, he evinced a skill in 'skirmish' I did not
+      believe him possessed of. In this, however, I was his master; and in a few
+      seconds gave him my point sharply, but not deeply, in the shoulder.
+      Instead of dropping his weapon when he received mine, he returned the
+      thrust. I parried it, and touched him again, a little lower down. He
+      winced this time, and muttered something I could not catch. 'You shall
+      have it now,' said he, aloud; 'I owe you this,&mdash;and this.' True to
+      his word, he twice pierced me in the back, outside the guard. Encouraged
+      by success, he again closed on me; while I, piqued by his last assault,
+      advanced to meet him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Our tempers were both excited; but his far more than mine. The struggle
+      was a severe one. Three several times his blade passed between my arm and
+      my body; and at last after a desperate rally, he dropped on one knee, and
+      gave me the point here, beneath the chest. Before he could extricate his
+      blade, I plunged mine into his chest, and pushed till I heard the hilt
+      come clink against his ribs. The blood spurted upwards, over my face and
+      breast, as he fell backwards. I wiped it hurriedly from my eyes, and bent
+      over him. He gave a shudder and a little faint moan, and all was still.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You killed him?&rdquo; cried out three or four of us together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ma foi!</i> yes. The 'coup' was mortal; he never stirred after. As for
+      me,&rdquo; continued Francois, &ldquo;I surrendered myself a prisoner to the officer
+      on guard at the gate. I was tried ten days after by a military commission,
+      and acquitted. My own evidence was my accusation and my defence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ventrebleu!</i> had I been on the court-martial, you had not been here
+      to tell the story,&rdquo; said the old major, as his face became almost purple
+      with passion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nonsense!&rdquo; said Tascher, jeeringly. &ldquo;What signifies a maître d'armes the
+      more or the less?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur will probably explain himself,&rdquo; said François, with one of his
+      cold smiles of excessive deference.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is exactly what I mean to do, François.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, sirs, none of this,&rdquo; broke in the major. &ldquo;Lieutenant Tascher, you
+      may not fancy being placed under an arrest when the enemy is in the field.
+      Master Francois, do you forget the sentence of a court-martial is hanging
+      over your head for an affair at Elchingen, where you insulted a young
+      officer of the hussars?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In that case I must be permitted to say that Maître François conducted
+      himself like a man of honor,&rdquo; said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i> and got the worst of it besides,&rdquo; cried he, placing his
+      hand on his hip. The tone of his voice as he said this, and the grimace he
+      made, restored the party once more to good-humor, and we chatted away
+      pleasantly till day was breaking.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Tascher strolled along with me towards my quarters, I was rejoiced to
+      discover that he had never heard of my name as being mixed up in the
+      Chouan conspiracy; nor was he aware with how little reason he believed me
+      to be favored by fortune.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I received, however, all his congratulations without any desire to
+      undeceive him. Already had I learned the worldly lesson, that while
+      friends cling closer in adversity, your mere acquaintance deems your
+      popularity your greatest merit; and I at length perceived that, however
+      ungenial in many respects the companionship, the life of isolation I led
+      had rendered me suspected by others, and in a career, too, where frankness
+      was considered the first of virtues.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I assented at once with pleasure to the prospect of our meeting frequently
+      while in camp. My own regiment had joined Davoust's corps, and I was glad
+      to have the society of some others of my own age, if only to wean myself
+      from my habits of solitude. While I formed these plans for the future, I
+      little anticipated what events were in store for me, nor how soon I should
+      be thrown among scenes and people totally different from those with which
+      I had ever mixed before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You mess with us, then, Burke,&mdash;that's agreed,&rdquo; said Tascher. &ldquo;They
+      're excellent fellows, these cuirassiers of ours, and I know you 'll like
+      them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With this promise we parted, hoping to meet on the morrow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VI. THE MILL ON THE HOLITSCH ROAD
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      At an early hour on the morning of the 4th came orders for the &ldquo;Garde à
+      Cheval&rdquo; to hold themselves in readiness, with two squadrons of the
+      carabineers, on the road to Holitsch; part of this force being under the
+      command of General d'Auvergne. We found ourselves fully equipped and in
+      waiting soon after eight o'clock. From the &ldquo;tenue&rdquo; and appearance of the
+      troops, it was evident that no measure of active service was contemplated;
+      yet, if a review were intended, we could not guess why so small a force
+      had been selected. As usual on such occasions, many conjectures were
+      hazarded, and a hundred explanations passed current,&mdash;one scarcely a
+      whit better than the other, when at last we perceived a peloton of
+      dragoons advancing towards us at a brisk trot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The word was passed to close up and draw swords; and scarcely was it
+      obeyed when the staff of the Emperor came up. They were all in the full
+      blaze of their gala uniforms, brilliant with crosses and decorations.
+      Napoleon alone wore the simple costume of the &ldquo;Chasseurs of the Garde,&rdquo;
+       with the decoration of the Legion; but his proud look and his flashing eye
+      made him conspicuous above them all. He was mounted on his favorite
+      charger &ldquo;Marengo,&rdquo; and seemed to enjoy the high spirit of the mettled
+      animal, as he tossed his long mane about, and lashed his sides with his
+      great silken tail.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the cortége passed we closed up the rear, and followed at a sharp pace,
+      more than ever puzzled to divine what was going forward. After about two
+      hours' riding, during which we never drew bridle, we saw a party of
+      staff-officers in front, who, saluting the Emperor, joined the cortége. At
+      the same instant General d'Auvergne passed close beside me, and whispered
+      in my ear. &ldquo;Bernadotte has just come up, and been most coldly received.&rdquo; I
+      wished to ask him what was the object of the whole movement, but he was
+      gone before I could do so. In less than a quarter of an hour afterwards we
+      left the highroad, and entered upon a large plain, where the only object I
+      could perceive was an old mill, ruined and dilapidated. Towards this the
+      imperial staff rode forward, while the peloton in front wheeled about, and
+      rode to the rear of our squadrons. The next moment we were halted, and
+      drawn up in order of battle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While these movements were going forward, I remarked that the Emperor had
+      dismounted from his horse and dismissed his staff, all save Marshal
+      Berthier, who stood at a little distance from him. Several dismounted
+      dragoons were employed in lighting two immense fires,&mdash;a process
+      which Napoleon appeared to watch with great interest for a second or two;
+      and then, taking out his glass, he remained for several minutes intently
+      surveying the great road to Holitsch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In this direction at once every eye was turned; but nothing could we see.
+      The road led through a wide open country for some miles, and at last
+      disappeared in the recesses of a dark pine wood, that covered the horizon
+      for miles on either side. Meanwhile Napoleon, with his hands clasped
+      behind his back, walked hurriedly backwards and forwards beside the
+      blazing fires, stopping at intervals to look along the road, and then
+      resuming his walk as before. He was not more than two hundred paces from
+      where we stood, and I could mark well his gesture of impatience, as he
+      closed his glass each time, after looking in vain towards Holitsch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say, Burke,&rdquo; whispered one of my brother officers beside me, &ldquo;I should
+      not fancy being the man who keeps him waiting in that fashion. Look at
+      Berthier, how he keeps aloof; he knows that something is brewing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What can it all mean?&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;Who can he be expecting here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say now,&rdquo; whispered my companion, &ldquo;that Davoust cannot hold the
+      bridge of Goding, and must fall back before the Russian column; and that
+      Napoleon has invited Alexander to a conference here to gain time to
+      reinforce Davoust.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Exactly; but the Czar is too wily an enemy for that to succeed; and
+      probably hence the delay, which appears to irritate him now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The supposition, more plausible than most of those I heard before, was
+      still contradicted by the account of the Emperor Alexander's retreat; and
+      again was I at a loss to reconcile these discrepancies, when I beheld
+      Napoleon, with his glass to his eye, motion with his hand for Berthier to
+      come forward. I turned towards the road, and now could distinguish in the
+      distance a dark object moving towards us. A few minutes after the sun
+      shone out, and I remarked the glitter of arms, stretching in a long line;
+      while my companion, with the aid of a glass, called out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I see them plainly; they are lancers. The escort are Hungarians, and
+      there's a <i>calèche</i>, with four horses in front.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Emperor stood motionless, his arms folded on his breast, and his head
+      a little leaned forward, exactly as I have seen him represented in so many
+      pictures and statues. His eyes were thrown downwards; and as he stirred
+      the blazing wood with his foot, one could easily perceive how intensely
+      his mind was occupied with deep thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The clattering sound of cavalry now turned my attention to another
+      quarter; and I saw, exactly in front of us, and about five hundred paces
+      off, a regiment of Hungarian Hussars, and some squadrons of Hulans drawn
+      up. I had little time to mark their gorgeous equipment and splendid
+      uniform, for already the <i>calèche</i> had drawn up at the roadside, and
+      Prince John of Lichtenstein, descending, took off his chapeau, and offered
+      his arm to assist another to alight. Slowly, and, as it seemed, with
+      effort, a tall thin figure, in the white uniform of the Austrian Guard,
+      stepped from the carriage to the ground. The same instant the officers of
+      the staff fell back, and I saw Napoleon advance with open arms to embrace
+      him. The Austrian emperor&mdash;for it was Francis himself&mdash;seemed
+      scarcely able to control the emotion he felt at this moment; and we could
+      see that his head rested for several seconds on Napoleon's shoulder. And
+      what a moment must that have been! How deeply must the pride of the
+      descendant of the Cæsars have felt the humiliation which made him thus a
+      suppliant before one he deemed a mere Corsican adventurer! What a pang it
+      must have cost his haughty spirit as he uttered the words, <i>Mon frère!</i>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As they walked side by side towards the plateau, where the fires were
+      lighted, it was easy to mark that Napoleon was the speaker, while Francis
+      merely bowed from time to time, or made a gesture of seeming assent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the Emperor arrived at the place of conference, we fell back some fifty
+      yards; and although the air was still and frosty, and the silence was
+      perfect around, we could not catch a word on either side. After about an
+      hour the conversation appeared to assume a tone of gayety and good-humor,
+      and we could hear the sovereigns laughing repeatedly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The conference lasted for above two hours, when once more the emperors
+      embraced, and, as we thought, with more cordiality, and separated; the
+      Emperor of Austria returning, accompanied by Prince Lichtenstein; while
+      Napoleon stood for some minutes beside the fire as if musing, and then,
+      beckoning his staff to follow, he walked towards the highroad.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had the Austrian emperor reached his carriage, when Savary,
+      bareheaded and breathless, stood beside the door of it. He was the bearer
+      of a message from Napoleon. The next moment the <i>calèche</i> started,
+      accompanied by Savary, who, with a single aide-de-camp, took the road
+      towards the Austrian headquarters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Napoleon was about to mount his horse, I saw General d'Auvergne move
+      forward towards him. A few words passed between them; and then the
+      general, riding up to where I stood, said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Burke, you are to remain here, and if any orders arrive from General
+      Savary, hasten with them to the headquarters of his Majesty. In twelve
+      hours you will be relieved.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, he galloped back to the imperial staff; and soon after the
+      squadrons defiled into the road, the cortége dashed forward, and all that
+      remained of that memorable scene was the dying embers of the fires beside
+      which the fate of Europe was decided.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old mill of Holitsch had been deserted when the Austrian and Russian
+      columns took up their position before Austerlitz. The miller and his
+      household fled at the first news of the advance, and had not dared to
+      return. It was a solitary spot at best: a wild heath, without shelter of
+      any kind, stretched away for miles on all sides; but now, in its utter
+      loneliness, it was the most miserable-looking place that can be conceived.
+      While, therefore, I contented myself with the hope that my stay there
+      might not be long, I resolved to do what I could to render my quarters
+      more comfortable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My first care was my horse, which I picketed in the kitchen, where I was
+      happy to find an abundant supply of firewood; my next, was to explore the
+      remainder of the concern, in which I discovered traces of its having been
+      already occupied by the allied troops,&mdash;rude caricatures of the
+      French army in full <i>déroute</i>, before terrible-looking dragoons in
+      Austrian and Russian uniforms, ornamented the walls in many parts; whole
+      columns of French prisoners were depicted begging their lives from a
+      single Austrian grenadier; and one figure, which it could be easily
+      discovered was intended for Napoleon himself, was about to be hanged upon
+      a tree, to the very marked satisfaction, as it would seem, of a group of
+      Russian officers, who stood by, laughing. It is easy to smile at the
+      ridicule of which fortune has thwarted the application and so I amused
+      myself a good while by contemplating these grotesque frescos.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But a more welcome sight still awaited me, in a small chamber at the top
+      of the building, where, in large letters, written with chalk on the door,
+      I read, &ldquo;Rittmeister von Oxenhausen's quarters.&rdquo; Here, to my exceeding
+      delight, I discovered a neatly-furnished chamber, with a bed, sofa, and,
+      better still, a table, on which the remains of the Rittmeister's sapper
+      yet stood,&mdash;a goodly ham, the greater part of a capon, a loaf of
+      wheaten bread, and an earthenware crock, with a lid of brass, containing
+      about two bottles of Austrian red wine. This was a most agreeable surprise
+      to me,&mdash;a pleasant exchange from the meagre meal of bread and cheese
+      I had but time to procure from a sergeant of my troop at parting. It need
+      not be supposed that I hesitated long about becoming the Rittmeister's
+      successor; and so I drew the chair to the table, and the table nearer to
+      the fire,&mdash;for, singularly enough, the embers of a wood fire still
+      slumbered on the hearth. Having taken the keen edge off an appetite the
+      cold air had whetted to the sharpest, I began an inspection of my
+      quarters, first having replenished the fire with some logs of wood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chamber was an octagon, with five windows in as many of the faces, a
+      fireplace and two doors occupying the other three. One of the doors&mdash;that
+      by which I entered,&mdash;opened from the stairs; the other led into a
+      granary, or something of that nature,&mdash;at least, so I conjectured,
+      from a heap of sacks which littered the floor, and filled one corner
+      completely. As I could not discover any corn, I resolved on sharing my
+      loaf with my horse,&mdash;a meal every campaigning steed is well
+      accustomed to make. And now, returning to my little chamber, I resumed my
+      supper with all the satisfaction of one who felt he had made his rounds of
+      duty, and might enjoy repose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I knew the Château de Holitsch, where the Emperor Francis held his
+      quarters, was some six leagues distant, I guessed that General Savary was
+      not likely to return from his mission before morning at very soonest; and
+      so it behooved me to make my arrangements for passing the night where I
+      was. Having, then, looked to my horse, for whose bedding I made free with
+      some dozen of the corn-sacks in the granary, I brought up to my own
+      quarters a supply of wood; and having fastened the door, and secured the
+      windows as well as I was able, I lit my meerschaum, and lay down before
+      the fire in as happy a frame of mind as need be.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Indeed, I began to fancy that fortune had done tormenting, and was now
+      about to treat me more kindly. The notice of the Emperor had relieved my
+      heart of a load which never ceased to press on it, and I could not help
+      feeling that a fairer prospect was opening before me. It is true, time and
+      misfortune had both blunted the ardor of enthusiasm with which I started
+      in life; the daring aspirations after liberty, the high-souled desire for
+      personal distinction, had subsided into calmer hopes and less ambitious
+      yearnings. Young as I yet was, I experienced in myself that change of
+      sentiment and feeling which comes upon other men later on in life; and I
+      was gradually reconciling myself to that sense of duty which teaches a man
+      well to play his part, in whatever station he may be called to act, rather
+      than indulge in those overweening wishes for pre-eminence, which in their
+      accomplishment are so often disappointing, and in their failure a source
+      of regret and unhappiness. These feelings were impressed on me more by the
+      force of events than by any process of my own reasoning. The career in
+      which I first started as a boy had led to nothing but misfortune. The
+      affection I conceived for one,&mdash;the only one I ever loved,&mdash;was
+      destined equally to end unhappily. The passion for liberty, in which all
+      my first aspirations were centred, had met the rude shocks which my own
+      convictions suggested; and now I perceived that I must begin life anew,
+      endeavoring to forget the influences whose shadows darkened my early days,
+      and carve out my destiny in a very different path from what I once
+      intended.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These were my last waking thoughts, as my head sank on my arm, and I fell
+      into a deep sleep. The falling of a log from the fire awoke me suddenly. I
+      rubbed my eyes, and for a second or two could not remember where I was. At
+      length I became clearer in mind, and looking at my watch, perceived it was
+      but two o'clock. As the flame of the replenished fire threw its light
+      through the room, I remarked that the door into the granary stood ajar.
+      This struck me as strange. I thought I could remember shutting it before I
+      went to sleep. Yes,&mdash;I recollected perfectly placing a chair against
+      it, as the latch was bad, and a draught of cold air came in that way; and
+      now the chair was pushed back into the room, and the door lay open. A
+      vague feeling, half suspicion, half curiosity, kept me thinking of the
+      circumstance, when by chance&mdash;the merest chance&mdash;my eyes fell
+      upon the table where I had left my sabre and my pistols. What was my
+      amazement to find that one of the latter&mdash;that which lay nearest the
+      door&mdash;was missing!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In an instant I was on my feet. Nothing can combat drowsiness like the
+      sense of fear; and I became perfectly awake in a moment. Examining the
+      room with caution, I found everything in the same state as I had left it,
+      save the door and the missing pistol. The granary alone, then, could be
+      the shelter of the invader, whoever he might be. What was to be done? I
+      was totally unprovided with light, save what the fire afforded; and even
+      were it otherwise, I should expose myself by carrying one, long before I
+      could hope to detect a concealed enemy. The best plan I could hit upon
+      seemed to secure the door once more; and then, placing myself in such a
+      position as not to be commanded by it again, to wait for morning
+      patiently. This then, I did at once; and having examined my remaining
+      pistol, and found the charge and priming all safe, I drew my sabre, and
+      sat down between the door and the window, but so that it should open
+      against me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Few sensations are more acutely painful than the exercise of the hearing
+      when pushed to intensity. The unceasing effort to catch the slightest
+      sound soon becomes fatigue, and as the organ grows weary, the mental
+      anxiety grows more acute; and then begins a struggle between the failing
+      sense and the excited brain. The spectral images of the eye in fever are
+      not one half so terrible as the strange discordant tones that jar upon the
+      tympanum in such a state as this. Each inanimate object seems endowed with
+      its own power of voice, and whispering noises come stealing through the
+      dead silence of midnight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In this state of almost frenzied anxiety I sat long,&mdash;my eyes turned
+      towards the door, which oftentimes I fancied I could perceive to move. At
+      length the thought occurred to me, that by affecting sleep, if any one lay
+      concealed within whose object was to enter the room, this would probably
+      induce him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0004" id="linkimage-0004">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/089.jpg" alt="089 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0005" id="linkimage-0005">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page055.jpg" alt="Brownelocomotivechair055 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      I had not long to wait for the success of my scheme. The long-drawn
+      breathing of my seeming slumber was not continued for more than a few
+      minutes, when I saw the door slowly, almost imperceptibly, move. At first
+      it stirred inch by inch; then gradually it opened wider and wider till it
+      met the obstacle of the chair. There now came a pause of several seconds,
+      during which it demanded all my efforts to sustain my part,&mdash;the
+      throbbing at my throat and temples increasing almost beyond endurance, and
+      the impulse to dash forward, and flinging wide the door, confront my
+      enemy, being nearly too much for my resistance. Again it moved noiselessly
+      as before; and then a hand stole out, and, laying hold of the chair,
+      pushed it slowly backwards. The gray light of the breaking day fell upon
+      the spot, and I could see that the cuff of the coat was laced with gold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This time my anxiety became intense. Another second or two and I should be
+      engaged in the conflict,&mdash;I knew not against how many. I clutched my
+      sabre more fairly in my grasp, as my breathing grew thicker and shorter.
+      The chair still continued to slide silently into the room, and already the
+      arm of the man within protruded. Now was the moment, or never; and with a
+      spring, I threw myself on it, and, pinioning the wrist in my hands, held
+      it down upon the floor while I opposed my weight against the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0006" id="linkimage-0006">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/090.jpg" alt="090 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Quick as lightning the other hand appeared, armed with a pistol; and I had
+      but a moment to crouch my head nearly to the ground when a bullet whizzed
+      past and smashed through the window behind me, while with a crash the
+      frail door gave way to a strong push, and a man sprang fiercely forward to
+      seize me by the throat. Jumping backward, I recovered my feet; but before
+      I could raise my pistol he made a spring at me, and we both rolled
+      together on the floor. On the pistol both our hands met, and the struggle
+      was for the weapon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Twice was it pointed at my heart; but my hand held the lock, and not all
+      his efforts could unclasp it. At last I freed my right hand from the
+      sword-knot of my sabre, and striking him with my clenched knuckles on the
+      forehead, threw him back. His grasp relaxed at the instant, and I wrenched
+      the pistol from his fingers, and placed the muzzle against his chest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Another second and he would have rolled a corpse before me, when, to my
+      horror and amazement, I saw in my antagonist my once friend, <i>Henri de
+      Beauvais</i>. I flung the weapon from me, as I cried out, &ldquo;De Beauvais,
+      forgive me! forgive me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A deathly paleness came over his features; his eyes grew glazed and filmy,
+      and with a low groan he fell fainting on the floor. I bathed his temples
+      with water; I moistened his pale lips; I rubbed his clammy fingers. But it
+      was long before he rallied; and when he did come to himself and looked up,
+      he closed his eyes again, as though the sight of me was worse than death
+      itself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, Henri!&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;a cup of wine, my friend, and you will be better
+      presently. Thank God, this has not ended as it might.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He raised his eyes towards me, but with a look of proud and unforgiving
+      sternness, while he uttered not a word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is unfair to blame me, De Beauvais, for this,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;Once more I
+      say, forgive me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      His lips moved, and some sounds came forth, but I could not hear the
+      words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There, there,&rdquo; cried I; &ldquo;it's past and over now. Here is my hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You struck me with that hand,&rdquo; said he, in a deep, distinct voice, as
+      though every word came from the very bottom of his chest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And if I did, Henri, my own life was on the blow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh that you had taken mine with it!&rdquo; said he, with a bitterness I can
+      never forget. &ldquo;I am the first of my name that ever received a blow; would
+      I were to be the last!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You forget, De Beauvais&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir; I forget nothing. Be assured, too, I never shall forget this
+      night. With any other than yourself I should not despair of that atonement
+      for an injury which alone can wash out such a stain; but <i>you</i>,&mdash;I
+      know you well,&mdash;<i>you</i> will not give me this.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, De Beauvais; I will not,&rdquo; said I, calmly. &ldquo;Sorry am I that
+      even an accident should have brought us into collision. It is a mischance
+      I feel deeply, and shall for many a day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I, sir,&rdquo; cried he, as, starting up, his eyes flashed with passion and
+      his cheek grew scarlet,&mdash;&ldquo;and I, sir!&mdash;what are to be my
+      feelings? Think you, that because I am an exile and an outcast,&mdash;forced
+      by misfortune to wear the livery of one who is not my rightful sovereign,&mdash;that
+      my sense of personal honor is the less, and that the mark of an insult is
+      not as blood-stained on my conscience as ever it was?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing but passion could blind you to the fact that there can be no
+      insult where no intention could exist.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Spare me your casuistry, sir,&rdquo; replied he, with an insolent wave of his
+      hand, while he sank into a chair, and laid his head upon the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For an instant my temper, provoked beyond endurance, was about to give
+      way, when I perceived that a handkerchief was bound tightly around his leg
+      above the knee, where a great stain of blood marked his trouser. The
+      thought of his being wounded banished every particle of resentment, and
+      laying my hand on his shoulder, I said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;De Beauvais, I know not one but yourself to whom I would three times say,
+      forgive me. But we were friends once, when we were both happier. For the
+      sake of him who is no more,&mdash;poor Charles de Meudon&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A traitor, sir,&mdash;a base traitor to the king of his fathers!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This I will not endure!&rdquo; said I, passionately. &ldquo;No one shall dare&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dare!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, dare, sir!&mdash;such was the word. To asperse the memory of one like
+      him is to dare that which no man can, with truth and honor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, sir, I'm ready,&rdquo; said Be Beauvais, rising, and pointing to the
+      door, &ldquo;Sortons!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      No one who has not heard that one word pronounced by the lips of a
+      Frenchman can conceive how much of savage enmity and deadly purpose it
+      implies. It is the challenge which, if unaccepted, stamps cowardice
+      forever on the man who declines it: from that hour all equality ceases
+      between those whom a combat had placed on the same footing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sortons!&rdquo; The word rang in my ears, and tingled through my very heart,
+      while a host of different impulses swayed me,&mdash;shame, sorrow, wounded
+      pride, all struggling for the mastery: but above them all, a better and a
+      higher spirit,&mdash;the firm resolve, come what would, to suffer no
+      provocation De Beauvais could offer, to make me stand opposite to him as
+      an enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What am I to think, sir?&rdquo; said he, with a voice scarcely articulate from
+      passion,&mdash;&ldquo;what am I to think of your hesitation? or why do you stand
+      inactive here? Is it that you are meditating what new insult can be added
+      to those you have heaped on me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir,&rdquo; I replied, firmly; &ldquo;so far from thinking of offence, I am but
+      too sorry for the words I have already spoken. I should have remembered,
+      and remembering, should have made allowance for, the strength of partisan
+      feelings, which have their origin in a noble, but, as I believe, a
+      mistaken source.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed!&rdquo; interrupted he, in mockery. &ldquo;Is it, then, come to this? Am I, a
+      Frenchman born, to be lectured on my loyalty and allegiance by a foreign
+      mercenary?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not even that taunt, De Beauvais, shall avail you anything. I am firm in
+      my resolve.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Pardieu!</i> then,&rdquo; cried he, with savage energy, &ldquo;there remains but
+      this!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, he leaped from his chair, and sprang towards me. In so doing,
+      however, his knee struck the table, and with a groan of agony, he reeled
+      back and fell on the floor, while from his reopened wound a torrent of
+      blood gushed out and deluged the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For a second or two he motioned me away with his hand; but as his weakness
+      increased, he lay passive and unresisting, and suffered me to arrest the
+      bleeding by such means as I was able to practise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was a long time ere I could stanch the gaping orifice, which had been
+      inflicted by a sabre, and cut clean through the high boot and deep into
+      the thigh. Fortunately for his recovery, he had himself succeeded in
+      getting off the boot before, and the wound lay open to my surgical skill.
+      Lifting him cautiously in my arms, I laid him on the bed, and moistened
+      his lips with a little wine. Still the debility continued,&mdash;no signs
+      of returning strength were there; but his features, pale and fallen, were
+      glazed with a cold sweat that hung in heavy drops upon his brow and
+      forehead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Never was agony like mine. I saw his life was ebbing fast; the respiration
+      was growing fainter and more irregular; his pulse could scarce be felt;
+      yet dare I not leave my post to seek for assistance. A hundred thoughts
+      whirled through my puzzled brain, and among the rest, the self-accusing
+      one that I was the cause of his death. &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; thought I, &ldquo;better far to
+      have stood before his pistol, at all the hazard of my life, than see him
+      thus.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In an instant all his angry speeches and his insulting gestures were
+      forgotten. He looked so like what I once knew him, that my mind was
+      wandering back again to former scenes and times, and all resentment was
+      lost in the flood of memory. Poor fellow! what a sad destiny was his!
+      fighting against the arms of his country,&mdash;a mourner over the
+      triumphs of his native land! Alien that I was, this pang at least was
+      spared me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As these thoughts crossed my mind, I felt him press my hand. Overjoyed, I
+      knelt down and whispered some words in his ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; muttered he, in a low, plaintive tone; &ldquo;not all lost,&mdash;not
+      all! La Vendee yet remains!&rdquo; He was dreaming.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VII. THE ARMISTICE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      As I sat thus watching with steadfast gaze the features of the sleeping
+      man, I heard the clattering of a horse's hoofs on the pavement beneath,
+      and the next moment the heavy step of some one ascending the stairs.
+      Suddenly the door was flung wide open, and an officer in the handsome
+      uniform of the Austrian Imperial Guard entered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excuse this scant ceremony, Monsieur,&rdquo; said he, bowing with much
+      courtesy, &ldquo;but I almost despaired of finding you out. I come from Holitsch
+      with despatches for your Emperor; they are most pressing, as I believe
+      this note will inform you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While I threw my eye over the few lines addressed by General Savary to the
+      officer in waiting at Holitsch, and commanding the utmost speed in
+      forwarding the despatch that accompanied them, the officer drew near the
+      bed where De Beauvais was lying.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Mère de ciel</i>, it is the count!&rdquo; cried he, starting back with
+      astonishment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said I, interrupting him; &ldquo;I found him here on my arrival. He is
+      badly wounded, and should be removed at once. How can this be done?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Easily. I 'll despatch my orderly at once to Holitsch, and remain here
+      till he return.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But if our troops advance?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no! we're all safe on that score; the armistice is signed. The very
+      despatch in your hands, I believe, concludes the treaty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This warned me that I was delaying too long the important duty intrusted
+      to me, and with a hurried entreaty to the Austrian not to leave De
+      Beauvais, I hastened down the stairs, and proceeded to saddle for the
+      road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One word, Monsieur,&rdquo; said the officer, as I was in the act of mounting.
+      &ldquo;May I ask the name of him to whom my brother officers owe the life of a
+      comrade much beloved?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My name is Burke; and yours, Monsieur?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Berghausen, <i>chef d'escadron</i> of the Imperial Guard. If ever you
+      should come to Vienna&mdash;&rdquo; But I lost the words that followed, as,
+      spurring my horse to a gallop, I set out towards the headquarters of the
+      Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I rode forward, my eyes were ever anxiously bent in the direction of
+      our camp, not knowing at what moment I might see the advance of a column
+      along the road, and dreading lest, before the despatches should reach the
+      Emperor's house, the advanced vedettes should capture the little party at
+      Holitsch. At no period of his career was Napoleon more incensed against
+      the adherents of the Bourbons; and if De Beauvais should fall into his
+      hands, I was well aware that nothing could save him. The Emperor always
+      connected in his mind&mdash;and with good reason, too&mdash;the
+      machinations of the Royalists with the plans of the English Government. He
+      knew that the land which afforded the asylum to their king was the refuge
+      of the others also; and many of the heaviest denunciations against the
+      &ldquo;perfide Albion&rdquo; had no other source than the dread, of which he could
+      never divest himself, that the legitimate monarch would one day be
+      restored to France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While such were Napoleon's feelings, the death of the Duc d'Enghien had
+      heightened the hatred of the Bourbonists to a pitch little short of
+      madness. My own unhappy experience made me more than ever fearful of being
+      in any way implicated with the members of this party, and I rode on as
+      though life itself depended on my reaching the imperial headquarters some
+      few minutes earlier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I approached the camp, I was overjoyed to find that no movement was in
+      contemplation. The men were engaged in cleaning their arms and
+      accoutrements, restoring the broken wagons and gun-carriages, and
+      repairing, as far as might be, the disorders of the day of battle. The
+      officers stood in groups here and there, chatting at their ease; while the
+      only men under arms were the new conscript? just arrived from France,&mdash;a
+      force of some thousands,&mdash;brought by forced marches from the banks of
+      the Rhine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The crowd of officers near the headquarters of the Emperor pressed closely
+      about me as I descended from my horse, eager to learn what information I
+      brought from Holitsch; for they were not aware that I had been stationed
+      nearly half-way on the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, Burke,&rdquo; said General d'Auvergne, as he drew his arm within mine,
+      &ldquo;your coming has been anxiously looked for this morning. I trust the
+      despatches you carry may, if not Contradict, at least explain what has
+      occurred.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is this the officer from Holitsch?&rdquo; said the aide-decamp of the Emperor,
+      coming hurriedly forward. &ldquo;The despatch, sir!&rdquo; cried he; and the next
+      moment hastened to the little hut which Napoleon occupied as his bivouac.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The only other person in the open space where I stood was an officer of
+      the lancers, whose splashed and travel-stained dress seemed to say he had
+      been employed like myself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fancy, Monsieur,&rdquo; said he, bowing, &ldquo;that you have had a sharp ride also
+      this morning. I have just arrived from Göding&mdash;four leagues&mdash;in
+      less than an hour; and with all that, too late, I believe, to remedy what
+      has occurred.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, then, has happened?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Davoust has been tricked into an armistice, and suffered the Russians to
+      pass the bridge. The Emperor Alexander has taken advantage of the
+      negotiations with Austria, and got his army clear through; so, at least,
+      it would seem. I saw Napoleon tear the despatch into fragments, and stamp
+      his foot upon them. But here he comes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The words were scarcely spoken when the Emperor came rapidly up, followed
+      by his staff. He wore a gray surtout, trimmed with dark fur, and had his
+      hands clasped within the cuffs of the coat. His face was pale as death,
+      and save a slight contraction of his brows, there was nothing to show any
+      appearance of displeasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who brought the despatch from Göding?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did, Sire,&rdquo; said the officer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How are the roads, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Much cut up, and in one place a torrent has carried away part of a
+      bridge.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I knew it,&mdash;I knew it,&rdquo; said he, bitterly; &ldquo;it is too late. Duroc,&rdquo;
+       cried he, while the words seemed to come forth with a hissing sound, &ldquo;did
+      I not tell you, 'Grattez le Russe, et vous trouverez le Tartare!'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The words were graven in my memory from that hour; even yet, I can recall
+      the very accents as when I heard them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you, sir,&rdquo; said he, turning suddenly towards me, &ldquo;you came from
+      General Savary. Return to him with this letter. Have you written, Duroc?
+      Well, you'll deliver this to General Savary at Holitsch. He may require
+      you to proceed to Göding. Are you well mounted?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Sire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, then, sir. I made you a captain yesterday; let us see if you can
+      win your spurs to-day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      From the time I received the despatch to that in which I was in the saddle
+      not more than five minutes elapsed. The idea of being chosen by the
+      Emperor himself for a service was a proud one, and I resolved to acquit
+      myself with credit. With what concert does one's heart beat to the free
+      stride of a mettled charger! how does each bold plunge warm the blood and
+      stir up the spirits! and as, careering free over hill and valley, we pass
+      in our flight the clouds that drift above, how does the sense of freedom,
+      realized as it is, impart a feeling of ecstasy to our minds! Our thoughts,
+      revelling on the wayward liberty our course suggests, rise free and
+      untrammelled from the doubts and cares of every-day life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Onward I went, and soon the old mill came in sight, rearing its ruined
+      head amid the black desolation of the plain. I could not resist the
+      impulse to see what had become of De Beauvais; and leading my horse into
+      the kitchen, I hastened up the stairs and through the rooms. But all were
+      deserted; the little chamber lay open, the granary too; but no one was
+      there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a mind relieved, in a great measure, from anxiety, I remounted and
+      continued my way; and soon entered the dark woods of Holitsch. The château
+      and demesne were a private estate of the Emperor Francis, and once formed
+      a favorite resort of Joseph the Second in his hunting excursions. The
+      château itself was a large, irregular mass of building, but still, with
+      all its incongruity of architecture, not devoid of picturesque effect,&mdash;and
+      the older portion of it was even handsome. While I stood in front of a
+      long terrace, on which several windows opened from a gallery that ran
+      along one side of the château, I was somewhat surprised that no guard was
+      to be seen, nor even a single sentinel on duty. I dismounted, and leading
+      my horse, approached the avenue that led up between a double range of
+      statues to the door. An old man, dressed in the slouched hat and light
+      blue jacket of a Bohemian peasant, was busily engaged in wrapping matting
+      around some shrubs, to protect them from the frost. A little boy&mdash;his
+      second self in costume&mdash;stood beside him with his pruning-knife, and
+      stared at me with a kind of stupid wonder as I approached. With some
+      difficulty I made out from the old man that the Emperor occupied a smaller
+      building called the Kaiser-Lust, about half a league distant in the
+      forest, having given strict orders that no one was to approach the château
+      nor its immediate grounds. It was his favorite retreat, and perhaps he did
+      not wish it should be associated in his mind with a period of such
+      misfortune. The old peasant continued his occupation while he spoke, never
+      lifting his head from his work, and seeming all absorbed in the necessity
+      of what he was engaged in. As I inquired the nearest road to the imperial
+      quarters, he employed me to assist him for a moment in his task by holding
+      one end of the matting, with which he was now about to envelop a marble
+      statue of Maria Theresa.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I could not refuse a request so naturally proffered; and while I did so, a
+      little wicket opened at a short distance off, and a tall man, in a gray
+      surtout and a plain cocked hat without a feather, came forward. He held a
+      riding-whip in his hand, and seemed, from his splashed equipment, to have
+      just descended from the saddle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, Fritz,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;I hope the frost has done us no mischief?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old gardener turned round at the words, and, touching his hat
+      respectfully, continued his work, while he replied,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, Mein Herr; it was but a white hoar, and everything has escaped well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And whom have you got here for an assistant, may I ask?&rdquo; said he,
+      pointing to me, whom he now saw for the first time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the question was asked in German, although I understood it I left the
+      reply to the gardener.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;God knows!&rdquo; said the old fellow, in a tone of easy indifference; &ldquo;I think
+      he must be a soldier of some sort.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The other smiled at the remark, and, turning towards me, said, in French,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are, perhaps, unaware, sir, being a stranger, that it is the Emperor
+      of Austria's desire this château should not be intruded on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My offending, sir,&rdquo; interrupted I, &ldquo;was purely accidental. I am the
+      bearer of despatches for General Savary; and having stopped to inquire
+      from this honest man&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The general has taken his departure for Göding,&rdquo; he broke in, without
+      paying further attention to my explanation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For Goding! and may I ask what distance that may be?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Scarcely a league, if you can hit upon the right path; the road lies
+      yonder, where you see that dead fir-tree.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thank you, sir,&rdquo; said I, touching my hat; &ldquo;and must now ask my friend
+      here to release me,&mdash;my orders are of moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may find some difficulty in the wood, after all,&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;I 'll
+      send my groom part of the way with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Before I could proffer my thanks suitably for such an unexpected
+      politeness, he had disappeared in the garden through which he entered a
+      few minutes before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say, my worthy friend, tell me the name of that gentleman; he's one of
+      the Emperor's staff, if I mistake not. I 'm certain I 've seen the face
+      before.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you had,&rdquo; said the old fellow, laughing, &ldquo;you could scarcely forget
+      him; old Frantzerl is just the same these twenty years.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whom did you say?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Before he could reply, the other was at my side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, sir,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;he will conduct you to the highroad. I wish you a
+      good journey.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words were uttered in a tone somewhat more haughty than his previous
+      ones; and contenting myself with a civil acknowledgment of his attention,
+      I bowed and returned to my horse, which the little peasant child had been
+      holding.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This way, Monsieur,&rdquo; said the groom, who, dressed in a plain dark brown
+      livery, was mounted on a horse of great size and symmetry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, he dashed forward at a gallop which all my efforts could not
+      succeed in overtaking. In less than ten minutes the man halted, and,
+      waiting till I came up, he pointed to a gentle acclivity before me, across
+      which the highroad led.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There lies the road, sir; continue your speed, and in twenty minutes you
+      reach Göding.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One word,&rdquo; said I, drawing forth my purse as I spoke,&mdash;&ldquo;one word.
+      Tell me, who is your master?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The groom smiled, slightly touched his hat, and without uttering a word,
+      wheeled round his horse, and before I could repeat my question, was far on
+      his road back to the château.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before me lay the river, and the little bridge of Göding, across which now
+      the Russian columns were marching in rapid but compact order. Their
+      cavalry had nearly all passed, and was drawn with some field-guns along
+      the bank; while at half-cannon-shot distance, the corps of Davoust were
+      drawn up in order of battle, and standing spectators of the scene. On an
+      eminence of the field a splendid staff were assembled, accompanied by a
+      troop of Tartar horsemen, whose gay colors and strange equipment were a
+      remarkable feature of the picture; and here, I learned, the Emperor
+      Alexander then was, accompanied by General Savary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I drew near, my French uniform caught the eye of the latter, and he
+      cantered forward to meet me. Tearing open the despatch with eagerness, he
+      rapidly perused the few lines it contained; then, seizing me by the arm in
+      his-strong grasp, he exclaimed,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look yonder, sir! You see their columns extending to Serritz. Go back and
+      tell his Majesty. But no; my own mission here is ended. You may return to
+      Austerlitz.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, he rode back to the group around the Emperor, where I saw him a
+      few minutes after addressing his Majesty; and then, after a formal
+      leave-taking, turn his horse's head and set out towards Brunn.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I retraced my steps towards the camp, I began to muse over the events
+      which had just occurred; and even by the imperfect glimpses I could catch
+      of the negotiations, could perceive that the Czar had out-manoeuvred
+      Napoleon. It is true, I was not aware by what means the success had been
+      obtained; nor was it for many a year after that I became cognizant of the
+      few autograph lines by which Alexander induced Davoust to suspend his
+      operations, under the pretence that the Austrian armistice included the
+      Russian army. It was an unworthy act and ill befitting one whose high
+      personal courage and chivalrous bearing gave promise of better things.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VIII. THE COMPAGNIE D'ELITE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      With whatever triumphant feelings the Emperor Napoleon may have witnessed
+      the glorious termination of this brief campaign, to the young officers of
+      the army it brought anything rather than satisfaction, and the news of the
+      armistice was received in the camp with gloom and discontent. The
+      brilliant action at Elchingen, and the great victory at Austerlitz, were
+      hailed as a glorious presage of future successes, for which the
+      high-sounding phrases of a bulletin were deemed but a poor requital. A
+      great proportion of the army were new levies, who had not seen service,
+      and felt proportionably desirous for opportunities of distinction; and to
+      them the promise of a triumphant return to France was a miserable exchange
+      for those battlefields on which they dreamed they should win honor and
+      fame, and from whence they hoped to date their rise of fortune. Little did
+      we guess, that while words of peace and avowals of moderation were on his
+      lips, Napoleon was at that very moment meditating on the opening of that
+      great campaign, which, beginning at Jena, was to end in the most bloody
+      and long sustained of all his wars.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nothing, however, was now talked of but the fêtes which awaited us on our
+      return to Paris,&mdash;while liberal grants of money were made to all the
+      wounded, and no effort was spared which should mark that feeling of the
+      Emperor's, which so conspicuously opened his bulletin, in the emphatic
+      words, &ldquo;Soldiers, I am content with you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Napoleon well understood, and indeed appeared to have anticipated, the
+      disappointment the army would experience at this sudden cessation of
+      hostilities; and endeavored now to divert the torrent of their enthusiasm
+      into another and a safer channel. The bulk of the army were cantoned
+      around Brunn and Olmutz; some picked regiments were recalled to Vienna,
+      where the Emperor was soon expected to establish his headquarters; while
+      many of those who had suffered most severely from forced marches and
+      fatigues were formed into corps of escort to accompany the Russian
+      prisoners&mdash;sixteen thousand in number&mdash;on their way to France;
+      and lastly, a <i>compagnie d'élite</i>, as it was called, was selected to
+      carry to the Senate the glorious spoils of victory,&mdash;forty-five
+      standards taken on the field of Austerlitz, and now destined to grace the
+      Palace of the Luxembourg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I had scarcely seated myself to the humble supper of my bivouac, when an
+      orderly came to command me to General d'Auvergne's quarters. The little
+      sitting-room he occupied, in a peasant hut, was so filled with officers
+      that it was some time before I could approach him; and my impatience was
+      not lessened by more than once hearing my name mentioned aloud,&mdash;a
+      circumstance not a little trying to a young man in the presence of his
+      superiors in station.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But here he is,&rdquo; said the general, beckoning to me to come forward.
+      &ldquo;Burke, his Majesty has most graciously permitted me to include your name
+      in the <i>compagnie d'élite</i>,&mdash;a testimony of his satisfaction
+      you've every reason to be proud of. And just at the moment I was about to
+      communicate the fact to you, I have received a message from Marshal Murat,
+      requesting that I may permit you to serve on his own staff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Captain,&rdquo; said an officer in the uniform of a colonel,&mdash;it was
+      the first time I had been addressed by my new title, and I cannot express
+      what a thrill of pleasure the word gave me,&mdash;&ldquo;Marshal Murat witnessed
+      with pleasure the alacrity and steadiness of your conduct on the 2d, and
+      has sent me with an offer which I fancy few officers would not deem a
+      flattering one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unquestionably it is, Colonel,&rdquo; said General d'Auvergne; &ldquo;nay, more, I
+      will say I regard it as the making of a young man's fortune, thus early in
+      his career to have attracted such high notice. But I must be passive here;
+      Captain Burke shall decide for himself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In that case, sir, I shall cause you but little delay, if you will still
+      permit me to serve on your own staff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But stay, my boy, do not be rash in this affair. I will not insult your
+      better feeling by dwelling on the little power I possess, and the very
+      great enjoyed by Marshal Murat, of serving your interests; but I must say,
+      that with him, and on his personal staff, opportunities of distinction&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And here I must interpose,&rdquo; said the colonel, smiling courteously: &ldquo;with
+      no officer in this army can a man expect to see service, in its boldest
+      and most heroic colors, rather than with General d'Auvergne.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it,&mdash;I feel it, too; and with him, if he will allow me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough, my dear boy,&rdquo; said the old man, grasping my hand in his.
+      &ldquo;Colonel, you must explain to the marshal how stands this matter; and he
+      is too kind of heart and too noble of soul to think the worse of any of us
+      for our obstinacy. And now, my young friend, make your arrangements to
+      join the <i>compagnie d'élite</i>; they march to-morrow afternoon,&mdash;and
+      this is a service you cannot decline. Leave me to make your
+      acknowledgments to the marshal, and lose no more time here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Short as had been my absence from my quarters, when I re-entered, I
+      descried Tascher seated at the table, and busily employed in discussing
+      the last fragments of my supper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, my dear friend,&rdquo; said he, speaking with his mouth full,&mdash;&ldquo;you
+      see what it is to have a <i>salmi</i> for supper. I sat eating a
+      confounded mess of black bread, and blacker veal, for fifteen minutes,
+      when the breeze brought me the odor of your delicious <i>plat</i>. It was
+      in vain I summoned all my virtue to resist it; if there ever was a dish
+      made to seduce a subaltern on service, it is this. But, I say, won't you
+      eat something?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fear not,&rdquo; said I, half angrily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why?&rdquo; replied he. &ldquo;See what a capital wing that is,&mdash;a little
+      bare, to be sure; and there's the back of a pigeon. <i>Ma foi!</i> you
+      have no reason to complain. I say, is it true you are named among the <i>compagnie
+      d'élite</i>?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I nodded, and ate on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Diable!</i> there never was such fortune. What a glorious exchange for
+      this confounded swamp, with its everlasting drill from morning to night,&mdash;shivering
+      under arms for four hours, and shaking with the ague the rest of the day
+      after,&mdash;marching, mid-leg in water, half frozen, and trying quick
+      movements, when the very blood is in icicles! And then you 'll be enjoying
+      Paris,&mdash;delightful Paris!&mdash;dining at the 'Rocher,' supping at
+      the 'Cadran,' lounging into the <i>salons</i>, at the very time we shall
+      be hiding ourselves amidst the straw of our bivouacs. I go mad to think of
+      it. And, what's worse than all, there you sit, as little elated as if the
+      whole thing were only the most natural in the world. I believe, on my
+      word, you 'd not condescend to be surprised if you were gazetted Maréchal
+      de France in to-morrow's gazette.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When I can bear, without testifying too much astonishment, to see my
+      supper eaten by the man who does nothing but rate me into the bargain,
+      perhaps I may plume myself on some equanimity of temper.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Confound your equanimity! It's very easy to be satisfied when one has
+      everything his own way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so, Tascher, you deem me such a fortunate fellow?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That I do,&rdquo; replied he, quickly. &ldquo;You have had more good luck, and made
+      less of it, than any one I ever knew. What a career you had before you
+      when we met first! There was that pretty girl at the Tuileries quite ready
+      to fall in love with you; I know it, because she rather took an air of
+      coldness with me. Well, you let her be carried off by an old general, with
+      a white head and a queue,&mdash;unquestionably a bit of pique on her part.
+      Then, somehow or other, you contrived to pink the best swordsman of the
+      army, little François there; and I never heard that the circumstance
+      gained you a single conquest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite true, my friend,&rdquo; said I, laughing; &ldquo;I confess it all. And, what is
+      far worse, I acknowledge that until this moment I did not even know the
+      advantages I was wilfully wasting.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And even now,&rdquo; continued he, not minding my interruption,&mdash;&ldquo;even
+      now, you are about to return to Paris as one of the <i>élite</i>. Well, I
+      'll wager twenty Naps that the only civil speeches you 'll hear will be
+      from some musty old senators at the Luxembourg. Oh dear! if my amiable
+      aunt, the Empress, would only induce my most benevolent uncle, the
+      Emperor, to put me on that same list, depend upon it you 'd hear of
+      Lieutenant Tascher in the 'Faubourg St. Honoré.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you seem to forget,&rdquo; said I, half piqued at last by the impertinence
+      of his tone, &ldquo;that I have neither friends nor acquaintances; that,
+      although a Frenchman by service, I am not so by birth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I,&mdash;what am I?&rdquo; interrupted he. &ldquo;A Creole, come from Heaven
+      knows what far-away place beyond seas; that there never was a man with
+      more expensive tastes, and smaller means to supply them,&mdash;with worse
+      prospects, and better connections; in short, a kind of live antithesis.
+      And yet, with all that, exchange places with me now, and see if, before a
+      fortnight elapse, I have not more dinner invitations than any officer of
+      the same grade within the Boulevards; watch if the prettiest girl at Paris
+      is not at my side in the Opera. But here comes your official appointment,
+      I take it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he said this, an orderly of the &ldquo;Garde&rdquo; delivered a sealed packet into
+      my hands, which, on opening, I discovered was a letter from General Duroc,
+      wherein I read, that &ldquo;it was the wish of his Majesty, Emperor and King,
+      that I, his well-beloved Thomas Burke, in conformity with certain
+      instructions to be afterwards made known to me, should proceed with the <i>compagnie
+      d'élite</i> to Paris, then and there&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As I read thus far aloud, Tascher interrupted me, snatching the paper from
+      my hands, and continued thus:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then and there to mope, muse, and be <i>ennuyé</i> until such time as
+      active service may again recall him to the army. My dear Burke, I am
+      really sorry for you. Wars and campaigning may be&mdash;indeed they are&mdash;very
+      fine things; but as the means, not the end. His Majesty, my uncle,&mdash;whom
+      may Heaven preserve and soften his heart to his relations!&mdash;loves
+      them for their own sake; but we,&mdash;you and I, for instance,&mdash;what
+      possible reason can we have for risking our bones, and getting our flesh
+      mangled, save the hope of promotion? And to what end that same promotion,
+      if not for a wider sphere of pleasure and enjoyment? Think what a career a
+      colonel, at our age, would have in Paris!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, Tascher, I will not believe you in all this. If there were not
+      something higher to reward one for the fatigues and dangers of a campaign
+      than the mere sensual delights you allude to, I, for one, would soon doff
+      the epaulettes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are impracticable,&rdquo; said he, half angrily; &ldquo;but it is as much from
+      the isolation in which you have lived as any conviction on the subject.
+      You must let me introduce you to some relatives of mine in Paris. They
+      will be delighted to know you; for, as one of the <i>compagnie d'élite</i>,
+      you might figure as a very respectable 'lion' for two, nay, three entire
+      evenings. And you will have the <i>entrée</i> to the pleasantest house in
+      Paris; they receive every evening, and all the best people resort there. I
+      only exact one condition.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that is&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must not make love to Pauline. That you will fall in love with her
+      yourself is a fact I can't help,&mdash;nor you either. But no advance on
+      your part; promise me that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In such case, Tascher, it were best for all parties I should not know the
+      lady. I have no fancy, believe me, for being smitten whether I will or
+      no.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I see, Master Burke, there is a bit of impertinence in all this. You
+      sneer at my warnings about <i>la belle cousine</i>; now, I am determined
+      you shall see her at least. Besides, you must do me a service with the
+      countess I have had the bad luck to be for some time out of favor with my
+      aunt Josephine,&mdash;some trumpery debts of mine they make a work about
+      at the Tuileries. Well, perhaps you could persuade Madame de Lacostellerie
+      to take up my cause; she has great influence with the Empress, and can
+      make her do what she pleases. And, if I must confess it, it was this
+      brought me over to your quarters tonight; and I ate your supper just to
+      pass away time till you came back again. You 'll not refuse me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly not. But reflect for a moment, Tascher, and you will see that
+      no man was ever less intended for a diplomate. It is only a few minutes
+      since you laughed at my solitary habits and hermit propensities.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I've thought of all that, Burke, and am not a whit discouraged. On the
+      contrary, you are the more likely to think of my affairs because you have
+      none of your own; and I don't know any one but yourself I should fancy to
+      meet Pauline frequently and on terms of intimacy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This, at least, is not a compliment,&rdquo; said I, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He shrugged his shoulders, and threw up his eyebrows with a French
+      expression, as though to say, it can't be helped; and then continued:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And now remember, Burke, I count on you. Get me out of this confounded
+      place; I 'd rather be back at Toulon again, if need be. And as I shall not
+      see you again before you leave, farewell. I 'll send the letter for the
+      countess early to-morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      We shook hands warmly and parted: he to return to his quarters; and I to
+      sit down beside my fire, and muse over the events that had just occurred,
+      and think of Tascher himself, whose character had never been so plainly
+      exposed to me before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If De Beauvais, with his hot-headed impetuosity, his mad devotion to the
+      cause of the Legitimists, was a type of the followers of the Bourbons; so,
+      in all the easy indifference and quiet selfishness of his nature, was
+      Tascher a specimen of another class of his countrymen,&mdash;a class
+      which, wrapped up in its own circle of egotistical enjoyments, believed
+      Paris the only habitable spot of the whole globe. Without any striking
+      traits of character, or any very decided vices, they led a life of
+      pleasure and amusement, rendering every one and everything around them, so
+      far as they were able, subservient to their own plane and wishes; and
+      perfectly unconscious the while how glaring their selfishness had become,
+      and how palpable, even to the least observant, was the self-indulgence
+      they practised on every occasion. Without cleverness or tact enough to
+      conceal their failings, they believed they imposed on others because they
+      imposed on themselves,&mdash;just as the child deems himself unseen when
+      he closes his eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josephine's followers were, many of them, like this, and formed a striking
+      contrast to the young men of the Napoleonite party, who, infatuated by the
+      glorious successes of their chief, deemed the career of arms alone
+      honorable. St. Cyr and the Polytechnique were the nurseries of these,&mdash;the
+      principles instilled there were perpetuated in after life; and however
+      exaggerated their ideas of France and her destiny, their undoubted heroism
+      and devotion might well have palliated even heavier errors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was in ruminating thus over the different characters of the few I had
+      ever known intimately, that I came to think seriously on my own condition,
+      which, for many a day before, I had rather avoided than sought to reflect
+      on. I felt,&mdash;as how many must have done!&mdash;that the bond of a
+      common country, the inborn patriotism of the native of the soil, is the
+      great resource on which men fall back when they devote themselves to the
+      career of arms; that the alien's position, disguise it how he will, is
+      that of the mere mercenary. How can he identify himself with interests on
+      which he is but half-informed, or feel attachment to a land wherein he has
+      neither hearth nor home? In the very glory he wins he can scarce
+      participate. In a word, his is a false position, which no events nor
+      accidents of fortune can turn to good account, and he must rest satisfied
+      with a life of isolation and estrangement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I felt how readily, if I had been a Frenchman born, I could have excused
+      and palliated to my conscience many things which now were matters of
+      reproach. Aggressive war had lost its horrors in the glory of enlarged
+      dominions; the greatness of France and the honor of her arms had made me
+      readily forget the miseries entailed on other nations by her lust of
+      conquest. But I&mdash;the stranger, the alien&mdash;had no part in the
+      inheritance of glory; and personal ambition,&mdash;what means it, save to
+      stand high amongst those we once looked up to as superiors? For me there
+      were no traditions of a childhood passed amid great names, revered and
+      worshipped; no early teachings of illustrious examples beside the paternal
+      hearth. And yet there was one, although lost to me forever, before whose
+      eyes I would gladly seem to hold a high place. Yes! could I but think that
+      she had not forgotten me,&mdash;would hear my name with interest, or feel
+      one throb of pleasure if I were spoken of with honor,&mdash;I asked no
+      more!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A letter, Monsieur le Capitaine,&rdquo; said my servant, as he deposited a
+      package on my table. Supposing it was the epistle of which Tascher spoke,
+      I paid but slight attention to it, when by chance I remarked it was in
+      General d'Auvergne's handwriting. I opened it at once, and read as
+      follows:&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      Bivouac, 11 o'clock.
+
+      My dear Burke,&mdash;No one ever set off for Paris without being
+      troubled with commissions for his country friends, and you
+      must not escape the ills of common humanity. Happily for
+      you, however, the debt is easily acquitted; I have neither
+      undiscovered shades of silk to be matched, nor impossible
+      bargains to be effected. I shall simply beg of you to
+      deliver with your own hand the enclosed letter to its
+      address at the Tuileries; adding, if you think fit, the
+      civil attentions of a visit.
+
+      We shall both, in all likelihood, be much hurried when we
+      meet to-morrow,&mdash;for I also have received orders to march,&mdash;
+      so that I take the present opportunity to enclose you a
+      check on Paris for a trifle in advance of your pay;
+      remembering too well, in my own aide-de-camp days, the
+      dilatory habits of the War Office with new captains.
+
+      Yours ever, dear Burke,
+
+      D'Auvergne, Lieut-General.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The letter of which he spoke had fallen on the table, where I now read the
+      address,&mdash;&ldquo;À Madame la Comtesse d'Auvergne, née Comtesse de Meudon,
+      dame d'honneur de S. M. l'Impératrice.&rdquo; As I read these lines, I felt my
+      face grow burning hot, my cheeks flushed up, and I could scarcely have
+      been more excited were I actually in her presence to whom the letter was
+      destined. The poor general's kind note, his check for eight thousand
+      francs, lay there: I forgot them both, and sat still, spelling over the
+      letters of that name so woven in my destiny. I thought of the first night
+      I had ever heard it, when, a mere boy, I wept over her sorrows, and
+      grieved for her whose fate was so soon to throw its shadow over my own.
+      But in a moment all gave way before the one thought,&mdash;I should see
+      her again, speak to her and hear her voice. It is true, she was the wife
+      of another: but as Marie de Meudon, our destinies were as wide apart;
+      under no circumstances could she have been mine, nor did I ever dare to
+      hope it. My love to her&mdash;for it was such, ardent and passionate&mdash;was
+      more the devotion of some worshipper at a shrine than an affection that
+      sought return. The friendless soldier of fortune, poor, unknown, uncared
+      for,&mdash;how could he raise his thoughts to one for whose hand the
+      noblest and the bravest were suitors in vain? Yet, with all this, how my
+      heart throbbed to think that we should meet again! Nor was the thought
+      less stirring that I felt, that even in the short interval of absence I
+      had won praise from him for whom her admiration was equal to my own. With
+      all the turmoil of my hopes and fears I felt a rush of pleasure at my
+      heart; and when I slept, it was to dream of happy days to come, and a
+      future far brighter than the past.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My first thought when morning broke was to ride over to Beygern, to learn
+      the fate of my wounded friends. On my way thither I fell in with several
+      officers bound on a similar errand, for already the convent had become the
+      great hospital to which the sufferers were brought from every part of the
+      camp. As we went along, I was much struck by the depression of spirit so
+      remarkable everywhere. The battle over, all the martial enthusiasm seemed
+      to have evaporated: many grumbled at the tiresome prospect of a winter in
+      country quarters, or cantoned in the field; some regretted the briefness
+      of the campaign; while others again complained that to return to France
+      after so little of active service would only expose them to ridicule from
+      their companions who had seen Italy and Egypt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Spare your sorrows on that score, my young friends,&rdquo; said a colonel, who
+      listened patiently to the complaints around him; &ldquo;we shall not see the
+      dome of the Invalides for some time yet. Except the <i>compagnie d'élite</i>,
+      I fancy few of us will figure on the Boulevards.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There, again,&rdquo; cried another: &ldquo;I never heard anything so unfair as that
+      <i>compagnie d'élite</i>; they have been, with two solitary exceptions,
+      taken from the cavalry. Austerlitz was to be the day of honor for the
+      infantry of France, said the bulletin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so it was,&rdquo; interrupted a little dark-eyed major; &ldquo;and I suppose his
+      Majesty thought we had enough of it on the field, and did not wish to
+      surfeit us with glory. But I ask pardon,&rdquo; said he, turning towards me;
+      &ldquo;monsieur is, if I mistake not, named one of the <i>élite</i>?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As I replied in the affirmative, I observed all eyes turned towards me;
+      but not with any kindly expression,&mdash;far from it. I saw that there
+      was a deliberate canvass of me, as though to see by my outward man how I
+      could possibly deserve such a favor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can you explain to us, Monsieur,&rdquo; said the little major to me, &ldquo;on what
+      principle the <i>élite</i> were chosen? For we have a thousand
+      contradictory reports in the camp: some say by ballot; some, that it was
+      only those who never soiled their jackets in the affair of the other day,
+      and looked fresh and smart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A burst of laughter from the rest interrupted the major's speech, for its
+      impertinence was quite sufficient to secure it many admirers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe, sir,&rdquo; said I, angrily, &ldquo;I can show you some reasons against
+      the selection of certain persons.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As I got thus far, an officer whispered something into the major's ear,
+      who, with a roar of laughing, exclaimed,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A thousand pardons! ten thousand, <i>parbleu!</i> I did n't know you. It
+      was monsieur pinked François, the maître d'armes? Yes, yes; don't deny
+      it,&rdquo; said he, as I made no reply whatever to a question I believed quite
+      irrelevant to the occasion,&mdash;&ldquo;don't deny it. That lunge over the
+      guard was a thing to be proud of; and, by Jove! you shall not practise it
+      at my expense.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This speech excited great amusement among the party, who seemed to
+      coincide perfectly with the reasoning of the speaker; while I myself
+      remained silent, unable to decide whether I ought to be annoyed or the
+      reverse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, Monsieur,&rdquo; resumed the major, addressing me with courtesy, &ldquo;I
+      ask-pardon for the liberty of my speech. By Saint Denis! if all the <i>compagnie
+      d'élite</i> have the same skill of fence, I 'll not question their
+      appointment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The candor of the avowal was too much for my gravity, and I now joined in
+      the mirth of his companions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If I have mentioned so trivial an incident as this here, it is because I
+      wish to mark, even thus passingly, a trait of French military life. The
+      singular confession of a man who regretted his impertinence because he
+      discovered his adversary was a better swordsman, would, under any other
+      code or in any other country, have argued poltroonery. Not so here; no one
+      for a moment suspected his comrade's courage, nor could any circumstance
+      arise to make it doubtful save an actual instance of cowardice. The
+      inequality of the combat was reason enough for not engaging in it: the
+      odds were unfair, because duelling was like a game where each party was to
+      have an equal chance; and hence no shame was felt at declining a contest
+      where this inequality existed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such a system, it is obvious, could not have prevailed in communities
+      where duelling was only resorted to in extreme cases; but here it was an
+      every-day occurrence, and often formed but a brief interval, scarce
+      interrupting the current of an old friendship. Any resentful spirit, any
+      long-continued dislike to the party with whom you once fought, would have
+      been denounced as unofficer-like and ungenerous; and every day saw men
+      walking arm-inarm in closest intimacy, who but the morning before stood
+      opposed to each other's weapons. I now perceived the truth of what Minette
+      had once said, and which at the time I but imperfectly comprehended.
+      &ldquo;Maître François will be less troublesome in future; and you, Lieutenant,
+      will have an easier life also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Halt there!&rdquo; shouted a sentry, as we approached the narrow causeway that
+      led up to the convent. We now discovered, that by a general order no one
+      was permitted to approach the hospital save such as were provided with a
+      leave from the medical staff. A bulletin of the deaths was daily published
+      on the guard-house, except which no other information was afforded of the
+      condition of the wounded; and to this we turned eagerly, and with anxious
+      hearts, lest we might read the name of some friend lost forever. I ran
+      over with a rapid glance the list, where neither St. Hilaire nor poor
+      Pioche occurred; and then, setting spurs to my horse, hurried back to my
+      quarters at the top of my speed. When I arrived, the preparations for the
+      departure of the <i>élite</i> were already in progress, and I had but time
+      to make my few arrangements for the road when the order came to join my
+      comrades.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IX. PARIS IN 1800
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      A portion of the Luxembourg was devoted to the reception of the <i>compagnie
+      d'élite</i> for whom a household on the most liberal scale was provided, a
+      splendid table maintained, and all that wealth and the taste of a
+      voluptuous age could suggest, procured, to make their life one of daily
+      magnificence and pleasure. Daru himself, the especial favorite of the
+      Emperor, took the head of the table each day, to which generally some of
+      the ministers were invited; while the &ldquo;Moniteur&rdquo; of every morning
+      chronicled the festivities, giving <i>éclat</i> to the most minute
+      circumstance, and making Paris re-echo to the glories of him of whose fame
+      they were but the messengers. The most costly equipages, saddle-horses of
+      great price, grooms in gorgeous liveries, all that could attract notice
+      and admiration, were put in requisition; while ceremonies of pomp went
+      forward day by day, and the deputation received in state the
+      congratulatory visits of different departments of the Government.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While thus this homage was paid to the semblance of Napoleon's glory, his
+      progress through Germany was one grand triumphal procession. One day we
+      read of his arrival at Munich, whither the Empress had gone to meet him.
+      There he was welcomed with the most frantic enthusiasm: he had restored to
+      them their army almost without loss, and covered with laurels; he had
+      elevated their elector to a throne; while he cemented the friendship
+      between the two nations by the marriage of Eugène Beauharnais with the
+      Princess of Bavaria. Another account would tell us of sixteen thousand
+      Russian prisoners on their way to France, accompanied by two thousand
+      cannon taken from the Austrians. All that could excite national enthusiasm
+      and gratify national vanity was detailed by the Government press, and
+      popular excitement raised to a higher pitch than in the wildest periods of
+      the Revolution.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hourly was his arrival looked forward to with anxiety and impatience.
+      Fêtes on the most splendid scale of magnificence were in preparation, and
+      the public bodies of Paris held meetings to concert measures for his
+      triumphal reception. At last a telegraphic despatch announced his arrival
+      at Strasburg. He crossed the Rhine at the very place where, exactly one
+      hundred days before, he passed over on his march against the Austrians;
+      one hundred days of such glory as not even his career had equalled,&mdash;Ulm
+      and Austerlitz, vanquished Russia, and ruined Austria the trophies of this
+      brief space! Never had his genius shone with greater splendor; never had
+      Fortune shown herself 'more the companion of his destiny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Each hour was now counted, and every thought turned to the day when he
+      might be expected to arrive; and on the 24th came the intelligence that
+      the Emperor was approaching Paris. He had halted part of a day at Nancy to
+      review some regiments of cavalry, and now might be expected in less than
+      twenty-four hours. The next morning all Paris awoke at an early hour; when
+      what was the surprise and disappointment to see the great flag floating
+      from the pavilion of the Tuileries! His Majesty had arrived during the
+      night, when, at once sending for the Minister of Finance, he proceeded,
+      without taking a moment's repose, to examine into the dreadful crisis
+      which threatened the Bank of France and the very existence of the
+      Government.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At eleven, the Council of State were assembled at the Tuileries; and at
+      twelve, a proclamation, dispersed through Paris, announced that M. Molien
+      was appointed minister, and M. Marbois was dismissed from his office. The
+      rapidity of these changes, and the avoidance of all public homage by the
+      Emperor, threw for several days a cast of gloom over the whole city; which
+      was soon dissipated by the reappearance of Napoleon, and the publication
+      of that celebrated report by M. Champagny in which the glories of France&mdash;her
+      victories, her acquisitions in wealth, territory, and influence&mdash;were
+      recited in terms whose adulation it would be now difficult to digest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From that moment the festivities of Paris commenced, and with a splendor
+      unsurpassed by any period of the Empire. It was the Augustan era of
+      Napoleon's life in all that concerned the fine arts; for literature,
+      unhappily, did not flourish at any time beneath his reign. Gérard and
+      Gros, David, Ingres, and Isabey committed to canvas the glories of the
+      German campaigns; and the capitulation of Ulm, the taking of Vienna, the
+      passage of the Danube, and the field of Austerlitz still live in the
+      genius of these great painters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Opera, too, under the direction of Gimerosa, had attained to an
+      unwonted excellence; while Spontini and Boieldieu, in their separate
+      walks, gave origin to the school so distinctly that of the Comic Opera.
+      Still, the voluptuous tastes of the day prevailed above all; and the
+      ballet, and the strange conceptions of Nicolo, a Maltese composer,&mdash;in
+      which music, dancing, romance, and scenery all figured,&mdash;were the
+      passion of the time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dancing was, indeed, the great art of the era. Vestris and Trénis were the
+      great names in every <i>salon</i>; and all the extravagant graces and
+      voluptuous groupings of the ballet were introduced into the amusements of
+      society: even the taste in dress was made subordinate to this passion,&mdash;the
+      light and floating materials, which mark the figure and display symmetry,
+      replacing the heavier and more costly robes of former times. The reaction
+      to the stern puritanism of the Republican age had set in, and secretly was
+      favored by Napoleon himself; who saw in all this extravagance and
+      abandonment to pleasure the basis of that new social state on which he
+      purposed to found his dynasty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Never were the entertainments at the Tuileries more costly; never was a
+      greater magnificence displayed in all the ceremonial of state. The
+      marshals of the Empire were enjoined to maintain a style corresponding to
+      their exalted position; and the reports of the police were actually
+      studied respecting such persons as lived in what was deemed a manner
+      unbefitting their means of expense. Cambacérès and Fouché, Talleyrand and
+      Murat, all maintained splendid establishments. Their dinners were given
+      twice each week, and their receptions were almost every evening. If the
+      Emperor conferred wealth with a liberal hand, so did he expect to see it
+      freely expended. He knew well the importance of conciliating the
+      affections of the <i>bourgeoisie</i> of Paris; and that by no other means
+      could such an end be accomplished more readily than by a lavish
+      expenditure of money throughout all classes of society. This was alone
+      wanting to efface every trace of the old Republican spirit. The simple
+      habits and uncostly tastes of the Jacobins were at once regarded as
+      meannesses; their frugal and unpretending modes of life pronounced low and
+      vulgar; and many, who could have opposed a stout heart against the current
+      of popular feeling on stronger grounds, yielded to the insinuations and
+      mockeries of their own class, and conformed to tastes which eventually
+      engendered opinions and even principles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I ask pardon of my reader for digressing from the immediate subject of my
+      own career, to speak of topics which are rather the province of the
+      historian than a mere story-teller like myself; still, I should not be
+      able to present to his view the picture of manners I desired, without thus
+      recalling some features of that time, so pregnant with the fate of Europe
+      and the future destiny of France. And now to return.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Immediately on the Emperor's arrival, the Empress and her suite took their
+      departure for Versailles; from whence it was understood they were not to
+      return before the end of the month, for which time a splendid ball was
+      announced at the Tuileries. Unwilling to detain General d'Auvergne's
+      letter so long, and unable from the position I occupied to obtain leave of
+      absence from Paris, I forwarded the letter to the comtesse, and abandoned
+      the only hope of meeting her once more. The disappointment from this
+      source; the novelty of the circumstances in which I found myself; the
+      fascinations of a world altogether strange to me,&mdash;all conspired to
+      confuse and excite me, and I entered into the dissipation of those around
+      me, if not with all their zest, at least with as headlong a resolution to
+      drown all reflection in a life of voluptuous enjoyment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The only person of my own standing among the <i>compagnie d'élite</i> was
+      a captain of the Chasseurs of the Guard, who, although but a few years my
+      senior, had seen service in the Italian campaign. By family a Bour-bonist,
+      he joined the revolutionary armies when his relatives fled from France,
+      and slowly won his steps to his present rank. A certain <i>hauteur</i> in
+      his manner with men&mdash;an air of distance he always wore&mdash;had made
+      him as little liked by them as it usually succeeds in making a man popular
+      with women, to whom the opposite seems at once a compliment. He was a man
+      who had seen much of the world, and in the best society; gifted with the
+      most fascinating address, whenever he pleased to exert it, and singularly
+      good-looking, he was the <i>beau idéal</i> of the French officer of the
+      highest class.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Chevalier Duchesne and myself had travelled together for some days
+      without exchanging more than the ordinary civilities of distant
+      acquaintance, when some accident of the road threw us more closely
+      together, and ended by forming an intimacy which, in our Paris life,
+      brought us every hour into each other's society.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Stranger as I was in the capital, to me the acquaintance was a boon of
+      great price. He knew it thoroughly: in the gorgeous and stately <i>salons</i>
+      of the Faubourg; in the <i>guingettes</i> of the Rue St. Denis; in the
+      costly mansion of the modern banker (the new aristocracy of the land); or
+      in the homely <i>ménage</i> of the shopkeeper of the Rue St. Honoré,&mdash;he
+      was equally at home, and by some strange charm had the <i>entrée</i> too.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The same &ldquo;sesame&rdquo; opened to him the <i>coulisse</i> of the Opera and the
+      penetralia of the Français. In fact, he seemed one of those privileged
+      people who are met with occasionally in life in places the most
+      incongruous and with acquaintances the most opposite, yet never carrying
+      the prestige of the one or the other an inch beyond the precincts it
+      belongs to. Had he been wealthy I could have accounted for much of this,
+      for never was there a period when riches more abounded nor when their
+      power was more absolute: but he did not seem so; although in no want of
+      money, his retinue and simple style of living betrayed nothing beyond fair
+      competence. Neither, as far as I could perceive, did he incline to habits
+      of extravagance; on the contrary, he was too apt to connect every display
+      with vulgarity, and condemn in his fastidiousness the gorgeous splendor
+      that characterized the period.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such, without going further, did Duchesne appear to be, as we took up our
+      quarters at the Luxembourg, and commenced an intimacy which each day
+      served to increase.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, thank Heaven, this vaudeville is over at last!&rdquo; said he, as he
+      threw himself into a large chair at my fire, and pitched his chapeau, all
+      covered with gold and embroidery, into a far corner of the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We had just returned from Notre Dame, where the grand ceremonial of
+      receiving the standards was held by the Senate with all the solemnity of a
+      high mass and the most imposing observances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Vaudeville?&rdquo; said I, turning round rapidly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; what else can you call it? What, I ask you, had those poor decrepit
+      senators, those effeminate priests in the costumes of <i>béguines</i>, to
+      do with the eagles of a brave but unfortunate army? In what way can you
+      connect that incense and that organ with the smoke of artillery and the
+      crash of mitraille? And, lastly, was it like old Daru himself to stand
+      there, half crouching, beside some wretched half-palsied priest? But I
+      feel heartily ashamed of myself, though I played but the smallest part in
+      the whole drama.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it thus you can speak of the triumph of our army? the glories&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You mistake me much. I only speak of that miserable mockery which
+      converts our hard-won laurels into chap-lets of artificial flowers. These
+      displays are far beneath us, and would only become the victories of some
+      national guard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, then,&rdquo; said I, half laughingly, &ldquo;it is your Republican gorge that
+      rises against all this useless ceremonial?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are the very first ever detected me in that guise,&rdquo; said he, bursting
+      into a hearty laugh. &ldquo;But come, I'd wager you agree with me all this
+      while. This was a very contemptible exhibition; and, for my own part, I 'd
+      rather see the colors back again with those poor fellows we chased at
+      Austerlitz, than fluttering in the imbecile hands of dotage and bigotry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I must say we differ totally. I like to think of the warlike spirit
+      nourished in a nation by the contemplation of such glorious spoils. I am
+      young enough to remember how the Invalides affected me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When you took your Sunday walk there from the Poly-technique, two and
+      two, with a blue ribbon round your neck for being a good boy during the
+      week. Oh, I know it all; delicious times they were, with their souvenirs
+      of wooden legs and plum-pudding. Happy fellow you must be, if the delusion
+      can last this while!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are determined it shall not continue much longer,&rdquo; said I, laughing;
+      &ldquo;that is quite evident.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; on the contrary, I shall be but too happy to be your convert, instead
+      of making you mine. But unfortunately, Sa Majesté, Empereur et Roi, has
+      taught me some smart lessons since I gave up mathematics; and I have
+      acquired a smattering of his own policy, which is to look after the
+      substance, and leave the shadow&mdash;or the <i>drapeau</i>, if you like
+      it better&mdash;to whoever pleases.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I confess, however,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;I don't well understand your enthusiasm
+      about war and your indifference about its trophies. To me the associations
+      they suggest are pleasurable beyond anything.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think I remember something of that kind in myself formerly,&rdquo; said he,
+      musing. &ldquo;There was a time when the blast of a trumpet, or even the clank
+      of a sabre, used to set my heart thumping. Happily, however, the organ has
+      grown steeled against even more stirring sounds; and I listened to the
+      salute to-day, fired as it was by that imposing body, the artillery of the
+      'Garde Nationale,' with an equanimity truly wonderful. Apropos, my dear
+      Burke; talk of heroism and self-devotion as you will, but show me anything
+      to compare with the gallantry of those fellows we saw to-day on the Quai
+      Voltaire,&mdash;a set of grocers, periwig-makers, umbrella and sausage
+      men, with portly paunches and spectacles,&mdash;ramming down charges,
+      sponging, loading, and firing real cannon. On my word of honor, it was
+      fearful.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say his Majesty is very proud indeed of the National Guard of
+      Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course he is. Look at them, and just think what must be the enthusiasm
+      of men who will adopt a career so repugnant, not only to their fancy, but
+      their very formation. Remember that he who runs yonder with a twenty-four
+      pounder never handled anything heavier than a wig-block, and that the only
+      charges of the little man beside him have been made in his day-book. By
+      Saint Denis! the dromedary guard we had in Egypt were more at home in
+      their saddles than the squadron who rode beside the archbishop's
+      carriage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is scarcely fair, after all,&rdquo; said I, half laughing, &ldquo;to criticise
+      them so severely; and the more, as I think you had some old acquaintances
+      among them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! you saw that, did you?&rdquo; said he, smiling. &ldquo;No, by Jove! I never met
+      them before. But that <i>confrèrie</i> of soldiers&mdash;you understand&mdash;soon
+      made us acquainted; and I saw one old fellow speaking to a very pretty
+      girl I guessed to be his daughter, and soon cemented a small friendship
+      with him: here's his card.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His card! Why, are you to visit him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Better again; I shall dine there on Monday next. Let us see how he calls
+      himself: 'Hippolyte Pierrot, stay and corset-maker to her Majesty the
+      Empress, No. 22 Rue du Bac,&mdash;third floor above the <i>entresol.</i>'
+      <i>Diable!</i> we 're high up. Unfortunately, I am scarcely intimate
+      enough to bring a friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, make no excuses on that head,&rdquo; said I, laughing; &ldquo;I really have no
+      desire to see Monsieur Hippolyte Pierrot's <i>menage</i>. And now, what
+      are your engagements for this evening? Are you for the Opera?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don't well know,&rdquo; said he, pausing. &ldquo;Madame Caulaincourt receives, and
+      of course expects to see our gay jackets in her <i>salon</i> any time
+      before or after supper. Then there's the Comtesse de Nevers: I never go
+      there without meeting my tailor; the fellow's a spy of the police, and a
+      confectioner to boot, and he serves the ices, and reports the
+      conversations in the Place Vendôme and that side of the Rue St. Honoré,&mdash;I
+      couldn't take a glass of lemonade without being dunned. Then, in the
+      Faubourg I must go in plain clothes,&mdash;they would not let the 'livery
+      of the Usurper' pass the porter's lodge; besides, they worry one with
+      their enthusiastic joy or grief,&mdash;as the last letter from England
+      mentions whether the Comte d'Artois has eaten too many oysters, or found
+      London beer too strong for him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From all which I guess that you are indisposed to stir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe that is about the fact. Truth is, Burke, there is only one
+      soirée in all Paris I 'd take the trouble to dress for this evening; and,
+      strange enough, it's the only house where I don't know the people. He is a
+      commissary-general, or a 'fournisseur' of some kind or other of the army;
+      always from home, they say; with a wife who was once, and a daughter who
+      is now, exceeding pretty; keeps a splendid house; and, like an honest man,
+      makes restitution of all he can cheat in the campaign by giving good
+      dinners in the capital. His Majesty, at the solicitation of the Empress, I
+      believe, made him a count,&mdash;God's mercy it was not a king!&mdash;and
+      as they come from Guadaloupe, or Otaheite, no one disputes their right.
+      Besides, this is not a time for such punctilio. This is all I know of
+      them, for unfortunately they settled here since I joined the army.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the name?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, a very plausible name, I assure you. Lacostellerie,&mdash;Madame la
+      Comtesse de Lacostellerie.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By Jove! you remind me I have letters for her,&mdash;a circumstance I had
+      totally forgotten, though it was coupled with a commission.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A letter! Why, nothing was ever so fortunate. Don't lose a moment; you
+      have just time to leave it, with your card, before dinner. You'll have an
+      invitation for this evening at once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I have not the slightest wish.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No matter, <i>I</i> have; and you shall bring me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You forget,&rdquo; said I, mimicking his own words, &ldquo;I am unfortunately not
+      intimate enough.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As to that,&rdquo; replied he, &ldquo;there is a vast difference between the
+      etiquette Rue du Bac, No. 22, three floors above the <i>entresol</i>, and
+      the gorgeous <i>salons</i> of the Hôtel Clichy, Rue Faubourg St. Honoré;
+      ceremony has the advantage in the former by a height of three pair of
+      stairs, not to speak of the <i>entresol</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I don't know the people.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor I.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how am I to present you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Easily enough,&mdash;'Captain Duchesne, Imperial Guard;' or, if you
+      prefer it, I 'll do the honors for <i>you</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With all my heart, then,&rdquo; said I, laughing; and pre-pared to pay the
+      visit in question.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER X. THE HÔTEL DE CLICHY
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Duchesne was correct in all his calculations. I had scarcely reached the
+      Luxembourg when a valet brought me a card for the comtesse's soirée for
+      that evening. It was accordingly agreed upon that we were to go together;
+      I as the invited, he as my friend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All your finery, Burke, remember that,&rdquo; said he, as we separated to
+      dress. &ldquo;The uniform of the <i>compagnie d'élite</i> is as much a
+      decoration in a <i>salon</i> as a camellia or a geranium.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When he re-entered my room half an hour later, I was struck by the blaze
+      of orders and decorations with which his jacket was covered; while at his
+      side there hung a magnificent <i>sabre d'honneur</i>, such as the Emperor
+      was accustomed to confer on his most distinguished officers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You smile at all this bravery,&rdquo; said he, wilfully misinterpreting my look
+      of admiration; &ldquo;but remember where we are going.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On the contrary,&rdquo; interrupted I; &ldquo;but it is the first time I knew you had
+      the cross of the Legion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i>&rdquo; said he, with an insolent shrug of his shoulders, &ldquo;I had
+      lent it to my hairdresser for a ball at the 'Cirque.' But here comes the
+      carriage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While we drove along towards the Faubourg I had time to learn some further
+      particulars of the people to whose house we were proceeding; and for my
+      reader's information may as well impart them here, with such other facts
+      as I subsequently collected myself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Like most of the <i>salons</i> of the new aristocracy, Madame
+      Lacostellerie received people of every section of party and every class of
+      political opinion. Standing equally aloof from the old régime and the
+      members of the Jacobin party, her receptions were a kind of neutral
+      territory, where each could come without compromise of dignity: for
+      already, except among the most starched adherents of the Bourbons, few of
+      whom remained in France, there was a growing spirit to side with the
+      Napoleonists in preference to the revolutionary section; while the latter,
+      with all their pretensions to simplicity and primitive tastes, felt no
+      little pride in mixing with the very aristocracy they so loudly inveighed
+      against. Besides all this, wealth had its prestige. Never, in the palmiest
+      days of the royalty, were entertainments of greater splendor; and the
+      Legitimists, however disposed to be critical on the company, could afford
+      to be just regarding the cuisine,&mdash;the luxury of these modern dinners
+      eclipsing the most costly displays of former times, where hereditary rank
+      and ancient nobility contributed to adorn the scene. And, lastly, the
+      admixture of every grade and class extended the field of conversational
+      agreeability, throwing in new elements and eliciting new features in a
+      society where peers, actors, poets, bankers, painters, soldiers,
+      speculators, journalists, and adventurers were confusedly mixed together;
+      making, as it were, a common fund of their principles and their
+      prejudices, and starting anew in life with what they could seize in the
+      scramble.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After following the long line of carriages for above an hour, we at last
+      turned into a large courtyard, lit up almost to the brightness of day.
+      Here the equipages of many of the ministers were standing,&mdash;a
+      privilege accorded to them above the other guests. I recognized among the
+      number the splendid liveries of Decrès; and the stately carriage of
+      Talleyrand, whose household always proclaimed itself as belonging to a
+      &ldquo;seigneur&rdquo; of the oldest blood of France,&mdash;the most perfect type of a
+      highbred gentleman. Our progress from the vestibule to the stairs was a
+      slow one. The double current of those pressing upwards and downwards
+      delayed us long; and at last we reached a spacious antechamber, where even
+      greater numbers stood awaiting their turn, if happily it should come, to
+      move forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While here, the names of those announced conveyed tous a fair impression
+      of the whole company. Among the first was Le General Junot, Berthollet
+      (the celebrated chemist), Lafayette, Monges, Daru, Comte de Mailles (a
+      Legitimist noble), David (the regicide), the Ambassador of Prussia, M.
+      Pasquier, Talma. Such were the names we heard following in quick
+      succession; when suddenly an avenue was opened by a master of the
+      ceremonies before me, who read from my card the words, &ldquo;Le Capitaine
+      Burke, officier d'élite; le Chevalier Duchesne, présenté par lui.&rdquo; And
+      advancing within the doorway, I found myself opposite a very handsome
+      woman, whose brilliant dress and blaze of diamonds concealed any ravages
+      time might have made upon her beauty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She was conversing with the Arch-Chancellor, Cambacérès, when my name was
+      announced; and turning rapidly round, touched my arm with her bouquet, as
+      she said, with a most gracious smile,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am but too much flattered to see you on so short an invitation; but M.
+      de Tascher's note led me to hope I might presume so far. Your friend, I
+      believe?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have taken the great liberty&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed, Madame la Comtesse,&rdquo; said Duchesne, interrupting, &ldquo;I must
+      exculpate my friend here. This intrusion rests on my own head, and has no
+      other apology than my long cherished wish to pay my homage to the most
+      distinguished ornament of the Parisian world.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, the quiet flow of his words, and the low deferential bow with
+      which he accompanied them, completely divested his speech of its tone of
+      gross flattery, and merely made it seem a very fitting and appropriate
+      expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This would be a very high compliment, indeed,&rdquo; replied Madame de
+      Lacostellerie, with a flush of evident pleasure on her cheek, &ldquo;had it even
+      come from one less known than the Chevalier Duchesne. I hope the Duchesse
+      de Montserrat is well,&mdash;your aunt, if I mistake not?&rdquo; &ldquo;Yes, Madame,&rdquo;
+       said he, &ldquo;in excellent health; it will afford her great pleasure when I
+      inform her of your polite inquiry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Another announcement now compelled us to follow the current in front,
+      which I was well content to do, and escape from an interchange of fine
+      speeches, of whose sincerity, on one side at least, I had very strong
+      misgivings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, then, the comtesse is acquainted with your family?&rdquo; said I, in a
+      whisper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who said so?&rdquo; replied he, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did she not ask after the Duchesse de Montserrat?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And didn't you promise to convey her very kind message?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure I did. But are you simple enough to think that either of us
+      were serious in what we said? Why, my dear friend, she never saw my aunt
+      in her life; nor, if I were to hint at her inquiry for her to the
+      duchesse, am I certain it would not cost me something like a half million
+      of francs the old lady has left me in her will,&mdash;on my word, I firmly
+      believe she'd never forgive it. You know little what these people of the
+      <i>vieille roche</i>, as they call themselves, are like. Do you see that
+      handsome fellow yonder, with a star on a blue cordon?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don't know him; but I see he's a Marshal of France.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I saw that same aunt of mine rise up and leave the room because <i>he</i>
+      sat down in her presence!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! that was intolerable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So she deemed his insolence. Come, move on; they 're dancing in the next
+      <i>salon</i>.&rdquo; And without saying more, we pushed through the crowd in the
+      direction of the music.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is only by referring to the sensations experienced by those who see a
+      ballet at the Opera for the first time that I can at all convey my own on
+      entering the <i>salle de danse</i>. My first feeling was that of absolute
+      shame. Never before had I seen that affectation of stage costume which
+      then was the rage in society. The short and floating jupe&mdash;formed of
+      some light and gauzy texture, which, even where it covered the figure,
+      betrayed the form and proportions of the wearer&mdash;was worn low on the
+      bosom and shoulders, and attached at the waist by a ribbon, whose knot
+      hung negligently down in seeming disorder. The hair fell in long and
+      floating masses loose upon the neck, waving in free tresses with every
+      motion of the figure, and adding to that air of abandon which seemed so
+      studiously aimed at. But more than anything in mere costume was the look
+      and expression, in which a character of languid voluptuousness was
+      written, and made to harmonize with the easy grace of floating movements,
+      and sympathize with gestures full of passionate fascination.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0007" id="linkimage-0007">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/130.jpg" alt="The Dance 130 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, Burke,&rdquo; said Duchesne, as he threw his eyes over the room, &ldquo;shall I
+      find a partner for you? for I believe I know most of the people here. That
+      pretty blonde yonder, with the diamond buckles in her shoes, is
+      Mademoiselle de Rancy, with a dowry of some millions of francs; what say
+      you to pushing your fortune there? Don't forget the <i>officier d'élite</i>
+      is a trump card just now; and there's no time to lose, for there will soon
+      be a new deal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not if she had the throne of France in reversion,&rdquo; said I; turning away
+      in disgust from a figure which, though perfectly beautiful, outraged at
+      every movement that greatest charm of womanhood,&mdash;her inborn modesty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, then, you don't fancy a blonde!&rdquo; said he, carelessly, whether
+      wilfully misunderstanding me or not I could not say. &ldquo;Nor I either,&rdquo; added
+      he. &ldquo;There, now, is something far more to my taste; is she not a lovely
+      girl?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She to whom he now directed my attention was standing at the side of the
+      room, and leaning on her partner's arm; her head slightly turned, so that
+      we could not see her features, but her figure was actually faultless. Hers
+      was not one of those gossamer shapes which flitted around and about us,
+      balancing on tiptoe, or gracefully floating with extending arms. Rather
+      strongly built than otherwise, she stood with the firm foot and the
+      straight ankle of a marble statue; her arms, well rounded, hung easily
+      from her full, wide shoulders; while her head, slightly thrown back, was
+      balanced on her neck with an air at once dignified and easy. Her dress
+      well suited the character of her figure: it was entirely of black, covered
+      with a profusion of deep lace,&mdash;the jupe looped up in Andalusian
+      fashion to display the leg, whose symmetry was perfect. Even her costume,
+      however, had something about it too theatrical for my taste; but there was
+      a stamp of firmness, <i>fierté</i> even, in her carriage and her attitude,
+      that at once showed hers was no vulgar desire of being remarkable, but the
+      womanly consciousness of being dressed as became her. She suddenly turned
+      her head around, and we both exclaimed in the same breath, &ldquo;How lovely!&rdquo;
+       Her features were of that brilliant character only seen in Southern blood:
+      eyes large, black, and lustrous, fringed with lashes that threw their
+      shadow on the very cheek; full lips, curled with an air of almost saucy
+      expression; while the rich olive tint of her transparent skin was scarce
+      colored with the pink flush of exercise, and harmonized perfectly with the
+      proud repose of her countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She must be Spanish,&mdash;that's certain,&rdquo; said Duchesne. &ldquo;No one ever
+      saw such an instep come from this side the Pyrenees; and those eyes have
+      got their look of sleepy wickedness from Moorish blood. But here comes one
+      will tell us all about her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This was the Baron de Trève,&mdash;a withered-looking, dried-up old man,
+      rouged to the eyes, and dressed in the extravagance of the last fashion;
+      the high collar of his coat rising nearly to the back of his head, as his
+      deep cravat in front entirely concealed his mouth, and formed a kind of
+      barrier around his features.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Duchesne addressed him, he stopped short, and assuming an attitude of
+      great intended grace, raised his glass slowly to his eye, and looked
+      towards the lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! the señorina. Don't you know <i>her?</i> Why, where have you been, my
+      dear chevalier? Oh! I forgot. You've been in Austria, or Russia, or some
+      barbarous place or other. She is the belle, <i>par excellence</i>; nothing
+      else is talked of in Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But her name? Who is she?&rdquo; said Duchesne, impatiently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie, the daughter of the house,&rdquo; said the
+      baron, completely overcome with astonishment at our ignorance. &ldquo;And you
+      not to know this!&mdash;you, of all men living! Why,&rdquo; he continued,
+      dropping his voice to a lower key, &ldquo;there never was such a fortune. Mines
+      of rubies and emeralds; continents of coffee, rice, and sandal-wood; spice
+      islands and sugar plantations, to make one's mouth water.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By Jove, Baron! you seem somewhat susceptible yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I had my thoughts on the subject,&rdquo; said he, with a half sigh. &ldquo;But, <i>hélas!</i>
+      there are so many ties to be broken! so many tender chains one must snap
+      asunder!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand,&rdquo; said Duchesne, with an air of well-assumed seriousness;
+      &ldquo;the thing was impossible. Now, then, what say you to assist a friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You,&mdash;yourself, do you mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course, Baron; no other.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come this way,&rdquo; said the old man, taking him by the arm, and leading him
+      along to another part of the room, while Duchesne, with a sly look at me,
+      followed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While I stood awaiting his return, my thoughts became fixed on Duchesne
+      himself, of whose character I never felt free from my misgivings. The cold
+      indifference he manifested on ordinary occasions to everything and
+      everybody, I now saw could give way to strong impetuosity; but even this
+      might be assumed also. As I pondered thus, I had not remarked that the
+      dance was concluded; and already the dancers were proceeding towards their
+      seats, when I heard my name uttered beside me,&mdash;&ldquo;Capitaine Burke.&rdquo; I
+      turned; it was the countess herself, leaning on the arm of her daughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to present you to my daughter,&rdquo; said she, with a courteous smile.
