his head and neck draggling on the blown about by a current of air, for notground, in the light of a great fire, which withstanding the cold, the windows were rose and fell, lighting up the whole square. One of these men, with his shirt-sleeves rolled up on his muscular arm, was cutting it up. He had cleft it from top to bottom; the blue entrails fell into the mud mixed with blood. The face of that man with his bare neck and his old wig was terrible to see. I understood at once that the Republicans had surprised the village; and while I was dressing myself I invoked the aid of the Emperor Joseph, of whom Monsieur Karolus Richter talked so often. The French had arrived during my first sleep, and must have been there for two hours at least, for when I was ready to go down I saw three of them, in shirt-sleeves, like the butcher, who were taking the bread out of our oven with our shovel. They had spared Lisbeth the trouble of baking, as the other had saved Sepel the trouble of killing. These people knew how to do everything; nothing put them out. Lisbeth, seated in one corner, her hands crossed upon her knees, was looking at them with a tolerably peaceful air, having got over her first alarm. She saw me at the top of the stairs, and called out, "Come down, Fritzel, they will do you no harm." So I went down, and the men went on with their work without troubling themselves about me. The door to the passage on the left was open, and I saw in the store-room two other Republicans preparing to mix the dough for a second and third baking. At last, on the right hand side, through the half open door of the hall, I saw Uncle Jacob near the table, sitting on a common chair, while a stout man, with large red whiskers, a short round nose, projecting eyebrows, his ears starting from his head, and an old flax-coloured wig big as one's arm hanging between his shoulders, was installed in the arm-chair, and cutting up one of our hams with a good appetite. Nothing was to be seen but his great brown hands going and coming, the knife in one, the fork in the other, and his big heavy chops working away. From time to time he took his glass, raised his elbow, drank a full cup, and went on again. He wore lead-colored epaulettes, a great sabre with a leather sheath, the hilt of which reached up behind his elbow, and boots so covered with mud that nothing could be seen but the yellow soil, which was beginning to dry. From his hat, which had been placed upon the buffet, hung a bunch of red feathers left open. A sentinel was walking up and down in front of them, his musket on his arm, stopping from time to time to take a look at the table. The man with the great whiskers, all the time cutting and eating, spoke with a gruff voice: "So you are a physician," said he to my uncle. "I think, very nearly, about; -is that the way a man familiar with the country should speak? Listen to me; you seem to be frightened; you are afraid that if the white coats should pass through here they would hang you for giving me information. Put that idea out of your head. The French Republic protects you." And looking my uncle straight in the face with his grey eyes, "To the prosperity of the Republic, one and indivisible," said he, raising his glass. They touched glasses, and my uncle, quite pale, drank to the Republic. Ah, good!" said the other. "Have you seen any Austrians here?" "No, Commandant." 66 Are you quite sure of it? Come now, look me in the face." "I have not seen any." My uncle became still paler, yet still, in a firm tone and raising his head, he repeated, "Commandant, I affirm upon my honour that three days ago there were no Imperialists at Reethal." "And I," cried the Republican, whose small grey eyes sparkled under his thick, tawny eyebrows, "I tell you that they were there. Is that plain? There was silence. All who were in the kitchen had turned round; the mien of the Commandant was not tranquillising. As for me, I began to cry. I even went into the room as if to help Uncle Jacob, and placed myself behind him. The Republican looked at us both, frowning; but this did not hinder him from swallowing another mouthful of ham, as if to give himself time to reflect. Outside