+      &ldquo;The college friend and brother officer of your cousin Tascher, Pauline.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The young lady courtesied with an air of cold reserve; I bowed deeply
+      before her; while the countess continued,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We hope to have the pleasure of seeing you frequently during your stay in
+      Paris, when we shall have a better opportunity of making your
+      acquaintance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As I expressed my sense of this politeness, I turned to address a few
+      words to mademoiselle; and requesting to have the honor of dancing with
+      her, she looked at me with an air of surprise, as though not understanding
+      my words, when suddenly the countess interposed,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fear that my daughter's engagements have been made long since; but
+      another night&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will hope&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But before I could say more, the countess addressed another person near
+      her, and mademoiselle, turning her head superciliously away, did not deign
+      me any further attention; so that, abashed and awkward at so unfavorable a
+      <i>début</i> in the gay world, I fell back, and mixed with the crowd.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I did so, I found myself among a group of officers, one of whom was
+      relating an anecdote just then current in Paris, and which I mention
+      merely as illustrating in some measure the habits of the period.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the levée of the Emperor on the morning before, an old general of
+      brigade advanced to pay his respects, when Napoleon observed some drops of
+      rain glistening on the embroidery of his uniform. He immediately turned
+      towards one of his suite, and gave orders to ascertain by what carriage
+      the general had arrived. The answer was, that he had come in a <i>fiacre</i>,&mdash;a
+      hired vehicle, which by the rules of the Court was not admitted within the
+      court of the Tuileries, and thus he was obliged to walk above one hundred
+      yards before he could obtain shelter. The old officer, who knew nothing of
+      the tender solicitude of the Emperor, was confounded with astonishment to
+      observe at his departure a handsome <i>calèche</i> and two splendid horses
+      at his service.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whose carriage is this?&rdquo; said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yours, Monsieur le Général.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the servant, and the horses?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yours, also. His Majesty has graciously been pleased to order them for
+      you; and desires you will remember that the sum of six thousand francs
+      will be deducted from your pay to meet the cost of the equipage which the
+      Emperor deems befitting your rank in the service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is thus,&rdquo; said the narrator, &ldquo;the Emperor would enforce that
+      liberality on others he so eminently displays himself. The spoils of Italy
+      and Austria are destined, not to found a new <i>noblesse</i>, but to
+      enrich the <i>bourgeoisie</i> of this good city of Paris. I say, Edward,
+      is not that Duchesne yonder? I thought he was above patronizing the <i>salons</i>
+      of a mere commissary-general.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You don't know the chevalier,&rdquo; replied the other; &ldquo;no game flies too high
+      or too low for his mark. Depend upon it, he's not here for nothing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If mademoiselle be the object,&rdquo; said a third, &ldquo;I'll swear he shall have
+      no rivalry on my side. By Jove I I 'd rather face a charge of Hulans than
+      speak to her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If thou wert a Marshal of France, Claude, thou wouldst think
+      differently.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I were a Marshal of France,&rdquo; repeated he, with energy, &ldquo;I'd rather
+      marry Minette, the vivandière of ours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And no bad choice either,&rdquo; broke in a large! heavy-looking officer.
+      &ldquo;There is but one objection to such an arrangement.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that, if I might ask&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Simple enough. She would n't have you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The young man endeavored to join in the laugh this speech excited among
+      the rest, though it was evident he felt ill at ease from the ridicule.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A thousand pardons, my dear Burke,&rdquo; said Duchesne, at this moment, as he
+      slipped his arm through mine; &ldquo;but I thought I should have been in need of
+      your services a few minutes ago.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! how?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Move a little aside, and I 'll tell you. I wished to ask mademoiselle to
+      dance, and approached her for the purpose. She was standing with a number
+      of people, all strangers to me, at the doorway yonder,&mdash;Dobretski,
+      that Russian prince, the only man I knew amongst them. A very chilling
+      'Engaged, sir,' was the answer of the lady to my first request. The same
+      reply met my second and third; when the Russian, as if desirous to
+      increase the awkwardness of my position, interposed with, 'And the fourth
+      set mademoiselle dances with me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'In that case,' said I, 'I may fairly claim the fifth.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'On what grounds, sir?' said she, with a look of easy impertinence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'The Emperor's orders, Mademoiselle,' said I, proudly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Indeed, sir! May I ask how and when?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Austerlitz, December 2. The order of four o'clock, dated from Reygern,
+      says, &ldquo;The Imperial Guard will follow closely on the track of the
+      Russians.&rdquo; (Signed) &ldquo;Napoleon.&rdquo;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'In that case, sir,' said she, 'I cannot dispute his Majesty's orders. I
+      shall dance the fifth with you.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the Russian,&mdash;what said he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ma foi!</i> I paid no attention to him; for as mademoiselle moved off
+      with her partner, I strolled away in search of you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      If I was amused at this recital of the chevalier, I could not avoid
+      feeling piqued at the greater success he had than myself; for still the
+      chilling reception I had met with was rankling in my mind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us move away from this quarter,&rdquo; said Duchesne. &ldquo;Here we have got
+      ourselves among a knot of old campaigners, with their stupid stories of
+      Cairo and Acre, Alexandria and the Adige. By Jove! if anything would make
+      me a Legitimist, it is my disgust at those confounded narratives about
+      Kleber and Desaix; the Emperor himself does not despise the time of the
+      Revolution more heartily than I do. Come, there's <i>bouillotte</i>
+      yonder; let us go and win some pieces. I feel I'm in vein; and even to
+      lose would be better than listen to these people. It was only a few
+      minutes ago I was hunted, away from Madame de Muraire by old Berthollet,
+      who is persuading her that her diamonds are but charcoal, and that a
+      necklace is only fit to roast an ortolan. This comes of letting savants
+      into society; decidedly, they had much better taste in the time of the
+      Monarchy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was with some difficulty we succeeded in approaching the <i>bouillotte</i>
+      table, where, to judge from the stakes, very high play was going forward.
+      Duchesne was quickly recognized among the players, who made place for him
+      among them. I soon saw that he was not mistaken in supposing he was in
+      luck; every <i>coup</i> was successful, and, while he continued to win
+      time after time, the heap of gold grew greater, till it covered the part
+      of the table before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Most certainly, Burke,&rdquo; said he, in a whisper, &ldquo;this is a strong turn of
+      Fortune, who, being a woman, won't long be of the same mind. Five thousand
+      francs,&rdquo; cried he, throwing the <i>billet de banque</i> carelessly before
+      him, while he turned to resume what he was saying to me. &ldquo;Were I in action
+      now, I 'd win the <i>bâton de maréchal</i>. I feel it; there's an innate
+      sense of luck when it means to be steady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Chevalier Duchesne! the Chevalier Duchesne!&rdquo; was repeated from voice
+      to voice, outside the circle; &ldquo;Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie is waiting to
+      waltz with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A thousand pardons,&rdquo; said he, rising. &ldquo;Burke, continue my game, while I
+      try if I can't push fortune the whole way.&rdquo; So saying, and without
+      listening to my excuses about ignorance of play, he pressed me into his
+      seat, and pushed his way through the crowd to join the dancers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was only when the players asked me if I intended to go on that I was
+      aware of the position in which I found myself. I knew little more of the
+      game than I had learned in looking over the table; but I was aware of the
+      strict etiquette in all the play of society, which enjoins a revenge to
+      every loser, so that I continued to bet and stake for Duchesne as I had
+      seen him do already,&mdash;not, however, with such fortune. He had
+      scarcely left the table when luck changed; and now I saw his riches
+      decreasing even more rapidly than they had been accumulated. At last,
+      after a long run of ill fortune, when I had staked a very large sum on the
+      board, just as the banker was about to begin, I changed my mind and
+      withdrew half of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&mdash;let it stay,&rdquo; whispered a voice in my ear; &ldquo;the sooner this
+      is over the better.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I turned. It was Duchesne himself, who for some time had been seated
+      behind my chair and looking on at the game.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fleeting as was the glance I had of his features, I fancied they were
+      somewhat paler than usual. Could this be from the turn of fortune? But no.
+      I watched him now, and I perceived that he never even looked at the game.
+      At last, I staked all that remained in one <i>coup</i>, and lost; when,
+      drawing forth my own purse, I was about to make another bet,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, Burke,&rdquo; whispered he in my ear; &ldquo;I was only waiting for this
+      moment. Let us come away now. I rise as I sat down, Messieurs,&rdquo; he said,
+      gayly; while he added, in a lower tone, &ldquo;Sauf l'honneur.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you had enough of gayety for one night?&rdquo; said he, as he drew my arm
+      within his. &ldquo;Shall we turn home wards?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Willingly,&rdquo; said I; for somehow I felt chagrined and vexed at my
+      ill-luck, and was angry with myself for playing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come along, then; this door will bring us to the stairs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As we passed along hastily through the crowd, I saw that a young officer
+      in a hussar uniform whispered something in Duchesne's ear; to which he
+      quickly replied, &ldquo;Certainly.&rdquo; And as he spoke again in the same low tone,
+      Duchesne answered, &ldquo;Agreed, sir,&rdquo; with a courteous smile, and a look of
+      much pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, Burke,&rdquo; said he, turning to me, &ldquo;these are about the most splendid
+      <i>salons</i> in Paris; I think I never saw more perfect taste. I
+      certainly must thank you for being my chaperon here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You forget, Duchesne, the Duchesse de Montserrat, it seems,&rdquo; said I,
+      laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By Jove, and so I had!&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;Yet the initiative lay with you; how
+      the termination may be is another matter,&rdquo; added he, in a mumbling voice,
+      not intended to be heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At all events,&rdquo; said I, puzzled what to say, and feeling I should say
+      something, &ldquo;I am happy your Russian friend took no notice of your speech.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why?&rdquo; said he, with a peculiar smile,&mdash;&ldquo;and why?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I abhor a duel, in the first place.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, my dear boy, that speech smacks much more of the École de Jésuites
+      than of St. Cyr. Don't let any one less your friend than I am hear you say
+      so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I care not who may hear it. Necessity may make me meet an adversary in
+      single combat; but as to acting the cold-blooded part of a bystander&mdash;as
+      to being the witness of my friend's crime, or his own death&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come; when you exchange the dolman for an alb I 'll listen to this
+      from you, if I can listen to it from any one. But happily, now we have no
+      time for more morality, for here comes the carriage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Chatting pleasantly about the soirée and its company, we rolled along
+      towards our quarters, and parted with a cordial shake of the hand for the
+      night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XI. A SALLE DE POLICE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      When I entered the breakfast-room the following morning, I found Duchesne
+      stretched before the fire in an easy-chair, busily engaged in reading the
+      &ldquo;Moniteur&rdquo; of that day, where a long list of imperial <i>ordonnances</i>
+      filled nearly three columns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here have I been,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;conning over this catalogue of princely
+      favor these twenty minutes, and yet cannot discern one word of our
+      well-beloved cousins Captains Burke and Duchesne. And yet there seems to
+      be a hailstorm of promotions. Some of them have got grand duchies; some
+      principalities; some have the cross of the Legion; and here, by Jove! are
+      some endowed with wives. Now that his Majesty has taken to christening and
+      marrying, I suppose we shall soon see him administering all the succors of
+      Holy Church. Have you much interest in hearing that Talleyrand is to be
+      called Prince of Benevente, and Murat is now Grand-Duke of Berg,&mdash;that
+      Sebastiani is to be married to Mademoiselle de Coigny, and Monsieur
+      Decazes, <i>fils de</i> M. Decazes, has taken some one else to wife? Oh
+      dear, oh dear! It's all very tiresome, and not even the fête of Saint
+      Napoleon&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of whom?&rdquo; said I, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Saint Napoleon, <i>parbleu!</i> It's no joking matter, I assure you. Here
+      is the letter of the cardinal legate to the arch-bishops and bishops of
+      France, commanding that the first Sunday in the August of each year should
+      be set apart to celebrate his saintship, with an account of the
+      processions to take place, and various plenary indulgences to the pious
+      who shall present themselves on the occasion. Fouché could tell you the
+      names of some people who bled freely to get rid of all this trumpery; and,
+      in good sooth, it's rather hard, if we could not endure Saint Louis, to be
+      obliged to tolerate Saint Napoleon,&mdash;saints, like Bordeaux wine,
+      being all the more palatable when they have age to mellow them. I could
+      forgive anything, however, but this system of forced marriages; it smacks
+      too much of old Frederick for my taste. And one cannot always have the
+      luck of your friend General d'Auvergne.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I felt my cheek grow burning hot at the words. Duchesne did not notice my
+      confusion, but continued,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet, of all the ill-assorted unions for which his sainted Majesty
+      will have to account hereafter, that was unquestionably the most
+      extraordinary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I have heard, and I believe too, that the marriage was not of the
+      Emperor's making; it was purely a matter of liking.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, Burke,&rdquo; said he, laughing, &ldquo;you will not tell me that the
+      handsomest girl at the Court, with a large dowry, an ancient name, and
+      every advantage of position, marries an old weather-beaten soldier&mdash;the
+      senior officer of her own father once&mdash;of her own free will and
+      choice. The thing is absurd. No, no; these are the Imperial recompenses,
+      when grand duchies are scarce and confiscations few. The Emperor does not
+      travel for nothing. He brought back with him from Egypt something besides
+      his Mameluke Guard: that clever trick the pachas have of providing a
+      favorite with an ex-sultana. There, there! don't look so angrily. We shall
+      both be marshals of France one of these days, and that may reconcile one
+      to a great deal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are determined to owe nothing of your promotion to a blind devotion
+      to Napoleon,&mdash;that's certain,&rdquo; said I, annoyed at the tone of
+      insolent disparagement in which he spoke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right,&mdash;perfectly right there,&rdquo; replied he, in a quiet tone
+      of voice. &ldquo;No man would rather hug himself up in an illusion, if he could
+      but make it minister to his pleasure or his enjoyment; but when it does
+      neither,&mdash;when the material is so flimsy as to be seen through at
+      every minute,&mdash;I throw it from me as a worthless garment, unfit to
+      wear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can you, then, deem Napoleon's glory such?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course, to me it is. How am I a sharer in his triumphs, save as the
+      charger that marches in the cavalcade? You don't perceive that I, as the
+      descendant of an old Loyalist family, would have fared far better with the
+      Bourbons, from reasons of blood and kindred; and a hundred times better
+      with the Jacobins, from very recklessness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How then came it&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will spare you the question. I liked neither emigration nor the
+      guillotine, and preferred the slow suffering of ennui to the quick death
+      of the scaffold. There has been but one career in France for many a day
+      past. I adopted it as much from necessity as choice; I followed it more
+      from habit than either.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you cannot be insensible to the greatness of your country, nor her
+      success in arms.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor am I; but these things are a small ingredient in patriotism. You, the
+      stranger, share with us all our triumphs in the field. But the inherent
+      features of a nation,&mdash;the distinctive traits of which every son of
+      the soil feels proud,&mdash;where are they now? What is France to me more
+      than to you? One half my kindred are exiled; of those who remain, many
+      regard me as a renegade. Their properties confiscated, themselves
+      suspected, what tie binds them to this country? You are not more an alien
+      here than I am.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet, Duchesne, you shed your blood freely for this same cause you
+      condemn. You charged the Pratzen, some days ago, with four squadrons,
+      against a whole column of Russian cavalry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, and would again to-morrow, boy. Had you been a gambler, I need n't
+      have told you that it is the game, not the stake, that interests the real
+      gamester. But come, do not fancy I want to make you a convert to these
+      tiresome theories of mine. What say you to the pretty Mademoiselle
+      Pauline? Did you admire her much?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is unquestionably very handsome; but, if I must confess it, her
+      manner towards me was too ungracious to make me loud in her praise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I like that, I vow,&rdquo; said Duchesne; &ldquo;that saucy air has an indescribable
+      charm for me. I don't know if it is not the very thing which pleases me
+      most about her. She has been spoiled by flattery and admiration; for her
+      beauty and her fortune are prizes in the great wheel. And that she is
+      aware of the fact is nothing wonderful, considering that she hears it
+      repeated every evening of her life, by every-rank in the service, from a
+      marshal of France down to&mdash;a captain in the <i>chasseurs à cheval</i>,&rdquo;
+       said he, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who, probably, was one of the last to tell her so,&rdquo; said I, looking at
+      him slyly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What have we here?&rdquo; said he, suddenly, without paying any attention to my
+      remark, as he again took up the &ldquo;Moniteur.&rdquo; &ldquo;'It is rumored that the
+      Russian Prince, Drobretski, was dangerously wounded this morning in an
+      affair of honor. The names of the other party and the seconds are still
+      unknown; but the efforts of the police, stimulated by the express command
+      of the Emperor, will, it is to be hoped, succeed in discovering them ere
+      long.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is not that the name of your Russian friend of last night, Duchesne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes. And the same person, too, formerly Russian minister at Madrid, and
+      latterly residing on his parole at Paris,&rdquo; continued he, reading from the
+      paper. &ldquo;'The very decided part his Majesty has taken against the practice
+      of duelling is strengthened on this occasion by a recent order of council
+      respecting the prisoners on parole.' <i>Diable!</i> Burke, what a
+      scrupulous turn Napoleon seems to have taken in regard to these Cossacks!
+      And here follows a long list of witnesses who have seen nothing, and
+      suspicious circumstances that occur every morning in the week without
+      remark. After all, I don't think the Empire has advanced us much on the
+      score of police,&mdash;the same threadbare jests, the same old practical
+      jokes, amused the <i>bourgeoisie</i> in the time of Louis the Fourteenth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don't clearly understand your meaning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is simply this,&mdash;that every Government of France, from Pepin
+      downwards, has understood the value of throwing public interest, from time
+      to time, on a false scent, and to this end has maintained a police. Now,
+      if for any cause his Majesty thought proper to incarcerate that Russian
+      prince in the Temple or La Force, the affair would cause a tremendous
+      sensation in Paris, and soon would ring over the whole of Germany and the
+      rest of Europe, with every variation of despotism, tyranny, and all that,
+      attached to it, long before any advantages to be derived from the step
+      could be realized. Whereas see the effect of an opposite policy. By this
+      report of a duel, for instance,&mdash;I don't mean to assert it false,
+      here,&mdash;the whole object is attained, and an admirable subject of
+      Imperial praise obtained into the bargain. Governments have learned wisdom
+      from the cuttlefish, and can muddy the water on their enemies at the
+      moment of danger. I should not be surprised if the affairs of the Bank
+      looked badly this morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is evident, then, you disbelieve the whole statement about the duel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear friend,&rdquo; said he, smiling, &ldquo;who is there in all Paris, from
+      Montmartre to St. Denis, believes, or disbelieves, any one thing in the
+      times we live in? Have we not trusted so implicitly for years past to the
+      light of our reason that we have actually injured our eyesight with ils
+      brilliancy. Little reproach, indeed, to our minds, when our very senses
+      seem to mislead us; when one sees the people who enter the Tuileries now
+      with embroidered coats, who in our father's days never came nearer to it
+      than the Place de Carrousel. <i>Hélas!</i> it's no time for incredulity,
+      that's certain. But to conclude,&rdquo; said he, turning to the paper once more:
+      &ldquo;'The <i>commissaires de police</i> throughout Paris have received orders
+      to spare no effort to unravel the mystery and detect the other parties in
+      this unhappy affair.' Military tribunal; prisoners on parole; rights of
+      hospitality; honor of France; and the old peroration,&mdash;the usual
+      compliment on the wisdom which presides over every department of state.
+      How weary I do become of all this! Let your barber puff his dye for the
+      whiskers, or your bootmaker the incomparable effulgence of his blacking,&mdash;the
+      thing is in keeping, no one objects to it. I don't find fault with my old
+      friend, Pigault Lebrun, if he now and then plays the critic on himself,
+      and shows the world the beauties they neglectfully slurred over. But,
+      Burke, have you ever seen a <i>bureau de police?</i>&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never; and I have the greatest curiosity to do so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, then, I 'll be your guide. The <i>commissaire</i> of this quarter
+      has a very extended jurisdiction, stretching away towards the Bois de
+      Boulogne, and if there be anything in this report, he is certain to know
+      it; and assuredly, no other topic will be talked of till to-morrow
+      evening, for it's not Opera night, and Talma does not play either.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I willingly accepted this proposition; and when our breakfast was over, we
+      mounted our horses, and set out for the place in question.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If the forms of justice where we are now going,&rdquo; said Duchesne, &ldquo;be
+      divested of much of their pomp and ceremony, be assured of one thing,&mdash;it
+      is not at the expense of the more material essence. Of all the police
+      tribunals about Paris, this obscure den in the Bue de Dix Sous is the most
+      effective. Situated in a quarter where crime is as rife as fever in the
+      Pontine Marshes, it has become acquainted with the haunts and habits of
+      the lowest class in Paris,&mdash;the lowest class, probably, in any city
+      of Europe. Watching with parental solicitude, it tracks the criminal from
+      his first step in vice to his last deed in crime; from his petty theft to
+      his murder. Knowing the necessities to which poverty impels men, and
+      studying with attention the impulses that grow up amid despair and hunger,
+      it sees motives through a mist of intervening circumstances that would
+      baffle less subtle observers, and can trace the tortuous windings of crime
+      where no other sight could find the clew. Is it not strange to think with
+      what ingenuity men will investigate the minute anatomy of vice, and how
+      little they will do to apply this knowledge to its remedy? Like the
+      surgeon, enamored of his operating skill, he would rather exhibit his
+      dexterity in the amputation, than his science in the saving, of the limb.
+      Such is the bureau of the police in the poorer quarters. In the more
+      fashionable ones it takes a higher flight; amusing the world with its
+      scenes, alternately humorous and pathetic, it forms a kind of feature in
+      the literature of the period, and is the only reading of thousands. In
+      these places the <i>commissaire</i> is usually a <i>bon vivant</i> and a
+      wit; despising the miserable function of administering the law, he takes
+      his seat upon the bench to cap jokes with the witnesses, puzzle the
+      complainant, and embarrass the prisoner. To the reporters alone is he
+      civil; and in return, his poor witticisms appear in the morning papers,
+      with the usual 'loud laughter' that never existed save in type.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As we thus chatted, we entered a quarter of dirty and narrow streets,
+      inhabited by a poor-looking, squalid population. The women, with little to
+      mark their sex in their coarse, heavy countenances, wore colored kerchiefs
+      on their heads in lieu of a cap, and were for the most part without shoes
+      or stockings. The men, a brutalized, stupid race, sat smoking in the
+      doorways, scarcely lifting their eyes as we passed; or some were eating a
+      coarse morsel of black rye bread, which, by their eagerness in devouring
+      it, seemed an unusual delicacy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You scarcely believed there was such poverty in Paris,&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;but
+      this is by no means the worst of the quarter. Though M. de Champagny, in
+      his late report, makes no mention of these 'signs of prosperity,' we are
+      now entering the region where, even in noonday, the passage is deemed
+      perilous; but the number of police agents on duty to-day will make the
+      journey a safe one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The street we entered at the moment consisted of a mass of tall houses,
+      almost falling from decay and neglect,&mdash;scarcely a window remained in
+      many of them; while in front, a row of miserable booths, formed of rude
+      planks, narrowed the passage to a mere path, scarce wide enough for three
+      people abreast. There, vice of every description, and drunkenness, waited
+      not for the dark hours to shroud them, but came forth in the sunlight,&mdash;the
+      ruffian shouts of intoxication mingling with the almost maniacal laugh of
+      misery or the reckless chorus of some degrading song. Half-naked wretches
+      leaned from the windows as we passed along,&mdash;some staring in stupid
+      wonderment at our appearance; others saluting us with mockery and grimace,
+      or even calling out to us in the slang dialect of the place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Duchesne, as he saw the expression of horror and disgust the
+      scene impressed on me, &ldquo;here are the rotting seeds of revolutions
+      putrefying, to germinate at some future day. Starvation and vice, misery,
+      even to despair, inhabit every den around you. The furious and
+      bloodthirsty wretch of '92, the Chouan, the Jacobite, the escaped
+      galley-slave, the untaken murderer, are here side by side,&mdash;crime
+      their great bond of union. To this place men come for an assassin or a
+      false witness, as to a market. Such are the wrecks the retiring waves of a
+      Revolution have left us. So long as the trade of blood lasted, openly,
+      like vultures, they fattened on it; but once the reign of order restored,
+      they were driven to murder and outrage as a livelihood.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While he was speaking, we approached a narrow arched passage, within which
+      a flight of stone steps arose. &ldquo;We dismount here,&rdquo; said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the same moment a group of ragged creatures, of every age, surrounded
+      us to hold our horses, not noticing the orderly who rode at some distance
+      behind us. I followed Duchesne up the steps, and along a gloomy corridor,
+      to a little courtyard, where several dismounted gendarmes were standing in
+      a circle, chatting. Passing through this, we entered a dirty, mean-looking
+      house, around the door of which several people were collected, some of
+      whom saluted the chevalier as he came up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who are these fellows?&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;They seem to know you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! nothing but the common police spies,&rdquo; said he, carelessly; &ldquo;the
+      fellows who lounge about the cabarets and the low gambling-houses. But
+      here comes one of higher mark.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, he laid his hand on the arm of a tall, powerful-looking man,
+      in a blouse; he wore immense whiskers, and a great beard, descending far
+      below his chin. &ldquo;Ah! Bocquin, what have we got going forward to-day? I
+      came to show a young friend here the interior of your <i>salle</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur le Capitaine, your most obedient,&rdquo; said the man, in a deep
+      voice, as he removed his casquette, and bowed ceremoniously to us; &ldquo;and
+      yours also, Monsieur,&rdquo; added he, turning to me. &ldquo;Why, there is nothing to
+      speak of, save that duel, Capitaine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, Bocquin; no nonsense with me. What was that story got up
+      for?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! you mistake there,&rdquo; said Bocquin. &ldquo;By Jove! there's a man badly
+      wounded, shot through the neck, and no one to tell a word about it. No
+      seconds present, the thing done quite privately; the wounded man left at
+      his own door, and the other off,&mdash;Heaven knows where.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you believe this tale, Bocquin?&rdquo; said Duchesne, superciliously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Believe it!&mdash;that I do. I have been to see the place where the man
+      lay; and by tracking the wheel marks, I have discovered they came from the
+      Champs Élysées. The cabriolet, too, was a private one; no <i>fiacre</i>
+      has got so narrow a tire to the wheel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Closely followed up,&mdash;eh, Burke?&rdquo; said the chevalier, turning
+      towards me with a smile of admiration at his sagacity. &ldquo;Go on, Bocquin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I followed the scent to the Barrière de l'Étoile, where I learned
+      that one cabriolet passed towards the Bois de Boulogne, and returned in
+      about half an hour. As the pace was a sharp one, I guessed they could not
+      have gone far, and so I turned into the wood at the first road to the
+      right, where there is least recourse of people; and, by Jove! I was all
+      correct. There, in a small open space between the trees, I saw the marks
+      of recent footsteps, and a little farther on found the grass all covered
+      with blood.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur Bocquin! Monsieur Bocquin! the <i>commissaire</i> wants you,&rdquo;
+       cried a voice from the landing of the stair; and with an apology for
+      leaving thus suddenly, he turned away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We followed, however, curious to hear the remainder of this singular
+      history; and, after some difficulty, succeeded in gaining admittance to a
+      small room, now densely crowded with people, the most of whom were of the
+      very lowest class. The <i>commissaire</i> speedily made place for us
+      beside him on the bench; for, like every one else in a conspicuous
+      position, he also was an acquaintance of Duchesne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While the <i>commissaire</i> conversed with Bocquin in a low tone, we had
+      time to observe the <i>salle</i> and its occupants. Except the witnesses,
+      two or three of whom were respectable persons, they were the
+      squalid-looking, ragged wretches of the quarter, listening with the greedy
+      appetite of crime to any tale of bloodshed. The surgeon, who had just
+      returned from visiting the wounded man, was waiting to be examined. To him
+      now the <i>commissaire</i> directed his attention. It appeared that the
+      wound was by no means of the dangerous character described, being merely
+      through the fleshy portion of the neck, without injuring any part of
+      importance. Having described circumstantially the extent of the injury and
+      its probable cause, he replied to a question of the <i>commissaire</i>,
+      that no entreaty could persuade the wounded man to give any explanation of
+      the occurrence, nor mention the name of his adversary. Duchesne paid
+      little apparent attention to the evidence, and before it was concluded,
+      asked me if I were satisfied with my police experience, and disposed to
+      move away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just at this moment there was a stir among the people round the door, and
+      we heard the officers of the court cry out, &ldquo;Room! make way there!&rdquo; and
+      the same moment General Duroc entered, accompanied by an aide-de-camp. He
+      had been sent specially by the Emperor to ascertain what progress the
+      investigation had made. His Majesty had determined to push the inquiry to
+      its utmost limits. The general appeared dissatisfied with the little
+      prospect there appeared of elucidation; and turning to Duchesne, remarked,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is peculiarly ill-timed just now, as negotiations are pending with
+      Russia, and the prince's family are about the person of the Czar.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But as the wound would seem of little consequence, in a few days perhaps
+      the whole thing may blow over,&rdquo; said Duchesne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is for that very reason,&rdquo; replied Duroc, earnestly, &ldquo;that we are
+      pressed for time. The object is to mark the sentiments of his Majesty <i>now</i>.
+      Should the prince be once pronounced out of danger, it will be too late
+      for sympathy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I perceive,&rdquo; said Duchesne, smiling; &ldquo;your observation is most just.
+      If my friend here, however, cannot put you on the track, I fear you have
+      little to hope for elsewhere.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am aware of that; and Monsieur Cauchois knows the great reliance his
+      Majesty reposes in his skill and activity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Monsieur Cauchois, the <i>commissaire</i>, bowed with a most respectful
+      air at the compliment, probably of all others the highest that could be
+      paid him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A brilliant soirée we had last evening, Duchesne,&rdquo; said the general. &ldquo;I
+      hope this unhappy affair will not close that house at present; you are
+      aware the prince is the suitor of mademoiselle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I only suspected as much,&rdquo; said the chevalier, with a peculiar smile; &ldquo;it
+      was my first evening there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As General Duroc addressed a few words in a low tone to the <i>commissaire</i>,
+      the man called Bocquin approached the bench, and handed up a small slip of
+      paper to Duchesne. The chevalier opened it, and having thrown his eyes
+      over it, passed it into my hand. All I could see were two words, written
+      coarsely with the pencil,&mdash;&ldquo;How much?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The chevalier turned the back of the paper, and wrote, &ldquo;Fifty napoleons.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On reading which the large man tore the scrap, and nodding slightly with
+      his head, sauntered from the room. We rose a few moments after, and having
+      taken a formal leave of the general and the <i>commissaire</i>, proceeded
+      towards the street, where we had left our horses. As we passed along the
+      corridor, however, we found Bocquin awaiting us. He opened a door into a
+      small, mean-looking apartment, of which he appeared the owner. Having
+      ushered us in, and cautiously closed it behind him, he drew from his
+      pocket a piece of cloth, to which a button and a piece of gold embroidery
+      were attached.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your jacket would be spoiled without this morsel, Captain,&rdquo; said he,
+      laughing, in a low, dry laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So it would, Bocquin,&rdquo; said Duchesne, examining his coat, which I now
+      perceived was torn on the shoulder, and a small piece&mdash;the exact one
+      in his hand&mdash;wanting, but which had escaped my attention from the
+      mass of gold lace and embroidery with which it was covered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know, Bocquin,&rdquo; said Duchesne, in a tone much graver than he had
+      used before, &ldquo;I never noticed that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i> I believe you,&rdquo; said he, laughing; &ldquo;nor did I, till you
+      sat on the bench, when I was so pleased with your coolness, I could not
+      for the life of me interrupt you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you got any money, Burke?&rdquo; said the chevalier; &ldquo;some twenty gold
+      pieces&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, Captain,&rdquo; said Bocquin, &ldquo;not now; another time. I must call upon
+      you one of these mornings about another affair, and it will be time enough
+      then.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you please, Bocquin,&rdquo; said the chevalier, putting up his purse again;
+      &ldquo;and so, till we meet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Till we meet, gentlemen,&rdquo; replied the other, as he bowed us respectfully
+      to the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You seem to have but a very faint comprehension of all this, Burke,&rdquo; said
+      Duchesne, as he took my arm; &ldquo;you look confoundedly puzzled, I must say.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I didn't, I should be an admirable actor, that's all,&rdquo; said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, I think the thing is plain enough, in all conscience; Bocquin found
+      that piece of my jacket on the ground, and, of course, the affair was in
+      his hands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, do you mean to say&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That I shot Monsieur le Prince this morning, at a quarter past seven
+      o'clock, and felt devilish uncomfortable about it till the last ten
+      minutes, my boy. If I did not confide the matter to you before, it was
+      because that until all chance of detection was passed, I could not expose
+      you to the risk of an examination before the <i>préfet de police</i>.
+      Happily, now these dangers are all over. Bocquin is too clever a fellow
+      not to throw all the other spies on a wrong scent, so that we need have no
+      fear of the result.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I could scarcely credit the evidence of my senses at the coolness and
+      duplicity of the chevalier throughout an affair of such imminent risk, nor
+      was I less astonished at the account he gave of the whole proceeding.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One word, on leaving the soirée, had decided there should be a meeting the
+      following day; and as the Russian well knew the danger of his adventure,
+      from the law which was recently passed regarding prisoners on parole, he
+      proposed they should meet without seconds on either side. Duchesne
+      acceded; and it was arranged that the chevalier should drive along the Bue
+      de Rivoli at seven the next morning, where the Russian would join him, and
+      they should drive together to the Bois de Boulogne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To do my Cossack justice,&rdquo; said Duchesne, &ldquo;he behaved admirably
+      throughout the whole affair; and on taking his place beside me in the cab,
+      entered into conversation freely and easily on the topics of the day. We
+      chatted of the campaign; of the cavalry; of the Russian service,&mdash;their
+      size and equipment, only needing a higher organization to make them
+      first-rate troops. We spoke of the Emperor Alexander, of whom he was
+      evidently proud, and much pleased to hear the favorable opinion Napoleon
+      entertained of his ability and capacity; and it was in the middle of an
+      anecdote about Savary and the Czar we arrived at the Bois de Boulogne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I need not tell you the details of the affair, save that we loaded our
+      own pistols, and stepped the ground ourselves. They were like other things
+      of the same sort,&mdash;the first shot concluded the matter. I aimed at
+      his shoulder, but the pistol threw high. As to his bullet, it was only
+      awhile ago I knew it went so near me. It was nervous work passing the <i>barrière</i>;
+      for had he not made an effort to sit up straight in the cab, the sentry
+      might have detained and examined us. All that you heard about his being
+      left at his own door, covered with blood and fainting, I need not tell you
+      has no truth. I never left the spot till the door was opened, and I saw
+      him in the hands of a servant. Of course I concealed my face, and then
+      drove off at full speed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time we arrived at the Luxembourg, and Duchesne, with all the
+      coolness in the world, joined a knot of persons engaged in discussing the
+      duel, and endeavoring, by sundry clever and ingenious explanations, to
+      account for the circumstance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I sauntered along to my quarters, I pondered over the adventure and the
+      character of the chevalier; and however I might turn the matter in my
+      mind, one thought was ever uppermost,&mdash;a sincere wish that I had not
+      been made his confidant in the secret.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XII. THE RETURN OF THE WOUNDED
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      A few mornings after this occurrence, when, as Duchesne himself
+      prophesied, all memory of it was completely forgotten, the <i>ordre du
+      jour</i> from the Tuileries commanded all the troops then garrisoned in
+      Paris to be under arms at an early hour in the Champs Élysées, when the
+      Emperor would pass them in review. The spectacle had, however, another
+      object, which was not generally known. The convoys of the wounded from
+      Austerlitz were that same day to arrive at Paris, and the display of
+      troops was intended at once to honor this <i>entrée</i>, and give to the
+      sad procession of the maimed and dying the semblance of a triumph. Such
+      were the artful devices which ever ministered to the deceit of the nation,
+      and suffered them to look on but one side of their glory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I anticipated, the chevalier was greatly out of temper at the whole of
+      this proceeding. He detested nothing more than those military displays
+      which are got up for the populace; he despised the exhibition of troops to
+      the vulgar and unmeaning criticism of tailors and barbers; and, more than
+      all, he shrank from the companionship of the National Guard of Paris,&mdash;those
+      shop-keeping soldiers, with their umbrellas and spectacles, who figured
+      with such pride on these occasions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Another affair like this,&rdquo; said he, passionately, &ldquo;and I'd resign my
+      commission. A procession at the Porte St. Martin,&mdash;the <i>boeuf gras</i>
+      on Easter Monday,&mdash;I'm your man for either: but to sit bolt upright
+      on your saddle for three, maybe four hours; to be stared at by every <i>bourgeois</i>
+      from the Rue du Bac; to be pointed at with pink parasols and compared with
+      some ribbon-vender of the Boulevards,&mdash;<i>par Saint Louis!</i> I
+      can't even bear to think of it! Look yonder,&rdquo; said he, pointing to the
+      court of the Palace, where already a regiment was drawn up under arms, and
+      passing in inspection before the colonel; &ldquo;there begins the
+      dress-rehearsal already. His Majesty says mid-day; the generals of
+      division draw out their men at eleven o'clock; the colonels take a look at
+      their corps at ten; the <i>chefs de bataillon</i> at nine; and, <i>parbleu!</i>the
+      corporals are at work by daybreak. Then, what confounded drilling and
+      dressing up, as if Napoleon could detect the slightest waving of the line
+      over two leagues of ground; while you see the luckless adjutants flying
+      hither and thither, cursing, imprecating, and threatening, and hastily
+      reiterating at the head of each company, 'Remember, men, be sure to
+      remember, that when the drums beat to arms, you shout &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo;'
+      Rely upon it, Burke, if we had but one half of these preparations before a
+      battle, we 'd not be the dangerous fellows those Russians and Austrians
+      think us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;you shall not persuade me that the soldiers feel no
+      pride on these occasions. The same men who fight so valiantly for their
+      Emperor&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stop there, I beg of you,&rdquo; said he, bursting into a fit of laughter. &ldquo;I
+      must really cry halt now. So long as you live, my dear friend, let nothing
+      induce you to repeat that worn cant, 'Fight for their Emperor!' Why, they
+      fought as bravely for Turenne, and Villars, and Maréchal Saxe; they were
+      as full of courage under Moreau, and Kleber, and Desaix, and Hoche; ay,
+      and will be again when the Emperor is no more, and Heaven knows who stands
+      in his place. The genius of a French army is fighting, not for gain, nor
+      plunder, nor even for glory, so much as for fighting itself; and he is the
+      best man who gives them most of it. What reduced the reckless hordes of
+      the Revolution to habits of discipline and obedience but the warlike
+      spirit of their leaders, whose bravery they respected? And think you
+      Napoleon himself does not feel this in his heart, and know the necessity
+      of continual war to feed the insatiable appetite of his followers? In a
+      word, my friend,&rdquo; added he, in a tone of mock solemnity, &ldquo;we are a great
+      people; and Nature intended us to be so by giving us a language in which
+      <i>Gloire</i> rhymes with <i>Victoire</i>. And now for the march, for I
+      fancy we are late enough already.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      There are few sources of annoyance more poignant than to discover any
+      illusion we have long indulged in assailed by the sneers and sarcasms of
+      another, who assumes a tone of superior wisdom on the faith of a
+      difference of opinion. The mass of our likings and dislikings find their
+      way into our heart more from impulse than reason, and when attacked are
+      scarcely defensible by any effort of the understanding. This very fact
+      renders us more painfully alive to their preservation, and we shrink
+      instinctively from any discussion of them. While such is the case, we feel
+      more bitterly the cruelty of him who, out of mere wantonness, can sport
+      with the sources of our happiness, and assail the hidden stores of so many
+      of our pleasures; for unhappily the mockery once listened to lies
+      associated with the idea forever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Already had Duchesne stripped me of more than one delusion, and made me
+      feel that I was but indulging in a deceptive happiness in my dream of
+      life; and often did I regret that I ever knew him. It is not enough to
+      feel the sophistry of one's adversary, you should be able to detect and
+      expose it, otherwise the triumphant tone he assumes gives him an air of
+      victory which ends by imposing on yourself. And of this I now felt
+      convinced in my own case.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These thoughts rendered me silent as we wended our way towards the
+      Tuileries, where the various officers of the staff and the <i>corps
+      d'élite</i> were assembled. Here we found several of the marshals in
+      waiting for the Emperor, while the Mameluke Guard, in all the splendor of
+      its gay equipments, stood around the great entrance to the Palace. Many
+      handsome equipages were also there; one, conspicuous above the rest for
+      its livery of white and gold, with four outriders, belonged to Madame
+      Murat, the Grand-Duchess of Berg, whose taste for splendor and show
+      extended to every department of her household.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last there was a movement in those nearest the Palace; the drums beat
+      to arms, the guard within the vestibule presented, and the Emperor
+      appeared, followed by a brilliant staff. He stood for a few seconds on the
+      steps, his hands clasped behind his back, and his head a little bent
+      forwards as if in thought; then, drawing himself up, he looked with a gaze
+      of proud composure on the crowd that filled the court of the Palace, and
+      where now all was silent and still. Never before had I remarked the same
+      imperious expression of his features; but as his eye ranged over the
+      brilliant array, now I could read the innate consciousness of superiority
+      in which he excelled. Ney, Murat, Victor, Bessières,&mdash;how little
+      seemed they all before that mighty genius, whose glory they but reflected!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Oh, how lightly then did I deem the mocking jests of Duchesne, or all that
+      his sarcasm could invent! There stood the conqueror of Italy and Egypt,
+      the victor of Marengo and Austerlitz, looking every inch a monarch and a
+      soldier. Whether from thoughtless inattention or studied affectation I
+      cannot say, but at that moment, when all stood in respectful silence
+      before the Emperor, Duchesne had approached the grille of the Palace, next
+      to the Place du Carrousel, and was busily chatting with a pretty-looking
+      girl, who, with a number of others, sat in a hired calèche. A hearty burst
+      of laughter at something he said rang through the court, and turned every
+      eye in that direction. In an instant the Emperor's eagle glance pierced
+      the distance, and fastened on the chevalier, who, seated carelessly on one
+      side of his saddle, paid no attention to what was going forward; when
+      suddenly an aide-de-camp touched him on the arm, and said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur le Capitaine Duchesne, his Majesty the Emperor would speak with
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Duchesne turned; a faint, a very faint flush, covered his cheek, and
+      putting spurs to his horse, he galloped up to the front of the terrace,
+      where the Emperor was standing. From the distance at which I stood, to
+      hear what passed was impossible; but I watched with a most painful
+      interest the scene before me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Emperor's attitude was unchanged as the chevalier rode up; and when
+      Duchesne himself seemed to listen with a respectful manner to the words of
+      his Majesty, I could see by his easy bearing that his self-possession had
+      never deserted him. The interview lasted not many minutes, when the
+      Emperor waved his hand haughtily; and the chevalier, saluting with his
+      sabre, backed his horse some paces, and then, wheeling round, rapidly
+      galloped towards the gate, through which he passed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This evening, then, Mademoiselle,&rdquo; said he, with a smile, &ldquo;I hope to have
+      the honor.&rdquo; And, with a courteous bow, rode on towards the archway opening
+      on the quay.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What has happened?&rdquo; said I, eagerly, to the officer at my side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He shook his head as if doubtful, and half fearing even to whisper at the
+      moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His privilege of the <i>élite</i> is withdrawn, sir,&rdquo; said an old general
+      officer. &ldquo;He must leave Paris to join his regiment in twenty-four hours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor fellow!&rdquo; muttered I, half aloud, when a savage frown from the
+      veteran officer corrected my words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, sir!&rdquo; said he, in a low voice, where every word was thickened to a
+      guttural sound&mdash;&ldquo;what, sir! is the court of the Tuileries no more
+      than a canteen or a bivouac? <i>Pardieu!</i> if it was not for his laced
+      jacket he had been degraded to the ranks; ay, and deserved it too!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The coarse accents and underbred tone of the speaker showed me at once
+      that it was one of the old generals of the Republican army, who never
+      could endure the descendants of aristocratic families in the service, and
+      who were too willing always to attribute to insolence and premeditated
+      affront even the slightest breaches of military etiquette.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile the Emperor mounted, and accompanied by the officers of his
+      staff, rode forward towards the Champs Élysées, while all of lesser note
+      followed at a distance. From the garden of the Tuileries to the Barrière
+      de l'Étoile the troops were ranged in four lines, the cavalry of the Guard
+      and the artillery forming the ranks along the road by which the convoy
+      must pass. It was a bright day, with a clear, frosty atmosphere and a blue
+      sky, and well suited the brilliant spectacle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had the Emperor issued from the Tuileries, when ten thousand
+      shouts of &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; rent the air; the cannon of the Invalides
+      thundered forth at the same moment; and the crash of the military bands
+      added their clangor to the sounds of joy. He rode slowly along the line,
+      stopping frequently to speak with some of the soldiers, and giving orders
+      to his suite concerning them. Of the officers in his staff that day, the
+      greater number had been wounded at Austerlitz, and still bore the traces
+      of their injuries. Rapp displayed a tremendous scar from a sabre across
+      his cheek; Sebastiani wore his sword-arm in a sling; and Friant, unable to
+      mount his horse, followed the Emperor on foot, leaning on a stick, and
+      walking with great difficulty. The sight of these brave men, whose
+      devotion to Napoleon had been proved on so many battlefields, added to the
+      interest of the scene, and tended to excite popular enthusiasm to its
+      utmost. But on Napoleon still all eyes were bent. The general who led
+      their armies to victory, the monarch who raised France to the proudest
+      place among the nations, was there, within a few paces of them. Each word
+      he spoke was sinking deeply into some heart, prouder of that moment than
+      of rank or riches.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So slow was the Emperor's progress along the ranks that it was near three
+      o'clock before he had arrived at the extremity of the line. The cavalry
+      were now ordered to form in squadrons, and move past in close order. While
+      this movement was effecting, a cannon-shot at the <i>barrière</i>
+      announced the approach of the convoy. The cavalry were halted in line once
+      more, and the same moment the first wagon of the train appeared above the
+      summit of the hill. So secretly had the whole been managed that none, save
+      the officers of the various staffs, knew what was coming. While each look
+      was turned, then, towards the <i>barrière</i> in astonishment, gradually
+      the wagon rolled on, another followed, and another: these were, however,
+      but the ambulances of the hospitals. And now the wounded themselves came
+      in sight,&mdash;a white flag, that well-known signal, waving in front of
+      each wagon, while a guard of honor, consisting of picked men of the
+      different regiments, rode at either side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One loud cheer&mdash;a shout echoed back from the Tuileries itself&mdash;rang
+      out, as the soldiers saw their brave companions restored to them once
+      more. With that impulse which, even in discipline, French soldiers never
+      forget, the men rushed forward to the wagons, and in a moment officers and
+      men were in the arms of their comrades. What a scene it was to see the
+      poor and wasted forms, mangled by shot and maimed of limb, brightening up
+      again as home and friends surrounded them,&mdash;to hear their faint
+      voices mingle with the questions for this one or for that, while the fate
+      of some brave fellow met but one word in elegy!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On they passed,&mdash;a sad train, but full of glorious memories. There
+      were the grenadiers of Oudinot, who carried the Russian centre; eleven
+      wagons were filled with their wounded. Here come the voltigeurs of
+      Bernadotte's brigade; see how the fellows preserve their ancient repute,
+      cheering and laughing,&mdash;ever the same, whether roistering at midnight
+      in the Faubourg St. Antoine or rushing madly upon the ranks of the enemy!
+      There are the dragoons of Nansouty, who charged the Imperial Guard of
+      Russia; see the proud line that floats on their banner, &ldquo;All wounded by
+      the sabre!&rdquo; And here come the cuirassiers of the Guard, with a detachment
+      of their own as escort; how splendidly they look in the bright sun, and
+      how proudly they come!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I looked, the Emperor rode forward, bareheaded, his whole staff
+      uncovered. &ldquo;Chapeau bas, Messieurs!&rdquo; said he, in a loud voice. &ldquo;Honor to
+      the brave in misfortune!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Just then the escort halted, and I heard a laugh in front, close to where
+      the Emperor was standing; but from the crowded staff around him, could not
+      see what was going forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it?&rdquo; said I, curious to learn the least incident of the scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Advance a pace or two, Captain,&rdquo; said the young officer I addressed; &ldquo;you
+      can see it all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I did so, and then beheld&mdash;oh, with what delight and surprise!&mdash;my
+      poor friend, Pioche, seated on the driving-seat of a gun, with his hand in
+      salute as the Emperor spoke to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou wilt not have promotion, nor a pension. What, then, can I do for
+      thee?&rdquo; said Napoleon, smiling. &ldquo;Hast any friend in the service whom I
+      could advance for thy sake?»
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; said Pioche, scratching his forehead, with a sort
+      of puzzle and confusion even the Emperor smiled at, &ldquo;I have a friend. But
+      mayhap those wouldn't like&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ask me for nothing thou thinkest I could not, ought not to grant,&rdquo; said
+      the Emperor, sternly. &ldquo;What is't now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The poor corporal seemed thoroughly nonplussed, and for a second or two
+      could not reply. At last, as if summoning all his courage for the effort,
+      he said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, thou canst but refuse, and then the fault will be all thine. She is
+      a brave girl, and had she been a man&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whom can he mean?&rdquo; said Napoleon. &ldquo;Is the man's head wandering?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, <i>mon général!</i> all right there; that shell has turned many a
+      sabre's edge. I was talking of Minette, the vivandière of ours. If thou
+      art so bent on doing me a service, why, promote <i>her</i>, and thou'lt
+      make the whole regiment proud of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This speech was lost in the laugh which, beginning with the Emperor,
+      extended to the staff, and at last to all the bystanders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dost wish I should make her one of my aides-de-camp?&rdquo; said Napoleon,
+      still laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i> thou hast more ill-favored ones among them,&rdquo; said Pioche,
+      with a significant look at the grim faces of Rapp and Dam, whose hard and
+      weather-beaten features never deigned a smile, while every other face was
+      moved in laughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But thou hast not said yet what I am to do,&rdquo; rejoined the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou used not to be so hard to understand,&rdquo; grumbled out Pioche. &ldquo;I have
+      seen the time thou 'd have said, 'Is it Minette that was wounded at the
+      Adige? Is that the girl stood in the square at Marengo? <i>Parbleu!</i> I
+      'll give her the cross of the Legion!'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And she shall have it, Corporal Pioche,&rdquo; said Napoleon, as he detached
+      the decoration he wore on the breast of his coat. &ldquo;Give the order for the
+      vivandière to advance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarce were the words spoken, when the sound of a horse pressed to his
+      speed was heard, and mounted upon a small but showy Arab, a present from
+      the regiment, Minette rode up, in the bloom of health, and flushed by
+      exercise and the excitement of the moment. I never saw her look so
+      handsome. Reining in her horse short, as she came in front of the Emperor,
+      the animal reared up, almost straight, and pawed the air with his
+      forelegs; while she, with all the composure in life, raised her hand to
+      her cap, and saluted the Emperor with an action the most easy and
+      graceful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou hast some yonder,&rdquo; said Pioche, with a grim smile at the staff,
+      &ldquo;would be sore puzzled to keep their saddles as well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0008" id="linkimage-0008">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/170.jpg" alt="Minnette 170 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0009" id="linkimage-0009">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page105.jpg" alt="Browneminnette105 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette,&rdquo; said the Emperor, while he gazed on her handsome features with
+      evident pleasure, &ldquo;your name is well known to me for many actions of
+      kindness and self-devotion. Wear this cross of the Legion of Honor; you
+      will not value it the less that until now it has been only worn by me.
+      Whenever you find one worthy to be your husband, Minette, I will charge
+      myself with the dowry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Sire!&rdquo; said the trembling girl, as she pressed the Emperor's fingers
+      to her lips,&mdash;&ldquo;oh, Sire, is this real?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; said Pioche, wiping a large tear from his eye as he
+      spoke; &ldquo;he can make thee be a man, and make me feel like a girl.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As Duroc attached the cross to the buttonhole of the vivandière's frock,
+      she sat pale as death, totally overcome by her sensations of pride, and
+      unable to say more than &ldquo;Oh, Sire!&rdquo; which she repeated three or four times
+      at intervals.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Again the procession moved on; other wagons followed with their brave
+      fellows; but all the interest of the scene was now, for me at least,
+      wrapped up in that one incident, and I took but little notice of the rest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For full two hours the cortege continued to roll on,&mdash;wagon after
+      wagon, filled with the shattered remnants of an army. Yet such was the
+      indomitable spirit of the people, such the heartfelt passion for glory,
+      all deemed that procession the proudest triumph of their arms. Nor was
+      this feeling confined to the spectators; the wounded themselves leaned
+      eagerly over the sides of the <i>charrettes</i> to gaze into the crowds on
+      either side, seeking some old familiar face, and looking through all their
+      sufferings proudly on the dense mob beneath them. Some tried to cheer, and
+      waved their powerless hands; but others, faint and heart-sick, turned
+      their glazed eyes towards the &ldquo;Invalides,&rdquo; whose lofty dome appeared above
+      the trees, as though to say, that was now their resting-place,&mdash;the
+      only one before the grave.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He who witnessed that day could have little doubt about the guiding spirit
+      of the French nation; nor could he distrust their willingness to sacrifice
+      anything&mdash;nay, all&mdash;to national glory. Suffering and misery,
+      wounds, ghastly and dreadful, were on every side; and yet not one word of
+      pity, not a look of compassion was there. These men were, in <i>their</i>
+      eyes, far too highly placed for sympathy; theirs was that path to which
+      all aspired, and their trophies were their own worn frames and mangled
+      bodies. And then how they brightened up as the Emperor would draw near!
+      how even the faintest would strive to catch his eye and gaze with parted
+      lips on him as he spoke, as though drinking in his very words,&mdash;the
+      balm to their bruised hearts,&mdash;and the faint cry of &ldquo;l'Empereur!
+      l'Empereur!&rdquo; passed like a murmur along the line.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not until the last wagon had defiled before him did the Emperor leave the
+      ground. It was then nearly dark, and already the lamps were lighted along
+      the quays, and the windows of the Palace displayed the brilliant lustre of
+      the preparations for a grand dinner to the marshals.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we moved slowly along in close order, I found myself among a group of
+      officers of the Emperor's staffs eagerly discussing the day and its
+      events.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am sorry for Duchesne,&rdquo; said one; &ldquo;with all his impertinences&mdash;and
+      he had enough of them&mdash;he was a brave fellow, and a glorious leader
+      at a moment of difficulty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well, the Emperor has perhaps forgiven him by this time; and it is
+      not likely he would mar the happiness of a day like this by disgracing an
+      officer of the <i>élite</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are wrong, my friend; his Majesty is not sorry for the occasion which
+      can prove that he knows as well how to punish as to reward. Duchesne's
+      fate is sealed. You are not old enough to remember, as I can, the morning
+      at Lonado, where the same <i>ardre du jour</i> conferred a mark of honor
+      on one brother, and condemned another to be shot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And was this, indeed, the case?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, was it. Many can tell you of it, as well as myself. They were both in
+      the same regiment&mdash;the fifteenth demi-brigade of light infantry. They
+      held a château at Salo against the enemy for eight hours, when at length
+      the elder, who commanded at the front, capitulated and laid down his arms;
+      the younger refused to comply, and continued to fight. They were
+      reinforced an hour afterwards, and the Austrians beaten off. The day after
+      they were both tried, and the result was as I have told you; the utmost
+      favor the younger could obtain was, not to witness the execution of his
+      brother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As I heard this story, my very blood curdled in my veins, and I looked
+      with a kind of dread on him who now rode a few paces in front of me,&mdash;the
+      stern and pitiless Napoleon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last we entered the court of the Tuileries, when the Emperor,
+      dismissing his staff, entered the Palace, and we separated, to follow our
+      own plans for the evening. For a moment or two I remained uncertain which
+      way to turn. I wished much to see Duchesne, yet scarcely hoped to meet
+      with him by returning to the Luxembourg. It was not the time to be away
+      from him, at a moment like this, and I resolved to seek him out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For above an hour I went from café to café, where he was in the habit of
+      resorting, but to no purpose. He had not been seen in any of them during
+      the day; so that at length I turned homeward with the faint hope that I
+      should see him there on my arrival.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Somehow I never had felt more sad and depressed; and the events of the
+      day, so far from making me participate in the general joy, had left me
+      gloomy and desponding. My spirit was little in harmony with the gay and
+      merry groups that passed along the streets, chanting their campaigning
+      songs, and usually having some old soldier of the &ldquo;Guard&rdquo; amongst them;
+      for they felt it as a fête, and were hurrying to the cabarets to celebrate
+      the day of Austerlitz.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIII. THE CHEVALIER.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      When men of high courage and proud hearts meet with reverses in life, our
+      anxiety is rather to learn what new channel their thoughts and exertions
+      will take in future, than to hear how they have borne up under misfortune.
+      I knew Duchesne too well to suppose that any turn of fate would find him
+      wholly unprepared; but still, a public reprimand, and from the lips of the
+      Emperor, too, was of a nature to wound him to the quick, and I could not
+      guess, nor picture to myself in what way he would bear it. The loss of
+      grade itself was a thing of consequence, as the service of the <i>élite</i>
+      was reckoned a certain promotion; not to speak of&mdash;what to him was
+      far more important&mdash;the banishment from Paris and its <i>salons</i>
+      to some gloomy and distant encampment. In speculations like these I
+      returned to my quarters, where I was surprised to discover that the
+      chevalier had not been since morning. I learned from his servant that he
+      had dismissed him, with his horses, soon after leaving the Tuileries, and
+      had not returned home from that time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I dined alone that day, and sat moodily by myself, thinking over the
+      events of the morning, and wondering what had become of my friend, and
+      watching every sound that might tell of his coming. It is true there were
+      many things I liked not in Duchesne: his cold, sardonic spirit, his <i>moqueur</i>
+      temperament, chilled and repelled me; but I recognized, even through his
+      own efforts at concealment, a manly tone of independence, a vigorous
+      reliance on self, that raised him in my esteem, and made me regard him
+      with a certain species of admiration. With his unsettled or unstable
+      political opinions, I greatly dreaded the excess to which a spirit of
+      revenge might carry him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I knew that the Jacobin party, and the Bourbons themselves, lay in wait
+      for every erring member of the Imperial side; and I felt no little anxiety
+      at the temptations they might hold out to him, at a moment when his
+      excitement might have the mastery over his cooler judgment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Late in the evening a Government messenger arrived with a large letter
+      addressed to him from the Minister of War; and even this caused me fresh
+      uneasiness, since I connected the despatch in my mind with some detail of
+      duty which his absence might leave unperformed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was long past midnight, as I sat, vainly endeavoring to occupy myself
+      with a book, which each moment I laid down to listen, when suddenly I
+      heard the roll of a <i>fiacre</i> in the court beneath, the great doors
+      banged and closed, and the next moment the chevalier entered the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was dressed in plain clothes, and looked somewhat paler than usual, but
+      though evidently laboring under excitement, affected his wonted ease and
+      carelessness of manner, as, taking a chair in front of me, he sat down.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a day of worry and trouble this has been, my dear friend!&rdquo; he began.
+      &ldquo;From the moment I last saw you to the present one, I have not rested, and
+      with four invitations to dinner, I have not dined anywhere.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He paused as he said thus much, as if expecting me to say something; and I
+      perceived that the embarrassment he felt rather increased than otherwise.
+      I therefore endeavored to mumble out something about his hurried departure
+      and the annoyance of such a sentence, when he stopped me suddenly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, as to <i>that</i>, I fancy the matter is arranged already; I should
+      have had a letter from the War Office.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, there is one here; it came three hours ago.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He turned at once to the table, and breaking the seal, perused the packet
+      in silence, then handed it to me, as he said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bead that; it will save a world of explanation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was dated five o'clock, and merely contained the following few words:&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      His Majesty I. and R. accepts the resignation of Senior
+      Captain Duchesne, late of the Imperial Guard; who, from the
+      date of the present, is no longer in the service of France.
+
+      (Signed)
+
+      BERTHIER, Marshal of France.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      A small sealed note dropped from the packet, which Duchesne took up, and
+      broke open with eagerness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; cried he, with energy; &ldquo;I thought not. See here,
+      Burke; it is Duroc who writes:&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      My dear Duchesne,&mdash;I knew there was no use in making such a
+      proposition, and told you as much. The moment I said the
+      word 'England,' he shouted out 'No!' in such a tone you
+      might have heard it at the Luxembourg. You will perceive,
+      then, the thing is impracticable; and perhaps, after all,
+      for your own sake, it is better it should be so.
+
+      Yours ever,                                    D.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is all mystery to me, Duchesne; I cannot fathom it in the least.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me assist you; a few words will do it. I gave in my <i>démission</i>
+      as Captain of the Guard, which, as you see, his Majesty has accepted; we
+      shall leave it to the 'Moniteur' of to-morrow to announce whether
+      graciously or not. I also addressed a formal letter to Duroc, to ask the
+      Emperor's permission to visit England, on private business of my own.&rdquo; His
+      eyes sparkled with a malignant lustre as he said these last words, and his
+      cheek grew deep scarlet. &ldquo;This, however, his Majesty has not granted,
+      doubtless from private reasons of his own; and thus we stand. Which of us,
+      think you, has most spoiled the other's rest for this night?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But still I do not comprehend. What can take you to England? You have no
+      friends there; you've never been in that country.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know the very word is proscribed,&mdash;that the island is covered
+      from his eyes in the map he looks upon, that <i>perfide</i> Albion is the
+      demon that haunts his dark hours, and menaces with threatening gesture the
+      downfall of all his present glory? Ah, by Saint Denis, boy! had I been
+      you, it is not such an epaulette as this I had worn.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough, Duchesne; I will not hear more. Not to you, nor any one, am I
+      answerable for the reasons that have guided my conduct; nor had I listened
+      to so much, save that such excitement as yours may make that pardonable
+      which in calmer moments is not so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You say right, Burke,&rdquo; said he, quickly, and with more seriousness of
+      manner; &ldquo;it is seldom I have been betrayed into such a passionate warmth
+      as this. I hope I have not offended you. This change of circumstance will
+      make none in our friendship. I knew it, my dear boy. And now let us turn
+      from such tiresome topics. Where, think you, have I been spending the
+      evening? But how could you ever guess? Well, at the Odéon, attending
+      Mademoiselle Pierrot, and a very pretty friend of hers,&mdash;one of our
+      vivandières, who happens to be in the brigade with mademoiselle's brother,
+      and dined there to-day. She only arrived in Paris this morning; and, by
+      Jove! there are some handsome faces in our gay <i>salons</i> would
+      scarcely stand the rivalry with hers. I must show you the fair Minette.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette!&rdquo; stammered I, while a sickly sensation&mdash;a fear of some
+      unknown misfortune to the poor girl&mdash;almost stopped my utterance. &ldquo;I
+      know her; she belongs to the Fourth Cuirassiers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, you know her? Who would have suspected my quiet friend of such an
+      acquaintance? And so, you never hinted this to me. <i>Ma foi!</i> I 'd
+      have thought twice about throwing up my commission if I had seen her half
+      an hour earlier. Come, tell me all you know of her. Where does she come
+      from?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of her history I am totally ignorant; I can only tell you that her
+      character is without a stain or reproach, in circumstances where few, if
+      any save herself, ever walked scathless; that on more than one occasion
+      she has displayed heroism worthy of the best among us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh dear, oh dear, how disappointed I am! Indeed, I half feared as much:
+      she is a regular vivandière of the mélodrame,&mdash;virtuous, high-minded,
+      and intrepid. You, of course, believe all this,&mdash;don't be angry,
+      Burke,&mdash;but I don't; and the reason is I can't,&mdash;the gods have
+      left me incredulous from the cradle. I have a rooted obstinacy about me,
+      perfectly irreclaimable. Thus, I fancy Napoleon to be a Corsican; a modern
+      marshal to be a promoted sergeant; a judge of the upper court to be a
+      public prosecutor; and a vivandière of the <i>grande armée</i>&mdash;But
+      I'll not offend,&mdash;don't be afraid, my poor fellow,&mdash;even at the
+      risk of the rivalry. Upon my life, I 'm glad to see you have a heart
+      susceptible of any little tenderness. But you cannot blame me if I 'm
+      weary of this eternal travesty of character which goes on amongst us. Why
+      will our Republican and <i>sans culotte</i> friends try courtly airs and
+      graces, while our real aristocracy stoop to the affected coarseness of the
+      <i>canaille?</i> Is it possible that they who wish to found a new order of
+      things do not see that all these pantomime costumes and characters denote
+      nothing but change,&mdash;that we are only performing a comedy after all?
+      I scarcely expect it will be a five-act one. And, apropos of comedies,&mdash;when
+      shall we pay our respects to Madame de Lacostellerie? It will require all
+      my diplomacy to keep my ground there under my recent misfortune. Nothing
+      short of a tender inquiry from the Duchesse de Montserrat will open the
+      doors for me. Alas, and alas! I suppose I shall have to fall back on the
+      Faubourg.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But is the step irrevocable, Duchesne? Can you really bring yourself to
+      forego a career which opened with such promise?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And terminated with such disgrace,&rdquo; added he, smiling placidly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nay, nay; don't affect to take it thus. Your services would have placed
+      you high, and won for you honors and rank.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, <i>ma foi!</i> have they not done so? Am I not a very interesting
+      individual at this moment,&mdash;more so than any other of my life? Are
+      not half the powdered heads of the Faubourg plotting over my downfall, and
+      wondering how they are to secure me to the 'true cause'? Are not the hot
+      heads of the Jacobites speculating on my admission, by a unanimous vote,
+      into their order? And has not Fouché gone to the special expense of a new
+      police spy, solely destined to dine at the same café, play at the same <i>salon</i>,
+      and sit in the same box of the Opera with me? Is this nothing? Well, it
+      will be good fun, after all, to set their wise brains on the wrong track;
+      not to speak of the happiness of weeding one's acquaintance, which a
+      little turn of fortune always effects so instantaneously.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One would suppose from your manner, Duchesne, that some unlooked-for
+      piece of good luck had befallen you; the event seems to have been the
+      crowning one of your life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Am I not at liberty, boy? have I not thrown the slavery behind me? Is
+      that nothing? You may fancy your collar, because there is some gold upon
+      it; but, trust me, it galls the neck as cursedly as the veriest brass.
+      Come, Burke, I must have a glass of champagne, and you must pledge me in a
+      creaming bumper. If you don't join in the sentiment now, the time will
+      come later on. We may be many a mile apart,&mdash;ay, perhaps a whole
+      world will divide us; but you'll remember my toast,&mdash;'To him that is
+      free!' I am sick of most things; women, wine, war, play,&mdash;the game of
+      life itself, with all its dashing and existing interests,&mdash;I have had
+      them to satiety. But liberty has its charm; even to the palsied arm and
+      the withered hand freedom is dear; and why not to him who yet can strike?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      His eyes flashed fire as he spoke, and he drained glass after glass of
+      wine, without seeming aware of what he was doing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you felt thus, Duchesne, why have you remained so long a soldier?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I 'll tell you. He who travels unwillingly along some dreary path stops
+      often as he goes, and looks around to see if, in the sky above or the road
+      beneath, some obstacle may not cross his way and bid him turn. The
+      faintest sound of a brewing storm, the darkening shadow of a cloud, a
+      swollen rivulet, is enough, and straightway he yields: so men seem swayed
+      in life by trifles which never moved them, by accidents which came not
+      near their hearts. These, which the world called their disappointments,
+      were often but the pivots of their fortune. I have had enough, nay, more
+      than enough, of all this. You must not ask the hackneyed actor of the
+      melodrama to start at the blue lights, and feel real fear at burning
+      forests and flaming châteaux. This mock passion of the Emperor&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, my friend, that is indeed too much; unquestionably there was no
+      feigning there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Duchesne gave a bitter laugh, and laying his hand on my arm, said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My good boy, I know him well. The knowledge has cost me something; but I
+      have it. A soldier's enthusiasm!&rdquo; said he, in irony,&mdash;&ldquo;bah! Shall I
+      tell you a little incident of my boyhood? I detest story-telling, but this
+      you must hear. Fill my glass! listen, and I promise you not to be
+      lengthy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the first time in our intimacy in which Duchesne referred
+      distinctly to his past life; and I willingly accepted the offer he made,
+      anticipating that any incident, no matter how trivial, might throw a light
+      on the strange contrarieties of his character.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He sat for several minutes silent, his eyes turned towards the ground. A
+      faint smile, more of sadness than aught else, played about his lips, as he
+      muttered to himself some words I could not catch. Then rallying, with a
+      slight effort, he began thus&mdash;But, short as his tale was, we must
+      give him a chapter to himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIV. A BOYISH REMINISCENCE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe I have already told you, Burke, that my family were most of
+      them Royalists. Such as were engaged in trade followed the fortunes of the
+      day, and cried 'Vive la République!' like their neighbors. Some deemed it
+      better to emigrate, and wait in a foreign land for the happy hour of
+      returning to their own,&mdash;a circumstance, by the way, which must have
+      tried their patience ere this; and a few, trusting to their obscure
+      position, living in out-of-the-way, remote spots, supposed that in the
+      general uproar they might escape undetected; and, with one or two
+      exceptions, they were right. Among these latter was an unmarried brother
+      of my mother, who having held a military command for a great many years in
+      the Ile de Bourbon, retired to spend the remainder of his days in a small
+      but beautiful château on the seaside, about three leagues from Marseilles.
+      The old viscount (we continued to call him so among ourselves, though the
+      use of titles was proscribed long before) had met with some disappointment
+      in love in early life, which had prevented his ever marrying, and turned
+      all his affections towards the children of his brothers and sisters, who
+      invariably passed a couple of months of each summer with him, arriving
+      from different parts of France for the purpose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And truly it was a strange sight to see the mixture of look, expression,
+      accent, and costume, that came to the rendezvous: the long-featured boy,
+      with blue eyes and pointed chin,&mdash;cold, wary, and suspicious, brave
+      but cautious,&mdash;that came from Normandy; the high-spirited, reckless
+      youth from Brittany; the dark-eyed girl of Provence; the quick-tempered,
+      warm-hearted Gascon and, stranger than all, from his contrast to the rest
+      the little Parisian, with his airs of the capital and his contempt for his
+      rustic brethren, nothing daunted that in all their boyish exercises he
+      found himself so much their inferior. Our dear old uncle loved nothing so
+      well as to have us around him; and even the little ones, of five and six
+      years old, when not living too far off, were brought to these reunions,
+      which were to us the great events of each year of our lives.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was in the June of the year 1794&mdash;I shall not easily forget the
+      date&mdash;that we were all assembled as usual at 'Le Luc.' Our party was
+      reinforced by some three or four new visitors, among whom was a little
+      girl of about twelve years old,&mdash;Annette de Noailles, the prettiest
+      creature I ever beheld. Every land has its own trait of birth distinctly
+      marked. I don't know whether you have observed that the brow and the
+      forehead are more indicative of class in Frenchmen than any other portion
+      of the face: hers was perfect, and though a mere child, conveyed an
+      impression of tempered decision and mildness that was most fascinating;
+      the character of her features was thoughtful, and were it not for a
+      certain vivacity in the eyes, would have been even sad. Forgive me, if I
+      dwell&mdash;when I need not&mdash;on these traits: she is no more. Her
+      father carried her with him in his exile, and your lowering skies and
+      gloomy air soon laid her low.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Annette was the child of Royalist parents. Both her father and mother had
+      occupied places in the royal household; and she was accustomed from her
+      earliest infancy to hear the praise of the Bourbons from lips which
+      trembled when they spoke. Poor child! how well do I remember her little
+      prayer for the martyred saint,&mdash;for so they styled the murdered king,&mdash;which
+      she never missed saying each morning when the mass was over in the chapel
+      of the château. It is a curious fact that the girls of a family were
+      frequently attached to the fortunes of the Bourbons, while the boys
+      declared for the Revolution; and these differences penetrated into the
+      very core, and sapped the happiness of many whose affection had stood the
+      test of every misfortune save the uprooting torrent of anarchy that poured
+      in with the Revolution. These party differences entered into all the
+      little quarrels of the schoolroom and the nursery; and the taunting
+      epithets of either side were used in angry passion by those who neither
+      guessed nor could understand their meaning. Need it be wondered at, if in
+      after life these opinions took the tone of intense convictions, when even
+      thus in infancy they were nurtured and fostered? Our little circle at Le
+      Luc was, indeed, wonderfully free from such causes of contention; whatever
+      paths in life fate had in store for us afterwards, then, at least, we were
+      of one mind. A few of the boys, it is true, were struck by the successes
+      of those great armies the Revolution poured over Europe; but even they
+      were half ashamed to confess enthusiasm in a cause so constantly allied in
+      their memory with everything mean and low-lived.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such, in a few words, was the little party assembled around the
+      supper-table of the château, on one lovely evening in June. The windows,
+      opening to the ground, let in the perfumed air from many a sweet and
+      flowery shrub without; while already the nightingale had begun her lay in
+      the deep grove hard by. The evening was so calm we could hear the plash of
+      the making tide upon the shore, and the minute peals of the waves smote on
+      the ear with a soft and melancholy cadence that made us silent and
+      thoughtful. As we sat for some minutes thus, we suddenly heard the sound
+      of feet coming up the little gravel walk towards the château, and on going
+      to the window, perceived three men in uniform leading their horses slowly
+      along. The dusky light prevented our being able to distinguish their rank
+      or condition; but my uncle, whose fears were easily excited by such
+      visitors, at once hastened to the door to receive them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His absence was not of many minutes' duration; but even now I can
+      remember the strange sensations of dread that rendered us all speechless
+      as we stood looking towards the door by which he was to enter. He came at
+      last, and was followed by two officers; one, the elder, and the superior
+      evidently, was a thin, slight man, of about thirty, with a pale but stern
+      countenance, in which a certain haughty expression predominated; the other
+      was a fine, soldierlike, frank-looking fellow, who saluted us all as he
+      came in with a smile and a pleasant gesture of his hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'You may leave us, children,' said my uncle, as he proceeded towards the
+      bell.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'You were at supper, if I mistake not?' said the elder of the two
+      officers, with a degree of courtesy in his tone I scarcely expected.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes, General. But my little friends&mdash;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Will, I hope, share with us,' said the general, interrupting; 'and I, at
+      least, am determined, with your permission, that they shall remain. It is
+      quite enough that we enjoy the hospitality of your château for the night,
+      without interfering with the happiness of its inmates; and I beg that we
+      may give you as little inconvenience as possible in providing for our
+      accommodation.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Though these words were spoken with an easy and a kindly tone, there was
+      a cold, distant manner in the speaker that chilled us all, and while we
+      drew over to the table again, it was in silence and constraint. Indeed,
+      our poor uncle looked the very picture of dismay, endeavoring to do the
+      honors to his guests and seem at ease, while it was clear his fears were
+      ever uppermost in his mind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The aide-de-camp&mdash;for such the young officer was&mdash;looked like
+      one who could have been agreeable and amusing if the restraint of the
+      general's presence was not over him. As it was, he spoke in a low, subdued
+      voice, and seemed in great awe of his superior.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unlike our usual ones, the meal was eaten in mournful stillness, the very
+      youngest amongst us feeling the presence of the stranger as a thing of
+      gloom and sadness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Supper over, my uncle, perhaps hoping to relieve the embarrassment he
+      labored under, asked permission of the general for us to remain, saying,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'My little people, sir, are great novelists, and they usually amuse me of
+      an evening by their stories. Will this be too great an endurance for you?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'By no means,' said the general, gayly; 'there's nothing I like better,
+      and I hope they will admit me as one of the party. I have something of a
+      gift that way myself.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The circle was soon formed, the general and his aide-de-camp making part
+      of it; but though they both exerted themselves to the utmost to win our
+      confidence, I know not why or wherefore, we could not shake off the gloom
+      we had felt at first, but sat awkward and ill at ease, unable to utter a
+      word, and even ashamed to look at each other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Come,' said the general, 'I see how it is. I have broken in upon a very
+      happy party. I must make the only <i>amende</i> in my power,&mdash;I shall
+      be the story-teller for this evening.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As he said this, he looked around the little circle, and by some seeming
+      magic of his own, in an instant he had won us every one. We drew our
+      chairs close towards him, and listened eagerly for his tale. Few people,
+      save such as live much among children, or take the trouble to study their
+      tone of feeling and thinking, are aware how far reality surpasses in
+      interest the force of mere fiction. The fact is with them far more than
+      all the art of the narrative; and if you cannot say 'this was true,' more
+      than half of the pleasure your story confers is lost forever. Whether the
+      general knew this, or that his memory supplied him more easily than his
+      imagination, I cannot say; but his tale was a little incident of the siege
+      of Toulon, where a drummer boy was killed,&mdash;having returned to the
+      breach, after the attack was repulsed, to seek for a little cockade of
+      ribbon his mother had fastened on his cap that morning. Simple as was the
+      story, he told it with a subdued and tender pathos that made our hearts
+      thrill and filled every eye around him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'It was a poor thing, it's true,' said he, 'that knot of ribbon, but it
+      was glory to him to rescue it from the enemy. His heart was on the time
+      when he should show it, blood-stained and torn, and say, &ldquo;I took it from
+      the ground amid the grapeshot and the musketry. I was the only living
+      thing there that moment; and see, I bore it away triumphantly.&rdquo;' As the
+      general spoke, he unbuttoned the breast of his uniform, and took forth a
+      small piece of crumpled ribbon, fastened in the shape of a cockade. 'Here
+      it is,' said he, holding it up before on? eyes; 'it was for this he died.'
+      We could scarce see it through our tears. Poor Annette held her hands upon
+      her face, and sobbed violently. 'Keep it, my sweet child,' said the
+      general, as he attached the cockade to her shoulder;' it is a glorious
+      emblem, and well worthy to be worn by one so pure and so fair as you are.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Annette looked up, and as she did, her eyes fell upon the tricolor that
+      hung from her shoulder,&mdash;the hated, the despised tricolor, the badge
+      of that party whose cruelty she had thought of by day and dreamed of by
+      night. She turned deadly pale, and sat, with lips compressed and clenched
+      hands, unable to speak or stir.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What is it? Are you ill, child?' said the general, suddenly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Annette, love! Annette, dearest!' said my uncle, trembling with anxiety,
+      'speak; what is the matter?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'It is that!' cried I, fiercely, pointing to the knot, on which her eyes
+      were bent with a shrinking horror I well knew the meaning of,&mdash;' it
+      is that!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The general bent on me a look of passionate meaning, as with a hissing
+      tone he said, 'Do you mean this?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes,' said I, tearing it away, and trampling it beneath my feet,&mdash;'yes!
+      it is not a Noailles can wear the badge of infamy and crime; the
+      blood-stained tricolor can find slight favor here.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Hush, boy! hush, for Heaven's sake!' cried my uncle, trembling with
+      fear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The caution came too late. The general, taking a note-book from his
+      pocket, opened it leisurely, and then turning towards the viscount, said,
+      'This youth's name is&mdash;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Duchesne; Henri Duchesne.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'And his age?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Fourteen in March,' replied my uncle, as his eyes filled up; while he
+      added, in a half whisper, 'if you mean the conscription, General, he has
+      already supplied a substitute.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No matter, sir, if he had sent twenty; such defect of education as his
+      needs correction. He shall join the levies at Toulon in three days; in
+      three days, mark me! Depend upon it, sir,' said he, turning to me, 'you
+      shall learn a lesson beneath that tricolor you'll be somewhat long in
+      forgetting. Dumolle, look to this.' With this direction to his
+      aide-de-camp he arose, and before my poor unhappy uncle could recover his
+      self-possession to reply, had left the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'He will not do this, sir; surely, he will not,' said the viscount to the
+      young officer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'General Bonaparte does not relent, sir; and if he did, he 'd never show
+      it,' was the cold reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That day week I carried a musket on the ramparts of Toulon. Here began a
+      career I have followed ever since; with how much of enthusiasm I leave you
+      to judge for yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As Duchesne concluded this little story he arose, and paced the room
+      backwards and forwards with rapid steps, while his compressed lips and
+      knitted brow showed he was lost in gloomy recollections of the past.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He was right, after all, Burke,&rdquo; said he, at length. &ldquo;Personal honor will
+      make the soldier; conviction may make the patriot. I fought as stoutly for
+      this same cause as though I did not loathe it: how many others may be in
+      the same position? You yourself, perhaps.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no; not I.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, be it so,&rdquo; rejoined he, carelessly. &ldquo;Goodnight&rdquo; And with that he
+      strolled negligently from the room, and I heard him humming a tune as he
+      mounted the stairs towards his bedroom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XV. A GOOD-BY
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have come to bring you a card for the Court ball, Capitaine,&rdquo; said
+      General Daru, as he opened the door of my dressing-room the following
+      morning. &ldquo;See what a number of them I have here; but except your own, the
+      addresses are not filled up. You are in favor at the Tuileries, it would
+      seem.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was not aware of my good fortune, General,&rdquo; replied I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be assured, however, it is such,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;These things are not, as so
+      many deem them, mere matters of chance; every name is well weighed and
+      conned over: the officers of the household serve one who does not forgive
+      mistakes. And now that I think of it, you were intimate&mdash;very
+      intimate, I believe&mdash;with Duchesne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; we were much together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, after what has occurred, I need scarcely say your
+      acquaintance with him had better cease. There is no middle course in these
+      matters. Circumstances will not bring you, as formerly, into each other's
+      company; and to continue your intimacy would be offensive to his Majesty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But surely, sir, the friendship of persons so humble as we are can be a
+      subject neither for the Emperor's satisfaction nor displeasure, if he even
+      were to know of it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must take my word for that,&rdquo; replied the general, somewhat sternly.
+      &ldquo;The counsel I have given to-day may come as a command to-morrow. The
+      Chevalier Duchesne has given his Majesty great and grave offence; see that
+      you are not led to follow his example.&rdquo; With a marked emphasis on the last
+      few words, and with a cold bow, he left the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That I am not led to follow his example!&rdquo; said I, repeating his words
+      over slowly to myself. &ldquo;Is that, then, the danger of which he would warn
+      me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The remembrance of the misfortunes which opened my career in life came
+      full before me,&mdash;the unhappy acquaintance with De Beauvais, and the
+      long train of suspicious circumstances that followed; and I shuddered at
+      the bare thought of being again involved in apparent criminality. And yet,
+      what a state of slavery was this! The thought flashed suddenly across my
+      mind, and I exclaimed aloud, &ldquo;And this is the liberty for which I have
+      perilled life and limb,&mdash;this the cause for which I have become an
+      alien and an exile!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Most true, my dear friend,&rdquo; said Duchesne, gayly, as he slipped into the
+      room, and drew his Chair towards the fire. &ldquo;A wise reflection, but most
+      unwisely spoken. But there are men nothing can teach; not even the
+      'Temple' nor the 'Palais de Justice.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How, then,&mdash;you know of my unhappy imprisonment?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Know of it? To be sure I do. Bless your sweet innocence! I have been
+      told, a hundred times over, to make overtures to you from the Faubourg.
+      There are at least a dozen old ladies there who believe firmly you are a
+      true Legitimist, and wear the white cockade next your heart. I have had,
+      over and over, the most tempting offers to make you. Faith, I 'm not quite
+      certain if we are not believed to be, at this very moment, concocting how
+      to smuggle over the frontier a brass carronade and a royal livery, two
+      pounds of gunpowder and a court periwig, to restore the Bourbons!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He burst into a fit of laughing as he concluded; and however little
+      disposed to mirth at the moment, I could not refrain from joining in the
+      emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But now for a moment of serious consideration, Burke; for I can be
+      serious at times, at least when my friends are concerned. You and I must
+      part here; it is all the better for you it should be so. I am what the
+      world is pleased to call a 'dangerous companion;' and there's more truth
+      in the epithet than they wot of who employ it. It is not because I am a
+      man of pleasure, and occasionally a man of expensive habits and costly
+      tastes, nor that I now and then play deep, or drink deep, or follow up
+      with passionate determination any ruling propensity of the moment; but
+      because I am a discontented and unsettled man, who has a vague ambition of
+      being something he knows not what, by means he knows not how,&mdash;ever
+      willing to throw himself into an enterprise where the prize is great and
+      the risk greater, and yet never able to warm his wishes into enthusiasm
+      nor his belief into a conviction: in a word, a Frenchman, born a
+      Legitimist, reared a Democrat, educated an Imperialist, and turned adrift
+      upon the world a scoffer. Such men as I am are dangerous companions; and
+      when they increase, as they are likely to do in our state of society, will
+      be still more dangerous citizens. But come, my good friend, don't look
+      dismayed, nor distend your nostrils as if you were on the scent for a
+      smell of brimstone,&mdash;'Satan s'en va!'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With these words he arose and held out his hand to me. &ldquo;Don't let your
+      Napoleonite ardor ooze out too rapidly, Burke, and you 'll be a marshal of
+      France yet. There are great prizes in the wheel, to be had by those who
+      strive for them. Adieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But we shall meet, Duchesne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope so. The time may come, perhaps, when we may be intimate without
+      alarming the police of the department. But, for the present, I am about to
+      leave Paris; some friends in the South have been kind enough to invite me
+      to visit them, and I start this afternoon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      We shook hands once more, and Duchesne moved towards the door; then,
+      turning suddenly about, he said, &ldquo;Apropos of another matter,&mdash;this
+      Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What of her?&rdquo; said I, with some curiosity in my tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, I have a kind of half suspicion, ripening into something like an
+      assurance, that when we meet again she may be Madame Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What nonsense, my dear friend! the absurdity&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is none whatever. An acquaintance begun like yours is very
+      suggestive of such a termination. When the lady is saucy and the gentleman
+      shy, the game stands usually thus: the one needs control and the other
+      lacks courage. Let them change the cards, and see what comes of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are wrong, Duchesne,&mdash;all wrong.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be it so. I have been so often right, I can afford a false prediction
+      without losing all my character as prophet. Adieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      No sooner was I alone than I sat down to think over what he had said. The
+      improbability, nay, as it seemed to me, the all but impossibility, of such
+      an event as he foretold, seemed not less now than when first I heard it;
+      but somehow I felt a kind of internal satisfaction, a sense of gratified
+      vanity, to think that to so acute an observer as Duchesne such a
+      circumstance did not appear even unreasonable. How hard it is to call in
+      reason against the assault of flattery! How difficult to resist the force
+      of an illusion by any appeal to our good sense and calmer judgment!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It must not be supposed from this that I seriously contemplated such a
+      possible turn of fortune,&mdash;far less wished for it. No; my
+      satisfaction had a different source. It lay in the thought that I, the
+      humble captain of hussars, should ever be thought of as the suitor of the
+      greatest beauty and the richest dowry of the day: here was the mainspring
+      of my flattered pride. As to any other feeling, I had none. I admired
+      Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie greatly; she was, perhaps, the very
+      handsomest girl I ever saw; there was not one in the whole range of
+      Parisian society so much sought after; and there was a degree of
+      distinction in being accounted even among the number of her admirers.
+      Besides this, there lay a lurking desire in my heart that Marie de Meudon
+      (for as such only could I think of her) should hear me thus spoken of. It
+      seemed to me like a weak revenge on her own indifference to me; and I
+      longed to make anything a cause of connecting my fate with the idea of her
+      who yet held my whole heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Only men who live much to themselves and their own thoughts know the
+      pleasure of thus linking their fortunes, by some imaginary chain, to that
+      of those they love. They are the straws that drowning men catch at; but
+      still, for the moment, they sustain the sinking courage, and nerve the
+      heart where all is failing. I felt this acutely. I knew well that she was
+      not, nor could be, anything to me; but I knew, also, that to divest my
+      mind of her image was to live in darkness, and that the mere chance of
+      being remembered by her was happiness itself. It was while hearing of her
+      I first imbibed the soldier's ardor from her own brother. She herself had
+      placed before me the glorious triumphs of that career in words that never
+      ceased to ring in my ears. All my hopes of distinction, my aspirations for
+      success, were associated with the half prediction she had uttered; and I
+      burned for an occasion by which I could signalize myself,&mdash;that she
+      might read my name, perchance might say, &ldquo;And <i>he</i> loved me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In such a world of dreamy thought I passed day after day. Duchesne was
+      gone, and I had no intimate companion to share my hours with, nor with
+      whom I could expand in social freedom. Meanwhile, the gay life of the
+      capital continued its onward course; fêtes and balls succeeded each other;
+      and each night I found myself a guest at some splendid entertainment, but
+      where I neither knew nor was known to any one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was on one morning, after a very magnificent fête at the
+      Arch-Chancellor's, that I remembered, for the first time, I had not seen
+      my poor friend Pioche since his arrival at Paris. A thrill of shame ran
+      through me at the thought of having neglected to ask after my old comrade
+      of the march, and I ordered my horse at once, to set out for the
+      Hôtel-Dieu, which had now been in great part devoted to the wounded
+      soldiers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The day was a fine one for the season; and as I entered the large
+      courtyard I perceived numbers of the invalids moving about in groups, to
+      enjoy the air and the sun of a budding spring. Poor fellows! they were but
+      the mere remnants of humanity. Several had lost both legs, and few were
+      there without an empty sleeve to their loose blue coats. In a large hall,
+      where three long tables were being laid for dinner, many were seated
+      around the ample fireplaces; and at one of these a larger group than
+      ordinary attracted my attention. They were not chatting and laughing, like
+      the rest, but apparently in deep silence. I approached, curious to know
+      the reason; and then perceived that they were all listening attentively to
+      some one reading aloud. The tones of the voice were familiar to me; I
+      stopped to hear them more plainly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was Minette herself&mdash;the vivandière&mdash;who sat there in the
+      midst; beside her, half reclining in a deep, old-fashioned armchair, was
+      &ldquo;le gros Pioche,&rdquo; his huge beard descending midway on his chest, and his
+      great mustache curling below his upper lip. He had greatly rallied since I
+      saw him last, but still showed signs of debility and feebleness by the
+      very attitude in which he lay.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0010" id="linkimage-0010">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/194.jpg" alt="194 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Mingling unperceived with the crowd, who were far too highly interested in
+      the recital to pay any attention to my approach, I listened patiently, and
+      soon perceived that mademoiselle was reading some incident of the Egyptian
+      campaign from one of those innumerable volumes which then formed the sole
+      literature of the garrison.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The redoubt,&rdquo; continued Minette, &ldquo;was strongly defended in front by
+      stockades and a ditch, while twelve pieces of artillery and a force of
+      seven hundred Mamelukes were within the works. Suddenly an aide-de-camp
+      arrived at full gallop, with orders for the Thirty-second to attack the
+      redoubt with the bayonet, and carry it. The major of the regiment (the
+      colonel had been killed that morning at the ford) cried out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Grenadiers, you hear the order,&mdash;Forward!' But the same instant a
+      terrible discharge of grape tore through the ranks, killing three and
+      wounding eight others. 'Forward, men! forward!' shouted the major. But no
+      one stirred.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Tête d'enfer</i>,&rdquo; growled out Pioche, &ldquo;where was the tambour?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall hear,&rdquo; said Minette, and resumed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Do you hear me?' cried the major, 'or am I to be disgraced forever?
+      Advance&mdash;quick time&mdash;march!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'But, Major,' said a sergeant, aloud, 'they are not roasted apples those
+      fellows yonder are pelting.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Silence!' called out the major; 'not a word! Tambour, beat the charge!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Suddenly a man sprang up to his knees from the ground where he had been
+      lying, and began to beat the drum with all his might. Poor fellow! his leg
+      was smashed with a shot, but he obeyed his orders in the midst of all his
+      suffering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Forward, men! forward!' cried the major, waving his cap above his head.
+      'Fix bayonets&mdash;charge!' And on they dashed after him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Halloo, comrades!' shouted the tambour; 'don't leave me behind you.' And
+      in an instant two grenadiers stooped down and hoisted him on their
+      shoulders, and then rushed forward through the smoke and flame. Crashing
+      and smashing went the shot through the leading files; but on they went,
+      leaping over the dead and dying.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With the tambour still?&rdquo; asked Pioche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure,&rdquo; said Minette; &ldquo;there he was. But listen:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just as they reached the breach a shot above their heads came whizzing
+      past, and a terrible bang rang out as it went.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'He is killed,' said one of the grenadiers, preparing to lower the body;
+      'I heard his cry.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0011" id="linkimage-0011">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page121.jpg" alt="Brownedrummerboy121 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Not yet, Comrade,' cried the tambour; 'it is the drum-head they have
+      carried away, that's all;' and he beat away on the wooden sides harder
+      than ever. And thus they bore him over the glacis, and up the rampart, and
+      never stopped till they placed him, sitting, on one of the guns on the
+      wall.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hurrah! well done!&rdquo; cried Pioche; while every throat around him re-echoed
+      the cry, &ldquo;Hurrah!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What was his name, Mademoiselle?&rdquo; cried several voices. &ldquo;Tell us the name
+      of the tambour!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ma foi, Messieurs!</i>they have not given it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not given his name,&rdquo; growled they out. &ldquo;<i>Ventrebleu!</i> that is too
+      bad!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An he had been an officer of the Guard they would have told us his whole
+      birth and parentage,&rdquo; said a wrinkled, sour-looking old fellow, with one
+      eye.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or a lieutenant of hussars, Mademoiselle!&rdquo; said Pioche, looking fixedly
+      at the vivandière, who held the book close to her face to conceal a deep
+      blush that covered it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, halloo, there! Qui vive?&rdquo; The cuirassier had just caught a glimpse
+      of me at the moment, and every eye was turned at once to where I was
+      standing. &ldquo;Ah, Lieutenant, you here! Not invalided, I hope?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, Pioche. My visit was intended for you; and I have had the good
+      fortune to come in for the tale mademoiselle was reading.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Before I had concluded these few words, the wounded soldiers, or such of
+      them as could, had risen from their seats, and stood respectfully around
+      me; while Minette, retreating behind the great chair where Pioche lay,
+      seemed to wish to avoid recognition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Front rank, Mademoiselle! front rank!&rdquo; said Pioche. &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i>when
+      one has the 'cross of the Legion' from the hands of the Emperor himself,
+      one need not be ashamed of being seen. Besides,&rdquo; added he, in a lower
+      tone, but one I could well overhear, &ldquo;thou art not dressed in thy uniform
+      now; thou hast nothing to blush for!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Still she hung down her head, and her confusion seemed only to increase;
+      so that, unwilling to prolong her embarrassment, which I saw my presence
+      had caused, I merely made a few inquiries from Pioche regarding his own
+      health, and took my leave of the party.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I rode homeward, I could not help turning over in my mind the words of
+      Pioche, &ldquo;Thou art not in thy uniform now; thou hast nothing to blush for!&rdquo;
+       Here, then, seemed the key to the changed manner of the poor girl when I
+      met her at Austerlitz,&mdash;some feeling of womanly shame at being seen
+      in the costume of the vivandière by one who had known her only in another
+      guise. But could this be so? I asked myself,&mdash;a question a very
+      little knowledge of a woman's heart might have spared me. And thus
+      pondering, I returned to the Luxembourg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVI. AN OLD FRIEND UNCHANGED
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      They who took their tone in politics from the public journals of France
+      must have been somewhat puzzled at the new and unexpected turn of the
+      papers in Government influence at the period I now speak of. The
+      tremendous attacks against the &ldquo;perfide Albion,&rdquo; which constituted the
+      staple of the leading articles in the &ldquo;Moniteur,&rdquo; were gradually
+      discontinued; the great body of the people were separated from the
+      &ldquo;tyrannical domination of an insolent aristocracy;&rdquo; an occasional eulogy
+      would appear, too, upon the &ldquo;native good sense and right feeling of John
+      Bull&rdquo; when not led captive by appeals to his passions and prejudices; and
+      at last a wish more boldly expressed that the two countries, whose mission
+      it should be to disseminate civilization over the earth, could so far
+      understand their real interest as to become &ldquo;fast friends, instead of
+      dangerous enemies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The accession of the Whigs to power in England was the cause of this
+      sudden revolution. The Emperor, when First Consul, had learned to know and
+      admire Charles Fox,&mdash;sentiments of mutual esteem had grown up between
+      them,&mdash;and it seemed now as if his elevation to power were the only
+      thing wanting to establish friendly relations between the two countries.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      How far the French Emperor presumed on Fox's liberalism,&mdash;and the
+      strong bias to party inducing him to adopt such a line of policy as would
+      run directly counter to that of his predecessors in office, and thus
+      dispose the nation to more amicable views towards France,&mdash;certain it
+      is that he miscalculated considerably when he built upon any want of true
+      English feeling on the part of that minister, or any tendency to weaken,
+      by unjust concessions, the proud attitude England had assumed at the
+      commencement and maintained throughout the entire Continental war.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A mere accident led to a renewal of negotiations between the two
+      countries. A villain, calling himself Guillet de la Grevillière, had the
+      audacity to propose to the English minister the assassination of Napoleon,
+      and to offer himself for the deed. He had hired a house at Passy, and made
+      every preparation for the execution of his foul scheme. To denounce this
+      wretch to the French minister of foreign affairs, Talleyrand, was the
+      first step of Fox. This led to a reply, in which Talleyrand reported, word
+      for word, a conversation that passed between the Emperor and himself, and
+      wherein expressions of the kindest nature were employed by Napoleon with
+      regard to Fox, and many flattering allusions to the times of their former
+      intimacy; the whole concluding with the expression of an ardent desire for
+      a good understanding and a &ldquo;lasting peace between two nations designed by
+      nature to esteem each other.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Although the whole scheme of the assassination was a police stratagem
+      devised by Fouché to test the honor and good faith of the English
+      minister, the result was eagerly seized on as a basis for new
+      negotiations; and from that hour the temperate language of the French
+      papers evinced a new policy towards England. The insolent allusions of
+      journalists, the satirical squibs of party writers, the caricatures of the
+      English eccentricity, were suppressed at once; and by that magic influence
+      which Napoleon wielded, the whole tone of public feeling seemed altered as
+      regarded England and Englishmen. From the leaders in the &ldquo;Moniteur&rdquo; to the
+      shop windows of the Palace an Anglomania prevailed; and the idea was
+      thrown out that the two nations had divided the world between them,&mdash;the
+      sea being the empire of the British, the land that of Frenchmen.
+      Commissioners were appointed on both sides: at first Lord Yarmouth, and
+      then Lord Lauderdale, by England; General Clarke and M. Champagny, on the
+      part of France. Lord Yarmouth, at that time a <i>détenu</i> at Verdun, was
+      selected by Talleyrand to proceed to England, and learn the precise basis
+      on which an amicable negotiation could be founded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely was the interchange of correspondence made public, when the new
+      tone of feeling and acting towards England displayed itself in every
+      circle and every <i>salon</i>. If a proof were wanting how thoroughly the
+      despotism of Napoleon had penetrated into the very core of society, here
+      was a striking one: not only were many of the <i>détenus</i> liberated and
+      sent back to England, but were fêted and entertained at the various towns
+      they stopped at on their way, and every expedient practised to make them
+      satisfied with the treatment they had received on the soil of France. An
+      English guest was deemed an irresistible attraction at a dinner party, and
+      the most absurd attempts at imitation of English habits, dress, and
+      language were introduced into society as the last &ldquo;mode,&rdquo; and extolled as
+      the very pinnacle of fashionable excellence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It would be easy for me here to cite some strange instances of this new
+      taste; but I already feel that I have wandered from my own path, and owe
+      an apology to my reader for invading precincts which scarce become me. Yet
+      may I observe here,&mdash;and the explanation will serve once for all,&mdash;I
+      have been more anxious in this &ldquo;true history&rdquo; to preserve some passing
+      record of the changeful features of an eventful period in Europe, than
+      merely to chronicle personal adventures, which, although not devoid of
+      vicissitudes, are still so insignificant in the great events by which they
+      were surrounded. The Consulate, the Empire, and the Restoration were three
+      great tableaux, differing in their groupings and color, but each part of
+      one mighty whole,&mdash;links in the great chain, and evidencing the
+      changeful aspect of a nation crouching beneath tyranny, or dwindling under
+      imbecility and dotage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have said the English were the vogue in Paris; and so they were, but
+      especially in those <i>salons</i> which reflected the influence of the
+      Court, and where the tone of the Tuileries was revered as law. Every
+      member of the Government, or all who were even remotely connected with it,
+      at once adopted the reigning mode; and to be <i>à l'Anglaise</i> became
+      now as much the type of fashion as ever it had been directly the opposite.
+      Only such as were in the confidence of Fouché and his schemes knew how
+      hollow all this display of friendly feeling was, or how ready the
+      Government held themselves to assume their former attitude of defiance
+      when circumstances should render it advisable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among those who speedily took up the tone of the Imperial counsels, the <i>salons</i>
+      of the Hôtel Glichy were conspicuous. English habits, as regarded table
+      equipage; English servants; even to English cookery did French politeness
+      extend its complaisance; and many of the commonest habitudes and least
+      cultivated tastes were imported as the daily observances of fashionable
+      people <i>outremer</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In this headlong Anglomania, my English birth and family (I say English,
+      because abroad the petty distinctions of Irishman or Scotchman are not
+      attended to) marked me out for peculiar attention in society; and although
+      my education and residence in France had well-nigh rubbed off all or the
+      greater part of my national peculiarities, yet the flatterers of the day
+      found abundant traits to admire in what they recognized as my John Bull
+      characteristics. And in this way, a blunder in French, a mistake in
+      grammar, or a false accentuation became actually a <i>succès de salon</i>.
+      Though I could not help smiling at the absurdity of a vogue whose violence
+      alone indicated its unlikeliness to last, yet I had sufficient of the
+      spirit of my adopted country to benefit by it while it did exist, and
+      never spent a single day out of company.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the Hôtel Clichy I was a constant guest; and while with Mademoiselle de
+      Lacostellerie my acquaintance made little progress, with the countess I
+      became a special favorite,&mdash;she honoring me so far as to take me into
+      her secret counsels, and tell me all the little nothings which Fouché
+      usually disseminated as state secrets, and circulated twice or thrice a
+      week throughout Paris. From him, too, she learned the names of the various
+      English who each day arrived in Paris from Verdun, and thus contrived to
+      have a succession of those favored guests at her dinner and evening
+      parties.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During all this time, as I have said, my intimacy with mademoiselle
+      advanced but slowly, and certainly showed slight prospect of verifying the
+      prophecy of Duchesne at parting. Her manner had, indeed, lost its cold and
+      haughty tone; but in lieu of it there was a flippant, half impertinent, <i>moqueur</i>
+      spirit, which, however easily turned to advantage by a man of the world
+      like the chevalier, was terribly disconcerting to a less forward and less
+      enterprising person like myself. Dobretski still continued an invalid; and
+      although she never mentioned his name nor alluded to him in any instance,
+      I could see that she suspected I knew something more of his illness and
+      the cause of it than I had ever confessed. It matters little what the
+      subject of it be, let a secret once exist between a young man and a young
+      woman,&mdash;let there be the tacit understanding that they mutually know
+      of something of which others are in ignorance,&mdash;and from that moment
+      a species of intelligence is established between them of the most
+      dangerous kind. They may not be disposed to like each other; there may be
+      attachments elsewhere; there may be a hundred reasons why love should not
+      enter into the case; yet will there be a conscious sense of this hidden
+      link which binds them; strangely at variance with their ordinary regard
+      for each other, eternally mingling in all their intercourse, and
+      suggesting modes of acting and thinking at variance with the true tenor of
+      the acquaintanceship.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such, then, was my position at the Hôtel Clichy, at which I was almost
+      daily a visitor or a guest, in the morning, to hear the chit-chat of the
+      day,&mdash;the changes talked of in the administration, the intended plans
+      of the Emperor, or the last modes in dress introduced by the Empress,
+      whose taste in costume and extravagant habits were much more popular with
+      the tradespeople than with Napoleon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An illness of a few days' duration had confined me to the Luxembourg, and
+      unhappily deprived me of the Court ball, for which I had received my
+      invitation several weeks before. It seemed as if my fate forbade any
+      chance of my ever seeing her once more whose presence in Paris was the
+      great hope I held out to myself when coming. Already a rumor was afloat
+      that several officers had received orders to join their regiments; and now
+      I began to fear lest I should leave the capital without meeting her, and
+      was thinking of some plan by which I could attain that object, when a note
+      arrived from Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie, written with more than her
+      usual cordiality, and inviting me to dinner on the following day with a
+      very small party, but when I should meet one of my oldest friends.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I thought of every one in turn who could be meant under the designation,
+      but without ever satisfying my mind that I had hit upon the right one.
+      Tascher it could not be, for the very last accounts I had seen from
+      Germany spoke of him as with his regiment. My curiosity was sufficiently
+      excited to make me accept the invitation; and, true to time, I found
+      myself at the Hôtel Clichy at the hour appointed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On entering the <i>salon</i>, I discovered that I was alone. None of the
+      guests had as yet arrived, nor had the ladies of the house made their
+      appearance; and I lounged about the splendid drawing-room, where every
+      appliance of luxury was multiplied: pictures, vases, statues, and bronzes
+      abounded,&mdash;for the apartment had all the ample proportions of a
+      gallery,&mdash;battle scenes from the great «vents of the Italian and
+      Egyptian campaigns; busts of celebrated generals and portraits of several
+      of the marshals, from the pencils of Gerard and David. But more than all
+      was I struck by one picture: it was a likeness of Pauline herself, in the
+      costume of a Spanish peasant. Never had artist caught more of the
+      character of his subject than in that brilliant sketch,&mdash;for it was
+      no more. The proud tone of the expression; the large, full eye, beaming a
+      bright defiance; the haughty curl of the lip; the determined air of the
+      figure, as she stood one foot in advance, and the arms hanging easily on
+      either side,&mdash;all conveyed an impression of high resolve and proud
+      determination quite her own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was leaning over the back of a chair, my eye steadfastly fixed on the
+      painting, when I heard a slight rustling of a dress near me. I turned
+      about: it was mademoiselle herself. Although the light of the apartment
+      was tempered by the closed jalousies, and scarcely more than a mere
+      twilight admitted, I could perceive that she colored and seemed confused
+      as she said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope you don't think that picture is a likeness?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet,&rdquo; said I, hesitatingly, &ldquo;there is much that reminds me of you; I
+      mean, I can discover&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Say it frankly, sir; you think that saucy look is not from mere fancy. I
+      deemed you a closer observer; but no matter. You have been ill; I trust
+      you are recovered again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, a mere passing indisposition, which unfortunately came at the moment
+      of the Court ball. You were there, of course?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; it was there we had the pleasure to meet your friend, the general:
+      but perhaps this is indiscreet on my part; I believe, indeed, I promised
+      to say nothing of him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The general! Do you mean General d'Auvergne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That much I will answer you,&mdash;I do not. But ask me no more
+      questions. Your patience will not be submitted to a long trial; he dines
+      with us to-day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I made no reply, but began to ponder over in my mind who the general in
+      question could be.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There! pray do not worry yourself about what a few moments will reveal
+      for you, without any guessing. How strange it is, the intense feeling of
+      curiosity people are afflicted with who themselves have secrets.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I have none, Mademoiselle; at least, none worth the telling.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps,&rdquo; replied she, saucily. &ldquo;But here come our guests.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Several persons entered the <i>salon</i> at this moment, with each of whom
+      I was slightly acquainted; they were either members of the Government or
+      generals on the staff. The countess herself soon after made her
+      appearance; and now we only waited for the individual so distinctively
+      termed &ldquo;my friend&rdquo; to complete the party.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pauline has kept our secret, I hope,&rdquo; said the countess to me. &ldquo;I shall
+      be sadly disappointed if anything mars this surprise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who can it be?&rdquo; thought I. &ldquo;Or is the whole thing some piece of badinage
+      got up at my expense?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had the notion struck me, when a servant flung wide the
+      folding-doors, and announced &ldquo;le Général&rdquo; somebody, but so mumbled was the
+      word, the nearest thing I could make of it was &ldquo;Bulletin.&rdquo; This time,
+      however, my curiosity suffered no long delay; for quickly after the
+      announcement a portly personage in an English uniform entered hastily, and
+      approaching madame, kissed her hand with a most gallant air; then turning
+      to mademoiselle, he performed a similar ceremony. All this time my eyes
+      were riveted upon him, without my being able to make the most remote guess
+      as to who he was.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Must I introduce you, gentlemen?&rdquo; said the countess: &ldquo;Captain Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eh, what! my old friend, my boy Tom! This you, with all that mustache?
+      Delighted to see you,&rdquo; cried the large unknown, grasping me by the hands,
+      and shaking them with a cordiality I had not known for many a year.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, sir,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;I am but too happy to be recognized; but a most
+      unfortunate memory&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Memory, lad! I never forgot anything in life. I remember the doctor
+      shaking the snow off his boots the night I was born; a devilish cold
+      December. We lived at Benhungeramud, in the Himalaya.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; cried I; &ldquo;is this Captain Bubbleton, my old and kind friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General, Tom,&mdash;Lieutenant-General Bubbleton, with your leave,&rdquo; said
+      he, correcting me. &ldquo;How the boy has grown! I remember him when he was
+      scarce so high.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, my dear captain&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General, lieutenant-general&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, Lieutenant-General,&mdash;to what happy chance do we owe the
+      pleasure of seeing you here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;War, boy,&mdash;the old story. But we shall have time enough to talk over
+      these things; and I see we are detaining the countess.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the general gave his arm to madame, and led the way towards the
+      dinner; whither we followed,&mdash;I in a state of surprise and
+      astonishment that left me unable to collect my faculties for a
+      considerable time after.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Although the party, with the exception of Bubbleton, were French, he
+      himself, as was his wont, supported nearly the whole of the conversation;
+      and if his French was none of the most accurate, he amply made up in
+      volubility for all accidents of grammar. It appeared that he had been
+      three years at Verdun, a prisoner; though how he came there, whence, and
+      at what exact period, there was no discovering. And now his arrival at
+      Paris was an event equally shrouded in mystery, for no negotiations had
+      been opened for his exchange whatsoever; but he had had the eloquence to
+      persuade the préfet that the omission was a mere accident,&mdash;some
+      blunder of the War-Office people, which he would rectify on his arrival at
+      Paris. And there he was, though with what prospect of reaching England
+      none but one of his inventive genius could possibly guess. He was brimful
+      of politics, ministerial secrets, state news, and Government intentions,
+      not only as regarded England, but Austria and Russia: and communicated in
+      deep confidence a grand scheme by which the Fox ministry were to
+      immortalize themselves,&mdash;which was by giving up Malta to the
+      Bourbons, Louis the Eighteenth to be king, Goza to be a kind of dependency
+      to be governed by a lieutenant-general whom &ldquo;he would not name;&rdquo; finishing
+      his glass with an ominous look as he spoke. Thence he wandered on to his
+      repugnance to state, and dislike to any government, function,&mdash;illustrating
+      his quiet tastes and simple habits by recounting a career of Oriental
+      luxury in which he described himself as living for years past; every word
+      he spoke, whatever the impression on others, bringing me back most
+      forcibly to my boyish days in the old barrack, where first I met him.
+      Years had but cultivated his talents; his visions were bolder and more
+      daring than ever; while he had chastened down his hurried and excited tone
+      of narrative to a quiet flow of unexaggerated description, which, taking
+      his age and appearance into account, it was difficult to discredit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whether the Frenchmen really gave credit to his revelations, or only from
+      politeness affected to do it at first, I cannot say, but assuredly he put
+      all their courtesy to a rude test by a little anecdote before he left the
+      dinner-room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While speaking of the memorable siege of Valenciennes in '93, at which one
+      of the French officers was present and in a high command, Bubbleton at
+      once launched forth into some very singular anecdotes of the campaign,
+      where, as he alleged, he also had served.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We took an officer of one of your infantry regiments prisoner in a sortie
+      one evening,&rdquo; said the Frenchman. &ldquo;I commanded the party, and shall never
+      forget the daring intrepidity of his escape. He leaped from the wall into
+      the fosse, a height of thirty feet and upwards. <i>Parbleu!</i> we had not
+      the heart to fire after him, though we saw that after the shock he crawled
+      out upon his hands and feet, and soon afterwards gained strength enough to
+      run. He gave me his pocket-book with his name; I shall not forget it
+      readily,&mdash;it was Stopford.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, poor Billy! He was my junior lieutenant,&rdquo; said Bubbleton; &ldquo;an active
+      fellow, but he never could jump with me. Confound him! he has left me a
+      souvenir also, though a very different kind from yours,&mdash;a cramp in
+      the stomach I shall never get rid of.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As this seemed a somewhat curious legacy from one brother officer to
+      another, we could not help calling on the general for an explanation,&mdash;a
+      demand Bubbleton never refused to gratify.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It happened in this wise,&rdquo; said he, pushing back his chair as he spoke,
+      and seating himself with the easy attitude of your true story-teller. &ldquo;The
+      night before the assault&mdash;the 24th of July, if my memory serves me
+      right&mdash;the sappers were pushing forward the mines with all despatch.
+      Three immense globes were in readiness beneath the walls, and some minor
+      details were only necessary to complete the preparations. The stormers
+      consisted of four British and three German regiments,&mdash;my own, the
+      Welsh Fusiliers, being one of the former. We occupied the lines stretching
+      from L'Hérault to Damies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The French officer nodded assent, and Bubbleton resumed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Fusiliers were on the right, and divided into two parties,&mdash;an
+      assaulting column and a supporting one; the advanced companies at half
+      cannon-shot from the walls, the others a little farther off. Thus we were,
+      when, about half-past ten, or it might be even eleven o'clock (we were
+      drinking some mulled claret in my quarters), a low, swooping kind of a
+      noise came stealing along the ground. We listened,&mdash;it grew stronger
+      and stronger; and then we could hear musket-shot and shouting, and the
+      tramp of men as if running. Out we went; and, by Jove! there we saw the
+      first battalion in full retreat towards the camp. It was a sortie in force
+      from the garrison, which drove in our advanced posts, and took several
+      prisoners. The drums now soon beat to quarters; the men fell in rapidly,
+      and we advanced to meet them,&mdash;no pleasant affair, either, let me
+      remark, for the night was pitch dark, and we could not even guess the
+      strength of your force. It was just then that I was running with all my
+      speed to come up with the flank companies, that my cover-sergeant, a cool,
+      old Scotch fellow, shouted out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Take care, sir! Stoop there, sir! stoop there!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the advice came too late. I could just discern through the gloom
+      something black, hopping and bounding along towards me; now striking the
+      ground, and then rebounding again several feet in the air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Stoop, sir! down!' cried he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But before I could throw myself flat, plump it took me here. Over I went,
+      breathless, and deeming all was finished; but, miraculous to say, in a few
+      minutes after I found myself coming to, and except the shock, nothing the
+      worse for the injury.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Was that a shell, Sergeant?' said I; 'a spent shell?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Na, sir,' said he, in his own broad way, 'it was naething o' the kind;
+      it was only Lieutenant Stopford's head that was snapped aff up there.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His head!&rdquo; exclaimed we all of a breath,&mdash;&ldquo;his head!»
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, poor fellow, so it was; a damned hard kind of a bullet-head, too!
+      The blow has left a weakness of the stomach I suppose I shall never
+      recover from; and the occurrence being so singular, I have actually never
+      asked for a pension,&mdash;there are people, by Jove! would throw
+      discredit on it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This latter observation seemed so perfectly to sum up our own thoughts on
+      the matter that we really had nothing to remark on it; and after a silence
+      of a few seconds, politely relieved by the countess hinting at coffee in
+      the drawing-room, we arose and followed her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVII. THE RUE DES CAPUCINES
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Before I parted with Bubbleton that evening be promised to breakfast with
+      me on the following morning; and true to his word, entered my quarters
+      soon after ten o'clock. I longed to have an opportunity of talking to him
+      alone, and learning some intelligence of that country, which, young as I
+      had left it, was still hallowed in memory as my own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eh, by Jupiter! this is something like a quarter,&mdash;gilded mouldings,
+      frescos, silk hangings, and Persian rugs. I say, Tom, are you sure you
+      haven't made a mistake, my boy, and just imagined that you were somebody
+      else,&mdash;Murat or Bernadotte, for example? The thing is far easier than
+      you may think; it happened to me before now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be tranquil on that score,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;we are both at home; though these
+      quarters are, as you remark, far beyond the mark of a captain of hussars.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A captain! Why, hang it, you're not captain already?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, to be sure. What signifies it? Only think of your own rapid rise
+      since we parted; you were but a captain then, and to be now a
+      lieutenant-general!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, true, very true,&rdquo; said he, hurriedly, while he bustled about the
+      room, examining the furniture, and inspecting the decorations most
+      narrowly. &ldquo;Capital service this must be,&rdquo; muttered he, between his teeth;
+      &ldquo;not much pay, I fancy, but a deal of plunder and private robbery.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot say much on that head,&rdquo; said I, laughing outright at what he
+      intended for a soliloquy; &ldquo;but I must confess I have no reason to complain
+      of my lot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Egad! I should think not,&rdquo; rejoined he; &ldquo;better than Old George's Street.
+      Well, well, I wish I were but back there,&mdash;that's all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, sit down to your breakfast; and perhaps when we talk it over some
+      plan may present itself for your exchange.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      How thoroughly had I forgotten my friend when I uttered the sentiment; for
+      scarcely was he seated at table, when he launched out, as of old, into one
+      of his visionary harangues,&mdash;throwing forth dark hints of his own
+      political importance, and the keen watch the Emperor had set upon his
+      movements.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my friend, the thing is impossible,&rdquo; said he, ominously. &ldquo;Nap. knows
+      me; he knows my influence with the Tories. To let me escape would be to
+      blow all his schemes to the winds. I am destined for the 'Temple,' if not
+      for the guillotine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The solemnity of his voice and manner at this moment was too much for me,
+      and I laughed outright.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, you may laugh; so does Anna Maria.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And is Miss Bubbleton here, too?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; we are both here,&rdquo; ejaculated he, with a deep sigh. &ldquo;Rue Neuve des
+      Capucines, No. 46, four flights above the entresol! Ay, and in that
+      entresol they have two spies of Fouché's police; I know them well, though
+      they pretend to be hairdressers. I'm too much for old Fouché yet; depend
+      upon it, Tom.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was in vain I endeavored to ascertain what circumstances led him to
+      believe himself suspected by the Government; neither was I more fortunate
+      in discovering how he first became a <i>détenu</i>. The mist of imaginary
+      events, places, and people which he had conjured up around him, prevented
+      his ever being able to see his way, or know clearly any one fact connected
+      with his present position. Dark hints about spies, suspicious innuendoes
+      of concealed enemies, plotting préfets and opened letters, had actually
+      filled his brain to the exclusion of everything rational and reasonable,
+      and I began seriously to fear for my poor friend's intellect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hoping by a change of topic to induce a more equable tone of thinking, I
+      asked about Ireland.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All right there! they've hanged 'em all,&rdquo; said he. Then, as if suddenly
+      remembering himself, he added, with a slight confusion, &ldquo;You were well out
+      of that scrape, Tom. Your old friend Barton had a warrant for you the
+      morning you left, and there was a reward of five hundred pounds for your
+      apprehension; and something, too, for a confounded old piper,&mdash;old
+      Blast-the-Bellows, I think they called him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Darby! What of him, Bubbleton? they did not take him, I trust?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, by Jove! They hanged two fellows, each of whom they believed to be
+      him, and he was in the crowd looking on, they say. But he's at large
+      still; and the report goes, Barton does not stir out at night for fear of
+      meeting him, as the fellow has an old score to settle with him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so, all hopes of liberty would seem extinguished now,&rdquo; said I,
+      gloomily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is as you may take it, Tom. I'm a bad judge of these things; but I
+      fancy that a man who can live here might contrive to eke out life under a
+      British Government; though he might yearn now and then for a secret
+      police, a cabinet noir, or perhaps a tight cravat in the Temple.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hush! my friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, there it is! Now, if we were in Dame Street, we might abuse the
+      ministers and the army and the Lord-Lieutenant to our heart's content; and
+      if Jemmy O'Brien was n't one of the company, I 'd not mind a hit at Barton
+      himself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But does England still maintain her proud tone of ascendency towards
+      Ireland? Is the Saxon the hereditary lord, and the Celt the slave, still?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There again you puzzle me; for I never saw much of this same ascendency,
+      or slavery either. Loyal people, some way or other, were usually in favor
+      with the Government, and had what many thought a most unjust proportion of
+      the good things to their share. But even the others got off in most cases
+      easily too; a devilish deal better than you treated those luckless
+      Austrians the other day. You killed some thirty thousand, and made
+      bankrupts of the rest of the nation. But then, to be sure, it was the
+      cause of liberty you were fighting for. And as for the Italians&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! but you forget these were wars not of our seeking; the treachery of
+      false-hearted allies led to these sad results.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I suppose so. But certain it is, nations, like individuals, that have a
+      taste for fighting, usually have the good luck to find an adversary; and
+      as your Emperor here seems to have learned the Donnybrook Fair trick of
+      trailing his coat after him, it would be strange enough if nobody would
+      gratify him by standing on it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Without being able to say why, I felt piqued and annoyed at the tone of
+      Bubbleton's remarks, which, coming from one of his narrow intelligence on
+      ordinary topics, worried me only the more. I had long since seen that the
+      liberty with which in boyhood I was infatuated had no existence save in
+      the dreams of ardent patriotism; that the great and the mighty felt
+      ambition a goal, and power a birthright; that the watchwords of freedom
+      were inscribed on banners when the sentiments had died out of men's
+      hearts, while as a passion the more dazzling one of glory made every other
+      pale before it; and that the calm head and moderate judgment could scarce
+      survive contact with the intoxicating triumphs of a nation's successes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was, indeed, the real change Napoleon had wrought in France. Their
+      enthusiasm could not rest content with national liberty; glory alone could
+      satisfy a nation drunk with victory. Against the stern followers of the
+      Republican era&mdash;the soldiers of the Sambre and Meuse, the men of
+      Jemmappes&mdash;he had arrayed the ardent, high-spirited youth of the
+      Consulate and the Empire, the heroes of Areola, of Rivoli, of Cairo, and
+      Austerlitz. How vain to discuss questions of social order or national
+      freedom with the cordoned and glittering bands who saw monarchy and
+      kingdoms among the prizes of their ambition! And even I, who had few
+      ambitious hopes, how the ardor that once stimulated me and led me to the
+      soldier's life,&mdash;how had it given way to the mere conventional
+      aspirings of a class! The grade of colonel was far oftener in my thoughts
+      than the cause of freedom; the cross of the Legion would have reconciled
+      me to much that in my calmer judgment I might deem harsh and tyrannical.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Believe me, Tom,&rdquo; said Bubbleton, who saw in my silence that his
+      observations had their weight with me, &ldquo;believe me, my philosophy is the
+      true one,&mdash;never to meddle where you cannot serve yourself or some of
+      your friends. The world will always consist of two parties,&mdash;one
+      governing, the other governed. We belong to the latter category, and shall
+      only get into a scrape by poking our heads where they have no business to
+      be.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, a few moments since you were full of state secrets, and plots, and
+      secret treaties, and Heaven knows what besides!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure I was. And for whose interest, man,&mdash;for whose sake?
+      George Frederick Augustus Bubbleton's. Ay, no doubt of it. Here am I, a <i>détenu</i>,&mdash;and
+      have been these two years and a half&mdash;wasting away existence at
+      Verdun, while my property is going to the devil from sheer neglect. My
+      West India estates, who can say how I shall find them? my Calcutta
+      property, the same; then there's that fee-simple thing in Norfolk. But I
+      can't even think of it. Well, I verily believe no single step has been
+      taken for my release or exchange. The Whigs, you know, will do nothing for
+      me. I may tell you in confidence,&rdquo;&mdash;here he dropped his voice to a
+      low whisper,&mdash;&ldquo;I may tell you, Charles Fox hates me. But more of this
+      another time. What was I to do in all this mess of trouble and misfortune?
+      Stand still and bear it? No, faith; that's not Bubbleton policy. You 'd
+      never guess what I did.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fear not.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, it chanced that some little literary labors of mine&mdash;you know
+      I dally sometimes with the muse&mdash;became known to the préfet at
+      Verdun. I saw that they watched me; and consequently I made great efforts
+      at secrecy, concealing my papers in the chimney, under the floor, sewing
+      them in the linings of my coat, and so on. The bait took: they made a
+      regular search, seizing my manuscripts, put great seals on all the
+      packages, and sent them up to Paris. The day after, I made submission,&mdash;offered
+      to reveal all to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. And accordingly they
+      sent me up here with an escort. What would have come next I cannot tell
+      you, if Anna Maria had not found out Lord Lauderdale, and trumped up some
+      story to him, so that he interfered. And we are now living at the Rue
+      Neuve des Capucines; but how long we shall be there, and where they may
+      send us next, I wish I could only guess.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A few minutes' consideration satisfied me that the police were concerned
+      in Bubbleton's movements, and, knowing at once that no danger was to be
+      apprehended from such a source, were merely holding him up for some
+      occasion when they could make use of him to found some charge against the
+      British Government,&mdash;a manoeuvre constantly employed, and always
+      successful with the Parisians, wherever an explanation became necessary in
+      the public papers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It would have served no purpose to impart these suspicions of mine to
+      Bubbleton himself; on the contrary, he would inevitably have destroyed all
+      clew to their confirmation by some false move, had I done so. With this
+      impression, then, I resolved to wait patiently, watch events, and when the
+      time came, see what best could be done towards effecting his liberation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I was disposed to place more reliance on Miss Bubbleton's statements
+      than those of her imaginative brother, I agreed to his proposal to pay her
+      a visit; and accordingly we set out together for the Rue Neuve des
+      Capucines.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Lieutenant-General Bubbleton's quarters were by no means of that imposing
+      character which befitted his rank in the British army. Traversing a dirty
+      courtyard strewed with firewood, we entered a little gloomy passage, from
+      which a still gloomier stair ascended to the topmost regions of the house,
+      where, unlocking a door, he pushed me before him into a small,
+      meanly-furnished apartment, the centre of which was occupied by a little
+      iron stove, whose funnel pierced the ceiling above, and gave the chamber
+      somewhat the air of a ship's cabin. Bubbleton, however, either did not or
+      would not perceive any want of comfort or propriety in the whole; on the
+      contrary, he strode the floor with the step of an emperor, and placed the
+      chair for me to sit on as though he were about to seat me on a throne.
+      While exchanging his coat for a most ragged dressing-gown, he threw
+      himself on an old sofa with such energy of ease that the venerable article
+      of furniture creaked and groaned in every joint.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She's out,&rdquo; said he, with a toss of his thumb to a half-open door; &ldquo;gone
+      to take a stroll in the Tuileries for half an hour, so that we shall have
+      a little chat before she comes. And now, what will ye take? A little
+      sherry and water? a glass of maraschino, eh? or what say you to a nip of
+      real Nantz?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing, my dear friend; you forget the hour, not to speak of my French
+      education.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, very true,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;When I was in the Forty-fifth&mdash;&rdquo; When he
+      had uttered these words, he stopped suddenly, hesitated, and stammered,
+      and at last, fairly overcome with confusion, he unfolded a huge
+      pocket-handkerchief, and blew his nose with the sound of a cavalry
+      trumpet, while he resumed: &ldquo;We had a habit in the old Forty-fifth&mdash;a
+      deuced bad one, I confess&mdash;of a mess breakfast, that began after
+      parade and always ran into luncheon&mdash;But hush! here she comes,&rdquo; cried
+      he, in evident delight at the interruption so opportunely arriving. Then,
+      springing up, he threw open the door, and called out, &ldquo;I say, Anna Maria,
+      you 'll not guess who's here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Either the ascent of the steep stair called for all the lady's spare
+      lungs, or the question had little interest for her, as she certainly made
+      no reply whatever, but continued to mount, step by step, with that
+      plodding, monosyllabic pace one falls into at the highest of six flights.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; cried he aloud, &ldquo;no, you're wrong; it is not Lauderdale.&rdquo; Then,
+      turning towards me, with a finger to his nose, he added, with pantomimic
+      action, &ldquo;She thinks you are Yarmouth. Wrong again, by Jove! What do you
+      say to Tom Burke,&mdash;Burke of 'Ours.' as I used to call him long ago?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time Miss Bubbleton had reached the door, and was holding the
+      handle to recover her breath after the fatigue of the ascent. Even in that
+      momentary glance, however, I recognized her. Nothing altered by time, she
+      was the same crabbed, crossgrained-looking personage I remembered years
+      before. She carried a little basket on her arm, of which her brother
+      hastened to relieve her, and showed no little concern to remove out of
+      sight. Being divested of this, she held out her hand, and saluted me with
+      more cordiality than I looked for.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had our greetings been exchanged, when Bubbleton broke in, &ldquo;I 've
+      told him everything, Anna Maria. He knows the whole affair; no use in
+      boring him with any more. I say, isn't he grown prodigiously? And a
+      captain already,&mdash;just think of that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so, sir, you've heard of the sad predicament his folly has brought us
+      into?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hush, hush, Anna Maria!&rdquo; cried Bubbleton; &ldquo;no nonsense, old girl. Burke
+      will put all to rights; he's aide-de-camp to Murat, and dines with him
+      every day,&mdash;eh, Tom?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What if he be?&rdquo; interrupted the lady, without permitting me time to
+      disclaim the honor. &ldquo;How can he ever&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, it's all arranged between us; and don't make a fuss about
+      nothing. You 'll only make bad worse, as you always do. Come, Tom; the
+      secret is, I shall be ruined if I don't get back to England soon. Heaven
+      knows who receives my dividends all this time. Then that confounded tin
+      mine! they 've mismanaged the thing so much I haven't received five
+      hundred pounds from Cornwall since this time twelve months.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That you haven't,&rdquo; said the lady, as with clasped hands and eyes fixed
+      she sat staring at the little stove with the stern stoicism of a martyr.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She knows that,&rdquo; said Bubbleton, with a nod, as if grateful for even so
+      much testimony in his favor. &ldquo;And as for that scoundrel, Thistlethwait,
+      the West India agent, I've a notion he's broke; not a shilling from him
+      either.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not sixpence,&rdquo; echoed the lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You hear that,&rdquo; cried he, overjoyed at the concurrence. &ldquo;And the fact is,&mdash;you
+      will smile when I tell you, but upon my honor it's true,&mdash;I am
+      actually hard up for cash.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The idea tickled him so much, and seemed so ludicrous withal, that he fell
+      back on the sofa, and laughed till the tears ran down his face. Not so
+      Miss Bubbleton: her grim face grew more fixed, every feature hardened as
+      if becoming stone, while gradually a sneer curled her thin lip; but she
+      never spoke a word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I'll not speak of the annoyance of being out of England, nor the loss of
+      influence a man sustains after a long absence,&rdquo; said Bubbleton, as he
+      paced the room with his hands deep thrust in his dressing-gown pockets.
+      &ldquo;These are things one can feel; and as for me, they weigh more on my mind
+      than mere money considerations.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, General,&rdquo; said I&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General!&rdquo; echoed the lady with a start round, and holding up both her
+      hands,&mdash;&ldquo;General! You have n't been such a fool,&mdash;it's not
+      possible you could be such a fool&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you please to be quiet, old damsel?&rdquo; said Bubbleton, with more of
+      harshness than he had yet used in his manner. &ldquo;Can you persuade yourself
+      to mind your own household concerns, and leave George Frederick Augustus
+      Bubbleton to manage his own matters as he deems best?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here he turned short round towards me, and throwing up his eyebrows to
+      their full height, he touched his forehead knowingly with the tip of his
+      forefinger, and uttered the words,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You understand! Poor thing!&rdquo; concluding the pantomime with a deep sigh
+      from the bottom of his chest, while he added something in a low whisper
+      about &ldquo;a fall from an elephant when she was a child!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Burke, will you listen to me?&rdquo; said the lady, with an energy of voice
+      and manner there was no gainsaying&mdash;&ldquo;listen to me for five minutes;
+      and probably, short as the time is, I may be able to put you in possession
+      of a few plain facts concerning our position, and if you have the
+      inclination and the power to serve us, you may then know how best it can
+      be done.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Bubbleton made me a sign to gratify her desire of loquaciousness, while
+      with a most expressive shrug he intimated that I should probably hear a
+      very incoherent statement. This done, he lighted his meerschaum, wrapped
+      his ragged <i>robe de chambre</i> around him, and lay down full length on
+      the sofa, with the air of a man who had fortified himself to undergo any
+      sacrifices that might be demanded at his hands; taking care the while to
+      assume his position in such a manner that he could exchange glances with
+      me without his being observed by his sister.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We came over, Mr. Burke, only a few months before the war broke out, and
+      like the rest of our countrymen and women were made <i>détenus</i>. This
+      was bad enough; but my wise brother made it far worse, for instead of
+      giving his name, with his real rank and position, he would call himself a
+      lieutenant-general, affect to have immense wealth and great political
+      influence. The consequence was, when others were exchanged and sent home,
+      his name not being discoverable in any English list, was passed over;
+      while his assumed fortune involved us in every expense and extravagance,
+      and his mock importance made us the object of the secret police, who never
+      ceased to watch and spy after us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Capital! excellent! by Jove!&rdquo; cried Bubbleton, as he rolled forth a long
+      curl of blue smoke from the angle of his mouth; &ldquo;she 's admirable!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I ought to have told you before,&rdquo; said the lady, not paying the least
+      attention to his interruption, &ldquo;that he was obliged to sell out of the
+      Forty-fifth; a certain Mr. Montague Crofts, whom you may remember, having
+      won every shilling he possessed, even to the sale of his commission. This
+      was the cause of our coming abroad; so that at the very moment that he was
+      giving himself these airs of pretended greatness, we were ruined.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Upon my life, she believes all that,&rdquo; whispered Bubbleton, with a wink at
+      me. &ldquo;Poor old thing! I must get Larrey to look at her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Happily, or unhappily&mdash;who shall say which?&mdash;there was a
+      greater fool even than himself in the village; and he was the <i>maire</i>.
+      This wise functionary became alarmed at the piles of papers and rolls of
+      manuscripts that were seen about our rooms, and equally suspicious about
+      the dark hints and mysterious innuendoes he threw out from time to time.
+      The préfet was informed of it; and the result was, an order for our
+      removal to Paris. Here, then, we are; with what destiny before us who
+      shall tell? For, as he still persists in his atrocious nonsense, and calls
+      himself major-general&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lieutenant-general, my dear,&rdquo; said Bubbleton, mildly; &ldquo;I never was
+      major-general.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it not too bad?&rdquo; said she. &ldquo;Could any patience endure this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don't be violent; take care, Anna Maria,&rdquo; said he, rebukingly. &ldquo;Potts
+      said I should use restraint again, if you showed any return of the
+      paroxysm. That's the way she takes it,&rdquo; said he in a low whisper, &ldquo;with a
+      blinking about the eyes and a pattering of the feet. Bathe your temples,
+      dear, and you'll be better presently.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Anna Maria sat still, not uttering a word, and actually fearing by a
+      gesture to encourage a commentary on her manner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sometimes she 'll mope for hours,&rdquo; muttered he in my ear; &ldquo;at others,
+      she's furious,&mdash;there's no saying how it will turn. You wouldn't like
+      a pipe? I forgot to ask you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And worse than all, sir,&rdquo; said the lady, as if no longer able to restrain
+      her temper, &ldquo;he is supposed to be a spy of the police. I heard it myself
+      this morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eh, what!&rdquo; exclaimed Bubbleton, jumping up in an ecstasy of delight. &ldquo;A
+      spy! By Jove! I knew it. Lord! what fellows they are, these French! not
+      two days here yet, and they discovered I was no common man,&mdash;eh,
+      Burke? Maybe I haven't frightened them, my boy. It's not every one would
+      create such a sensation, let me tell you; I knew I'd do it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Miss Bubbleton looked at him for an instant with a sneer of the most
+      withering contempt, and then rising abruptly, left the room. But the
+      general little cared for such evidences of her censure; he danced about
+      the room, snapping his fingers, and chuckling with self-satisfaction, the
+      thought of being believed to be a police spy giving him the most intense
+      and heartfelt pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She has moments, Tom, when she's downright clear; you 'd not think it,
+      but sometimes she's actually shrewd. You saw how she hit upon that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Would that her brother was favored with some of these lucid intervals!&rdquo;
+       was the thought that ran through my head at the moment; for I knew better
+      than he did how needful a clearer brain and sharper faculties than his
+      would be to escape the snares his folly and vanity were spreading around
+      him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall we make a morning call at our friend the countess's, Tom?&rdquo; said
+      Bubbleton. &ldquo;She told me she received every day about this hour.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I felt nowise disposed for the visit; and so, having engaged my friend to
+      dine with me at the Luxembourg the next day, we parted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I sauntered homewards, I was surprised how difficult I found it to
+      disabuse my mind of the absurd insinuations Bubbleton had thrown out
+      against his sister's sanity; for, though well knowing his fondness for
+      romance, and his taste for embellishment on every occasion, I. yet could
+      not get rid of the impression that her oddity of manner might only be
+      another feature of eccentricity, just as extravagant, but differing in its
+      tendencies, as his own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To assist him whose kindness to myself of old I never ceased to remember
+      with gratitude, was my firm resolve; but to ascertain his exact position
+      was all-essential for this purpose, and I could not help saying, half
+      aloud, &ldquo;If I had but Duchesne here now!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak of the devil, <i>mon ami!</i>&rdquo; said he, drawing his arm within
+      mine, while I was scarcely able to avoid a cry of astonishment. &ldquo;Where do
+      you dine to-day, Burke?&rdquo; said he, in his quiet, easy tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But where did you come from, Duchesne? Are you long here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Answer my question first. Can you dine with me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure; with pleasure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then meet me at the corner of the Rue des Trois Têtes, at six o'clock,
+      and I 'll be your guide afterwards. This is <i>my</i> way now. <i>Au
+      revoir</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVIII. THE MOISSON d'OR
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      When I arrived at the rendezvous, I found Duchesne already awaiting me
+      with a carriage, into which we stepped, and drove rapidly away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A man of your word, Burke; and, what is scarcely less valuable in the
+      times we live in, a man of prudence too.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As how the latter, may I ask?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have not come in uniform, which is all the better where we are going;
+      besides, it gives me the hope of presenting you to my respected aunt, the
+      Duchesse de Montserrât, who will take your black coat as a compliment to
+      the whole Bourbon dynasty. You must come with me there, if it only be for
+      half an hour. And now tell me, have you ever dined at the 'Moisson d'Or'?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never; not even heard of the house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, you shall to-day. And meanwhile I may tell you, that although
+      in a remote and little-visited quarter of Paris, it stands unrivalled for
+      the excellence of its fare and the rare delicacy of its wines,&mdash;a
+      reputation not of yesterday, but of some years' standing. Nor is that the
+      only thing remarkable about it, as I shall explain hereafter. But come!
+      How are your friends at the Hôtel Clichy? and how fares your suit with
+      mademoiselle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My suit? It never was such. You know, to the full as well as I do, my
+      pretensions aspired not half so high.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the better, and so much the worse. I mean the former for me, as I
+      hate to have a friend for a rival; the latter for you, who ought to have
+      learned by this time that a handsome girl and a million of francs are more
+      easily won than a cross of the Legion or a colonel's epaulette.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And are you serious, Duchesne? Have you really intentions in that
+      quarter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Morbleu!</i> to be sure I have. It is for that I am here in Paris in
+      the dog days; travelled one hundred and twenty leagues; ay, and more, too,&mdash;have
+      brought with me my most aristocratic aunt, who never remembers in her life
+      to have seen full-grown leaves in the Tuileries gardens. I knew what an
+      ally she would be in the negotiation; and so I managed, through some
+      friends in the bureau of the minister, to give her a rare fright about an
+      estate of hers, which by some accident escaped confiscation in the
+      Revolution, and which nothing but the greatest efforts on her part could
+      now rescue from the fangs of the crown. You may be sure she is not
+      particularly in love with the present Government on this score; but the
+      trick secures her speaking more guardedly than she has the habit of doing,
+      besides inducing her to make acquaintances nothing but such a threat would
+      accomplish.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You intend, then, she should know Madame de Lacostellerie?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course. I have already persuaded her that the Hôtel Clichy is the
+      pivot of all Paris, and that nothing but consummate tact and management on
+      her part will succeed there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I scarcely thought you cared for mademoiselle; and never dreamed of
+      your proposing to marry her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor I, till about a week ago. However, my plans require money, and would
+      not be encumbered by my having a wife. I see nothing better at the moment,
+      and so my mind is soon made up. But here we are; this is our
+      resting-place.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The &ldquo;Moisson d'Or,&rdquo; although not known to me, was then the most celebrated
+      place for dining in Paris. The habits of the house&mdash;for there was no
+      <i>table d'hôte</i>&mdash;required that everything should be ordered
+      beforehand, and the parties all dined separately. The expensive habits and
+      extravagant prices secured its frequenters from meeting the class who
+      usually dined at restaurants; and this gave it a vogue among the wealthy
+      and titled, whose equipages now thronged the street, and filled the <i>porte
+      cochère</i>. I had but time to recognize the face of one of the marshals
+      and a minister of state, as we pushed our way through the court, and
+      entered a small pavilion beyond it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I'll join you in an instant,&rdquo; said Duchesne, as he left the room hastily
+      after the waiter. In a couple of minutes he was back again. &ldquo;Come along;
+      it's all right,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;I wish to show you a corner of the old house
+      that only the privileged ever see, and we are fortunate in finding it
+      unoccupied.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      We recrossed the court, and mounted a large oak stair to a corridor, which
+      conducted us, by three sides of a quadrangle, to a smaller stair, nearly
+      perpendicular. At the top of this, a strong door, barred and padlocked,
+      stood, which, being opened, led into a large and lofty <i>salon</i>,
+      opening by three spacious windows on a terrace that formed the roof of the
+      building. Some citron and orange trees were disposed tastefully along
+      this, and filled the room with their fragrance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here, Antoine; let us be served here,&rdquo; said Duchesne to the waiter; &ldquo;I
+      have already given orders about the dinner. And now, Burke, come out here.
+      What think you of that view?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had I set foot on the terrace, when I started back in mingled
+      admiration and amazement. Beneath us lay the great city, in the mellow
+      light of an evening in September. Close&mdash;so close as actually to
+      startle&mdash;was the large dome of the Invalides shining like a ball of
+      molten gold, the great courtyard in front dotted with figures; beyond,
+      again, was the Seine, the surface flashing and flickering in the sunlight,&mdash;I
+      traced it along to the Pont Neuf; and then my eye rested on Notre-Dame,
+      whose tall, dark towers stood out against the pinkish sky, while the
+      deep-toned bell boomed through the still air. I turned towards the
+      Tuileries, and could see the guard of honor in waiting for the Emperor's
+      appearing. In the gardens, hundreds were passing and repassing, or
+      standing around the band which played in front of the pavilion. A tide of
+      population poured across the bridges and down the streets, along which
+      equipages and horsemen dashed impetuously onward. There was all the life
+      and stir of a mighty city, its sounds dulled by distance, but blended into
+      one hoarse din, like the far-off sea at night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You don't know, Burke, that this was a favorite resort of the courtiers
+      of the last reign. The gay young Gardes du Corps, the gallant youths of
+      the royal household, constantly dined here. The terrace we now stand on
+      once held a party who came at the invitation of no less a personage than
+      him whom men call Louis the Eighteenth. It was a freak of the time to
+      pronounce the Court dinners execrable: and they even go so far as to say
+      that Marie Antoinette herself once planned a party here; but this I cannot
+      vouch for.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment Duchesne was interrupted by the entrance of the waiters who
+      came to serve the dinner. I had not a moment left to admire the beauty and
+      richness of the antique silver dishes which covered the table, when a
+      gentle tap at the door attracted my attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! Jacotot himself!&rdquo; said Duchesne, as, rising hastily, he advanced to
+      meet the new arrival. He was a tall, thin old man, much stooped by years,
+      but with an air and carriage distinctly well bred; his white hair, brushed
+      rigidly back, fastened into a queue behind, and his lace &ldquo;jabot&rdquo; and
+      ruffles, bespoke him as the remnant of a date long past. His coat was
+      blue, of a shade somewhat lighter than is usually worn. He also wore large
+      buckles in his shoes, whose brilliancy left no doubt of their real value.
+      Bowing with great ceremony, he advanced slowly into the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are come to dine with us,&mdash;is it not so, Jacotot?&rdquo; said
+      Duchesne, as he still held his hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excuse me, my dear chevalier; the Comte de Chambord and Edouard de
+      Courcelles are below,&mdash;I have promised to join them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And is Courcelles here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said the old man, with a timid glance towards where I sat, and a
+      look as if imploring caution and reserve.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, fear nothing. And that reminds me I have not presented my friend and
+      brother officer: Captain Burke,&mdash;Monsieur Jacotot. You may feel
+      assured, Jacotot, I make no mistake in the friends I introduce here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man gave a smile of pleasure; while, turning to me, he said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is discretion itself; and I am but too happy to make your
+      acquaintance. And now, Chevalier, one word with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He retreated towards the door, holding Duchesne's arm, and whispering as
+      he went. Duchesne's face, however, expressed his impatience as he spoke;
+      and at last he said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you please, my worthy friend; I always submit to your wiser counsels.
+      So farewell for the present.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He looked after the old man as he slowly descended the stairs, and then
+      closing the door and locking it, he exclaimed,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i>I found it very hard to listen to his prosing with even a
+      show of patience, and was half tempted to tell him that the Bourbons could
+      wait, though the soup could not.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then Monsieur Jacotot is a Royalist, I presume?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, that he is; and so are all they who frequent this house. Don't start;
+      the police know it well, and no one is more amused at their absurd
+      plottings and conspirings than Fouché himself. Now and then, to be sure,
+      some fool, more rash and brainless than the others, will come up from La
+      Vendée and try to knock his head against the walls of the Temple,&mdash;like
+      De Courcelles there, who has no other business in Paris except to be
+      guillotined, if it were worth the trouble. Then the minister affects to
+      stir himself and be on the alert, just to terrify them; but he well knows
+      that danger lurks not in this quarter. Believe me, Burke, the present
+      rulers of France have no greater security than in the contemptible
+      character of all their opponents. There is no course for a man of energy
+      and courage to adopt. But I ask your pardon, my dear friend, for this
+      treasonable talk. What think you of the dinner? The Royalists would never
+      have fallen if they had understood government as well as cuisine. Taste
+      that <i>suprême</i>, and say if you don't regret the Capets,&mdash;a
+      feeling you can indulge the more freely because you never knew them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot comprehend, Duchesne, what are the grievances you charge against
+      the present Government of France. Had you been an old courtier of the last
+      reign,&mdash;a hanger-on of Versailles or the Tuileries,&mdash;the thing
+      were intelligible; but you, a soldier, a man of daring and enterprise&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me interrupt you. I am so only because it is the taste of the day;
+      but I despise the parade of military glory we have got into the habit of.
+      I prefer the period when a <i>mot</i> did as much and more than a
+      discharge of <i>mitraille</i>, and men's <i>esprit</i> and talent
+      succeeded better than a strong sword-arm or a seat on horseback. There
+      were gentlemen in France once, my dear Burke. Ay, <i>parbleu!</i> and
+      ladies too,&mdash;not marchionesses of the drum-head nor countesses of the
+      bivouac, but women in whom birth heightened beauty, whose loveliness had
+      the added charm of high descent beaming from their bright eyes and sitting
+      throned on their lofty brows; before whom our mustached marshals had stood
+      trembling and ashamed,&mdash;these men who lounge so much at ease in the
+      <i>salons</i> of the Tuileries! Let me help you to this <i>salmi</i>; it
+      is <i>à la Louis Quinze</i>, and worthy of the Regency itself. Well, then,
+      a glass of Burgundy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your friend Monsieur Jacotot seems somewhat of an original,&rdquo; said I, half
+      desirous to change a topic which I always felt an unpleasant one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are not wrong; he is so. Jacotot is a thorough Frenchman; at least,
+      he has had the fortune to mix up in his destiny those extremes of elevated
+      sentiment and absurdity which go very far to compose the life of my good
+      countrymen. I must tell you a short anecdote&mdash;But shall we adjourn to
+      the terrace? for, to prevent the interruption of servants, I have ordered
+      our dessert there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This was a most agreeable proposal; and so, having seated ourselves in a
+      little arbor of orange-shrubs, with a view of the river and the Palace
+      gardens beneath us, Duchesne thus began:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am going somewhat far back in history; but have no fears on that head,
+      Burke,&mdash;my story is a very brief one. There was, once upon a time, in
+      France, a monarch of some repute, called Louis the Fourteenth; a man, if
+      fame be not unjust, who possessed the most kingly qualities of which we
+      have any record in books. He was brave, munificent, high-minded, ardent,
+      selfish, cruel, and ungrateful, beyond any other man in his own dominions;
+      and, like people with such gifts, he had the good fortune to attach men to
+      him just as firmly and devotedly as though he was not in his heart devoid
+      of every principle of friendship and affection. I need not tell you what
+      the ladies of his reign thought of him; my present business is with the
+      ruder sex.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Among the courtiers of the day was a certain Vicomte Arnoud de Gency, a
+      young man who, at the age of eighteen, won his grade of colonel at the
+      siege of Besançon by an act of coolness and courage worthy recording. He
+      deliberately advanced into one of the breaches, and made a sketch of the
+      interior works of the fortification while the enemy's shot was tearing up
+      the ground around him. When the deed was reported to the king, he
+      interrupted the relation, saying, 'Don't tell me who did this, for I have
+      made De Gency a colonel for it;' so rapidly did Louis guess the author of
+      so daring a feat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From that hour, the young colonel's fortune was made. He was appointed
+      one of the gentlemen of the chamber to his Majesty, and distinguished by
+      almost daily marks of royal intimacy. His qualities eminently fitted him
+      for the tone of the society he lived in; he was a most witty converser, a
+      good musician, and had, moreover, a very handsome person,&mdash;gifts not
+      undervalued at Saint-Germain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such were his social qualities; and so thoroughly did he understand the
+      king's humor, that even La Vallière herself saw the necessity of retaining
+      him at the Court, and, in fact, made a confidant of him on several
+      occasions of difficulty. Still, with all these favors of fortune, when the
+      object of envy to almost all the rest of the household, Arnoud de Gency
+      was suffering in his heart one of the most trying afflictions that can
+      befall a proud man so placed; he was in actual poverty,&mdash;in want so
+      pressing that all the efforts he could make, all the contrivances he could
+      practise, were barely sufficient to prevent his misery being public. The
+      taste for splendor in dress and equipage which characterized the period
+      had greatly injured his private fortune, while the habit of high play,
+      which Louis encouraged and liked to see about him, completed his ruin. The
+      salary of his appointments was merely enough to maintain his daily
+      expenditure; and thus was he, with a breaking heart, obliged not only to
+      mix in all the reckless gayety and frivolity of that voluptuous Court,
+      but, still more, tax his talents and his energies for new themes of
+      pleasure, fresh sources of amusement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Worn out at length by the long struggle between his secret sorrow and his
+      pride, he resolved to appeal to the king, and in a few words tell his
+      Majesty the straits to which he was reduced, and implore his protection.
+      To this he was impelled not solely on his own account, but on that also of
+      his only child, a boy of eight or nine years old, whose mother died in
+      giving him birth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An occasion soon presented itself. The king had given orders for a
+      hunting-party at St. Cloud; and at an early hour of the morning De Gency
+      in his hunting-dress took up his position in one of the ante-chambers
+      through which the king must pass: not alone, however; at his side there
+      stood a lovely boy, also dressed in the costume of the chase. He wore a
+      velvet doublet of green, slashed with gold, and ornamented by a broad
+      belt, from which hung his <i>couteau de chasse</i>; even to the falcon
+      feather in his cap, nothing was forgotten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He had not waited long when the folding-doors were thrown wide, and a
+      moment after Louis appeared, accompanied by a single attendant, the
+      Marquis de Verneuil, unhappily one of the very few enemies Arnoud
+      possessed in the world.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, De Gency! you here?' said the king, gayly. 'They told me &ldquo;brelan&rdquo;
+       had been unfavorable lately, and that we should not see you.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'It is true, Sire,' said he, with a sad effort at a smile; 'it is only on
+      your Majesty fortune always smiles.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'<i>Pardieu!</i> you must not say so; I lost a rouleau last night. But
+      whom have we here?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'My son; so please you, Sire, my only son, who desires, at an earlier age
+      than even his father did, to serve your Majesty.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0012" id="linkimage-0012">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/230.jpg" alt="230 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'How like his mother!' said the king, pushing back the fair ringlets from
+      the boy's forehead, and gazing almost fondly on his handsome features,&mdash;'how
+      like her! She was a Courcelles?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'She was, Sire,' said Arnoud, as the tears fell on his cheek and coursed
+      slowly along his face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'And you want something for him?' said the king, resuming his wonted
+      tone, while he busied himself with his sword-knot; 'is it not so?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'If I might dare to ask&mdash;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Assuredly you may. The thing is, what can we do? Eh, Verneuil, what say
+      you? He is but an infant.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'True, Sire,' replied the marquis, with a look of respect, in which the
+      most subtle could not discover a trait of his sarcastic nature; 'but there
+      is a place vacant.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, indeed,' said the king, quickly. 'What is it? He shall have it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Monsieur Jacotot, your Majesty's head cook, stands in need of a
+      turnspit,' said he, in a low whisper, only audible to the king.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'A turnspit!' said the king. And scarcely was the word uttered when, as
+      if the irony was his own, he burst into a most immoderate fit of laughter,&mdash;an
+      emotion that seemed to increase as he endeavored to repress it; when at
+      the instant the <i>cor de chasse</i>, then heard without, gave a new turn
+      to his thoughts, and he hurried forward with De Yerneuil, leaving De Gency
+      and his son rooted to the spot,&mdash;indignant passion in that heart
+      which despair and sorrow had almost rendered callous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His Majesty was still laughing as he mounted his barb in the courtyard;
+      and the courtiers, like well-bred gentlemen, laughed as became them, with
+      that low, quiet laugh which is the meet chorus of a sovereign's mirth,
+      when suddenly two loud reports, so rapidly following on each other as
+      almost to seem one, startled the glittering cortege, and even made the
+      Arab courser of the king plunge madly in the air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'<i>Par Saint Denis!</i>Messieurs,' said Louis, passionately, 'this
+      pleasantry of yours is ill thought of. Who has dared to do this?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But none spoke. A terrified look around the circle was the only reply to
+      the king's question, when a page rushed forward, his dress spotted and
+      blood-stained, his face pale with horror,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Your Majesty,&mdash;ah, Sire!' said he, kneeling. But sobs choked him,
+      and he could not utter more.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What is this? Will no one tell?' cried the king, as a frown of dark omen
+      shadowed his angry features.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Your Majesty has lost a brave, an honest, and a faithful follower,
+      Sire,' said Monsieur de Coulanges. 'Arnoud de Gency is no more.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Why, I saw him this instant,' said the king. 'He asked me some favor for
+      his boy.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'True, Sire,' replied De Coulanges, mournfully. But he checked himself in
+      time, for already the well-known and dreaded expression of passion had
+      mounted to the king's face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Dismiss the <i>chasse</i>, gentlemen,' said he, in a low thick voice.
+      'And do you, Monsieur de Verneuil, attend me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The cortege was soon scattered; and the Marquis de Verneuil followed the
+      king with an expression where fear and dread were not to be mistaken.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur de Verneuil did indeed seem an altered man when he appeared
+      among his friends that evening. Whatever the king had said to him
+      assuredly had worked its due effect; for all his raillery was gone, and
+      even the veriest trifler of the party might have dared an encounter with
+      wits which then were subdued and broken.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Next morning, however, the sun shone out brilliantly. The king was in
+      high spirits; the game abounded; and his Majesty with his own hand brought
+      down eight pheasants. The Marquis de Verneuil could hit nothing; for
+      although the best marksman of the day, his hand shook and his sight failed
+      him, and the king won fifty louis from him before they reached
+      Saint-Germain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never was there a happier day nor followed by a pleasanter evening. The
+      king supped in Madame de la Vallière's apartment; the private band played
+      the most delicious airs during the repast; and when at length the party
+      retired to rest, not one bright dream was clouded by the memory of Arnoud
+      de Gency.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here, now, were I merely recounting an anecdote, I should stop,&rdquo; said the
+      chevalier; &ldquo;but must continue a little longer, though all the romance of
+      my story is over. The Marquis de Verneuil was a good hater: even poor De
+      Gency's fate did not move him, and he actually did do what he had only
+      threatened in mockery,&mdash;he sent the orphan child to be a turnspit in
+      the royal kitchen. Of course he changed his name,&mdash;the title of an
+      old and honored family would soon have betrayed the foul deed,&mdash;and
+      the boy was called Jacotot, after the <i>chef</i> himself. The king
+      inquired no further on the subject; Arnoud's name recalled too unpleasant
+      a topic for the lips of a courtier ever to mention; and the whole
+      circumstance was soon entirely forgotten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This same Jacotot was the grandfather of my old friend, whom you saw a
+      few minutes since. Fate, that seems to jest with men's destinies, made
+      them as successful at the fire of the kitchen as ever their ancestors were
+      at that of a battery; and Monsieur Jacotot, our present host, has not his
+      equal in Paris. Here for years the younger members of the royal family
+      used to sup; this room was their favorite apartment; and one evening, when
+      at a later sitting than usual the ruler of the feast was carried beyond
+      himself in the praise of an admirable plat, he sent for Jacotot, and told
+      him, whatever favor he should ask, he himself would seek for him at the
+      hands of the king.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This was the long-wished-for moment of the poor fellow's life. He drew
+      from his bosom the title-deeds of his ancient name and fortune, and placed
+      them in the prince's hand without uttering a word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What! and are you a De Gency?' said the prince.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Alas! I shame to say it, I am.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Come, gentlemen,' said the gay young prince, 'a bumper to our worthy
+      friend, whom, with God's blessing, I shall see restored right soon to his
+      fitting rank and station. Yes, De Gency! my word upon it, the next evening
+      I sup here I shall bring with me his Majesty's own signature to these
+      title-deeds. Make place, gentlemen, and let him sit down!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But poor Jacotot was too much excited by his feelings of joy and
+      gratitude, and he rushed from the room in a torrent of tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The evening the prince spoke of never came. Soon after that commenced the
+      troubles to the royal family; the dreadful events of Versailles; the
+      flight to Varennes; the 10th August,&mdash;a horrible catalogue I cannot
+      bear to trace. There, yonder, where now the groups are loitering, or
+      sitting around in happy knots, there died Louis the Sixteenth. The prince
+      I spoke of is an exile: they call him Louis the Eighteenth; but he is a
+      king without a kingdom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But Jacotot lives on in hope. He has waded through all the terrors of the
+      Revolution; he has seen the guillotine erected almost before his door and
+      beheld his former friends led one by one to the slaughter. Twice was he
+      himself brought forth, and twice was his life spared by some admirer of
+      his cuisine. But perhaps all his trials were inferior to the heart-burning
+      with which he saw the places once occupied by the blood of Saint Louis now
+      occupied by the <i>canaille</i> of the Revolution. Marat and Robespierre
+      frequented his house; and Barras seldom passed a week without dining
+      there. This, I verily believe, was a heavier affliction than any of his
+      personal sufferings; and I have often heard him recount, with no feigned
+      horror, the scenes which took place among the <i>incroyables</i>, as they
+      called themselves, whose orgies he contrasted so unfavorably with the more
+      polished excesses of his regal visitors. Through all the anarchy of that
+      fearful period; through the scarce less sanguinary time of the Directory;
+      through the long, dreary oppression of the consulate; and now, in the more
+      grinding tyranny of the Empire, he hopes, ay, still hopes on, that the day
+      will come when from the hands of the king himself he shall receive his
+      long-buried rank, and stand forth a De Gency. Poor fellow! there is
+      something noble and manly in the long struggle with fortune,&mdash;in that
+      long-sustained contest in which he would never admit defeat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such are the followers of the Bourbons: their best traits, their highest
+      daring, their most long-suffering endurance, only elicited in the pursuit
+      of some paltry object of personal ambition. They have tasted the cup of
+      adversity, ay, drained it to the very dregs; they have seen carnage and
+      bloodshed such as no war ever surpassed: and all they have learned by
+      experience is, to wish for the long past days of royal tyranny and
+      frivolity back again; to see a glittering swarm of debauchees fluttering
+      around a sensualist king; and to watch the famished faces of the
+      multitude, without a thought that the tiger is only waiting for his
+      spring. As to a thought of true liberty, one single high and noble
+      aspiration after freedom, they never dreamed of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, my friend, I have no desire to win you over to the Bourbon
+      cause; neither, if I could, would I make you a Jacobin. But how is this?
+      Can it really be so late? Come, we have no time to lose: it is not
+      accounted good breeding to be late in a visit at the Faubourg.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIX. THE TWO SOIREES
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Duchesne's story had unfortunately driven all memory of Bubbleton out of
+      my head; and it was only as we entered the street where the Duchesse de
+      Montserrat lived that I remembered my friend, and thought of asking the
+      chevalier's advice about him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a few words I explained so much of his character and situation as was
+      necessary, and was going on to express my fears lest a temperament so
+      unstable and uncertain should involve its possessor in much trouble, when
+      Duchesne interrupted me by saying,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be of courage on that head. Your friend, if the man you describe him, is
+      the very person to baffle the police. They can see to any depth, if the
+      water be only clear; muddy it, and it matters little how shallow it be.
+      This Bubbleton might be of the greatest service just now; you must present
+      me to him, Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Most willingly. But first promise that you will not involve my poor
+      friend in the snares of any plot. Heaven knows, his own faculties are
+      quite sufficient for his mystification.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Plot! snares!&mdash;why, what are you thinking of? But come, this is our
+      halting-place; and here we are, without my even having a moment to give
+      you any account of my good aunt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke he turned the handle of a large door, which led into a gloomy
+      <i>porte cochère</i>, dimly illuminated by a single old-fashioned lantern.
+      A fat, unwieldy-looking porter peeped at us from his den in the
+      conciergerie; and then, having announced our approach by ringing a bell,
+      he closed the shutter, and left us to find the way ourselves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ascending the great spacious stair, the wall alongside which was covered
+      with family portraits,&mdash;grim-looking heroes in mail, or prim dames
+      with bouquets in their jewelled hands,&mdash;we reached a species of
+      gallery, from which several doors led off. Here a servant, dressed in deep
+      black, was standing to announce the visitors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the servant preceded us along the corridor, I could not help feeling
+      the contrast of this gloomy mansion, where every footstep had its own sad
+      echo, with the gorgeous splendor of the Hôtel Clichy. Here, all was dark,
+      cold, and dreary; there, everything was lightsome, cheerful, and elegant.
+      What an emblem, to my thinking, were they both of the dynasties they
+      represented! But the reflection was only made as one half of the
+      folding-door was thrown open,&mdash;the double-door was the prerogative of
+      the blood-royal,&mdash;and we were announced.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The apartment&mdash;a large, sombre-looking one&mdash;was empty, however,
+      and we traversed this, and a second similar to it, our names being
+      repeated as before; when at length the low tones of voices indicated our
+      approach to the <i>salon</i> where the visitors were assembled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dimly lighted by a few lamps, far apart from each other, the apartment as
+      we entered seemed even larger than it really was. At one end, around a
+      huge antique fireplace, sat a group of ladies, whom in a glance I
+      recognized as of the class so distinctively called dowager. They were
+      seated in deep-cushioned fauteuils, and were mostly employed in some
+      embroidery work, which they laid down each time they spoke; and resumed,
+      less to prosecute the labor, than, as it were, from mere habit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With all the insinuating gracefulness of a well-bred Frenchman, Duchesne
+      approached the seat next the chimney, and respectfully kissed the hand
+      extended towards him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Permit me, my dear aunt, to present a very intimate friend,&mdash;Captain
+      Burke,&rdquo; said he, as he led me forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the mention of the word &ldquo;captain,&rdquo; I could perceive that every hand
+      dropped its embroidery-frame, while the group stared at me with no feigned
+      astonishment. But already the duchess had vouchsafed a very polite speech,
+      and motioned me to a seat beside her; while the chevalier insinuated
+      himself among the rest, evidently bent on relieving the stiff and
+      constrained reserve which pervaded the party. Not even his tact and
+      worldly cleverness was equal to the task. The conversation, if such it
+      could be called, was conducted almost in monosyllables,&mdash;some stray
+      question for an absent &ldquo;marquise,&rdquo; or a muttered reply concerning a late
+      &ldquo;countess,&rdquo; was the burden; not an allusion even being made to any topic
+      of the day, nor any phrase dropped which could show that the speakers were
+      aware of the year or the nation in which they lived and breathed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was an inexpressible relief to me when gradually some three or four
+      other persons dropped in, some of them men, who, by their manner, seemed
+      favorites of the party. And soon after the entrance of the servant with
+      refreshments permitted a movement in the group, when I took the
+      opportunity to stand up and approach Duchesne, as he bent over a table,
+      listlessly turning over the leaves of a volume.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just think of the contradictions of human nature, Burke,&rdquo; said he, in a
+      low whisper. &ldquo;These are the receptions for which the new noblesse would
+      give half their wealth. These melancholy visits of worn-out acquaintances,
+      these sapless twigs of humanity, are the envy of such houses as the Hôtel
+      Clichy; and to be admitted to these gloomy, moth-eaten <i>salons</i>, is a
+      greater honor than an invitation to the Tuileries. So long as this exists,
+      depend upon it, there is rottenness in the core of society. But come, let
+      us take our leave; I see you are well wearied of all this. And now for an
+      hour at Madame de Lacostellerie's,&mdash;<i>en revanche</i>.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As we came forward to make our adieux to the duchess, she rose from her
+      seat, and in so doing her sleeve brushed against a small marble statue of
+      Louis the Sixteenth, which, had I not opportunely caught it, would have
+      fallen to the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, sir,&rdquo; said she, graciously. &ldquo;You have prevented what I should
+      have deemed a sad accident.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nay, more, Aunt,&rdquo; said Duchesne, smiling; &ldquo;he has shown his readiness to
+      restore the Bourbon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This speech, evidently spoken in jest, was repeated from lip to lip in the
+      circle; and certainly I never felt my awkwardness more oppressive than
+      when bowing to the party, whose elated looks and pleased countenances now
+      were turned towards me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My poor, bashful friend,&rdquo; said Duchesne, as we descended the stair; &ldquo;get
+      rid of the habit of blushing with all convenient despatch. It has marred
+      more fortunes than pharo or bouillotte.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This, assuredly, is well done!&rdquo; said the chevalier, as he looked around
+      him, while we slowly ascended the stairs of the Hôtel Glichy: the
+      brilliant light, almost rivalling day; the servants in gorgeous liveries;
+      the air of wealth around on every side, so different from the sad-colored
+      mansion of the Faubourg; while, as the opening doors permitted it to be
+      heard, the sound of delicious music came wafted to the ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say, Burke,&rdquo; said he, stopping suddenly, and laying his hand on my arm,
+      &ldquo;this might content a man who has seen as much as I have. And the game is
+      well worth the playing; so here goes!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The first person I saw as we entered the ante-chamber was Bubbleton. He
+      was the centre of a knot of foreigners, who, whatever the topic, seemed
+      highly amused at his discourse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is your friend, yonder,&rdquo; said Duchesne. &ldquo;He has the true type of
+      John Bull about him; introduce me at once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Duchesne scarcely permitted me to finish the introduction, when he
+      extended his hand, and saluted Bubbleton with great cordiality; while the
+      &ldquo;general&rdquo; did not suffer the ceremony to interrupt the flow of his
+      eloquence, but continued to explain, in the most minute and circumstantial
+      manner, the conditions of the new peace secretly concluded between France
+      and England. The incredulity of the listeners was, I could perceive,
+      considerably lessened by observing the deferential attention with which
+      Duchesne listened, only interrupting the speaker by an occasional assent,
+      or a passing question as to the political relations of some of the great
+      Powers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As to Prussia,&rdquo; said Bubbleton, pompously&mdash;&ldquo;as to Prussia&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, what of Prussia, General?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We have our doubts on that subject,&rdquo; replied he, looking thoughtfully
+      around him on the group, who, completely deceived by Duchesne's manner,
+      now paid him marked attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You'll not deprive her of Genoa, I trust,&rdquo; said the chevalier, with a
+      gravity almost inconceivable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is done already,&rdquo; said Bubbleton. &ldquo;For my own part, I told
+      Lauderdale we were nothing without the Bosphorus,&mdash;'the key of our
+      house, as your Emperor called it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He spoke of Russia, if I don't err,&rdquo; said Duchesne, with an insinuating
+      air of correction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pardon me, you are wrong. I know Russia well. I travelled through the
+      steppes of Metchezaromizce with Prince Drudeszitsch. We journeyed three
+      hundred versts over his own estates, drawn on sledges by his serfs. You
+      are aware they are always harnessed by the beard, which they wear long and
+      plaited on purpose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is towards the Crimea,&rdquo; interrupted the chevalier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Precisely. I remember a curious incident which occurred one night as we
+      approached Chitepsk. (You know Chitepsk? It is where they confine the
+      state prisoners,&mdash;a miserable, dreary tract, where the snow never
+      melts, and the frost is so intense you often see a drove of wolves glued
+      fast to the snow by the feet, and howling fearfully: a strange sight, to
+      be sure!) Well, the night was falling, and a thin, cutting snowdrift
+      beginning to drop, when Dru (I always call him so,&mdash;short) said to
+      me,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Bub' (he did the same to me) 'Bub,' said he, 'do you remark that
+      off-side leader?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I see him,' said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I have been watching the fellow since the last stage, and confound me if
+      he has ever tightened a trace; and you see he is a right active one,
+      notwithstanding. He capers along gayly enough. I 'll touch him up a bit.'
+      And with that he gave a flourish of his knouted whip, and came down on him
+      with a smarting cut. Lord, how he jumped! Five feet off the ground at one
+      spring! And, hang me, if he didn't tear off his beard! There it was,
+      hanging to the pole! A very shocking sight, I must confess; though Dru did
+      n't seem to mind it. However, we were obliged to pull up, and get out the
+      team. Well, you would not believe what we saw when we got down. You 'd
+      never guess who was the off-leader. It was the Princess Odoznovskoi! Poor
+      thing! the last time I saw her, before that, she was dancing in the Amber
+      Palace with Prince Alexander. She and her husband had been banished to
+      Chitepsk, and as he was ill, she had put on a false beard and was taking a
+      short stage in his place.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I did not venture to wait for more; but, leaving Duchesne to make the most
+      of the general, passed onwards towards the <i>salon</i>, which already was
+      rapidly filling with visitors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The countess received me with more than wonted kindness of manner, and
+      mademoiselle assumed a tone of actual cordiality I had never perceived
+      before; while, as she exchanged greetings with me, she said, in a low
+      voice,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me speak with you, in the picture-gallery, in half an hour.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Before I could utter my assent she had passed on, and was speaking to
+      another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Somewhat curious to conceive what Mademoiselle de Lacostellerie might mean
+      by her appointment in the gallery, I avoided the groups where I perceived
+      my acquaintances were, and strolled negligently on towards the place of
+      meeting. The gallery was but half lighted, as was customary on mere nights
+      of visiting, and I found it quite deserted. I was sauntering slowly along,
+      musing on the strange effects of the half-seen pictures, where all, save
+      the most forcible and striking tints, were sombred down to blackness, when
+      I heard a step behind me. I turned my head, and saw mademoiselle herself.
+      She was alone, and, though she evidently had seen me, continued to walk
+      onward, without speaking, towards a small boudoir, which occupied one
+      angle of the gallery. I followed, and we entered it together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was something in the secret interview which, while it excited my
+      curiosity, served at once to convince me that had I indulged in any hope
+      of succeeding to her affections, nothing could be less promising,&mdash;this
+      very proof of her confidence was the strongest earnest of her
+      indifference. But, indeed, I had never any such expectation. My pride
+      might have been flattered by such a supposition; my heart could never have
+      sympathized in the emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are alone here,&rdquo; said she, hurriedly, &ldquo;and we may be missed; so let me
+      be brief. It will seem strange that I should ask you to meet me here, but
+      I could not help it. You alone, of all who frequent this, have never paid
+      me the least attention, nor seemed disposed to flatter me; this leads me
+      to trust you. I have no other reason but that, and because I am
+      friendless.&rdquo; There was a tremulous sadness in the last word which went to
+      my heart, and I could mark that her breathing was hurried and irregular
+      for some few seconds after. &ldquo;Will you promise me your friendship in what I
+      ask? or, if that be too much, will you pledge yourself at least to
+      secrecy? Enough, I am quite satisfied. Now, tell me, who is this Chevalier
+      Duchesne?&mdash;what is he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I ran over in a few words all I knew of him, dwelling on whatever might
+      most redound to his credit; his distinguished military career, his
+      undoubted talent, and, lastly, alluding to his family, to which I
+      conceived the question might most probably apply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, it is not that,&rdquo; said she, vehemently, &ldquo;I wish to know. I care not
+      for his bravery, nor his birth either. Tell me, what are the sources of
+      his power? How is he admitted everywhere, intimate with every one, with
+      influence over all? Why does Fouché fear, and Talleyrand admit him? I know
+      they do this; and can you give me no clew, however faint, to guide me? The
+      Comte de Lacostellerie was refused the Spanish contract; Duchesne
+      interferes, and it is given him. There is a difficulty about a card for a
+      private concert at St. Cloud; Duchesne sends it. Nor does it end here. <i>You</i>
+      know&rdquo;&mdash;here her voice assumed a forced distinctness, as though it
+      cost her an effort to speak calmly&mdash;&ldquo;of his duel with the Prince
+      Dobretski; but perhaps you may not know how he has obtained an imperial
+      order for his recall to St. Petersburg?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of that I never heard. Can it be possible?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you, then, never tasted of his arbitrary power,&rdquo; said she, smiling
+      half superciliously, &ldquo;that these things seem strange to you? or does he
+      work so secretly that even those most intimate with him are in ignorance?
+      But this must be so.&rdquo; She paused for a second or two, and then went on:
+      &ldquo;And now, brief as our acquaintance with him has been, see what influence
+      he already possesses over my mother! Even to her I dare not whisper my
+      suspicions; while to you, a stranger,&rdquo; added she, with emotion, &ldquo;I must
+      speak my fears.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But are they not groundless?&rdquo; said I, endeavoring to calm the agitation
+      she suffered from. &ldquo;In all that you have mentioned, I can but trace the
+      devotion of one seeking to serve, not injure; to be loved, not dreaded.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarce had I said these words, when I heard a noise behind me, and before
+      I could turn round, Duchesne stood beside us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I implore your pardon, Mademoiselle,&rdquo; said he, in a voice of
+      well-affected timidity, &ldquo;nor should I venture to interrupt so interesting
+      a conference, but that the Comtesse de Lacostellerie had sent me to look
+      for you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You could scarcely have come more apropos, sir. The conversation was
+      entirely of yourself,&rdquo; said she, haughtily, as if in defiance of him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How could I possibly have merited so great an honor, Mademoiselle?&rdquo;
+       replied he, bowing with the deepest respect; &ldquo;or is it to the kindness of
+      a <i>friend</i> I am indebted for such interest?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      There was an evident sneer in the way he uttered the word &ldquo;friend,&rdquo; while
+      a sidelong glance he gave beneath his deep eyelashes was still more
+      decisive of his feeling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Few probably owe more to their friends than the Chevalier Duchesne,&rdquo; said
+      mademoiselle, tauntingly, as she took my arm to return to the <i>salon</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, most true!&rdquo; replied he, with a low and deferential bow; &ldquo;and I hope
+      I am not the man to forget my debts to either friends or enemies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I turned round rapidly as he said this. Our eyes met, and we exchanged a
+      short, brief glance of open defiance. His, however, as quickly changed;
+      and an easy smile of careless indifference succeeded, as he lounged after
+      us towards the <i>salon</i>, where now a considerable number of persons
+      were assembled, and a more than usual excitement prevailed. Some generals
+      of the imperial staff were also there; and the rumor ran that the
+      negotiations with England had been suddenly interrupted, and that the
+      negotiators had demanded their passports.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is not all, Madame,&rdquo; said an old officer to the countess. &ldquo;The
+      accounts from Mayence are threatening. Large bodies of Prussian troops are
+      reported on the march from the eastward. The telegraph has been actively
+      at work since noon, and several couriers have been sent off from the War
+      Office.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is to come next?&rdquo; said the countess, sighing, as she thought of
+      Paris once more deserted by its gay Court and brilliant crowd of officers,
+      the only society of the period.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What next, Madame?&rdquo; said Duchesne, taking up the word. &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i>
+      the thing is easily told. A conscription, a march, a bivouac, and a battle
+      will form act the first. Then a victory; and a bulletin and an imperial
+      edict, showing that Prussia, both by her language and geographical
+      position, was intended by Providence to belong to France; that Prussians
+      have no dearer wish than to be thrashed and taxed,&mdash;the honor of
+      becoming a portion of the Grande Nation being an ample recompense for any
+      misfortune.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so it is, Monsieur,&rdquo; broke in a bluff, hard-featured veteran, whose
+      coarse and weather-beaten traits bespoke one risen from the ranks; &ldquo;he is
+      no Frenchman who says otherwise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To your good health, Colonel,&rdquo; said Duchesne, as he lifted a glass of
+      champagne to his lips. &ldquo;Such patriotism is really refreshing in our
+      degenerate days. I wish you every success in your campaign; though what is
+      to reward your valor in that miserable land of beer and Protestantism I
+      cannot possibly conceive.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-morrow; let me see you to-morrow, in the afternoon.&rdquo; said
+      mademoiselle, in a whisper, as she passed close to me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I nodded in acknowledgment, Duchesne turned slightly around, and I saw
+      in his eyes he had overheard the words, though uttered in a mere whisper.
+      Still he went on,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for us who remain ingloriously behind you, we have nothing to do but
+      to read your exploits in the 'Moniteur.' And would to Heaven the worthy
+      editor would print his battles in better fashion! The whole page usually
+      looks more like a beaten than a conquering army; wounded vowels and broken
+      consonants at every step, and the capital letters awkward, hard-featured
+      fellows, as though risen from the ranks.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Tonnerre de Dieu</i>, sir! do you mean an insult to me?&rdquo; said the old
+      colonel, in a voice which, though intended for a whisper, was heard over
+      the whole circle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An insult, my dear colonel? nothing within a thousand leagues of such. I
+      was only speaking of the 'type' of our army, which may be very efficient,
+      but is scarcely too good-looking.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      No words can convey the sarcastic tone in which the speech was delivered,
+      nor the mortification of the indignant colonel, who felt, but knew not how
+      to reply to, such a taunt. Happily Madame de Lacostellerie interposed, and
+      by skilfully changing the topic of conversation, averted further
+      unpleasantness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My desire to learn something accurately as to the state of events made me
+      anxious to reach my quarters, and I took the first opportunity of quitting
+      the <i>salon</i>. As I passed through the outer room, Duchesne was
+      standing against a sideboard, holding a glass in his hand. It was
+      necessary that I should pass him closely, and I was preparing to salute
+      him with the distant courtesy of our present acquaintance, when he said,
+      in his former tone of easy raillery,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Going so early? Won't you have a glass of wine before you leave?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, I thank you,&rdquo; said I, coldly, and going on towards the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor wait for the concert; Grassini will be here in half an hour?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I shook my head in negation; and as I passed out I heard him humming, with
+      an emphasis which there was no mistaking, the couplet of a popular song of
+      the day which concluded thus,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-day for me; To-morrow for thee,&mdash;But will that to-morrow ever
+      be?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      That Duchesne intended to challenge me seemed now almost certain; and I
+      ran over in my mind the few names of those I could ask to be my friends on
+      such an occasion, but without being able to satisfy myself on the subject.
+      A moment's recollection might have taught me that it was a maxim with the
+      chevalier never to send a message, but in every case to make the adversary
+      the aggressor; he had told me so over and over himself. That, however, did
+      not occur to me at the moment, and I walked onward, thinking of our
+      meeting. Could I have known what was passing in <i>his</i> mind, I should
+      have spared many serious and some sad thoughts to my own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XX. A SUDDEN DEPARTURE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      So firmly had I persuaded myself, on my way homeward, that Duchesne
+      intended a duel with me, that I dreamed of it all night, and awoke in the
+      morning perfectly convinced that the event was prearranged between us.
+      Now, although the habits of the service I lived in had, in a great
+      measure, blunted the feelings I once entertained towards duelling, still
+      enough of detestation of the practice remained to make my anticipations
+      far from satisfactory; besides, I knew that Duchesne had in reality no
+      cause of quarrel with me, but from misapprehension alone could demand a
+      meeting, which our military code of honor always decided should be
+      accepted first, and inquired into afterwards. I regretted also, and deeply
+      too, that I should appear to his eyes in an unworthy part, as though
+      betraying the interests he had confided to me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There were, as I have said, many things I liked not in the chevalier: the
+      insatiable desire he felt for revenge where he had once been injured; the
+      spirit of intrigue he cherished; and, perhaps more than either, I shunned
+      the scoffing habit he had of depreciating what every one around him loved
+      or respected,&mdash;of stripping off every illusion which made life
+      valuable, and reducing to the miserable standard of mere selfish gratification
+      all that was great, or noble, or venerable. Already had his evil influence
+      done me injury in this way. Even now I felt, that of the few daydreams I
+      once indulged in he had robbed me of the best, and reduced me to the sad
+      reflection which haunted me throughout my whole career, and imbittered
+      every passing enjoyment of my life: I mean, the sorrowful thought of being
+      an alien, of having but the hireling's part in that career of glory which
+      others followed; that I alone could have no thrill of patriotism, when all
+      around me were exulting in its display; that I had neither home nor
+      country! Oh! if they who feel, or fancy that they feel, the wrongs and
+      oppressions of misgovernment at home,&mdash;who, with high aspirations
+      after liberty and holy thoughts for the happiness of their fellow-men, war
+      against the despotism which would repress the one or the cruelty which
+      would despise the other; if they could only foresee, that in changing
+      allegiance they did but shift the burden, not rid themselves of the load;
+      that the service of a foreign land is no requital for the loss of every
+      feeling which ties a man to kindred and to friends,&mdash;which links his
+      manhood with his youth, his age with both,&mdash;which gives him, in the
+      language of his forefathers, a sympathy with the land that bore them; if
+      they could know and feel these things; if they could learn how, in
+      surrendering them, they have made themselves such mere waifs and strays
+      upon life's ocean that objects of purely selfish and personal advancement
+      must be to them for evermore in place of the higher and more ennobling
+      thoughts which mix with other men's ambitions: they might hesitate ere
+      they left home and country to fight for the cause of the stranger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If such thoughts found entrance into <i>my</i> heart, how must they have
+      dwelt in many another's? I, who had neither family nor kindred,&mdash;who
+      from earliest childhood had never tasted the sweets of affection nor known
+      the blessings of a father's love; and yet scarce a day crept by without
+      some thought of the far-away land of my birth,&mdash;some memory of its
+      hills and valleys, of its green banks and changeful skies: and in my
+      dreams, some long-forgotten air would bring me back in memory to the
+      cottier's fireside, where around the red blazing turf were seated the poor
+      but happy peasantry, beguiling the time with song or story,&mdash;now
+      telling of the ancient greatness of their country, now breathing a hope of
+      its one day prosperity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Captain Burke's quarters?&rdquo; said a voice without. At the same instant, the
+      jingling of spurs and the clank of a sabre bespoke the questioner as a
+      soldier. My door opened, and an officer in the full dress of the staff
+      entered. As I requested him to be seated, I already anticipated the object
+      of his visit, which he seemed determined to open in most diplomatic
+      fashion; for, the first salutations over, he began coolly to ransack his
+      sabretasche, and search among a heap of papers which crowded it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! here it is,&rdquo; said he at length. &ldquo;I ask your pardon for all this
+      delay. But, of course, you guess the reason of my being here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must confess I suspect it,&rdquo; said I, with a smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, that I am certain of. These things never are secrets very long; nor,
+      for my part, do I think there is any need they should be. I conclude you
+      are quite prepared?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall find me so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So the minister said,&rdquo; replied he; while, once more, his eyes were buried
+      in the recesses of the sabretasche, leaving me in the most intense
+      astonishment at the last few words. That the minister, whoever he might
+      be, should know of, and, as it seemed, acquiesce in my fighting a duel,
+      was a puzzle I could make nothing of.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is the note I looked for,&rdquo; said he as he took forth a small slip of
+      paper, written on both sides. &ldquo;May I beg you will take down the details;
+      they are brief, but important.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may trust my memory with them,&rdquo; said I, rather surprised at the
+      circumstantial style of his conduct.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you please; so pay attention for one moment, while I read: 'Captain
+      Burke of the Eighth, will proceed by extra post to Mayence, visiting the
+      following garrisons <i>en route</i> '(here come the names, which you can
+      copy), where his attention will be specially directed to the points marked
+      A. B. and&mdash;'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive my interrupting you; but really I am unaware of what you are
+      alluding to. You are not here on the part of the Chevalier Duchesne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Chevalier Duchesne? Duchesne? No; this is a war despatch from the
+      minister. You must set out in two hours. I thought you said you were
+      prepared.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hem! there has been a mistake here,&rdquo; said I, endeavoring to remember how
+      far I might have committed myself by any unguarded expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All my fault, Captain Burke,&rdquo; said he, frankly. &ldquo;I should have been more
+      explicit at first. But I really thought from something&mdash;I forget
+      precisely what now&mdash;that you knew of the movement on the frontier,
+      and were, in fact, prepared for your orders. Heaven knows how far our
+      mystification might have gone on; for when you spoke of Duchesne&mdash;the
+      ex-captain of the Imperial Guard, I suppose&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! what of him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, it so chanced that he was closeted with the minister this morning,
+      and only left five minutes before your orders were made out. But come,
+      neither of us can well spare more time. This is your despatch for the
+      commandant of the troops at Mayence, to whom you will report verbally on
+      the equipment of the smaller bodies of men visited <i>en route</i>. I
+      shall give you my note, which, though hurriedly written, will assist your
+      memory. Above all things, get speedily on the road, and reach Mayence by
+      Wednesday. Half an hour's speed in times like these is worth a whole year
+      in one's way to promotion. And so, now, good-by!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I stood for several minutes after he left the room so confused and
+      astonished, that had not the huge envelope, with its great seal of office,
+      confirmed the fact, I could have believed the whole a mere trick of my
+      imagination.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The jingle of the postilion's equipment in the court beneath now informed
+      me that a Government <i>calèche</i> stood awaiting me, and I speedily
+      began my preparations for the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One thought filled my mind to the exclusion of all others. It was
+      Duchesne's influence on which my fortune now rested. The last few words he
+      uttered as I left the <i>salon</i> were ringing in my ears, and here was
+      their explanation. This rapid journey was planned by him to remove me from
+      Paris, where possibly he supposed my knowledge of him might be
+      inconvenient, and where in my absence his designs might be prosecuted with
+      more success. Happy as I felt to think that a personal <i>rencontre</i>
+      was not to occur between us, my self-love was deeply wounded at the
+      thought of how much I was in this man's power, and how arbitrarily he
+      decided on the whole question of my destiny. If my pride were gratified on
+      the one hand by my having excited the chevalier's vengeance, it was
+      offended on the other by feeling how feeble would my efforts prove to
+      oppose the will of an antagonist who worked with such secret and such
+      powerful means. The same philosophy which so often stood my part in life
+      here came to my aid,&mdash;to act well my own part, and leave the result
+      to time. And so, with this patient resolve, I mentally bade defiance to my
+      adversary, and set out from Paris.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The ardent feeling which filled my heart on the approach of my first
+      campaign was now changed into a soldierly sense of duty, which, if less
+      enthusiastic, was a steadier and more sustaining motive. I felt whatever
+      distinctions it should be my lot to win must be gained in the camp, not in
+      the Court-, that my place was rather where squadrons were charging and
+      squares were kneeling, than among the intrigues of the capital, its wiles
+      and its plottings. In the one, I might win an honorable name; in the
+      other, I should be but the dupe of more designing heads and less
+      scrupulous hearts than my own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Early on the third morning from the time of my leaving Paris, I reached
+      Mayence. The garrisons which I visited on the road seldom detained me
+      above half an hour. The few questions which I had to ask respecting the
+      troops were soon and easily answered; and in most instances the officers
+      in command had been apprised that their reports would be required, and
+      came ready at once to afford the information.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The disposable force at that time was not above eighty thousand new
+      levies,&mdash;the conscripts of the past year,&mdash;who, although well
+      drilled and equipped, had never undergone the fatigues of a campaign nor
+      met an enemy in the field. But beyond the frontier were the veteran
+      legions of the Austrian campaign, who, while advancing on their return to
+      France, were suddenly halted, and now only awaited the Emperor's orders
+      whither they should carry their victorious standards.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As at the outbreak of all Napoleon's wars, the greatest uncertainty
+      prevailed regarding the direction of the army, and in what place and
+      against what enemy the first blow was to be struck. The Russian army,
+      defeated and routed at Austerlitz, was said to be once more in the field,
+      reorganized and strengthened; Austria, it was rumored, was faltering in
+      her fealty; but the military preparations of Prussia were no longer a
+      secret, and to many it seemed as if, as in the days of the Republic,
+      France was about to contend single-handed against the whole of Europe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In Prussia the warlike enthusiasm of the people was carried to the very
+      highest pitch. The Court, the aristocracy, but more powerful than either,
+      the press, stimulated national courage by recalling to their minds the
+      famous deeds of the Great Frederick, and bidding them remember that
+      Rossbach was won against an army of Frenchmen. The students&mdash;a
+      powerful and an organized class&mdash;stood foremost in this patriotic
+      movement. Their excited imaginations warmed by the spirit-stirring songs
+      of Kërner and Uhland, and glowing with the instincts of that chivalry
+      which is a German's birthright, they spread over the country, calling upon
+      their fellow-subjects to arise and defend the &ldquo;Vaterland&rdquo; against the
+      aggression of the tyrant. So unequivocally was this feeling expressed,
+      that even before the negotiations had lost their pacific character, the
+      youthful aristocracy of Berlin used to go and sharpen their swords at the
+      door-sill of the French ambassador at Berlin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To the exalted tone of patriotic enthusiasm the beautiful Queen of Prussia
+      most powerfully contributed. The crooked and tortuous windings of
+      diplomatic intrigue found no sympathy in her frank and generous nature.
+      Belying on the native energy of German character, she bade an open and a
+      bold defiance to her country's enemy, and was content to stake all on the
+      chances of a battle. The colder and less confident mind of the king was
+      rather impelled by the current of popular opinion than induced by
+      conviction to the adoption of this daring policy. But once engaged in it,
+      he exhibited the rarest fortitude and the most unyielding courage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such, in brief, was the condition of that people, such the warlike spirit
+      they breathed, when in the autumn of 1806 the cry of war resounded from
+      the shores of the Baltic to the frontiers of Bohemia. Never was the
+      effective strength of the Prussian army more conspicuous. Their cavalry,
+      in number and equipment, was confessedly among the first, if not the very
+      first, in Europe; while the artillery maintained a reputation which, since
+      the days of Frederick, had proclaimed it the most perfect arm of the
+      service.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Emperor knew these things well, and did not undervalue them; and it
+      was with a very different impression of his present enemy from that which
+      filled his mind in the Austrian campaign, that he remarked to Soult, &ldquo;We
+      shall want the mattock in this war,&rdquo;&mdash;thereby implying that, against
+      such an adversary, fieldworks and intrenchments would be needed, as well
+      as the dense array of squadrons and the bristling walls of infantry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXI. THE SUMMIT OF THE LANDGRAFENBERG
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      After a brief delay at Mayence, it was with sincere pleasure I received my
+      orders to push forward to the advanced posts at Wetzlar, where General
+      d'Auvergne was with his division. Already the battalions were crossing the
+      Rhine, and directing their steps to different rendezvous along the
+      Prussian frontier; some pressing on eastwards, where the Saxon territory
+      joins the Prussian; others directly to the north, and taking up positions
+      distant by a short day's march from each other. The same urgent haste
+      which characterized the opening of the Austrian campaign a year before,
+      was here conspicuous; many of the corps being obliged to march seven and
+      eight leagues in the day, and frequently whole companies being forwarded
+      in wagons drawn by six or eight horses, in order to come up with the main
+      body of their regiments. Every road eastward was covered with some
+      fragment of the army. Now an infantry corps of young conscripts, glowing
+      with enthusiasm and eager for the fray, would cheer the <i>calèche</i> in
+      which I travelled, and which, as indicating a staff-officer, was
+      surmounted by a small flag with an eagle. Now it was the hoarse challenge
+      of an outpost, some veteran of Bernadotte's army, which occupied the whole
+      line of country from Dusseldorf to Nuremberg. Pickets of dragoons, with
+      troops of led horses for remounts, hurried on, and long lines of wagons
+      crammed the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last I joined General d'Auvergne, who, with all the ardor of the
+      youngest soldier, was preparing for the march. The hardy veteran,
+      disdaining the use of a carriage, rode each day at the head of his column,
+      and went through the most minute detail of regimental duty with the
+      colonels under his command. From whatever cause proceeding I knew not, but
+      it struck me as strange that he never alluded to my visit to Paris, nor
+      once spoke to me of the countess; and while this reserve on his part
+      slightly wounded me, I felt relieved from the embarrassment the mere
+      mention of her name would cause me, and was glad when our conversation
+      turned on the events of the war. Nor was he, save in this respect, less
+      cordial than ever, manifesting the greatest pleasure at the prospect the
+      war would open to my advancement, and kindly presaging for me a success I
+      scarcely dared to hope for.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor is the hour distant,&rdquo; said he to me one morning in the latter end of
+      September, as we rode side by side; &ldquo;the grand movement is begun.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Augereau, with his powerful <i>corps d'armée</i> of twenty thousand,
+      pressed on from Frankfort and Mayence; Bernadotte moved up on his flank
+      from Nuremberg and Bamberg; Davoust hastened by forced marches from the
+      Danube; while Soult and Ney with a strong force remained in the south, and
+      in observation on the Austrian frontier. Farther to the north, again, were
+      the new levies and the whole Imperial Guard, strengthened by four thousand
+      additional men, which, together with Murat's cavalry, formed a vast line
+      embracing the Prussian frontier on the west and south, and converging with
+      giant strides towards the very heart of the kingdom. Still, mid all the
+      thunders of marching squadrons and the din of advancing legions,
+      diplomatists interchanged their respective assurances of a peaceful issue
+      to their differences, and politely conveyed the most satisfactory
+      sentiments of mutual esteem.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the 1st of September the Emperor left Paris; but, even then, covering
+      his designs by an affected hope of peace, he was accompanied by the
+      Empress and her suite to Mayence, where all the splendor of a Court was
+      suddenly displayed amid the pomp and preparation of war. On the 6th he
+      started by daybreak; relays of horses were in waiting along the road to
+      Wetzlar, and with all speed he hastened forward to Bamberg, where he
+      issued his grand proclamation to the army.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With all his accustomed eloquence he represented to the army the insulting
+      demands of Prussia, and called on them, as at Austerlitz, to reply to such
+      a menace by one tremendous blow of victory, which should close the
+      campaign. &ldquo;Soldiers!&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;you were about to return to France to
+      enjoy the well-won repose after all your victories. But an enemy is in the
+      field; the road to Paris is no longer open to you: neither you nor I can
+      tread it save under an arch of triumph.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The day which succeeded the issue of this proclamation, a cavalry affair
+      occurred at the advanced posts, in which the Prussians were somewhat the
+      victors. Two days later, a courier arrived at the imperial headquarters
+      with the account of another and more important action, between the
+      grenadiers of Lannes and a part of Suchet's corps, against the advanced
+      guard of Prince Hohenlohe, commanded by the most daring general in the
+      Prussian service,&mdash;Prince Louis. A cavalry combat, which lasted for
+      near an hour, closed this brief but bloody encounter with the death of the
+      brave prince, who, refusing to surrender, was run through the body by the
+      sabre of a quartermaster of the Tenth Hussars.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      General d'Auvergne's brigade had no share in this memorable action, for on
+      the 9th we were marched to Rudolstadt, some miles to the left of the scene
+      of the encounter; but having made a demonstration in that quarter, were
+      speedily recalled, and ordered with all haste to cross the Saale, and move
+      on to the eastward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was now that Napoleon's manoeuvres became apparent. The same intrigue
+      which succeeded at Ulm was again to be employed here: the enemy's flank
+      was to be turned, the communication with his reinforcements cut off, and a
+      battle engaged, in which defeat must prove annihilation. Such, then, was
+      the complete success of the Emperor's movements, that on the 12th the
+      French army was posted with the rear upon the Elbe, while the Prussians
+      occupied a line between them and the Rhine. This masterly movement at once
+      compelled the enemy to fall back and concentrate his troops around Jena
+      and Weimar, which, from that instant, Napoleon pronounced must be the
+      scene of a great battle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All this detail I have been obliged to force on my reader, and now again
+      return to my story.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the morning of the 13th, Murat appeared for the first time at our
+      headquarters, below Jena; and after a short consultation with the staff,
+      our squadrons were formed and ordered to push on with haste towards Jena.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Everything now showed that the decisive hour could not be distant:
+      couriers passed and repassed; messengers and orderlies met us at every
+      step; while, as is ever the case, the most contradictory rumors were
+      circulated about the number and position of the enemy. As we neared
+      Lausnitz, however, we learned that the whole Prussian army occupied the
+      plateau of Jena, save a corps of twenty thousand men which were stationed
+      at Auerstadt. From the elevated spot we occupied, the columns of Marshal
+      Berna-dotte's division could be seen marching to the eastward. A halt was
+      now commanded, and the troops prepared their bivouacs; when, as night was
+      falling, a staff-officer rode up, with orders from the Emperor himself to
+      push on without delay for Jena.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The road was much cut up by the passage of cavalry and wagons, and as the
+      night was dark, our pace was occasionally impeded. I was riding with one
+      of the leading squadrons, when General d'Auvergne directed me to take an
+      orderly with me, and proceed in advance to make arrangements for the
+      quarters of the men at Jena. Selecting a German soldier as my guide, I
+      dashed forwards, and soon left the squadron out of hearing. We had not
+      gone far, when I remarked, from the tramp of the horses, that we were upon
+      an earthen road, and not on the pavement. I questioned my orderly, but he
+      was positive there had been no turning since we started. I paid no more
+      attention to the circumstance, but rode on, hard as ever. At last the clay
+      became deeper and heavier, the sides of the way closer, and all the
+      appearance, as well as the gloom would allow us to guess, rather those of
+      a byroad than the regular <i>chaussée</i>. To return would have been
+      hopeless; the darkness gave no prospect of detecting at what precise spot
+      we had left the main road, and so I determined to make my way straight
+      onwards at all hazards.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After about an hour's fast trotting, the orderly, who rode some paces in
+      advance, called out, &ldquo;A light!&rdquo; and then, the moment after, he cried,
+      &ldquo;There are several lights yonder!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I reined in my horse at once, for the thought struck me that we had come
+      down upon the Prussian lines. Giving my horse to the soldier, with orders
+      to follow me noiselessly at a little distance, I walked on for above a
+      mile, my eyes steadily fixed upon the lights, which moved from place to
+      place, and showed, by their taper glare, that they were not watchfires. At
+      length I gained a little ridge of the ground, and could distinctly see
+      that it was a line of guns and artillery wagons, endeavoring to force
+      their way through a narrow ravine; a few minutes after, I heard the sounds
+      of French, and relieved of all apprehensions, I mounted my horse and soon
+      came up with them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They were four troops of Lannes's artillery, which, by a mistake similar
+      to my own, had left the highroad and entered one of the field-tracks,
+      which thus led them astray; and here they were, jammed up in a narrow
+      gorge, unable to get back or forward. The officer in command was a young
+      colonel, who was completely overwhelmed by his misfortune; for he informed
+      me that the whole artillery of the division was following him, and would
+      inevitably be involved in the same mishap. The poor fellow, who doubtless
+      would have faced the enemy without a particle of fear, was now so
+      horrified by the event, that he ran wildly from place to place, ordering
+      and counter-ordering every instant, and actually increasing the confusion
+      by his own excitement. Some of the leading trains were unharnessed, and
+      efforts made to withdraw the guns from their position; but the axles were,
+      on both sides, embedded in the rock, and seemed to defy every effort to
+      disengage them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, when the confusion had reached its height, and the horses
+      were unharnessed from the guns, the men standing in groups around or
+      shouting wildly to one another, a sullen silence spread itself over the
+      whole, and a loud, stern voice called out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who commands this division?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General Latour,&rdquo; was the answer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is he?&rdquo; said the first speaker, so close to my ear that I started
+      round, and saw the short square figure of a man in a great coat, holding a
+      heavy whip in his hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With the main body at the rear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cannoneers, dismount!&rdquo; said the other. &ldquo;Bring the torches to the front.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely was the order obeyed, when the light of the firewood fell upon
+      his features, and I saw it was the Emperor himself. In an instant the
+      whole scene was changed. The park tools were taken out, working parties
+      formed, and the ravine began to echo to the strong blows of the brawny
+      arms; while Napoleon, with a blazing torch in his hand, stood by to light
+      their labors. Giving directions to the under-officers and the men, he
+      never deigned a word to the officers, who now stood trembling around him,
+      and were gradually joined by several more, who came up with the remainder
+      of the train.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I think still I can see that pale, unmoved face, which, as the light
+      flickered upon it, gazed steadily at the working party. Not a syllable
+      escaped him, save once, when he muttered half to himself, &ldquo;And this was
+      the first battery to open its fire to-morrow!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      General Savary stood at his side, but never dared to address him. Too well
+      he knew that his deepest anger showed itself by silence. By degrees the
+      granite wall gave way, the axles once more became free, and the horses
+      were again harnessed; the gun-carriages moved slowly through the ravine.
+      Nor did the Emperor quit the spot before the greater part of the train
+      passed; then mounting his horse, he turned towards Jena, and
+      notwithstanding the utter darkness of the night he rode at full speed.
+      Following the clatter of the horse's hoofs, I rode on, and in less than an
+      hour reached a small cluster of houses, where a cavalry picket was placed,
+      and several large fires were lighted, beside which, at small tables, sat
+      above a dozen staff-officers busily writing despatches. The Emperor halted
+      but for a second or two, and then dashed forward again; and I soon
+      perceived we were ascending a steep hill, covered with ferns and
+      brushwood. We had not gone far, when a single aide-de-camp who accompanied
+      him turned his horse's head and rode rapidly down the mountain again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Napoleon was now alone, some fifty paces in front. I could see the faint
+      outline through the darkness, my sight guided by my hearing to the spot.
+      His pace, wherever the ground permitted, was rapid; but constantly he was
+      obliged to hold in, and pick his steps among the stones and dwarf wood
+      that covered the mountain. Never shall I cease to remember the strange
+      sensations I felt as I followed him up that steep ascent. There was he,
+      the greatest monarch of the universe, alone, wending his solitary way in
+      darkness, his thoughts bent on the great event before him,&mdash;the
+      tremendous conflict in which thousands must fall. There was a sense of awe
+      in the thought of being so near to one on whose slightest word the destiny
+      of nations seemed to hang; and I could not look on the dark object before
+      me without a superstitious feeling, deeper than fear itself, for that
+      mightiest of men.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My thoughts permitted my taking no note of time, and I know not how long
+      it was before we reached the crest of the hill, over whose bleak surface a
+      cold, cutting wind was blowing. It seemed as if a great tableland extended
+      now for some distance on every side, over which the Emperor took his way,
+      as though accustomed to the ground. While I was wondering at the certainty
+      with which he appeared to determine on his road, I remarked the feeble
+      flickering of a light far away towards the horizon, and by which it was
+      evident he guided his steps. As we rode on, several watchfires could be
+      seen towards the northwest, stretching away to a great distance, and
+      throwing a yellowish glare in the dark sky above them. Suddenly I
+      perceived the Emperor halt and dismount, and as speedily again he was in
+      the saddle; but now his path took a different direction, and diverged
+      considerably to the southward. Curious to learn what might have caused his
+      change of direction, I rode up to the spot, and got off. It was the embers
+      of a watchfire; they were almost extinguished, but still, as the horse's
+      hoof struck the wood, a few sparks were emitted. It was this, then, which
+      altered his course; and once more he pressed his horse to speed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A steep ascent of some hundred yards lay before us now. But on gaining the
+      top, a brilliant spectacle of a thousand watchfires met the eye: so close
+      did they seem, it looked like one great volcanic crater blazing on the
+      mountain top; while above, the lurid glow reddened the black sky, and
+      melted away into the darkness in clouds of faint yellowish hue. Far, very
+      far away, and to the north, stretched another much longer line of fires,
+      but at great intervals apart, and occupying, as well as I might guess,
+      about two leagues in extent. Several smaller fires dotted the plain,
+      marking the outpost positions; and it was not difficult to trace the
+      different lines of either army even by these indications.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While I yet looked, the Emperor had gained a short distance in advance of
+      me; and suddenly I heard the hoarse challenge of a sentry, calling out,
+      &ldquo;Qui vive?&rdquo; Buried in his own thoughts,&mdash;perhaps far too deeply lost
+      in meditation to hear the cry,&mdash;Napoleon never replied nor slackened
+      his speed. &ldquo;Qui vive?&rdquo; shouted the voice again: and before I could
+      advance, the sharp bang of a musket-shot rang out; another and another
+      followed; and then a roll of fire swept along the plain, happily not in
+      the direction of the Emperor. But already he had thrown himself from his
+      horse, and lay flat upon the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0013" id="linkimage-0013">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/264.jpg" alt="264 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Not a moment was now to be lost. I dashed my spurs into my jaded horse,
+      and rode forwards, calling aloud, at the top of my voice, &ldquo;The Emperor!
+      the Emperor!&rdquo; Still, the panic overbore my words, and another discharge
+      was given: with one bullet I was struck in the shoulder, another killed my
+      horse; but springing to my legs in an instant, I rushed on, repeating my
+      cry. Before I could do more than point to the spot, Napoleon came forward,
+      leading his horse by the bridle. His step was slow and measured, and his
+      face&mdash;for many a torchlight was now gathered to the place&mdash;was
+      calm and tranquil.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ye are well upon the alert, <i>mes enfant!</i>&rdquo; said he, with a smile;
+      &ldquo;see that ye be as ready with your fire to-morrow!&rdquo; A wild cheer answered
+      these words, while he continued: &ldquo;These are the new levies, Lieutenant;
+      the Guards would have had more patience. Where is the officer who followed
+      me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here, Sire,&rdquo; said I, endeavoring to conceal the appearance of being
+      wounded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mount, sir, and accompany me to headquarters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My horse is killed, Sire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; said a young soldier, who had not learned much
+      respect before his superiors; &ldquo;and he has a ball in his neck himself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you wounded?&rdquo; said the Emperor, with a quickness in his manner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A mere flesh-wound in the arm,&mdash;of no consequence, Sire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let the surgeon of the detachment see to this at once, Lieutenant,&rdquo; said
+      he to the officer of the party; &ldquo;and do you come to headquarters when you
+      are able.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With this, the Emperor mounted again, and in a few seconds more was lost
+      to our sight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ventrebleu!</i>&rdquo; said the old lieutenant, who had served without
+      promotion from the first battles of the Republic, &ldquo;you'll be a colonel for
+      that scratch on your epaulette, if we only beat the Prussians to-morrow;
+      and here am I, with eight wounds from lead and steel, and the Petit
+      Caporal never bade me visit him at his bivouac. Come, come! I don't wish
+      to be unfriendly; it's not <i>your</i> fault, it's only <i>my</i> bad
+      fortune. And here comes the surgeon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The lieutenant was right,&mdash;the epaulette had the worst of the
+      adventure; and, in half an hour I proceeded on my way to headquarters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXII. L'HOMME ROUGE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      On my way to the imperial quarters, I fell in with some squadrons of our
+      dragoons, from whom I learned that General d'Auvergne had just received
+      orders to repair to the Emperor's bivouac, to which several officers in
+      command were also summoned. As I saw, therefore, that I could have no
+      prospect of meeting the Emperor, I resolved merely to hold myself in
+      readiness, should he, which seemed little likely, think of me; and
+      accordingly I took up my post with some young under-officers of our
+      brigade, at a huge fire, where a species of canteen had been established,
+      and coffee and corn-brandy were served out to all comers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The recent escape of Napoleon at the outposts was already known far and
+      near, and formed the great topic of conversation, in which, I felt hurt to
+      remark, no mention of the part I took was ever made, although there were
+      at least a dozen different versions of the accident. In one, his Majesty
+      was represented to have rode down upon and sabred the advanced picket; in
+      another, it was the Prussians who fired, he having penetrated within their
+      lines to reconnoitre,&mdash;each agreeing in the one great fact, that the
+      feat was something which no one save himself could have done or thought
+      of. As for me, I felt it was not my part to speak of the incident at all
+      until his Majesty should first do so. I listened, therefore, with due
+      patience and some amusement to the various narratives about me; which
+      served to show me, by one slight instance, the measure of that
+      exaggeration with which the Emperor's name was ever treated, and convinced
+      me that it required not time nor distance to color every incident of his
+      life with the strongest hues of romance. The topic was a fruitful and
+      favorite one; and certainly few subjects could with more propriety season
+      the hours around a bivouac fire than the exploits of the Emperor Napoleon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among those whose reminiscences went farthest back was an old
+      sergeant-major of infantry,&mdash;a seared and seamed and weather-beaten
+      little fellow, who, from fatigues and privations, was dried up to a mass
+      of tendons and fibres. This little man presented one of those strange
+      mixtures with which the army abounded,&mdash;the shrewdest common sense on
+      all ordinary topics, with a most credulous faith in any story where
+      Napoleon's name occurred. It seemed, indeed, as though that one element,
+      occurring in any tale, dispensed at once with the rules which govern
+      belief in common cases.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The invulnerability of the Emperor was with him a fruitful theme; and he
+      teemed with anecdotes of the Egyptian and Italian campaigns, in which it
+      was incontestably shown that neither shot nor shell had any effect upon
+      him. But of all the superstitions regarding Napoleon, none had such
+      complete hold on his imagination, nor was more implicitly believed by him,
+      than the story of that little &ldquo;Red Man,&rdquo; who, it was asserted, visited the
+      Emperor the night before each great battle, and arranged with him the
+      manoeuvres of the succeeding day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;L'Homme Bouge,&rdquo; as he was called, was an article of faith in the French
+      army that few of the soldiers ever thought of disputing. Some from pure
+      credulity, some from the force of example, and some again from indolence,
+      believed in this famed personage; but even the veriest scoffer on more
+      solemn subjects would have hesitated ere he ventured to assail the almost
+      universal belief in this supernatural agency. The Emperor's well-known
+      habit of going out alone to visit pickets and outposts on the eve of a
+      battle was a circumstance too favorable to this superstition not to be
+      employed in its defence. Besides, it was well known that he spent hours by
+      himself, when none even of the marshals had access to him; and on these
+      occasions it was said &ldquo;L'Homme Bouge&rdquo; was with him. Sentinels had been
+      heard to declare that they could overhear angry words passing between the
+      Emperor and his guest; that threats had been interchanged between them;
+      and on one occasion it was said that the &ldquo;Red Man&rdquo; went so 'far as to
+      declare, that if his advice were neglected Napoleon should lose the
+      battle, see his artillery fall into the hands of the enemy, and behold the
+      Guard capitulate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Mille tonnerres!</i> what are you saying?&rdquo; broke in the little man, to
+      the grim old soldier who was relating this. &ldquo;You know nothing of 'L'Homme
+      Rouge,'&mdash;not a word; how should you? But I served in the
+      Twenty-second of the Line, old Mongoton's corps; the 'Faubourg Devils,' as
+      they were called. <i>He</i> knew him well; it was 'L'Homme Rouge' had him
+      shot for treason at Cairo. I was one of the company drawn for his
+      execution; and when he knelt down on the grass, he held up his hand this
+      way, and cried out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Voltigeurs of the Line, hear me! You have all known me many years; you
+      have seen whether I could face the enemy like a man; and you can tell
+      whether I cared for the heaviest charge that ever shook a square. You
+      know, also, whether I was true to our general. Well, it is &ldquo;L'Homme Rouge&rdquo;
+       who has brought me to this. And now: Carry arms!&mdash;all together! Come,
+      <i>mes enfants!</i> try it again: Carry arms! (ay, that's better) present
+      arms! fire!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Morbleu!</i> the word was not well out when he was dead; and there,
+      through the smoke, as plain as I see you now, I saw the figure of a little
+      fellow, dressed in scarlet,&mdash;feather and boots all the same! He was
+      standing over the corpse, and threatening it with his hands. And that,&rdquo;
+       said he, in a solemn voice, &ldquo;that was 'L'Homme Rouge!'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This anecdote was conclusive. There was no gainsaying the assertions of a
+      man who had, with his own eyes, seen the celebrated &ldquo;Red Man;&rdquo; and from
+      that instant he enjoyed a decided monopoly of everything that concerned
+      his private history.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      According to the sergeant-major's version,&mdash;and who could venture to
+      contradict him?&mdash;&ldquo;L'Homme Rouge&rdquo; was not the confidential adviser and
+      friendly counsellor of the Emperor; but, on the contrary, his evil genius,
+      perpetually employed in thwarting his plans and opposing his views. Each
+      seemed to have his hour of triumph alternately. Now it was the Bed Man,
+      now Napoleon, who stood in the ascendant. Fortune for a long period had
+      been constant to the Emperor, and victory crowned every battle. This had,
+      it seemed, greatly chagrined &ldquo;L'Homme Bouge,&rdquo; who for years past had not
+      been seen nor heard of. The last tradition of him was a story told by one
+      of the sentinels on guard at the general's quarters at Mont Tabor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was midnight: all was still and silent in the camp. The soldiers slept
+      as men sleep before a battle, when the old grenadier who walked his short
+      post before General Bonaparte's tent heard a quick tread approaching him.
+      &ldquo;Qui vive?&rdquo; cried he; but there was no reply. &ldquo;Qui vive?&rdquo; called the
+      sentry once more; but as he did so he leaped backwards and brought his
+      musket to the charge, for just then something brushed close by him and
+      entered the tent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For a moment or two he doubted what should be done. Should he turn out the
+      guard? It was only to be laughed at; that would never do. But what if it
+      really were somebody who had penetrated to the general's quarters? As this
+      thought struck him, he crept up close to the tent; and there, true enough,
+      he heard the voices of two persons speaking.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! thou here?&rdquo; said Bonaparte. &ldquo;I scarce expected to see thee so far
+      from France!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; said the other, with a deep sigh, &ldquo;what land is now open to me, or
+      whither shall I fly to? I took refuge in Brussels; well, what should I see
+      one morning, but the tall shakos of your grenadiers coming up the steep
+      street. I fled to Holland; you were there the day after. 'Come,' thought
+      I, 'he's moving northwards; I'll try the other extreme.' So I started for
+      the Swiss. <i>Sacrebleu</i>! the roll of your confounded drums resounded
+      through every valley. I reached the banks of the Po; your troops were
+      there the same evening. I pushed for Rome; they were preparing your
+      quarters, which you occupied that night. Away, then, I start once more; I
+      cross mountains and rivers and seas, and gain the desert at last. I thank
+      my fortune that there are a thousand leagues between us; and here you are
+      now. For pity's sake, show me, on that map of the world, one little spot
+      you don't want to conquer, and let me live there in peace, and be sure
+      never to meet you more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Bonaparte did not speak for some minutes, and it seemed as though he were
+      intently considering the request of &ldquo;L'Homme Rouge.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There,&rdquo; said he at length, &ldquo;there! You see that island in the great sea,
+      with nothing near it; thou mayest go there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How is it called?&rdquo; said &ldquo;L'Homme Rouge.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;St. Helena,&rdquo; said the general. &ldquo;It is not very large; but I promise thee
+      to be undisturbed there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You 'll never come there, then? Is that a pledge?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never; I promise it. At least, if I do, thou shalt be the master, and I
+      the slave.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough! I go now. Adieu!&rdquo; said the little man. And the same instant the
+      sentinel felt his arm brushed by some one passing close beside him; and
+      then all was silent in the tent once more.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thus, you see,&rdquo; said the sergeant-major, &ldquo;from that hour it was agreed on
+      the Emperor should conquer the whole world, and leave that one little spot
+      for 'L'Homme Rouge.' <i>Parbleu!</i> he might well spare him that much.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How big might it be, that island?&rdquo; said an old grenadier, who listened
+      with the deepest attention to the tale.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing to speak of; about the size of one battalion drawn up in square.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Pardieu!</i> a small kingdom too!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! it would not do for the Emperor,&rdquo; said the sergeant-major, laughing,&mdash;an
+      emotion the others joined in at once; and many a jest went round at the
+      absurdity of such a thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I sat beside the watchfire, listening to the old campaigning stories, till
+      one by one the speakers dropped off to sleep. The bronzed veteran and the
+      boy conscript, the old soldier of the Sambre and the beardless youth, lay
+      side by side: to some of these it was the last time they should slumber on
+      earth. As the night wore on, the sounds became hushed in the camp, and
+      through the thin frosty air I could hear from a long distance off the
+      tramp of the patrols and the challenge of the reliefs as the outposts were
+      visited. The Prussian sentries were quite close to our advanced posts, and
+      when the wind came from that quarter, I often heard the voices as they
+      exchanged their signals.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Through the entire night, officers came and went to and from the tent of
+      the Emperor. To him, at least, it seemed no season of repose. At length,
+      when nigh morning, wearied with watching and tired out with expectancy, I
+      leaned my head on my knees, and dropped into a half-sleep. Some vague
+      sense of disappointment at being forgotten by the Emperor, was the last
+      thought I had as I fell off, and in its sadness it colored all my dreams.
+      I remembered, with all the freshness of a recent event, the curse of the
+      old hag on the morning I had quitted my home forever,&mdash;her prayer
+      that bad luck should track me every step through life; and in the shadowy
+      uncertainty of my sleeping thoughts I believed I was predestined to
+      misfortune.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Almost every man has experienced the fact, that there are times in life
+      when impressions, the slightest in their origin, will have an undue weight
+      on the mind; when, as it were, the clay of our natures become softened,
+      and we take the impress of passing events more easily. Some vague and
+      shadowy conception&mdash;a doubt, a dream&mdash;is enough at moments like
+      these to attain the whole force of a conviction; and it is wonderful with
+      what ingenuity we wind to our purpose every circumstance around us, and
+      what pains we take to increase the toils of our self-deception. It would
+      be a curious thing to trace out how much of our good or evil fortune in
+      life had its source in these superstitions; how far the frame of mind
+      fashioned the events before it; and to what extent our hopes and fears
+      were but the forerunners of destiny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My sleeping thoughts were of the saddest; and when I awoke, I could not
+      shake them off. A heavy, dense fog clothed every object around, through
+      which only the watchfires were visible, as they flared with a yellow, hazy
+      light of unnatural size. The position of these signals was only to mark
+      the inequality of the ground: and I now could perceive that we occupied
+      the crest of a long and steep hill, down the sides and at the bottom of
+      which fires were also burning; while in front another mountain arose,
+      whose summit for a great distance was marked out by watchfires. This I
+      conjectured, from its extent and position, to be the Prussian line.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the front of the Emperor's quarters several led horses were standing,
+      whose caparison bespoke them as belonging to the staff; and although not
+      yet five o'clock, there was an appearance of movement which indicated
+      preparation. The troops, however, were motionless; the dense columns
+      covered the ground like a garment, and stirred not. As I stood, uncertain
+      what course to take, I heard the noise of voices and the heavy tramp of
+      many feet near, and on turning perceived it was the Emperor, who came
+      forth from his tent, followed by several of his staff. A large fire blazed
+      in front of his bivouac, which threw its long light on the group; where,
+      even in a fleeting glance, I recognized General Gazan, and Nansouty, the
+      commander of the Cuirassiers of the Guard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What hour is it?&rdquo; said the Emperor to Duroc, who stood near him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Almost five o'clock, Sire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is darker than it was an hour ago. Maison, where is Bernadotte by
+      this?&mdash;at Domberg, think you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not yet, Sire; he is no laggard if he reach it in three hours hence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ney would have been there now,&rdquo; was the quick reply of Napoleon. &ldquo;Come,
+      gentlemen, into the saddle, and let us move towards the front. Gazan, put
+      your division under arms.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The general waited not a second bidding, but wheeled his horse suddenly
+      round, and followed by his aide-decamp, rode at full speed down the
+      mountain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is the first streak of day,&rdquo; said the Emperor, pointing to a faint
+      gray light above the distant forest; &ldquo;it breaks like Austerlitz.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May it set as gloriously!&rdquo; said old Nansouty, in his deep low voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And it will,&rdquo; said Napoleon. &ldquo;What sayest thou, <i>grognard?</i>&rdquo;
+       continued he, turning with an affected severity of manner to the grenadier
+      who stood sentinel on the spot, and who, with a French soldier's easy
+      indifference, leaned on the cross of his musket to listen to the
+      conversation; &ldquo;what sayest thou? Art eager to be made corporal?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i>&rdquo; growled out the rough soldier, &ldquo;the grade is little to
+      boast of; were I even a general of division, there might be something to
+      hope for.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What then?&rdquo; said Napoleon, sharply, &ldquo;what then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;King of Prussia, to be sure; thou 'lt give away the title before this
+      hour to-morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Emperor laughed aloud at the conceit. Its flattery had a charm for him
+      no courtier's well-turned compliment could vie with; and I could hear him
+      still continuing to enjoy it as he rode slowly forward and disappeared in
+      the gloom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXII. JENA AND AUERSTÄDT.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has forgotten me!&rdquo; said I, half aloud, as I watched the retiring
+      figures of the Emperor and his staff till they were concealed by the mist;
+      &ldquo;he has forgotten me! Now to find out my brigade. A great battle is before
+      us, and there may still be a way to refresh his memory.&rdquo; With such
+      thoughts I set forward in the direction of the picket-fires, full sure
+      that I should meet some skirmishers of our cavalry there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I went, the drums were beating towards the distant left, and gradually
+      the sounds crept nearer and nearer, as the infantry battalions began to
+      form and collect their stragglers. A dense fog seemed to shut out the
+      dawn, and with a thin and misty rain, the heavy vapor settled down upon
+      the earth, wrapping all things in a darkness deep as night itself. From
+      none could I learn any intelligence of the cavalry quarter, nor had any of
+      those I questioned seen horsemen pass near them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The voltigeurs in the valley yonder may perhaps tell you something,&rdquo; said
+      an officer to me, pointing to some fires in a deep glen beneath us. And
+      thither I now bent my steps.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dull rolling of the drums gradually swelled into one continued roar,
+      through which the clank of steel and the tremulous tramp of marching
+      columns could be heard. Spirit-stirring echoes were they, these awakening
+      sounds of coming conflict! and how they nerved my heart, and set it
+      bounding again with a soldier's ardor! As I descended the hill, the noise
+      became gradually fainter, till at length I found myself in a narrow
+      ravine, still and silent as the grave itself. The transition was so sudden
+      and unexpected, that for a moment I felt a sense of loneliness and
+      depression; and the thought struck me, &ldquo;What if I have pushed on too far?
+      Can it be that I have passed our lines? But the officer spoke of the
+      voltigeurs in front; I had seen the fires myself; there could be no doubt
+      about it.&rdquo; I now increased my speed, and in less than half an hour gained
+      a spot where the ground became more open and extended in front, and not
+      more than a few hundred paces in advance were the watchfires; and as I
+      looked I heard the swell of a number of voices singing in chorus on
+      different sides of me. The effect was most singular, for the sounds came
+      from various quarters at the same instant, and, as they all chanted the
+      same air, the refrain rang out and filled the valley; beating time with
+      their feet, they stepped to the tune, and formed themselves to the melody,
+      as though it were the band of the regiment. I had often heard that this
+      was a voltigeur habit, but never was witness to it before. The air was one
+      well known in that suburb of Paris whence the wildest and most reckless of
+      our soldiers came, and which they all joined in celebrating in this rude
+      verse:&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      &ldquo;Picardy first, and then Champagne,&mdash;
+            France to the battle! on boys, on!
+            Anjou, Brittany, and Maine,&mdash;
+            Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine I
+
+     &ldquo;How pleasant the life of a voltigeur!
+           In the van of the fight he must ever be;
+           Of roughing and rations he 's always sure,&mdash;
+           With a comrade's share he may well make free.
+
+     &ldquo;Picardy first, and then Champagne,&mdash;
+           France to the battle I on boys, on!
+           Anjou, Brittany, and Maine,&mdash;
+           Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!
+
+     &ldquo;The great guns thunder on yonder hill,&mdash;
+           Closer than that they durst not go;
+           But the voltigeur comes nearer still,&mdash;
+           With his bayonet fixed he meets the foe.
+
+    &ldquo;The hussar's coat is slashed with gold;
+         He rides an Arab courser fleet:
+         But is the voltigeur less bold
+         Who meets his enemy on his feet?
+
+    &ldquo;The cuirassier is clad in steel;
+         His massive sword is straight and strong:
+         But the voltigeur can charge and wheel
+         With a step,&mdash;his bayonet is just as long.
+
+    &ldquo;The artillery-driver must halt his team
+         If the current be fast or the water deep:
+         But the voltigeur can swim the stream,
+         And climb the bank, be it e'er so steep.
+
+    &ldquo;The voltigeur needs no trumpet sound,&mdash;
+         No bugle has he to cheer him on:
+         Where the fire is hottest, that 's his ground,&mdash;
+         Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      As they came to the conclusion of this song, they kept up the air without
+      words, imitating by their voices the roll of the drum in marching time.
+      Joining the first party I came up with, I asked the officer in what
+      direction of the field I should find the cuirassier brigade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That I can't tell you, Comrade,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;No cavalry have appeared in
+      our neighborhood, nor are they likely; for all the ground is cut up and
+      intersected so much they could not act. But our maître d'armes is the
+      fellow to tell you. Halloo, François! come up here for a moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Before I could ask whether this was not my old antagonist at Elchingen,
+      the individual himself appeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eh, what?&rdquo; cried he, as he lifted a piece of firewood from the ground,
+      and stared me in the face by its light. &ldquo;Not my friend Burke, eh? By Jove!
+      so it is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Our cordial greetings being over, I asked Maître François if he could give
+      me any intelligence of D'Auvergne's division, or put me in the way to
+      reach them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They're some miles off by this time,&rdquo; said he, coolly. &ldquo;When I was below
+      the Plateau de Jena last night, that brigade you speak of got their orders
+      to push forward to Auerstadt, to support Davoust's infantry. I mind it
+      well, for they were sorely tired, and had just picketed their horses, when
+      the orderly came down with the despatch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where does Auerstadt lie?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;About four leagues to the other side of that tall mountain yonder.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, then, shall I do? I am dismounted, to begin with.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And if you were not, if you had the best horse in the whole brigade, what
+      would it serve you now, except to pass the day riding between two
+      battle-fields, and see nothing of either? for we shall have hot work here,
+      depend upon it. No, no; stay with us. Be a voltigeur for to-day, and we
+      'll show you something you 'll not see from your bearskin saddle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I shall be in a sad scrape on account of my absence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind that; the man that takes his turn with the voltigeurs of the
+      Twenty-second won't be suspected of skulking. And here comes the major;
+      report yourself to him at once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Without waiting for any reply, Maître Francois accosted the officer in
+      question, and in a very few words explained my position.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing could come better timed,&rdquo; said the major. &ldquo;One of ours has been
+      sent with despatches to the rear, and we may not see him for some hours.
+      Again, a light cavalryman must know how to skirmish, and we 'll try your
+      skill that way. Come along with me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To our next meeting, then,&rdquo; cried Francois, as I hurried on after the
+      major; whilst once more the voltigeur ranks burst forth in full chorus,
+      and the merry sounds filled the valley.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I followed the major down a somewhat steep and rugged path, at the foot of
+      which, and concealed by a low copse-wood, was a party consisting of two
+      companies of the regiment, who formed the most advanced pickets, and were
+      destined to exchange the first shots with the enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before us lay a defile, partly overgrown with trees on either side, which
+      ascended by a gradual slope to the foot of the hill on which the Prussian
+      infantry was stationed, and whose lines were tracked out by a long train
+      of watch-fires. A farmhouse and its out-buildings occupied the side of the
+      hill about half-way up; and this was garrisoned by the enemy, and defended
+      by two guns in position in the defile. To surprise the post and hold it
+      until the main columns came up, was the object of the voltigeur attack;
+      and for this purpose small bodies of men were assembling secretly and
+      stealthily under cover of the brushwood, to burst forth on the word being
+      given.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was something which surprised me not a little in the way all these
+      movements were effected. Officers and men were mixed up, as it seemed, in
+      perfect confusion; not approaching in regular order, or taking up a
+      position like disciplined troops, they came in twos and threes, crouching
+      and creeping, and suddenly concealing themselves at every opportunity of
+      cover the ground afforded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Their noiseless and cautious gestures brought to my mind all that I had
+      ever read of Indian warfare; and in their eager faces, and quick, piercing
+      looks, I thought I could recognize the very traits of the red men. The
+      commands were given by signals; and so rapidly interchanged were they from
+      party to party, that the different groups seemed to move forward by one
+      impulse, though the officer who led them was full a mile distant from
+      where we were.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can you use a firelock, comrade?&rdquo; said the major, as he placed in my hand
+      a short musket, such as the voltigeurs carried. &ldquo;Sling it at your back;
+      you may find it useful up yonder. And now I must leave you; keep to this
+      party. But what is this? You mustn't wear that shako; you'd soon be picked
+      off with that tower of black fur on your head. Corporal, have you no spare
+      foraging-cap in your kit? Ah! that's something more becoming a tirailleur;
+      and, by Jove! I think it improves you wonderfully.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The circumstance of becomingness was not exactly uppermost in my mind at
+      the moment; but certainly I felt no small gratification at being provided
+      with the equipment both of cap and firearms which placed me on an equality
+      with those about me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had the major left us, when the corporal crept closely to my
+      side, and with that mingled respect and familiarity a French sous-officier
+      assumes so naturally, said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You wished to see something of a skirmish, Captain, I suppose? Well,
+      you're like enough to be gratified; we're closing up rapidly now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What may be the strength of your battalion, Corporal?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Twelve hundred men, sir; and they're every one at this instant in the
+      valley, though I'll wager you don't see a bough move nor a leaf stirring
+      to show where they lie hid. You see that low copse yonder; well, there's a
+      company of ours beneath its shelter. But there goes the word to move on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A motion with his sword, the only command he gave, communicated the order;
+      and the men, creeping stealthily on, obeyed the mandate, till at another
+      signal they were halted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the little copse of brushwood where we now lay, to the farmhouse, the
+      ground was completely open,&mdash;not a shrub nor a bush grew; a slight
+      ascent of the road led up to the gate, which could not be more than three
+      hundred paces in front of us. We were stationed at some distance to the
+      right of the road, but the field presented no obstacle or impediment to
+      our attack; and thither now were our looks turned,&mdash;the short road
+      which would lead to victory or the grave.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From my ambush I could see the two fieldpieces which commanded the road,
+      and beside which the artillerymen stood in patient attention. With what a
+      strange thrill I watched one of the party, as from time to time he stooped
+      down to blow the fuse beside the gun, and then seemed endeavoring to peer
+      into the valley, where all was still and noiseless! As well as I could
+      judge, our little party was nearest to the front; and although a small
+      clump to the left of the road offered a safe shelter still nearer the
+      enemy, I could not ascertain if it were occupied.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not a word was now spoken. All save the corporal looked eagerly towards
+      the enemy; he was watching for the signal, and knelt down with his drawn
+      sword at his side. The deathlike stillness of the moment, so unlike the
+      prelude to every movement in cavalry combat; the painful expectation which
+      made minutes like years themselves; the small number of the party, so
+      dissimilar to the closely crowded squadrons I was used to; but, more than
+      all, the want of a horse,&mdash;that most stirring of all the excitements
+      to heroism and daring,&mdash;unnerved me; and if my heart were to have
+      been interrogated, I sadly fear it would have brought little corroboration
+      to the song of the voltigeurs, which attributed so many features of
+      superiority to their arm of the service above the rest of the army.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A thousand and thousand times did I wish to be at the head of a cavalry
+      charge up that narrow road in face of those guns; ay, though the mitraille
+      should sweep the earth, there was that in the onward torrent of the
+      horseman's course that left no room for fear. But this cold and stealthy
+      approach, this weary watching, I could not bear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;See, see,&rdquo; whispered the corporal, as he pointed with his finger towards
+      the clump to the left of the road, &ldquo;how beautifully done! there goes
+      another.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, I could perceive the dark shadow of something moving close to
+      the ground, and finally concealing itself in the brushwood, beneath which
+      now above twenty men lay hid. At the same instant a deep rolling sound
+      like far-off thunder was heard; and then louder still, but less deep in
+      volume, the rattling crash of musketry. At first the discharges were more
+      prolonged, and succeeded one another more rapidly; but gradually the
+      firing became less regular; then after an interval swelled more fully
+      again, and once more relaxed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen!&rdquo; said the corporal; &ldquo;can't you hear the cheering? There again;
+      the skirmishers are falling back,&mdash;the fire is too heavy for them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Which, the Prussians?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure, the Prussians. Hark! there was a volley; that was no
+      tirailleur discharge; the columns are advancing. Down, men, down!&rdquo;
+       whispered he, as, excited by the sounds of musketry, some three or four
+      popped up their heads to listen. At the same instant a noise in front drew
+      our attention to that quarter; and we now saw that a party of horse
+      artillerymen were descending the road with a light eight-pounder gun,
+      which they were proceeding to place in position on a small knoll of ground
+      about eighty yards from the coppice I have mentioned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How I could pick off that fellow on the gray horse,&rdquo; whispered a soldier
+      beside me to his comrade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And bring the whole fire on us afterwards,&rdquo; said the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What can we be waiting for?&rdquo; said the corporal, impatiently. &ldquo;They are
+      making that place as strong as a fortress; and there, see if that is not a
+      reinforcement!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While he spoke, the heavy tramp of men marching announced the approach of
+      fresh troops; and by the bustle and noise within the farmhouse it was
+      clear the preparations for its defence were making with all the activity
+      the exigency demanded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was past seven o'clock; but as the day broke more out, the heavy fog
+      increased, and soon grew so dense as to shut out from our view the
+      Prussian picket and the guns upon the road. Meanwhile the firing continued
+      at a distance, but, as it seemed, fainter than before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! there it comes now,&rdquo; said the corporal, as a shrill whistle was heard
+      to our left. &ldquo;Look to your pieces, men! steady.&rdquo; There was a pause; every
+      ear was bent to listen, every breath drawn short, when again he spoke.
+      &ldquo;That 's it. <i>En avant</i>, lads! <i>en avant!</i>&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With the word he sprang forward, but still crouching, he went as if the
+      thick mist were not enough to conceal him. The men followed their leader
+      with cautious steps, their carbines in hand and bayonets fixed. For some
+      minutes we ascended the hill, gradually nearing the road, along which a
+      low bank offered a slight protection against fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The corporal halted here for a second or two, when another whistle, so
+      faint as to be scarcely audible, was borne on the air. With a motion of
+      his hand forwards he gave the order to advance, and led the way along the
+      roadside.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we followed in single file, I found myself next the corporal, whose
+      every motion I watched with an intensity of interest I cannot convey. At
+      last he stopped and wheeled round; then, kneeling down, he levelled his
+      piece upon the low bank,&mdash;a movement quickly followed by all the rest
+      who in silence obeyed his signal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Directly in front of us now, and as it seemed not above a dozen yards
+      distant, the yellow glare of the artillery fuse could be dimly discerned
+      through the mist; thither every eye was bent and every musket pointed.
+      Thus we knelt with beating hearts, when suddenly several shots rang out
+      from the valley and the opposite side of the road; as quickly replied to
+      by the enemy, and a smart but irregular clattering of musketry followed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now,&rdquo; cried the corporal, aloud, &ldquo;now, and all together!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And then with one long, stunning report, every gun was discharged, and a
+      wild cry of the wounded blended with the sounds as we cleared the fence
+      and dashed at the guns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Down, men, down!&rdquo; called our leader, as we jumped into the road. The word
+      was scarce uttered when a bright flash gleamed forth, a loud bang
+      succeeded, and we heard the grapeshot crushing down the valley and tearing
+      its way through the leaves and branches of the brushwood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>En avant</i>, lads! now's your time!&rdquo; cried the corporal, as he sprang
+      to his feet and led towards the gun.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With one vigorous dash we pushed up the height, just as the cannoneers
+      were preparing to load. The gunners fell back, and a party of infantry as
+      quickly presented themselves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The mist happily concealed the smallness of our force, otherwise the
+      Prussians might have crushed us at once. For a second there was a pause;
+      then both sides fired, an irregular volley was discharged, and the muskets
+      were lowered to the charge. What must have been the fate of our little
+      party now there could be no doubt; when suddenly, through the blue smoke
+      which yet lingered near the guns, the bright gleaming of bayonets was seen
+      to flash, while the loud <i>vivas</i> of our own soldiers rent the air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So rapid was the rush, and so thronging did they come, it seemed as if the
+      very ground had given them up. With a cry of &ldquo;Forward!&rdquo; on we went; the
+      enemy retired and fell back behind the cover of the road, where they kept
+      up a tremendous fire upon the gun, to which now all our efforts were
+      directed, to turn against the walls of the farmhouse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The mist by this was cleared away, and we were exposed to the shattering
+      fire which was maintained not only along the road, but from every window
+      and crevice in the walls of the farmhouse. Our men fell fast,&mdash;several
+      badly wounded; for the distance was less than half musket-range, even to
+      the farthest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The bayonet, men! the bayonet! Leave the gun, and sweep the road of those
+      fellows yonder!&rdquo; said the major, as, vaulting over the fence, he led the
+      way himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We were now reinforced, and numbered fully four companies; so that our
+      attack soon drove in the enemy, who retreated, still firing, within the
+      courtyard around the farmhouse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bring up the gun, lads, and we 'll soon breach them,&rdquo; said the major.
+      But, unhappily, the party to whom it was committed, being annoyed at the
+      service which kept them back when their companions were advancing, had
+      hurled the piece off its carriage, and rolled it down the mountain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a muttered <i>sacré</i> on their stupidity, the officer cried out to
+      scale the walls. If honor and rank and wealth had lain on the opposite
+      side, and not death and agony, they could not have obeyed with more
+      alacrity. Raised on one another's shoulders, the brave fellows mounted the
+      wall; but it was only to fall back again into their comrades' arms, dead
+      or mortally wounded. Still they pressed on: a reckless defiance of danger
+      had shut out every other thought; and their cheers grew wilder and fiercer
+      as the fire told upon them, while the shouts of triumph from those within
+      stimulated them to the verge of madness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stand back, men! stand back!&rdquo; called the major; &ldquo;down! I say.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, a dead silence followed; the men retreated behind the cover
+      of the fence, and lay down flat with their faces to the ground. A low,
+      hissing noise was then heard; and then, with a clap like thunder, the
+      strong gate was rent into fragments and scattered in blazing pieces about
+      the field. The crash of the petard was answered by a cheer wild as a
+      war-whoop, and onward the infuriated soldiers poured through the still
+      burning timbers. And now began a scene of carnage which only a
+      hand-to-hand encounter can ever produce. From every door and window the
+      Prussians maintained a deadly fire: but the onward tide of victory was
+      with us, and we poured down upon them with the bayonet; and as none gave,
+      none asked for, quarter, the work of death was speedy. To the wild shouts
+      of battle, the crash, the din, the tumult of the fight, a dropping
+      irregular fire succeeded; and then came the low, wailing cries of the
+      wounded, the groans of the dying, and all was over! We were the victors;
+      but what a victory! The garden was strewn with our dead; the hall, the
+      stairs, every room was covered with bodies of our brave fellows, their
+      rugged faces even sterner than in life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some minutes it seemed as though our emotions had unnerved us all, as
+      we stood speechless, gazing on the fearful scene of bloodshed; when the
+      low rolling of drums, heard from the mountain side, startled every
+      listener.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Prussians! the Prussians!&rdquo; called out three or four voices together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no!&rdquo; shouted François; &ldquo;I was too long a tambour not to know that
+      beat; they 're our fellows.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The drums rolled fuller and louder; and soon the head of a column appeared
+      peering over the ascent of the road. The sun shone brightly on their gay
+      uniforms and glancing arms, and the tall and showily-dressed tambour-major
+      stepped in advance with the proud bearing of a conqueror.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Form, men, and to the front!&rdquo; said the major of the voltigeurs, who knew
+      that his place was in the advance, and felt a noble pride that he had won
+      it bravely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the column came up the road, the voltigeurs, scattered along the road
+      on either side, advanced at a run. But no longer was there any obstacle to
+      their course; no enemy presented themselves in sight, and we mounted the
+      ascent without a single shot being fired.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I stopped for time to recover breath, I could not help turning to
+      behold the valley, which, now filled with armed men, was a grand and a
+      gorgeous sight. In long columns of attack they came, the artillery filling
+      the interspaces between them. A brilliant sunlight shone out; and I could
+      distinguish the different brigades, with whose colors I was now familiar.
+      Still my eye ranged over the field in search of cavalry, the arm I loved
+      above all others,&mdash;that which, more than all the rest, revived the
+      heroic spirit of the chivalrous ages, and made the horseman feel the
+      ancient ardor of the belted knight. But none were within sight. Indeed,
+      the very nature of the ground offered an obstacle to their movement, and I
+      saw that here, as at Austerlitz, the day was for the infantry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile we toiled up the height, and at length reached the crest of the
+      ridge. And then burst forth a sight such as all the grandeur I had ever
+      beheld of war had never presented the equal to. On a vast tableland,
+      slightly undulating on the surface, was drawn up the whole Prussian army
+      in battle array,&mdash;a splendid force of nigh thirty thousand infantry,
+      flanked by ten thousand sabres, the finest cavalry in Europe. By some
+      inconceivable error of tactics, they had offered no other resistance to
+      the French ascent of the mountain than the skirmishing troops, which fell
+      back as we came on; and even now they seemed to wait patiently for the
+      enemy to form before the conflict should begin. As our columns crowned the
+      hill they instantly deployed, to cover the advance of those who followed:
+      but the precaution seemed needless; for, except at the extreme left, where
+      we heard the firing before, the Prussian army never moved a man, nor
+      showed any disposition to attack.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was now nine o'clock; the sky clear and cloudless, and a bright
+      autumnal day permitted the eye to range for miles on every side. The
+      Prussian army, but forty thousand strong, was drawn up in the form of an
+      arch, presenting the convexity to our front; while our troops, ninety
+      thousand in number, overlapped them on either flank, and extended far
+      beyond them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The battle began by the advance of the French columns and the retreat of
+      the enemy,&mdash;both movements being accomplished without a shot being
+      fired, and the whole seeming the manoeuvres of a field-day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At length, as the Prussians took up the position they intended to hold,
+      their guns were seen moving to the front; squadrons of cavalry disengaged
+      themselves from behind the infantry masses; and then a tremendous tire
+      opened from the whole line. Our troops advanced <i>en tirailleurs</i>,&mdash;that
+      is, whole regiments thrown out in skirmishing order,&mdash;which, when
+      pressed, fell back, and permitted the columns to appear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The division to which I found myself attached received orders to move
+      obliquely across the plain, in the direction of some cottages, which I
+      soon heard was the village of Vierzehn Heiligen, and the centre of the
+      Prussian position. A galling fire of artillery played upon the column as
+      it went; and before we accomplished half the distance, our loss was
+      considerable. More than once, too, the cry of &ldquo;cavalry!&rdquo; was heard; and
+      quick as the warning itself, we were thrown into square, to receive the
+      impetuous horsemen, who came madly on to the charge. Ney himself stood in
+      the squares, animating the men by his presence, and cheering them at every
+      volley they poured in.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yonder, men! yonder is the centre of their position,&rdquo; said he, pointing
+      to the village, which now bristled with armed men, several guns upon a
+      height beyond it commanding the approach, and a cloud of cavalry hovering
+      near, to pounce down upon those who might be daring enough to assail it. A
+      wild cheer answered his words: both general and soldiers understood each
+      other well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In two columns of attack the division was formed; and then the word
+      &ldquo;Forward!&rdquo; was given. &ldquo;Orderly time, men!&rdquo; said General Dorsenne, who
+      commanded that with which I was; and, obedient to the order, the ranks
+      moved as if on parade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now let me mention a circumstance, which, though trivial in itself,
+      presents a feature of the peculiar character of courage which
+      distinguished the French officer in battle. As the line advanced, the fire
+      of the Prussian battery, which by this had found out our range most
+      accurately, opened severely on us, but more particularly on the left; and
+      as the men fell fast, and the grapeshot tore through the ranks, a wavering
+      of the line took place, and in several places a broken front was
+      presented. Dorsenne saw it at once, and placing himself in front of the
+      advance, with his back towards the enemy, he called out, as if on parade,
+      &ldquo;Close order&mdash;close order! Move up there&mdash;left, right&mdash;left,
+      right!&rdquo; And so did he retire step by step, marking the time with his
+      sword, while the shot flew past and about him, and the earth was scattered
+      by the torrent of the grapeshot. Courage like this would seem to give a
+      charmed life, for while death was dealing fast around him, he never
+      received a wound.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The village was attacked at the bayonet point, and at the charge the enemy
+      received us. So long as their artillery could continue its fire, our loss
+      was fearful; but once within shelter of the walls and close in with the
+      Prussian ranks, the firing ceased, and the struggle was hand to hand.
+      Twice did we win our way up the ascent; twice were we beaten back. Strong
+      reinforcements were coming up to the enemy's aid; when a loud rolling of
+      the drums and a hoarse cheer from behind revived our spirits,&mdash;it was
+      Lannes's division advancing at a run. They opened to permit our retiring
+      masses to re-form behind them, and then rushed on. A crash of musketry
+      rang out, and through the smoke the glancing bayonets flashed and the red
+      flame danced wildly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;En avant! en avant!&rdquo; burst from every man, as, maddened with excitement,
+      we plunged into the fray. Like a vast torrent tumbling from some mountain
+      gorge, the column poured on, overwhelming all before it,&mdash;now
+      struggling for a moment, as some obstacle delayed, but could not arrest,
+      its march; now rushing headlong, it swept along. The village was won; the
+      Prussians fell back. Their guns opened fiercely on us, and cavalry tore
+      past, sabring all who sought not shelter within the walls: but the post
+      was ours, the key of their position was in our hands; and Ney sent three
+      messengers one after the other to the Emperor to let him know the result,
+      and enable him to push forward and attack the Prussian centre.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly a wild cry was heard from the little street of the village: the
+      houses were in flames. The Prussians had thrown in heated shells, and the
+      wooden roofs of the cottages caught up the fire. For an instant all
+      became, as it were, panic-struck, and a confused movement of retreat was
+      begun: but the next moment order was restored; the sappers scaled the
+      walls of the burning houses, and with their axes severed the timbers, and
+      suffered the blazing mass to fall within the buildings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But by this time the Prussians had re-formed their columns, and once more
+      advanced to the attack. The moment was in their favor: the disorder of our
+      ranks, and the sudden fear inspired by an unlooked-for danger still
+      continued, when they came on. Then, indeed, began a scene of bloodshed the
+      most horrible to witness: through the narrow streets, within the gardens,
+      the houses themselves, the combatants fought hand to hand; neither would
+      give way; neither knew on which side lay their supporting columns. It was
+      the terrible carnage of deadly animosity on both sides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile the flames burst forth anew, and amid the crackling of the
+      burning timbers and the dense smoke of the lighted thatch, the fight went
+      on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Vandamme! Vandamme!&rdquo; cried several voices, in ecstasy; &ldquo;here come the
+      grenadiers!&rdquo; And, true enough, the tall shakos peered through the blue
+      cloud.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hurrah for the Faubourg!&rdquo; shouted a wild voltigeur, as he waved his cap
+      and sprang forward. &ldquo;Let us not lose the glory now, boys!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The appeal was not made in vain. From every window and doorway the men
+      leaped down into the street, and rushed at the Prussian column, which was
+      advancing at the charge. Suddenly the column opened, a rushing sound was
+      heard, and down with the speed of lightning rode a squadron of
+      cuirassiers. Over us they tore, sabring as they went, nor halted till the
+      head of Vandamme's column poured in a volley. Then wheeling, they galloped
+      back, trampling on our wounded, and dealing death with their broadswords.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As for me, a sabre-cut in the head had stunned me; and while I leaned for
+      support against the wall of a house, a horseman tore past, and with one
+      vigorous cut he cleft open my shoulder. I staggered back and fell, covered
+      with bloody upon the door-sill. I saw our column pass on, cheering, and
+      heard the wild cry, &ldquo;En avant I en avant!&rdquo; swelling from a thousand
+      voices; and then, faint and exhausted, my senses reeled, and the rest was
+      like an indistinct dream.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIV. A FRAGMENT OF A MAÎTRE d'ARMES EXPERIENCES
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Stunned, and like one but half awake, I followed the tide of marching men
+      which swept past like a mighty river, the roar of the artillery and the
+      crash of battle increasing the confusion of my brain. All distinct memory
+      of the remainder of the day is lost to me. I can recollect the explosion
+      of several wagons of the ammunition train, and how the splinters wounded
+      several of those around me; I also have a vague, dreamy sense of being
+      hurried along at intervals, and then seeing masses of cavalry dash past.
+      But the great prevailing thought above all others is, of leaning over the
+      edge of a charrette, where I lay with some wounded soldiers, to watch the
+      retreat of the Prussians, as they were pursued by Murat's cavalry.
+      François was at my side, and described to me the great events of the
+      battle; but though I seemed to listen, the sounds fell unregarded on my
+      ear. Even now, it seems to me like a dream; and the only palpable idea
+      before me is the heated air, the dark and lowering sky, And the deafening
+      thunder of the guns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is well known how the victory of Jena was crowned by the glorious issue
+      of the battle of Auerstadt, where the main body of the Prussians, under
+      the command of the king himself, was completely beaten by Davoust with a
+      force not half their number. The two routed armies crossed in their
+      flight, while the headlong fury of the French cavalry pressed down on
+      them; nor did the terrible slaughter cease till night gave respite to the
+      beaten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The victors and the vanquished entered Weimar together, a distance of full
+      six leagues from the field of battle. All struggle had long ceased. An
+      unresisting massacre it was; and such was the disappointment and anger of
+      the people of the country, that the Prussian officers were frequently
+      attacked and slain by the peasantry, whose passionate indignation made
+      them suspect treachery in the result of the battle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All whose wounds were but slight, and whose health promised speedy
+      restoration, were mounted into wagons taken from the enemy, and sent
+      forward with the army. Among this number I found myself, and that same
+      night slept soundly and peacefully in the straw of the charrette in which
+      I travelled from Jena.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Emperor's headquarters were established at Weimar, and thither all the
+      ambulances were conveyed; while the marshals, with their several
+      divisions, were sent in pursuit of the enemy. As for myself, before the
+      week elapsed, I was sufficiently recovered to move about; for happily the
+      stunning effects which immediately followed the injury were its worst
+      consequences, and my wound in the shoulder proved but trifling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so you are determined to join the cavalry again?&rdquo; said François, as
+      he sat by my side under a tree, where a cheerful fire of blazing wood had
+      drawn several to enjoy its comfort. &ldquo;That is what I cannot comprehend by
+      any stretch of ingenuity,&mdash;how a man who has once seen something of
+      voltigeur life can go back to the dull routine of dragoon service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps I have had enough of skirmishing, François,&rdquo; said I, smiling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it of that knock on the pate you speak?&rdquo; said he, contemptuously.
+      &ldquo;Bah! the heavy shako you wear would give a worse headache. Come, come;
+      think better on 't. I can tell you&rdquo;&mdash;here he lowered his voice to a
+      whisper&mdash;&ldquo;I can tell you, Burke, the major noticed the manner you
+      held your ground in the old farmhouse. I heard him refuse to send a
+      reinforcement when the Prussians made their second attack. 'No, no,' said
+      he; 'that hussar fellow yonder does his work so well, he wants no help
+      from us.' When he said that, my friend, be assured your promotion is safe
+      enough. You were made for a voltigeur.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, François, it's no use; all your flattery won't make me desert. I
+      'll try and join my brigade to-morrow; that is, if I can find them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You never told me in what way you first became separated from your corps.
+      How was it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There's something of a secret there, François; you mustn't ask me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, I understand,&rdquo; said he, with a knowing look, and a gesture of his
+      hand, as if making a pass with his sword. &ldquo;Did you kill him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, not exactly,&rdquo; said I, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Merely gave him that pretty lunge <i>en tierce</i> you favored me with,&rdquo;
+       said he, putting his hand on his side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor even that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Diable!</i> then how was it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have told you it was a secret.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Secret! Confound it, man, there are no secrets in a campaign, except when
+      the military chest is empty or the commissary falls short of grub; these
+      are the only things one ever thinks of hushing up. Come, out with it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, if it must be, I may as well have the benefit of your advice. So
+      draw closer, for I don't wish the rest to hear it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In as few words as I was able, I explained to François the circumstances
+      of the night march, and the manner of my meeting with the Emperor at the
+      ravine, where the artillery train was stopped. But when I came to the
+      incident of the picket, and mentioned how, in rescuing the Emperor, my
+      horse had been killed under me, he could no longer restrain himself, but
+      turned to the rest, who, to the number of fifteen or sixteen, sat around
+      the fire, and burst forth,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Mille tonnerres!</i> but the boy is a fool!&rdquo; And then, before I could
+      interpose a word, blurted out the whole adventure to the company.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was no use now to attempt any concealment at all; neither was there
+      to feel anger at his conduct. One would have been as absurd as the other;
+      and so I had to endure, as best I could, the various comments that were
+      passed on my behavior, on the prudence of which certainly no second
+      opinion existed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must be right certain of promotion, Captain,&rdquo; said an old sergeant,
+      with a gray beard and mustache, &ldquo;or you wouldn't refuse such a chance as
+      that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Diable!</i>&rdquo; cried François; &ldquo;don't you see he wouldn't accept of it.
+      He is too proud to wait on the Petit Caporal, though he asked him to do
+      so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He 'd have given you the cross of the Legion anyhow,&rdquo; said another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, by Jove!&rdquo; exclaimed the riding-master of a dragoon regiment, &ldquo;and
+      sent him a remount from his own stud.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you think that modesty!&rdquo; said Francois, whose indignation at my folly
+      knew no bounds. &ldquo;<i>Par Saint Joseph!</i> if I'd been as modest, it's not
+      maître d'armes of a voltigeur battalion I 'd be to-day; though I may say,
+      without boasting, I'm not afraid to cross a rapier with any man in the
+      army. No, no; that's not the way I managed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How was that, Maître Francois?&rdquo; said a young officer, who felt curious to
+      learn the circumstance to which he seemed to attach a story.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If the honorable society cares to hear it,&rdquo; said François, uncovering,
+      and bowing courteously to all around, &ldquo;I shall have great pleasure in
+      recounting a little incident of my life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A general cry of acclamation and &ldquo;bravo&rdquo; met the polite proposal; while
+      Francois, accepting a <i>goutte</i> from a canteen presented to him, began
+      thus:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I began my soldier's life at the first step of the ladder. I was a
+      drummer-boy at Jemappes; and, when I grew old enough to exchange the
+      drumstick for the sword, I was attached to the <i>chasseurs à cheval</i>,
+      and went with them to Egypt. I could tell you some strange stories of our
+      doings there,&mdash;I don't mean with the Turks, mark you, but amongst
+      ourselves,&mdash;for we had little affairs with the sword almost every
+      day; and I soon showed them I was their master. But that is not to the
+      purpose; what I am about to speak of happened in this wise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At break of day, one morning, the picket to which I was joined received
+      orders to mount, and accompany the general along the bank of the Nile to
+      the village of Chebrheis, where we heard that a Mameluke force were
+      assembling, whose strength and equipment it was important to ascertain.
+      Our horses were far from fresh when we started; the day previous had been
+      spent in a fatiguing march from Rhemanieh, crossing a dreary desert, with
+      hot sands and no water. But General Bonaparte always expected us to turn
+      out, as if we had got a general remount; and so we made the best of it,
+      and set out in as good style as we could. We had not gone above a league
+      and a half, however, when we found that the slapping pace of the general
+      had left the greater part of the escort out of sight; and of a score of
+      four squadrons, not above twenty horsemen were present.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor&mdash;you know he was only general then, but it 's all the
+      same&mdash;laughed heartily when he found he had outridden the rest;
+      indeed, for that matter, he laughed at our poor blown beasts, that shook
+      on every limb, and seemed like to push their spare, gaunt bones through
+      the trappings with which, for shame's sake, we endeavored to cover them.
+      But his joke was but shortlived; for just then, from behind the wall of an
+      old ruined temple&mdash;whiz!&mdash;there came a shattering volley of
+      musketry in the midst of us; the only miracle is how one escaped. The next
+      moment there was a wild hurrah, and we beheld some fifty Mameluke fellows,
+      all glittering with gold, coming down full speed on us, on their Arab
+      chargers. <i>Mille cadavres!</i> what was to be done? Nothing, you'd say,
+      but run for it. And so we should have done, if the beasts were able: but
+      not a bit of it; they couldn't have raised a gallop if Mourad Bey had been
+      there with his whole army. And so we put a good face on it, and drew up
+      across the way, and looked as if going to charge. Egad! the Turks were
+      amazed. They halted up short, and stared about them to see what infantry
+      or artillery there might be coming up to our assistance, so boldly did we
+      hold our ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'We'll keep them in check, General,' said the officer of the picket.
+      'Lose no time now, but make a dash for it, and you'll get away.' And so,
+      without more ado, Bonaparte turned his horse's head round, and, driving
+      his spurs into him, set out at top speed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This was the signal for the Mameluke charge; and down they came. <i>Sacristi!</i>
+      how the infidels rode us down! Over and over our fellows rolled, men and
+      horses together, while they slashed with their keen cimeters on every
+      side; few needed a second cut, I warrant you.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0014" id="linkimage-0014">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/296.jpg" alt="296 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By some good fortune, my beast kept his legs in the <i>mêlée</i>, and,
+      with even better luck, got so frightened that he started off, and struck
+      out in full gallop after the general, who, about two hundred paces in
+      front of me, was dashing along, pursued by a Mameluke, with a cimeter held
+      over his head. The Turk's horse, however, was wounded, and could not gain
+      even on the tired animal before him, while mine was at every stride
+      overtaking him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Mameluke, hearing the clatter behind, turned his head. I seized the
+      moment, and discharged my only remaining pistol at him,&mdash;alas!
+      without effect. With a wild war-cry the fellow swerved round and came down
+      upon me, intending to take my horse in flank, and hurl me over. But the
+      good beast plunged forward, and my enemy passed behind, and only grazed
+      the haunches as he went; the moment after he was at my side. <i>Parbleu!</i>
+      I did n't like the companionship. I knew every turn of a broadsword or a
+      rapier well; but a curved cimeter, keen as a razor, of Damascus steel,
+      glittering and glistening over my head, was a different thing: the great
+      dark eyes of the fellow, too, glared like balls of fire, and his white
+      teeth were clenched. With a swing of his blade over his head, so loosely
+      done I thought he had almost flung the weapon from his hand, he aimed a
+      cut at my neck; but, quick as lightning, I dropped upon the mane, and the
+      sharp blade shaved the red feather from my shako, and sent it floating in
+      the air, while, with a straight point, I ran him through the body, and
+      heard his death-shout as he fell bathed in blood upon the sands. The
+      general saw him fall, and cried out something; but I could not hear the
+      words, nor, to say truth, did I care much at the time: my happiest thought
+      just then was to see the remainder of the escort, which we had left
+      behind, coming up at a smart canter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Turks no sooner perceived them than they wheeled and fled; and so we
+      returned to the camp, with a loss of some twenty brave fellows, and none
+      the wiser for all our trouble.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What shall I do for you, friend?' said the general to me, as I stood by
+      his orders at the door of his tent, 'what shall I do for you?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ma foi!</i> said I, with a shrug of my shoulders, 'I can't well say at
+      a moment; perhaps the best thing would be to promise you 'd never take me
+      as one of your escort when you make such an expedition as this morning's.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, no, I 'll not say that. Who are you? What's your grade?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'François, maître d'armes of the Fourth Chasseurs of the Guard,' said I,
+      proudly. And, indeed, I thought he might have known me without the
+      question.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, indeed!' replied he, gravely. 'Promotion is then of no use here; a
+      maître d'armes, like a general of division, is at the top of the tree.
+      Come, I have it; a fellow of your sort is never out of scrapes,&mdash;always
+      duelling and quarrelling, under arrest three days in every week; I know
+      you well. Now, Maître François, I 'll forgive you the first time you ask
+      me for any offence within my power to pardon. Go; you are satisfied with
+      that promise,&mdash;is it not so?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes, General; and I'll soon jog your memory about it,' said I, saluting
+      and retiring from the tent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I see some old 'braves' of the Pyramids about me now,&rdquo; continued
+      François, &ldquo;and so I need not dwell on the events of the campaign. You all
+      know how General Bonaparte left the army to Kléber, and went back to
+      France; and somehow we never had much luck after that. But so it was, I
+      came back with the regiment, and was at the battle of Marengo when our
+      brigade captured four guns of Skal's battery, and carried off eleven of
+      their officers our prisoners. You'd wonder now, Comrades, how that piece
+      of good fortune should turn out so ill for me; but such was the case.
+      After the battle was gained, General Bonaparte retired to Gerofola with
+      his staff, and I was ordered to proceed after him, with the Hauptmann
+      Klingenswert of the Austrian army,&mdash;one of our prisoners who had
+      served on Melas's staff, and knew everything about the effective strength
+      of the army and all their plans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We set off at daybreak. It was in June, and a lovely morning too; and as
+      my prisoner was an officer and a man of honor, I took no escort, but rode
+      along at his side. We halted at noon to dine in a little grove of cedars,
+      where I opened my canteen and spread the contents on the grass: and after
+      regaling ourselves pleasantly, we lighted our meerschaums and chatted away
+      like old comrades over the war and its chances. A more agreeable fellow
+      than the Austrian I never met. He told me his whole history, and I told
+      him mine; and we drank Brüderschaft together, and swore I don't know how
+      many eternal friendships. The devil was just amusing himself with us all
+      this time though, as you 'll see presently; for we soon got into an
+      argument about the charge in which our brigade captured the guns. He said
+      that if the ammunition had not failed we never would have dared the
+      attack; and I swore that the discharges were pouring in while we rode down
+      on the battery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We grew warm with the dispute, and drank deeper to cool us; and, what
+      between the wine and our own passion, we became downright angry, and went
+      so far as to interchange something not like Brüderschaft.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, how unfortunate I always am!' said I, sighing. 'If I had only the
+      good luck to be the prisoner now, and you the escort&mdash;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What then?' said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'How easily, and how pleasantly too, could we settle this little affair.
+      The ground is smooth as velvet; there is no sun; all still, and quiet, and
+      peaceful.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, no,' said the Austrian; 'I couldn't do what you propose,&mdash;I
+      should be dishonored forever if I took such an advantage of you. You must
+      know, François,' for he called me so, recurring at once to his tone of
+      kindliness, 'I am the first swordsman of my brigade.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I could scarcely avoid throwing myself into his arms as he spoke; never
+      was there such a piece of fortune. 'And I,' cried I, in ecstasy, 'I the
+      first of the whole French army!' You know, Comrades, I only said that <i>en
+      gascon</i>, and to afford him the greater pleasure in our <i>rencontre</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We soon measured our swords and threw off our jackets. 'François,' said
+      he, 'I ought to mention to you that my lunge <i>en tierce</i> is my famous
+      stroke; I rarely miss running my adversary through the chest with it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I know the trick well,' said I; 'take care of my &ldquo;pass&rdquo; outside the
+      guard.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Oh! if that's your game,' said he, laughing, 'I'll make short work of
+      it. Now, to begin.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'All ready,' said I; 'en garde!' And we crossed our weapons. For a German
+      he was a capital swordsman, and had a very pretty trick of putting in his
+      point over the hilt, and wounding the sword-arm; but if it had not been
+      for all the wine I drank the affair would have been over in a second or
+      two. As it was, we both fenced loose, and without any judgment whatever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah! you got that,' said I, 'at last!' as I pierced him in the back,
+      outside the guard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, no!' cried he, passionately; for his temper was up, and he would not
+      confess a touch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Well, then, that's home!' said I, thrusting beneath his hilt, till the
+      blood spurted out along my blade and even in my eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes, that's home,' said he, staggering back, while one of his legs
+      crossed over the other, and he fell heavily on the grass. I stooped down
+      to feel his heart; and as I did so my senses failed, my limbs tottered,
+      and I rolled headlong over him. Truth was, I was badly wounded, though I
+      never knew when; for his sword had entered my chest, beneath a rib, and
+      cut some large vessels in the lungs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The end of it all was, the Austrian was buried, and I was broke the
+      service without pay or pension, my wound being declared by the doctors an
+      incapacity to serve in future.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Comrades, we often hear men talk of the happy day before them when they
+      shall leave the army and throw off the knapsack, and give up the musket
+      for the mattock. Well, trust me, it's no such pleasure as they deem it,
+      after all. There was I, turned loose upon the world, with nothing but a
+      suit of ragged clothes my comrades made up amongst them, my old rapier,
+      and a bad asthma. Such was my stock-in-trade, to begin life anew, at the
+      age of forty-seven. And so, I set out on my weary way back to Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Didn't you try your chance with the Petit Caporal first?&rdquo; asked one of
+      the listeners.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure I did. I sent him a long petition, setting forth the whole
+      circumstance, and detailing every minute particular of the duel; but I
+      received it back, unopened,&mdash;with Duroc's name, and the word
+      'Rejected,' on the back.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is strange-how unfit we old soldiers are for any occupation in a civil
+      way, when we 've spent half a lifetime campaigning. When I reached Paris,
+      I could almost have wedged myself into the scabbard of my sword. Long
+      marches and short rations had told heavily on me; and the custom-house
+      officer at the barrier told me to pass on, without ever stopping to see
+      that I carried no contraband goods about me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I had a miserable time enough of it for twelve or fourteen months. The
+      only way of support I could find was teaching recruits the sword exercise;
+      and you know they could n't be very liberal in their rewards for the
+      service. But even this poor trade was soon interdicted, as the police
+      reported that I encouraged the young soldiers to fight duels,&mdash;a
+      great offence, truly! But you see everything went unluckily with me at
+      that time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What was to become of me now I couldn't tell; when an old comrade,
+      pensioned off from Moreau's army, had interest to get me appointed
+      supernumerary, as they call it, in the Grand Opera, where I used to
+      perform as a Roman soldier, or a friar, or a peasant, or some such thing,
+      for five francs a week. Not a sou more had I, and the duty was heavier
+      than on active service.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After two years, the 'big drum' died of a rheumatic fever, from beating a
+      great solo in a new German Opera, and I was promoted to his place; for by
+      this time I was quite recovered from the effects of my wound, and could
+      use my arms as well as ever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Some of the honorable company may remember the first night that Napoleon
+      visited the Grand Opera after he was named Emperor. It was a glorious
+      sight, and one can never forget it. The whole house was filled with
+      generals and field-marshals: it was a grand field-day, by the glare of ten
+      thousand wax-lights. And the Empress was there, and her whole suite, and
+      all the prettiest women in France. Little time had I to look at them,
+      though; for there was I, in the corner of the orchestra, with my big drum
+      before me, on which I was to play the confounded thing that killed the
+      other fellow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was a strange performance, sure enough: for in the midst of a great
+      din and crash, came a dead pause; and then I was to strike three solemn
+      bangs on the drum,&mdash;to be followed by a succession of blows, fast as
+      lightning, for five minutes. This was the composer's notion of a battle,&mdash;distant
+      firing! Heaven bless his heart! I was wishing he 'd seen some of it. This
+      was to come on in the second act, up to which time I had nothing to do.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why do I say nothing? I had to gaze at the Petit Caporal, who sat there
+      in the box over my head, looking as stern and as thoughtful as ever, and
+      not minding much what the Empress said, though she kept prattling into his
+      ear all the time, and trying to attract his attention. <i>Parbleu!</i> he
+      was not thinking of all the nonsense before him,&mdash;his mind was on
+      real battles: he had seen real smoke,&mdash;that he had! He was fatter and
+      paler than he used to be; and I thought, too, his frown was darker than
+      when I saw him last: but, to be sure, that was at Marengo, and he ever
+      looked pleased on the field of battle. I could n't take my eyes from him:
+      his fine thoughtful face, so full of determination and energy, reminded me
+      of my old days of campaigning. I thought of Areola and Rivoli, of Cairo
+      and the Pyramids, and the great charge at Marengo when Desaix's division
+      came up,&mdash;and my heart was nigh bursting when I remembered that I
+      wore the epaulette no longer. I forgot, too, where I was; and expected
+      every instant to hear him call for one of the marshals, or see him stretch
+      out his hand to point to a distant part of the field. And so absorbed was
+      I in my reveries, that I had neither eyes nor ears for anything around me;
+      when suddenly all the din of the orchestra ceased,&mdash;not a sound was
+      heard; and a hand rudely shook me by the arm, while a voice whispered,
+      'Now! now!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0015" id="linkimage-0015">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/302.jpg" alt="302 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mechanically I seized the drumsticks. But my eyes still were riveted in
+      the Emperor,&mdash;my whole heart and soul were centred in him. Again the
+      voice called to me to begin; and a low murmur of angry meaning ran through
+      the orchestra.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I sprang to my legs, and in the excitement of the moment, losing all
+      memory of time and place, I rolled out the <i>pas de charge!</i>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Scarce had the first <i>roulade</i> of the well-known sounds reverberated
+      through the house, when one cry of 'Vive l'Empereur!' burst forth. It was
+      not a cheer; it was the heart-given outbreak of ten thousand devoted
+      followers. Marshals, generals, colonels, ambassadors, ministers, all
+      joined; and the vast assembly rocked to and fro like the sea in a storm,
+      while Napoleon himself, slowly rising, bent his proud head in
+      acknowledgment, and then sat down again amid the thundering shouts of
+      acclamation. It was full twenty minutes before the piece could proceed;
+      and even then momentary outbreaks of enthusiasm would occur to interrupt
+      it, and continued to burst forth till the curtain fell.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just then an aide-de-camp appeared beside the orchestra, and ordered me
+      to the Emperor's box. <i>Satristi!</i>how I trembled! I did n't know what
+      might come of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ah, <i>coquin!</i> said he, as I stood ready to drop with fear at the
+      door of the box, 'this has been one of thy doings, eh?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes, Sire,' muttered I in a half whisper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'And how hast thou dared to spoil an opera in this fashion?' said he,
+      frowning fiercely. 'Answer me, sirrah!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'It was your Majesty's fault,' said I, becoming reckless of all
+      consequences. 'You did n't seem to care much for all their scraping and
+      blowing, and so I thought the old <i>roulade</i> might raise you a bit.
+      You used to like it once; and might still, if the times be not altered.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'And they are not,' said he, sternly. 'Who art thou, that seem'st to know
+      me thus well?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Old François, that was maître d'armes of the Fourth in Egypt, and who
+      saved you from the stroke of a Mameluke sabre at Chebrheis.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What! the fellow who killed an Austrian prisoner after Marengo? Why, I
+      thought thee dead.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Better for me I had been!' said I. 'You would n't read my petition.
+      ('Yes, you may frown away, General,' said I to Duroc, who kept glowering
+      at me like a tiger.) I began life at the tambour; I have come down to it
+      again. You can't bring me lower, <i>parbleu!</i>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor whispered something to the Empress, who turned round towards
+      me and laughed; and then he made a sign for me to withdraw. Before I had
+      got a dozen paces from the box, an aide-de-camp overtook me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'François,' said he, 'you are to appear before the medical commission
+      to-morrow; and if their report be favorable, you are to have your old
+      grade of maître d'armes.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so it was. Not only was I restored, but they even placed me in the
+      same regiment I served in during the campaigns of Egypt and Italy. The
+      corps, however, was greatly changed since I knew it before; and so I asked
+      the Emperor to appoint me to a voltigeur battalion, where discipline is
+      not so rigid, and pleasant comrades are somewhat more plentiful. I had my
+      wish, gentlemen. And now, with your permission, we'll drink the 'Faubourg
+      St. Antoine,' the cradle of our arm of the service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In repeating Maître Francois's tale, I could only wish it might have one
+      half the success with my reader it met with from his comrades of the
+      bivouac. This, however, I cannot look for, and must leave it and him to
+      their fortunes, and now turn to follow the course of my own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      François was not the only one who felt surprised at my being able to
+      resist the pleasures of a voltigeurs life; and my companion the corporal
+      looked upon my determination to join the hussar brigade as one of those
+      extraordinary instances of duty predominating over inclination. &ldquo;Not,&rdquo;
+       said he, &ldquo;but there may be brave fellows and good soldiers among the
+      dragoons; though having a horse to ride is a sore drawback on a man's
+      courage. And when one has felt the confidence of standing face to face,
+      and foot to foot, with the enemy, I cannot see how he can ever bring
+      himself to fight in any other fashion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A man can accustom himself to anything, Corporal,&rdquo; said an old,
+      hardy-looking soldier, who sat smoking with the most profound air of
+      thoughtful reflection. &ldquo;I remember being in the 'dromedary brigade' at
+      Cairo. Few of us could keep our seats at first; and when we fell off, it
+      was often hard enough to resist the Mamelukes and hold the beasts besides;
+      but even that we learned with time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This explanation, little flattering as it was to the cavalry, seemed to
+      convince the listeners that time, which smoothes so many difficulties,
+      will even make a man content to be a dragoon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, since you will not be 'of ours,'&rdquo; said François, &ldquo;let us drink a
+      parting cup, and say good-by, for I hear the bugle sounding the call.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A health to the 'Faubourg St. Antoine,' boys!&rdquo; cried I, and a hearty
+      cheer re-echoed the toast; and with many a shake-hands, and many a promise
+      of welcome whenever I saw the error of my ways sufficiently to doff the
+      dolman for the voltigeur's jacket, I took leave of the gallant
+      Twenty-second, and set out towards Weimar.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXV. BERLIN AFTER &ldquo;JENA.&rdquo;
+     </h2>
+    <p>
+      As the battle of Austerlitz was the deathblow to the empire of Austria, so
+      with the defeat at Jena did Prussia fall, and that great kingdom became a
+      prey to the conquering Napoleon. Were this a fitting place, it might be
+      curious to inquire into the causes which involved a ruin so sudden and so
+      complete; and how a vast and highly organized army seemed at one fell
+      stroke annihilated and destroyed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The victories of Jena and Auerstadt, great and decisive as they were, were
+      nevertheless inadequate to such results; and if the genius of the Emperor
+      had not been as prompt to follow up as to gain a battle, they never would
+      have occurred. But scarcely had the terrible contest ceased, when he sent
+      for the Saxon officers who were taken prisoners, and addressing them in a
+      tone of kindness, declared at once that they were at liberty and might
+      return to their homes, first pledging their words not to carry arms
+      against France or her allies. One hundred and twenty officers of different
+      grades, from lieutenant-general downwards, gave this promise and retired
+      to their own country, extolling the generosity of Napoleon. This first
+      step was soon followed up by another and more important one; negotiations
+      were opened with the Elector of Saxony, and the title of king offered to
+      him on condition of his joining the Confederacy of the Rhine; and thus
+      once more the artful policy already pursued with regard to Bavaria in the
+      south, was here renewed in the north of Germany, and with equal success.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This deep-laid scheme deprived the Prussian army of eighteen thousand men,
+      and that on the very moment when defeat and disaster had spread their
+      demoralizing influences through the entire army. Several of their greatest
+      generals were killed, many more dreadfully or fatally wounded: Prince
+      Louis, Ruchel, Schmettau, among the former; the Duke of Brunswick and
+      Prince Henry both severely wounded. The Duke survived but a few days, and
+      these in the greatest suffering; Marshal Möllendorf, the veteran of nigh
+      eighty years, had his chest pierced by a lance. Here was misfortune enough
+      to cause dismay and despair; for unhappily the nation itself was but an
+      army in feeling and organization, and with defeat every hope died out and
+      every arm was paralyzed. The patriotism of the people had taken its place
+      beneath a standard, which when once lowered before a conqueror, nothing
+      more remained. Such is the destiny of a military monarchy: its only
+      vitality is victory; the hour of disaster is its deathblow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The system of a whole corps capitulating, which the Prussians had not
+      scrupled to sneer at when occurring in Austria, now took place here with
+      even greater rapidity. Scarcely a day passed that some regiment did not
+      lay down their arms, and surrender <i>sur parole</i>. A panic spread
+      through the whole length and breadth of the land; places of undoubted
+      strength were surrendered as insecure and untenable. No rest nor respite
+      was allowed the vanquished: the gay plumes of the lancers fluttered over
+      the vast plains in pursuit; columns of infantry poured in every direction
+      through the kingdom; and the eagles glittered in every town and every
+      village of conquered Prussia.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Never did the spirit of Napoleon display itself more pitiless than in this
+      campaign; for while in his every act he evinced a determination to break
+      down and destroy the nation, the &ldquo;Moniteur&rdquo; at Paris teemed with articles
+      in derision of the army whose bravery he should never have questioned.
+      Even the gallant leaders themselves&mdash;old and scarred warriors&mdash;were
+      contemptuously described as blind and infatuated fanatics, undeserving of
+      clemency or consideration. Not thus should he have spoken of the noble
+      Prince Louis and the brave Duke of Brunswick; they fought in a good cause,
+      and they met the death of gallant soldiers. &ldquo;I will make their nobles beg
+      their bread upon the highways!&rdquo; was the dreadful sentence he uttered at
+      Weimar. And the words were never forgotten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The conduct and bearing of the Emperor was the more insulting from its
+      contrast with that of his marshals and generals, many of whom could not
+      help acknowledging in their acts the devotion and patriotism of their
+      vanquished foes. Murat lost no occasion to evince this feeling; and sent
+      eight colonels of his own division to carry the pall at General
+      Schmettau's funeral, who was interred with all the honors due to one who
+      had been the companion of the Great Frederick himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Soult, Bernadotte, Augereau, Ney, and Davoust, with the several corps
+      under their command, pursued the routed forces with untiring hostility. In
+      vain did the King of Prussia address a supplicating letter asking for a
+      suspension of arms. Napoleon scarcely deigned a reply, and ordered the
+      advanced guard to march on Berlin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But a year before and he had issued his royal mandates from the palace of
+      the Caesars; and he burned now to date his bulletins from the palace of
+      the Great Frederick. And on the tenth day after the battle of Jena the
+      troops of Lannes's division bivouacked in the plain around Potsdam. I had
+      joined my brigade the day previous, and entered Berlin with them on the
+      morning of the 23d of October.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The preparations for a triumphal entry were made on the day before; and by
+      noon the troops approached the capital in all the splendor of full
+      equipment. First came the grenadiers of Oudinot's brigade,&mdash;one of
+      the finest corps in the French army; their bright yellow facings and
+      shoulder-knots had given them the <i>sobriquet</i> of the <i>Grenadiers
+      jaunes</i>: they formed part of Davonst's force at Auerstadt, and were
+      opposed to the Prussian guard in the greatest shock of the entire day.
+      After them came two battalions of the <i>Chasseurs à pied</i>,&mdash;a
+      splendid body of infantry, the remnant of four thousand who went into
+      battle on the morning of the 15th. Then followed a brigade of artillery,
+      each gun-carriage surmounted by a Prussian standard. These again were
+      succeeded by the red lancers of Berg, with Murat himself at their head;
+      for they were his own regiment, and he felt justly proud of such
+      followers: the grand duke was in all the splendor of his full dress, and
+      wore a Spanish hat, looped up, with an immense brilliant in front, and a
+      plume of ostrich feathers floated over his neck and shoulders. Two hundred
+      and forty chosen men of the Imperial Guard marched two and two after
+      these, each carrying a color taken from the enemy in battle. Nansouty's
+      cuirassiers came next; they had suffered severely at Jena, and were
+      obliged to muster several of their wounded men to fill up the gaps in
+      their squadrons. Then there were the horse artillery brigade, whose
+      uniforms and equipments, notwithstanding every effort to conceal it,
+      showed the terrible effects of the great battle. General d'Auvergne's
+      division, with the hussars and the light cavalry attached, followed. These
+      were succeeded by the voltigeurs, and eight battalions of the Imperial
+      Guard,&mdash;whose ranks were closed up with the <i>Grenadiers à cheval</i>,
+      and more artillery,&mdash;in all, a force of eighteen thousand, the <i>élite</i>
+      of the French army.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Advancing in orderly time, they came,&mdash;no sound heard save the dull
+      reverberation of the earth as it trembled beneath the columns, when the
+      hoarse challenge to &ldquo;halt&rdquo; was called from rank to rank as often as those
+      in the rear pressed on the leading files; but as they reached the
+      Brandenburg gate, the band of each regiment burst forth, and the wide
+      Platz resounded with the clang of martial music.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In front of the palace stood the Emperor, surrounded by his staff, which
+      was joined in succession by each general of brigade as his corps moved by.
+      A simple acknowledgment of the military salute was all Napoleon gave as
+      each battalion passed,&mdash;until the small party of the Imperial Guard
+      appeared, bearing the captured colors. Then his proud features relaxed,
+      his eye flashed and sparkled, and he lifted his chapeau straight above his
+      head, and remained uncovered the whole time they were marching past. This
+      was the moment when enthusiasm could no longer be restrained, and a cry of
+      &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; burst forth, that, caught up by those behind, rose in
+      ten thousand echoes along the distant suburbs of Berlin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To look upon that glorious and glittering band, bronzed with battle, their
+      proud faces lit up with all the pride of victory, was indeed a triumph;
+      and one instinctively turned to see the looks of wondering and admiration
+      such a sight must have inspired. But with what sense of sadness came the
+      sudden thought: this is the proud exultation of the conqueror over the
+      conquered; here come no happy faces and bright looks to welcome those who
+      have rescued them from slavery; here are no voices calling welcome to the
+      deliverer. No: it was a people crushed and trodden down; their hard-won
+      laurels tarnished and dishonored; their country enslaved; their monarch a
+      wanderer, no one knew where. Little thought they who raised the statue of
+      brass to the memory of the Great Frederick, that the clank of French
+      musketry would be heard around it. Rossbach was, indeed, avenged,&mdash;and
+      cruelly avenged.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Never did a people behave with more dignity under misfortune than the
+      Prussians on the entrance of the French into their capital. The streets
+      were deserted; the houses closed; the city was in mourning; and none
+      stooped to the slavish adulation which might win favor with the conqueror.
+      It was a triumph; but there were none to witness it. Of the nobles, scarce
+      one remained in Berlin. They had fallen in battle, or followed the
+      fortunes of their beaten army, now scattered and dispersed through the
+      kingdom. Their wives and daughters, in deepest mourning, bewailed their
+      ruined country as they would the death of a dearest friend. They cut off
+      their blonde locks, and sorrowed like those without a hope. Their great
+      country was to be reduced to the rank of a mere German province; their
+      army disbanded; their king dethroned. Such was the contrast to our hour of
+      triumph; such the sad reverse to the gorgeous display of our armed
+      squadrons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely had the Emperor established his headquarters at Potsdam than the
+      whole administration of the kingdom was begun to be placed under French
+      rule. Prefects were appointed to different departments of the kingdom; a
+      heavy contribution was imposed upon the nation; and all the offices of the
+      state were subjected to the control of persons named by the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among these, the first in importance was the post-office; for, while every
+      precaution was taken that no interruption should occur in the transmission
+      of the mails as usual, a <i>cabinet noir</i> was established here, as at
+      Paris, whose function it was to open the letters of suspected persons, and
+      make copies of them; the latter, indeed, were often so skilfully executed
+      as to be forwarded to the address, while the originals were preserved as
+      &ldquo;proofs&rdquo; against parties, if it were found necessary to accuse them
+      afterwards. (And here I might mention that the art of depositing metals in
+      a mould by galvanic process was known and used in imitating and
+      fabricating the seals of various writers, many years before the discovery
+      became generally known in Europe.)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The invasion of private right involved in this breach of trust gave, as
+      might be supposed, the greatest offence throughout the kingdom. But the
+      severity with which every case of suspicious meaning was followed up and
+      punished converted the feelings of indignation and anger into those of
+      fear and trepidation. For this was ever part of Napoleon's policy: the
+      penalty of any offence was made to exclude the sense of ridicule its own
+      littleness might have created, and men felt indisposed to jest where their
+      mirth might end in melancholy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The most remarkable case, and that which more than any other impressed the
+      public mind of the period, was that of the Prince de Hatzfeld, whose
+      letter to the King of Prussia was opened at the post-office, and made the
+      subject of a capital charge against him. Its contents were, as might be
+      imagined from the channel of transmission, not such as could substantiate
+      any treasonable intention on his part. A respectful homage to his
+      dethroned sovereign; a detail of the mournful feeling experienced
+      throughout his capital; and some few particulars of the localities
+      occupied by the French troops, was the entire. And for this he was tried
+      and condemned to death,&mdash;a sentence which the Emperor commanded to be
+      executed before sunset that same day. Happily for the fate of the noble
+      prince, as for the fair fame of Napoleon, both Duroc and Rapp were
+      ardently attached to him, and at their earnest entreaties his life was
+      spared. But the impression which the circumstances made upon the minds of
+      the inhabitants was deep and lasting; and there was a day to come when all
+      these insults were to be remembered and avenged. If I advert to the
+      occurrence here, it is because I have but too good reason to bear memory
+      of it, influencing, as it did, my own future fortunes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It chanced that one evening, when sitting in a café with some of my
+      brother officers, the subject of the Prince de Hatzfeld's offence was
+      mooted; and in the unguarded freedom with which one talks to his comrades,
+      I expressed myself delighted at the clemency of the Emperor, and conceived
+      that he could have no part in the breach of confidence which led to the
+      accusation, nor countenance in any way his prosecution. My companions, who
+      had little sympathy for Prussians, and none for aristocracy whatever, took
+      a different view of the matter, and scrupled not to regret that the
+      sentence of the court-martial had not been executed. The discussion grew
+      warm between us; the more, as I was alone in my opinion, and assailed by
+      several who overbore me with loud speaking. Once or twice, too, an obscure
+      taunt was thrown out against aliens and foreigners, who, it was alleged,
+      never could at heart forgive the ascendency of France and Frenchmen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To this I replied hotly, for while not taking to myself an insult which my
+      conduct in the service palpably refuted, I was hurt and offended. Alas! I
+      knew too well in my heart what sacrifices I had made in changing my
+      country; how I had bartered all the hopes which attach to one's fatherland
+      for a career of mere selfish ambition. Long since had I seen that the
+      cause I fought in was not that of liberty, but despotism. Napoleon's glory
+      was the dazzling light which blinded my true vision; and my following had
+      something of infatuation, against which reason was powerless. I say that I
+      answered these taunts with hasty temper; and carried away by a momentary
+      excitement, I told them, that they it was, not I, who would detract from
+      the fair renown of the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The traits you would attribute to him,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;are not those of
+      strength, but weakness. Is it the conqueror of Egypt, of Austria, and now
+      of Prussia, who need stoop to this? We cannot be judges of his policy, or
+      the great events which agitate Europe. We would pronounce most ignorantly
+      on the greatness of his plans regarding the destinies of nations; but, on
+      a mere question of high and honorable feeling, of manly honesty, why
+      should we not speak? And here I say this act was never his.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A smile of sardonic meaning was the only reply this speech met with; and
+      one by one the officers rose and dropped off, leaving me to ponder over
+      the discussion, in which I now remembered I had been betrayed into a
+      warmth beyond discretion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This took place early in November; and as it was not referred to in any
+      way afterwards by my comrades, I soon forgot it. My duties occupied me
+      from morning till night; for General d'Auvergne, being in attendance on
+      the Emperor, had handed me over for the time to the department of the
+      adjutant-general of the army, where my knowledge of German was found
+      useful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the 17th of the month a general order was issued, containing the names
+      of the various officers selected for promotion, as well as of those on
+      whom the cross of the &ldquo;Legion&rdquo; was to be conferred. Need I say with what a
+      thrill of exultation I read my own name among the latter, nor my delight
+      at finding it followed by the words, &ldquo;By order of his Majesty the Emperor,
+      for a special service on the 13th October, 1806.&rdquo; This was the night
+      before the battle; and now I saw that I had not been forgotten, as I
+      feared,&mdash;here was proof of the Emperor's remembrance of me. Perhaps
+      the delay was intended to test my prudence as to secrecy; and perhaps it
+      was deemed fitting that my name should not appear except in the general
+      list: in any case, the long-wished reward was mine,&mdash;the proud
+      distinction I had desired for so many a day and night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The distribution of the &ldquo;cordons&rdquo; was always made the occasion of a grand
+      military spectacle, and the Emperor determined that the present one should
+      convey a powerful impression of the effective strength of his army, as
+      well as of its perfect equipment; and accordingly orders were despatched
+      to the different generals of division within twelve or fifteen leagues of
+      Berlin, to march their corps to the capital. The 28th of November was the
+      day fixed for this grand display, and all was bustle and preparation for
+      the event.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the morning of the 22d, I received an official note from the bureau of
+      the adjutant-general desiring me to wait on him before noon that same day.
+      Concluding it referred to my promised promotion to the &ldquo;Legion,&rdquo; it was
+      with somewhat of a fluttered and excited feeling I found myself, at some
+      few minutes after eleven o'clock, in the antechamber, which already was
+      crowded with officers, some seeking, some summoned to an interview.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the midst of the buzz of conversation, which, despite the reserve of
+      the place, still prevailed, I heard my name called, and followed an
+      aide-de-camp along a passage into a large room, which opened into a
+      smaller apartment, where, standing with his back to the fire, I perceived
+      Marshal Berthier, his only companion being an officer in a staff uniform,
+      busily engaged writing at a table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are Captain Burke, of the Eighth Hussars, I believe, sir?&rdquo; said the
+      marshal, reading slowly from a slip of paper he held twisted round one
+      finger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By birth an Irishman,&rdquo; continued the marshal; &ldquo;entered at the
+      Polytechnique in August, 1801. Am I correct?&rdquo; I bowed. &ldquo;Subsequently
+      accused of being concerned in the conspiracy of Georges and Pichegru,&rdquo;
+       resumed he, as he raised his eyes slightly from the paper, and fixed them
+      searchingly upon me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Falsely so, sir,&rdquo; was my only reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were acquitted,&mdash;that's enough: a reprimand for imprudence, and
+      a slight punishment of arrest, was all. Since that time, you have
+      conducted yourself, as the report of your commanding officer attests, with
+      zeal and steadiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He paused here, and seemed as if he expected me to say something; but as I
+      thought the whole a most strange commencement to the ceremony of investing
+      me with a cross of the Legion, I remained silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At Paris, when attached to the <i>élite</i>, you appear to have visited
+      the Duchess of Montserrat, and frequented her soirées.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Once, sir; but once I was in the house of the duchess. My visit could
+      scarcely have occupied as many minutes as I have spent here this morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dined occasionally at the 'Moisson d'Or,&rdquo; continued the marshal, not
+      noticing in any way my reply. &ldquo;Well, as I believe you are now aware that
+      there are no secrets with his Majesty's Government, perhaps you will
+      inform me what are your relations with the Chevalier Duchesne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      For some minutes previous my mind was dwelling on that personage; and I
+      answered the question in a few words, by stating the origin of our
+      acquaintance, and briefly adverting to its course.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You correspond with the chevalier?&rdquo; said he, interrupting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have never done so; nor is it likely, from the manner in which we
+      parted last, that I ever shall.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This scarcely confirms that impression, sir,&rdquo; said the marshal, taking an
+      open letter from the table and holding it up before me. &ldquo;You know his
+      handwriting; is that it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; I have no doubt it is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, sir, that letter belongs to you; you may take and read it. There is
+      enough there, sir, to make your conduct the matter of a court-martial; but
+      I am satisfied that a warning will be sufficient. Let this be such then.
+      Learn, sir, that the plottings of a poor and mischievous party harmonize
+      ill with the duties of a brave soldier; and that a captain of the Guards
+      might choose more suitable associates than the dupes and double-dealers of
+      the Faubourg St. Germain. There is your brevet to the 'Legion,' signed by
+      the Emperor. I shall return it to his Majesty; mayhap at some future
+      period your conduct may merit differently. I need hardly say that a
+      gentleman so very little particular in the choice of his friends would be
+      a most misplaced subject for the honor of the 'Legion.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He waved his hand in sign for me to withdraw, and overwhelmed with
+      confusion, I bowed and left the room. Nor was it till the door closed
+      behind me that I felt how cruelly and unjustly I had been treated; then
+      suddenly the blood rushed to my face and temples, my head seemed as if it
+      would burst at either side, and forgetting every circumstance of place and
+      condition, I seized the handle of the door and wrenched it open.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Marshal,&rdquo; said I, with the fearlessness of one resolved at any risk to
+      vindicate his character, &ldquo;I know nothing of this letter; I have not read
+      one line of it. I have no further intimacy with the writer than an officer
+      has with his comrade; but if I am to be the subject of espionage to the
+      police,&mdash;if my chance acquaintances in the world are to be matter of
+      charges against my fealty and honor,&mdash;if I, who have nothing but my
+      sword and my epaulette&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When I had got thus far I saw the marshal's face turn deadly pale, while
+      the officer at the table made a hurried sign to me with his finger to be
+      silent. The door closed nearly at the same instant, and I turned my head
+      round, and there stood the Emperor. The figure is still before me; he was
+      standing still, his hands behind his back, and his low chapeau deeply
+      pressed upon his brows. His gray frock was open, and looked as if
+      disordered from haste.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is this?&rdquo; said he, in that hissing tone he always assumed when in
+      moments of passion,&mdash;&ldquo;what is this? Are we in the bureau of a
+      minister? or is it the <i>salle de police?</i> Who are you, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was not until the question had been repeated that I found courage to
+      reply. But he waited not for my answer, as, snatching the open letter from
+      my fingers, he resumed,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not thus, sir, you should come here. Your petition or memorial&mdash;
+      Ha! <i>parbleu!</i> what is this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the instant his eyes fell upon the writing, and as suddenly his face
+      grew almost livid. With the rapidity of lightning he seemed to peruse the
+      lines. Then waving his hand, he motioned towards the door, and muttered,&mdash;&ldquo;Wait
+      without!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Like one awaking from a dreadful dream, I stood, endeavoring to recall my
+      faculties, and assure myself how much there might be of reality in my
+      wandering fancies, when I perceived that a portion of the letter remained
+      between my fingers as the Emperor snatched it from my hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A half-finished sentence was all I could make out; but its tone made me
+      tremble for what the rest of the epistle might contain:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Surpassed themselves, of course, my dear Burke; and so has the Emperor
+      too. It remained for the campaign in Prussia to prove that one hundred and
+      eighty-five thousand prisoners can be taken from an army numbering one
+      hundred and fifty-four thousand men. As to Davoust, who really had all the
+      fighting, though he wrote no bulletin, all Paris feels&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was the morsel I had saved; such a specimen of the insolence of the
+      entire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dreadful fact then broke suddenly upon me that this letter had been
+      written by Duchesne to effect my ruin; and as I stood stupefied with
+      terror, the door was suddenly opened, and the Emperor passed, out. His
+      eyes were turned on me as he went, and I shrank back from their expression
+      of withering anger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Captain Burke!&rdquo; said a voice from within the room, for the door continued
+      open.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I entered slowly, but with a firm step. My mind was made up; and in the
+      force of a resolute determination, I found strength for whatever might
+      happen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would appear, sir,&rdquo; said the marshal, addressing me with a stern and
+      severe expression of features, &ldquo;it would appear that you permit yourself
+      the widest liberty in canvassing the acts of his Majesty the Emperor; for
+      I find you here mentioned &ldquo;&mdash;he took a paper from the table as he
+      spoke&mdash;&ldquo;as declaiming, in a public café, on the subject of the Prince
+      de Hatzfeld, and expressing, in no measured terms, your disapproval of his
+      imprisonment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All that I said upon the subject, sir, so far as I can recollect, was in
+      praise of the Emperor for clemency so well bestowed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There was no high-flown sentiment on the breach of honorable confidence
+      effected in opening private letters?&rdquo; said the marshal, sarcastically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; I do remember expressing myself strongly on that head.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am not surprised, sir,&rdquo; interrupted he, &ldquo;at your indignation; your own
+      conscience must have prompted you on the occasion. When a gentleman has
+      such correspondents as the Chevalier Duchesne, he may well feel on a point
+      like this. But enough of this. I have his Majesty's orders regarding you,
+      which are as follows&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive me, I beg you, sir, the liberty of interrupting you for one
+      moment. I am an alien, and therefore little versed in the habits and
+      usages of the land for whose service I have shed my blood; but I am sure a
+      marshal of France will not refuse a kindness to an officer of the army,
+      however humble his station. I merely ask the answer to one question.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it?&rdquo; said the marshal, quickly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Am I, as an officer, at liberty to resign my grade, and quit the
+      service?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, <i>parbleu!</i>&rdquo; said he, reddening, &ldquo;yes, that you are.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then here I do so,&rdquo; rejoined I, drawing my sword from its scabbard. &ldquo;The
+      career I can no longer follow honorably and independently, I shall follow
+      no more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your corps, sir?&rdquo; said the marshal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Eighth Hussars of the Guard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take a note of that, Gardanne. I shall spare you all unnecessary delay in
+      tendering a written resignation of your rank; I accept it now. You leave
+      Berlin in twenty-four hours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I bowed, and was silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your passport shall be made out for Paris; you shall receive it to-morrow
+      morning.&rdquo; He motioned with his hand towards the door as he concluded, and
+      I left the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The moment I felt myself alone, the courage which had sustained me
+      throughout at once gave way, and I leaned against the wall, and covered my
+      face with my hands. Yes, I knew it in my heart,&mdash;the whole dream of
+      life was over; the path of glory was closed to me forever; all the hopes
+      on which, in sanguine hours, I used to feed my heart, were scattered. And
+      to the miseries of my exiled lot were now added the sorrows of an
+      unfriended, companionless existence. The thought that no career was open
+      to me came last; for at first I only remembered all I was leaving, not the
+      dark future before me. Yet, when I called to mind the injustice with which
+      I had been treated,&mdash;the system of espionage to which, as an alien
+      more particularly, I was exposed,&mdash;I felt I had done right, and that
+      to have remained in the service at such a sacrifice of my personal
+      independence would have been base and unworthy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a half-broken heart and faltering step I regained my quarters, where
+      again my grief burst forth with more violence than at first. Every object
+      about recalled to me the career I was leaving forever; and wherever my eye
+      rested, some emblem lay to open fresh stores of sorrow. The pistols I
+      carried at Elchingen, a gift from General d'Auvergne; an Austrian sabre I
+      had taken from its owner, still ornamented with a little knot of ribbon
+      Minette had fastened to the hilt,&mdash;hung above the chimney; and I
+      could scarce look on them without tears. On the table still lay open the
+      <i>ordre du jour</i> which named me to the Legion of Honor; and now the
+      humblest soldier that carried his musket in the ranks was my superior. Not
+      all the principle on which I founded my resolve was proof against this
+      first outburst of my sorrow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The chivalrous ardor of a soldier's life had long supplied to me the place
+      of those appliances to happiness which other men possess. Each day I
+      followed it the path grew dearer to me. Every bold and daring feat, every
+      deed of enterprise or danger, seemed to bring me, in thought at least,
+      nearer to him whose greatness was my idolatry. And now, all this was to be
+      as a mere dream,&mdash;a thing which had been, and was to be no more.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While I revolved such sad reflections, a single knock came to my door. I
+      opened it, and saw a soldier of my own regiment. His dress was
+      travel-stained and splashed, and he looked like one off a long journey. He
+      knew me at once, and accosted me by name, as he presented a letter from
+      General d'Auvergne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You've had a smart ride,&rdquo; said I, as I surveyed his flushed face and
+      disordered uniform.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Captain,&mdash;from the Oder. Our division is full twelve leagues
+      from this. I left on yesterday morning; for the general was particular
+      that the charger should not suffer on the way,&mdash;as if a beast like
+      that would mind double the distance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time I had opened the letter, which merely contained the following
+      few lines:&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      Encampment on the Oder, Nov. 21, 1806.
+
+      My dear Burke,&mdash;Every new arrival here has brought me some
+      fresh intelligence of you, and of your conduct at Jena; nor
+      can I say with what pride I have heard that the Emperor has
+      included you among the list of the <i>décorés</i>. This is the
+      day I often prophesied for you, and the true and only
+      refutation against the calumnies of the false-hearted and
+      the envious. I send you a Polish charger for your gala
+      review. Accept him from me; and believe that you have no
+      warmer friend, nor more affectionate, than yours,
+
+      D'Auvergne, Lieut-General.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Before I had finished reading the letter, my eyes grew so dimmed I could
+      scarcely trace the letters. Each word of kindness, every token of praise,
+      now cut me to the heart. How agonizing are the congratulations of friends
+      on those events in life where our own conscience bears reproach against
+      us! how poignant the self-accusation that is elicited by undeserved
+      eulogy! How would <i>he</i> think of my conduct? By what means should I
+      convince <i>him</i> that no alternative remained to me? I turned away,
+      lest the honest soldier should witness my trouble; and as I approached the
+      window, I beheld in the courtyard beneath the beautiful charger which,
+      with the full trappings of a hussar saddle, stood proudly flapping his
+      deep flanks with his long silken tail. With what a thrill I surveyed him!
+      How my heart leaped, as I fancied myself borne along on the full tide of
+      battle, each plunge he gave responsive to the stroke of my sword-arm! For
+      an instant I forgot all that had happened, and gazed on his magnificent
+      crest and splendid shape with an ecstasy of delight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay,&rdquo; said the dragoon, whose eyes were riveted in the same quarter,
+      &ldquo;there's not a marshal of France so well mounted; and he knows the
+      trumpet-call like the oldest soldier of the troop.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will return to-morrow,&rdquo; said I, recovering myself suddenly, and
+      endeavoring to appear composed and at ease. &ldquo;Well, then, to-night I shall
+      give you an answer for the general; be here at eight o'clock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I saw that my troubled air and broken voice had not escaped the soldier's
+      notice, and was glad when the door closed, and I was again alone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My first care was to write to the general; nor was it till after many
+      efforts I succeeded to my satisfaction in conveying, in a few and simple
+      words, the reasons of that step which must imbitter my future life. I
+      explained how deeply continued mistrust had wounded me; how my spirit, as
+      a soldier and a gentleman, revolted at the espionage established over my
+      actions; that it was in weighing these insults against the wreck of all my
+      hopes, I had chosen that path which had neither fame nor rank nor honor,
+      but still left me an untrammelled spirit and a mind at peace with itself.
+      &ldquo;I have now,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;to begin the world anew, without one clew to guide
+      me. Every illusion with which I had invested life has left me; I must
+      choose both a career and a country, and bear with me from this nothing but
+      the heartfelt gratitude I shall ever retain for one who befriended me
+      through weal and woe, and whose memory I shall bless while I live.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I felt relieved and more at ease when I finished this letter; the endeavor
+      to set my conduct in its true light to another had also its effect upon my
+      own convictions. I knew, besides, that I had sacrificed to my
+      determination all my worldly prospects, and believed that where
+      self-interest warred with principle, the right course could scarcely be
+      doubtful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All this time, not one thought ever occurred to me of how I was to meet
+      the future. It was strange; but so perfectly had the present crisis filled
+      my mind, there was not room for even a glance at what was to come.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My passport was made out for Paris, and thither I must go. So much was
+      decided for me without intervention on my part; and now it only remained
+      for me to dispose of the little trappings of my former estate, and take
+      the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Jews who always accompanied the army, offered a speedy resource in
+      this emergency. My anxiety to leave Berlin by daybreak, and thus avoid a
+      meeting of any acquaintances there, made me accept of the sums they
+      offered. To them such negotiations were of daily occurrence, and they well
+      knew how to profit by them. My whole worldly wealth consisted of two
+      hundred napoleons; and with this small pittance to begin life, I sat
+      myself down to think whither I should turn, or what course adopt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The night passed over thus, and when day dawned, I had not closed my eyes.
+      About four o'clock the diligence in which I had secured a place for Weimar
+      drew up at my door. I hurried down, and mounting to a seat beside the <i>conducteur</i>,
+      I buried my face in the folds of my cloak, nor dared to look up until we
+      had passed beyond the precincts of the city, and were travelling along on
+      the vast plain of sand which surrounds Berlin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The <i>conducteur</i> was a Prussian, and divining my military capacity in
+      my appearance, he maintained a cold and distant civility; never speaking,
+      except when spoken to, and even then in as few words as possible. This was
+      itself a relief to me; my heart was too full of its own sufferings to find
+      pleasure in conversation, and I dreamed away the hours till nightfall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVI. A FOREST PATH.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      When I reached Wiemar I quitted the diligence, resolved to make the
+      remainder of the journey on foot; for thus I should both economize the
+      little means I possessed, and escape many of the questionings and
+      inquiries to which as a traveller by public conveyance I was exposed.
+      Knapsack on shoulder, then, and staff in hand, I plodded onward, and
+      although frequently coming up with others on their way homeward, I avoided
+      all companionship with those whom I could no longer think of as comrades.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two tides of population which met upon that great highway told the
+      whole history of war. Here came the young soldiers, fresh enrolled in the
+      conscription, glowing with ardor, and bounding with life and buoyancy, and
+      mingling their village songs with warlike chants. There, footsore and
+      weary, with tattered uniform and weather-beaten look, toiled along the
+      tired veteran, turning as he went a glance of compassionate contempt on
+      those whose wild <i>vivas</i> burst forth in greeting. As for me, I could
+      neither partake of the high hopes of the one, nor sympathize with the
+      war-worn nature of the other. Disappointment, bitter disappointment, in
+      every cherished expectation, had thrown a chill over me, and I wanted even
+      the energy to become reckless. In this state, I did not dare to face the
+      future, but in moody despondency reflected on the past. Was this the
+      destiny Marie de Meudon predicted for me? was the ever-present thought of
+      my mind. Is it thus I should appear before her?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A hundred times came the thought to join the new levies as a soldier, to
+      carry a musket in the ranks. But then came back in all its force the
+      memory of the distrust and suspicion my services had met with: the
+      conviction hourly became clearer to me, that I fought not for liberty, but
+      despotism; that it was not freedom, but slavery, in whose cause I shed my
+      blood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To avoid meeting with the detachments which each day occupied the road, I
+      turned from the <i>chaussée</i> on passing Eisenach, and took a forest
+      path that led through Murbach to Fulda. My path led through the Creutz
+      Mountains,&mdash;a wild and unfrequented tract of country, where few
+      cottages were to be seen, and scarcely a village existed. Vast forests of
+      dark pines, or bleak and barren mountains, stretched away on either side;
+      a few patches of miserable tillage here and there met the view; but the
+      scene was one of saddening influence, and harmonized but too nearly with
+      my own despondency.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To reach a place of shelter for the night, I was more than once obliged to
+      walk twelve leagues during the day, and had thus to set out before
+      daylight. This exertion, however, brought its own reward: the stimulant of
+      labor, the necessity of a task, gradually allayed the mental irritation I
+      suffered under; a healthier and more manly tone of thinking succeeded to
+      my former regrets; and with a heart elevated, if not cheered, I continued
+      my way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The third day of my toilsome journey was drawing to a close. A mass of
+      heavy and lowering clouds, dark and thunder-charged, slowly moved along
+      the sky; and a low, moaning sound, that seemed to sigh along the ground,
+      boded the approach of a storm. I was still three leagues from my
+      halting-place, and began to deliberate within myself whether the dense
+      pine-wood, which came down to the side of the road, might not afford a
+      safer refuge from the hurricane than the chances of reaching a house
+      before it broke forth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The shepherds who frequented these dreary tracts often erected little huts
+      of bark as a shelter against the cold and severity of the wintry days, and
+      to find out one of these now was my great endeavor. Scarcely had I formed
+      the resolve, when I perceived a small path opening into the wood, at the
+      entrance to which a piece of board nailed against the trunk of a tree,
+      gave tidings that such a place of security was not far distant. These
+      signs of forest life I had learned in my wanderings, and now strode
+      forward with renewed vigor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The path led gradually upwards, along the mountain-side, which soon became
+      so encumbered with brushwood that I had much difficulty in pushing my way,
+      and at last began to doubt whether I might not have wandered from the
+      track. The darkness was now complete; night had fallen, and a heavy
+      crashing rain poured down upon the tree-tops, but could not penetrate
+      through their tangled shelter. The wind, too, swept in loud gusts above,
+      and the long threatened storm began. A loud, deafening roar, like that of
+      the sea itself, arose, as the leafy branches bent before the blast, or
+      snapped with sudden shock beneath the hurricane; clap after clap of
+      thunder resounded, and then the rain descended in torrents,&mdash;the
+      heavy drops at last, trickling from leaf to leaf, reaching me as I stood.
+      Once more I pushed forward, and had not gone many paces when the red glare
+      of a fire caught my eye. Steadfastly fastening my gaze upon the flame, I
+      hurried on, and at length perceived with ecstasy that the light issued
+      from the window of a small hovel, such as I have already mentioned. To
+      gain the entrance of the hut I was obliged to pass the window, and could
+      not resist the temptation to give a glance at the interior, whose cheerful
+      blaze betokened habitation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was not without surprise that, instead of the figure of a shepherd
+      reposing beside his fire, I beheld that of an old man, whose dress bespoke
+      the priest, kneeling in deep devotion at the foot of a small crucifix
+      attached to the wall. Not all the wild sounds of the raging storm seemed
+      to turn his attention from the object of his worship; his eyes were
+      closed, but the head thrown backwards showed his face upturned, when the
+      lips moved rapidly in prayer. Never had I beheld so perfect a picture of
+      intense devotional feeling; every line in his marked countenance indicated
+      the tension of a mind filled with one engrossing thought, while his
+      tremulous hands, clasped before him, shook with the tremor of strong
+      emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What a contrast to the loud warring of the elements, that peaceful figure,
+      raised above earth and its troubles, in the spirit of his holy communing!
+      how deeply touching the calm serenity of his holy brow, with the rolling
+      crash of falling branches, and the deep baying of the storm! I did not
+      dare to interrupt him; and when I did approach the door it was with silent
+      step and noiseless gesture. As I stood, the old priest&mdash;for now I saw
+      that he was such&mdash;concluded his prayer, and detaching his crucifix
+      from the wall, he kissed it reverently, and placed it in his bosom; then,
+      rising slowly from his knees, he turned towards me. A slight start of
+      surprise, as quickly followed by a smile of kindly greeting, escaped him,
+      while he said in French,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are welcome, my son; come in and share with me the shelter, for it is
+      a wild night.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A wild night, indeed, Father,&rdquo; said I, casting my eyes around the little
+      hut, where nothing indicated the appearance of habitation. &ldquo;I could have
+      wished you a better home than this against the storms of winter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am a traveller like yourself,&rdquo; said he, smiling at my mistake; &ldquo;and a
+      countryman, too, if I mistake not.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The accents in which these words were spoken pronounced him a Frenchman,
+      and a very little sufficed to ratify the terms of our companionship; and
+      having thrown a fresh billet on the fire, we both seated ourselves before
+      it My wallet was, fortunately, better stored than the good father's; and
+      having produced its contents, we supped cheerfully, and like men who were
+      not eating their first bivouac meal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I perceive, Father,&rdquo; said I, as I remarked the manner in which he
+      disposed his viands, &ldquo;I perceive you have campaigned ere now; the habits
+      of the service are not easily mistaken.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did not need that observation of yours,&rdquo; replied he, laughing slightly,
+      &ldquo;to convince me you were a soldier; for, as you truly say, the camp leaves
+      its indelible traces behind it. You are hastening on to Berlin, I
+      suppose?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I blushed deeply at the question; the shame of my changed condition had
+      been hitherto confined to my own heart, but now it was to be confessed
+      before a stranger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I ask your pardon, my son, for a question I had no right to ask; and even
+      there, again, I but showed my soldier education. I am returning to France;
+      and in seeking a short path from Eisenach, found myself where you see; as
+      night was falling, well content to be so well lodged,&mdash;all the more,
+      if I am to have your companionship.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Few and simple as these words were, there was a tone of frankness in them,
+      not less than the evidence of a certain good breeding, by which he
+      apologized for his own curiosity in speaking thus freely of himself, that
+      satisfied me at once; and I hastened to inform him that circumstances had
+      induced me to leave the service, in which I had been a captain, and that I
+      was now, like himself, returning to France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must not think, Father,&rdquo; added I, with some eagerness, &ldquo;you must not
+      think that other reasons than my own free will have made me cease to be a
+      soldier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would ill become me to have borne such a suspicion,&rdquo; interrupted he,
+      quickly. &ldquo;When one so young and full of life as you are leaves the path
+      where lie honor and rank and fame, he must have cause to make the
+      sacrifice; for I can scarce think, that at your age, these things seem
+      nought to your eyes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, Father, they are not so. They have been my guiding stars
+      for many a day; alas, that they can be such no longer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are higher hopes to cherish than these,&rdquo; said he, solemnly,&mdash;&ldquo;higher
+      than the loftiest longings of ambition; but we all of us cling to the
+      things of life, till in their perishable nature they wean us off with
+      disappointment and sorrow. From such a trial am I now suffering,&rdquo; added
+      he, in a low voice, while the tears rose to his eyes and slowly coursed
+      along his pale cheeks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a pause neither of us felt inclined to break, when at length the
+      priest said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What was your corps in the service?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Eighth Hussars of the Guard,&rdquo; said I, trembling at every word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>he</i> was in the Guides,&rdquo; repeated he, mournfully, to himself;
+      &ldquo;you knew the regiment?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, they belonged to the Guard also; they wore no epaulettes, but a
+      small gold arrow on the collar.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like this,&rdquo; said he, unfastening the breast of his cassock, and taking
+      out a small package, which, among other things, contained the designation
+      of the <i>Corps des Guides</i> in an arrow of gold embroidery. &ldquo;Had he not
+      beautiful hair, long and silky as a girl's?&rdquo; said he, as he produced a
+      lock of light and sunny brown. &ldquo;Poor Alphonse! thou wouldst have been
+      twenty hadst thou lived till yesterday. If I shed tears, young man, it is
+      because I have lost the great earthly solace of my solitary life. Others
+      have kindred and friends, have happy homes, which, even when bereavements
+      come, with time will heal up the wound; I had but him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He was your nephew, perhaps?&rdquo; said I, half fearing to interfere with his
+      sorrow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man shook his head in token of dissent, while he muttered to
+      himself,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Auerstadt may be a proud memory to some; to me it is a word of sorrow and
+      mourning. The story is but a short one; alas! it has but one color
+      throughout:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Count Louis de Meringues&mdash;of whom you have doubtless heard that he
+      rode as postilion to the carriage of his sovereign in the celebrated
+      flight to Varennes&mdash;fell by the guillotine the week after the king's
+      trial; the countess was executed on the same scaffold as her husband. I
+      was the priest who accompanied her at the moment; and in my arms she
+      placed her only child,&mdash;an infant boy of two years. There was a cry
+      among the crowd to have the child executed also, and many called out that
+      the spawn would be a serpent one day, and it were better to crush it while
+      it was time; but the little fellow was so handsome, and looked so
+      winningly around him on the armed ranks and the glancing weapons, that
+      even <i>their</i> cruel hearts relented, and he was spared. It is to me
+      like yesterday, as I remember every minute circumstance; I can recall even
+      the very faces of that troubled and excited assemblage, that at one moment
+      screamed aloud for blood, and at the next were convulsed with savage
+      laughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As I forced my way through the dense array, a rude arm was stretched out
+      from the mass, and a finger dripping with the gore of the scaffold was
+      drawn across the boy's face, while a ruffian voice exclaimed, 'The
+      Meringues were ever proud of their blood; let us see if it be redder than
+      other people's.' The child laughed; and the mob, with horrid mockery,
+      laughed too.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I took him home with me to my <i>presbytère</i> at Sèvres,&mdash;for that
+      was my parish,&mdash;and we lived together in peace until the terrible
+      decree was issued which proclaimed all France atheist. Then we wandered
+      southwards, towards that good land which, through every vicissitude, was
+      true to its faith and its king,&mdash;La Vendée. At Lyons we were met by a
+      party of the revolutionary soldiers, who, with a commissary of the
+      Government, were engaged in raising young men for the conscription.
+      Alphonse, who was twelve years old, felt all a boy's enthusiasm at the
+      warlike display before him, and persuaded me to follow the crowd into the
+      <i>Place des Terreaux</i>, where the numbers were read out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Paul Ducos,' cried a voice aloud, as we approached the stage on which
+      the commissary and his staff were standing; 'where is this Paul Ducos?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I am here,' replied a fine, frank-looking youth, of some fifteen years;
+      'but my father is blind, and I cannot leave him.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'We shall soon see that,' called out the commissary. 'Clerk, read out his
+      <i>signalement</i>.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Paul Ducos, son of Eugène Ducos, formerly calling himself Count Ducos de
+      la Brèche&mdash;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Down with the Royalists! <i>à bas</i> the tyrants!' screamed the mob,
+      not suffering the remainder to be heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Approach, Paul Ducos!' said the commissary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Wait here, Father,' whispered the youth; 'I will come back presently.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the old man, a fine and venerable figure, the remnant of a noble
+      race, held him fast, and, as his lips trembled, said, 'Do not leave me,
+      Paul; my child, my comforter, stay near me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The boy looked round him for one face of kindly pity in this emergency,
+      when, turning towards me, he said rapidly, 'Stand near him!' He broke from
+      the old man's embrace, and rushing through the crowd, mounted the
+      scaffold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'You are drawn for the conscription, young man,' said the commissary;
+      'but in consideration of your father's infirmity, a substitute will be
+      accepted. Have you such?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The boy shook his head mournfully and in silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Have you any friend who would assist you here? Bethink you awhile,'
+      rejoined the commissary, who, for his station and duties, was a kind and
+      benevolent man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I have none. They have left us nothing, neither home nor friends,' said
+      the youth, bitterly; 'and if it were not for his sake, I care not what
+      they do with me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Down with the tyrants!' yelled the mob, as they heard these haughty
+      words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Then your fate is decreed,' resumed the commissary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, not yet!' cried out Alphonse, as, breaking from my side, he gained
+      the steps and mounted the platform; 'I will be his substitute!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! how shall I tell the bitter anguish of that moment, which at once
+      dispelled the last remaining hope I cherished, and left me destitute
+      forever. As I dashed the tears from my eyes and looked up, the two boys
+      were locked in each other's arms. It was a sight to have melted any heart,
+      save those around them; but bloodshed and crime had choked up every avenue
+      of feeling, and left them, not men, but tigers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Alphonse de Meringues,' cried out the boy, in answer to a question
+      regarding his name.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no such designation in France,' said a grim-looking,
+      hard-featured man, who, wearing the tri-colored scarf, sat at the table
+      beside the clerk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I was never called by any other,' rejoined the youth, proudly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Citizen Meringues,' interposed the commissary, mildly, 'what is your
+      age?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I know not the years,' replied he; 'but I have heard that I was but an
+      infant when they slew my father.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A fierce roar of passion broke from the mob below the scaffold as they
+      heard this; and again the cry broke forth, 'Down with the tyrants!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Art thou, then, the son of that base sycophant who rode courier to the
+      Capet to Varennes?' said the hard-featured man at the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Of the truest gentleman of France,' called out a loud voice from below
+      the platform; 'Vive le roi!' It was the blind man who spoke, and waved his
+      cap above his head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'To the guillotine! to the guillotine!' screamed a hundred voices, in
+      tones wilde than the cries of famished wolves, as, seizing the aged man,
+      they tore his clothes to very rags.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In an instant all attention was turned from the platform to the scene
+      below it, where, with shouts and screams of fury, the terrible mob yelled
+      aloud for blood. In vain the guards endeavored to keep back the people,
+      who twice rescued their victim from the hands of the soldiery; and already
+      a confused murmur arose that the commissary himself was a traitor to the
+      public, and favored the tyrants, when a dull, clanking sound rose above
+      the tumult, and a cheer of triumph proclaimed the approach of the
+      instrument of torture.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In their impetuous torrent of vengeance they had dragged the guillotine
+      from the distant end of the 'Place,' where it usually stood; and there now
+      still knelt the figure of a condemned man, lashed with his arms behind
+      him, on the platform, awaiting the moment of his doom. Oh, that terrible
+      face, whereon death had already set its seal! With glazed, lack-lustre
+      eye, and cheek leaden and quivering, he gazed around on the fiendish
+      countenances like one awakening from a dream, his lips parted as though to
+      speak; but no sound came forth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Place! place for Monsieur le Marquis!' shouted a ruffian, as he assisted
+      to raise the figure of the blind man up the steps; and a ribald yell of
+      fiendish laughter followed the brutal jest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Thou art to make thy journey in most noble company,' said another to the
+      culprit on the platform.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'An he see not his way in the next world better than in this, thou must
+      lend him a hand, friend,' said a third. And with many a ruffian joke they
+      taunted their victims, who stood on the last threshold of life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Among the crowd upon the scaffold of the guillotine I could see the
+      figure of the blind man as it leaned and fell on either side, as the
+      movement of the mob bore it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'<i>Parbleu!</i> these Royalists would rather kneel than stand,&rdquo; said a
+      voice, as they in vain essayed to make the old man place his feet under
+      him; and ere the laughter which this rude jest excited ceased, a cry broke
+      forth of&mdash;'He is dead! he is dead!' And with a heavy sumph, the body
+      fell from their hands; for when their power of cruelty ended, they cared
+      not for the corpse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was true: life was extinct, none knew how,&mdash;whether from the
+      violence of the mob in its first outbreak, or that a long-suffering heart
+      had burst at last; but the chord was snapped, and he whose proud soul
+      lately defied the countless thousands around, now slept with the dead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In a few seconds it seemed as though they felt that a power stronger than
+      their own had interposed between them and their vengeance, and they stood
+      almost aghast before the corpse, where no trace of blood proclaimed it to
+      be their own; then, rallying from this stupor, with one voice they
+      demanded that the son should atone for the crimes of the father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I am ready,' cried the youth, in a voice above the tumult. 'I did not
+      deem I could be grateful to ye for aught, but I am for this.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To no purpose did the commissary propose a delay in the sentence; he was
+      unsupported by his colleagues. The passions of the mob rose higher and
+      higher; the thirst for blood, unslaked, became intense and maddening; and
+      they danced in frantic glee around the guillotine, while they chanted one
+      of the demoniac songs of the scaffold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In this moment, when the torrent ran in one direction, Alphonse might
+      have escaped all notice, but that the condemned youth turned to embrace
+      him once more before he descended from the people.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'They are so sorry to separate, it is a shame to part them,' cried a
+      ruffian in the crowd.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'You forget, Citizen, that this boy is his substitute,' said the
+      commissary, mildly; 'the Republic most not be cheated of its defenders.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Vive la République!' cried the soldiers; and the cry was re-echoed by
+      thousands, while amid their cheers there rose the last faint sigh of an
+      expiring victim.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The scene was over; the crowd dispersed; and the soldiers marched back to
+      quarters, accompanied by some hundred conscripts, among whom was Alphonse,&mdash;a
+      vague, troubled expression betokening that he scarce knew what had
+      happened around him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The regiment to which he was appointed was at Toulon, and there I
+      followed him. They were ordered to the north of Italy soon after, and
+      thence to Egypt. Through the battlefields of Mount Tabor and the Pyramids
+      I was ever beside him; on the heights of Austerlitz I stanched his wounds;
+      and I laid him beneath the earth on the field of Auerstadt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man's voice trembled and became feeble as he finished speaking,
+      and a settled expression of grief clothed his features, which were pale as
+      death.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must see Sèvres once more,&rdquo; said he, after a pause. &ldquo;I must look on the
+      old houses of the village, and the little gardens, and the venerable
+      church; they will be the only things to greet me there now, but I must
+      gaze on them ere I close my eyes to this world and its cares.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, Father,&rdquo; said I; &ldquo;to one who has acted so noble a part as
+      yours, life is never without its own means of happiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I spoke not of death,&rdquo; replied he, mildly; &ldquo;but the holy calm of a
+      convent will better suit my seared and worn heart than all that the world
+      calls its joys and pleasures. You, who are young and full of hope&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! Father, speak not thus. One can better endure the lowering skies of
+      misfortune as the evening of life draws near than when the morn of
+      existence is breaking. To me, with youth and health, there is no future,&mdash;no
+      hope.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will not hear you speak thus,&rdquo; said the priest; &ldquo;fatigue and weariness
+      are on you now. Wait until to-morrow,&mdash;we shall be fellow-travellers
+      together; and then, if you will reveal to me your story, mayhap my long
+      experience of the world may suggest comfort and consolation where you can
+      see neither.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The storm by this time had abated much of its violence, and across the
+      moon the large clouds were wafted speedily, disclosing bright patches of
+      light at every moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such is our life here,&rdquo; said the father,&mdash;&ldquo;alternating with its days
+      of happiness and sorrow. Let us learn, in the dark hour of our destiny, to
+      bear the glare of our better fortunes; for, believe me, that when our joys
+      are greatest, so are our trials also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He ceased speaking, and I saw that soon afterwards his lips moved as if in
+      prayer. I now laid myself down in my cloak beside the fire, and was soon
+      buried in a sleep too sound even for a dream.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0027" id="link2HCH0027">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVII. A CHANCE MEETING.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      With the good priest of Sèvres I journeyed along towards the frontier of
+      France, ever selecting the least frequented paths, and such as were not
+      likely to be taken by the troops of soldiery which daily moved towards
+      Berlin. The frankness of my companion had made me soon at ease with him;
+      and I told him, without reserve, the story of my life, down to the
+      decisive moment of my leaving the army.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, Father,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;how completely my career has failed; how, with
+      all the ardor of a soldier, with all the devotion of a follower, I have
+      adhered to the Emperor's fortunes; and yet&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your ambition, however great it was, could not stifle conscience. I can
+      believe it well. They who go forth to the wars with high hopes and
+      bounding hearts, who picture to their minds the glorious rewards of great
+      achievements, should blind their eyes to the horrors and injustice of the
+      cause they bleed for. Any sympathy with misfortune would sap the very
+      principle of that heroism whose essence is success. Men cannot play the
+      double game, even in matters of worldly ambition. Had you not listened to
+      the promptings of your heart, you had been greater; had you not followed
+      the dazzling glare of your hopes, you had been happier: both you could
+      scarcely be. Be assured of this, my son, the triumphs of a country can
+      only be enjoyed by the child of the soil; the brave soldier, who lends his
+      arm to the cause, feels he has little part in the glory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, indeed,&mdash;most true; I feel it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And were it otherwise, how unsatisfying is the thirst for that same
+      glory! how endless the path that leads to it! how many regrets accompany
+      it! how many ties broken! how many friendships forfeited! No, no; return
+      to your own land,&mdash;to the country of your birth; some honorable
+      career will always present itself to him who seeks but independence and
+      the integrity of his own heart. Beneath the conquering eagles of the
+      Emperor there are men of every shade of political opinion; for the
+      conscription is pitiless. There are Royalists, who love their king and
+      hate the usurper; there are Jacobins, who worship freedom and detest the
+      tyrant; there are stern Republicans&mdash;Vendéens, and followers of
+      Moreau: but yet all are Frenchmen. 'La belle France' is the watchword that
+      speaks to every heart, and patriotism is the bond between thousands. <i>You</i>
+      have no share in this; the delusion of national glory can never throw its
+      deception around you. Return, then, to your country; and be assured, that
+      in <i>her</i> cause your least efforts will be more ennobling to yourself
+      than the boldest deeds the hand of a mercenary ever achieved.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The inborn desire to revisit my native land needed but the counsels of the
+      priest to make it all-powerful; and as, day by day, I plodded onward, my
+      whole thoughts turned to the chances of my escape, and the means by which
+      I could accomplish my freedom; for the war still continued between France
+      and England, and the blockade of the French ports was strictly maintained
+      by a powerful fleet. The difficulty of the step only increased my desire
+      to effect it; and a hundred projects did I revolve in my mind, without
+      ever being able to fix on one where success seemed likely. The very
+      resolve, however, had cheered my spirits, and given new courage to my
+      heart; and an object suggested a hope,&mdash;and with a hope, life was no
+      longer burdensome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Each morning now I set forward with a mind more at ease, and more open to
+      receive pleasure from the varied objects which met me as I went. Not so my
+      poor companion; the fatigue of the journey, added to great mental
+      suffering, began to prey upon his health, and brought back an ague he had
+      contracted in Egypt, from the effect of which his constitution had never
+      perfectly recovered. At first the malady showed itself only in great
+      depression of spirits, which made him silent for hours of the way. But
+      soon it grew worse; he walked with much difficulty, took but little
+      nourishment, and seemed impressed with a sad foreboding that the disease
+      must be fatal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wanted to reach my village; my own quiet churchyard should have been my
+      resting-place,&rdquo; said he, as he sank wearied and exhausted on a little bank
+      at the roadside. &ldquo;But this was only a sick man's fancy. Poor Alphonse lies
+      far away in the dreary plain of Auerstadt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun was just setting of a clear day in December as we halted on a
+      little eminence, which commanded a distant view on every side. Behind lay
+      the dark forest of Germany, the tree-tops presenting their massive wavy
+      surface, over which the passing clouds threw momentary shadows; before,
+      but still some miles away, we could trace the Rhine, its bright silver
+      current sparkling in the sun; beyond lay the great plains of France, and
+      upon these the sick man's eyes rested with a steadfast gaze.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes!&rdquo; said he, after a long silence on both sides, &ldquo;the fields and the
+      mountains, the sunshine and the shade, are like those of other lands; but
+      the feeling which attaches the heart to country is an inborn sense, and
+      the very word 'home' brings with it the whole history of our affections.
+      Even to look thus at his native country is a blessing to an exile's
+      heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I scarcely dared to interrupt the reverie which succeeded these few words;
+      but when I perceived that he still remained seated, his head between his
+      hands and lost in meditation, I ventured to remind him that we were still
+      above a league from Heimbach, the little village where we should pass the
+      night, and that on a road so wild and unfrequented there was little hope
+      of finding shelter any nearer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must lean on me, Father; the night air is fresh and bracing, and
+      after a little it will revive you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man rose without speaking, and taking my arm, began the descent of
+      the mountain. His steps, however, were tottering and uncertain, his
+      breathing hurried and difficult, and his carriage indicated the very
+      greatest debility.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot do it, my son,&rdquo; said he, sinking upon the grassy bench which
+      skirted the way; &ldquo;you must leave me. It matters little now where this
+      frail body rests; a few hours more, and the rank grass will wave above it
+      and the rain beat over it unfelt. Let us part here: an old man's blessing
+      for all your kindness will follow you through life, and may cheer you to
+      think on hereafter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you then suppose I could leave you thus?&rdquo; said I, reproachfully. &ldquo;Is
+      it so you think of me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My minutes are few now, my child,&rdquo; replied he, more solemnly, &ldquo;and I
+      would pass the last moments of my life alone. Well, then, if you will not,&mdash;leave
+      me now for a little, and return to me; by that time my mind will be
+      calmer, and mayhap, too, my strength greater, and I may be able to
+      accompany you to the village.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I acceded to this proposal the more willingly, because it afforded me the
+      hope of finding some means to convey him to Heimbach; and so, having
+      wrapped him carefully in my cloak, I hastened down the mountain at the top
+      of my speed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The zigzag path by which I went discovered to me from time to time the
+      lights of the little hamlet, which twinkled star-like in the valley; and
+      as I drew nearer, the confused hum of voices reached me. I listened, and
+      to my amazement heard the deep, hoarse bray of a trumpet. How well I knew
+      that sound! it was the night-call to gather in the stragglers. I stopped
+      to listen; and now, in the stillness, could mark the tramp of horsemen and
+      the clank of their equipments: again the trumpet sounded, and was answered
+      by another at some distance. The road lay straight below me at some
+      hundred yards off, and leaving the path, I dashed directly downwards just
+      as the leading horsemen of a small detachment came slowly up. To their
+      loud <i>Qui vive?</i> I answered by giving an account of the sick man, and
+      entreating the sergeant who commanded the party to lend assistance to
+      convey him to the village.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, <i>parbleu!</i> that we will,&rdquo; said the honest soldier; &ldquo;a priest
+      who has made the campaign of Egypt and Austria is worthy of all our care.
+      Where is he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;About a mile from this; but the road is not practicable for a horseman.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, you shall have two of my men; they will soon bring him hither.&rdquo; And
+      as he spoke, he ordered two troopers to dismount, who, quickly
+      disencumbering themselves of their sabres, prepared to follow me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We shall expect you at the bivouac,&rdquo; cried the sergeant, as he resumed
+      his way; while I, eager to return, breasted the mountain with renewed
+      energy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You belong to the Guard, my friends,&rdquo; said I, as I paused for breath at a
+      turn of the path.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Fourth Cuirassiers of the Guard,&rdquo; replied the soldier I addressed;
+      &ldquo;Milhaud's brigade.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      How my heart leaped as he said these words! They were part of the division
+      General d'Auvergne once commanded; it was the regiment of poor Pioche,
+      too, before the dreadful day of Austerlitz.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know the Fourth, then?&rdquo; rejoined the man, as he witnessed the
+      agitation of my manner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Know the Fourth?&rdquo; echoed his comrade, in a voice of half-indignant
+      meaning. &ldquo;<i>Sacrebleu!</i>who does not know them? Does not all the world
+      know them by this time?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the Fourth who wear the motto 'Dix contre un' on their caps,&rdquo; said
+      I, desirous to flatter the natural vanity of my companions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Monsieur; I see you have served also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I answered by a nod, for already every word, every gesture, recalled to me
+      the career I had quitted; and my regrets, so late subdued by reason and
+      reflection, came thronging back, and filled ray heart to bursting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hurrying onward now, I mounted the steep path, and soon regained the spot
+      I sought. The poor father was sleeping; overcome by fatigue and weariness,
+      he had fallen on the mossy bank, and lay in a deep, soft slumber. Lifting
+      him gently, the strong troopers crossed their hands beneath, and bore him
+      along between them. For an instant he looked up; but seeing me at his
+      side, he merely pressed my hand, and closed his eyes again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Ma foi!</i>&rdquo; said one of the dragoons, in a low voice, &ldquo;I should not
+      be surprised if this were the Père Arsène, who served with the army in
+      Italy. We used to call him 'old Scapulaire'. He was the only priest I ever
+      saw in the van of a brigade. You knew him too, Auguste.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, that I did,&rdquo; replied the other soldier. &ldquo;I saw him at Elkankah,
+      where one of ours was unhorsed by a Mameluke, spring forward, and seizing
+      a pistol at the holster, shoot the Turk through the head, and then kneel
+      down beside the dying man he was with before, and go on with his prayers.
+      <i>Ventrebleu!</i> that's what I call discipline.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where was that, Comrade?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At Elkankah.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At Quoreyn, rather, my friend, two leagues to the southward,&rdquo; whispered a
+      low voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Tonnerre de ciel!</i>&rdquo; cried the two soldiers in a breath, &ldquo;it is
+      himself;&rdquo; for the words were spoken by the priest, who was no other than
+      the Père Arsène they spoke of.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The effort of speech and memory was, however, a mere passing one; for to
+      all their questions he was now deaf, and lay apparently unconscious
+      between them. On me, therefore, they turned their inquiries, but with
+      little more of success; and thus we descended the mountain, eager to reach
+      some place of succor for the good father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we approached the village, I was soon made aware of the objects of the
+      party who occupied it. The little street was crowded with cattle,
+      bullocks, and sheep, fast wedged up amid huge wagons of forage and carts
+      of corn; mounted dragoons urging on the jaded animals, regardless of the
+      angry menaces or the impatient appeals incessantly making by the
+      peasantry, who in great numbers had followed their stock from their farms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0016" id="linkimage-0016">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page221.jpg" alt="Browneforagingparty221 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      The soldiers, who were detachments of different corps, were also
+      quarrelling among themselves for their share of the spoil; and these
+      altercations, in which more than once I saw a sabre flash, added to the
+      discord. It was, indeed, a scene of tumult and confusion almost
+      inconceivable. Here were a party of cuirassiers, carbine in hand,
+      protecting a drove of sheep; around which the country people were
+      standing, seemingly irresolute whether they should essay an attack,&mdash;a
+      movement often prompted by the other soldiers, who hoped in the <i>mêlée</i>
+      to seize a part of the prey. Many of the oxen were bestrode by hussars or
+      lancers, whose gay trappings formed a strange contrast with the beasts
+      they rode on; while more than one stately horseman held a sheep before him
+      on the saddle, for whose protection a cocked pistol seemed no ineffectual
+      guarantee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The task of penetrating this dense and turbulent mob seemed to me almost
+      impossible, and I expressed my fears to the soldiers. But they replied
+      that there were too many <i>braves</i> of Egypt there not to remember the
+      Père Arsène; saying which, one of the soldiers, whispering a word to his
+      companion, laid the priest gently upon the ground, and then mounting
+      rapidly on a forage-cart, he shouted, in a voice heard above the din,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Comrades of the Fourth, we have found an old companion; the Père
+      Scapulaire is here. Place for the good father! place there!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A hundred loud <i>vivas</i> welcomed this announcement; for the name was
+      well known to many who never had seen the priest, and cheer after cheer
+      for the <i>bon père</i> now rang through this motley assemblage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To the wild confusion of a moment before the regularity of discipline at
+      once succeeded, and a lane was quickly formed for the soldiers to advance
+      with the priest between them, each horseman saluting as he passed as if to
+      his general on parade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To the Trauben,&mdash;the Trauben!&rdquo; cried several voices, as we went
+      along; and this I learned was the little inn of the village, where the
+      non-commissioned officers in charge of the several parties were seated in
+      council to arrange the subdivision of the booty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Had not a feeling stronger than mere personal consideration occupied me, I
+      would have now left the good priest among his old comrades, with whom he
+      was certain to meet kindness and protection. But I could not so readily
+      part with one whom, even in the few hours of our intercourse, I had
+      learned to like; and therefore, enduring as well as I was able the rugged
+      insubordination of a soldiery free from the restraint of discipline, I
+      followed on, and soon found myself at the door of the Trauben.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A dismounted dragoon, with drawn sword, guarded the entrance, around which
+      a group of angry peasants were gathered, loudly protesting against the
+      robbery of their flocks and farmyards. It was with great difficulty I
+      could persuade the sentry to suffer me to enter; and when I at last
+      succeeded, I found none willing to pay any attention to my request
+      regarding a billet for the priest, for unhappily his name and character
+      were unknown to those to whom I addressed myself. In this dilemma I was
+      deliberating what step to take, when one of the soldiers, who with such
+      zealous devotion had never left us, came up to say that his corporal had
+      just given up his own quarters for the good father's use; and this,
+      happily, was a small summer-house in the garden at the back of the inn.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He cannot come with us himself,&rdquo; said the soldier, &ldquo;for he is engaged
+      with the forage rations, but I have got his leave to take the quarters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A small wicket beside the inn led us into a large, wildly-grown orchard,
+      through which a broad path led to the summer-house in question; at least
+      such we guessed to be the little building from whose windows there gleamed
+      the bright glare of a cheerful fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The door lay open into a little hall, from which two doors led into
+      different chambers. Over one of these was marked in chalk
+      &ldquo;quartier-général,&rdquo; in imitation of the title assigned to a general's
+      quarters, and this the soldiers pronounced must belong to the corporal. I
+      opened it accordingly and entered. The room was small and neatly
+      furnished, and with the blazing wood upon the hearth, looked most
+      comfortable and inviting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, we are all right here; I know his helmet,&mdash;this is it,&rdquo; said
+      the dragoon. &ldquo;So here we must leave you. You'll tell the good father it
+      was two troopers of the Fourth who carried him hither, won't ye? Ay, and
+      say Auguste Prévôt was one of them; he 'll know the name,&mdash;he nursed
+      me in a fever I had in Italy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish he were able to give me his blessing again,&rdquo; said the other; &ldquo;I
+      had it before that affair at Brescia, and there were four of my comrades
+      killed about me, and never a shot touched me. But good-night, Comrade;
+      goodnight.&rdquo; And so saying, having left the father at his length upon a
+      couch, they made their military salute and departed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A rude-looking flagon of beer which stood on the table was the only thing
+      I could discover in the chamber, save a canvas bag of tobacco and some
+      pipes. I filled a goblet with the liquor and placed it to the priest's
+      lips. He swallowed a little of it, and then opening his eyes, slowly
+      looked around him, while he murmured to my question a faint sound of
+      &ldquo;Better,&mdash;much better.&rdquo; I knew enough of such matters to be aware
+      that perfect rest and repose were the greatest aids to his recovery; and
+      so, replenishing the fire, I threw myself down on the large dragoon cloak
+      which lay on the floor, and prepared to pass my night where I was.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The long-drawn breathings of the sleeping man, the perfect quiet and
+      stillness of all around,&mdash;for though not far distant from the
+      village, the thick wood of trees intercepted every sound from that
+      quarter,&mdash;and my fatigue combined, soon brought on drowsiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I struggled, so long as I was able, against the tendency; but a humming
+      sound filled my ears, the objects grew fainter before my vision, and I
+      sank into that half-dreamy state when consciousness remains, but clouded
+      and indistinct in all its perceptions. Twice the door was opened and some
+      persons entered; but though they spoke loudly, I heard not their words,
+      nor could I recognize their appearance. To this succeeded a deep, sound
+      sleep, the recompense of great fatigue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The falling of a piece of firewood on the hearth awoke me. I opened my
+      eyes and looked about. The room had no other light than from the embers of
+      the wood fire and the piece of blazing pine which had just fallen; but
+      even by that uncertain glare I could see enough to amaze and confuse me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the couch where I had left the priest sleeping, the old man was now
+      seated, his head uncovered, and a scarf of light blue silk across his
+      shoulders and falling to his feet. Before him, and kneeling, was a figure,
+      of which for some minutes I in vain endeavored to ascertain the traits;
+      for while in the military air of the dress there was something to mark the
+      soldier, a waving mass of hair loosely falling on the back bespoke another
+      sex. While I yet doubted, the flickering flame burst forth and showed me
+      the small and beautiful shaped foot which from beneath a loose trouser
+      peeped forth, and in the neat boot and tastefully ornamented spur I
+      recognized in an instant it was a vivandière of the army,&mdash;one of
+      those who, amid all the reckless abandon of the life of camps and
+      battlefields, can yet preserve some vestige of coquetry and feminine
+      grace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So strange the sight, so complete the heavy stupor of my faculties, that
+      again and again I doubted whether the whole might not be the creation of a
+      dream; but the well-known tones of the old man's voice soon reassured me,
+      as I heard him say,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it too, my child; I have followed too long the fortunes of an army
+      not to feel and to sorrow for these things. But be comforted.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A passionate burst of tears from her who knelt at his feet interrupted him
+      here; nor did it seem that all he could speak of consolation was able to
+      assuage the deep sorrow of the poor girl, whose trembling frame bespoke
+      her agony.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By degrees, however, she grew calmer. A deep sob or a long-drawn sigh
+      alone would be heard, as the venerable father, with impassioned eloquence,
+      depicted the happiness of those who sought the blessings of religion, and
+      could tear themselves from the world and its ambitions. Warming with his
+      theme, he descanted on the lives of those saints on earth whose every
+      minute was an offering of heavenly love; and contrasted the holy calm of a
+      convent with the wild revelry of the camp, or the more revolting carnage
+      of the battlefield.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak not of these things, Father; your own voice trembles with proud
+      emotion at the mention of glorious war. Tell me, oh! tell me that I may
+      have hope, and yet leave not all that makes life endurable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man spoke again; but his tones were low, and his words seemed a
+      reproof, for she bowed her head between her hands and sobbed heavily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To the long and impassioned appeal of the priest there now succeeded a
+      silence, only broken by the deep-drawn sighs of her who knelt in sadness
+      and penitence before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And his name?&rdquo; said the father; &ldquo;you have not told his name.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A pause followed, in which not even a breathing was heard; then a low,
+      murmuring sound came, and it seemed to meas though I heard my own name
+      uttered. I started at the sound, and with the noise the vivandière sprang
+      to her feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I heard a noise there,&rdquo; said she, resolutely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is my companion of the journey,&rdquo; said the priest. &ldquo;Poor fellow! he is
+      tired and weary; he sleeps soundly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did not know you had a fellow-traveller, Father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; we met in the Creutz Mountains, and since that» have wended our way
+      together. A soldier&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A soldier! Is he wounded, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my child; he is leaving the army.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Leaving the army, and not wounded! He is old and disabled, perhaps.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Neither; he is both young and vigorous.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shame on him, then, that he turn his back on fame and fortune, and leave
+      the path that brave men tread! He never was a soldier! No, Father; he in
+      whose heart the noble passion once has lived can never forget it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hush, child, hush!&rdquo; said the priest, motioning with his hand to her to be
+      silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me look on him!&rdquo; said the vivandière, as she stooped down and took
+      from the hearth a piece of lighted wood; &ldquo;let me see this man, and learn
+      the features of one who can be so craven of spirit, so poor of heart, as
+      to fly the field, while thousands are flocking towards it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Burning with shame and indignation, I arose, just as she approached me.
+      The pine-branch threw its red gleam over her bright uniform, and then upon
+      her face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette! Minette!&rdquo; I exclaimed. But with a wild shriek she let fall the
+      burning wood, and fell senseless to the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was some time before, with all our care, she recovered consciousness;
+      and even then, in her wild, excited glance, one might read the struggles
+      of her mind to credit what had occurred. A few broken, unconnected phrases
+      would escape her at intervals; and she seemed laboring to regain the lost
+      clew to her recollections, when again she turned her eyes towards me. At
+      the same instant, the trumpet sounded without for the <i>réveil</i>, and
+      was answered by many a call from other parties around. With a steadfast
+      gaze of wonderment she fixed her look on me; and twice passed her hands
+      across her eyes, as though she doubted the evidence of her senses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0017" id="linkimage-0017">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/346.jpg" alt="346 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette, hear me! let me speak but one word.&rdquo; &ldquo;There it is again,&rdquo; cried
+      she, as the blast rang out a second time, and the clatter of horsemen
+      resounded from the street. &ldquo;Adieu, sir; our roads lie not together.
+      Father, your blessing; if your good counsel this night has not made its
+      way to my heart, the lesson has come elsewhere. Good-by! good-by!&rdquo; She
+      pressed the old man's hand to her lips, and darted from the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Stunned, and like one spell-bound, I could not move for a few seconds; and
+      then, with a wild cry, I bounded after her through the garden. The wicket,
+      however, was fastened on the outside, and it was some time before I could
+      scale the wall and reach the street.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The day was just breaking, but already the village was thronged with
+      soldiers, who were preparing for the march, and arranging their parties to
+      conduct the wagons. Hurrying on through the crowded and confused mass, I
+      looked on every side for the vivandière; but in vain. Groups of different
+      regiments passed and repassed me; but to my questions they returned either
+      a jeering reply, or a mere laugh of derision. &ldquo;But a few days ago,&rdquo;
+       thought I, &ldquo;and these fellows had scarce dared to address me; and now&mdash;&rdquo;
+       Oh, the blighting misery of that thought! I was no longer a soldier; the
+      meanest horseman of his troop was my superior.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I passed through the village, and reached the highroad. Before me was a
+      party of dragoons, escorting a drove of cattle; I hastened after them, but
+      on coming near, discovered they were a light cavalry detachment. Sick at
+      heart, I leaned against a tree at the wayside, when again I heard the
+      tramp of horses approaching. I looked, and saw the tall helmets of the
+      Fourth, who were coming slowly along, conducting some large wagons, drawn
+      by eight or ten horses. In front of the detachment rode a man, whose
+      enormous stature made him at once remarkable, as well as the air of
+      soldierly bearing he displayed. Beside him was Minette; the reins had
+      fallen on her horse's neck, and her face was buried in her hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! if I had thought that priest would have made thee so sad,
+      Mademoiselle, I'd have let him spend his night beneath a wagon rather than
+      in my quarters,&rdquo; said a deep, hollow voice I at once recognized as that of
+      Pioche. &ldquo;But the morning air will revive thee; so let us forward: by
+      threes&mdash;open order&mdash;trot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The word was obeyed; the heavy tramp of the horses, with the dull roll of
+      the wagons, drowned all other sounds The cortège moved on, and I was
+      alone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0018" id="linkimage-0018">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page127.jpg" alt="Brownedeathofminette127 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0028" id="link2HCH0028">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVIII. THE PENSION DE LA RUE MI-CARÊME.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      When I returned to the garden, I found that the Père Arsène was seized by
+      an access of that dreadful malady, whose intervals of comparative release
+      are but periods of dread or despondence. The tertian of Egypt, so fatal
+      among the French troops, now numbered him among its victims, and he looked
+      worn and exhausted, like one after weeks of illness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My first care was to present myself to the official whose business it was
+      to inspect the passports, and by explaining the condition of my poor
+      friend, to entreat permission to delay my journey,&mdash;at least until he
+      should be somewhat recovered. The gruff old sergeant, however,
+      deliberately examined my passport, and as rigidly decided that I could not
+      remain. The words of the minister were clear and definite,&mdash;&ldquo;Day by
+      day, without halt, to the nearest frontier of France,&rdquo; was the direction;
+      and with this I must comply. In vain I assured him that no personal
+      convenience, no wish of my own, urged the request, but the duty of
+      humanity towards a fellow-traveller, and one who had strong claims on
+      every soldier of the Empire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Leave him to me, Monsieur,&rdquo; was the only reply I could obtain; and the
+      utmost favor he would grant was the permission to take leave of my poor
+      friend before I started.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Amid all the sufferings of his malady, I found the good priest dwelling in
+      his mind on the scene with the vivandière,&mdash;which, perhaps, from the
+      impressionable character of a sick man's temperament, had entirely filled
+      his thoughts; and thus he wandered from the subject of his sorrows to
+      hers, with scarcely a transition between them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When I mentioned the necessity of our parting, he seemed to feel it more
+      on my account than his own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wished to have reached Paris with you,&rdquo; he repeated over and over. &ldquo;It
+      was not impossible I could have arranged your return home. But you must go
+      down to Sèvres,&mdash;the priest there, whoever he may be, will know of
+      me; tell him everything without reserve. I am too ill to write, but if I
+      get better soon&mdash;Well, well; that poor girl is an orphan too; and
+      Alphonse was an orphan. With what misery have we struggled in France since
+      this man has ruled our destinies! how have the crimes of a people brought
+      their retribution to every heart and every home!&mdash;none too low, none
+      too humble, to feel them. Leave this land; no blessing can rest upon it
+      now. Poor thing! how worthy of a better lot she is! If this same officer
+      should know,&mdash;it is not impossible. But, why do I say this? No, no;
+      you'll never meet him now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He continued to mutter thus some broken and disjointed sentences,
+      half-aloud, for some minutes, apparently unconscious of my presence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He was in a regiment of the Guard. Alas! she told me which, but I forget
+      it now; but his name, surely I remember his name! Well, well, it is a sad
+      story. Adieu, my dear child! good-by! We have each a weary road before us;
+      but my journey, although the longest, will be soonest accomplished. Do not
+      forget my words to you. Your own country, and your country's cause, above
+      every other; all else is the hireling's part. The sense of duty alone can
+      sustain a man in the trials which fit him for this world, or that better
+      one which is to follow. Adieu!&rdquo; He threw his arm around me as he said
+      this, and leaned exhausted and faint upon my shoulder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The few who journey through life with little sympathy or friendship from
+      their fellow-men, may know how it rent my heart to part with one to whom I
+      clung every hour closer; my throat swelled and throbbed, and I could only
+      articulate a faint good-by as we parted. As the door was closing, I heard
+      his voice again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I have it now; I remember it well,&mdash;'Le Capitaine Burke.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I started in amazement, for during all our intercourse he had never asked
+      nor had I told my name, and I stood unable to speak; when he continued,&mdash;&ldquo;You
+      'll think of the name,&mdash;she said, too, he was on the staff,&mdash;'Burke!'
+      Poor girl!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I did not wait for more, but like one flying from some dreaded enemy I
+      rushed through the garden, and gained the road, my heart torn with many a
+      conflicting thought; the bitterest of all being the memory of Minette, the
+      orphan girl, who alone of all the world cared for me. Oh! if strong,
+      deep-rooted affection, the love of a whole heart, can raise the spirit
+      above the every-day contentions of the world,&mdash;can ennoble thought,
+      refine sentiments, and divest life of all its meaner traits, making a path
+      of flowers among the rocks and briers of our worldly pilgrimage; so does
+      the possession of affection for which we cannot give requital throw a
+      gloom over the soul, for which there is no remedy. Better, a thousand
+      times better, had I borne all the solitary condition of my lot, unrelieved
+      by one token of regard, than think of her who had wrecked her fortunes on
+      my own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With many a sad thought I plodded onward. The miles passed over seemed
+      like the events in some troubled dream; and of my journey I have not a
+      recollection remaining. It was late in the evening when I reached the
+      Barrière de l'Étoile, and entered Paris. The long lines of lamps along the
+      quays, the glittering reflection in the calm river, the subdued but
+      continual hum of a great city, awoke me from my reverie, and I bethought
+      me that my career of life must now begin anew, and all my energies must be
+      called on to fashion out my destiny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the morning after my arrival I presented myself, in compliance with the
+      requisite form, before the minister of police. Little information of mine
+      was necessary to explain the circumstances under which I was placed. He
+      was already thoroughly acquainted with the whole, and seemed in nowise
+      disposed to evince any undue lenity towards one who had voluntarily
+      quitted the service of the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where do you purpose to remain, sir?&rdquo; said the préfet, as he concluded a
+      lengthened and searching scrutiny of my appearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In Paris,&rdquo; I replied, briefly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In Paris, I suppose,&rdquo; said he, with a slight derisive curl of the lip,&mdash;&ldquo;of
+      that I should think there can be little doubt; but I wished to ascertain
+      more accurately your address,&mdash;in what part of the city.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As yet I cannot tell; I am almost a stranger here. A day or two will,
+      however, enable me to choose, and then I shall return here with the
+      intelligence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is sufficient, sir; I shall expect to see you soon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He waved his hand in sign to me to withdraw, and I was but too happy to
+      follow the indication. As I hastened down the stairs, and forced my way
+      through the crowd of persons who awaited an audience with the préfet, I
+      heard a voice close to my ear whisper, &ldquo;A word; one word with you,
+      Monsieur.&rdquo; Conceiving, however, it could not have been intended for me, to
+      whom no face there was familiar, I passed on, and reached the court.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The noise of footsteps rapidly moving on the grave behind me induced me to
+      turn; and I beheld a small, miserably-dressed man, whose spare and wasted
+      form bespoke the sorest trials of poverty, advancing towards me, hat in
+      hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you deign me one word, Monsieur?&rdquo; said he, in a voice whose tone,
+      although that of entreaty, was yet remote from the habitual accent of one
+      asking alms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must mistake me,&rdquo; said I, desirous to pass on; &ldquo;I am unknown to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, sir; but it is as a stranger I take the liberty of addressing you.
+      I heard you say just now that you had not fixed on any place of abode in
+      Paris; now, if I might venture to entreat your preference for this
+      establishment, it would be too much honor for me, its poor master.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here he placed in my hands a small card, inscribed with the words,
+      &ldquo;Pension Bourgeoise, Rue de Mi-Carême, Boulevard Mont Parnasse, No. 46,&rdquo;
+       at top; and beneath was a paragraph, setting forth the economical fact
+      that a man might eat, drink, and sleep for the sum of twelve francs a
+      week, enjoying the delights of &ldquo;agreeable society, pleasant environs, and
+      all the advantages of a country residence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was with difficulty I could avoid a smile at the shivering figure who
+      ventured to present himself as an inducement to try the fare of his house.
+      Whether my eyes did wander from the card to his countenance, or any other
+      gesture of mine betrayed my thoughts, the old man seemed to divine what
+      was passing in my mind, and said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur will not pronounce on the 'pension' from the humble guise of its
+      master. Let him but try it; and I promise that these poor rags, this
+      miserable figure, has no type within the walls.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a tone of deep dejection, mingled with a sense of conscious
+      pride, in which he said these few words, that at once decided me not to
+      grieve him by a refusal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may count on me, then, Monsieur,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;My stay here is so far
+      uncertain, that it depends not altogether on myself; but for the present I
+      am your guest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I took my purse from my pocket as I spoke, knowing the custom in these
+      humbler boarding-houses was to pay in advance; but the old man reddened
+      slightly, and motioned with his hand a refusal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur is a captain in the Guards,&rdquo; said he, proudly; &ldquo;no more is
+      necessary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You mistake, friend, I am no longer so; I have left the army.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Left it, <i>en retraite?</i>&rdquo; said he, inquiringly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not so; left it at my own free will and choice. And now, perhaps, I had
+      better tell you, that as I may not enjoy any considerable share of
+      goodwill from the police authorities here, my presence might be less
+      acceptable to your other guests, or to yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man's eyes sparkled as I spoke, and his lips moved rapidly, as
+      though he were speaking to himself; then, taking my hand, he pressed it to
+      his lips, and said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur could not be more welcome than at present. Shall we expect you
+      to-day at dinner?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be it so. Your hour?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Four o'clock, to the moment. Do not forget the number, 46 Monsieur
+      Rubichon; the house with a large garden in front.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Till then,&rdquo; said I, bowing to my host, whose ceremonious politeness made
+      me feel my own salute an act of rudeness in comparison.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I parted from the old man, I was glad at the relief to my own thoughts
+      which even thus much of speculation afforded, and sauntered on, fancying
+      many a strange conceit about the &ldquo;pension&rdquo; and its inhabitants. At last
+      the hour drew near; and having placed my few effects in a cabriolet, I set
+      out for the distant boulevard of Mont Parnasse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I remarked with pleasure, that as we went along the streets and
+      thoroughfares became gradually less and less crowded; scarcely a carriage
+      of any kind was to be met with. The shops were, for the most part, the
+      quiet, unpretending-looking places one sees in a provincial town; and an
+      air of peacefulness and retirement prevailed, strongly at variance with
+      the clamor and din of the heart of the capital. This was more than ever so
+      as we emerged upon the boulevard itself: on one side of which houses, at
+      long straggling intervals, alone were to be seen; at the other, the
+      country lay open to the view, with its orchards and gardens, for miles
+      away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Saprelotte!</i>&rdquo; said the driver, who, like so many of his calling,
+      was a blunt son of Alsace,&mdash;&ldquo;<i>saprelotte!</i> we have come to the
+      end of the world here. How do you call the strange street you are looking
+      for?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Rue de Mi-Carême.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mi-Carême? I 'd rather you lived there than me; that name does not
+      promise much in regard to good feeding. Can this be it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke he pointed with his whip to a narrow, deserted-looking street,
+      which opened from the boulevard. The houses were old and dilapidated, but
+      stood in small gardens, and seemed like the remains of the villa
+      residences of the Parisians in times long past. A few more modern
+      edifices, flaring with red brick fronts, were here and there scattered
+      amongst them; but for all the decay and dismantlement of the others, they
+      seemed like persons of rank and condition in the company of their
+      inferiors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Few of the larger houses were inhabited. Large placards, &ldquo;à louer,&rdquo; on the
+      gateways or the broken railings of the garden, set forth the advantages of
+      a handsome residence, situated between court and garden; but the falling
+      roofs and broken windows were in sad discordance with the eulogy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The unaccustomed noise of wheels, as we went along, drew many to the doors
+      to stare at us, and in the gathering groups I could mark the astonishment
+      so rare a spectacle as a cabriolet afforded in these secluded parts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is this the Rue Mi-Carême?&rdquo; said the driver to a boy, who stood gazing in
+      perfect wonderment at our equipage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; muttered the child,&mdash;&ldquo;yes. Who are you come for now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come for, my little man? Not for any one. What do you mean by that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought it was the commissary,&rdquo; said the boy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>sapperment!</i> I knew we were in a droll neighborhood,&rdquo; murmured
+      the driver. &ldquo;It would seem they never see a cabriolet here except when it
+      brings the <i>commissaire de police</i> to look after some one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      If this reflection did not tend to allay my previous doubts upon the
+      nature of the locality, it certainly aided to excite my curiosity, and I
+      was determined to persist in my resolution of at least seeing the interior
+      of the &ldquo;pension.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here we are at last,&rdquo; cried the driver, throwing down his whip on the
+      horse's back, as he sprang to the ground, and read aloud from a board
+      fastened to a tree, &ldquo;'Pension Bourgeoise. M. Rubichon, propriétaire.'
+      Shall I wait for monsieur?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No. Take out that portmanteau and cloak; I'm not going back now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A stare of most undisguised astonishment was the only reply he made, as he
+      took forth my baggage, and placed it at the little gate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You 'll be coming home at night,&rdquo; said he, at length; &ldquo;shall I come to
+      fetch you? Not to-night,&rdquo; repeated he, in amazement. &ldquo;Well, adieu,
+      Monsieur,&mdash;you know best; but I 'd not come a-pleasuring up here, if
+      I was a young fellow like you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he drove away, I turned to look at the building before me, which up to
+      this time I had not sufficiently noted. It was a long, two-storied house,
+      which evidently at an early period had been a mansion of no mean
+      pretension. The pilasters which ornamented the windows, the balustrades of
+      the parapet, and the pediment above the entrance, were still remaining,
+      though in a dilapidated condition. The garden in front showed also some
+      signs of that quaint taste originally borrowed from the Dutch, and the
+      yew-trees still preserved some faint resemblance to the beasts and animals
+      after which they had once been fashioned, though time and growth had
+      altered the outlines, and given to many a goodly lion or stag the bristly
+      coat of a porcupine. A little fountain, which spouted from a sea-monster's
+      nostrils, was grass-grown and choked with weeds. Everything betokened
+      neglect and ruin; even the sundial had fallen across the walk, and lay
+      moss-grown and forgotten; as though to say that Time had no need of a
+      record there. The <i>jalousies</i>, which were closed in every window,
+      permitted no view of the interior; nor did anything, save a faint curl of
+      light blue smoke from one chimney, give token of habitation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I could not help smiling to myself at the absurd fancy which had suffered
+      me to feel that this deserted quarter, this lonesome dwelling, contained
+      anything either adventurous or strange about it, or that I should find
+      either in the &ldquo;pension&rdquo; or its guests wherewithal to interest or amuse me.
+      With this thought I opened the wicket, and, crossing the garden, pulled
+      the bell-rope that hung beside the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The deep clanging echoed again and again to my summons, and ere it ceased
+      the door was opened, and M. Rubichon himself stood before me: no longer,
+      however, the M. Rubichon of the morning, in garments of worn and tattered
+      poverty, but attired in a suit which, if threadbare, was at least clean
+      and respectable-looking,&mdash;a white vest, and ruffles also, added to
+      the air of neatness of his costume; and whether from his own deserts, or
+      my surprise at the transformation, he seemed to me to possess the look and
+      bearing of a true gentleman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having welcomed me with the well-bred and easy politeness of one who knew
+      the habits of society, he gave orders to a servant girl to conduct me to a
+      room, adding, &ldquo;May I beg of monsieur to make a rapid toilet, for the
+      dinner will be served in less than ten minutes?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The M. Rubichon of the morning no more prepared me for that gentleman at
+      evening than did the ruinous exterior of the dwelling for the neat and
+      comely chamber into which I was now installed. The articles of furniture
+      were few, but scrupulously clean; and the white curtains of the little
+      bed, the cherry-wood chairs, the table, with its gray marble top,&mdash;all
+      were the perfection of that propriety which gives even to humble things a
+      look of elegance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I had but time to make a slight change in my dress when the bell sounded
+      for dinner, and at the same instant a gentle knock came to my door. It was
+      M. Rubichon, come to conduct me to the <i>salle</i>, and anxious to know
+      if I were satisfied with my chamber.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In summer, Monsieur, if we shall have the happiness of possessing you
+      here at that season, the view of the garden is delightful from this
+      window; and,&mdash;you have not noticed it, of course, but there is a
+      little stair, which descends from the window into the garden, which you
+      will find a great convenience when you wish to walk. This way, now. We are
+      a small party to-day, and indeed shall be for a few weeks. What name shall
+      I have the honor to announce?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! an Irish name,&rdquo; said he, smiling, as he threw open the door of a
+      spacious but simply furnished apartment, in which about a dozen persons
+      were standing or sitting around the stove.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I could not help remarking, that as Monsieur Rubichon presented me to his
+      other guests, my name seemed to meet a kind of recognition from each in
+      turn. My host perceived this, and explained it at once by saying,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We have a namesake of yours amongst us; not exactly at this moment, for
+      he is in Normandy, but he will be back in a week or so. Madame de Langeac,
+      let me present Mr. Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Monsieur Rubichon's guests were all persons somewhat advanced in life; and
+      though in their dress evincing a most unvarying simplicity and economy,
+      had yet a look of habitual good tone and breeding which could not be
+      mistaken. Among these, the lady to whom I was now introduced was
+      conspicuous, and in her easy and graceful reception of me, showed the
+      polished manners of one accustomed to the best society.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After some half-jesting observations, expressive of surprise that a young
+      man&mdash;and consequently, as she deemed, a gay one&mdash;should have
+      selected as his residence an unvisited quarter and a very retired house,
+      she took my arm, and proceeded to the dinner-room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dinner itself, and the table equipage, were in keeping with the
+      simplicity of the whole establishment; but if the fare was humble and the
+      wine of the very cheapest, all the habitudes of the very highest society
+      presided at the meal, and the polished ease and elegance, so eminently the
+      gift of ancient French manners, were conspicuous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There prevailed among the guests all the intimacy of a large family; at
+      the same time a most courteous deference was remarkable, which never
+      approached familiarity. And thus they talked lightly and pleasantly
+      together of mutual friends and places they had visited; no allusion ever
+      being made to the popular topics of the day,&mdash;to me a most
+      inexplicable circumstance, and one which I could not avoid slightly
+      expressing my astonishment at to the lady beside me. She smiled
+      significantly at my remark, and merely said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is so agreeable to discuss matters where there can be no great
+      difference of opinion,&mdash;at least, no more than sharpens the wit of
+      the speakers,&mdash;that you will rarely hear other subjects talked of
+      here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But have the great events which are yet passing no interest?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps they interest too deeply to admit of much discussion,&rdquo; said she,
+      with some earnestness of manner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I am myself transgressing; and, what is still worse, losing you the
+      observations of Monsieur de Saint George on Madame de Sévigné.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The remark was evidently made to change the current of our conversation;
+      and so I accepted it,&mdash;listening to the chit-chat around me, which,
+      from its novelty alone, possessed a most uncommon charm to my ears. It was
+      so strange to hear the allusions to the courtiers and the beauties of
+      bygone days made with all the freshness of yesterday acquaintance; and the
+      stores of anecdotes about the court of Louis the Fifteenth and the Regency
+      told with a piquancy that made the event seem like an occurrence of the
+      morning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before we retired to the drawing-room for coffee, I saw that the &ldquo;pension&rdquo;
+       was a Royalist establishment, and wondered how it happened that I should
+      have been selected by the host to make one of his guests. Yet
+      unquestionably there seemed no reserve towards me; on the contrary, each
+      evinced a tone of frankness and cordiality which made me perfectly at
+      ease, and well satisfied at the fortune which led me to the Rue Mi-Carême.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The little parties of dominoes and piquet scattered through the <i>salon</i>;
+      some formed groups to converse; the ladies resumed their embroidery; and
+      all the occupations of indoor life were assumed with a readiness that
+      betokened habit, and gave to the &ldquo;pension&rdquo; the comfortable air of a home.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus passed the first evening. The next morning the party assembled at an
+      early hour to breakfast; after which the gentlemen went out, and did not
+      appear until dinnertime,&mdash;day succeeding day in unvarying but to me
+      not unpleasing monotony. I rarely wandered from the large wilderness of a
+      garden near the house, and saw weeks pass over without a thought ever
+      occurring to me that life must not thus be suffered to ebb.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0029" id="link2HCH0029">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIX. MY NAMESAKE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      About a month after I came to live in the &ldquo;pension,&rdquo; I was sitting one
+      evening at the window, watching, with the interest an idle man will ever
+      attach to slight things,&mdash;the budding leaves of an early spring,&mdash;when
+      I heard a step approach my chair, and on turning my head perceived Madame
+      de Langeac. She carried her taboret in her hand, and came slowly towards
+      me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am come to steal some of your sunshine, Monsieur Burke,&rdquo; said the old
+      lady, smiling good-naturedly, as I rose to present a chair, &ldquo;but not to
+      drive you away, if you will be generous enough to keep me company.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I stammered out some commonplace civility in reply, and was silent, for my
+      thoughts were bent upon my future, and I was ill disposed to interruption.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are fond of flowers, I have remarked,&rdquo; continued she, as if
+      perceiving my preoccupation, and willing to relieve it by taking the
+      burden of the conversation. &ldquo;And it is a taste I love to witness; it seems
+      to me like the evidence of a homely habit. It is only in childhood we
+      learn this love; we may cultivate it in after life as we will.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My mother was passionately fond of them,&rdquo; said I, calling up a
+      long-buried memory of home and kindred.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought so. These simple tastes are the inheritance a mother gives her
+      child; and happily they survive every change of fortune.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I sighed heavily as she spoke, for thus accidentally was touched the
+      weakest chord of my heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, better still,&rdquo; resumed she, &ldquo;they are the links that unite us to the
+      past, that bind the heart of manhood to infancy, that can bring down pride
+      and haughtiness, and call forth guileless affection and childlike faith.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are happy,&rdquo;' said I, musing, &ldquo;who can mingle such early memories
+      with the present.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who cannot?&rdquo; interrupted she, rapidly. &ldquo;Who has not felt the love of
+      parents,&mdash;the halo of a home? Old as I am, even I can recall the
+      little walks I trod in infancy, and the hand that used to guide me. I can
+      bring up the very tones of that voice which vibrated on my heart as they
+      spoke my name. But how much happier they to whom these memories are linked
+      with tokens of present affection, and who, in their manhood's joys, can
+      feel a father's or a mother's love!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was left an orphan when a mere child,&rdquo; said I, as though the
+      observation had been specially addressed to me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you have brothers,&mdash;sisters, perhaps.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I shook my head. &ldquo;A brother, indeed; but we have never met since we were
+      children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet your country has not suffered the dreadful convulsion of ours; no
+      social wreck has scattered those who once lived in close affection
+      together. It is sad when such ties are broken. You came early to France, I
+      think you told me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Madame. When a mere child my heart conceived a kind of devotion to
+      the Emperor: his fame, his great exploits, seemed something more than
+      human,&mdash;filled every thought of my brain; and to be a soldier,<i>his</i>
+      soldier, was the limit of my ambition. I fancied, too, that the cause he
+      asserted was that of freedom; that liberty, universal liberty, was the
+      watchword that led to victory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you have discovered your error,&rdquo; interrupted she. &ldquo;Alas! it were
+      better to have followed the illusion. A faith once shaken leaves an
+      unsettled spirit, and with such there is little energy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And less of hope,&rdquo; said I, despondingly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not so, if there be youth. Come, you must tell me your story. It is from
+      no mere curiosity I ask you; but that I have seen much of the world, and
+      am better able than you to offer counsel and advice. I have remarked, for
+      some time past, that you appear to have no acquaintance in Paris,&mdash;no
+      friend. Let me be such. If the confidence have no other result, it will
+      relieve your heart of some portion of its burden; besides, the others here
+      will learn to regard you with less distrust.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And is such their feeling towards me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive me; I did not exactly use the word I sought for. But now that I
+      have ventured so far, I may as well confess that you are an object of the
+      greatest interest in their eyes; nor can they divest themselves of the
+      impression that some deep-laid plot had led you hither.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Had I known this before&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You had left us. I guessed as much: I have remarked it in your character
+      already, that a morbid dread of being suspected is ever uppermost in your
+      thoughts; and accounted for it by supposing that you might have been
+      thrown at too early an age into life. But you must not feel angry with us
+      here. As for me, I have no merit in my right appreciation of you: Monsieur
+      Rubichon told me how you met,&mdash;a mere accident, at the bureau of the
+      préfet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was so; nor have I been able to divine why he addressed himself to me,
+      nor what circumstance could have led him to believe my sentiments in
+      accordance with those of his guests.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Simple enough the reason. He heard from your own lips you were a
+      stranger, without any acquaintance in Paris. The police for a time have
+      been somewhat frequent in their visits here, when the exclusively Royalist
+      feature of the 'pension' excited some dissatisfaction. To overcome the
+      impression, M. Rubichon determined to wait each day at the bureau of the
+      préfet, and solicit at hazard among the persons there to patronize his
+      house. We all here consented to the plan, feeling its necessity. Our good
+      fortune sent us you. Still, you must not be surprised if long sorrows and
+      much suffering have engendered suspicion, nor that the old followers of a
+      king look distrustfully on the soldier of&rdquo;&mdash;she hesitated and blushed
+      slightly, then added, in a low voice&mdash;&ldquo;of the Emperor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The word seemed to have cost a pang in its utterance; for she did not
+      speak for several minutes after.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And these gentlemen,&mdash;am I to conclude that they cherish
+      disaffection to the present Government, or harbor a hope of its downfall?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whether some accidental expression of disdain escaped me as I said this, I
+      cannot say; but Madame de Langeao quickly replied,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are good Frenchmen, sir, and loyal gentlemen; what they <i>hope</i>
+      must be a matter for their own hearts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I entreat your pardon, Madame, if I have said one syllable which could
+      reflect upon their motives.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I forgive you readily,&rdquo; said she, smiling courteously; &ldquo;he who has worn a
+      sabre so long, may well deem its influence all-powerful. But believe me,
+      young man, there is that within the heart of a nation against which mere
+      force is nothing; opposed to it, armed squadrons and dense ranks are
+      powerless. Devotion to a sovereign, whose claim comes hallowed by a long
+      line of kings, is a faith to which religion lends its sanction and
+      tradition its hope. Look on these very persons here; see, has adversity
+      chilled their affection, or poverty damped their ardor? You know them not;
+      but I will tell you who they are.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There, at the fire, that venerable old man with the high, bold forehead,
+      he is Monsieur de Plessis (Comte Plessis de Riancourt). His grandfather
+      entertained Louis the Fourteenth and his suite within his château; he
+      himself was grand falconer to the king. And what is he now? I shame to
+      speak it,&mdash;a fencing-master at an humble school of the Faubourg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the other opposite to him (he is stooping to pick something from the
+      floor), I myself saw him kneel at the levée of his Majesty, and beheld the
+      king assist him to rise, as he said, 'Monsieur de Maurepas, I would make
+      you a duke, but that no title could be so dear to a Maurepas as that his
+      ancestors have borne for six hundred years.' And he, whose signature was
+      but inferior to the royal command, copies pleadings of a lawyer to earn
+      his support.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that tall man yonder, who has just risen from the table,&mdash;neither
+      years nor poverty have erased the stamp of nobility from his graceful
+      figure,&mdash;Comte Felix d'Ancelot, captain of the Gardes du Corps; the
+      same who was left for dead on the stairs at Versailles pierced by eleven
+      wounds. He gives lessons in drawing! two leagues from this, at the other
+      extremity of Paris.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You ask me if they hope; what else than hope, what other comforter, could
+      make such men as these live on in want and indigence, declining every
+      proffer of advancement, refusing every temptation that should warp their
+      allegiance? I have read of great deeds of your Emperor,&mdash;I have heard
+      traits of heroism of his generals, compared to which the famed actions of
+      the Crusaders paled away; but tell me if you think that all the glory ever
+      won by gallant soldier, tried the courage or tested the stout heart like
+      the long struggle of such men as these? And here, if I mistake not, comes
+      another, not inferior to any.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As she spoke, the steps of a <i>calèche</i> at the door were suddenly
+      lowered, and a tall and powerfully built man stepped lightly out. In an
+      instant we heard his footstep in the hall, and in another moment the door
+      of the <i>salon</i> opened, and M. Rubichon announced &ldquo;Le Général Count
+      Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The general had just time to divest himself of his travelling pelisse as
+      he entered, and was immediately surrounded by the others, who welcomed him
+      with the greatest enthusiasm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame la Marquise de Langeac,&rdquo; said he, approaching the old lady, as she
+      sat in the recess of the window, and lifted her hand to his lips, &ldquo;I am
+      overjoyed to see you in such health. I passed three days with your amiable
+      cousin, Arnold de Rambuteau; who, like yourself, enjoys the happiest
+      temperament and the most gifted mind.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you flatter thus, General,&rdquo; said Madame de Langeac, &ldquo;my young friend
+      here will scarcely recognize in you a countryman,&mdash;a kinsman,
+      perhaps. Let me present Mr. Burke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The general's face flushed, and his eyes sparkled, as taking my hand in
+      both of his own, he said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you indeed from Ireland? Is your name Burke? Alas! that I cannot
+      speak one word of English to you. I left my country thirty-eight years
+      since, and have never revisited it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The general overwhelmed me with questions: first about my family, of which
+      I could tell him little; and then of my own adventures, at which, to my
+      astonishment, he never evinced those symptoms of displeasure I so
+      confidently expected from an old follower of the Bourbons. This he
+      continued to do, as he ate a hurried meal which was laid out for him in
+      the <i>salon</i>; all the rest standing in a circle around, and pressing
+      him with questions for this friend or that at every pause he made.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, gentlemen,&rdquo; cried he, as I replied to some inquiry about my
+      campaign, &ldquo;this is an instance of what I have so often spoken to you. Here
+      is a youth who leaves his country solely for fighting sake; he does not
+      care much for the epaulette, he cares less for the cause. Come, come,
+      don't interrupt me; I know you better than you know yourself. You longed
+      for the conflict and the struggle and the victory; and, <i>parbleu!</i> we
+      may say as we will, but you could have scarcely made a better selection
+      than with his Majesty, Emperor and King, as they style him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This speech met with a sorry reception from the bystanders, and in the
+      dissatisfied expression of their faces, a less confident speaker might
+      have read his condemnation; but the general felt not this, or, if he did,
+      he effectually concealed it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have not inquired for Gustave de Me is in,&rdquo; said he, looking round at
+      the circle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have not seen him, surely?&rdquo; cried several together; &ldquo;we heard he was
+      at Vienna.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, <i>parbleu!</i> he lives about a league from his old home,&mdash;the
+      very house we spent our Christmas at eighteen years ago. They have made a
+      barrack of his château, and thrown his park into a royal <i>chasse</i>;
+      but he has built a hut on the river-side, and walks every day through his
+      own ground, which he says he never saw so well stocked for many a year. He
+      is as happy as ever, and loves to look out on the Seine before his door
+      when the bright stream is rippling through many a broad leaf; ay,
+      Messieurs, of good augury, too,&mdash;the lilies of France.&rdquo; He lifted a
+      bumper to his lips as he spoke, and drank the toast with enthusiasm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This sudden return to loyalty, so boldly announced, served to reinstate
+      him in their estimation; and once again all their former pleasure at his
+      appearance came back, and again the questions poured in from every
+      quarter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the abbé,&rdquo; said one; &ldquo;what of him? Has he made up his mind yet?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure he has, and changed it too, at least twice every twenty-four
+      hours. He is ever full of confidence and brimming with hope when the wind
+      is from the eastward; but let it only come a point west, his spirits fall
+      at once, and he dreams of frigates and gunboats, and the hulks in the
+      Thames; and though they offered him a cardinal's hat, he 'd not venture
+      out to sea.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The warning looks of the bystanders, and even some signals to be cautious,
+      here interrupted the speaker, who paused for a few seconds, and then fixed
+      his eyes on me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no fears, gentlemen, on that score. I know my countrymen well,
+      though I have lived little among them. My namesake here may like the
+      service of the Emperor better than that of a king,&mdash;he may prefer the
+      glitter of the eagle to the war-cry of Saint Louis,&mdash;but he 'll never
+      betray the private conversations nor expose the opinions expressed before
+      him in all the confidence of social intercourse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are speaking, Mr. Burke, of an abbé who is about to visit Ireland, and
+      whose fears of the English cruisers seem little reasonable to some of my
+      friends here, though you can explain, perhaps, that they are not
+      groundless. I forgot,&mdash;you were but a boy when you crossed that sea.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But he will go at last,&rdquo; said Madame de Langeac; &ldquo;I suppose we may rely
+      on that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We hope,&rdquo; said the general, shrugging his shoulders with an air of doubt,
+      &ldquo;because, when we can do nothing else, we can always hope.&rdquo; And so saying
+      he arose from the table, and taking a courteous leave of each person in
+      turn, pleading the fatigue of his journey, he retired for the night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I left the saloon soon after, and went to my room full of all I had heard,
+      and pondering many thoughts about the abbé and his intended voyage. I
+      spent a sleepless night. Thoughts of home, long lost in the excitement of
+      my career, came flocking to my brain, and a desire to revisit my country&mdash;stronger,
+      perhaps, because undefined in its object&mdash;made me restless and
+      feverish. It was with delight I perceived the day dawning, and dressing
+      myself hastily, I descended into the garden. To my surprise, I found
+      General Burke already there. He was sauntering along slowly by himself,
+      and seemed wrapped in meditation. The noise of my approach startled him,
+      and he looked up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! my countryman,&mdash;so early astir?&rdquo; said he, saluting me
+      courteously. &ldquo;Is this a habit of yours?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir; I cannot claim the merit of such wakefulness. But last night I
+      never closed my eyes. A few words you dropped in conversation in the
+      drawing-room kept possession of my heart, and even yet I cannot expel
+      them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I saw it at the time I spoke,&rdquo; replied the general, with a keen, quick
+      glance; &ldquo;you changed color twice as I mentioned the Abbé Gernon. Do you
+      know him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir; it was his intended journey, not himself, for which I felt
+      interested.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You would wish to accompany him, perhaps. Well, the matter is not
+      impossible; but as time presses, and we have little leisure for mysteries,
+      tell me frankly why are you here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In few words, and without a comment on any portion of my conduct, I told
+      him the principal circumstances of my life, down to the decisive moment of
+      my leaving the army.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After that step,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;feeling that no career can open to me here, I
+      wish to regain my own country.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right,&rdquo; said the general, slowly; &ldquo;it is your only course now.
+      The venture is not without risk,&mdash;less from the English cruisers than
+      the French, for the abbé is well known in England, and Ireland too; but
+      his Royalist character would find slight favor with Fouché. You are
+      willing to run the risk, I suppose?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And to travel as the abbe's servant, at least to Falaise? there the
+      disguise will end.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perfectly so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And for this service, are you also ready to render us one in return?&rdquo;
+       said he, peering at me beneath his eyelashes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If it involve the good faith I once swore to preserve towards the Emperor
+      Napoleon, I refuse it at once. On such a condition, I cannot accept your
+      aid.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And does your heart still linger where your pride has been so insulted?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It does, it does; to be his soldier once more, I would submit to
+      everything but dishonor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In that case,&rdquo; said he, smiling good-naturedly, &ldquo;my conscience is a clear
+      one; and I may forward your escape with the satisfying reflection that I
+      have diminished the enemies of his Majesty Louis the Eighteenth by one
+      most inveterate follower of Napoleon. I shall ask no conditions of you.
+      When are you ready?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-day,&mdash;now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me see; to-morrow will be the 8th,&mdash;to-morrow will do. I will
+      write about it at once. Meanwhile, it is as well you should not drop any
+      hint of your intended departure, except to Madame de Langeac, whose
+      secrecy may be relied on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May I ask,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;if you run any risk in thus befriending me? It is an
+      office, believe me, of little promise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;None whatever. Rarely a month passes over without some one or other
+      leaving this for England. The intercourse between Rome and Ireland is
+      uninterrupted, and has been so during the hottest period of the war.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This seems most unaccountable to me; I cannot understand it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is a key to the mystery, however,&rdquo; said he, smiling. &ldquo;The English
+      Government have confidence in the peaceful efforts of the priesthood as
+      regards Ireland, and permit them to hold unlimited intercourse with the
+      Holy See, which fears France and the spirit of her Emperor. The Bourbons
+      look to the Church as the last hope of the Restoration. It is in the
+      Catholic religion of this country, and its traditions, that monarchy has
+      its root. Sap one, and you undermine the other. Legitimacy is a holy
+      relic,&mdash;like any other, the priests are the guardians of it; and as
+      for the present ruler of France, he trusts in the spirit of the Church to
+      increase its converts, and believes that Ireland is ripening to revolt
+      through the agency of the priests. Fouché alone is not deceived. Between
+      him and the Church the war is to the knife; and but for him the high seas
+      would be more open than the road to Strasburg,&mdash;at least, to all with
+      a shaven crown and a silk frock. Here, then, is the simple explanation of
+      what seemed so difficult; and I believe you will find it the true one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But two out of the three parties must be deceived,&rdquo; said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps all three are,&rdquo; replied he, smiling sarcastically. &ldquo;There are
+      some, at least, who deem the return of the rightful sovereign is more to
+      be hoped from the sabre than the crosier, and think that Rome never was
+      true except to Rome. As to your journey, however, its only difficulty or
+      danger is the transit through France; once at the coast, and all is safe.
+      Your passport shall be made out as a retired sous-officier returning to
+      his home. You will take Marboeuf in the route, and I will give you the
+      necessary directions for discovering the abbé.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it not possible,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;that <i>he</i> may feel no inclination to
+      encumber himself with a fellow-traveller, and particularly one a stranger
+      to him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have no fear on that head. Your presence, on the contrary, will give him
+      courage, and we must let him suppose you accompany him at our suggestion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not with any implied knowledge or any connection with your views,
+      however,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;This is well understood between us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perfectly so. And now meet me here this evening, after coffee, and I will
+      give you your final instructions, Adieu, for the present.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He waved his hand and left me. Then, after walking a few paces, turned
+      quickly round, and said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will remember, a blouse and knapsack are indispensable for your
+      equipment. Adieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0030" id="link2HCH0030">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXX. AN OLD SAILOR OF THE EMPIRE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      No circumstance of any interest occurred on my journey to Marboeuf; my
+      passport, made out in my own name as a sous-officier on leave, secured me
+      against any interruption or delay; and on the third evening I reached the
+      little wayside cabaret, about a league beyond the town, where I was
+      informed by the count that the abbé would await me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To my surprise, however, I discovered that the house was occupied by a
+      detachment of the Marines of the Guard, proceeding from Marboeuf to the
+      coast; with these, assuming the &ldquo;camaraderie&rdquo; of the service, I soon made
+      acquaintance, and being possessed of some information about the army, my
+      company was at once coveted by the sailors, who had no opportunity of
+      learning the events of the campaign.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The flurried manner and the over-solicitous desire of the landlord to
+      please, did not escape me; and taking the first opportunity that offered,
+      I followed him into his room, and closed the door behind me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Has <i>he</i> arrived?&rdquo; said I, assuming at once the tone of one with
+      whom there need be no secrecy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! you are the captain, then, and I was right?&rdquo; said he, not replying to
+      my question, but showing that he was aware who I was. But in an instant he
+      resumed, &ldquo;Alas! no, sir; the orders to have quarters ready for ten men
+      reached me yesterday; and though I told his messenger that he might come
+      in safety,&mdash;the marines never noticing any traveller,&mdash;he has
+      evidently been afraid to venture. This is the 10th; on the 12th the vessel
+      is to be off the coast; after that it will be too late.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But he may come yet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The man shook his head and sighed; then muttered half aloud, &ldquo;It was a
+      foolish choice to take a coward for a hazardous enterprise. The Comte de
+      Chambord has been here twice to-day to see him, but in vain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is he, then? at what distance from here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No one knows. It must be some leagues away, however, for his messenger
+      seems tired and weary when he comes, and never returns the same day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it not possible he may have pushed on to the coast, finding this place
+      occupied?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, sir, it is plain you know him not; he has no daring like this, and
+      would never seek a new path if the old were closed against him. But after
+      all, it would be useless here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The letters have not come yet, and without them he could not leave the
+      coast. Meanwhile, be cautious: take care lest your absence should be
+      remarked by the men; return to them now, and if anything occur, I will
+      make a signal for you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The landlord's advice was well timed, for I found that the party were
+      already becoming impatient at my delay, and wondering what had caused it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say, Comrade,&rdquo; said a short-set, dark-featured Breton, whose black
+      beard and mustache left little vestige of a human face visible,&mdash;&ldquo;they
+      say that the cavalry of the Guard give themselves airs with us marines,
+      and that our company is not good enough for them. Is this the case?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the first time I have heard the remark,&rdquo; replied I, &ldquo;and I hope it
+      may be the last; with us of the Eighth I know such a feeling never
+      existed; and yet we thought ourselves not inferior to our neighbors.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then why did you leave us just now?&rdquo; grumbled out two or three in a
+      breath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall know that presently,&rdquo; said I, smiling; at the same time I arose
+      and opened the door. &ldquo;You may bring in the Burgundy now, Master Joseph; we
+      are all ready for it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A hearty cheer welcomed this speech, and many a rude hand was stretched
+      forth to grasp mine; at the same instant the host, accurately divining the
+      necessity of the moment, entered with a basket containing six bottles,
+      whose cobwebbed necks and crusted surface bespoke the choicest bin of his
+      cellar.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Macon!</i> gentlemen,&rdquo; said he, drawing the cork of a flask with all
+      the steadiness of hand of one accustomed to treat Burgundy properly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>parbleu!</i> a generous grape, too,&rdquo; said the short sailor, who
+      spoke first, as he drained his glass and refilled it. &ldquo;<i>Allons</i>,
+      Comrades, 'The Emperor! '&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor!&rdquo; repeated each voice in turn, even to the poor landlord,
+      whose caution was stronger than his loyalty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor, and may Heaven preserve him!&rdquo; said the dark-whiskered
+      fellow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor, and may Heaven forgive him!&rdquo; said the host, who this time
+      uttered the true sentiments of his heart, without knowing it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive him!&rdquo; roared three or four together,&mdash;&ldquo;forgive him what?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For not making thee an admiral of the fleet,&rdquo; said the landlord, slapping
+      the stout sailor familiarly on the shoulder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A burst of rude laughter acknowledged the success of this speech, and by
+      common consent the host was elected One of the company. As the wine began
+      to work upon the party, the dark fellow, whose grade of sergeant was
+      merely marked by a gold cord on his cuff, and which had hitherto escaped
+      my notice, assumed the leadership, and recounted some stories of his life;
+      which, treating of a service so novel to me in all its details, were
+      sufficiently interesting, though the materials themselves were slight and
+      unimportant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One feature struck me in particular through all he said, and gave a
+      character most distinctive to the service he belonged to, and totally
+      unlike what I had observed among the soldiers of the army. With <i>them</i>
+      the armies of all Europe were accounted the enemy,&mdash;the Austrian, the
+      Russian, the Italian, and the Prussian were the foes he had met and
+      conquered in so many fields of glory. The pride he felt in his triumphs
+      was a great but natural sentiment; involving, however, no hatred of his
+      enemy, nor any desire to disparage his courage or his skill. With the
+      sailor of the Empire, however, there was but one antagonist, and that one
+      he detested with his whole heart: England was a word which stirred his
+      passion from its very inmost recesses, and made his blood boil with
+      intense excitement. The gay insolence of the soldier, treating his
+      conquest as a thing of ease and certainty, had no resemblance to the
+      collected and impassioned hate of the sailor, who felt that <i>his</i>
+      victories were not such as proclaimed his superiority by evidence
+      incontestable. The victories on land contrasted, too, so strongly with
+      even what were claimed as such at sea, that the sailors could not control
+      their detestation of those who had robbed them of a share of their
+      country's praise, and made the hazardous career they followed one of mere
+      secondary interest in the eyes of France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A more perfect representative of this mingled jealousy and hate could not
+      be found than Paul Dupont, the sous-officier in command of this little
+      party. He was a Breton, and carried the ruling trait of his province into
+      the most minute feature of his conduct. Bold, blunt, courageous,
+      open-hearted, and fearless, but passionate to the verge of madness when
+      thwarted, and unforgiving in his vengeance when insulted, he only believed
+      in Brittany, and for the rest of France he cared as little as for
+      Switzerland. His whole life had been spent at sea, until about two years
+      previous, when from boatswain he was promoted to be a sergeant of the
+      Marines of the Guard,&mdash;a step he regretted every day, and was now
+      actually petitioning to be restored to his old grade, even at the
+      sacrifice of pay and rank; such was the impression a short life ashore had
+      made on him, and so complete his contempt for any service save that in
+      blue water.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, old 'sea-wolf,'&rdquo;&mdash;such was the sobriquet Paul went by among
+      his comrades,&mdash;&ldquo;thou art dull to-night,&rdquo; said an old sailor with a
+      head as white as snow. &ldquo;I haven't seen thee so low of heart this many a
+      day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What wonder, Comrade, if I am so?&rdquo; retorted Paul, gruffly. &ldquo;This shore
+      service is bad enough, not to make it worse by listening to such yarns as
+      these we have been hearing, about platoons and squadrons; of charges here
+      and counter-marches there. <i>Ventre d'enfer!</i> that may amuse those who
+      never saw a broadside or a boarding; but as for me, look ye, Comrade!&rdquo;&mdash;here
+      he addressed himself to me, laying his great hand upon my shoulder as he
+      spoke,&mdash;&ldquo;until ye can bring your mounted lines to charge up to the
+      mouth of a battery vomiting grape and roundshot, ye must not tell your
+      stories before old sailors, ay, though they be only Marines' of the Guard,
+      some of them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don't be angry with old Paul, Comrade,&rdquo; said the man who spoke before;
+      &ldquo;he does not mean to offend you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who told you that?&rdquo; said Paul, sternly. &ldquo;Why can't you sheer off, and
+      leave me to' lay alongside of my enemy my own way?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must not call me by such a name,&rdquo; said I; &ldquo;we all serve the Emperor,
+      and have no enemies save his. Come, Paul, let us have a cup of wine
+      together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agreed! an ye promise to tell no more tales of dragoons and hussars, and
+      such like cattle, I'll drink with you. Bah! it's not Christianlike to
+      fight a-horse-back,&mdash;it's only fit for Turks and Arabs; but for men
+      that are made to stand fast on their own stout timbers, they have no need
+      of four-footed beasts to carry them against an enemy. Here's my hand,
+      Comrade; is it a bargain?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Willingly,&rdquo; said I, laughing. &ldquo;If you consent, instead, to tell us some
+      of your own adventures, I promise faithfully not to trouble you with one
+      of mine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That's like a man,&rdquo; said Paul, evidently flattered by the successful
+      assertion of his own superiority. &ldquo;And now, if the host will let us have
+      some more wine, I'm ready.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, ay,&rdquo; cried several together; &ldquo;replenish the basket once more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This time, gentlemen, you must permit me to treat you. It is not every
+      day such guests assemble under my poor roof,&rdquo; said the landlord, bowing
+      courteously, &ldquo;nor am I likely soon to pass so pleasant an evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That's as you please it,&rdquo; said Paul, carelessly. &ldquo;If you are too good a
+      fellow to care for money, there's three naps for the poor of the village;
+      mayhap there may be an old sailor amongst them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A murmur of satisfaction at their comrade's conduct ran round the circle,
+      as the host disappeared for the fresh supply of wine. In an instant he was
+      back again, carrying a second basket under his arm, which he placed
+      carefully on the table, saying, &ldquo;Pomard of '87, gentlemen; I wish it were
+      Chambertin for your sakes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Tête bleue!</i>that's what I call wine,&rdquo; said one, smacking his lips,
+      as he tasted the generous liquor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Paul, &ldquo;that's better than drinking the pink water they serve
+      us out on service. <i>Morbleu!</i> how we 'd fight, if they'd tap an aume
+      of that when they beat to quarters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The bottle now passed freely from hand to hand; and Paul, leaning back in
+      his chair, crossed his arms before him, as, with his eyes half closed, he
+      seemed to be occupied in remembering some long passed occurrence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, Comrades,&rdquo; said he, after a long pause, &ldquo;the landlord was not so far
+      out as you may think him. I might have been, if not an admiral of the
+      fleet, at least a captain or a commodore by this time, if I only wished
+      it, but I wouldn't.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You wouldn't, Paul?&rdquo; cried three or four in a breath. &ldquo;How do you mean,
+      you wouldn't? Is it that you didn't like it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That's it: I didn't like it,&rdquo; replied he, glaring around him as he spoke,
+      with a look which had repressed any tendency to mirth, if such an
+      inclination existed in the party. &ldquo;Mayhap there are some here don't
+      believe this,&rdquo; he continued, as if anxious to extort a contradiction from
+      any one bold enough to adventure it; but none seemed disposed to meet his
+      wishes. He resumed. &ldquo;The way of it was this:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We sailed from Brest, seven sail and two frigates, on a cruise, in the
+      Messidor of the year '13, (it was the time of the Republic then), and our
+      orders were to keep together, and afford protection to all vessels of our
+      flag; and wherever an opportunity offered to engage the enemy, to do so,
+      if we had a fair chance of success. There was one heavy sailer of the
+      fleet, the 'Old Torch,' and by good luck I was in her; and so, before we
+      were eight days out, it came on to blow a hurricane from the northeast,
+      with a great sea that threatened to poop us at every stroke. How the
+      others weathered it I can't say; we rolled so badly that we carried away
+      our mainmast and half our bulwarks, and when day broke we could see
+      nothing of the rest. We were lying floundering there in the trough of the
+      sea, with nothing left but a storm-jib to keep her head straight, and all
+      hands at the pumps; for in working she had opened her old seams, and
+      leaked like a basket. Well, we cut away the wreck of the mast, and we
+      threw twelve of our guns over,&mdash;short eighteens they were, and all
+      heavy metal,&mdash;and that lightened her a bit, and we began to have
+      hopes of weathering out the gale, when the word was passed of a strange
+      sail to windward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We looked, and there saw a great vessel looming, as large as a
+      three-decker, coming down towards us with close-reefed topsails, but going
+      through the water like a swordfish. At first we hoped it was one of our
+      own; but that hope did not last long, for as she neared us we saw floating
+      from the peak that confounded flag that never boded us good fortune. She
+      was an English eighty-gun ship; the 'Blanche' they called her. <i>Ventrebleu!</i>
+      I didn't know how they ever got so handsome a model; but, I learned after,
+      she was a French ship, and built at Toulon,&mdash;for you see, Comrades,
+      they never had such craft as ours. Well, down they came, as if they were
+      about to come right over us, and never once made a signal, nor took any
+      notice of us whatever, till quite close; when a fellow from the poop-deck
+      shouted out in French,&mdash;bad enough it was, too,&mdash;desiring us to
+      keep close till the sea went down a bit, and then to send a boat to them.
+      <i>Sacristi!</i>there was no more about it than that; and they made a
+      prize of us at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But our captain was not one of that mould, and he answered by beating to
+      quarters; and just as the 'Blanche' swept past, up flew our ports, and
+      eight carronades threw in a fire of grape along her deck that made them
+      dance to the music. <i>Diable!</i> the fun was short, though. Round she
+      came in stays like a pinnace, down helm, and passed us again; when, as if
+      her sides slit open, forty guns flashed forth their flame, and sent us a
+      broadside that made the craft tremble again, and left our deck one mass of
+      dead and wounded. There was no help for it now. The clear water came
+      gushing up the hatchways from many a shothole; the craft was settling
+      fast, and so we hauled down the ensign and made the signal of distress.
+      The answer was, 'Keep her afloat if you can.' But, faith, our fellows
+      didn't care much to save a prize for the English, and they would n't lend
+      a hand to the pumps, but crossed their arms and stood still, waiting for
+      her to go down; when what did we see but two boats lowered from the
+      'Blanche' and dropped into the sea, which was then running mountains high.
+      <i>Feu d'enfer!</i> they don't know where there is danger and where not,
+      these English; and that's the reason they seem so brave! For a minute or
+      two we thought they were swamped, for they were hidden entirely; then we
+      saw them on the top of a wave, balancing, as it might be; and again they
+      disappeared, and the huge dark swell seemed to have swallowed them. And so
+      we strained eyes after them, just as if our own danger was not as great as
+      theirs; when suddenly a fearful cry for'ed was heard, and a voice called
+      out. 'She is sinking by the head!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so it was. A crash like falling timber was heard above the storm and
+      the sea, and the 'Torch' rolled heavily from side to side, and then
+      plunged bowsprit down, and the boiling surf met over her. There was a wild
+      yell; some said it was a cheer; I thought it like a drowning cry,&mdash;and
+      I remember no more. That is, I have a kind of horrid dreamy remembrance of
+      buffeting in the waves, and shaking off a hand that grasped me by the
+      shoulder, and then feeling the water gathering over me as I grew more and
+      more exhausted. But the end of it was, I came to my senses some hours
+      after, and found myself in a hammock on board the 'Blanche,' with
+      twenty-eight of my comrades. All the rest&mdash;above two hundred and
+      fifty&mdash;had perished, the captain and the officers among them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The 'Blanche' was under orders for St. Domingo, and was in no way anxious
+      to have our company; and before a week was over we were drafted into a
+      small sloop of war, carrying eight guns, and called the 'Fawn,' She was
+      bound for England with despatches from Nelson,&mdash;one of their English
+      admirals they 're always talking about. This little craft could sail like
+      the wind, but she was crowded with sick and invalided men from some
+      foreign station, and there was not a place the size of a dog-kennel on
+      board of her that was not occupied. As for us, we were only prisoners, and
+      you may think they were n't very particular about our comforts; and so
+      they ranged us along under the bulwarks to leeward,&mdash;for they would
+      n't spoil her sailing trim by suffering us to sit to windward; and there
+      we were, drenched to the skin, and shivering from day to dark.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Four days went over in this way, when, on the fifth, about eight o'clock
+      in the morning, the lookout announced several strange sail in sight; and
+      the same instant we perceived the officers setting the glasses to observe
+      them. We could remark that the sight did not seem to please them much; but
+      more we knew not, for we were not allowed to stand up nor look over the
+      bulwarks. The lieutenant of the watch called up the commander; and when he
+      came on deck he ordered the men to cram on more sail, and hold her head a
+      point or so off the wind; and as soon as it was done, the rushing noise at
+      the cutwater told the speed she was making through the sea. It was a fine
+      day, with a fresh breeze and a nice curl from the water; and it was a
+      handsome thing to see how the sloop bent to the gale and rose again, her
+      canvas white as snow and steady as a board; and we soon knew, from the
+      manner of the officers and the anxious looks they 'd give to leeward from
+      time to time, that another vessel was in chase of the 'Fawn.' Not a man
+      stirred on the deck save the lieutenant of the watch, who walked the
+      quarterdeck with his glass in his hand; now lifting it to his eye, and now
+      throwing a glance aloft to see how the sails were drawing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'She's gaining on us, sir,' cried the boatswain, as he went aloft, to the
+      lieutenant. 'Shall we ease her off a little more?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, no,' said he, impatiently. 'She's coming handover-hand now. Clear
+      the deck, and prepare for action.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My heart jumped to my throat as I heard the words; and waiting until the
+      lieutenant's back was turned, I stole my eyes above the bulwark, and
+      beheld the tall masts and taper spars of a frigate, all covered with
+      canvas, about two miles astern of us. She was a good-sized craft,
+      apparently of thirty-eight guns; but what I liked best about her was the
+      broad tricolor that fluttered from her masthead. Every curl that floated
+      on the breeze whispered liberty to my heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'You know her?' said the lieutenant, laying his hand on my shoulder,
+      before I was aware he was behind me. 'What is she?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Lend me your glass, Lieutenant, and perhaps I can tell you,' said I; and
+      with that he gave the telescope into my hand, and leaned on the bulwark
+      beside me. 'Ha!' said I, as soon as I caught the side of her hull, 'I
+      ought to know her well; I sailed in her for two years and a half. She's
+      the &ldquo;Créole,&rdquo; of thirty-eight guns, the fastest frigate in our navy; she
+      has six carronades on her quarterdeck, and never goes to sea without three
+      hundred and twenty men.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'If she had three tiers of them we 'd not flinch from her,' said a voice
+      behind. It was the commander himself, who was now in full uniform, and
+      wore a belt with four pistols stuck around it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no use in denying it,&mdash;the English prepared for action like
+      brave fellows, and soon cleared the deck of everything in the way of the
+      guns. But what use was it? In less than an hour the 'Créole' worked to
+      windward, and opened a fire from her long guns to which the other could
+      make no reply. There they came plumping in,&mdash;some into the hull, some
+      splintering through the bulwarks, and some crashing away through the
+      rigging; and all the crew could do was to repair the mischief the distant
+      cannonade was making.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'It's a cowardly way your countrymen come into action, after all,' said
+      the lieutenant, as he watched the shot hopping and skipping along the
+      water to leeward. 'With four times our strength, they don't bear down and
+      encourage us.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As he spoke, a shot cut the peak halyards in two, and down came the spar
+      with a crash, carrying with it in its fall that ensign they 're so proud
+      of. It was all we could do, prisoners as we were, not to cheer at this;
+      but the faces around us did not encourage us to such a course, and we sat
+      silently watching them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The moment the accident happened, twenty stout fellows were clambering up
+      the rigging, and as many more engaged to repair the mischief. But suddenly
+      the commander whispered something to the lieutenant; the men were called
+      down again, and the craft was let fall off the wind, trailing the sails
+      and the tangled rigging over her sides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'And the prisoners, sir?' said the lieutenant, at the close of something
+      I could not hear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Send them below,' was the short reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'We cannot; the space between decks is crowded to suffocation. But here
+      she comes.' And, as he spoke, the frigate came bearing down in gallant
+      style, her whole deck swarming with men.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Down, men, down!' whispered the lieutenant, and he dropped on his knee
+      behind the bulwark, and motioned to the rest to kneel. And I now perceived
+      that every sailor had a drawn cutlass in his hand and pistols in his belt,
+      as he lay crouching on the deck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The frigate was now so close, I could hear the commands of the officers
+      on the quarterdeck, and the words 'Bas les branles'&mdash;the signal to
+      board&mdash;passed from mouth to mouth. The next instant, she closed on
+      us, and showed her tall sides towering above us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Now, men!' cried the commander of the 'Fawn,' 'now, forward! 'All who
+      care to live, there's your ground,' said he, pointing to the frigate.
+      'Such as like to die on a British deck, remain with me.' The boarders
+      sprang up the side of the 'Créole' before the crew could fasten the
+      grapples. <i>Tonnerre de Dieu!</i> what a moment it was! The fellows
+      cheered like madmen, as they poured in to certain death; the lieutenant
+      himself was one of the first on board, and fell back the same instant,
+      dead upon his own deck. The struggle was a bloody but brief one; for a few
+      minutes the English pressed our men back, and gained a footing on the
+      quarterdeck, but a murderous fire from the tops cut them down in numbers,
+      and they now fought, not for victory, but vengeance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Now, Captain, now!' screamed a youth, in a lieutenant's uniform, but all
+      covered with blood, and his face gashed with a cutlass-wound, as he leaned
+      over the bulwark of the 'Créole,' and waved his cap in the air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I'm ready,' replied the English commander, and sprang down the main
+      hatchway as he spoke, with a pistol in his hand. At the same instant, a
+      fearful cry burst forth from the prisoners; for, with the instinct of
+      despair, they guessed his desperate resolve was to blow up the vessel. We
+      were tied, wrist to wrist, and the rope run through the blocks at our back
+      in such a way as to prevent our moving more than a few inches. But what
+      will not the fear of a dreadful death do? With one unanimous effort we
+      tore the lashings in pieces, and got free. I was myself the first at
+      liberty, and sprang towards the 'Creole.' Alas! they had divined the awful
+      doom awaiting us, and were endeavoring to shove off at once. Already there
+      were some ten or twelve feet between the vessels. I rushed forward to gain
+      the bowsprit, a vague hope of escape suggesting the effort. As I did so,
+      my eyes caught sight of a book, which, with his hat, the captain threw
+      from him as he hastened below. I stooped down and put it in my bosom,&mdash;why,
+      I know not. Life, and life only, was my thought at that moment. Then, with
+      lightning's speed, I ran along the deck, and out on the bowsprit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At this instant, the frigate shot ahead of us; I made a leap, the last
+      effort of despair, and caught the fluke of the anchor; a friendly hand
+      threw me a rope and dragged me on the deck. As I gained it, a thunderclap,
+      louder than ten broadsides, broke forth, and the frigate fell over on one
+      side as if sinking; while over her rigging and her masts flew spars and
+      timbers, blazing and burning, amid a black smoke that filled the air on
+      every side. Every man about dropped wounded or terrified on the deck,
+      where they lay amid the falling fire of the wreck, and the terrible
+      carnage. I wiped the blood from my eyes, for I was bleeding profusely from
+      a splinter cut, and looked about me. The deck was a mass of dead and
+      dying; their piercing cries and groans were maddening to hear. The
+      frigate, however, was flying fast through the water; the 'Fawn' was gone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Tête-bleue!</i> he blew her up?&rdquo; said three or four in a breath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Paul nodded, and resumed:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, Comrades, and the half-dozen of her crew who stood alive on our
+      quarterdeck cheered the explosion as if it was a victory; and one fellow,
+      as he lay bleeding on the planks, cried out, 'See, there; look, if our gay
+      flag is not high above yours, as it always will be! 'And that time he was
+      right, for the spar that bore it was nigh the clouds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, to finish my story: In eight days we made Brest, and all of us who
+      were wounded were sent on shore to the naval hospital. A sorry set we
+      were; most of us disabled by splinter-wounds, and many obliged to suffer
+      amputation. I was about again sooner than the rest, and was sent for one
+      morning on board the admiral's ship, to give some account of the 'Fawn,'
+      of which they never could hear enough; and when I came to that part where
+      I made my escape, they all began a-laughing at my stopping to take up a
+      book at such a moment. And one of the lieutenants said, jokingly,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Well, Paul, I suppose it was the Englishman's breviary saved your life,
+      was n't it?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, Lieutenant,' said I; 'but you 'd be mighty proud this day to have
+      that same breviary in your possession.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'How so, good fellow?' said the admiral himself, old Villaret Joyeuse,
+      who always talked like one of ourselves. 'What is this book, then, that is
+      so precious?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'I 'll show it you, sir, because I 've no fear of foul play at your
+      hands; but there's not another man of the fleet I 'd let see it,' And with
+      that I took it out of my breast, where I always carried it, and gave it to
+      him. Ah! if you'd seen his face,&mdash;how it flushed up as he turned over
+      the leaves, and how his eyes sparkled with fire!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Paul Dupont,' said he, 'are you aware what this is?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Yes, Admiral,' said I, 'as well as you are.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Your fortune's made, then, my brave fellow,' said he, slapping me on the
+      shoulder. 'The finest frigate in the English navy is a less prize than
+      this.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Mille tonnerres!</i> how the others stared at me then. But I stood
+      without minding how they looked, for I was the same Paul Dupont they
+      laughed at a few minutes before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Meanwhile the admiral laid down the book on the table, and covered it
+      with his cocked hat; and then taking a pen he wrote some lines on a piece
+      of paper before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Will that do, Paul?' said he, handing it towards me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was just this: 'Bureau of the Marine, Brest. Pay Paul Dupont the sum
+      of ten thousand francs, for service rendered to his Imperial Majesty, and
+      attested in a note by me Villaret Joyeuse, Admiral of France.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I could scarce read the lines, Comrades, for pure passion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Ten thousand francs!' said I at last, as soon as I found breath,&mdash;'ten
+      thousand francs!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'What!' cried the admiral, 'not content? Well, then, thou shalt have
+      more; but I have rarely met one of your cloth with so mercenary a spirit.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Stay, Admiral,' said I, as I saw him about to write a new order; 'we
+      both are in an error here. You mistake me, and I you. An old admiral of
+      the fleet ought to know his sailors better than to think that money is
+      their highest reward; it never was so at least with Paul Dupont Let me
+      have my book again.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Come, come, Paul; I believe I understand you now,' laid he. 'Your
+      warrant shall be made out this day.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'No, Admiral, it's too late,' said I. 'If that had come first, and from
+      yourself, all well; but it looks like a bargain now, and I 'll not have
+      promotion that way.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Mort du diable!' said he, stamping with passion. 'But they 're all the
+      same; these Bretons are as brutal in their obstinacy as their own cattle.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'You say true, Admiral,' said I; 'but if they're obstinate in wrong,
+      they're resolute in right. You are a Breton gentleman; give me back my
+      book.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Take it,' said he, flinging it at me, 'and let me never see your face
+      again.' And with that he left the cabin, and banged the door after him in
+      a rage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so, I went my way, Comrades, back to my ship, and served for many a
+      long year after, carrying that book always in my breast, and thinking to
+      myself, 'Well, what if thou art only a boatswain, Paul; thou hast
+      wherewithal in thy keeping to make thee a commodore any day.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what can it be, then, this book?&rdquo; said the party, in a breath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall see,&rdquo; said Paul, solemnly; &ldquo;for though I have never shown it
+      since, nor have I ever told the story before, here it is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With these words he drew from his bosom a small square volume, bound in
+      vellum, and fastened by a clasp; lettered on the cover, &ldquo;Signals of the
+      Channel Fleet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This was the secret of honest Paul's life; and as he turned over the
+      leaves, he expatiated with eloquent delight on the various British emblems
+      which were represented there, in all their brilliant coloring.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That double streak of yellow on the black is to make all sail, Comrades,&rdquo;
+       said he. &ldquo;Whenever they see us standing out to sea you may remark that
+      signal flying.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what is this large blue flag here, with all the colored bars across
+      it?&rdquo; said one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay,&rdquo; cried another, &ldquo;they're very fond of that ensign; what can it be?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Close action,&rdquo; growled out Paul, sullenly, who didn't fancy even the
+      reflective praise this question implied to the hated rival.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Sacrebleu!</i>&rdquo; said a third, &ldquo;they've no other to announce a victory.
+      Look here; it is the same flag for both.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Paul shut up the book at this, with a muttered curse, which might have
+      been intended either for his comrades or the English, or both together,
+      and the whole party became suddenly silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was now that the landlord's tact became conspicuous; for instead of any
+      condoling expressions on what might have been deemed the unsuccessful
+      result of Paul's career, he affected to think that the brave seaman was
+      more to be envied for the possession of that volume than if he walked the
+      deck an admiral of France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This flattery, aided by a fresh supply of Burgundy, had full success; and
+      from story-telling the party fell to singing,&mdash;the songs being only a
+      more boastful detail of their prowess at sea than their prose narratives;
+      and even here Paul maintained his supremacy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sleep, however, stronger than self-glorification and pride, fell on the
+      party one by one, and they lay down at last on the tables and benches, and
+      slumbered heavily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0031" id="link2HCH0031">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXI. A MOONLIGHT RECOGNITION
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      I sat on my bed in the little chamber allotted me, and as the bright
+      moonlight streamed along the floor, and lit up the wide landscape without,
+      I hesitated within myself whether I should await the morning, or at once
+      set forth on my way to the coast. It was true the abbé had not arrived;
+      and without him I knew nothing of the vessel, nor where she lay, much less
+      by what means I should induce the crew to receive me as a passenger. But
+      my heart was fixed on gaining the coast; once there, I felt that the sea
+      alone rolled between me and my country, and I had little doubt some means
+      of escape would present itself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The desire to return to Ireland, long stilled, was now become a passion. I
+      thought some new career must there open for me, and in its active
+      vicissitudes I should make amends for the wearisome languor of my late
+      life. What this novel path was to be, and where to lead, I cannot say; nor
+      am I able now, in looking back, to guess by what sophistry I persuaded
+      myself into this belief. It was the last ray of hope within me, however,
+      and I cherished it only the more fondly for its very uncertainty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I sat thus deliberating with myself what course to take, the door was
+      cautiously opened, and the landlord entered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is come,&rdquo; whispered he; &ldquo;and, thank Heaven! not too late.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The abbé?&rdquo; inquired I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, not the abbé; but the Comte de Chambord. The abbé will not venture;
+      but it matters not, if you will. The letters are all ready; the sloop is
+      off the coast; the wind is fair&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And not a moment to be lost,&rdquo; added a deep, low voice, as the figure of a
+      tall man, wrapped in a travelling cloak, darkened the doorway. &ldquo;Leave us,
+      Pierre; this is the gentleman, I suppose?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; said the landlord. &ldquo;Should you need a light, I 'll bring one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, friend; we can dispense with any, save what the moon affords
+      us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As the door closed on the retiring figure of the host, the stranger took
+      his place beside me on the bed, and in a low voice thus began:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I only know, sir, that you have the full confidence of one of my
+      stanchest and best friends, who tells me that you are willing to incur
+      great risk, provided you gain the chance of reaching your native land.
+      That chance&mdash;nay, I will call it that certainty&mdash;lies in my
+      power; and, in return for the assistance, are you willing to do me a
+      service?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I served the Emperor, sir; ask me not anything unworthy of one who wore
+      his epaulette. Aught else, if it be but honorable and fair, I 'll do.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no leisure for casuistry, nor is it my humor, sir,&rdquo; replied he
+      angrily. &ldquo;Neither do I seek any wondrous devotion at your hands. The
+      service is an easy one: costs nothing at the present; involves nothing for
+      the future.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The slight value you place upon it may detract but little from my
+      objection,&rdquo; said I.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Sacré ciel!</i>&rdquo; exclaimed he, in a louder voice, as he sprang from
+      the bed and clasped his hands before him. &ldquo;Is it to be ever thus? Is every
+      step we take to be marred by some unlooked for casualty? Is the stamp of
+      fear and vacillation to be on every act of our lives? This abbé, the
+      creature we have made, the man whose fortune is our handiwork, could
+      render but one service to our cause; and he fails us in our need. And now,
+      you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Beware, sir, how you speak to one who has never been accustomed to hear
+      his name slightingly used nor his honor impugned. With your cause,
+      whatever it be, I have no sympathy. Remember that; and remember, also, we
+      are strangers to each other.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, <i>par Saint Denis!</i> that we are not!&rdquo; said he, seizing me by the
+      arm, as he turned his head round, and stared me steadfastly in the face.
+      &ldquo;It was but this instant I deemed my fortune at the worst; and now I find
+      myself mistaken. Do you know me now?&rdquo; said he, throwing off his travelling
+      cap, and letting his cloak fall from his shoulders to the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;De Beauvais!&rdquo; exclaimed I, thunderstruck at the sight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; the same De Beauvais whose fortunes you have blighted, whose
+      honor you have tarnished&mdash;Interrupt me not. The mill at Hôlbrun
+      witnessed the latter, if even the former were an error; and now we meet
+      once more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not as enemies, however; at least on my side. You may persist, if you
+      will, in attributing to me wrongs I never inflicted. I can better bear the
+      imputation, unjust though it be, than involve myself in any quarrel with
+      one I feel no anger towards. I was in hopes a few hours hence might have
+      seen me on my way from France forever; but here, or elsewhere, I will not
+      reply to your enmity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      De Beauvais made no reply as I concluded, but with his arms crossed, and
+      head bent down, seemed lost in thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so,&rdquo; said he, at length, in a slow, sad voice, &ldquo;you have not found
+      the service of the Usurper as full of promise as you hoped; you have
+      followed his banner long enough to learn how mean a thing even ambition
+      may be, and how miserably selfish is the highest aspiration of an
+      adventurer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor was my good master,&rdquo; said I, sternly; &ldquo;it would ill become me
+      to vent my disappointment on aught save my own demerits.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have seen as slight deservings bring a high reward, notwithstanding,&rdquo;
+       replied he; &ldquo;ay, and win their meed of praise from lips whose eulogy was
+      honor. There was a service, Burke&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stay, no more of this!&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;You are unjust to your own cause and to
+      me, if you deem that the hour of baffled hopes is that in which I could
+      see its justice. <i>You</i> are true and faithful to one whose fortunes
+      look darkly. I respect the fidelity, while I will not follow its dictates.
+      I leave the path where fame and riches abound; I only ask you to believe
+      that I do so with honor. Let us part, then.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where do you mean to go, hence?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know not; a prospect of escape had led me hither. I must now bethink me
+      of some other course.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Burke, I am your debtor for one kindness, at least,&rdquo; said De Beauvais,
+      after a brief pause. &ldquo;You saved my life at the risk of your own. The night
+      at the Château d'Ancre should never be forgotten by me; nor had it been,
+      if I did not revenge my own disappointed hopes, in not seducing you to our
+      cause, upon yourself. It may be that I wrong you in everything as in
+      this.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Believe me, that you do, De Beauvais.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be it as it may, I am your debtor. I came here to-night to meet one who
+      had pledged himself to perform a service. He has failed in his promise;
+      will you take his place? The same means of escape shall be yours. All the
+      precautions for his safety and sure conduct shall be taken in your behalf.
+      I ask no pledge for the honorable discharge of what I seek at your hands,
+      save your mere assent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it you require of me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That you deliver these letters to their several addresses; that you do so
+      with your own hands; that when questioned, as you may be, on the state of
+      France, you will not answer as the partisan of the Usurper.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand you. Enough: I refuse your offer. Your zeal for the cause
+      you serve must indeed be great when it blinds you to all consideration for
+      one placed as I am.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It has made me forget more, sir, far more than that, as I might prove to
+      you, were I to tell what my life has been for two years past. But for such
+      forgetfulness there is an ample recompense, a glorious one,&mdash;the
+      memory of our king.&rdquo; He paused at these words, and in his tremulous voice
+      and excited gesture I could read the passion that worked within him.
+      &ldquo;Come, then; there shall be no more question of a compact between us. I
+      ask no conditions, I seek for no benefits: you shall escape. Take my
+      horse; my servant, who is also mounted, will accompany you to Beudron,
+      where you will find fresh horses in readiness. This passport will prevent
+      all interruption or delay; it is countersigned by Fouché himself. At
+      Lisieux, which you will reach by sunset, you can leave the cattle, and the
+      boy of the cabaret will be your guide to the Falaise de Biville. The tide
+      will ebb at eleven o'clock, and a rocket from the sloop will be your
+      signal to embark.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And for this I can render nothing in return?&rdquo; said I, sadly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes. It may be that in your own country you will hear the followers of
+      our king scoffed at and derided,&mdash;called fools or fanatics, perhaps
+      worse. I would only ask of you to bear witness that they are at least
+      ardent in the cause they have sworn to uphold, and firm to the faith to
+      which they have pledged themselves. This is the only service you can
+      render us, but it is no mean one. And now, farewell!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Farewell, De Beauvais! But ere we separate forever, let me hear from your
+      lips that you bear me no enmity; that we are friends, as we used to be.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is my hand. I care not if you injured me once; we can be friends
+      now, for we are little likely to meet again as enemies. Adieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While De Beauvais left the room to order the horses to be in readiness,
+      the landlord entered it, and seemed to busy himself most eagerly in
+      preparing my knapsack for the road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I trust you will be many a mile hence ere the day breaks,&rdquo; said he, with
+      an anxiety I could ill comprehend, but which at the time I attributed to
+      his desire for the safety of one intrusted with an important mission. &ldquo;And
+      now, here come the horses.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A moment more, and I was seated in the saddle. A brief word at parting was
+      all De Beauvais spoke, and turned away; and the minute after I was
+      hurrying onward towards Beudron.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0032" id="link2HCH0032">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXII. THE FALAISE DE BIVILLE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Everything occurred as De Beauvais had predicted. The authorities in the
+      little villages we passed glanced at my passport, and as instantaneously
+      handed it back, and we journeyed like couriers of the Emperor, without
+      halt or impediment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We reached Lisieux early in the evening, where, having dismissed the
+      servant and horses, I took my way on foot towards a small fishing village,
+      called La Hupe, where at a certain cabaret I was to find my guide to
+      Biville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The address of the sailor written on a card, and marked with a peculiar
+      cipher by De Beauvais, was at once recognized by the old Norman, who
+      welcomed me with a rude but kindly hospitality.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou art more like a man to make this venture than the last three who
+      came down here,&rdquo; said he, as he slowly measured me with his eye from head
+      to foot. &ldquo;These priests they sent us never dared even to look at the
+      coast, much less to descend the cliffs; but thou hast a look about thee of
+      another fashion. And now, the first thing is to have something to eat, and
+      I promise thee a <i>goutte</i> of brandy will not be amiss to prepare thee
+      for what is before thee.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is there, then, so much of danger in the descent?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not if a man's head be steady and his hand firm; but he must have both,
+      and a stout heart to guide them, or the journey is not over-pleasant. Art
+      thou cool enough in time of peril to remember what has been told thee for
+      thy guidance?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; I hope I can promise so much.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then thou art all safe; so eat away, and leave the rest to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Although the sailor's words had stimulated my curiosity in the highest
+      degree, I repressed every semblance of the feeling, and ate my supper with
+      a well-feigned appearance of easy indifference; while he questioned me
+      about the hopes of the Bourbon party in their secret machinations, with a
+      searching inquisitiveness that often nearly baffled all my ingenuity in
+      reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! <i>par Saint Denis!</i>&rdquo; said he, with a deep sigh, &ldquo;I see well thou
+      hast small hope now; and, in truth, I feel as thou dost. When George
+      Cadoudal and his brave fellows failed, where are we to look for success? I
+      mind well the night he supped here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here, said you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, where you sit now,&mdash;on the same seat. There was an English
+      officer with him. He wore a blue uniform, and sat yonder, beneath that
+      fishing-net; the others were hid along the shore.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Was it here they landed, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, to be sure, at the Falaise; there is not another spot to land on for
+      miles along the coast.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old sailor then began a circumstantial account of the arrival of
+      George and his accomplices from England; and told how they had one by one
+      scaled the cliffs by means of a cord, well known in these parts, called
+      the &ldquo;smuggler's rope.&rdquo; &ldquo;Thou shalt see the spot now,&rdquo; added he, &ldquo;for
+      there's the signal yonder.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He pointed as he spoke to an old ruined tower, which crowned a cliff about
+      half a mile distant, and from a loophole in which I could see a branch of
+      ivy waving, as though moved by the wind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what may that mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The cutter is in sight; as the wind is off shore, she 'll be able to come
+      in close to-night. Indeed, if it blew from the westward, she dared not
+      venture nearer, nor thou, either, go down to meet her. So, now let's be
+      moving.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      About twenty minutes' walking brought us to the old signal-tower, on
+      looking from the window of which I beheld the sea plashing full three
+      hundred feet beneath. The dark rocks, fissured by time and weather, were
+      abrupt as a wall, and in some places even overhung the waves that rolled
+      heavily below. Masses of tangled seaweed and shells, which lay in the
+      crevices of the cliffs, showed where in times of storm the wild waters
+      were thrown; while lower down, amid fragments of rocks, the heavy beams
+      and planks of shipwrecked vessels surged with every motion of the tide.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You cannot see the cutter now,&rdquo; said the old sailor,&mdash;&ldquo;the setting
+      sun leaves a haze over the sea; but in a few minutes more we shall see
+      her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am rather looking for the pathway down this bold cliff,&rdquo; replied I, as
+      I strained my eyes to catch something like a way to descend by.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then throw thine eyes in this direction,&rdquo; said the sailor, as he pointed
+      straight down beneath the window of the tower. &ldquo;Seest thou that chain
+      there? Well, follow it a little farther, and thou may'st mark a piece of
+      timber jutting from the rock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I see it plainly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, the path thou asketh for is beneath that spar. It is a good rope of
+      stout hemp, and has carried the weight of many a brave fellow before now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The smuggler's rope?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The same. Art afraid to venture, now thou seest the place?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You'll not find me so, friend. I have seen danger as close before now,
+      and did not blink it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mark me well, then,&rdquo; said he, laying his hand on my arm. &ldquo;When thou
+      readiest that rope, thou wilt let thyself cautiously down to a small
+      projecting point of rock; we cannot see it here, but thou wilt soon
+      discern it in the descent. The rope from this goes no farther, for that
+      spot is nigh sixty fathom below us. From thence the cliff slopes sharply
+      down about thirty or forty feet. Here thou must creep cautiously,&mdash;for
+      the moss is dry and slippery at this season,&mdash;till thou nearest the
+      edge. Mark me well, now: near the edge thou'lt find a large stone
+      fast-rooted in the ground; and around that another rope is fastened, by
+      which thou may'st reach the bottom of the precipice. There is but one
+      place of peril in the whole.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The sloping bank, you mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; that bit will try thy nerve. Remember, if thy foot slip, there's
+      nothing to stop thy fall; the cliff is rounded over the edge, and the blue
+      sea beats two hundred feet below it. And see! look yonder, far away there!
+      Seest thou the twinkling, as of a small star, on the water?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The cutter will throw up a rocket, will she not?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A rocket!&rdquo; repeated he, contemptuously; &ldquo;that's some landsman's story
+      thou hast been listening to. A rocket would bring the whole fleet of boats
+      from Tréport on her. No, no; they know better than that: the faintest
+      glimmer of a fishing-craft is all they 'll dare to show. But see how
+      steadily it burns now! we must make the signal seawards.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Halloo, Joseph! a light there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A boy's voice answered from the upper part of the tower,&mdash;the same
+      figure who made the signal towards the shore, and whose presence there I
+      had altogether forgotten; and in a few minutes a red glare on the rocks
+      below showed that the old man's command was obeyed, and the beacon
+      lighted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! they see it already,&rdquo; cried he, triumphantly, pointing seawards;
+      &ldquo;they've extinguished the light now, but will show it again, from time to
+      time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But tell me, friend, how happens it that the marines of the Guard, who
+      line this coast, do not perceive these signals?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who tells thee that they do not? They may be looking, as we are now,
+      at that same craft, and watching Her as she beats in shore; but they know
+      better than to betray us. Ah, <i>ma foi!</i> the 'contrebande' is better
+      than the Government. Enough for them if they catch some poor English
+      prisoner now and then, and have him shot; that contents the Emperor, as
+      they call him, and he thinks the service all that is brave and vigilant.
+      But as to us, it is our own fault if we fall in with them; it would need
+      the rocket you spoke of a while ago to shame them into it. There, look
+      again,&mdash;thou seest how far in shore they've made already; the cutter
+      is stealing fast along the water. Answer the signal, Joseph.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The boy replenished the fire with some dry wood, and it blazed up
+      brilliantly, illuminating the gray cliffs and dark rocks, on which the
+      night was fast falling, but leaving all beyond its immediate sphere in
+      deepest blackness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I see not, friend, by what means I am to discover this sloping cliff,
+      much less guide my way along it,&rdquo; said I, as I gazed over the precipice,
+      and tried to penetrate the gloomy abyss below me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou 'lt have the moon at full in less than two hours; and if thou 'lt
+      take a friend's counsel, thou 'lt have a sleep ere that time. Lay thee
+      down yonder on those rushes; I 'll awake thee when time comes for it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The rather that I resolved to obey my old guide in his every direction,
+      than from any desire for slumber at such a time, I followed his advice,
+      and threw myself full length in a corner of the tower. In the perfect
+      stillness of the hour, the sea alone was heard, surging in slow, minute
+      peals through many a deep cavern below; and then, gathering for fresh
+      efforts, it swelled and beat against the stern rocks in passionate fury.
+      Such sounds, heard in the silence of the night, are of the saddest; nor
+      was their influence lightened by the low, monotonous chant of the old
+      sailor, who, seated in a corner, began to repair a fishing-net, as he sang
+      to himself some ditty of the sea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      How strangely came the thought to my mind, that all the peril I once
+      incurred to reach France, the hoped-for, wished-for land, I should again
+      brave to escape from its shores! Every dream of boyish ambition
+      dissipated, every high hope flown, I was returning to my country as poor
+      and humble as I left it, but with a heart shorn of all the enthusiasm that
+      gave life its coloring. In what way I could shape my future career I was
+      not able even to guess; a vague leaning to some of England's distant
+      colonies, some new world beyond the seas, being all my imagination could
+      frame of my destiny. A sudden flash of light, illuminating the whole
+      interior of the tower, startled me from my musings, while the sailor
+      called out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, wake up, friend! The cutter is standing in close, and a signal to
+      make haste flying from her mast.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I sprang to my legs, and looked out. The sea was all freckled with the
+      moonlight, and the little craft shone like silver, as the bright beams
+      glanced on her white sails. The tall cliffs alone preserved their gloom,
+      and threw a dark and frowning shadow over the waves beneath them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can see nothing close to shore,&rdquo; said I, pointing to the dark rocks
+      beneath the window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou'lt have the moon presently; she's rising above the crest of the
+      hill, and then the cliffs are clear as at noonday. So, make haste! strap
+      on that knapsack on your shoulder; high up, mind; and give thine arms full
+      play,&mdash;that's it. Now fasten thy shoes over all; thou wert not about
+      to wear them, surely?&rdquo; said he in a tone almost derisive. &ldquo;Take care, in
+      keeping from the face of the rock, not to sway the rope; it wears the
+      cordage. And, above all, mind well when thou reachest the cliff below; let
+      not thy hold go before thou hast well felt thy footing. See, the moon is
+      up already!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, a vast sheet of yellow light seemed to creep over the whole
+      face of the precipice, displaying every crag and projection, and making
+      every spot of verdure or rock brilliant in color; while, many a fathom
+      down below, the heavy waves were seen,&mdash;now rising in all their
+      majestic swell, now pouring back in their thousand cataracts from every
+      fissure in the precipice. So terribly distinct did each object show, so
+      dreadfully was each distance marked, I felt that all its former gloom and
+      darkness were not one half so thrilling as that moonlight splendor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;La bonne Marie guard thee now!&rdquo; said the old seaman, as he wrung my hand
+      in his strong fingers. &ldquo;Be steady and cool of head, and there is no
+      danger; and look not downwards till thou hast got accustomed to the
+      cliff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he said this, he opened a small door at the foot of the tower stair,
+      and passing through himself, desired me to follow. I did so, and now found
+      myself on a narrow ledge of rock, directly over the crag; below, at about
+      ten feet, lay the chain to which the rope was attached, and to reach it
+      was not the least perilous part of the undertaking. But in this I was
+      assisted by the old man, who, passing a rope through a massive iron
+      staple, gradually lowered me till my hand came opposite the chain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou hast it now,&rdquo; cried he, as he saw me disengage one hand and grasp
+      the iron links firmly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, all safe! Good-by, friend; good-by!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wait yet,&rdquo; cried he again. &ldquo;Let not go the cord before thou thinkest a
+      minute or so; I have known more than one change his mind when he felt
+      himself where thou art.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mine is made up. Farewell!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stay, stay!&rdquo; shouted he rapidly. &ldquo;See, thou hast forgotten this purse on
+      the rock here; wait, and I will lower it with a cord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time I had grasped the chain firmly with both hands, and with the
+      resolve of one who felt life depend on his own firmness, I began the
+      descent. The old man's voice, as he muttered a prayer for my safety, grew
+      fainter and fainter, till at length it ceased to reach my ears altogether.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, for the first time, did my heart sink within me. The words of one
+      human being, faint and broken by distance, suggested a sense of sympathy
+      which nerved my courage and braced my arm; but the dreary silence that
+      followed, only broken by the booming of the sea below, was awful beyond
+      measure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hand below hand I went, the space seeming never to lessen, as I strained
+      my eyes to catch the cliff where the first rope ended. Time, as in some
+      fearful dream, seemed protracted to years long; and I already anticipated
+      the moment when, my strength failing, my hands would relinquish their
+      hold, and I should be dashed upon the dark rocks below. The very
+      sea-birds, which I startled in my descent, wheeled round my head, piercing
+      the air with their shrill cries, and as if impatient for a prey. Above my
+      head the frowning cliff beetled darkly; below, a depth unfathomable seemed
+      to stretch, from whose black abyss arose the wild sounds of beating waves.
+      More than once, too, I thought that the rope had given way above, and that
+      I was actually falling through the air,&mdash;and held my breath in
+      horror; then, again, the idea flashed upon me that death inevitable
+      awaited me, and I fancied in the singing billows I could hear the wild
+      shouts of demons rejoicing over my doom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Through all these maddening visions, the instinct to preserve my life held
+      its strong sway, and I clutched the knotted rope with the eager grasp of a
+      drowning man; when suddenly I felt my foot strike a rock beneath, and then
+      discovered I was on the cliff of which the sailor had told me. In a few
+      seconds the sense of security imparted a thrill of pleasure to my heart,
+      and I uttered a prayer of thankfulness for my safety.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the fearful conviction of greater danger as suddenly succeeded. The
+      rope I had so long trusted terminated here; the end hung listlessly on the
+      rock, and from thence to the brow of the cliff nothing remained to afford
+      a grip save the short moss and the dried ferns withered with the sun. The
+      surface of this frightful ledge sloped rapidly towards the edge where was
+      the rock around which the rope was tied.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fatigued by my previous exertion I sat down on that moss-grown cliff and
+      gazed out upon the sea, along which the cutter came, proudly dashing the
+      spray from her bows, and bending gracefully with every wave. She was
+      standing fearlessly in, for the wind was off the land, and, as she swept
+      along, I could have fancied her directly beneath my very feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Arousing myself from the momentary stupor of my faculties, I began to
+      creep down the cliff; but so slippery had the verdure become by heat, that
+      I could barely sustain myself by grasping the very earth with my fingers.
+      Aloud &ldquo;Halloo!&rdquo; was shouted from the craft, and arose in many an echo
+      around me; I tried to reply, but could not. A second cheer saluted me, but
+      I did not endeavor to answer it. The moment was full of peril. I had come
+      to the last spot which offered a hold, and below me, at some feet, lay the
+      rock, hanging, as it were, over the precipice; it seemed to me as though a
+      sea-bird's weight might have sent it thundering into the depth beneath.
+      The moon was on it, and I could see the rope coiled twice around it, and
+      knotted carefully. What would I have given in that terrible minute for one
+      tuft of grass, one slender bough, even enough to have sustained my weight
+      for a second or two, until I should grasp the cord! But none was there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A louder cry from the cutter now rang in my ears, and the dreadful thought
+      of destruction now flashed on me. I fixed my eyes on the rock to measure
+      the place; and then, turning with my face towards the cliff, I suffered
+      myself to slip downwards. At first I went slowly; then faster and faster.
+      At last my legs passed over the brow of the precipice. I was falling! My
+      head reeled. I uttered a cry, and in an agony of despair threw out my
+      hands. They caught the rope. Knot after knot slipped past my fingers in
+      the descent ere my senses became sufficiently clear to know what was
+      occurring. But even then the instinct of self-preservation was stronger
+      than reason; for I afterwards learned from the boat's crew with what skill
+      I guided myself along the face of the cliff, avoiding every difficulty of
+      the jagged rocks, and tracking my way like the most experienced climber.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I stood upon a broad fiat rock, over which white sheets of foam were
+      dashing. Oh, how I loved to see them curling on my feet t I could have
+      kissed the bright water on which the moonbeams sported, for the moment of
+      danger was passed; the shadow of a dreadful death had moved from my soul.
+      What cared I now for the boiling surf that toiled and fretted about me?
+      The dangers of the deep were as nothing to that I escaped from; and when
+      the cutter's boat came bounding towards me, I minded not the oft-repeated
+      warnings of the sailors, but plunging in, I dashed towards her on a
+      retreating wave, and was dragged on board almost lifeless from my
+      struggles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The red glare of the signal-fire was blazing from the old tower as we got
+      under weigh. I felt my eyes riveted on it as I lay on the deck of the
+      little vessel, which now stood out to sea in gallant style. It was my last
+      look of France, and so I felt it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0033" id="link2HCH0033">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIII. THE LANDING
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      With the crew of the cutter I had little intercourse. They were Jerseymen,&mdash;that
+      hybrid race, neither French nor English,&mdash;who followed the trade of
+      spies and smugglers, and were true to nothing save their own interests.
+      The skipper, a coarse, ill-featured fellow, in no respect superior to the
+      others, leisurely perused the letter De Beauvais gave me on my departure;
+      then, tearing it slowly, threw the pieces into the fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, then, is this?&rdquo; said he, taking up a sealed packet, which I now for
+      the first time perceived was fastened to my knapsack. &ldquo;It seems meant for
+      me; look at the address, 'Jacques Oloquette, on board the &ldquo;Rouge
+      Galant."'&rdquo; And so saying, he broke the seal, and bent over the contents.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; cried he, in a voice of triumphant delight, &ldquo;this is a prize worth
+      having,&mdash;the English signal-book!&rdquo; And he held up the little volume
+      which Paul Dupont had rescued from the &ldquo;Fawn.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How came it here?&rdquo; said I, horror-struck at the loss the poor sailor had
+      sustained.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Old Martin, of the 'Star,' tells me he stole it from a marine of the
+      Guard, and that it cost him twenty-four flasks of his best Pomard before
+      the fellow and his companions were drunk enough to make the theft
+      practicable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I remembered at once the eagerness of the landlord for my departure, and
+      the hurried anxiety of his wish that morning might find me miles off on my
+      journey, as well as the care he bestowed on strapping my knapsack, and saw
+      how all had occurred.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I knew most of them already,&rdquo; continued the skipper. &ldquo;But here is one
+      will serve our turn well now,&mdash;the very thing we wanted, for it saves
+      all delay and stoppage. That flag is the signal for Admiralty despatches,
+      which are often brought by small craft like ours when they can't spare
+      cruisers. We 'll soon rig it out, you 'll see, and run down Channel with
+      all our canvas set.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He went aft as he spoke; and in a few seconds the cutter's head was
+      directed straight towards the English coast, while, crowding on more sail,
+      she seemed to fly through the water.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The cheering freshness of the sea-breeze, the sense of danger past, the
+      hope of escape, all combining, raised my spirits and elevated my courage;
+      but through all, I felt grieved beyond measure at the loss of poor Paul
+      Dupont,&mdash;the prize the honest fellow valued next to life itself, if
+      not above it, taken from him in the very moment of his exultation!
+      Besides, I could not help feeling that suspicion must light on me from my
+      sudden disappearance; and my indignation was deep, to think how such an
+      imputation would tarnish the honor of that service I gloried in so much.
+      &ldquo;How far may such a calumny spread?&rdquo; thought I. &ldquo;How many lips may repeat
+      the tale, and none be able to deny it?&rdquo; Deep as was my regret at the brave
+      Breton's loss, my anger for its consequences was still deeper; and I would
+      willingly have perilled all my hope of reaching England to have been able
+      to restore the book into Paul's own hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These feelings did not tend to draw me closer in intimacy with the
+      skipper; whose pleasure at the acquisition was only heightened by the
+      subtlety of its accomplishment, and who seemed never so happy as when
+      repeating some fragment of the landlord's letter, and rejoicing at the
+      discomfiture the brave sailor must have experienced on discovering his
+      loss. To witness the gratification a coarse nature feels in some unworthy
+      but successful action, is the heaviest penalty an honorable mind can
+      experience when unhappily its possessor has been in any way accessory to
+      the result. With these reflections I fell off to sleep, and never woke
+      till the bright sun was shining over the white-crested water, and the
+      craft breasting the waves with a strong breeze upon her canvas.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we held on down Channel, we passed several ships of war beating up for
+      Spithead; but our blue bunting, curiously streaked with white, was a
+      signal which all acknowledged, and none ventured to retard. Thus passed
+      the first day: as night was falling, we beheld the Needles on our lee, and
+      with a freshening breeze, held on our course.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A second morning broke. And now the sea was covered with the white sails
+      of a magnificent fleet, bound for the West Indies; at least, so the
+      skipper pronounced it. It was indeed a glorious sight to see the mighty
+      vessels obeying the signals of the flag-ship, and shaping their course
+      through the blue water as if instinct with life and reason. They were far
+      seaward of us, however; for now we hugged the land, as the skipper was
+      only desirous of an opportunity to land me unobserved before he proceeded
+      on his own more immediate enterprise,&mdash;the smuggling of some
+      hogsheads of brandy on the coasts of Ireland.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Left to my own thoughts,&mdash;the memories of my past life,&mdash;I
+      dreamed away the hours unconsciously, and as the time sped on, I knew not
+      of its flight. Some strange sail, seen from afar off, would for an instant
+      arouse my attention; but it was a mere momentary effect, and I fell back
+      into my musings, as though they had never been interrupted. As I look back
+      upon that voyage now, and think of the dreamy listlessness in which its
+      hours were passed, I can half fancy that certain periods of our lives are
+      destined to sustain the part which night performs in our daily existence,
+      and by their monotony contribute to that renewal of energy and vigor so
+      essential after times of labor and exertion. It seemed to me as though,
+      the period of exertion past, I was regaining in rest and repose the power
+      for future action; and I canvassed every act of the past to teach me more
+      of my own heart, and to instruct me for my guidance in life after.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You can land now, whenever you please,&rdquo; said the skipper to me, as by a
+      faint moonlight we moved along the waveless sea. &ldquo;We can put you ashore at
+      any moment here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I started with as much surprise as though the thought had never occurred
+      to me; and without replying, I leaned over the bulwark, and gazed at the
+      faint shadows of tall headlands about three miles distant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How do you call that bluff yonder?&rdquo; said I, carelessly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wicklow Head.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wicklow Head! Ireland!&rdquo; cried I, with a thrill of ecstasy my heart had
+      never felt for many a day before. &ldquo;Yes, yes; land me there,&mdash;now, at
+      once!&rdquo; said I, as a thousand thoughts came rushing to my mind, and hopes
+      too vague for utterance, but palpable enough to cherish.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With the speed their calling teaches, the crew lowered the boat, and as I
+      took my place in the stern, pulled vigorously towards the shore. As the
+      swift bark glided along the shallow sea, I could scarce restrain my
+      impatience from springing out and rushing on land. Without family or
+      friend, without one to welcome or meet me, still it was home,&mdash;the
+      only home I ever had.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sharp keel grated on the beach; its sound vibrated within my heart. I
+      jumped on shore; a few words of parting, and the men backed their oars;
+      the boat slipped fast through the water. The cutter, too, got speedily
+      under weigh again, and I was alone. Then the full torrent of my feelings
+      found their channel, and I burst into tears. Oh! they were not tears of
+      sorrow; neither were they the outpourings of excessive joy. They were the
+      utterance of a heart loaded with its own unrelieved griefs, who now found
+      sympathy on touching the very soil of home. I felt I was no longer
+      friendless. Ireland, my own dear native country, would be to me a place of
+      kindred and family, and I fell upon my knees, and blessed it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Following a little path, which led slantingly up the cliff, I reached the
+      top as day was beginning to break, and gained a view of the country. The
+      range of swelling hills, dotted with cottages and waving with wood; the
+      fields of that emerald green one sees not in other lands; the hedge-rows
+      bounding the little farms,&mdash;all so unlike the spreading plains of
+      France,&mdash;struck me with delight, and it was with a rapture of
+      happiness I called the land my country.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Directing my steps towards Dublin, I set out at a good pace, but following
+      a path which led near the cliffs, in preference to the highroad; for I was
+      well aware that my appearance and dress would expose me to curiosity, and
+      perhaps subject me to more serious annoyance. My first object was to learn
+      some news of my brother; for although the ties of affection had been long
+      since severed between us, those of blood still remained, and I wished to
+      hear of, and it might be to see him, once more. For some miles I had kept
+      my eyes directed towards a little cabin which crowned a cliff that hung
+      over the sea; and this I reached at last, somewhat wearied and hungry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I followed a little footpath which conducted to the door, a fierce
+      terrier rushed out as if to attack me, but was immediately restrained by
+      the voice of a man within, calling, &ldquo;Down, Vicksey! down, you baste!&rdquo; and
+      the same moment a stout, middle-aged man appeared at the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don't be afeard, sir; she's not wicked, but we're unused to strangers
+      down here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should think so, friend, from my path,&rdquo; said I, throwing a glance at
+      the narrow footway I had followed for some miles, over hill and precipice;
+      &ldquo;but I am unacquainted with the country, and was looking out for some
+      house where I might obtain a breakfast.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There's a town about three miles down yonder, and a fine inn, I 'm tould,
+      sir,&rdquo; replied he, as he scrutinized my appearance with a shrewd eye; &ldquo;but
+      if I might make so bould, maybe you 'd as lief not go there, and perhaps
+      you 'd take share of what we have here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Willingly,&rdquo; said I, accepting the hospitable offer as freely as it was
+      made, and entered the cabin at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A good-featured countrywoman and some young children were seated at the
+      table, where a large dish of potatoes and some fresh fish were smoking, a
+      huge jug of milk occupying the middle of the board. The woman blushed as
+      she heard that her husband had invited a gentleman to partake of his
+      humble meal; but the honest fellow cared little for the simple fare he
+      offered with so good a grace, and placed my chair beside his own with the
+      air of one who was more anxious for his guest's comfort than caring what
+      impression he himself might make upon him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After some passing words about the season and the state of the tides,&mdash;for
+      my host was a fisherman,&mdash;I turned the conversation on the political
+      condition of the country, avowing frankly that I had been for some years
+      absent, and was ignorant of what had occurred meantime.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Twas that same I was thinking, sir,&rdquo; said he, replying to the first and
+      not the latter part of my remark. &ldquo;When I saw your honor's face, and the
+      beard you wore, I said to myself you wor a Frenchman.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You mistook there, then; I am your countryman, but have passed a good
+      many years in France.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fighting for Boney?&rdquo; said he, as his eyes opened wide with surprise to
+      behold one actually before him who might have served under Napoleon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my good friend, even so; I was in the army of the Emperor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tare an ages! then, are they coming over here now?&rdquo; cried he, almost
+      gasping in his eagerness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; replied I, gravely; &ldquo;and be thankful, too, for it, for your own
+      and your children's sakes, that you see not a war raging in the fields and
+      cities of your native land. Be assured, whatever wrongs you suffer,&mdash;I
+      will not dispute their existence, for, as I told you, I am ignorant of the
+      condition of the country,&mdash;but whatever they may be, you can pay too
+      dearly for their remedy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But sure they 'd be on our side, would n't they?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course they would; but think you that they 'd fight your battles
+      without their price? Do you believe that Frenchmen so love you here that
+      they would come to shed their blood in your cause without their own
+      prospect of advantage?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They hate the English, I'm tould, as bad as we do ourselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They do so, and with more of justice for their hate. But that dislike
+      might suffice to cause a war; it never would reward it. No, no; I know
+      something of the spirit of French conquest. I glory in the bravery and the
+      heroism that accomplished it; but I never wish to see my own country at
+      the mercy of France. Whose soldier would you become if the Emperor
+      Napoleon landed here to-morrow?&mdash;his. Whose uniform would you wear,
+      whose musket carry, whose pay receive, whose orders obey?&mdash;his, and
+      his only. And how long, think you, would your services be limited to home?
+      What should prevent your being sent away to Egypt, to Poland, or to
+      Russia? How much favor would an Irish deserter receive from a French
+      court-martial, think you? No, good friend; while you have this warm roof
+      to shelter you, and that broad sea is open for your industry and toil,
+      never wish for foreign aid to assist you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I saw that the poor fellow was discouraged by my words, and gradually led
+      him to speak of those evils for whose alleviation he looked to France. To
+      my surprise, however, he descanted less on political grievances than those
+      which affect the well-being of the country socially. It was not the
+      severity of a Government, but the absence of encouragement to industry,&mdash;the
+      neglect of the poor,&mdash;which afflicted him. England was no longer the
+      tyrant; the landlord had taken her place. Still, with the pertinacity of
+      ignorance, he visited all the wrongs on that land from which originally
+      his first misfortunes came, and with perverse ingenuity would endeavor to
+      trace out every hardship he suffered as arising from the ill-will and
+      hatred the Saxon bore him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was easy to perceive that the arguments he used were not of his own
+      devising; they had been supplied by others, in whose opinion he had
+      confidence; and though valueless and weak in reality, to him they were
+      all-convincing and unanswerable,&mdash;not the less, perhaps, that they
+      offered that value to self-love which comes from attributing any evils we
+      endure to causes outside and independent of ourselves. These, confronted
+      with extravagant hopes of what would ensue should national independence be
+      established, formed his code; and however refuted on each point, a certain
+      conviction, too deeply laid to be disturbed by any opposing force,
+      remained; and in his &ldquo;Well, well, God knows best! and maybe we'll have
+      better luck yet,&rdquo; you could perceive that he was inaccessible to any
+      appeal except from the quarter which ministered to his discontent and
+      disaffection.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One thing was clear to me from all he said, that if the spirit of open
+      resistance no longer existed towards England, it was replaced by as
+      determined and as rancorous hatred,&mdash;a brooding, ill-omened dislike
+      had succeeded, to the full as hostile, and far less easily subdued. How it
+      would end,&mdash;whether in the long-lingering fear which wastes the
+      energies and saps the strength of a people, or in the conflict of a civil
+      war, the prospect was equally ruinous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sadly pondering on these things, I parted with my humble host, and set out
+      towards the capital. If my conversation with the Irishman had taught me
+      somewhat of the state of feeling then current in Ireland, it also conveyed
+      another and very different lesson; it enabled me to take some account of
+      the change years had effected in my own sentiments. As a boy, high-flown,
+      vague, and unsettled ideas of national liberty and independence had made
+      me look to France as the emancipator of Europe. As a man, I knew that the
+      lust of conquest had extinguished the love of freedom in Frenchmen; that
+      they who trusted to her did but exchange the dominion of their old masters
+      for the tyranny of a new one; while such as boldly stepped forward in
+      defence of their liberties, found that there was neither mercy nor
+      compassion for the conquered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I had seen the Austrian prisoners and the Russian led captive through the
+      streets of Paris; I had witnessed the great capital of Prussia in its day
+      of mourning after Jena; and all my idolatry for the General scarce
+      balanced my horror of the Emperor, whose vengeance had smitten two nations
+      thus heavily: and I said within my heart, &ldquo;May my countrymen, whatever be
+      their day of need, never seek alliance with despotic France!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0034" id="link2HCH0034">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIV. A CHARACTER OF OLD DUBLIN
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      It was about nine o'clock of a calm summer evening as I entered Dublin,&mdash;nearly
+      the same hour at which, some ten years before, I had approached that city,
+      poor, houseless, friendless; and still was I the same. In that great
+      capital of my country I had not one to welcome me; not one who would
+      rejoice at my coming, or feel any interest in my fortunes. This indeed was
+      loneliness,&mdash;utter solitude. Still, if there be something which
+      weighs heavily on the heart in the isolation of one like me, there is a
+      proportionate sense of independence of his fellow-man that sustains the
+      courage and gives energy to the will. I felt this as I mixed with the
+      crowds that thronged the streets, and shrank not from the inquisitive
+      glances which my questionable appearance excited as I passed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though considerable changes had taken place in the outskirts of the
+      capital since I had seen it last, the leading thoroughfares were just as I
+      remembered them; and as I walked along Dame Street, and one by one each
+      familiar object caught my eye, I could almost have fancied the long
+      interval since I had been there before like a mere dream. National
+      physiognomy, too, has a strange effect on him who has been long absent
+      from his country. Each face you meet seems well known. The traits of
+      features, to which the eye was once so well accustomed, awake a memory of
+      individuals, and it is sometimes a moat difficult task to distinguish
+      between the acquaintance and the passing stranger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This I experienced at every moment; and at length, as I stood gazing on
+      the space before the Bank, and calling to mind the last scene I witnessed
+      there, a tall, strongly-built man brushed close past me, and then turning
+      round, fixed a steady and searching look on me. As I returned his stare, a
+      sudden thought flashed upon me that I had seen the face before; but where,
+      how, and when, I could not call to mind. And thus we stood silently
+      confronting each other for some minutes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I see you are a stranger here, sir,&rdquo; said he, touching his hat
+      courteously; &ldquo;can I be of service to you with any information as to the
+      city?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was curious to know, sir,&rdquo; said I, still more puzzled by the voice than
+      I had been by the features of the stranger, &ldquo;if Miley's Hotel, which was
+      somewhere in the neighborhood, exists still?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It does, sir; but it has changed proprietors several times since you knew
+      it,&rdquo; replied he, significantly. &ldquo;The house is yonder, where you see that
+      large lamp. I perceive, sir, I was mistaken in supposing you a foreigner.
+      I wish you good-evening.&rdquo; And again saluting me, he resumed his way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I crossed the street towards the hotel, I remarked that he turned as if
+      to watch me, and became more than ever embarrassed as to who he might be.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The doorway of the hotel was crowded with loungers and idlers of every
+      class, from the loitering man about town to the ragged newsvendor, between
+      whom, whatever disparity of condition existed, a tone of the most
+      free-and-easy condition prevailed; the newsmen interpolating, amid the
+      loud announcements of the latest intelligence, the reply to the
+      observation beside him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One figure was conspicuous in the group. He was a short, dwarfish
+      creature, with an enormous head, covered with a fell of black hair,
+      falling in masses down his back and on his shoulders. A pair of fierce,
+      fiery black eyes glared beneath his heavy brows; and a large, thick-lipped
+      mouth moved with all the glib eloquence of his class and calling.
+      Fearfully distorted legs and club feet gave to his gait a rolling motion,
+      which added to the singularity of his whole appearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Terry Regan was then at the head of his walk in Dublin; and to his
+      capacious lungs and voluble tongue were committed the announcement of
+      those great events which, from time to time, were given to the Irish
+      public through the columns of the &ldquo;Correspondent&rdquo; and the &ldquo;Dublin
+      Journal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I soon found myself in the crowd around this celebrated character, who
+      was, as usual, extolling the great value of that night's paper by certain
+      brief suggestions regarding its contents.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0019" id="linkimage-0019">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/410.jpg" alt="410 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here's the whole, full, and true account (bad luck to the less!) of the
+      great and sanguinary battle between Boney and the Roosians; with all the
+      particklars about the killed, wounded, and missing; with what Boney said
+      when it was over.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What was that, Terry?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hould yer peace, ye spalpeen! Is it to the likes of yez I 'd be telling
+      cabinet sacrets? (Here, yer honor),&mdash;'Falkner,' is it, or 'The
+      Saunders'. With the report of Mr. O'Gogorman's grand speech in Ennis on
+      the Catholic claims. There's, yer sowl, there's fippence worth any day ay
+      the week. More be token, the letter from Jemmy O'Brien to his wife, wid an
+      elegant epic poem called 'The Gauger.' Bloody news, gentlemen! bloody
+      news! Won't yez sport a tester for a sight of a real battle, and ten
+      thousand kilt; with 'The Whole Duty of an Informer, in two easy lessons.'
+      The price of stocks and shares&mdash;Ay, Mr. O'Hara, and what boroughs is
+      bringing in the market.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This last sally was directed towards a large, red-faced man, who
+      good-humoredly joined in the laugh against himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who's this, boys?&rdquo; cried the fellow, turning suddenly his piercing
+      eyes on me, as I endeavored, step by step, to reach the door of the hotel.
+      &ldquo;Hurrool look at his beard, acushla! On my conscience, I wouldn't wonder
+      if it was General Hoche himself. 'Tis late yer come, sir,&rdquo; said he,
+      addressing me directly; &ldquo;there's no fun here now at all, barrin' what
+      Beresford has in the riding-house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Get away, you ruffian!&rdquo; said a well-dressed and respectable-looking man,
+      somewhat past the middle of life; &ldquo;how dare you permit your tongue to take
+      liberties with a stranger? Allow me to make room for you, sir,&rdquo; continued
+      he, as he politely made an opening in the crowd, and suffered me to enter
+      the house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, counsellor, dear, don't be cross,&rdquo; whined out the newsvendor; &ldquo;sure,
+      isn't it wid the bad tongue we both make our bread. And here,&rdquo; vociferated
+      he once more,&mdash;&ldquo;and here ye have the grand dinner at the Lord
+      Mayor's, wid all the speeches and toasts; wid the glorious, pious, and
+      immortial memory of King William, who delivered us from Popery (by pitched
+      caps), from slavery (by whipping), from brass money (by bad ha'pence), and
+      from wooden shoes (by bare feet). Haven't we reason to bless his&mdash;?
+      Ay, the heavens be his bed! 'Tis like Molly Crownahon's husband he was.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How was that, Terry?&rdquo; asked a gentleman near.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take a 'Saunders,' yer honor, and I 'll tell you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here, then, here's fippence; and now for the explanation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Molly Crownahon, yer honor, was, like us poor craytures, always grateful
+      and contented wid the Lord's goodness to us, even in taking away our chief
+      comfort and blessing,&mdash;the darling up there on the horse! (Ah, 'tis
+      an elegant sate ye have, without stirrups!) And she went one day to say a
+      handful of prayers oyer his grave,&mdash;the husband's, ye mind,&mdash;and
+      sure if she did, when she knelt down on the grass she sprung up again as
+      quick as she went down, for the nettles was all over the place entirely.
+      'Bad scran to ye, Peter!' says she, as she rubbed her legs,&mdash;'bad
+      scran to ye! living or dead, there was always a sting in ye.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0020" id="linkimage-0020">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/414.jpg" alt="414 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      As the latter part of this speech was addressed in a tone of apostrophe to
+      the statue of King William, it was received by the assembled crowd with a
+      roar of laughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time I had entered the house, and only bethought me how little
+      suited was the great hotel of the city to pretensions as humble as mine.
+      It was now, however, too late to retreat, and I entered the coffee-room,
+      carrying my knapsack in my hand. As I passed up the room in search of a
+      vacant table, the looks of astonishment my appearance excited on each side
+      were most palpable evidences that the company considered me as an
+      interloper. While some contented themselves with a stare of steady
+      surprise, others, less guarded in their impertinence, whispered with, and
+      even winked at their neighbors, to attract attention towards me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Offensive as this unquestionably was, it amazed even more than it annoyed
+      me. In France, such a display of feeling would have been impossible; and
+      the humblest soldier of the army would not have been so received had he
+      deemed fit to enter Beauvilliers' or Véry's.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whether hurt at this conduct, and consequently more alive to affront from
+      any quarter, or that the waiters participated in the sentiments of their
+      betters, I cannot exactly say; but I certainly thought their manner even
+      less equivocally betrayed the same desire of impertinence. This was not
+      long a mere suspicion on my part; for on inquiring whether I could have a
+      room for the night, the waiter, touching my knapsack, which lay on the
+      ground beside me, with his foot, replied,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is this your luggage, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Amazement so completely mastered my indignation at this insolence, that I
+      could make no answer but by a look. This had its effect, however; and the
+      fellow, without further delay, bustled off to make the inquiry. He
+      returned in a few minutes with a civil message, that I could be
+      accommodated, and having placed before me the simple meal I ordered,
+      retired.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I sat over my supper, I could not help feeling that unless memory
+      played me false, the company were little like the former frequenters of
+      this house. I remembered it of old, when Bubbleton and his brother
+      officers came there; and when the rooms were thronged with members of both
+      Houses of Parliament,&mdash;when peers and gentlemen of the first families
+      were grouped about the windows and fireplaces, and the highest names of
+      the land were heard in the din of recognition; handsome equipages and led
+      horses stood before the doors. But now the ragged mob without was scarce a
+      less worthy successor to the brilliant display than were the company
+      within to the former visitants. A tone of pretentious impertinence, an air
+      of swagger and mock defiance,&mdash;the most opposite to the polished
+      urbanity which once prevailed,&mdash;was now conspicuous; and in their
+      loud speech and violent gesticulation, it was easy to mark how they had
+      degenerated from that high standard which made the Irish gentleman of his
+      day the most polished man of Europe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If in appearance and manner they fell far short of those my memory
+      recalled, their conversation more markedly still displayed the long
+      interval between them. Here, of old, were retailed the latest news of the
+      debate,&mdash;the last brilliant thing of Grattan, or the last biting
+      retort of Flood; here came, hot from debate, the great champions of either
+      party to relax and recruit for fresh efforts; and in the groups that
+      gathered around them you might learn how great genius can diffuse its
+      influence and scatter intelligence around it,&mdash;as the Nile waters
+      spread plenty and abundance wherever they flow: high and noble sentiments,
+      holy aspirations and eloquent thoughts, made an atmosphere, to breathe
+      which was to feel an altered nature. But now a vapid mixture of conceit
+      and slang had usurped the place of these, and a tone of vulgar
+      self-sufficiency unhappily too much in keeping with the externals of those
+      who displayed it: the miserable contentions of different factions had
+      replaced the bolder strife of opposite parties, and provincialism had put
+      its stamp on everything. The nation, too, if I might trust my ears with
+      what fell around me, had lost all memory of its once great names, and new
+      candidates for popular favor figured in their places.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such were some of the changes I could mark, even as I sat. But my
+      attention was speedily drawn from them by a circumstance more nearly
+      concerning myself. This was the appearance in the coffee-room of the
+      gentleman who first addressed me in the street.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he passed round the room, followed by a person whose inferiority was
+      evident, he was recognized by most of those present, many of whom shook
+      him warmly by the hand, and pressed him to join their parties. But this he
+      declined, as he continued to walk slowly on, scrutinizing each face as he
+      went. At last I saw his eyes turn towards me. It was scarcely a glance, so
+      rapid was it, and so quickly were his looks directed to a different
+      quarter; but I could mark that he whispered something to a person who
+      followed, and then, after carelessly turning over a newspaper on the
+      table, sauntered from the room. As he did so, the shaggy head of the dwarf
+      newsvendor peeped in, and the great black eyes took a survey of the
+      coffee-room, till finally they settled on me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah!&rdquo; cried the fellow, with a strange blending of irony and compassion in
+      his voice; &ldquo;be gorra, I knew how it would be,&mdash;the major has ye!&rdquo; At
+      this a general laugh broke out from all present, and every eye was fixed
+      on me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile the follower had taken his place nearly opposite me at the
+      table, and was busily engaged examining a paper which he had taken from
+      his pocket.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May I ask, sir, if your name be Burke?&rdquo; said he, in a low voice, across
+      the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I started with amazement to hear my name pronounced where I believed
+      myself so completely a stranger, and in my astonishment, forgot to answer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was asking, sir&mdash;&rdquo; repeated he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, you are quite correct,&rdquo; interrupted I; &ldquo;that is my name. May I beg
+      to know, in return, for what purpose you make the inquiry?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thomas Burke, sir?&rdquo; continued he, inattentive to my observation, and
+      apparently about to write the name on the paper before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I nodded, and he wrote down the words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That saves a deal of trouble to all of us, sir,&rdquo; said he, as he finished
+      writing. &ldquo;This is a warrant for your arrest; but the major is quite
+      satisfied if you can give bail for your appearance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Arrest!&rdquo; repeated I; &ldquo;on what charge am I arrested?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You'll hear in the morning, I suppose,&rdquo; said he, quietly. &ldquo;What shall we
+      say about the bail? Have you any acquaintance or friend in town?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Neither; I am a perfect stranger here. But if you are authorized to
+      arrest me, I here surrender myself at once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time, several persons of the coffee-room had approached the table,
+      and among the rest the gentleman who so politely made way for me in the
+      crowd to reach the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it, Roche?&rdquo; said he, addressing the man at the table; &ldquo;a
+      warrant?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; for this gentleman here. But we can take bail, if he has it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have told you already that I am a stranger, and know no one here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The gentleman threw his eyes over the warrant, and then looking me
+      steadily in the face, muttered in a whisper to the officer, &ldquo;Why, he must
+      have been a boy, a mere child, at the time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very true, sir; but the major says it must be done. Maybe you'd bail him
+      yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words were added in a tone of half irony, as the fellow gave a sly
+      look beneath his eyelashes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, again,&rdquo; said I, impatient at the whole scene, &ldquo;I am quite
+      ready to accompany you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is this your name, sir?&rdquo; said the strange gentleman, addressing me, as he
+      pointed to the warrant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; interposed the officer, &ldquo;there's no doubt about that; he gave it
+      himself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, then, Roche,&rdquo; said he, cajolingly; &ldquo;these are not times for
+      undue strictness. Let the gentleman remain where he is to-night, and
+      to-morrow he will attend you. You can remain here, if you like, with him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you say so, I suppose we may do it,&rdquo; replied the officer, as he folded
+      up the paper, and arose from the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes; that's the proper course. And now,&rdquo; said he, addressing me,
+      &ldquo;will you permit me to join you while I finish this bottle of claret?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I could have no objection to so pleasant a proposal; and thus, for the
+      time at least, ended this disagreeable affair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0035" id="link2HCH0035">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXV. AN UNFORSEEN EVIL
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I perceive, sir,&rdquo; said the stranger, seating himself at my table, &ldquo;they
+      are desirous to restore an antiquated custom in regard to you. I thought
+      the day of indemnities was past and gone forever.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am ignorant to what you allude.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The authorities would make you out an emissary of France, sir,&mdash;as
+      if France had not enough on her hands already, without embroiling herself
+      in a quarrel from which no benefit could accrue; not to speak of the
+      little likelihood that any one on such an errand would take up his abode,
+      as you have, in the most public hotel of Dublin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no apprehensions as to any charges they may bring against me. I am
+      conscious of no crime, saving having left my country a boy, and returning
+      to it a man.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were in the service of France, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; since 1801 I have been a soldier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So long? You must have been but a mere boy when you quitted Ireland. How
+      have they connected you with the troubles of that period?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I hesitated for a second or two, uncertain what answer, if any, I should
+      return to this abrupt question. A glance at the manly and frank expression
+      of the stranger's face soon satisfied me that no unworthy curiosity had
+      prompted the inquiry; and I told him in a few words, how, as a child, the
+      opinions of the patriotic party had won me over to embark in a cause I
+      could neither fathom nor understand. I traced out rapidly the few leading
+      events of my early career down to the last evening I spent in Ireland.
+      When I came to this part of my story, the stranger became unusually
+      attentive, and more than once questioned me respecting the origin of my
+      quarrel with Crofts, and the timely appearance of Darby; of whose name and
+      character, however, I gave him no information, merely speaking of him as
+      an old and attached follower of my family.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since that period, then, you have not been in Ireland?&rdquo; said he, as I
+      concluded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never: nor had I any intention of returning until lately, when
+      circumstances induced me to leave the Emperor's service; and from very
+      uncertainty I came back here, without well knowing why.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course, then, you have never heard the catastrophe of your adventure
+      with Crofts. It was a lucky hit for him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so? I don't understand you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Simply this: Crofts was discovered in the morning, severely wounded,
+      where you left him; his account being, that he had been waylaid by a party
+      of rebels, who had obtained the countersign of the night, and passed the
+      sentry in various disguises. You yourself&mdash;for so, at least, I
+      surmise it must have been&mdash;were designated the prime mover of the
+      scheme, and a Government reward was offered for your apprehension. Crofts
+      was knighted, and appointed to the staff,&mdash;the reward of his loyalty
+      and courage; of the exact details of which my memory is unfortunately
+      little tenacious.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the truth of the occurrence was never known?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What I have told you is the only version current. I have reason to
+      remember so much of it, for I was then, and am still, one of the legal
+      advisers of the Crown, and was consulted on the case; of which, I confess,
+      I always had my misgivings. There was a rage, however, for rewarding
+      loyalty, as it was termed at the period, and the story went the round of
+      the papers. Now, I fancy Crofts would just as soon not see you back again;
+      he has made all he can of the adventure, and would as lief have it quietly
+      forgotten.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But can I suffer it to rest here? Is such an imputation to lie on my
+      character as he would cast on me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take no steps in the matter on that score: vindication is time enough
+      when the attack is made directly; besides, where should you find your
+      witness? where is the third party who could prove your innocence, and that
+      all you did was in self-defence? Without his testimony, your story would
+      go for nothing. No, no; be well satisfied if the charge is suffered to
+      sleep, which is not unlikely. Crofts would scarcely like to confess that
+      his antagonist was little more than a child; his prowess would gain
+      nothing by the avowal. Besides, the world goes well with him latterly; it
+      is but a month ago, I think, he succeeded unexpectedly to a large landed
+      property.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The stranger, whose name was M'Dougall, continued to talk for some time
+      longer; most kindly volunteered to advise me in the difficult position I
+      found myself; and having given me his address in town, wished me a
+      goodnight and departed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was to no purpose I laid my head on my pillow. Tired and fatigued as I
+      was, I could not sleep; the prospect of fresh troubles awaiting me made me
+      restless and feverish, and I longed for day to break, that I might
+      manfully confront whatever danger was before me, and oppose a stout heart
+      to the arrows of adverse fortune. My accidental meeting with the stranger
+      also reassured my courage; and I felt gratified to think that such <i>rencontres</i>
+      in life are the sunny spots which illumine our career in the world, the
+      harbingers of bright days to come.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This feeling was still more strongly impressed on me as I entered the
+      small room on the ground-floor at the Castle, where was the secretary's
+      office, and beheld M'Dougall seated in an armchair, reading the newspaper
+      of the day. I could not help connecting his presence there with some
+      kindly intention towards me, and already regarded him as my friend. Major
+      Barton stood at the secretary's side, and whispered from time to time in
+      his ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have before me certain information, sir,&rdquo; said the secretary,
+      addressing me, &ldquo;that you were connected with parties who took an active
+      part in the late rebellion in this country, and by them sent over to
+      France to negotiate co-operation and assistance from that quarter,&rdquo;
+       (Barton here whispered something, and the secretary resumed), &ldquo;and in
+      continuance of this scheme are at present here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have only to observe, sir, that I left Ireland a mere boy, when,
+      whatever my opinions might have been, they were, I suspect, of small
+      moment to his Majesty's Government; that I have served some years in the
+      French army, during which period I neither corresponded with any one here,
+      nor had intercourse with any from Ireland; and lastly, that I have come
+      back unaccredited by any party, not having, as I believe, a single
+      acquaintance in the island.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you still hold a commission in the French service?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir; I resigned my grade as captain some time since.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What were your reasons for that step?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They were of a purely personal nature, having no concern with politics of
+      any sort; I should, therefore, ask of you not to demand them. I can only
+      say, they reflect neither on my honor nor my loyalty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His loyalty! Would you ask him, sir, how he applies the term, and to what
+      sovereign and what government the obedience is rendered?&rdquo; said Barton,
+      with a half smile of malicious meaning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very true, Barton; the question is most pertinent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When I said loyalty, sir,&rdquo; said I, in answer, &ldquo;I confess I did not
+      express myself as clearly as I intended. I meant, however, that as an
+      Irishman, and a subject of his Majesty George the Third, as I now am, no
+      act of mine in the French service ever compromised me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, surely you fought against the allies of your own country?&rdquo;.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, sir. I speak only with reference to the direct interests of
+      England. I was the soldier of the Emperor, but never a spy under his
+      Government.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your name is amongst those who never claimed the indemnity? How is this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I never heard of it; I never knew such an act was necessary. I am not
+      guilty of any crime, nor do I see any reason to seek a favor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well; the gracious intentions of the Crown lead us to look
+      leniently on the past. A moderate bail for your appearance when called on,
+      and your own recognizances for the same object, will suffice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am quite willing to do the latter; but as to bail, I repeat it, I have
+      not one I could ask for such a service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No relative? no friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, young gentleman,&rdquo; said M'Dougall, speaking for the first
+      time; &ldquo;recollect yourself. Try if you can't remember some one who would
+      assist you at this conjuncture.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Basset was the only name I could think of; and however absurd the idea of
+      a service from such a quarter, I deemed that, as my brother's agent, he
+      would scarce refuse me. I thought that Barton gave a very peculiar grin as
+      I mentioned the name; but my own securities being entered into, and a few
+      formal questions answered, I was told I was at liberty to seek out the
+      bail required.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Once more in the streets, I turned my steps towards Basset's house, where
+      I hoped, at all events, to learn some tidings of my brother. I was not
+      long in arriving at the street, and speedily recognized the old house,
+      whose cobwebbed windows and unwashed look reminded me of former times. The
+      very sound of the heavy iron knocker awoke its train of recollections; and
+      when the door was opened, and I saw the narrow hall, with its cracked lamp
+      and damp, discolored walls, the whole heart-sinking with which they once
+      inspired me came back again, and I thought of Tony Basset when his very
+      name was a thing of terror to me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mr. Basset, I was told, was at court, and I was shown into the office to
+      await his return. The gloomy little den,&mdash;I knew it well, with its
+      dirty shelves of dirtier papers, its old tin boxes, and its rickety desk,
+      at which two meanly-dressed starveling youths were busy writing. They
+      turned a rapid glance towards me as I entered; and as they resumed their
+      occupation, I could hear a muttered remark upon my dress and appearance,
+      the purport of which I did not catch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I sat for some time patiently, expecting Basset's arrival, but as the time
+      stole by, I grew wearied with waiting, and determined on ascertaining, if
+      I might, from the clerks, some intelligence concerning my brother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you any business with Mr. Burke?&rdquo; said the youth I addressed, while
+      his features assumed an expression of vulgar jocularity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; was my brief reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wouldn't a letter do as well as a personal interview?&rdquo; said the other,
+      with an air of affected courtesy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps so,&rdquo; I replied, too deeply engaged in my own thoughts to mind
+      their flippant impertinence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then mind you direct your letter 'Churchyard, Loughrea;' or, if you want
+      to be particular, say 'Family vault.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0021" id="linkimage-0021">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/426.jpg" alt="426 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is he dead? Is George dead?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That's hard to say,&rdquo; interposed the other; &ldquo;but they've buried him,
+      that's certain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Like a stunning blow, the shock of this news left me unable to speak or
+      hear. A maze of confused thoughts crossed and jostled each other in my
+      brain, and I could neither collect myself nor listen to what was said
+      around me. My first clear memory was of a thousand little childish traits
+      of love which had passed between us. Tokens of affection long forgotten
+      now rushed freshly to my mind; and he whom a moment before I had condemned
+      as wanting in all brotherly feeling, I now sorrowed for with true grief.
+      The low and vulgar insolence of the speakers made no impression on me; and
+      when, in answer to my questions, they narrated the manner of his death,&mdash;a
+      fever contracted after some debauch at Oxford,&mdash;I only heard the
+      tidings, but did not notice the unfeeling tone it was conveyed in.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My brother dead! the only one of kith or kindred belonging to me. How
+      slight the tie seemed but a few moments back! what would I not give for it
+      now? Then, for the first time, did I know how the heart can heap up its
+      stores of consolation in secrecy, and how unconsciously the mind can dwell
+      on hopes it has never confessed even to itself. How I fancied to myself
+      our meeting, and thought over the long pent-up affection years of absence
+      had accumulated, now flowing in a gushing stream from heart to heart I The
+      grave is indeed hallowed when the grass of the churchyard can cover all
+      memory save that of love. We dwell on every good gift of the lost one, as
+      though no unworthy thought could cross that little mound of earth, the
+      barrier between two worlds. Sad and sorrow-struck, I covered my face with
+      my hands, and did not notice that Mr. Basset had entered, and taken his
+      place at the desk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His voice, every harsh tone of which I well remembered, first made me
+      aware of his presence. I lifted my eyes, and there he stood, little
+      changed indeed since I had seen him last. The hard lines about the mouth
+      had grown deeper, the brow more furrowed, and the hair more mixed with
+      gray, but in other respects he was the same. As I gazed at him I could not
+      help fancying that time makes less impression on men of coarse, unfeeling
+      mould, than on natures of a finer temper. The world's changes leave no
+      trace on the stern surface of the one, while they are wearing deep tracks
+      of sorrow in the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Insert the advertisement again, Simms,&rdquo; said he, addressing one of the
+      clerks, &ldquo;and let it appear in some paper of the seaport towns. Among the
+      Flemish or French smugglers who frequent them, there might be some one to
+      give the information. They must be able to show that though Thomas Burke&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I started at the sound of my name. The motion surprised him; he looked
+      round and perceived me. Quick and piercing as his glance was, I could not
+      trace any sign of recognition; although, as he scanned my features, and
+      suffered his eyes to wander over my dress, I perceived that his was no
+      mere chance or cursory observation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, sir,&rdquo; said he, at length, &ldquo;is your business here with me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but I would speak with you in private.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come in here, then. Meanwhile, Sam, make out that deed; for we may go on
+      without the proof of demise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Few and vague as the words were, their real meaning flashed on me, and I
+      perceived that Mr. Basset was engaged in the search of some evidence of my
+      death, doubtless to enable the heir-at-law to succeed to the estates of my
+      brother. The moment the idea struck me, I felt assured of its certainty,
+      and at once determined on the plan I should adopt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have inserted an advertisement regarding a Mr. Burke,&rdquo; said I, as
+      soon as the door was closed, and we were alone together. &ldquo;What are the
+      particular circumstances of which you desire proof?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The place, date, and manner of his death,&rdquo; replied he, slowly; &ldquo;for
+      though informed that such occurred abroad, an authentic evidence of the
+      fact will save some trouble. Circumstances to identify the individual with
+      the person we mean, of course, must be offered; showing whence he came,
+      his probable age, and so on. For this intelligence I am prepared to pay
+      liberally; at least a hundred pounds may be thought so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is a question of succession to some property, I have heard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but the information is not of such moment as you may suppose,&rdquo;
+       replied he, quickly, and with the wariness of his calling anticipating the
+      value I might be disposed to place on my intelligence. &ldquo;We are satisfied
+      with the fact of the death; and even were it otherwise, the individual
+      most concerned is little likely to disprove the belief, his own reasons
+      will probably keep him from visiting Ireland.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed!&rdquo; I exclaimed, the word escaping my lips ere I could check its
+      utterance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Even so,&rdquo; resumed he. &ldquo;But this, of course, has no interest for you. Your
+      accent bespeaks you a foreigner. Have you any information to offer on this
+      matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; if we speak of the same individual, who may have left this country
+      about 1800 as a boy of some fourteen years of age, and entered the 'École
+      Polytechnique' of Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like enough. Continue, if you please; what became of him afterwards?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He joined the French service, attained the rank of captain, and then left
+      the army; came back to Ireland, and now, sir, stands before you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mr. Basset never changed a muscle of his face as I made this declaration.
+      So unmoved, so stolid was his look, that for a moment or two I believed
+      him incredulous of my story. But this impression soon gave way, as with
+      his eyes bent on me he said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I knew you, sir, I knew you the moment I passed you in the office
+      without; but it might have fared ill with you to have let my recognition
+      appear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As how? I do not understand you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My clerks there might have given information for the sake of the reward;
+      and once in Newgate, there was an end to all negotiation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must speak more intelligibly, sir, if you wish me to comprehend you.
+      I am unaware of any circumstance which should threaten me with such a
+      fate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you forgotten Captain Crofts,&mdash;Montague Crofts?&rdquo; said Basset,
+      in a low whisper, while a smile of insulting malice crossed his features.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; I remember him well. What of him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What of him! He charges you with a capital felony,&mdash;a crime for
+      which the laws have little pity here, whatever your French habits may have
+      taught you to regard it. Yes; the attempt to assassinate an officer in his
+      Majesty's service, when foiled by him in an effort to seduce the soldiery,
+      is an offence which might have a place in your memory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can the man be base enough to make such a charge as this against me,&mdash;a
+      boy, as I then was?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were not alone; remember that fact.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True; and most thankful am I for it. There is one, at least, can prove my
+      innocence, if I can but discover him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will find that a matter of some difficulty. Your worthy friend and
+      early preceptor was transported five years since.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor fellow! I could better bear to hear that he was dead.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are many of your opinion on that head,&rdquo; said Basset, with a savage
+      grin. &ldquo;But the fellow was too cunning for all the lawyers, and his
+      conviction at last was only effected by a stratagem.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A stratagem!&rdquo; exclaimed I, in amazement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was neither more nor less. Darby was arraigned four several times, but
+      always acquitted. Now it was defective evidence; now a lenient jury; now
+      an informal indictment: but so was it, he escaped the meshes of the law,
+      though every one knew him guilty of a hundred offences. At last Major
+      Barton resolved on another expedient. Darby was arrested in Ennis; thrown
+      into jail; kept four weeks in a dark cell, on prison fare; and at the end,
+      one morning the hangman appeared to say his hour was come, and that the
+      warrant for his execution had arrived. It was to take place, without judge
+      or jury, within the four walls of the jail. The scheme succeeded; his
+      courage fell, and he offered, if his life was spared, to plead guilty to
+      any transportable felony for which the grand Jury would send up true
+      bills. He did so, and was then undergoing the sentence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Great heavens! and can such iniquity be tolerated in a land where men
+      call themselves Christians?&rdquo; exclaimed I, as I heard this to the end.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Iniquity!&rdquo; repeated he, in mockery; &ldquo;to rid the country of a ruffian,
+      stained with every crime,&mdash;a fellow mixed up in every outrage in the
+      land? Is this your notion of iniquity? Not so do I reckon it. And if I
+      have told you of it now, it is that you may learn that when loyal and
+      well-affected men are trusted with the execution of the laws, the
+      principle of justice is of more moment than the nice distinction of legal
+      subtleties. You may learn a lesson from it worth acquiring.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I! how can it affect me or my fortunes?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;More nearly than you think. I have told you of the accusation which hangs
+      over your head; weigh it well, and deliberate what are your chances of
+      escape. We must not waste time in discussing your innocence. The jury who
+      will try the cause will be more difficult of belief than you suspect;
+      neither the opinions you are charged with, your subsequent escape, nor
+      your career in France, will contribute to your exculpation, even had you
+      evidence to adduce in your favor. But you have not; your only witness is
+      equally removed as by death itself. On what do you depend, then? Conscious
+      innocence! Nine out of every ten who mount the scaffold proclaim the same;
+      but I never heard that the voice that cried it stifled the word 'guilty.'
+      No, sir; I tell you solemnly, you will be condemned!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The tone of his voice as he spoke the last few words made my very blood
+      run cold. The death of a soldier on the field of battle had no terrors for
+      me; but the execrated fate of a felon I could not confront. The pallor of
+      my cheek, the trembling of my limbs, must have betrayed my emotion; for
+      even Basset seemed to pity me, and pressed me down into a chair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is one way, however, to avoid all the danger,&rdquo; said he, after a
+      pause; &ldquo;an easy and a certain way both. You have heard of the
+      advertisements for information respecting your death, which it was
+      surmised had occurred abroad. Now you are unknown here,&mdash;without a
+      single acquaintance to recognize or remember you; why should not you,
+      under another name, come forward with these proofs? By so doing, you
+      secure your own escape and can claim the reward.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! perjure myself that I may forfeit my inheritance!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As to the inheritance,&rdquo; said he, sneeringly, &ldquo;your tenure does not
+      promise a very long enjoyment of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Were it but a day,&mdash;an hour!&rdquo; exclaimed I, passionately; &ldquo;I will
+      make no compromise with my honor. On their own heads be it who sentence an
+      innocent man to death; better such, even on a scaffold, than a life of
+      ignominy and vain regret.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The dark hours of a jail change men's sentiments wonderfully,&rdquo; said he,
+      slowly. &ldquo;I have known some who faced death in its wildest and most
+      appalling shape, shrink from it like cowards when it came in the guise of
+      a common executioner. Come, sir, be advised by me; reflect at least on
+      what I have said, and if there be any path in life where a moderate sum
+      may assist you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Peace, sir! I beg of you to be silent. It may be that your counsel is
+      prompted by kindly feeling towards me; but if you would have me think so,
+      say no more of this,&mdash;my mind is made up.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wait until to-morrow, in any case; perhaps some other plan may suggest
+      itself. What say you to America? Have you any objection to go there?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Had you asked me the question an hour since, I had replied, 'None
+      whatever.' Now it is different; my departure would be like the flight of a
+      guilty man. I cannot do it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Better the flight than the fate of one,&rdquo; muttered Basset between his
+      teeth, while at the same instant the sound of voices talking loudly
+      together was heard in the hall without.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Think again, before it is too late. Remember what I have told you. Your
+      opinions, your career, your associates, are not such as to recommend you
+      to the favorable consideration of a jury. Is your case strong enough to
+      oppose all these? Sir Montague will make liberal terms; he has no desire
+      to expose the calamities of a family.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir Montague!&mdash;of whom do you speak?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir Montague Crofts,&rdquo; said Basset, reddening, for he had unwittingly
+      suffered the name to escape his lips. &ldquo;Are you ignorant that he is your
+      relative? a distant one, it is true, but your nearest of kin
+      notwithstanding.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the heir to the estate?&rdquo; said I, suddenly, as anew light flashed on
+      my mind; &ldquo;the heir, in the event of my life lapsing?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Basset nodded an assent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You played a deep game, sir,&rdquo; said I, drawing a long breath; &ldquo;but you
+      never were near winning it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor you either,&rdquo; said he, throwing wide the door between the two rooms;
+      &ldquo;I hear a voice without there, that settles the question forever.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the same instant, Major Barton entered, followed by two men.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I suspected I should find you here, sir,&rdquo; said he, addressing me. &ldquo;You
+      need scarcely trouble my worthy friend for his bail; I arrest you now
+      under a warrant of felony.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A felony!&rdquo; exclaimed Basset, with a counterfeited astonishment in his
+      look. &ldquo;Mr. Burke accused of such a crime!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I could not utter a word; indignation and shame overpowered me, and merely
+      motioning with my hand that I was ready to accompany him, I followed to
+      the door, at which a carriage was standing, getting into which we drove
+      towards Newgate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0036" id="link2HCH0036">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVI. THE PERIL AVERTED
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      If I have dwelt with unnecessary prolixity on this dark portion of my
+      story, it is because the only lesson my life teaches has lain in similar
+      passages. The train of evils which flows from one misdirection in early
+      life,&mdash;the misfortunes which ensue from a single false and
+      inconsiderate step,&mdash;frequently darken the whole subsequent career.
+      This I now thought over in the solitude of my cell. However I could acquit
+      myself of the crime laid to my charge, I could not so easily absolve my
+      heart of the early folly which made me suppose that the regeneration of a
+      land should be accomplished by the efforts of a sanguinary and bigoted
+      rabble. To this error could I trace every false step I made in life,&mdash;to
+      this cause attribute the long struggle I endured between my love of
+      liberty and my detestation of mob rule; and yet how many years did it cost
+      me to learn, that to alleviate the burdens of the oppressed may demand a
+      greater exercise of tyranny than ever their rulers practised towards them.
+      Like many others, I looked to France as the land of freedom; but where was
+      despotism so unbounded! where the sway of one great mind so unlimited!
+      They had bartered liberty for equality, and because the pressure was equal
+      on all, they deemed themselves free; while the privileges of class with us
+      suggested the sense of bondage to the poor man, whose actual freedom was
+      yet unencumbered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Of all the daydreams of my boyhood, the ambition of military glory alone
+      survived; and that lived on amid the dreary solitude of my prison,
+      comforting many a lonely hour by memories of the past. The glittering
+      ranks of the mounted squadrons; the deep-toned thunder of the artillery;
+      the solid masses of the infantry, immovable beneath the rush of cavalry,&mdash;were
+      pictures I could dwell on for hours and days, and my dearest wish could
+      point to no higher destiny than to be once more a soldier in the ranks of
+      France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During all this time my mind seldom reverted to the circumstances of my
+      imprisonment, nor did I feel the anxiety for the result my position might
+      well have suggested. The conscious sense of my innocence kept the flame of
+      hope alive, without suffering it either to flicker or vary. It burned like
+      a steady fire within me, and made even the dark cells of a jail a place of
+      repose and tranquillity. And thus time rolled on: the hours of pleasure
+      and happiness to thousands, too short and flitting for the enjoyments they
+      brought. They went by also to the prisoner, as to one who waits on the
+      bank of the stream, nor knows what fortune may await him on his voyage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A stubborn feeling of conscious right had prevented my taking even the
+      ordinary steps for my defence, and the day of trial was now drawing nigh
+      without any preparation on my part. I was ignorant how essential the
+      habits and skill of an advocate are in the conduct of every case, however
+      simple; and implicitly relied on my guiltlessness, as though men can read
+      the heart of a prisoner and know its workings. M'Dougall, the only member
+      of the bar I knew even by name, had accepted a judicial appointment in
+      India, and was already on his way thither, so that I had neither friend
+      nor adviser in my difficulty. Were it otherwise, I felt I could scarcely
+      have bent my pride to that detail of petty circumstances which an advocate
+      might deem essential to my vindication; and was actually glad to think
+      that I should owe the assertion of my innocence to nothing less than the
+      pure fact.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When November at length arrived, I learned that the trial had been
+      deferred to the following February; and so listless and indifferent had
+      imprisonment made me, that I heard the intelligence without impatience or
+      regret. The publicity of a court of justice, its exposure to the gaze and
+      observation of the crowd who throng there, were subjects of more shrinking
+      dread to my heart than the weight of an accusation which, though false,
+      might peril my life; and for the first time I rejoiced that I was
+      friendless. Yes! it brought balm and comfort to me to think that none
+      would need to blush at my relationship nor weep over my fate. Sorrow has
+      surely eaten deeply into our natures, when we derive pleasure and peace
+      from what in happier circumstances are the sources of regret.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let me now hasten on. My reader will readily forgive me if I pass with
+      rapid steps over a portion of my story, the memory of which has not yet
+      lost its bitterness. The day at last came; and amid all the ceremonies of
+      a prison I was marched from my cell to the dock. How strange the sudden
+      revolution of feeling,&mdash;from the solitude and silence of a jail to
+      the crowded court, teeming with looks of eager curiosity, dread, or
+      perhaps compassion, all turned towards him, who himself, half forgetful of
+      his condition, gazes on the great mass in equal astonishment and surprise!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My thoughts at once recurred to a former moment of my life, when I stood
+      accused among the Chouan prisoners before the tribunal of Paris. But
+      though the proceedings were less marked by excitement and passion, the
+      stern gravity of the English procedure was far more appalling; and in the
+      absence of all which could stir the spirit to any effort of its own, it
+      pressed with a more solemn dread on the mind of the prisoner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I have said I would not linger over this part of my life. I could not do
+      so if I would. Real events, and the impressions they made upon me,&mdash;facts,
+      and the passing emotions of my mind,&mdash;are strangely confused and
+      commingled in my memory; and although certain minute and trivial things
+      are graven in my recollection, others of moment have escaped me
+      unrecorded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The usual ceremonial went forward: the jury were impanelled, and the clerk
+      of the Crown read aloud the indictment, to which my plea of &ldquo;Not guilty&rdquo;
+       was at once recorded; then the judge asked if I were provided with
+      counsel, and hearing that I was not, appointed a junior barrister to act
+      for me, and the trial began.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was not the first person who, accused of a crime of which he felt
+      innocent, yet was so overwhelmed by the statements of imputed guilt,&mdash;so
+      confused by the inextricable web of truth and falsehood, artfully
+      entangled.&mdash;that he actually doubted his own convictions when opposed
+      to views so strongly at variance with them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The first emotion of the prisoner is a feeling of surprise to discover,
+      that one utterly a stranger&mdash;the lawyer he has perhaps never seen,
+      whose name he never so much as heard of&mdash;is perfectly conversant with
+      his own history, and as it were by intuition seems acquainted with his
+      very thoughts and motives. Tracing out not only a line of acting but of
+      devising, he conceives a story of which the accused is the hero, and
+      invests his narrative with all the appliances to belief which result from
+      time and place and circumstance. No wonder that the very accusation should
+      strike terror into the soul; no wonder that the statement of guilt should
+      cause heart-sinking to him who, conscious that all is not untrue, may feel
+      that his actions can be viewed in another and very different light to that
+      which conscience sheds over them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such, so far as I remember, was the channel of my thoughts. At first mere
+      astonishment at the accuracy of detail regarding my name, age, and
+      condition in life, was uppermost; and then succeeded a sense of indignant
+      anger at the charges laid against me; which yielded gradually to a feeling
+      of confusion as the advocate continued; which again merged into a sort of
+      dubious fear as I heard many trivial facts repeated, some of which my
+      refreshed memory acknowledged as true, but of which my puzzled brain could
+      not detect the inapplicability to sustain the accusation,&mdash;all ending
+      in a chaos of bewilderment, where conscience itself was lost, and nothing
+      left to guide or direct the reason.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The counsel informed the jury that, although they were not placed in the
+      box to try me on any charge of a political offence, they must bear in
+      mind, that the murderous assault of which I was accused was merely part of
+      a system organized to overthrow the Government; that, young as I then was,
+      I was in intimate connection with the disaffected party which the mistaken
+      leniency of the Crown had not thoroughly eradicated on the termination of
+      the late rebellion, my constant companion being one whose crimes were
+      already undergoing their but too merciful punishment in transportation for
+      life; that, to tamper with the military, I had succeeded in introducing
+      myself into the barrack, where I obtained the confidence of a weak-minded
+      but good-natured officer of the regiment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These schemes,&rdquo; continued he, &ldquo;were but partially successful. My
+      distinguished client was then an officer of the corps; and with that
+      ever-watchful loyalty which has distinguished him, he determined to keep a
+      vigilant eye on this intruder, who, from circumstances of youth and
+      apparent innocence, already had won upon the confidence of the majority of
+      the regiment. Nor was this impression a false one. An event, apparently
+      little likely to unveil a treasonable intention, soon unmasked the true
+      character of the prisoner and the nature of his mission.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He then proceeded to narrate with circumstantial accuracy the night in the
+      George's Street barracks, when Hilliard, Crofts, and some others came with
+      Bubbleton to his quarters to decide a wager between two of the parties.
+      Calling the attention of the jury to this part of the case, he detailed
+      the scene which occurred; and, if I could trust my memory, not a phrase,
+      not a word escaped him which had been said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was then, gentlemen,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;at that instant, that the prisoner's
+      habitual caution failed him, and in an unguarded moment developed the full
+      story of his guilt. Captain Bubbleton lost his wager, of which my client
+      was the winner. The habits of the service are peremptory in these matters;
+      it was necessary that payment should be made at once. Bubbleton had not
+      the means of discharging his debt, and while he looked around among his
+      comrades for assistance, the prisoner steps forward and supplies the sum.
+      Mark what followed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A sudden call of service now summoned the officers beneath; all save
+      Crofts, who, not being on duty, had no necessity for accompanying them.
+      The bank-note so opportunely furnished by the prisoner lay on the table;
+      and this Crofts proceeded leisurely to open and examine before he left the
+      room. Slowly unfolding the paper, he spread it out before him; and what,
+      think you, gentlemen, did the paper display? A Bank of England bill for
+      twenty pounds, you'll say, of course. Far from it, indeed! The paper was a
+      French assignat, bearing the words, 'Payez au porteur la somme de deux
+      mille livres.' Yes; the sum so carelessly thrown on the table by this
+      youth was an order for eighty pounds, issued by the French Government.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remember the period, gentlemen, when this occurred. We had just passed
+      the threshold of a most fearful and sanguinary rebellion,&mdash;the
+      tranquillity of the land scarce restored after a convulsion that shook the
+      very constitution and the throne to their centres. The interference of
+      France in the affairs of the country had not been a mere threat; her ships
+      had sailed, her armies had landed, and though the bravery and the loyalty
+      of our troops had made the expedition result in utter defeat and
+      overthrow, the emissaries of the land of anarchy yet lingered on our
+      shores, and disseminated that treason in secret which openly they dared
+      not proclaim. If they were sparing of their blood, they were lavish of
+      their gold; what they failed in courage they supplied in assignats. Large
+      promises of gain, rich offers of booty, were rife throughout the land; and
+      wherever disaffection lurked or rebellion lingered, the enemy of England
+      found congenial allies. Nothing too base, nothing too low, for this
+      confederacy of crime; neither was anything too lowly in condition or too
+      humble in efficiency. Treason cannot choose its agents; it must take the
+      tools which chance and circumstances offer: they may be the refuse of
+      mankind, but if inefficient for good, they are not the less active for
+      evil. Such a one was the youth who now stands a prisoner before you, and
+      here was the price of his disloyalty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words he held up triumphantly the French assignat, and waved it
+      before the eyes of the court. However little the circumstances weighed
+      within me, such was the impression manifestly produced upon the jury by
+      this piece of corroborative evidence, that a thrill of anxiety for the
+      result ran suddenly through me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Until that moment I believed Darby had repossessed himself of the assignat
+      when Crofts lay insensible on the ground; at least I remembered well that
+      he stooped over him and appeared to take something from him. While I was
+      puzzling my mind on this point, I did not remark that the lawyer was
+      proceeding to impress on the jury the full force of conviction such a
+      circumstance implied.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The offer I had made to Crofts to barter the assignat for an English note;
+      my urgent entreaty to have it restored to me; the arguments I had employed
+      to persuade him that no suspicion could attach to my possession of it,&mdash;were
+      all narrated with so little of exaggeration that I was actually unable to
+      say what assertion I could object to, while I was conscious that the
+      inferences sought to be drawn from them were false and unjust.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having displayed with consummate skill the critical position this paper
+      had involved me in, he took the opportunity of contrasting the anxiety I
+      evinced for my escape from my difficulty, with the temperate conduct of my
+      antagonist, whose loyalty left him no other course than to retain
+      possession of the note, and inquire into the circumstances by which it
+      reached my hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Irritated by the steady determination of Crofts, it was said that I
+      endeavored by opprobrious epithets and insulting language to provoke a
+      quarrel, which a sense of my inferiority as an antagonist rendered a thing
+      impossible to be thought of. Baffled in every way, I was said to have
+      rushed from the room, double-locking it on the outside, and hurried down
+      the stairs and out of the barrack; not to escape, however, but with a
+      purpose very different,&mdash;to return in a few moments accompanied by
+      three fellows, whom I passed with the guard as men wishing to recruit. To
+      ascend the stairs, unlock the door, and fall on the imprisoned officer,
+      was the work of an instant. His defence, although courageous and resolute,
+      was but brief. His sword being broken, he was felled by a blow of a
+      bludgeon, and thus believed dead. The ruffians ransacked his pockets, and
+      departed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The same countersign which admitted, passed them out as they went; and
+      when morning broke the wounded man was found weltering in his blood, but
+      with life still remaining, and strength enough to recount what had
+      occurred. By a mere accident, it was stated, the French bank-note had not
+      been consigned to his pocket, but fell during the struggle, and was
+      discovered the next day on the floor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These were the leading features of an accusation, which, however
+      improbable while thus briefly and boldly narrated, hung together with a
+      wonderful coherence in the speech of the lawyer, supported as they were by
+      the number of small circumstances corroboratory of certain immaterial
+      portions of the story. Thus, the political opinions I professed; the
+      doubtful&mdash;nay, equivocal&mdash;position I occupied; the intercourse
+      with France or Frenchmen, as proved by the <i>billet de banque</i>; my
+      sudden disappearance after the event, and my escape thither, where I
+      continued to live until, as it was alleged, I believed that years had
+      eradicated all trace of, if not my crime, myself,&mdash;such were the
+      statements displayed with all the specious inferences of habitual
+      plausibility, and to confirm which by evidence Sir Montague Crofts was
+      called to give his testimony.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a murmur of expectancy through the court as this well-known
+      individual's name was pronounced; and in a few moments the throng around
+      the inner bar opened, and a tall figure appeared upon the witness table.
+      The same instant that I caught sight of his features he had turned his
+      glance on me, and we stood for some seconds confronting each other. Mutual
+      defiance seemed the gage between us; and I saw, with a thrill of savage
+      pleasure, that after a minute or so his cheek flushed, and he averted his
+      face and appeared ill at ease and uncomfortable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To the first questions of the lawyer he answered with evident constraint,
+      and in a low, subdued voice; but soon recovering his self-possession, gave
+      his testimony freely and boldly, corroborating by his words all the
+      statements of his advocate. By both the court and the jury he was heard
+      with attention and deference; and when he took a passing occasion to
+      allude to his loyalty and attachment to the constitution, the senior judge
+      interrupted him by saying,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On that point, Sir Montague, no second opinion can exist. Your character
+      for unimpeachable honor is well known to the court.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The examination was brief, lasting scarcely half an hour; and when the
+      young lawyer came forward to put some questions as cross-examination, his
+      want of instruction and ignorance were at once seen, and the witness was
+      dismissed almost immediately.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sir Montague's advocate declined calling any other witness. The regiment
+      to which his client then belonged was on foreign service; but he felt
+      satisfied that the case required nothing in addition to the evidence the
+      jury had heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few moments of deliberation ensued among the members of the bench; and
+      then the senior judge called on my lawyer to proceed with the defence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The young barrister rose with diffidence, and expressed in few words his
+      inability to rebut the statements that had been made by any evidence in
+      his power to produce. &ldquo;The prisoner, my lord,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;has confided
+      nothing to me of his case. I am ignorant of everything, save what has
+      taken place in open court.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true, my lord,&rdquo; said I, interrupting. &ldquo;The facts of this unhappy
+      circumstance are known but to three individuals. You have already heard
+      the version which one of them has given; you shall now hear mine. The
+      third, whose testimony might incline the balance in my favor, is, I am
+      told, no longer in this country; and I have only to discharge the debt I
+      feel due to myself and to my own honor, by narrating the real occurrence,
+      and leave the issue in your hands, to deal with as your consciences may
+      dictate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With the steadiness of purpose truth inspires, and in few words, I
+      narrated the whole of my adventure with Crofts, down to the moment of
+      Darby's sudden appearance. I told of what passed between us; and how the
+      altercation, that began in angry words, terminated in a personal struggle,
+      where, as the weaker, I was overcome, and lay beneath the weapon of my
+      antagonist, by which already I had received a severe and dangerous wound.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should hesitate here, my lords,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;before I spoke of one who
+      then came to my aid, if I did not know that he is already removed by a
+      heavy sentence, both from the penalty his gallant conduct might call down
+      on him, and the enmity which the prosecutor would as certainly pursue him
+      with. But he is beyond the reach of either, and I may speak of him
+      freely.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I then told of Darby's appearance that night in the barrack, disguised as
+      a ballad-singer; how in this capacity he passed the sentry, and was
+      present in the room when the officers entered to decide the wager; that he
+      had quitted it soon after their arrival, and only returned on hearing the
+      noise of the scuffle between Crofts and myself. The struggle itself I
+      remembered but imperfectly, but so far as my memory bore me out,
+      recapitulated to the court.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will relate, my lords,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;the few events which followed,&mdash;not
+      that they can in any wise corroborate the plain statement I have made, nor
+      indeed that they bear, save remotely, on the events mentioned; but I will
+      do so in the hope,&mdash;a faint hope it is,&mdash;that in this court
+      there might be found some one person who could add his testimony to mine,
+      and say, 'This is true; to that I can myself bear witness.'&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With this brief preface, I told how Darby had brought me to a house in an
+      obscure street, in which a man, apparently dying, was stretched upon a
+      miserable bed; that while my wound was being dressed, a car came to the
+      door with the intention of conveying the sick man away somewhere. This,
+      however, was deemed impossible, so near did his last hour appear; and in
+      his place I was taken off, and placed on board the vessel bound for
+      France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of my career in that country it is needless that I should speak; it can
+      neither throw light upon the events which preceded it, nor have any
+      interest for the court My commission as a captain of the Imperial Hussars
+      may, however, testify the position that I occupied; while the certificate
+      of the minister of war on the back will show that I quitted the service
+      voluntarily, and with honor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The court would advise you, sir,&rdquo; said the judge, &ldquo;not to advert to
+      circumstances which, while they contribute nothing to your exculpation,
+      may have a very serious effect on the minds of the jury against you. Have
+      you any witnesses to call?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;None, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A pause of some minutes ensued, when the only sounds in the court were the
+      whispering tones of Crofts's voice, as he said something into his
+      counsel's ear. The lawyer rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My task, my lords,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;is a short one. Indeed, in all probability,
+      I need not trouble either your lordships or the jury with an additional
+      word on a case where the evidence so conclusively establishes the guilt of
+      the accused, and where attempt to contradict it has been so abortive.
+      Never, perhaps, was a story narrated within the walls of a court so full
+      of improbable&mdash;might I not almost say impossible&mdash;events, as
+      that of the prisoner.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He then recapitulated, with rapid but accurate detail, the principal
+      circumstances of my story, bestowing some brief comment on each as he
+      went. He sneered at the account of the struggle, and turned the whole
+      description of the contest with Crofts into ridicule,&mdash;calling on the
+      jury to bestow a glance on the manly strength and vigorous proportions of
+      his client, and then remember the age of his antagonist,&mdash;a boy of
+      fourteen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I forgot, gentlemen (I ask your pardon), he confesses to one ally,&mdash;this
+      famous piper. I really did hope that was a name we had done with forever.
+      I indulged the dream, that among the memories of an awful period this was
+      never to recur; but unhappily the expectation was delusive. The fellow is
+      brought once more before us; and perhaps, for the first time in his long
+      life of iniquity, charged with a crime he did not commit.&rdquo; In a few
+      sentences he explained that a large reward was at that very moment offered
+      for the apprehension of Darby, who never would have ventured under any
+      disguise to approach the capital, much less trust himself within the walls
+      of a barrack.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The tissue of wild and inconsistent events which the prisoner has
+      detailed as following the assault, deserves no attention at my hands.
+      Where was this house? What was the street? Who was this doctor of which he
+      speaks? And the sick man, how was he called?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I remember his name well; it is the only one I remember among all I
+      heard,&rdquo; said I, from the dock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us hear it, then,&rdquo; said the lawyer, half contemptuously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Daniel Fortescue was the name he was called by.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely was the name uttered by me, when Crofts leaned back in his seat
+      and became pale as death; while, stretching out his hand, he took hold of
+      the lawyer's gown and drew him towards him. For a second or two he
+      continued to speak with rapid utterance in the advocate's ear; and then
+      covering his face with his handkerchief, leaned his head on the rail
+      before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is necessary, my lords,&rdquo; said the lawyer, &ldquo;that I should explain the
+      reason of my client's emotion, and at the same time unveil the baseness
+      which has dictated this last effort of the prisoner, if not to injure the
+      reputation, to wound the feelings, of my client. The individual whose name
+      has been mentioned was the half brother of my client; and whose unhappy
+      connection with the disastrous events of the year '98 involved him in a
+      series of calamities which ended in his death, which took place in the
+      year 1800, but some months earlier than the circumstance which we now are
+      investigating. The introduction of this unhappy man's name was, then, a
+      malignant effort of the prisoner to insult the feelings of my client, on
+      which your lordships and the jury will place its true value.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A murmur of disapprobation ran through the crowded court as these words
+      were spoken; but whether directed against me or against the comment of the
+      lawyer I could not determine; nor, such was the confusion I then felt,
+      could I follow the remainder of the advocate's address with anything like
+      clearness. At last he concluded; and the chief justice, after a whispered
+      conversation with his brethren of the bench, thus began:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen of the jury, the case which you have this day to try, to my
+      mind presents but one feature of doubt and difficulty. The great fact for
+      your consideration is, to determine to which of two opposite and
+      conflicting testimonies you will accord your credence. On the one side you
+      have the story of the prosecutor, a man of position and character, high in
+      the confidence of honorable men, and invested with all the attributes of
+      rank and station; on the other, you have a narrative strongly coherent in
+      some parts, equally difficult to account for in others, given by the
+      prisoner, whose life, even by his own showing, has none of those
+      recommendations to your good opinions which are based on loyalty and
+      attachment to the constitution of these realms. Both testimonies are
+      unsupported by any collateral evidence. The prosecutor's regiment is in
+      India, and the only witnesses he could adduce are many thousand miles off.
+      The prisoner appeals also to the absent, but with less of reason; for if
+      we could call this man, M'Keown, before us,&mdash;if, I say, we had this
+      same Darby M'Keown in court&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A tremendous uproar in the hall without drowned the remainder of the
+      sentence; and although the crier loudly proclaimed silence, and the bench
+      twice interposed its authority to enforce it, the tumult continued, and
+      eventually extended within the court itself, where all semblance of
+      respect seemed suddenly annihilated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If this continues one moment longer,&rdquo; exclaimed the chief justice, &ldquo;I
+      will commit to Newgate the very first disorderly person I can discover.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The threat, however, did but partially calm the disturbance, which, in a
+      confused murmur, prevailed from the benches of the counsel to the very
+      galleries of the court.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What means this?&rdquo; said the judge, in a voice of anger. &ldquo;Who is it that
+      dares to interfere with the administration of justice here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A witness,&mdash;a witness, my lord,&rdquo; called out several voices from the
+      passage of the court; while a crowd pushed violently forward, and came
+      struggling onwards till the leading figures were pressed over the inner
+      bar.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Again the judge repeated his question, while he made a signal for the
+      officer of the court to approach him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Tis me, my lord,&rdquo; shouted a deep-toned voice from the middle of the
+      crowd. &ldquo;Your lordship was asking for Darby M'Keown, and it isn't himself's
+      ashamed of the name!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A perfect yell of approval broke from the ragged mob, which now filled
+      every avenue and passage of the court, and even jammed up the stairs and
+      the entrance halls. And now, raised upon the shoulders of the crowd, Darby
+      appeared, borne aloft in triumph; his broad and daring face, bronzed with
+      sun and weather, glowed with a look of reckless effrontery, which no awe
+      of the court nor any fear for himself was able to repress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Of my own sensations while this scene was enacting I need not speak; and
+      as I gazed at the weather-beaten features of the hardy piper, it demanded
+      every effort of my reason to believe in the testimony of my eyesight. Had
+      he come back from death itself the surprise would scarcely have been
+      greater. Meanwhile the tumult was allayed; and the lawyers on either side&mdash;for,
+      now that a glimmer of hope appeared, my advocate had entered with spirit
+      on his duties&mdash;were discussing the admissibility of evidence at the
+      present stage of the proceedings. This point being speedily established in
+      my favor, another and a graver question arose: how far the testimony of a
+      convicted felon&mdash;for such the lawyer at once called Darby&mdash;could
+      be received as evidence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Cases were quoted and authorities shown to prove that such cannot be heard
+      as witnesses,&mdash;that they are among those whom the law pronounces
+      infamous and unworthy of credit; and while the lawyer continued to pour
+      forth on this topic a perfect ocean of arguments, he was interrupted by
+      the court, who affirmed the opinion, and concurred in his view of the
+      case.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It only remains, then, my lord,&rdquo; said my counsel, &ldquo;for the Crown to
+      establish the identity of the individual&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing easier,&rdquo; interposed the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I beg pardon; I was about to add,&mdash;and produce the record of his
+      conviction.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This last seemed a felling blow; for although the old lawyer never evinced
+      here or at any other time the slightest appearance of discomfiture at any
+      opposition, I could see by the puckering of the deep lines around his
+      mouth that he felt vexed and annoyed by this new suggestion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An eager and animated discussion ensued, in which my advocate was assisted
+      by the advice of some senior counsel; and again the point was ruled in my
+      favor, and Darby M'Keown was desired to mount the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It required all the efforts of the various officers of the court to
+      repress another outbreak of mob enthusiasm at the decision; for already
+      the trial had assumed a feature perfectly distinct from any common
+      infraction of the law. Its political bearing had long since imparted a
+      character of party warfare to the whole proceeding; and while Sir Montague
+      Crofts found his well-wishers among the better dressed and more
+      respectable persons present, a much more numerous body of supporters
+      claimed me as their own, and in defiance of all the usages and solemnity
+      of the place, did not scruple to bestow on me looks and even words of
+      encouragement at every stage of the trial. Darby's appearance was the
+      climax of this popular enthusiasm. There were few who had not seen, or at
+      least heard of, the celebrated piper in times past. His daring infraction
+      of the law; his reputed skill in evading detection; his acquaintance with
+      every clew and circumstance of the late rebellion; the confidence he
+      enjoyed among all the leaders&mdash;had made him a hero in a land where
+      such qualities are certain of obtaining their due estimation. And now, the
+      reckless effrontery of his presence as a witness in a court of justice
+      while the sentence of transportation still hung over him, was a claim to
+      admiration none refused to acknowledge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His air and demeanor as he took his seat on the table seemed an
+      acknowledgment of the homage rendered him: for though, as he placed his
+      worn and ragged hat beside his feet, and stroked down his short black hair
+      on his forehead, a careless observer might have suspected him of feeling
+      awed and abashed by the presence in which he sat, one more conversant with
+      his countrymen would have detected in the quiet leer of his roguish black
+      eye, and a certain protrusion of his thick under lip, that Darby was as
+      perfectly at his ease there as the eminent judge was who now fixed his
+      eyes upon him. A short, but not disrespectful nod was the only notice he
+      bestowed on me; and then concealing his joined hands within his sleeves,
+      and drawing his legs back beneath the chair, he assumed that attitude of
+      mock humility your least bashful Irishman is so commonly fond of.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The veteran barrister was meanwhile surveying the witness with the
+      peculiar scrutiny of his caste: he looked at him through his spectacles,
+      and then he stared at him above them; he measured him from head to foot,
+      his eye dwelling on every little circumstance of his dress or demeanor, as
+      though to catch some clew to his habits of thinking or acting. Never did a
+      matador survey the brawny animal with which he was about to contend in
+      skill or strength with more critical acumen than did the lawyer regard
+      Darby the Blast. Nor was the object of this examination unaware of it;
+      very far from this, indeed. He seemed pleased by the degree of attention
+      bestowed on him, and felt all the flattery such notice conveyed; but while
+      doing so, you could only detect his satisfaction in an occasional sidelong
+      look of drollery, which, brief and fleeting as it was, had still a
+      numerous body of admirers through the court, whose muttered expressions of
+      &ldquo;Divil fear ye, Darby! but ye 're up to them any day;&rdquo; or &ldquo;Faix! 't is
+      himself cares little about them!&rdquo; showed they had no lack of confidence in
+      the piper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0022" id="linkimage-0022">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page294.jpg" alt="Browndarbyinthechair294 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your name is M'Keown, sir?&rdquo; said the lawyer, with that abruptness which
+      so often succeeds in oversetting the balance of a witness's
+      self-possession. &ldquo;Yes, sir; Darby M'Keown.&rdquo; &ldquo;Did you ever go by any other
+      than this?&rdquo; &ldquo;They do call me 'Darby the Blast' betimes, av that 'a a
+      name.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that the only other name you have been called by?&rdquo; &ldquo;I misremember
+      rightly, it's so long since I was among friends and acquaintances; but if
+      yer honor would remind me a little, maybe I could tell.&rdquo; &ldquo;Well, were you
+      ever called 'Larry the Flail?'&rdquo; &ldquo;Faix, I was,&rdquo; replied he, laughing;
+      &ldquo;divil a doubt of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How did you come by the name of 'Larry the Flail'?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They gave me the name up at Mulhuldad there, for bating one M'Clancy with
+      a flail.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A very good reason. So you got the name because you beat a certain
+      M'Clancy with a flail?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I didn't say that; I only said they gave me the name because they said I
+      bate him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Were you ever called 'Fire-the-Haggard'?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was, often.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For no reason, of course?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Divil a may son. The boys said it in sport, just as they talk of yer
+      honor out there in the hall.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How do you mean,&mdash;talk of me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sure I heard them say myself, as I was coming in, that you wor a clever
+      man and a 'cute lawyer. They do be always humbugging that way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A titter ran round the benches of the barristers at this speech, which was
+      delivered with a naïve simplicity that would deceive many.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were a United Irishman, Mr. M'Keown, I believe?&rdquo; rejoined the
+      counsel, with a frown of stern intimidation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; and a White Boy, and a Defender, and a Thrasher besides. I was
+      in all the fun them times.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Thrashers are the fellows, I believe, who must beat any man they are
+      appointed to attack; isn't that so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So that, if I was mentioned to you as a person to be assaulted, although
+      I had never done you any injury, you 'd not hesitate to waylay me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir, I wouldn't do that. I'd not touch yer honor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come; what do you mean? Why wouldn't you touch me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I' d rather not tell, av it was plazing to ye.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must tell, sir; speak out! Why wouldn't you attack me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say, sir,&rdquo; said Darby,&mdash;and as he spoke, his voice assumed a
+      peculiar lisp, meant to express great modesty,&mdash;&ldquo;they say, sir, that
+      when a man has a big wart on his nose there, like yer honor, it's not
+      lucky to bate him, for that's the way the divil marks his own.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This time the decorum of the court gave way entirely, and the unwashed
+      faces which filled the avenues and passages were all expanded in open
+      laughter; nor was it easy to restore order again amid the many marks of
+      approval and encouragement bestowed on Darby by his numerous admirers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remember where you are, sir,&rdquo; said the judge, severely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my lord,&rdquo; said Darby, with an air of submission. &ldquo;'T is the first
+      time I was ever in sich a situation as this. I 'm much more at my ease
+      when I 'm down in the dock there; it's what I 'm most used to, God help
+      me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The whining tone in which he delivered this mock lament on his misfortunes
+      occasioned another outbreak of the mob, who were threatened with expulsion
+      from the court if any future interruption took place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were, then, a member of every illegal society of the time, Mr.
+      Darby?&rdquo; said the lawyer, returning to the examination. &ldquo;Is it not so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Most of them, anyhow,&rdquo; was the cool reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You took an active part in the doings of the year '98 also?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Throth I did,&mdash;mighty active. I walked from beyant Castlecomer one
+      day to Dublin to see a trial here. Be the same token, it was Mr. Curran
+      made a hare of yer honor that day. Begorrah I wonder ye ever held up yer
+      head after.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here a burst of laughter at the recollection seemed to escape Darby so
+      naturally, that its contagious effects were felt throughout the assembly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are a wit, Mr. M'Keown, I fancy, eh?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bedad I 'm not, sir; very little of that same would have kept out of this
+      to-day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you came here to serve a friend,&mdash;a very old friend, he calls
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Does he?&rdquo; said Darby, with an energy of tone and manner very different
+      from what he had hitherto used. &ldquo;Does Master Tom say that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As the poor fellow's cheek flushed, and his eyes sparkled with proud
+      emotion, I could perceive that the lawyer's face underwent a change
+      equally rapid. A look of triumph at having at length discovered the
+      assailable point of the witness's temperament now passed over his pale
+      features, and gave them an expression of astonishing intelligence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A very natural thing it is, Darby, that he should call you so. You were
+      companions at an early period,&mdash;at least of his life;
+      fellow-travellers, too, if I don't mistake?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Although these words were spoken in a tone of careless freedom, and
+      intended to encourage Darby to some expansion on the same theme, the
+      cunning fellow had recovered all his habitual self-possession, and merely
+      answered, if answer it could be called,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was a poor man, sir, and lived by the pipes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The advocate and the witness exchanged looks at this moment, in which
+      their relative positions were palpably conveyed. Each seemed to say it was
+      a drawn battle; but the lawyer returned with vigor to the charge; desiring
+      Darby to mention the manner in which our first acquaintance began, and how
+      the intimacy was originally formed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He narrated with clearness and accuracy every step of our early
+      wanderings; and while never misstating a single fact, contrived to exhibit
+      my career as totally devoid of any participation in the treasonable doings
+      of the period. Indeed, he laid great stress on the fact that my
+      acquaintance with Charles de Meudon had withdrawn me from all relations
+      with the insurgent party, between whom and the French allies feelings of
+      open dislike and distrust existed. Of the scene at the barrack his account
+      varied in nothing from that I had already given; nor was all the ingenuity
+      of a long and intricate cross-examination able to shake his testimony in
+      the most minute particular.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course, then, you know Sir Montague Crofts? It is quite clear that you
+      cannot mistake a person with whom you had a struggle such as you speak
+      of.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faix, I'd know his skin upon a bush,&rdquo; said Darby, &ldquo;av he was like what I
+      remember him; but sure he may be changed since that. They tell me I'm
+      looking ould myself; and no wonder. Hunting kangaroos wears the
+      constitution terribly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look around the court, now, and say if he be here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Darby rose from his seat, and shading his eyes with his hand, took a
+      deliberate survey of the court. Though well knowing, from past experience,
+      in what part of the assembly the person he sought would probably be, he
+      seized the occasion to scrutinize the features of the various persons,
+      whom under no other pretence could he have examined.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It's not on the bench, sir, you need look for him,&rdquo; said the lawyer, as
+      M'Keown remained for a considerable time with his eyes bent in that
+      direction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bedad there's no knowing,&rdquo; rejoined Darby, doubtfully; &ldquo;av he was dressed
+      up that way, I wouldn't know him from an old ram.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He turned round as he said this, and gazed steadfastly towards the bar. It
+      was an anxious moment for me: should Darby make any mistake in the
+      identity of Crofts, his whole testimony would be so weakened in the
+      opinion of the jury as to be nearly valueless. I watched his eyes,
+      therefore, as they ranged over the crowded mass, with a palpitating heart;
+      and when at last his glance settled on a far part of the court, very
+      distant from that occupied by Crofts, I grew almost sick with apprehension
+      lest he should mistake another for him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, sir,&rdquo; said the lawyer; &ldquo;do you see him now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Arrah, it's humbugging me yez are,&rdquo; said Darby, roughly, while he threw
+      himself down into his chair in apparent ill temper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A loud burst of laughter broke from the bar at this sudden ebullition of
+      passion, so admirably feigned that none suspected its reality; and while
+      the sounds of mirth were subsiding, Darby dropped his head, and placed his
+      hand above his ear. &ldquo;There it is, by gorra; there's no mistaking that
+      laugh, anyhow,&rdquo; cried he; &ldquo;there's a screech in it might plaze an owl.&rdquo;
+       And with that he turned abruptly round and faced the bench where Crofts
+      was seated. &ldquo;I heard it a while ago, but I couldn't say where. That's the
+      man,&rdquo; said he, pointing with his finger to Crofts, who seemed actually to
+      cower beneath his piercing glance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remember, sir, you are on your solemn oath. Will you swear that the
+      gentleman there is Sir Montague Crofts?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know nothing about Sir Montague,&rdquo; said Darby, composedly, while rising
+      he walked over towards the edge of the table where Crofts was sitting,
+      &ldquo;but I'll swear that's the same Captain Crofts that I knocked down while
+      he was shortening his sword to run it through Master Burke; and by the
+      same token, he has a cut in the skull where he fell on the fender.&rdquo; And
+      before the other could prevent it, he stretched out his hand, and placed
+      it on the back of the crown of Crofts's head. &ldquo;There it is, just as I
+      tould you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The sensation these words created in the court was most striking, and even
+      the old lawyer appeared overwhelmed at the united craft and consistency of
+      the piper. The examination was resumed; but Darby's evidence tallied so
+      accurately with my statement that its continuance only weakened the case
+      for the prosecution.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the sudden flash of the lightning will sometimes disclose what in the
+      long blaze of noonday has escaped the beholder, so will conviction break
+      unexpectedly upon the human mind from some slight but striking
+      circumstance which comes with the irresistible force of unpremeditated
+      truthfulness. From that moment it was clear the jury to a man were with
+      Darby. They paid implicit attention to all he said, and made notes of
+      every trivial fact he mentioned; while he, as if divining the impression
+      he had made, became rigorously cautious that not a particle of his
+      evidence could be shaken, nor the effect of his testimony weakened by even
+      a passing phrase of exaggeration. It was, indeed, a phenomenon worth
+      studying, to see this fellow, whose natural disposition was the
+      irrepressible love of drollery and recklessness,&mdash;whose whole heart
+      seemed bent on the indulgence of his wayward, careless humor,&mdash;suddenly
+      throw off every eccentricity of his character, and become a steady and
+      accurate witness, delivering his evidence carefully and cautiously, and
+      never suffering his own leanings to repartee, nor the badgering allusions
+      of his questioner, to draw him for a moment away from the great object he
+      had set before him; resisting every line, every bait, the cunning lawyer
+      threw out to seduce him into that land of fancy so congenial to an
+      Irishman's temperament, he was firm against all temptation, and even
+      endured that severest of all tests to the forbearance of his country,&mdash;he
+      suffered the laugh more than once to be raised at his expense, without an
+      effort to retort on his adversary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The examination lasted three hours; and at its conclusion, every fact I
+      stated had received confirmation from Darby's testimony, down to the
+      moment when we left the barrack together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, M'Keown,&rdquo; said the lawyer, &ldquo;I am about to call your recollection,
+      which is so wonderfully accurate that it can give you no trouble in
+      remembering, to a circumstance which immediately followed the affair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he got thus far, Crofts leaned over and drew the counsel towards him
+      while he whispered some words rapidly in his ear. A brief dialogue ensued
+      between them; at the conclusion of which the lawyer turned round, and
+      addressing Darby, said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may go down, sir; I 've done with you.&rdquo; &ldquo;Wait a moment,&rdquo; said the
+      young barrister on my side, who quickly perceived that the interruption
+      had its secret object. &ldquo;My learned friend was about to ask you concerning
+      something which happened after you left the barrack; and although he has
+      changed his mind on the subject, we on this side would be glad to hear
+      what you have to say.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Darby's eyes flashed with unwonted brilliancy; and I thought I caught a
+      glance of triumphant meaning towards Crofts, as he began his recital,
+      which was in substance nothing more than what the reader already knows.
+      When he came to the mention of Fortescue's name, however, Crofts, whose
+      excitement was increasing at each moment, lost all command over himself,
+      and cried out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It's false! every word untrue! The man was dead at the time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The court rebuked the interruption, and Darby went on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my lord; he was alive. But Mr. Crofts is not to blame, for he
+      believed he was dead; and, more than that, he thought he took the sure way
+      to make him so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words produced the greatest excitement throughout the court; and an
+      animated discussion ensued, how far the testimony could go to inculpate a
+      party not accused. It was ruled, at last, the evidence should be heard, as
+      touching the case on trial, and not immediately as regarded Crofts. And
+      then Darby began a recital, of which I had never heard a syllable before,
+      nor had I conceived the slightest suspicion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The story, partly told in narrative form, partly elicited by questioning,
+      was briefly this.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Daniel Fortescue was the son of a Roscommon gentleman of large fortune, of
+      whom also Crofts was the illegitimate child. The father, a man of high
+      Tory politics, had taken a most determined part against the patriotic
+      party in Ireland, to which his son Daniel had shown himself, on more than
+      one occasion, favorable. The consequence was, a breach of affection
+      between them; widened into an actual rupture, by the old man, who was a
+      widower, taking home to his house the illegitimate son, and announcing to
+      his household that he would leave him everything he could in the world.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To Daniel, the blow was all that he needed to precipitate his ruin. He
+      abandoned the university, where already he had distinguished himself, and
+      threw himself heart and soul into the movement of the &ldquo;United Irish&rdquo;
+       party. At first, high hopes of an independent nation,&mdash;a separate
+      kingdom, with its own train of interests, and its own sphere of power and
+      influence,&mdash;was the dream of those with whom he associated. But as
+      events rolled on it was found, that to mature their plans it was necessary
+      to connect themselves with the masses, by whose agency the insurrectionary
+      movement was to be effected; and in doing so, they discovered, that
+      although theories of liberty and independence, high notions of pure
+      government, may have charms for men of intellect and intelligence, to the
+      mob the price of a rebellion must be paid down in the sterling coin of
+      pillage and plunder,&mdash;or even, worse, the triumphant dominion of the
+      depraved and the base over the educated and the worthy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Many who favored the patriotic cause, as it was called, became so
+      disgusted at the low associates and base intercourse the game of party
+      required, that they abandoned the field at once, leaving to others, less
+      scrupulous or more ardent, the path they could not stoop to follow. It was
+      probable that young Fortescue might have been among these, had he been
+      left to the guidance of his own judgment and inclination; for, as a man of
+      honor and intelligence, he could not help feeling shocked at the demands
+      made by those who were the spokesmen of the people. But this course he was
+      not permitted to take, owing to the influence of a man who had succeeded
+      in obtaining the most absolute power over him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This was a certain Maurice Mulcahy, a well-known member of the various
+      illegal clubs of the day, and originally a country schoolmaster. Mulcahy
+      it was who first infected Fortescue's mind with the poison of this party,&mdash;now
+      lending him volumes of the incendiary trash with which the press teemed;
+      now newspapers, whose articles were headed, &ldquo;Orange outrage on a harmless
+      and unresisting peasantry!&rdquo; or, &ldquo;Another sacrifice of the people to the
+      bloody vengeance of the Saxon!&rdquo; By these, his youthful mind became
+      interested in the fate of those he believed to be treated with reckless
+      cruelty and oppression; while, as he advanced in years, his reason was
+      appealed to by those great and spirit-stirring addresses which Grattan and
+      Curran were continually delivering, either in the senate or at the bar,
+      and wherein the most noble aspirations after liberty were united with
+      sentiments breathing love of country and devoted patriotism. To connect
+      the garbled and lying statements of a debased newspaper press with the
+      honorable hopes and noble conceptions of men of mind and genius, was the
+      fatal process of his political education; and never was there a time when
+      such a delusion was more easy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mulcahy, now stimulating the boyish ardor of a high-spirited youth, now
+      flattering his vanity by promises of the position one of his ancient name
+      and honored lineage must assume in the great national movement, gradually
+      became his directing genius, swaying every resolution and ruling every
+      determination of his mind. He never left his victim for a moment; and
+      while thus insuring the unbounded influence he exercised, he gave proof of
+      a seeming attachment, which Fortescue confidently believed in. Mulcahy,
+      too, never wanted for money; alleging that the leaders of the plot knew
+      the value of Fortescue's alliance, and were willing to advance him any
+      sums he needed, he supplied the means of every extravagance a wild and
+      careless youth indulged in, and thus riveted the chain of his bondage to
+      him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the rebellion broke out, Fortescue, like many more, was horror-struck
+      at the conduct of his party. He witnessed hourly scenes of cruelty and
+      bloodshed at which his heart revolted, but to avow his compassion for
+      which would have cost him his life on the spot. He was in the stream,
+      however, and must go with the torrent; and what will not stern necessity
+      compel? Daily intimacy with the base-hearted and the low, hourly
+      association with crime, and perhaps more than either, despair of success,
+      broke him down completely, and with the blind fatuity of one predestined
+      to evil, he became careless what happened to him, and indifferent to
+      whatever fate was before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Still, between him and his associates there lay a wide gulf. The tree,
+      withered and blighted as it was, still preserved some semblance of its
+      once beauty; and among that mass of bigotry and bloodshed, his nature
+      shone forth conspicuously as something of a different order of being. To
+      none was this superiority more insulting than to the parties themselves.
+      So long as the period of devising and planning the movement of an
+      insurrection lasts, the presence of a gentleman, or a man of birth or
+      rank, will be hailed with acclamation and delight. Let the hour of acting
+      arrive, however, and the scruples of an honorable mind, or the repugnance
+      of a high-spirited nature, will be treated as cowardice by those who only
+      recognized bravery in deeds of blood, and know no heroism save when allied
+      to cruelty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fortescue became suspected by his party. Hints were circulated, and rumors
+      reached him, that he was watched; that it was no time for hanging back. He
+      who sacrificed everything for the cause to be thus accused! He consulted
+      Mulcahy; and to his utter discomfiture discovered that even his old ally
+      and adviser was not devoid of doubt regarding him. Something must be done,
+      and that speedily,&mdash;he cared not what. Life had long ceased to
+      interest him either by hope or fear. The only tie that bound him to
+      existence was the strange desire to be respected by those his heart
+      sickened at the thought of.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An attack was at that time planned against the house and family of a
+      Wexford gentleman, whose determined opposition to the rebel movement had
+      excited all their hatred. Fortescue demanded to be the leader of that
+      expedition; and was immediately named to the post by those who were glad
+      to have the opportunity of testing his conduct by such an emergency.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The attack took place at night,&mdash;a scene of the most fearful and
+      appalling cruelty, such as the historian yet records among the most
+      dreadful of that dreadful period. The house was burned to the ground, and
+      its inmates butchered, regardless of age or sex. In the effort to save a
+      female from the flames, Fortescue was struck down by one of his party;
+      while another nearly cleft his chest across with a cut of a large knife.
+      He fell, covered with blood, and lay seemingly dead. When his party
+      retreated, however, he summoned strength to creep under shelter of a
+      ditch, and lay there till near daybreak, when he was found by another gang
+      of the rebel faction, who knew nothing of the circumstances of his wound,
+      and carried him away to a place of safety.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some months he lay dangerously ill. Hectic fever, consequent on long
+      suffering, brought him to the very brink of the grave; and at last he
+      managed by stealth to reach Dublin, where a doctor well known to the party
+      resided, and under whose care he ultimately recovered, and succeeded at
+      last in taking a passage to America. Meanwhile his death was currently
+      believed, and Crofts was everywhere recognized as the heir to the fortune.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mulcahy, of whom it is necessary to speak a few words, was soon after
+      apprehended on a charge of rebellion, and sentenced to transportation. He
+      appealed to many who had known him, as he said, in better times, to speak
+      to his character. Among others, Captain Crofts&mdash;so he then was&mdash;was
+      summoned. His evidence, however, was rather injurious than favorable to
+      the prisoner; and although not in any way influencing the sentence, was
+      believed by the populace to have mainly contributed to its severity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was, in substance, the singular story which was now told before the
+      court,&mdash;told without any effort at concealment or reserve; and to the
+      proof of which M'Keown was willing to proceed at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This, my lord,&rdquo; said Darby, as he concluded, &ldquo;is a good time and place to
+      give back to Mr. Crofts a trifling article I took from him the night at
+      the barracks. I thought it was the bank-notes I was getting; but it turned
+      out better, after all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With that he produced a strong black leather pocket-book, fastened by a
+      steel clasp. No sooner did Crofts behold it, than, with the spring of a
+      tiger, he leaped forward and endeavored to clutch it. But Darby was on his
+      guard, and immediately drew back his hand, calling out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, sir! I didn't keep it by me eight long years to give it up that
+      way. There, my lords,&rdquo; said he, as he handed it to the bench, &ldquo;there's his
+      pocket-book, with plenty of notes in it from many a one well known,&mdash;Maurice
+      Mulcahy among the rest,&mdash;and you'll soon see who it was first tempted
+      Fortescue to ruin, and who paid the money for doing it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A burst of horror and astonishment broke from the assembled crowd as Darby
+      spoke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, in a loud, determined tone, &ldquo;He is a perjurer!&rdquo; screamed Crofts. &ldquo;I
+      repeat it, my lord; Fortescue is dead.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faix! and for a dead man he has a remarkable appetite,&rdquo; said Darby, &ldquo;and
+      an elegant color in his face besides; for there he stands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And as he spoke, he pointed with his finger to a man who was leaning with
+      folded arms against one of the pillars that supported the gallery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Every eye was now turned in the direction towards him; while the young
+      barrister called out, &ldquo;Is your name Daniel Fortescue?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But before any answer could follow, several among the lawyers, who had
+      known him in his college days, and felt attachment to him, had surrounded
+      and recognized him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am Daniel Fortescue, my lord,&rdquo; said the stranger. &ldquo;Whatever may be the
+      consequences of the avowal, I say it here, before this court, that every
+      statement the witness has made regarding me is true to the letter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A low, faint sound, heard throughout the stillness that followed these
+      words, now echoed throughout the court; and Crofts had fallen, fainting,
+      over the bench behind him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A scene of tumultuous excitement now ensued, for while Crofts's friends,
+      many of whom were present, assisted to carry him into the air, others
+      pressed eagerly forward to catch a sight of Fortescue, who had already
+      rivalled Darby himself in the estimation of the spectators.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was a tall, powerfully-built man, of about thirty-five or thirty-six,
+      dressed in the blue jacket and trousers of a sailor; but neither the
+      habitude of his profession nor the humble dress he wore could conceal the
+      striking evidence his air and bearing indicated of condition and birth. As
+      he mounted the witness table,&mdash;for it was finally agreed that his
+      testimony in disproof or corroboration of M'Keown should be heard,&mdash;a
+      murmur of approbation went round, partly at the daring step he had thus
+      ventured on taking, and partly excited by those personal gifts which are
+      ever certain to have their effect upon any crowded assembly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I need not enter into the details of his evidence, which was given in a
+      frank, straightforward manner, well suited to his appearance; never
+      concealing for a moment the cause he had himself embarked in, nor assuming
+      any favorable coloring for actions which ingenuity and the zeal of party
+      would have found subjects for encomium rather than censure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His narrative not only confirmed all that Darby asserted, but also
+      disclosed the atrocious scheme by which he had been first induced to join
+      the ranks of the disaffected party. This was the work of Crofts, who knew
+      and felt that Fortescue was the great barrier between himself and a large
+      fortune. For this purpose Mulcahy was hired; to this end the whole long
+      train of perfidy laid, which eventuated in his ruin: for so artfully had
+      the plot been devised, each day's occurrence rendered retreat more
+      difficult, until at last it became impossible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The reader is already aware of the catastrophe which concluded his career
+      in the rebel army. It only remains now to be told that he escaped to
+      America, where he entered as a sailor on board a merchantman; and although
+      his superior acquirements and conduct might have easily bettered his
+      fortune in his new walk in life, the dread of detection never left his
+      mind, and he preferred the hardships before the mast to the vacillation of
+      hope and fear a more conspicuous position would have exposed him to.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The vessel in which he served was wrecked off the coast of New Holland,
+      and he and a few others of the crew were taken up by an English ship on
+      her voyage outward. In a party sent on shore for water, Fortescue came up
+      with Darby, who had made his escape from the convict settlement, and was
+      wandering about the woods, almost dead of starvation, and scarcely covered
+      with clothing. His pitiful condition, but perhaps more still, his native
+      drollery, which even then was unextinguished, induced the sailors to yield
+      to Fortescue's proposal, and they smuggled him on board in a water cask;
+      and thus concealed, he made the entire voyage to England, where he landed
+      about a fortnight before the trial. Fearful of being apprehended before
+      the day, and determined at all hazards to give his evidence, he lay hid
+      till the time we have already seen, when he suddenly came forward to my
+      rescue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mulcahy, who worked in the same gang with Darby, or, to use the piper's
+      grandiloquent expression,&mdash;for he burst out in this occasionally,&mdash;was
+      &ldquo;in concatenated proximity to him,&rdquo; told the whole story of his own
+      baseness, and loudly inveighed against Crofts for deserting him in his
+      misfortunes. The pocket-book taken from Crofts by Darby amply corroborated
+      this statement. It contained, besides various memoranda in the owner's
+      handwriting, several letters from Mulcahy, detailing the progress of the
+      conspiracy: some were in acknowledgment of considerable sums of money;
+      others asking for supplies; but all confirmatory of the black scheme by
+      which Fortescue's destruction was compassed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whatever might have been the sentiments of the crowded court regarding the
+      former life and opinions of Fortescue and the piper, it was clear that now
+      only one impression prevailed,&mdash;a general feeling of horror at the
+      complicated villany of Crofts, whose whole existence had been one tissue
+      of the basest treachery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The testimony was heard with attention throughout; no cross-examination
+      was entered on; and the judge, briefly adverting to the case which was
+      before the jury, and from whose immediate consideration subsequent events
+      had in a great measure withdrawn their minds, directed them to deliver a
+      verdict of &ldquo;Not guilty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The words were re-echoed by the jury, who, man for man, exclaimed these
+      words aloud, amid the most deafening cheers from every side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I walked from the dock, fatigued, worn out, and exhausted, a dozen
+      hands were stretched out to seize mine; but one powerful grasp caught my
+      arm, and a well-known voice called in my ear,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An' ye wor with Boney, Master Tom? Tare and 'ounds, didn't I know you'd
+      be a great man yet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the same instant Fortescue came through the crowd towards me, with his
+      hands outstretched.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We should be friends, sir,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;for we both have suffered from a
+      common enemy. If I am at liberty to leave this&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are not, sir,&rdquo; interposed a deep voice behind. We turned and beheld
+      Major Barton. &ldquo;The massacre at Kil-macshogue has yet to be atoned for.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Fortescue's face grew actually livid at the mention of the word, and his
+      breathing became thick and short.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here,&rdquo; continued Barton, &ldquo;is the warrant for your committal. And you
+      also, Darby,&rdquo; said he, turning round; &ldquo;we want your company once more in
+      Newgate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bedad, I suppose there's no use in sending an apology when friends is so
+      pressing,&rdquo; said he, buttoning his coat as coolly as possible; &ldquo;but I hope
+      you 'll let the master come in to see me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Burke shall be admitted at all times,&rdquo; said Barton, with an
+      obsequious civility I had never witnessed in him previously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faix, maybe you 'll not be for letting him out so aisy,&rdquo; said Darby,
+      dryly, for his notions of justice were tempered by a considerable dash of
+      suspicion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I had only time left to press my purse into the honest fellow's hand, and
+      salute Fortescue hastily, as they both were removed, under the custody of
+      Barton. And I now made my way through the crowd into the hall, which
+      opened a line for me as I went; a thousand welcomes meeting me from those
+      who felt as anxious about the result of the trial as if a brother or a
+      dear friend had been in peril.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One face caught my eye as I passed; and partly from my own excitement,
+      partly from its expression being so different from its habitual character,
+      I could not recognize it as speedily as I ought to have done. Again and
+      again it appeared; and at last, as I approached the door into the street,
+      it was beside me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I might dare to express my congratulations,&rdquo; said a voice, weak from
+      the tremulous anxiety of the speaker, and the shame which, real or
+      affected, seemed to bow him down.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What,&rdquo; cried I, &ldquo;Mr. Basset!&rdquo; for it was the worthy man himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir. Your father's old and confidential agent,&mdash;I might venture
+      to say, friend,&mdash;come to see the son of his first patron occupy the
+      station he has long merited.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A bad memory is the only touch of age I remark in you, sir,&rdquo; said I,
+      endeavoring to pass on, for I was unwilling at the moment of my escape
+      from a great difficulty to lose temper with so unworthy an object.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One moment, sir, just a moment,&rdquo; said he, in a low whisper. &ldquo;You'll want
+      money, probably. The November rents are not paid up; but there's a
+      considerable balance to your credit. Will you take a hundred or two for
+      the present?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take money!&mdash;money from you!&rdquo; said I, shrinking back.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your own, sir; your own estate. Do you forget,&rdquo; said he, with a miserable
+      effort of a smile, &ldquo;that you are Mr. Burke of Cromore, with a clear rental
+      of four thousand a year? We gained the Cluan Bog lawsuit, sir,&rdquo; continued
+      he. &ldquo;'Twas I, sir, found the satisfaction for the bond. Your brother said
+      he owed it all to Tony Basset.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The two last words were all that were needed to sum up the measure of my
+      disgust and I once more tried to get forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know the property, sir, for thirty-eight years I was over it. Your
+      father and your brother always trusted me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me pass on, Mr. Basset,&rdquo; said I, calmly. &ldquo;I have no desire to become
+      a greater object of mob curiosity. Pray let me pass on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And for Darby M'Keown,&rdquo; whispered he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What of him?&rdquo; said I; for he had touched the most anxious chord of my
+      heart at that instant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I'll have him free; he shall be at liberty in forty-eight hours for you.
+      I have the whole papers by me; and a statement to the privy council will
+      obtain his liberation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do this,&rdquo; said I, &ldquo;and I 'll forgive more of your treatment of me than I
+      could on any other plea.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May I call on you this evening, or to-morrow morning, at your hotel?
+      Where do you stop, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This evening be it, if it hasten M'Keown's liberation. Remember, however,
+      Mr. Basset, I'll hold no converse with you on any other subject till that
+      be settled, and to my perfect satisfaction.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A bargain, sir,&rdquo; said he, with a grin of satisfaction; and dropping back,
+      he suffered me to proceed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Along the quays I went, and down Dame Street, accompanied by a great mob
+      of people, who thought in my acquittal they had gained a triumph. For so
+      it was; every case had its political feature, and seemed to be intimately
+      connected with the objects of one party or the other. Partisan cheers,&mdash;the
+      watchwords of faction,&mdash;were uttered as I went, and I was made to
+      suffer that least satisfactory of all conditions, which bestows notoriety
+      without fame, and popularity without merit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I entered the hotel, I recognized many of the persons I had seen there
+      before; but their looks were no longer thrown towards me with the
+      impertinence they then assumed. On the contrary, a studied desire to
+      evince courtesy and politeness was evident. &ldquo;How strange is it!&rdquo; thought
+      I; &ldquo;how differently does the whole world smile to the rich man and to the
+      poor!&rdquo; Here were many who could in nowise derive advantage from my altered
+      condition,&mdash;as perfectly independent of me as I of them; and yet even
+      they showed that degree of deference in their manner which the expectant
+      bestows upon a patron. So it is, however. The position which wealth
+      confers is recognized by all; the individual who fills it is but an
+      attribute of the station.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Life had, indeed, opened on me with a new and very different aspect; and I
+      felt, as I indulged in the daydreams which the sudden possession of
+      fortune excites, that to enjoy thoroughly the blessings of independence,
+      one must have experienced, as I had, the hard pressure of adversity. It
+      seemed to me that the long road of gloomy fate had at length reached its
+      turning point, and that I should now travel along a calmer and happier
+      path. Thoughts of the new career that lay before me were blended with the
+      memories of the past; hopes they were, but dashed with the shadows which a
+      blighted affection will throw over the whole stream of life. Still that
+      evening was one of happiness; not of that excited pleasure derived from
+      the attainment of a long coveted object, but the calmer enjoyment felt in
+      the safety of the haven by him who has experienced the hurricane and the
+      storm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With such thoughts I went to rest, and laid my head on my pillow in
+      thoughtfulness and peace. In my dreams my troubles still lingered. But who
+      regrets the anxious minutes of a vision which wakening thoughts dispel?
+      Are they not rather the mountain shadows that serve to brighten the gleam
+      of the sunlight in the plain?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was thus the morning broke for me, with all the ecstasy of danger
+      passed, and all the crowding hopes of a happy future. The hundred
+      speculations which in poverty I had formed for the comfort of the poor and
+      the humble might now be realized; and I fancied myself the centre of a
+      happy peasantry, confiding and contented. It would be hard, indeed, to
+      forget &ldquo;the camp and the tented field&rdquo; in the peaceful paths of a country
+      life. But simple duties are often as engrossing as those of a higher
+      order, and bring a reward not less grateful to the heart; and I flattered
+      myself to think my ambition reached not above them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The moments in which such daydreams are indulged are the very happiest of
+      a lifetime. The hopes which are based on the benefits we may render to
+      others are sources of elevation to ourselves; and such motives purify the
+      soul, and exalt the mind to a pitch far above the petty ambitions of the
+      world.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To myself, and to my own enjoyments, wealth could contribute less than to
+      most men. The simple habits of a soldier's life satisfied every wish of my
+      mind. The luxuries which custom makes necessary to others I never knew;
+      and I formed my resolution not to wander from this path of humble,
+      inexpensive tastes, so that the stream of charity might flow the wider.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These were my waking thoughts. Alas, how little do we ever realize of such
+      speculations! and how few glide down the stream of life unswayed by the
+      eddies and crosscurrents of fortune! The higher we build the temple of our
+      hopes, the more surely will it topple to its fall. Who shall say that our
+      greatest enjoyment is not in raising the pile, and our happiest hours the
+      full abandonment to those hopes our calmer reason never ratified?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As yet it had not occurred to me to think what position the world might
+      concede to one whose life had been passed like mine, nor did I bestow a
+      care upon a matter whereon so much of future happiness depended. These,
+      however, were considerations which could not be long averted. How they
+      came, and in what manner they were met must remain for a future chapter of
+      my history.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0037" id="link2HCH0037">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVII. HASTY RESOLUTION
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      In my last chapter I brought my reader to that portion of my story which
+      formed the turning-point of my destiny. And here I might, perhaps,
+      conclude these brief memoirs of an early life, whose chief object was to
+      point out the results of a hasty and rash judgment, which, formed in mere
+      boyhood, exerted its influence throughout the entire of a lifetime. Only
+      one incident remains still to be told; and I shall not trespass on the
+      good-natured patience of my readers by any delay in the narrative.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From being poor, houseless, and unknown, a sudden turn of fortune had made
+      me wealthy and conspicuous in station; the owner of a large estate,&mdash;almost
+      a lead-ing man in my native county. My influence was sufficient to procure
+      the liberation of M'Keown; and my interference in his behalf mainly
+      contributed to procure for Fortescue the royal pardon. The world, as the
+      phrase is, went with me; and the good luck which attended every step I
+      took and every plan I engaged in was become a proverb among my neighbors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let not any one suppose I was unmindful or ungrateful, if I confess, that
+      even with all these I was not happy. No: the tranquil mind, the spirit at
+      ease with itself, cannot exist where the sense of duty is not. The impulse
+      which swayed my boyish heart still moved the ambition of the man. The
+      pursuits I should have deemed the noblest and the purest seemed to me
+      uninteresting and ignoble; the associations I ought to have felt the
+      happiest and the highest appeared to me vulgar, and low, and commonplace.
+      I was disappointed in my early dream of liberty, and had found tyranny
+      where I looked for freedom, and intolerance where I expected
+      enlightenment; but if so, I recurred with tenfold enthusiasm to the career
+      of the soldier, whose glories were ever before me. That noble path had not
+      deceived me; far from it. Its wild and whirlwind excitement, its hazardous
+      enterprise, its ever-present dangers, were stimulants I loved and gloried
+      in. All the chances and changes of a peaceful life were poor and mean
+      compared to the hourly vicissitudes of war. I knew not then, it is true,
+      how much of enjoyment I derived from forgetful ness; how many of my
+      springs of happiness flowed from that preoccupation which prevented my
+      dwelling on the only passion that ever stirred my heart,&mdash;my love for
+      one whose love was hopeless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      How thoroughly will the character of an early love tinge the whole of a
+      life! Our affections are like flowers,&mdash;they derive their sweetness
+      and their bloom from the soil in which they grow: some, budding in joy and
+      gladness, amid the tinkling plash of a glittering fountain, live on ever
+      bright and beautiful; others, struggling on amid thorns and wild weeds,
+      overshadowed by gloom, preserve their early impressions to the last,&mdash;their
+      very sweetness tells of sadness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To conquer the memory of this hopeless passion, I tried a hundred ways. I
+      endeavored, by giving myself up to the duties of a country gentleman, to
+      become absorbed in all the cares and pursuits which had such interest for
+      my neighbors. Failing in this, I became a sportsman; I kept horses and
+      dogs, and entered, with all the zest mere determination can impart, upon
+      that life of manly exertion, so full of pleasure to thousands. But here
+      again without succeeding.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I went into society; but soon retired from it, on finding, that among the
+      class of my equals the prestige of my early life had still tracked me. I
+      was in their eyes a rebel, whose better fortune had saved him from the
+      fate of his companions. My youth had given no guarantee for my manhood;
+      and I was not trusted. Baffled in every endeavor to obliterate my secret
+      grief, I recurred to it now, as though privileged by fate, to indulge a
+      memory nothing could efface. I abandoned all the petty appliances by which
+      I sought to shut out the past, and gave myself up in full abandonment to
+      the luxury of my melancholy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Living entirely within the walls of my demesne, never seen by my
+      neighbors, not making nor receiving visits, I appeared to many a heartless
+      recluse, whose misanthropy sought indulgence in solitude; others, less
+      harshly, judged me as one whose unhappy entrance on life had unfitted him
+      for the station to which fortune had elevated him. By both I was soon
+      forgotten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The peasantry were less ungenerous, and more just. They saw in me one who
+      felt acutely for the privations they were suffering; yet never gave them
+      that cheap, delusive hope, that legislative changes will touch social
+      evils,&mdash;that the acts of a parliament will penetrate the thousand
+      tortuous windings of a poor man's destiny. They found in me a friend and
+      an adviser. They only-wondered at one thing,&mdash;how any man could feel
+      for the poor, and not hate the rich. So long had the struggle lasted
+      between affluence and misery, they could not understand a compromise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bitter as their poverty had been, it never extinguished the poetry of
+      their lives. They were hungry and naked; but they held to their ancient
+      traditions, and they built on them great hopes for the future. The old
+      family names, the time-honored memories of place, the famous deeds of
+      ancestors, made an ideal existence powerful enough to exclude the pressure
+      of actual daily evils; and they argued from what had been to what might
+      be, with a persistency of hope it seemed almost cruel to destroy. So
+      deeply were these thoughts engrained into their natures, they felt him but
+      half their friend who ventured to despise them. The relief of present
+      poverty, the succor of actual suffering, became in their eyes an effort of
+      mere passing kindness. They looked to some great amelioration of
+      condition, some wondrous change, some restoration to an imaginary standard
+      of independence and comfort, which all the efforts of common interference
+      fell sadly short of; and thus they strained their gaze to a government, a
+      ruling power, for a boon undefined, unknown, and illimitable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To expectations like these advice and slight assistance are as the mere
+      drop of water to the parched tongue of thirst; and so I found it. I could
+      neither encourage them in their hopes of such legislative changes as would
+      greatly ameliorate their condition, nor flatter them in the delusion that
+      none of their misfortunes were of home origin; and thus, if they felt
+      gratitude for many kindnesses, they reposed no confidence in my opinion.
+      The trading patriot, who promised much while he pocketed their hard-earned
+      savings; the rabid newspaper writer, who libelled the Government and
+      denounced the landlord,&mdash;were their standards of sympathy; and he who
+      fell short of either was not their friend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a word, the social state of the people was rotten to its very core.
+      Their highest qualities, degraded by the combined force of poverty,
+      misrule, and superstition, had become sources of crime and misery. They
+      had suffered so long and so much, their patience was exhausted; and they
+      preferred the prospect of any violent convulsion which might change the
+      face of the land, whatever dangers it might come with, to a slow and
+      gradual improvement of condition, however safe and certain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To win their confidence at the only price they would accord it, I never
+      could consent to; and without it I was almost powerless for good. Here
+      again, therefore, did I find closed against me another avenue for
+      exertion; and the only one of all I could have felt a fitting sphere for
+      my labor. The violence of their own passionate natures, the headlong
+      impulses by which they suffered themselves to be swayed, left them no
+      power of judgment regarding those whose views were more moderate and
+      temperate. They could understand the high Tory landlord, whom they
+      invested with every attribute of tyranny, as their open, candid opponent;
+      they could see a warm friend in the violent mob-orator of the day; but
+      they recognized no trait of kindness in him who would rather see them fed
+      than flattered, and behold them in the enjoyment of comfort sooner than in
+      the ecstasy of triumph.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From &ldquo;Darby the Blast&rdquo;&mdash;for he was now a member of my household&mdash;I
+      learned the light in which I was regarded by the people, and heard the
+      dissatisfaction they expressed that one who &ldquo;sarved Boney&rdquo; should not be
+      ready to head a rising, if need be. Thus was I in a false position on
+      every side. Mistrusted by all, because I would neither enter into the
+      exaggerations of party, nor become blind to the truth my senses revealed
+      before me, my sphere of utility was narrowed to the discharge of the mere
+      duties of common charity and benevolence, and my presence among my
+      tenantry no more productive of benefit than if I had left my purse as my
+      representative.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Years rolled on, and in the noiseless track of time I forgot its flight. I
+      now had grown so wedded to the habits of my solitary life, that its very
+      monotony was a source of pleasure. I had intrenched myself within a little
+      circle of enjoyments, and among my books and in my walks my days went
+      pleasantly over.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For a long time, I did not dare to read the daily papers, nor learn the
+      great events which agitated Europe. I tried to think that an interval of
+      repose would leave me indifferent to their mention; and so rigidly did I
+      abstain from indulging my curiosity, that the burning of Moscow, and the
+      commencement of the dreadful retreat which followed, was the first fact I
+      read of.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the moment I gave way, the passion for intelligence from France
+      became a perfect mania. Where were the different corps of the &ldquo;Grand
+      Army&rdquo;? where the Emperor himself? by what great stroke of genius would he
+      emerge from the difficulties around him, and deal one of his fatal blows
+      on the enemy?&mdash;were the questions which met me as I awoke, and
+      tortured me during the day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Each movement of that terrible retreat I followed in the gazettes with an
+      anxiety verging on insanity. I tracked the long journey on the map, and as
+      I counted towns and villages, dreary deserts of snow, and vast rivers to
+      be traversed, my heart grew faint to think how many a brave soldier would
+      never reach that fair France for whose glory he had shed his best blood.
+      Disaster followed disaster; and as the news reached England, came accounts
+      of those great defections which weakened the force of the &ldquo;Grand Army,&rdquo;
+       and deranged the places formed for its retiring movements.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They who can recall to mind the time I speak of, will remember the effect
+      produced in England by the daily accounts from the seat of war; how
+      heavily fell the blows of that altered fortune which once rested on the
+      eagles of France; how each new bulletin announced another feature of
+      misfortune,&mdash;some shattered remnant of a great <i>corps d'armée</i>
+      cut off by Cossacks,&mdash;some dreadful battle engaged against superior
+      numbers, and fought with desperation, not for victory, but the liberty to
+      retreat. Great names were mentioned among the slain, and the proudest
+      chivalry of Gaul left to perish on the far-off steppes of Russia.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such were the fearful tales men read of that terrible campaign; and the
+      joy in England was great, to hear that the most powerful of her enemies
+      had at length experienced the full bitterness of defeat. While men vied
+      with one another in stories of the misfortunes of the Emperor,&mdash;when
+      each post added another to the long catalogue of disasters to the &ldquo;Grand
+      Army,&rdquo;&mdash;I sat in my lonely house, in a remote part of Ireland,
+      brooding over the sad reverses of him who still formed my ideal of a hero.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I thought how, amid the crumbling ruins of his splendid force, his great
+      soul would survive the crash that made all others despair; that each new
+      evil would suggest its remedy as it arose, and the mind that never failed
+      in expedient would shine out more brilliantly through the gloom of
+      darkening fortune than even it had done in the noonday splendor of
+      success. When all others could only see the tremendous energy of despair,
+      I thought I could recognize those glorious outbursts of heroism by which a
+      French army sought and won the favor of their Emperor. The routed and
+      straggling bodies which hurried along in seeming disorder, I gloried to
+      perceive could assume all the port and bearing of soldiers at the approach
+      of danger, and form their ranks at the wild &ldquo;houra&rdquo; of the Cossack as
+      steadily as in the proudest day of their prosperity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The retreat continued: the horrible suffering of a Russian winter added to
+      the carnage of a battle-tide, which flowed unceasingly from the ruined
+      walls of the Kremlin to the banks of the Vistula: the battle of Borisow
+      and the passage of the Berezina followed fast on each other. And now we
+      heard that the Emperor had surrendered the chief command to Murat, and was
+      hastening back to France with lightning speed; for already the day of his
+      evil fortune had thrown its shadow over the capital. No longer reckoned by
+      tens of thousands, that vast army had now dwindled down to divisions of a
+      few hundred men. The Old Guard scarce exceeded one thousand; and of twenty
+      entire regiments of cavalry, Murat mustered a single squadron as a
+      bodyguard. Crowds of wounded and mutilated men dragged their weary limbs
+      along over the hardened snow, or through dense pine forests where no
+      villages were to be met with,&mdash;a fatuous determination to strive to
+      reach France, the only impulse surviving amid all their sufferings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With the defections of D'York and Massenbach, then began that new feature
+      of disaster which was so soon to burst forth with all the fell fury of
+      long pent-up hatred. The nationality of Germany&mdash;so long, so cruelly
+      insulted&mdash;now saw the day of retribution arrive. Misfortune hastened
+      misfortune, and defeat engendered treason in the ranks of the Emperor's
+      allies. Murat, too, the favorite of Napoleon, the king of his creation,
+      deserted him now, and fled ignominiously from the command of the army.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Elbe! the Elbe!&rdquo; was now the cry amid the shattered ranks of that
+      army which but a year before saw no limit to its glorious path. The Elbe
+      was the only line remaining which promised a moment's repose from the
+      fatigues and privations of months long. Along that road the army could
+      halt, and stem the tide of pursuit, however hotly it pressed. The
+      Prussians had already united with the Russians; the defection of Austria
+      could not be long distant; Saxony was appealed to, as a member of the
+      German family, to join in arms against the Tyrant; and the wild &ldquo;houra&rdquo; of
+      the Cossack now blended with the loud &ldquo;Vorwarts&rdquo; of injured Prussia.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where shall he seek succor now? What remains to him in this last eventful
+      struggle? How shall the Emperor call back to life the legions by whose
+      valor his great victories were gained, and Europe made a vassal at the
+      foot of his throne?&rdquo; Such was the thought that never left me day or night.
+      Ever present before me was his calm brow, and his face paler, but not less
+      handsome, than its wont. I could recall his rapid glance; the quick and
+      hurried motion of his hand; his short and thick utterance, as words of
+      command fell from his lips; and his smile, as he heard some intelligence
+      with pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I could not sleep,&mdash;scarcely could I eat. A feverish excitement
+      burned through my frame, and my parched tongue and hot hand told how the
+      very springs of health were dried up within me. I walked with hurried
+      steps from place to place; now muttering the words of some despatch, now
+      fancying that I was sent with orders for a movement of troops. As I rode,
+      I spurred my horse to a gallop, and in my heated imagination believed I
+      was in presence of the enemy, and preparing for the fray. Great as my
+      exhaustion frequently was, weariness brought no rest. Often I returned
+      home at evening, overcome by fatigue; but a sleepless night, tortured with
+      anxieties and harassed with doubts and fears, followed, and I awoke to
+      pursue the same path, till in my weakened frame and hectic cheek the signs
+      of illness could no longer be mistaken.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Terrified at the ravages a few weeks had made in my health, and fearful
+      what secret malady was preying upon me, Darby, without asking any leave
+      from me, left the house one morning at daybreak, and returned with the
+      physician of the neighboring town. I was about to mount my horse, when I
+      saw them coming up the avenue, and immediately guessed the object of the
+      visit. A moment was enough to decide me as to the course to pursue; for
+      well knowing how disposed the world ever is to stamp the impress of
+      wandering intellect on any habit of mere eccentricity, I resolved to
+      receive the doctor as though I was glad of his coming, and consult with
+      him regarding my state. This would at least refute such a scandal, by
+      enlisting the physician among the allies of my cause.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By good fortune, Dr. Clibborn was a man of shrewd common sense, as well as
+      a physician of no mean skill.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the brief conversation we held together, I perceived, that while he
+      paid all requisite attention to any detail which implied the existence of
+      malady, his questions were more pointedly directed to the possibility of
+      some mental cause of irritation,&mdash;the source of my ailment. I could
+      see, however, that his opinion inclined to the belief that the events of
+      the trial had left their indelible traces on my mind; which, inducing me
+      to adopt a life of isolation and retirement, had now produced the effects
+      he witnessed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was not sorry at this mistake on his part. By suffering him to indulge
+      in this delusive impression, I saved myself all the trouble of concealing
+      my real feelings, which I had no desire to expose before him. I permitted
+      him, therefore, to reason with me on the groundless notions he supposed I
+      had conceived of the world's feeling regarding me, and heard him patiently
+      as he detailed the course of public duty, by fulfilling which I should
+      occupy my fitting place in society, and best consult my own health and
+      happiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;certain fixed impressions, which I would not so
+      combat. It was but yesterday, for instance, I yielded to the wish of an
+      old general officer, who has served upwards of half a century, and desires
+      once more to put himself at the head of his regiment. His heart was bent
+      on it. I saw that though he might consent to abandon his purpose, I was
+      not so sure his mind might bear the disappointment; for the intellect will
+      sometimes go astray in endeavoring to retrace its steps. So I thought it
+      better to concede what might cost more in the refusal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The last words of the doctor remained in my head long after he took his
+      leave, and I could not avoid applying them to my own case. Was not <i>my</i>
+      impression of this nature? Were not <i>my</i> thoughts all centred on one
+      theme as fixedly as the officer's of whom he spoke? Could I, by any effort
+      of my reason or my will, control my wandering fancies, and call them back
+      to the dull realities amongst which I lived?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These were ever recurring to me, and always with the same reply. It is in
+      vain to struggle against an impulse which has swallowed up all other
+      ambitions. My heart is among the glittering ranks and neighing squadrons
+      of France; I would be there once more; I would follow that career which
+      first stirred the proudest hopes I ever cherished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That same evening the mail brought the news that Eugène Beauharnais had
+      fallen back on Magdeburg, and sent repeated despatches to the Emperor,
+      entreating his immediate presence among the troops, whom nothing but
+      Napoleon himself in the midst of them could restore to their wonted
+      bravery and determination. The reply of Napoleon was briefly,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am coming; and all who love me, follow me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      How the words rang in my ears,&mdash;&ldquo;<i>Tous ceux qui m'aiment!</i>&rdquo; I
+      heard them in every rustling of the wind and motion of the leaves against
+      the window; they were whispered to my sense by every avenue of my brain;
+      and I sat no longer occupied in reading as usual, but with folded arms,
+      repeating word by word the brief sentence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was midnight. All was still and silent through the house; no servant
+      stirred, and the very wind was hushed to a perfect calm. I was sitting in
+      my library, when the words I have repeated seemed spoken in a low, clear
+      voice beside me. I started up: the perspiration broke over my forehead and
+      fell upon my cheek with terror; for I knew I was alone, and the fearful
+      thought flashed on me,&mdash;this may be madness! For a second or two the
+      agony of the idea was almost insupportable. Then came a resolve as sudden.
+      I opened my desk, and took from it all the ready money I possessed; I
+      wrote a few hurried lines to my agent; and then, making my way noiselessly
+      to the stable, I saddled my horse and led him out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In two hours I was nearly twenty miles on my way to Dublin. Day was
+      breaking as I entered the capital. I made no delay there; but taking fresh
+      horses, started for Skerries, where I knew the fishermen of the coast
+      resorted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One hundred pounds to the man who will land me on the coast of France or
+      Holland,&rdquo; said I to a group that were preparing their nets on the shore.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A look of incredulity was the only reply. A very few words, however,
+      settled the bargain. Ere half an hour I was on board. The wind freshened,
+      and we stood out to sea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let the breeze keep to this,&rdquo; said the skipper, &ldquo;and we'll make the
+      voyage quickly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Both wind and tide were in our favor. We held down Channel rapidly; and I
+      saw the blue hills grow fainter and fainter, till the eye could but detect
+      a gray cloud on the horizon, which at last disappeared in the bright sun
+      of noon, and a wide waste of blue water lay on every side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0038" id="link2HCH0038">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE LAST CAMPAIGN
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The snow, half melted with the heavy rains, lay still deeply on the roads,
+      and a dark, lowering sky stretched above, as I harried onwards, with all
+      the speed I could, towards the east of France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Already the Allies had passed the Rhine. Schwartzen-berg in the south,
+      Blucher in the east, and Bernadotte on the Flemish frontier, were
+      conveying their vast armies to bear down on him whom singly none had dared
+      to encounter. All France was in arms, and every step was turned eastwards.
+      Immense troops of conscripts, many scarce of the age of boyhood, crowded
+      the highways. The veterans themselves were enrolled once more, and formed
+      battalions for the defence of their native land. Every town and village
+      was a garrison. The deep-toned rolling of ammunition wagons and the heavy
+      tramp of horses sounded through the nights long. War, terrible war, spoke
+      from every object around. Strongholds were strengthening, regiments
+      brigading, cavalry organizing on all sides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No longer, however, did I witness the wild enthusiasm which I so well
+      remembered among the soldiers of the army. Here were no glorious outbreaks
+      of that daring spirit which so marked the Frenchman, and made him almost
+      irresistible in arms. A sad and gloomy silence prevailed: a look of fierce
+      but hopeless determination was over all. They marched like men going to
+      death, but with the step and bearing of heroes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I entered the little town of Verviers. The day was breaking, but the
+      troops were under arms. The Emperor had but just taken his departure for
+      Châlons-sur-Marne. They told me of it as I changed horses,&mdash;not with
+      that fierce pride which a mere passing glance at the great Napoleon would
+      once have evoked; they spoke of him without emotion. I asked if he were
+      paler or thinner than his wont: they did not know. They said that he
+      travelled post, but that his staff were on horseback. From this I gathered
+      that he was either ill, or in that frame of mind in which he preferred to
+      be alone. While I was yet speaking, an officer of Engineers came up to the
+      carriage, and called out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unharness these horses, and bring them down to the barracks. These, sir,&rdquo;
+       said he, turning towards me, &ldquo;are not times to admit of ceremony. We have
+      eighteen guns to move, and want cattle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough, sir,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;I am not here to retard your movements, but if I
+      can, to forward them. Can I, as a volunteer, be of any service at this
+      moment?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you served before? Of course you have, though. In what arm?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As a Hussar of the Guard, for some years.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come along with me; I 'll bring you to the general at once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Re-entering the inn, the officer preceded me up stairs, and after a
+      moment's delay, introduced me into the presence of General Letort, then
+      commanding a cavalry brigade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have heard your request, sir. Where is your commission? Have you got it
+      with you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I handed it to him in silence. He examined it rapidly; and then turning
+      the reverse, read the few lines inscribed by the minister of war.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I could have given you a post this day, sir, this very hour,&rdquo; said he,
+      &ldquo;but for a blunder of our commissariat people. There's a troop here
+      waiting for a re-mount, but the order has not come down from Paris; and
+      our officials here will not advance the money till it arrives, as if these
+      were times for such punctilio. They are to form part of General
+      Kellermann's force, which is sadly deficient. Remain here, however, and
+      perhaps by to-morrow&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How much may the sum be, sir?&rdquo; asked I, interrupting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The general almost started with surprise at the abruptness of my question,
+      and in a tone of half reproof answered,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The amount required is beside the matter, sir; unless,&rdquo; added he,
+      sarcastically, &ldquo;you are disposed to advance it yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such was the object of my question,&rdquo; said I, calmly, and determining not
+      to notice the manner he had assumed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;<i>Parbleu!</i>&rdquo; exclaimed he, &ldquo;that is very different. Twenty thousand
+      francs, however, is a considerable sum.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have as much, and something more, if need be, in my carriage,&mdash;if
+      English gold be no objection.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, <i>pardie!</i> that it is not,&rdquo; cried he, laughing; &ldquo;I only wish we
+      saw more of it. Are you serious in all this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The best reply to his question was to hasten down stairs and return with
+      two small canvas bags in my hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here are one thousand guineas,&rdquo; said I, laying them on the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While one of the general's aides-de-camp was counting and examining the
+      gold, I repeated at his request the circumstances which brought me once
+      again to France to serve under the banner of the Emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And your name, sir,&rdquo; said he, as he seated himself to write, &ldquo;is Thomas
+      Burke, ci-devant captain of the Eighth Hussars of the Guard. Well, I can
+      promise you the restoration of your old grade. Meanwhile, you must take
+      command of these fellows. They are mere partisan troops, hurriedly raised,
+      and ill organized; but I'll give you a letter to General Damrémont at
+      Chalons, and he 'll attend to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not a position for myself I seek, General,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;Wherever I can
+      best serve the Emperor, there only I desire to be.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have ventured to leave that point to General Damrémont,&rdquo; said he,
+      smiling. &ldquo;Your motives do not require much explanation. Let us to
+      breakfast now, and by noon we shall have everything in readiness for your
+      departure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus rapidly, and as it were by the merest accident, was I again become a
+      soldier of the Emperor; and that same day was once more at the head of a
+      squadron, on my way to Châlons. My troop were, indeed, very unlike the
+      splendid array of my old Hussars of the Guard. They were hurriedly raised,
+      and not over well equipped, but still they were stout-looking, hardy
+      peasants, who, whatever deficiency of drill they might display, I knew
+      well would exhibit no lack of courage before an enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On reaching Châlons, I found that General Damrémont had left with the
+      staff for Vitry only a few hours before; and so I reported myself to the
+      officer commanding the town, and was ordered by him to join the cavalry
+      brigade then advancing on Vitry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Had I time at this moment, I could not help devoting some minutes to an
+      account of that strange and motley mass which then were brigaded as
+      Imperial cavalry. Dragoons of every class, heavy and light-armed,&mdash;grenadiers
+      à cheval and hussars, cuirassiers, carbineers, and lancers,&mdash;were
+      all, pell-mell, mixed up confusedly together, and hurried onwards; some to
+      join their respective corps if they could find them, but all prepared to
+      serve wherever their sabres might be called for. It was confusion to the
+      last degree; but a tumult without enthusiasm or impulse. The superior
+      officers, who were well acquainted with the state of events, made no
+      secret of their gloomy forebodings; the juniors lacked energy in a cause
+      where they saw no field for advancement; and the soldiers, always prepared
+      to imbibe their feelings from their officers, seemed alike sad and
+      dispirited.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What a change was this from the wild and joyous spirit which once animated
+      every grade and class,&mdash;from the generous enthusiasm that once warmed
+      each bold heart, and made every soldier a hero! Alas! the terrible
+      consequences of long defeat were on all. The tide of battle that rolled
+      disastrously from the ruined walls of the Kremlin still swept along
+      towards the great Palace of the Tuileries. Germany had witnessed the
+      destruction of two mighty armies; the third and last was now awaiting the
+      eventful struggle on the very soil of their country. The tide of
+      fugitives, which preceded the retiring columns of Victor and Ney, met the
+      advancing bodies of the conscripts, and spread dismay and consternation as
+      they went.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dejection was but the shadow of the last approaching disaster.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the night of the 27th January, the cavalry brigade with which I was
+      received orders to march by the Forest of Bar on Brienne, where Blücher
+      was stationed in no expectation of being attacked. The movement,
+      notwithstanding the heavy roads, was made with great rapidity; and by noon
+      on the following day we came up with the main body of the army in full
+      march against the enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then once more did I recognize the old spirit of the army. Joyous songs
+      and gay cheers were heard from the different corps we passed. The
+      announcement of a speedy meeting with the Prussians had infused new vigor
+      among the troops. We were emerging from the deep shade of the wood into a
+      valley, where a light infantry regiment were bivouacked. Their fires were
+      formed in a wide circle, and the cooking went merrily on, amid the
+      pleasant song and jocund cries.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our own brief halt was just concluded, when the bugles sounded to resume
+      the march; and I stood for a moment admiring the merry gambols of the
+      infantry, when an air I well remembered was chanted forth in full chorus.
+      But my memory was not left long in doubt as to where and how these sounds
+      were first heard. The wild uproar at once recalled both, as they sang out,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hurrah for the Faubourg of St. Antoine!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      No sooner did I hear the words, than I spurred my horse forward and rode
+      down towards them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What regiment's yours, Comrade?&rdquo; said I, to a fellow hurrying to the
+      ranks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Fifth, mon officier,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;Voltigeurs of the Line.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you a certain François, a maître d'armes, still among you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, that we have. There he is yonder, beating time to the roulade.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I looked in the direction he pointed, and there stood my old friend. He
+      was advanced in front of a company, and with the air of a tambour-major he
+      seemed as if he was giving time to the melody.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>sacré</i> conscripts that ye are!&rdquo; cried he, as with his fist
+      clenched he gesticulated fiercely towards them; &ldquo;can't ye keep the
+      measure? Once, now, and all together:&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;'Picardy first, and then&mdash;.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Halloo, Maître François! can you remember an old friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The little man turned suddenly, and bringing his hand to the salute,
+      remained stiff and erect, as if on parade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Connais pas, mon capitaine,&rdquo; was his answer, after a considerable pause.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! not know me!&mdash;me, whom you made one of your own gallant
+      company, calling me 'Burke of Ours'?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, <i>par la barbe de Saint Pierre!</i> is this my dear comrade of the
+      Eighth? Why, where have you been? They said you left us forever and aye.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tried it, François; but it wouldn't do.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mille bombes!&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;but you 're back in pleasant times,&mdash;to see
+      the Cossacks learning to drink champagne, and leave us to pay the score.
+      Come along, however; take your old place here. You are free to choose now,
+      and needn't be a dragoon any longer; not but that your old general will be
+      glad to see you again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General d'Auvergne! Where is he now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With the light cavalry brigade, in front; I saw him pass here two hours
+      since.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And how looks he, François?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A little stooped, or so, more than you knew him; but his seat in the
+      saddle seems just as firm. <i>Ventrebleu!</i> if he 'd been a voltigeur,
+      he 'd be a good man these ten years to come.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Delighted to learn that I was so near my dearest and oldest friend in the
+      world, I shook Francois's hand, and parted; but not without a pledge, that
+      whenever I joined the infantry, the Fifth Voltigeurs of the Line were to
+      have the preference.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As we advanced towards Brienne the distant thunder of large guns was
+      heard; which gradually grew louder and more sustained, and betokened that
+      the battle had already begun. The roads, blocked up with dense masses of
+      infantry and long trains of wagons, prevented our rapid advance; and when
+      we tried the fields at either side, the soil, cut up with recent rains,
+      made us sink to the very girths of our horses. Still, order after order
+      came for the troops to press forward, and every effort was made to obey
+      the command.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was five o'clock as we debouched into the plain, and beheld the fields
+      whereon the battle had been contested; for already the enemy were
+      retiring, and the French troops in eager pursuit. Behind, however, lay the
+      town of Brienne, still held by the Russians, but now little better than a
+      heap of smoking ruins, the tremendous fire of the French artillery having
+      reduced the place to ashes. Conspicuous above all rose the dismantled
+      walls of the ancient military college; the school where Napoleon had
+      learned his first lesson in war, where first he essayed to point those
+      guns which now with such fearful havoc he turned against itself. What a
+      strange, sad Subject of contemplation for him who now gazed on it! On
+      either side, the fire of the artillery continued till nightfall; but the
+      Russians still held the town. A few straggling shots closed the combat;
+      and darkness now spread over the wide plain, save where the watchfires
+      marked out the position of the French troops.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A sudden flash of lurid flame, however, threw its gleam over the town, and
+      a wild cheer was heard rising above the clatter of musketry. It was a
+      surprise party of grenadiers, who had forced their way into the grounds of
+      the old château, where Blücher held his headquarters. Louder and louder
+      grew the firing, and a red glare in the dark sky told how the battle was
+      raging. Up that steep street, at the top of which the venerable château
+      stood, poured the infantry columns in a run. The struggle was short. The
+      dull sound of the Russian drum soon proclaimed a retreat; and a rocket
+      darting through the black sky announced to the Emperor that the position
+      had been won.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The next day the Emperor fixed his headquarters at the château, and a
+      battalion of the guard bivouacked in the park around it. I had sent
+      forward the letter to Général Damrémont, and was wondering when and in
+      what terms the reply might come, when the general himself rode up,
+      accompanied by a single aide-de-camp.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have had the opportunity, sir, to speak of your conduct in the proper
+      quarter,&rdquo; said he, courteously; &ldquo;and the result is, your appointment as
+      major of the Tenth Hussars, or, if you prefer it, the staff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wherever, sir, my humble services can best be employed. I have no other
+      wish.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then take the regimental rank,&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;your brigade will see enough of
+      hot work ere long. And now push forward to Mézières, where you'll find
+      your regiment. They have received orders to march to-morrow, early.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I was not sorry to be relieved from the command of my irregular horse, who
+      went by the title of &ldquo;brigands&rdquo; in the army generally; though, if the
+      truth were to be told, the reproach on the score of honesty came ill from
+      those who conferred it. Still, it was a more gratifying position to hold a
+      rank in a regiment of regular cavalry, and one whose reputation was second
+      to none in the service.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to present myself to the colonel in command, sir,&rdquo; said I,
+      addressing an officer, who with two or three others stood chatting at the
+      door of a cottage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You 'll find him here, sir,&rdquo; said he, pointing to the hut. But, as he
+      spoke, the clank of a sabre was heard, and at the same instant a tall,
+      soldierlike figure stooped beneath the low doorway, and came forth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The colonel of the Tenth, I presume?&rdquo; said I, handing the despatch from
+      General Damrémont.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! my old college friend and companion!&rdquo; cried the colonel, as he
+      stepped back in amazement. &ldquo;Have I such good fortune as to see you in my
+      regiment?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can it be really so?&rdquo; said I, in equal astonishment. &ldquo;Are you Tascher?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my dear friend; the same Tascher you used to disarm so easily at
+      college,&mdash;a colonel at last. But why are you not at the head of a
+      regiment long since? Oh! I forgot, though,&rdquo; said he, in some confusion; &ldquo;I
+      heard all about it. But come in here; I've no better quarters to offer
+      you, but such as it is, make it yours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      My old companion of the Polytechnique was, indeed, little altered by time,&mdash;careless,
+      inconsiderate, and good-hearted as ever. He told me that he had only
+      gained the command of the regiment a few weeks before; &ldquo;and,&rdquo; added he,
+      &ldquo;if matters mend not soon, I am scarcely like to hold it much longer. The
+      despatches just received tell that the Allies are concentrating at
+      Trannes; and if so, we shall have a battle against overwhelming odds. No
+      matter, Burke; you have got into a famous corps,&mdash;they fight
+      splendidly, and my excellent uncle, his Majesty, loves to indulge their
+      predilection.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I passed the day with Tascher, chatting over our respective fortunes; and
+      in discussing the past and the future the greater part of the night went
+      over. Before dawn, however, we were on the march towards Chaumière,
+      whither the army was directed, and the Emperor himself then stationed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the 1st of February, and the weather was dark, lowering, and
+      gloomy. A cold wind drove the snowdrift in fitful gusts before it, and the
+      deep roads made our progress slow and difficult. As our line of advance,
+      however, was not that by which the other divisions were marching, it was
+      already past noon before we knew that the enemy was but three leagues
+      distant. On advancing farther, we heard the faint sounds of a cannonade;
+      and then they grew louder and louder, till the whole air seemed tremulous
+      with the concussion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A heavy fire, Colonel,&rdquo; said a veteran officer of the regiment. &ldquo;I should
+      guess there are not less than eighty or a hundred guns engaged.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Press on, men! press on!&rdquo; cried Tascher. &ldquo;When his Majesty provides such
+      music, it's scarcely polite to be late.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At a quick trot we came on, and about three o'clock debouched in the plain
+      behind Oudinot's battalions of reserve, which were formed in two dense
+      columns, about a hundred yards apart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hussars to the front!&rdquo; cried an aide-de-camp, as he galloped past, and
+      waved his cap in the direction of the space between the columns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In separate squadrons we penetrated through the defile, and came out on an
+      open plain behind the centre of the first line. The ground was
+      sufficiently elevated here, so that I could overlook the front line; but
+      all I could see was a dense, heavy smoke, which intervened between the two
+      positions, in the midst of which, and directly in front, a village lay.
+      Towards this, three columns of infantry were converging, and around the
+      sounds of battle were raging. This was La Giberie: the hamlet formed the
+      key of the French position, and had been twice carried by, and twice
+      regained from, the Allies. As I looked, the supporting columns halted,
+      wheeled, and retired; while a tremendous shower of grape was poured upon
+      them from the village, which now seemed to have been retaken by the
+      Allies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cavalry to the front!&rdquo; was now the order; and a force of six thousand
+      sabres advanced from between the battalions, and formed for attack. It was
+      Nansouty who led them, and his heavy cuirassiers were in the van; and then
+      came the grenadiers à cheval; ours was the third, in column. As each
+      regiment debouched, the word &ldquo;Charge!&rdquo; rang out, and forward we went. The
+      snow drifting straight against us, we could see nothing; nor was I
+      conscious of any check to our course till the shaking of the vast column
+      in front and then the opening of the squadrons denoted resistance, when
+      suddenly a flash flared out, and a hurricane of cannon-shot tore through
+      our dense files. Then I knew that we were attacking a battery of guns,&mdash;and
+      not till then. Mad cheers and cries of wounded men burst forth upon the
+      air, with the clashing din of sabres and small-arms; the mass of cavalry
+      appeared to heave and throb like some great monster in its agony. The
+      trumpet to retreat sounded, and we galloped back to our lines, leaving
+      above five hundred dead behind us, on a field where I had not yet seen the
+      enemy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile the Russians were assembling a mighty force around the village;
+      for now the cannonade opened with tenfold vigor in front, and fresh guns
+      were called up to reply to the fire. Hitherto all was shrouded in the blue
+      smoke of the artillery and the dense flakes of the snowdrift, when
+      suddenly a storm of wind swept past, carrying with it both sleet and
+      smoke; and now, within less than five hundred yards, we beheld the Allied
+      armies in front of us. Two of the three villages, which formed our
+      advanced position, already had been carried; and towards the third, La
+      Bothière, they were advancing quickly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ney's corps, ordered up to its defence, rushed boldly on, and the
+      clattering musketry announced that they were engaged; while twelve guns
+      were moved up in full gallop to their support, and opened their fire at
+      once. Scarce had they done so, when a wild hurrah was heard; and like a
+      whirlwind, a vast mass of cavalry,&mdash;the Cossacks of the Don and the
+      Uhlans of the South, commingled and mixed,&mdash;bear down on the guns.
+      The struggle is for life or death; no quarter given. Ney recalls his
+      columns, and the guns are lost.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who shall bring the Emperor the tidings?&rdquo; said Tascher, as his voice
+      trembled with excitement. &ldquo;I'd rather storm the battery single-handed than
+      do it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has seen worse than that already to-day,&rdquo; said an aide-de-camp at our
+      side. &ldquo;He has seen Lahorie's squadrons of the Dragoons of the Guard cut to
+      pieces by the Russian horse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Guard! the Guard!&rdquo; repeated Tascher, in accents where doubt and
+      despair were blended.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There goes another battalion to certain death!&rdquo; muttered the
+      aide-de-camp, as he pointed to a column of grenadiers emerging from the
+      front line; &ldquo;see,&mdash;I knew it well,&mdash;they are moving on La
+      Bothière. But here comes the Emperor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Before I could detect the figure among the crowd, the staff tore rapidly
+      past, followed by a long train of cavalry moving towards the left.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His favorite stroke,&rdquo; said Tascher: &ldquo;an infantry advance, and a flank
+      movement with cavalry.&rdquo; And as the words escaped him, we saw the horsemen
+      bearing down at top speed towards the village.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But now we could look no longer; our brigade was ordered to support the
+      attack, and we advanced at a trot. The enemy saw the movement, and a great
+      mass of cavalry were thrown out to meet it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here they come!&rdquo; was the cry repeated by three or four together, and the
+      earth shook as the squadrons came down.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our column dashed forward to meet them; when suddenly through the drift we
+      beheld a mass of fugitives, scattered and broken, approaching: they were
+      our own cavalry, routed in the attempt on the flank, now flying to the
+      rear, broken and disordered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before we could cover their retreat, the enemy were upon us. The shock was
+      dreadful, and for some minutes carried all before it; but then rallying,
+      the brave horsemen of France closed up and faced the foe. How vain all the
+      efforts of the redoubted warrior of the Dnieper and the Wolga against the
+      stern soldier of Napoleon! Their sabres flashed like lightning glances,
+      and as fatally bore down on all before them; and as the routed squadrons
+      fell back, the wild cheers of &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; told that at least one
+      great moment of success atoned for the misfortunes of the day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His Majesty saw your charge, Colonel,&rdquo; said a general officer to Tascher
+      as he rode back at the head of a squadron. &ldquo;So gallant a thing as that
+      never goes unrewarded.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Tascher's cheek flushed as he bowed in acknowledgment of the praise; but I
+      heard him mutter to himself the same instant, &ldquo;Too late! too late!&rdquo; Fatal
+      words they were,&mdash;the presage of the mishap they threatened!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A great attack on La Rothière was now preparing. It was to be made by
+      Napoleon's favorite manoeuvre of cavalry, artillery, and infantry
+      combined, each supporting and sustaining the other. Eighteen guns, with
+      three thousand sabres, and two columns of infantry numbering four thousand
+      each, were drawn up in readiness for the moment to move. Ney received
+      orders to lead them, and now they issued forth into the plain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Our own impatience at not being of the number was quickly merged in
+      intense anxiety for the result. It was a gorgeous thing, indeed, to see
+      that mighty mass unravelling itself,&mdash;the guns galloping madly to the
+      front, supported on either flank by cavalry; while, masked behind, marched
+      the black columns of infantry, their tall shakos nodding like the
+      tree-tops of a forest. The snow was now falling fast, and the figures grew
+      fainter and fainter, and all that remained within our view was the tail of
+      the columns, which were only disengaging themselves from the lines.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A deafening cannonade opened from the Allied artillery on the advance,
+      unreplied to by our guns, which were ordered not to fire until within half
+      range of the enemy. Suddenly a figure is seen emerging from the heavy
+      snowdrift at the full speed of his horse; another, and another, follow him
+      in quick succession. They make for the position of the Emperor. &ldquo;What can
+      it be?&rdquo; cries each, in horrible suspense; &ldquo;see, the columns have halted!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dreadful tidings! The guns are embedded in the soft ground,&mdash;the
+      horses cannot stir them; one-half of the distance is scarcely won, and
+      there they are beneath the withering cannonade of the Allied guns,
+      powerless and immovable! Cavalry are dismounted, and the horses harnessed
+      to the teams: all in vain! the wheels sink deeper in the miry earth. And
+      now the enemy have found out the range, and their shot are sweeping
+      through the dense mass with frightful slaughter. Again the aides-de-camp
+      hasten to the rear for orders. But Ney can wait no longer; he launches his
+      cavalry at the foe, and orders up the infantry to follow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile a great cloud of cavalry issues from the Allied lines, and
+      directs its course towards the flank of the column: the Emperor sees the
+      danger, and despatches one of his staff to prepare them to receive
+      cavalry. Too late! too late!&mdash;the snowdrift has concealed the
+      advance, and the wild horsemen of the desert ride down on the brave ranks.
+      Disorder and confusion ensue; the column breaks and scatters. The lancers
+      pursue the fugitives through the plain; and before the very eyes of the
+      Emperor, the Guard&mdash;his Guard&mdash;are sabred and routed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is to become of our cavalry?&rdquo; is now the cry, for they have advanced
+      unsupported against the village. Dreadful moment of suspense! None can see
+      them; the guns lie deserted, alike by friend and foe. Who dares approach
+      them now? &ldquo;They are cheering yonder,&rdquo; exclaimed an officer: &ldquo;I hear them
+      again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hussars, to the front!&rdquo; calls out Damrémont,&mdash;&ldquo;to your comrades'
+      rescue! Men, yonder!&rdquo; and he points in the direction of the village.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Like an eagle on the swoop, the swift squadrons skim the plain, and mount
+      the slope beyond it. The drift clears, and what a spectacle is before us!
+      The cavalry are dismounted; their horses, dead or dying, cumber the
+      ground; the men, sabre in hand, have attacked the village by assault. Two
+      of the enemy's guns are taken and turned against them, and the walls are
+      won in many places. An opening in the enclosure of a farmyard admits our
+      leading squadron, and in an instant we have taken them in flank and rear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Russians will neither retreat nor surrender, and the carnage is awful;
+      for though overpowered by numbers, they still continue the slaughter, and
+      deal death while dying. The chief farmhouse of the village has been
+      carried by our troops, but the enemy still holds the garden: the low hedge
+      offers a slight obstacle, and over it we dash, and down upon them ride the
+      gallant Tenth with cheers of victory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this instant the crashing sound of cannon-shot among masonry is heard.
+      It is the Allied artillery, which, regardless of their own troops, has
+      opened on the village. Every discharge tells; the range is at quarter
+      distance, and whole files fall at every fire. The trumpet sounds a
+      retreat; and I am endeavoring to collect my scattered followers, when my
+      eye falls on the aigulet of a general officer among the heap of dead; and
+      at the same time I perceive that some old and gallant officer has fallen
+      sword in hand, for his long white hair is strewn loosely across his face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I spring down from my horse and push back the snowy locks, and with a
+      shriek of horror I recognize the friend of my heart,&mdash;General
+      d'Auvergne. I lift him in my arms, and search for the wound. Alas! a
+      grapeshot had torn through his chest, and cut asunder that noble heart
+      whose every beat was honor. Though still warm, no ray of life remained:
+      the hand I had so often grasped in friendship, I wrung now in the last
+      energy of despair, and fell upon the corpse in the agony of my grief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The night was falling fast. All was still around me; none remained near;
+      the village was deserted. The deafening din of the cannonade continued,
+      and at times some straggling shot crashed through the crumbling walls, and
+      brought them thundering to the earth; but all had fled. By the pale
+      crescent of a new moon I dug a grave beneath the ruined wall of the
+      farmhouse. The labor was long and tedious; but my breaking heart took no
+      note of time. My task completed, I sat down beside the grave, and taking
+      his now cold hand in mine, pressed it to my lips. Oh, could I have shared
+      that narrow bed of clay, what rapture would it have brought to my
+      sorrowing soul! I lifted the body and laid it gently in the earth; and as
+      I arose, I found that something had entangled itself in my uniform, and
+      held me. It seemed a locket, which he wore by a ribbon round his neck. I
+      detached it from its place, and put it in my bosom. One lock of the snowy
+      hair I severed from his noble head, and then covered up the grave. &ldquo;Adieu
+      forever!&rdquo; I muttered, as I wandered from the spot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the death of a true D'Auvergne,&mdash;&ldquo;on the field of battle!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0039" id="link2HCH0039">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIX. THE BRIDGE OF MONTEREAU
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Ere I left the village, a shower of shells was thrown into it from the
+      French lines, and in a few minutes the whole blazed up in a red flame, and
+      threw a wide glare over the battlefield. Spurring my horse to his speed, I
+      galloped onward, and now discovered that our troops were retiring in all
+      haste. The Allies had won the battle, and we were falling back on Brienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Leaving seventy-three guns in the hands of the enemy, above one thousand
+      prisoners, and six thousand killed in battle, Napoleon drew off his
+      shattered forces, and marched through the long darkness of a winter's
+      night. Thus ended the battle of Arcis-sur-Aube,&mdash;the most fatal for
+      the hopes of the Emperor since the dreadful day of Leipzic.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From that hour Fortune seemed to frown on those whose arms she had so
+      often crowned with victory; and he himself, the mighty leader of so many
+      conquering hosts, stood at the window of the château at Brienne the whole
+      night long, dreading lest the enemy should be on his track. He whose
+      battles were wont to be the ovations of a conqueror, now beheld with joy
+      his masses retiring unpursued.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Why should I dwell on a career of disaster, or linger on the expiring
+      moments of a mighty Empire? Of what avail now are the reinforcements which
+      arrived to our aid,&mdash;the veteran legions of the Peninsula? The cry is
+      ever, &ldquo;Too late! too late!&rdquo; Dreadful words, heard at every moment! sad
+      omens of an army devoted and despairing!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From Brienne we retreat to Troyes; from thence to Bar-sur-Aube,&mdash;ever
+      nearer and nearer to that capital to which the Allies tend with wild
+      shouts of triumph. On the last day of February our headquarters are at
+      Nogent, not thirty leagues from Paris,&mdash;Nogent, with the great forest
+      of Fontainebleau on its left; and Meaux, the ancient bishopric of the
+      Monarchy, on its right; and behind that screen, Paris!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Leaving Bourmont in command of the line which holds the Austrians in
+      check, the Emperor himself hastens to oppose Blücher,&mdash;the most
+      intrepid and the most daring of all his enemies. A cross-march in the
+      depth of winter, with the ground covered with half-frozen snow, will bring
+      him on the flank of the Prussian army. It is dared! Dangers and
+      difficulties beset every step; the artillery are almost lost, the cavalry
+      exhausted. But the cry of &ldquo;The enemy!&rdquo; rouses every energy: they debouch
+      on the plain of Champ-Aubert, to fall on the moving column of the Russians
+      under Alsufief. Glorious stroke of fate! Victory again caresses the
+      spoiled child of fortune: the enemy is routed, and retires on Montmirail
+      and Châlons. The advanced army of the Prussians hear the cannonade, and
+      fall back to support the Allies on Montmirail. But the Emperor already
+      awaits them with the battalions of the Old Guard, and another great battle
+      ends in victory. Areola and Rivoli were again remembered, and recalled by
+      victories not less glorious; and once more hope returned to the ranks it
+      seemed to have quitted forever. Another dreadful blow is aimed at
+      Blucher's columns; Marmont attacks them at Vaux-Champs, and the army of
+      Silesia falls back beaten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now the Emperor hastens towards Nogent, where he has left Bourmont in
+      front of the Austrians. &ldquo;Too late! too late!&rdquo; is again the cry,&mdash;the
+      columns of Oudinot and Victor are already in retreat. Schwartzenberg, with
+      a force triple their own, advances on the plains of the Seine; the
+      Cossacks bivouac in the forest of Fontainebleau. Staff-officers hurry
+      onward with the news that the Emperor is approaching; the victorious army
+      which had subdued Blucher is on the march, reinforced by the veteran
+      cavalry of Spain and the tried legions of the Peninsula. They halt, and
+      form in battle. The Allies arrest their steps at Nangis, and again are
+      beaten: Nangis becomes another name of glory to the ears of Frenchmen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let me rest one instant in this rapid recital of a week whose great deeds
+      not even Napoleon's life can show the equal of,&mdash;the last flash of
+      the lamp of glory ere it darkened forever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Three days had elapsed from the sad hour in which I laid my dearest friend
+      in his grave, ere I opened the locket I had taken from his bosom. The wild
+      work of war mingled its mad excitement in my brain with thoughts of deep
+      sorrow; and I lived in a kind of fevered dream, and hurried from the
+      affliction which beset me into the torrent of danger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The gambler who cares not to win rarely loses, so he that seeks death in
+      battle comes unscathed through every danger. Each day I threw myself
+      headlong into some post where escape seemed scarcely possible; but
+      recklessness has its own armor of safety. On the field of Montmirail I was
+      reported to the Emperor; and for an attack on the Austrian rearguard at
+      Melun made colonel of a cuirassier regiment on the field of battle. Such
+      promotions rained on every side: hundreds were falling each day; many
+      regiments were commanded by officers of twenty-three or twenty-four years
+      of age. Few expected to carry their new epaulettes beyond the engagement
+      they gained them in; none believed the Empire itself could survive the
+      struggle. Each played for a mighty stake; few cared to outlive the game
+      itself. The Emperor showered down favors on the heads which each
+      battlefield laid low.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was on the return from Melun I first opened the locket, which I
+      continued to wear around my neck. In the full expansion of a momentary
+      triumph to see myself at the head of a regiment, I thought of him who
+      would have participated in my pride. I was sitting in the doorway of a
+      little cabaret on the roadside, my squadrons picketed around me, for a
+      brief halt; and as my thoughts recurred to the brave D'Auvergne, I
+      withdrew the locket from my bosom. It was a small oval case of gold,
+      opening by a spring. I touched this, and as I did so, the locket sprang
+      open, and displayed before me a miniature of Marie de Meudon. Yes!
+      beautiful as I had seen her in the forest of Versailles: her dark hair
+      clustering around her noble brow,&mdash;and her eyes, so full of tender
+      loveliness, shadowed by their deep fringes,&mdash;were there as I
+      remembered them; the lips were half parted, as though the artist had
+      caught the speaking expression,&mdash;and as-I gazed, I could fancy that
+      voice, so musically sweet, still ringing in my ears. I could not look on
+      it enough: the features recalled the scenes when first I met her; and the
+      strong current of love, against which so long I struggled and contended,
+      flowed on with tenfold force once more. Should we ever meet again,&mdash;and
+      how? were the questions which rushed to my mind, and to which hope and
+      fear dictated the replies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The locket was a present from the Empress to the general,&mdash;at least,
+      so I interpreted an inscription on the back; and this&mdash;shall I
+      confess it?&mdash;brought pleasure to my heart. Like one whose bosom bore
+      some wondrous amulet, some charm against the approach of danger, I now
+      rode at the head of my gallant band. Life had grown dearer to me, without
+      death becoming more dreaded. Her image next my heart made me feel as if I
+      should combat beneath her very eyes, and I burned to acquit myself as
+      became one who loved her. A wild, half frantic joy animated me as I went,
+      and was caught by the gay companions around me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At midnight a despatch reached me, ordering me to hasten forward by a
+      forced march to Montereau, the bridge of which town was a post of the
+      greatest importance, and must be held against the Austrians till Victor
+      could come up. We lost not a moment. It was a calm frosty night, with a
+      bright moon, and we hastened along without halting. About an hour before
+      daybreak we were met by a cavalry patrol, who informed us that Gérard and
+      Victor had both arrived, but too late: Montereau was held by the
+      Wurtemberg troops, who garrisoned the village, and defended the bridge
+      with a strong force of artillery; twice the French troops had been beaten
+      back with tremendous loss, and all looked for the morrow to renew the
+      encounter. We continued our journey; and, as the sun was rising,
+      discovered, at a distance on the road beside the river, the mass of an
+      infantry column: it was the Emperor himself, come up with the Guard, to
+      attack the position.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Already the preparations for a fierce assault were in progress. A battery
+      of twelve guns was posted on a height to command the bridge; another,
+      somewhat more distant, overlooked the village itself. Different bodies of
+      infantry and cavalry were disposed wherever shelter presented itself, and
+      ready for the command to move forward. The approach to the bridge was by a
+      wide road, which lay for some distance along the river bank; and this was
+      deeply channelled by the enemy's artillery, which, stationed on and above
+      the bridge, seemed to defy any attempt to advance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Never, indeed, did an enterprise seem more full of danger. Every house
+      which looked on the bridge was crenelated for small-arms, and garrisoned
+      by sharpshooters,&mdash;the fierce Jager of Germany, whose rifles are the
+      boast of the Vaterland. Cannon bristled along the heights; their wide
+      mouths pointed to that devoted spot, already the grave of hundreds.
+      Withdrawn under cover of a steep hill, my regiment was halted, with two
+      other heavy cavalry corps, awaiting orders; and from the crest of the
+      ridge I could observe the first movements of the fight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As usual, a fierce cannonade was opened from either side; which, directed
+      mainly against the artillery itself, merely resulted in dismantling a
+      stray battery here and there, without further damage. At last the hoarse
+      roll of a drum was heard, and the head of an infantry column was seen
+      advancing up the road. They passed beneath a rock on which a little group
+      of officers were standing, and as they went a cheer of &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo;
+       broke from them. I strained my eyes towards the place, for now I knew the
+      Emperor himself was there. I could not, however, detect him in the crowd,
+      who all waved their hats in encouragement to the troops.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On they went, descending a steep declivity of the highroad to the bridge.
+      Suddenly the cannonade redoubles from the side of the enemy; the shot
+      whistles through the air, while ten thousand muskets peal forth together.
+      I rivet my eyes to watch the column. But what is my horror to perceive
+      that none appear upon the ridge! The masses move up; they mount the
+      ascent; they disappear behind it; and then are lost to sight forever. Not
+      one escapes the dreadful havoc of the guns, which from a distance of less
+      than two hundred yards enfilades the bridge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But still they moved up. I could hear, from where ï lay, the commands of
+      the officers, as they gave the word to their companies: no fear nor
+      hesitation,&mdash;there they went to death; in less than fifteen minutes
+      twelve hundred fell, dead or wounded. And at last the signal to fall back
+      was given, and the shattered fragment of a column reeled back behind the
+      ridge. Again the cannonade opened, and increasing on both sides, was
+      maintained for above an hour without intermission. During this, our guns
+      did tremendous execution on the village, but without effecting anything of
+      importance respecting the bridge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Grenadiers of the Guard had reached the scene of combat, by forced
+      marches, from Nangis; and after a brief time to recruit their strength,
+      were now ordered up. What a splendid force that massive column,
+      conspicuous by their scarlet shoulder-knots and tall shakos of black
+      bearskin! with what confidence they move! They halt beneath the rock. The
+      Emperor is there too. And see! the officer who stands beside him descends
+      from the height, and puts himself at the head of the column: it is Guyot,
+      the colonel of the battalion; he waves his plumed hat in answer to the
+      Emperor,&mdash;that salute is the last he shall ever give on earth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The drums roll out; but the hoarse shout of &ldquo;En avant!&rdquo; drowns their
+      tumult. On they rush; they are over the height; they disappear down the
+      descent. And see! there they are on the bridge! &ldquo;Vive la Garde!&rdquo; shouted
+      ten thousand of their comrades, who watch them from the heights; &ldquo;Vive la
+      Garde!&rdquo; is echoed from the tall cliffs beyond the river. The column moves
+      on, and already reaches the middle of the bridge, when eighteen guns throw
+      their fire into it: the blue smoke rolls down the rocky heights and
+      settles on the bridge, broken here and there by flashes, like the forked
+      gleam of lightning; the cloud passes oyer; the bridge is empty, save of
+      dead and dying: the Grenadiers of the Guard are no more!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What heart is his who gives his fellow-men to death like this!&rdquo; was my
+      exclamation as I witnessed this terrible struggle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Cuirassiers and Carbineers of the Guard to form by threes in column
+      of attack!&rdquo; shouted an aide-de-camp, as he rode up to where I lay. And no
+      more thought had I of <i>his</i> motives, who now opened the path of glory
+      to myself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The squadrons were arrayed under cover of the ridge; the shot and shells
+      from the enemy's batteries flew thickly over us,&mdash;a presage of the
+      storm we were about to meet. The order to mount was given; and as the men
+      sprang into their saddles, a group of horsemen galloped rapidly round the
+      angle of the cliff, and approached. One glance showed me it was the
+      Emperor and his staff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cuirassiers of the Guard,&rdquo; said he, as with raised chapeau he saluted his
+      brave followers, &ldquo;I have ordered two battalions to carry that bridge; they
+      have failed. Let those who never fail advance to the storm. Montereau
+      shall be inscribed on your helmets, men, when I see you on yonder heights.
+      Go forward!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forward! forward!&rdquo; shouted the mailed ranks, half maddened by the
+      exciting presence of Napoleon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The force was formed in four separate columns of attack: the First
+      Cuirassiers leading; followed by the Carbineers of the Guard; then my own
+      regiment; and lastly, the Fourth, the corps of poor Pioche. What would I
+      have given to know he was there! But there was not time for such inquiry
+      now. The squadrons were ready awaiting the moment to dash on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A loud detonation of nigh twenty guns shook the earth; and in the smoke
+      that rolled from them the bridge was concealed from view. A trumpet
+      sounded, and the cry of &ldquo;Charge!&rdquo; followed. The mass sprang forth. What a
+      cheer was theirs as they swept past! The cannonade opens again; the whole
+      ground trembles. The musketry follows; and the clatter of a thousand
+      sabres mingles with the war-cries of the combatants. It is but brief,&mdash;the
+      tumult is already subsiding.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now comes the order for the carbineers to move up; the cuirassiers
+      have been cut to pieces. A few, mangled and bleeding, have reeled back
+      behind the hill; but the regiment is gone!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where are the troops of Wagram and Eylau?&rdquo; said the Emperor, in
+      bitterness, as he saw the one broken squadron, sole remnant of a gallant
+      corps, reeling, bloodstained and dying, to the rear. &ldquo;Where is that
+      cavalry that carried the Russian battery at Moskowa? You are not what you
+      once were!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This cruel taunt, at the very moment when the earth was steeped in the
+      blood of his brave soldiers, was heard in mournful silence. None spoke a
+      word, but with clenched lip and clasped hand sat waiting the command to
+      charge. It came; but no cheer followed. The carbineers dashed on, prepared
+      to die: what death so dreadful as the cold irony of Napoleon!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;En avant! cuirassiers of the Tenth,&rdquo; called out the Emperor, as the last
+      squadrons of the carbineers went by, &ldquo;support your comrades! Follow up
+      there, men of the Fourth! I must have that bridge.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And now the whole line moved up. As we turned the cliff in full trot, the
+      scene of combat lay before us: the terrible bridge now actually choked up
+      with dead and wounded, the very battlements strewn with corpses. In an
+      instant the carbineers were upon it; and struggling through the mass of
+      carnage, they rode onward. Like men goaded to despair, they pressed on,
+      and actually reached the archway beyond, which, defended by a strong gate,
+      closed up the way. Whole files now fell at every discharge; but others
+      took their places, to fall as rapidly beneath the murderous musketry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A petard to the gate!&rdquo; is now the cry,&mdash;&ldquo;a petard, and the bridge is
+      won!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Quick as lightning, four sappers of the Guard rush across the road and
+      gain the bridge. They carry some thing between them, but soon are lost in
+      the dense masses of the horse. The enemy's fire redoubles; the bridge
+      crashes beneath the cannonade, when a loud shout is raised,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let the cavalry fall back!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A cheer of triumph breaks from the town as they behold the retiring
+      squadrons; they know not that the petard is now attached to the gate, and
+      that the horsemen are merely withdrawn for the explosion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The bridge is cleared, and every eye is turned to watch the discharge
+      which shall break the strong door, and leave the passage open. But
+      unhappily the fuze has missed, and the great engine lies inert and
+      inactive. What is to be done? The cavalry cannot venture to approach the
+      spot, which at any moment may explode with ruin on every side; and thus
+      the bridge is rendered impregnable by our own fault.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fatality upon fatality!&rdquo; is the exclamation of Napoleon, as he heard the
+      tidings. &ldquo;This to the man who puts a match to the fuze!&rdquo; said he, as he
+      detaches the great cross of the Legion from his breast, and holds it
+      aloft.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With one spring I jump from my saddle, and dash at the burning match a
+      gunner is holding near me. A rush is made by several others; but I am
+      fleetest of foot, and before they reach the road I am on the bridge. The
+      enemy has not seen me, and I am half-way across before a shot is aimed at
+      me. Even then a surprise seems to arrest their fire, for it is a single
+      ball whizzes past. I see the train; I kneel down; the fuze is faint, and I
+      stoop to blow it; and then my action is perceived, and a shattering volley
+      sweeps the bridge. The high projecting parapet protects me, and I am
+      unhurt. But the fuze will not take: horrible moment of agonizing suspense,&mdash;the
+      powder is clotted with blood, and will not ignite! I remember that my
+      pistols are in my belt, and detaching one, I draw the charge, and scatter
+      the fresh powder along the line. My shelter still saves me, though the
+      balls are crashing like hail around me. It takes, it takes! the powder
+      spits and flashes, and a loud cry from my comrades bursts out, &ldquo;Come back!
+      come back!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Forgetting everything in the intense anxiety of the moment, I spring to my
+      legs; but scarce is my head above the parapet when a bullet strikes me in
+      the chest. I fall covered with blood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Save him! save him!&rdquo; is the cry of a thousand voices; and a rush is made
+      upon the bridge. The musketry opens on these brave fellows, and they fall
+      back wounded and discouraged.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0023" id="linkimage-0023">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/504.jpg" alt="504 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      Crouching beneath the parapet, I try to stanch my wound; but the blood is
+      gushing in torrents, my senses are reeling, the objects around grow
+      dimmer, the noise seems fainter. But suddenly I feel a hand upon my neck,
+      and at the same instant a flask is pressed to my lips. I drink, and the
+      wine rallies me; the bleeding is stopped. My eyes open again; and dare I
+      trust their evidence? Who is it that now shelters beneath the parapet
+      beside me? Minette, the vivandière! her handsome face flushed, her eyes
+      wild with excitement, and her brown hair in great tangled masses on her
+      back and shoulders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Minette, is it indeed thee?&rdquo; said I, pressing her hand to my lips.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I knew you at the head of your regiment some days ago, and I thought we
+      should meet ere long. But lie still; we are safe here. The fire slackens
+      too; they have fallen back since the gate was forced.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is the gate forced, Minette?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, the petard has done its work; but the columns are not come up. Lie
+      still till they pass.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear, dear girl! what a brave heart is thine!&rdquo; said I, gazing on her
+      beautiful features, tenfold handsomer from the expression which her
+      heroism had lent them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You would surely adventure as much for me,&rdquo; said she, half-timidly, as
+      she pressed her handkerchief against the wound, which still oozed blood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The action entangled her fingers in a ribbon. She tried to extricate them;
+      and the locket fell out, opening by accident at the same moment. With a
+      convulsive energy she clasped the miniature in both hands, and riveted her
+      eyes upon it. The look was wild as that of madness itself, and her
+      features grew stiff as she gazed, while the pallor of death overspread
+      them. It was scarce the action of a second; in another, she flung back the
+      picture from her and sprang to her feet. One glance she gave me, fleeting
+      as the lightning flash, but how full of storied sorrow!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The moment after she was in the middle of the bridge. She waved her cap
+      wildly above her head, and beckoned to the column to come on. A cheer
+      answered her. The mass rushed forward; the fire again pealed forth; a
+      shriek pierced the din of all the battle, and the leading files halt. Four
+      grenadiers fall back to the rear, carrying a body between them: it is the
+      corpse of Minette the vivandière, who has received her death-wound!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0024" id="linkimage-0024">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/506.jpg" alt="506 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      The same evening saw me the occupant of a bed in the ambulance of the
+      Guard. Dreadful as the suffering of my wound was, I carried a deeper one
+      within my heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor has given you his own cross of the Legion, sir,&rdquo; said the
+      surgeon, endeavoring to rally me from a dejection whose source he knew
+      not.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has made him a general of brigade, too,&rdquo; said a voice behind him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was General Letort who spoke; he had that moment come from the Emperor
+      with the tidings. I buried my head beneath my hands, and felt as though my
+      heart was bursting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That was a gallant girl, that vivandière,&rdquo; said the rough old general;
+      &ldquo;she must have had a soldier's heart within that corsage. <i>Parbleu!</i>
+      I'd rather not have another such in my brigade, though, after what
+      happened this evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it you speak of?&rdquo; said I, faintly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They gave her a military funeral this evening,&mdash;the Fourth
+      Cuirassiers. The Emperor gave his permission, and sent General Degeon of
+      the staff to be present. And when they placed her in the grave, one of the
+      soldiers,&mdash;a corporal, I believe,&mdash;kneeled down to kiss her
+      before they covered in the earth; and when he had done so, he lay slowly
+      down on his face on the grass. 'He has fainted,' said one of his comrades;
+      and they turned him on his back. <i>Morbleu!</i> it was worse than that:
+      he was stone dead,&mdash;one of the very finest fellows of the regiment!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes! I know him,&rdquo; muttered I, endeavoring to smother my emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The general looked at me as if my mind was wandering, and briefly added,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so they laid them in the same grave, and the same fusillade gave the
+      last honors to both.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your story has affected my patient overmuch, General,&rdquo; said the doctor;
+      &ldquo;you must leave him to himself for some time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0040" id="link2HCH0040">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XL. FONTAINEBLEAU
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      An order from Berthier, written at the command of the Emperor, admitted me
+      into the ancient Palace of Fontainebleau, where I lay for upwards of two
+      months under my wound. Twice had fever nearly brought me to the grave; but
+      youth and unimpaired health succored me, and I rallied through all. A
+      surgeon of the staff accompanied me, and by his kind companionship, not
+      less than by his skill, did I recover from an illness where sorrow had
+      made an iron inroad not less deep than disease.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In my little chamber, which looked out upon the courtyard of the Palace, I
+      passed my days, thinking over the past and all its vicissitudes. Each day
+      we learned some intelligence either from the seat of war or from Paris:
+      defeat in one, treason and disaffection in the other, were rapidly
+      hastening the downfall of the mightiest Empire the genius of man had ever
+      constructed. Champ-Aubert, Montmirail, and Montereau, great victories as
+      they were, retarded not the current of events. &ldquo;The week of glory&rdquo; brought
+      not hope to a cause predestined to ruin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the latter end of March. For some days previous the surgeon had
+      left me to visit an outpost ambulance near Melun, and I was alone. My
+      strength, however, enabled me to sit up at my window; and even in this
+      slight pleasure my wearied senses found enjoyment, after the tedious hours
+      of a sickbed. The evening was calm, and for the season mild and
+      summerlike. The shrubs were putting forth their first leaves, and around
+      the marble fountains the spring flowers were already showing signs of
+      blossom. The setting sun made the tall shadows of the ancient beech-trees
+      stretch across the wide court, where all was still as at midnight. No
+      inhabitant of the Palace was about; not a servant moved, not a footstep
+      was heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was a moment of such perfect stillness as leads the mind to reverie;
+      and my thoughts wandered away to that distant time when gay cavaliers and
+      stately dames trod those spacious terraces,&mdash;when tales of chivalry
+      and love mingled with the plashing sounds of those bright fountains, and
+      the fair moon looked down on more lovely forms than even those graceful
+      marbles around. I fancied the time when the horn of the chasseur was
+      heard-echoing through those vast courts, its last notes lost in the merry
+      voices of the cortege round the monarch. And then I called up the
+      brilliant group, with caracoling steeds and gay housings, proudly
+      advancing up that great avenue to the royal entrance, and pictured the
+      ancient ceremonial that awaited his coming,&mdash;the descendant of a long
+      line of kings. The frank and kingly Francis, the valiant Henry the Fourth,
+      the &ldquo;Grand Monarch&rdquo; himself,&mdash;all passed in review before my mind as
+      once they lived, and moved, and spoke in that stately pile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun had set: the mingled shadows threw their gloom over the wide
+      court, and one wing of the Palace was in' deep shade, when suddenly I
+      heard the roll of wheels and the tramp of horses on the distant road. I
+      listened attentively. They were coming near; I could hear the tread of
+      many together; and my practised ear could detect the clank of dragoons, as
+      their sabres and sabretasches jingled against the horses' flanks. &ldquo;Some
+      hurried news from the Emperor,&rdquo; thought I; &ldquo;perhaps some marshal wounded,
+      and about to be conveyed to the Palace.&rdquo; The same instant the guard at the
+      distant entrance beat to arms, and an equipage drawn by six horses dashed
+      in at full gallop; a second followed as fast, with a peloton of dragoons
+      at the side. My anxiety increased. &ldquo;What if it were the Emperor himself!&rdquo;
+       thought I. But as the idea flashed across me, it yielded at once on seeing
+      that the carriages did not draw up at the grand stair, but passed on to a
+      low and private door at the distant wing of the Palace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The bustle of the cortege arriving was but a moment's work. The carriages
+      moved rapidly away, the dragoons disappeared, and all was as still as
+      before, leaving me to ponder over the whole, and actually ask myself could
+      it have been reality? I opened my door to listen; but not a sound awoke
+      the echo of the long corridors. One could have fancied that no living
+      thing was beneath that wide roof, so silent was all around.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A strange feeling of anxiety,&mdash;the dread of something undefined, I
+      knew not what, or whence coming,&mdash;was over me, and my nerves, long
+      irritable from illness, became now jarringly sensitive, and banished all
+      thought of sleep. Wild fancies and incoherent ideas crossed my mind, and
+      made me restless and uneasy. I felt, too, as if the night were unusually
+      close and sultry, and I opened my window to admit the air. Scarcely had I
+      drawn the curtain aside, when my eye rested on a long line of light, that,
+      issuing from a window on the ground-floor of the Palace, threw its bright
+      gleam far across the courtyard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was in the same wing where the carriages drew up. It must be so; some
+      officer of rank, wounded in a late battle, was brought there. &ldquo;Poor
+      fellow!&rdquo; thought I; &ldquo;what suffering may he be enduring amid all the
+      peace-fulness and calm of this tranquil spot! Who can it be?&rdquo; was the
+      ever-recurring question to my mind; for my impression had already
+      strengthened itself to a conviction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The hours went on; the light shone steadily as at first, and the stillness
+      was unbroken. Wearied with thinking, and half forgetful of my weakness, I
+      tottered along the corridor, descended the grand stair, and passed out
+      into the court. How refreshing did the night air feel! how sweet the fair
+      odors of the spring, as, wafted by the motion of the <i>jet d'eau</i>,
+      they were diffused around! The first steps of recovery from severe
+      sickness have a strange thrill of youthfulness about them. Our senses seem
+      once more to revel in the simple enjoyments of early days, and to feel
+      that their greatest delight lies in the associations which gave pleasure
+      to childhood. Weaned from the world's contentions, we seem to have been
+      lifted for the time above the meaner cares and ambitions of life, and love
+      to linger a little longer in that ideal state of happiness calm thoughts
+      bestow; and thus the interval that brings back health to the body restores
+      freshness to the heart, and purified in thought, we come forth hoping for
+      better things, and striving for them with all the generous ardor of early
+      years. How happy was I as I wandered in that garden! how full of gratitude
+      to feel the current of health once more come back in all my veins,&mdash;the
+      sense of enjoyment which flows from every object of the fair world
+      restored to me, after so many dangers and escapes!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I moved slowly through the terraced court, my eye was constantly
+      attracted to the small and starlike light which glimmered through the
+      darkness; and I turned to it at last, impelled by a feeling of undefinable
+      sympathy. Following a narrow path, I drew near to a little garden, which
+      once contained some rare flowers. They had been favorites of poor
+      Josephine in times past; but the hour was over in which that gave them a
+      claim to care and attention, and now they were wild grown and tangled, and
+      almost concealed the narrow walk which led to the doorway.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I reached this at length; and as I stood, the faint moonlight, slanting
+      beneath a cloud, fell upon a bright and glistening object almost at my
+      feet. I stepped back, and looked fixedly at it. It was the figure of a man
+      sleeping across the entrance of the porch. He was dressed in Mameluke
+      fashion; but his gay trappings and rich costume were travel-stained and
+      splashed. His unsheathed cimeter lay grasped in one hand, and a Turkish
+      pistol seemed to have fallen from the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Even by the imperfect light I recognized Rustan, the favorite Mameluke of
+      the Emperor, who always slept at the door of his tent and his chamber,&mdash;his
+      chosen bodyguard. Napoleon must then be here; his equipage it was which
+      arrived so hurriedly; his the light which burned through the stillness of
+      the night. As these thoughts followed fast on one another, I almost
+      trembled to think how nearly I had ventured on his presence, where none
+      dared to approach unbidden. To retire quickly and noiselessly was now my
+      care. But my first step entangled my foot; I stumbled. The noise awoke the
+      sleeping Turk, and with a loud cry for the guard he sprang to his feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;La garde!&rdquo; called he a second time, forgetting in his surprise that none
+      was there. But then with a spring he seized me by the arm, and as his
+      shining weapon gleamed above my head, demanded who I was, and for what
+      purpose there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The first words of my reply were scarcely uttered, when a small door was
+      opened within the vestibule, and the Emperor appeared. Late as was the
+      hour, he was dressed, and even wore his sword at his side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What means this? Who are you, sir?&rdquo; was the quick, sharp question he
+      addressed to me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few words&mdash;the fewest in which I could convey it&mdash;told my
+      story, and expressed my sorrow, that in the sick man's fancy of a
+      moonlight walk I should have disturbed his Majesty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought, Sire,&rdquo; added I, &ldquo;that your Majesty was many a league distant
+      with the army&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no army, sir,&rdquo; interrupted he, with a rapid gesture of his hand;
+      &ldquo;to-morrow there will be no Emperor. Go, sir; go, while it is yet the
+      time. Offer your sword and your services where so many others, more
+      exalted than yourself, have done. This is the day of desertion; see that
+      you take advantage of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Had my name and rank been less humble, they would have assured your
+      Majesty how little I merited this reproach.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am sorry to have offended you,&rdquo; replied he, in a voice of inexpressible
+      softness. &ldquo;You led the assault at Montereau? I remember you now. I should
+      have given you your brigade, had I&mdash;&rdquo; He stopped here suddenly, while
+      an expression of suffering passed across his pale features; he rallied
+      from it, however, in an instant, and resumed, &ldquo;I should have known you
+      earlier; it is too late! Adieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He inclined his head slightly as he spoke, and extended his hand. I
+      pressed it fervently to my lips, and would have spoken, but I could not.
+      The moment after he was gone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0025" id="linkimage-0025">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/parting.jpg" alt="Brownepartingscene " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      It is too late! too late!&mdash;the same terrible words which were uttered
+      beneath the blackened walls of Moscow; repeated at every new disaster of
+      that dreadful retreat; now spoken by him whose fortune they predicted. Too
+      late!&mdash;the exclamation of the proud marshal, harassed by unsuccessful
+      efforts to avert the destiny he saw inevitable. Too late!&mdash;the cry of
+      the wearied soldier. Too late!&mdash;the fatal expression of the Czar when
+      the brave and faithful Macdonald urged the succession of the King of Rome
+      and the regency of the Empress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Wearied with a wakeful night, I fell into a slumber towards morning, when
+      I started suddenly at the roll of drums in the court beneath. In an
+      instant I was at my window. What was my astonishment to perceive that the
+      courtyard was filled with troops! The Grenadiers of the Guard were ranged
+      in order of battle, with several squadrons of the chasseurs and the horse
+      artillery; while a staff of general officers stood in the midst, among
+      whom I recognized Belliard, Montesquieu, and Turenne,&mdash;great names,
+      and worthy to be recorded for an act of faithful devotion. The Duc de
+      Bassano was there too, in deep mourning; his pale and careworn face
+      attesting the grief within his heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The roll of the drums continued; the deep, unbroken murmur of the salute
+      went on from one end of the line to the other. It ceased; and ere I could
+      question the reason, the various staff-officers became uncovered, and
+      stood in attitudes of respectful attention, and the Emperor himself
+      slowly, step by step, descended the wide stair of the &ldquo;Cheval Blanc,&rdquo;&mdash;as
+      the grand terrace was styled,&mdash;and advanced towards the troops. At
+      the same instant the whole line presented arms, and the drums beat the
+      salute. They ceased, and Napoleon raised his hand to command silence, and
+      throughout that crowded mass not a whisper was heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I could perceive that he was speaking, but the words did not reach me.
+      Eloquent and burning words they were, and to be recorded in history to the
+      remotest ages. I now saw that he had finished, as General Petit sprang
+      forward with the eagle of the First Regiment of the Guards, and presented
+      it to him. The Emperor pressed it fervently to his lips, and then threw
+      his arms round Petit's neck; while suddenly disengaging himself, he took
+      the tattered flag that waved above him, and kissed it twice. Unable to
+      bear up any longer, the worn, hard-featured veterans sobbed aloud like
+      children, and turned away their faces to conceal their emotion. No cry of
+      &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; resounded now through those ranks where each had
+      willingly shed his heart's blood for him. Sorrow had usurped the place of
+      enthusiasm, and they stood overwhelmed by grief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A tall and soldierlike figure, with head uncovered, approached the
+      Emperor, and said a few words. Napoleon waved his hand towards the troops,
+      and from the ranks many rushed towards him, and fell on their knees before
+      him. He passed his hand across his face and turned away. My eyes grew dim;
+      a misty vapor shut out every object, and I felt as though the very lids
+      were bursting. The great tramp of horses startled me, and then came the
+      roll of wheels. I looked up: an equipage was passing from the gate, a
+      peloton of dragoons escorted it; a second followed at full speed. The
+      colonels formed their men; the word to march was given; the drums beat
+      out; the grenadiers moved on; the chasseurs succeeded; and last the
+      artillery rolled heavily up. The court was deserted; not a man remained:
+      all, all were gone! The Empire was ended; and the Emperor, the mighty
+      genius who created it, on his way to exile!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0041" id="link2HCH0041">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLI. THE CONCLUSION
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      France never appeared to less advantage in the eyes of Europe than at the
+      period I speak of. Scarcely had the proud star of Napoleon set, when the
+      whole current of popular favor flowed along with those whom, but a few
+      days before, they accounted their greatest enemies. The Russians and the
+      Prussians, whom they lampooned and derided, they now flattered and fawned
+      on. They deemed no adulation servile enough to lay at the feet of their
+      conquerors,&mdash;not esteeming the exaltation of their victors
+      sufficient, unless purchased at the sacrifice of their own honor as a
+      nation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The struggle was no longer who should be first in glory, but who foremost
+      in desertion of him and his fortunes whose word had made them. The
+      marshals he had created, the generals he had decorated, the ministers and
+      princes he had endowed with wealth and territory, now turned from him in
+      his hour of misfortune, to court the favor of one against whom every act
+      of their former lives was directed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These men, whose very titles recalled the fields of glory to which he led
+      them, now hastened to the Tuileries to proffer an allegiance to a monarch
+      they neither loved nor respected. Sad and humiliating spectacle! The long
+      pent-up hatred of the Royalists found a natural vent in this moment of
+      triumphant success. Chateaubriand, Constant, and Madame de Staël led the
+      way to those declarations of the press which denounced Napoleon as the
+      greatest of earthly tyrants; and inveighed even against his greatness and
+      his genius, as though malevolence could produce oblivion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All Paris was in a ferment of excitement,&mdash;not the troubled agitation
+      of a people whose capital owned the presence of a conquering army, but the
+      tumultuous joy of a nation intoxicated with pleasure. Fêtes and balls, gay
+      processions and public demonstrations of rejoicing, met one everywhere;
+      and ingenuity was taxed to invent flatteries for the very nations whom,
+      but a week past, they scoffed at as barbarians and Scythians.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sickened and disgusted with the fickleness of mankind, I knew not where to
+      turn. My wound had brought on a low, lingering fever, accompanied by
+      extreme debility, increased in all likelihood by the harassing reflections
+      every object around suggested. I could not venture abroad without meeting
+      some evidence of that exuberant triumph by which treachery hopes to cover
+      its own baseness; besides, the reputation of being a Napoleonist was now a
+      mark for insult and indignity from those who never dared to avow an
+      opinion until the tide of fortune had turned in their favor. The white
+      cockade had replaced the tricolor; every emblem of the Empire was
+      abolished; and that uniform, to wear which was once a mark of honorable
+      distinction, was now become a signal for insult.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I was returning one evening from a solitary ramble in the neighborhood of
+      Paris,&mdash;for, by some strange fatality, I could not tear myself away
+      from the scenes to which the most eventful portions of my life were
+      attached,&mdash;and at length reached the Boulevard Montmartre, just as
+      the leading squadrons of a cavalry regiment were advancing up the wide
+      thoroughfare. I had hitherto avoided every occasion of witnessing any
+      military display which should recall the past; but now the rapid gathering
+      of the crowd to see the soldiers pass prevented my escape, and I was
+      obliged to wait patiently until the cortege should move forward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They came on in dense column,&mdash;the brave Chasseurs of the Guard, the
+      bronzed warriors of Jena and Wigram; but to my eyes they seemed sterner
+      and sadder than their wont, and heeded not the loud &ldquo;vivas&rdquo; of the mob
+      around them. Where were their eagles? Alas! the white banner that floated
+      over their heads was a poor substitute for the proud ensign they had so
+      often followed to victory. And here weie the dragoons,&mdash;old
+      Kellermann's brave troopers; their proud glances were changed to a
+      mournful gaze upon that crowd whose cheers they once felt proud of: and
+      there, the artillery, that glorious corps which he loved so well,&mdash;did
+      not the roll of their guns sound sorrowfully on the ear!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They passed! And then came on a strange cortege of mounted cavaliers,&mdash;old
+      and withered men, in uniforms of quaint antique fashion, their chapeaux
+      decorated with great cockades of white ribbon, and their sword-knots
+      garnished with similar ornaments; the order of St. Louis glittered on each
+      breast, and in their bearing you might read the air of men who were
+      enjoying a long-wished-for and long-expected triumph. These were the old
+      seigneurs of the Monarchy; and truly they were not wanting in that look of
+      nobility their ancient blood bestowed. Their features were proud; their
+      glance elated; their very port and bearing spoke that consciousness of
+      superiority, to crush which had cost all the horrors and bloodshed of a
+      terrible Revolution. How strange! it seemed as if many of their faces were
+      familiar to me,&mdash;I knew them well; but where, and how, my memory
+      could not trace. Yes, now I could recall it: they were the frequenters of
+      the old &ldquo;Pension of the Rue de Mi-Carême,&rdquo;&mdash;the same men I had seen
+      in their day of adversity, bearing up with noble pride against the ills of
+      fortune. There they were, revelling in the long-sought-after restoration
+      of their former state. Were they not more worthy of admiration in their
+      hour of patient and faithful watching, than in this the period of their
+      triumph?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The pressure of the crowd obliged the cavalcade to halt. And now the air
+      resounded with the cries of &ldquo;Vive le Roi!&rdquo;&mdash;the long-forgotten cheer
+      of loyalty. Thousands re-echoed the shout, and the horsemen waved their
+      hats in exultation. &ldquo;Vive le Roi!&rdquo; cried the mob, as though the voices had
+      not called &ldquo;Vive l'Empereur!&rdquo; but yesterday.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Down with the Napoleonist,&mdash;down with him!&rdquo; screamed a
+      savage-looking fellow, who, jammed up in the crowd, pointed towards me, as
+      I stood a mere spectator of the scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cry 'Vive le Roi!' at once,&rdquo; whispered a voice near me, &ldquo;or the
+      consequences may be serious. The mob is ungovernable at a moment like
+      this.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A dozen voices shouted out at the same time, &ldquo;Down with him! down with
+      him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Off with your hat, sir!&rdquo; said a rude-looking fellow beside me, as he
+      raised his hand to remove it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At your peril!&rdquo; said I, as I clenched my hand, and prepared to strike him
+      down the moment he should touch me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The words were not well uttered, when the crowd closed on me, and a
+      hundred arms were stretched out to attack me. In vain all my efforts to
+      resist. My hat was torn from my head, and assailed on every side, I was
+      dragged into the middle of the street, amid wild cries of vengeance and
+      taunting insults. It was then, as I lay overcome by numbers, that a loud
+      cry to fall back issued from the cavalcade, and a horseman, sword in hand,
+      dashed upon the mob, slashing on every side as he went, mounted on a
+      high-mettled horse. He cleared the dense mass with the speed of lightning,
+      and drove back my assailants.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="linkimage-0026" id="linkimage-0026">
+      <!-- IMG --></a>
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%;">
+      <img src="images/page341.jpg" alt="Brownebeauvais341 " width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Catch my horse's mane,&rdquo; said he, hurriedly. &ldquo;Hold fast for a few seconds,
+      and you are safe.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Following the advice, I held firmly by the long mane of his charger,
+      while, clearing away the mob on either side, he protected me by his drawn
+      sabre above my head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Safe this time!&rdquo; said he, as we arrived within the ranks. And then
+      turning round, so as to face me, added, &ldquo;Safe! and my debt acquitted. You
+      saved my life once; and though the peril seemed less imminent now, trust
+      me, yours had not escaped the fury of that multitude without me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! Henri de Beauvais! Do we meet again?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but with altered fortune, Burke. Our king, as the words of our Garde
+      Écossaise song says,&mdash;our king 'has got his own again.' The day of
+      loyalty has again dawned on France, and a grateful people may carry their
+      enthusiasm for the Restoration, even as far as vengeance on their
+      opponents, and yet not merit much reproach. But no more of this. We can be
+      friends now; or if not, it must be your fault.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am not too proud, De Beauvais, either to accept or acknowledge a favor
+      at your hands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then we are friends,&rdquo; said he, joyfully. &ldquo;And in the name of friendship,
+      let me beg of you to place this <i>cordon</i> in your hat.&rdquo; And so saying,
+      he detached the cockade of white ribbon he wore from his own, and held it
+      towards me. &ldquo;Well, then, at least remove the tricolor; it can but expose
+      you to insult. Remember, Burke, its day is over.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am not likely to forget it,&rdquo; replied I, sadly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monsieur le Colonel, his royal highness wishes to speak with you,&rdquo; said
+      an aide-de-camp, riding up beside De Beauvais's horse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take care of this gentleman for me,&rdquo; said De Beauvais, pointing to me;
+      and then, wheeling round his horse, he galloped at full speed to the rear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will spare you all trouble on my account, sir,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;My way lies
+      yonder, and at present I see no obstacle to my pursuing it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me at least send an escort with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      I thanked him and declined the offer; and leaving the ranks of the
+      procession, mingled with the crowd, and in a few minutes after reached my
+      hotel without further molestation. The hour was come, I saw plainly, in
+      which I must leave France. Not only was every tie which bound me to that
+      land severed, but to remain was only to oppose myself singly to the
+      downward current of popular opinion which now threatened to overturn every
+      landmark and vestige of the Empire. Up to this moment, I never confessed
+      to my heart with what secret hope I had prolonged each day of my stay,&mdash;how
+      I cherished within me the expectation that I should once again, though but
+      for an instant, see her who lived in all my thoughts, and, unknown to my
+      self, formed the mainspring of all my actions!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This hope only became confessed when about to leave me forever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As I busied myself in the preparations for departure, a note arrived from
+      De Beauvais, stating that he desired particularly to see and confer with
+      me that same evening, and requesting me on no account to be from home, as
+      his business was most pressing. I felt little curiosity to know to what he
+      might allude, and saw him enter my room some hours later without a single
+      particle of anxiety as to his communication.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am come, Burke,&rdquo; said he, after a few commonplaces had been exchanged
+      between us,&mdash;&ldquo;I am come, Burke, on a mission which I hope you will
+      believe the sincerest regard for you has prompted me to undertake, and
+      which, whatever objections it may meet with from you, none can arise, I am
+      certain, on the score of his fidelity who now makes this proposition to
+      you. To be brief: the Count d'Artois has sent me to offer you your grade
+      and rank in the army of his Majesty Louis the Eighteenth. Your last
+      gazette was as colonel; but there is a rumor you should have received your
+      appointment as general of brigade. There will be little difficulty in
+      arranging your brevet on that understanding; for your services, brief as
+      they were, have not been unnoticed. Marshal Ney himself bears testimony to
+      your conduct at Montereau; and your name twice occurs on the list of the
+      minister of war for promotion. Strange claims these, you will say, to
+      recompense from the rightful sovereign of France, gained as they were in
+      the service of the Usurper! But it is the prerogative of legitimacy to be
+      great and noble-minded, and to recognize true desert wherever it occurs.
+      Come, what say you? Does this proposal meet your wishes?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If to surpass my expectations, and flatter my pride, were to convince my
+      reason, and change my estimation of what is loyal and true, I should say,
+      'Yes, De Beauvais; the proposition does meet my wishes.' But not so. I
+      wore these epaulettes first in my admiration of him whose fortunes I have
+      followed to the last. My pride, my glory, were to be his soldier; that can
+      be no longer, and the sword I drew in his cause shall never be unsheathed
+      in another's.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you ignorant that such arguments apply with equal force to all those
+      great men who have, within these few weeks past, sworn allegiance to his
+      Majesty? What say you to the list of marshals, not one of whom has refused
+      the graciously offered favor of his Majesty? Are Ney, Soult, Augereau,
+      Macdonald, and Marmont nothing as examples?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will not say so, De Beauvais; but this I will say, they had had both
+      more respect and esteem from me had they done otherwise. If they were true
+      to the Emperor, they can scarce be loyal to the King.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can you not distinguish between the forced services exacted by a tyrant
+      and the noble duty rendered to a rightful sovereign?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can better estimate the fascinations which lead men to follow a hero,
+      than to be the parade-soldier around the gilded gates of a palace.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      De Beauvais's cheek flashed scarlet, and his voice was agitated, as he
+      replied,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The nobles of France, sir, have shown themselves as high in deeds of
+      chivalry and heroism as they have ever been in the accomplishments of
+      true-born gentlemen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pardon me, De Beauvais! I meant no imputation of them and their motives.
+      There is every reason why you and your gallant companions should enjoy the
+      favors of that crown your efforts have placed upon the head of the King of
+      France. Your true and fitting station is around the throne your bravery
+      and devotion have restored. But as for us,&mdash;we who have fought and
+      marched, have perilled limb and life, to raise the fortune and elevate the
+      glory of him who was the enemy of that sovereign,&mdash;how can we be
+      participators in the triumph we labored to avert, and rejoice in a
+      consummation we would have died rather than witness?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But it has come; the fates have decided against you. The cause you would
+      serve is not merely unfortunate,&mdash;it is extinct; the Empire has left
+      no banner behind it. Come, then, and rally round one whose boast it is to
+      number among its followers the high-born and the noble,&mdash;to assert
+      the supremacy of rank and worth above the claim of the base and low.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot; I must not.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At least, you will wait on the Comte d'Artois. You must see his royal
+      highness, and thank him for his gracious intentions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know what that means, De Beauvais; I have heard that few can resist the
+      graceful fascinations of the prince's manner. I shall certainly not fear
+      to encounter them, however dangerous to my principles.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But not to refuse his royal highness?&rdquo; said he, quickly. &ldquo;I trust you
+      will not do that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You would not have me yield to the flattery of a prince's notice what I
+      refuse to the solicitations of a friend, would you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And such is your intention,&mdash;your fixed intention?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Undoubtedly it is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      De Beauvais turned away impatiently, and leaned on the window for some
+      minutes. Then, after a pause, and in a slow and measured voice, added,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are known to the Court, Burke, by other channels than those I have
+      mentioned. Your prospects of advancement would be most brilliant, if you
+      accept this offer: I scarcely know to what they may not aspire. Reflect
+      for a moment or two. There is no desertion,&mdash;no falling off here.
+      Remember that the Empire was a vision, and like a dream it has passed
+      away. Where there is no cause, there can be no fealty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is but a sorry memory, De Beauvais, that only retains while there are
+      benefits to receive; mine is a more tenacious one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then my mission is ended,&rdquo; cried he, taking up his hat. &ldquo;I may mention to
+      his royal highness that you intend returning to England; that you are
+      indisposed to service at present. It is unnecessary to state more
+      accurately the views you entertain?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I leave the matter completely to your discretion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adieu, then. Our roads lie widely apart, Burke; and I for one regret it
+      deeply. It only remains that I should give you this note; which I promised
+      to deliver into your hands in the event of your declining to accept the
+      prince's offer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He blushed deeply, as he placed a small sealed note in my fingers; and as
+      if anxious to get away, pressed my hand hurriedly, and left the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      My curiosity to learn the contents of the billet made me tear it open at
+      once; but it was not before I had perused it several times that I could
+      credit the lines before me. They were but few, and ran thus:&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      Dear Sir,&mdash;May I request the honor of a visit from you this
+      evening at the Hôtel de Grammont?
+
+      Truly yours,
+
+      Marie d'Auvergne, née De Meudon.
+
+      Colonel Burke.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      How did I read these lines over again and again!&mdash;now interpreting
+      them as messengers of future hope; now fearing they might exclude every
+      ray of it forever. One solution recurred to me at every moment, and
+      tortured me to the very soul. Her family had all been Royalists. The mere
+      accidents of youth had thrown her brother into the army, and herself into
+      the Court of the Empire, where personal devotion and attachment to the
+      Empress had retained her. What if she should exert her influence to induce
+      me to accept the prince's offer? How could I resist a request, perhaps an
+      entreaty, from her? The more I reflected over it, the more firmly this
+      opinion gained ground with me, and the more deeply did I grieve over a
+      position environed by such difficulty; and ardently as I longed for the
+      moment of meeting her once more, the desire was tempered by a fear that
+      the meeting should be our last.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The eventful moment of my destiny arrived, and found me at the door of the
+      Hôtel de Grammont. A valet in waiting for my arrival conducted me to a <i>salon</i>,
+      saying the countess would appear in a few moments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What an anxious interval was that! I tried to occupy myself with the
+      objects around, and distract my attention from the approaching interview;
+      but every sound startled me, and I turned at each instant towards the door
+      by which I expected her to enter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The time appeared to drag heavily on,&mdash;minutes became like hours; and
+      yet no one appeared. My impatience had reached its climax, when I heard my
+      name spoken in a low soft voice. I turned, and she was before me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She was dressed in deep mourning, and looked paler, perhaps thinner, than
+      I had ever seen her,&mdash;but not less beautiful. Whether prompted by her
+      own feelings at the moment, or called up by my unconsciously fixed look,
+      she blushed deeply as our eyes met.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was about to leave France, Colonel,&rdquo; said she, as soon as we were
+      seated, &ldquo;when I heard from my cousin, De Beauvais, that you were here, and
+      delayed my departure to have the opportunity of seeing you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She paused here, and drew a deep breath to continue; but leaning her head
+      on her hand, she seemed to have fallen into a reverie for some minutes,
+      from which she started suddenly, by saying,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His royal highness has offered you your grade in the service, I
+      understand?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Madame; so my friend De Beauvais informs me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you have refused,&mdash;is it not so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Even so, Madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How is this, sir? Are you so weary of a soldier's life, that you would
+      leave it thus early?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This was not the reason, Madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You loved the Emperor, sir,&rdquo; said she, hastily, and with a tone of almost
+      passionate eagerness, &ldquo;even as I loved my dear, kind mistress; and you
+      felt allegiance to be too sacred a thing to be bartered at a moment's
+      notice. Is this the true explanation?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am proud to say, you have read my motives; such were they.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why are there not many more to act thus?&rdquo; cried she, vehemently. &ldquo;Why do
+      not the great names <i>he</i> made glorious, become greater by fidelity
+      than ever they were by heroism? There was one, sir, who, had he lived, had
+      given this example to the world.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, most true, Madame. But was not his fate happier than to have
+      survived for this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A long pause, unbroken by a word on either side, followed; when at last
+      she said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I had left with De Beauvais some few relics of my dear brother, hoping
+      you would accept them for his sake. General d'Auvergne's sword,&mdash;the
+      same he wore at Jena,&mdash;he desired might be conveyed to you when you
+      left the service. These, and this ring,&rdquo; said she, endeavoring to withdraw
+      a rich brilliant from her finger, &ldquo;are the few souvenirs I would ask you
+      to keep for their sakes, and for mine. You mean to return to England,
+      sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Madame; that is, I had intended,&mdash;I know not now whither I
+      shall go. Country has few ties for one like me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I, too, must be a wanderer,&rdquo; said she, half musingly, while still she
+      endeavored to remove the ring from her finger. &ldquo;I find,&rdquo; said she,
+      smiling, &ldquo;I must give you another keepsake; this will not leave me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Give it me, then, where it is,&rdquo; said I. &ldquo;Yes, Marie! the devotion of a
+      heart, wholly yours, should not go unrewarded. To you I owe all that my
+      life has known of happiness,&mdash;to memory of you, every high and noble
+      hope. Let me not, after years of such affection, lose the guiding star of
+      my existence,&mdash;all that I have lived for, all that I love!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words, poured forth with all the passionate energy which a last hope
+      inspires, were followed by a story of my long-concealed love. I know not
+      how incoherently the tale was told; I cannot say how often I interrupted
+      my own recital by some appeal to the past,&mdash;some half-uttered hope
+      that she had seen the passion which burned within me. I can but remember
+      the bursting feeling of my bosom, as she placed her hand in mine, and
+      said,&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is yours!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words ended the story of a life whose trials were many, and
+      encountered at an age in which few have braved the world's cares. The
+      lessons I had learned, however, were acquired in that school,&mdash;adversity,&mdash;where
+      few are taught in vain; and if the morning of my life broke in clouds and
+      shadow, the noon has been not less peaceful and bright. And the evening,
+      as it draws near, comes with an aspect of calm tranquillity, ample enough
+      to recompense every vicissitude of those early days when the waves of
+      fortune were roughest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0043" id="link2H_4_0043">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      A PARTING WORD.
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+      Dear Friends,&mdash;Time has hallowed the custom of a word at
+      parting, and I am unwilling to relinquish the privilege. In
+      the tale I have just concluded, my endeavor was to portray,
+      with as little aid from fiction as might be, some lights and
+      shadows of the most wonderful and eventful period of modern
+      history,&mdash;the empire of Napoleon. The character I selected
+      for my hero was not all imaginary, neither were many of the
+      scenes, which bear less apparent proofs of reality. The
+      subject was one long meditated on before undertaken; but as
+      the work proceeded, I felt at some places, the difficulty of
+      creating interest for persons, and incidents removed both by
+      time and country from my reader; and at others, my own
+      inadequacy to an effort, which mere zeal could never
+      accomplish. These causes induced me to deviate from the plan
+      I originally set down for my guidance; and combined with
+      failing health, have rendered what might have been a matter
+      of interest and amusement to the writer, a task of labor and
+      anxiety.
+
+      It is the first time I have had to ask my reader's
+      indulgence on such grounds; nor should I now allude to it,
+      save as affording the only apology I can render for the many
+      defects in a story, which, in defiance of me, took its
+      coloring from my own mind at the period, rather from the
+      reflex of the events I related.
+
+      The moral of my tale is simple,&mdash;the fatal influence crude
+      and uncertain notions of liberty will exercise over a
+      career, which, under happier direction of its energies, had
+      won honor and distinction, and the impolicy of the effort,
+      to substitute an adopted for a natural allegiance.
+
+      My estimate of Napoleon may seem to some to partake of
+      exaggeration; but I have carefully distinguished between the
+      Hero and the Emperor, and have not suffered my unqualified
+      admiration of the one to carry me on to any blind devotion
+      of the other.
+
+      Having begun this catalogue of excuses and explanations, I
+      know not where to stop. So, once more asking forgiveness for
+      all the errors of these volumes, I beg to subscribe myself,
+      in great respect and esteem,
+
+      Your humble and obedient servant,
+
+      Harry Lorrequer.
+
+      Templeogue House,
+
+      August 26th, 1844.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <br /> THE END. <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Tom Burke Of &ldquo;Ours&rdquo;, Volume II (of II), by
+Charles James Lever
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+</pre>
+  </body>
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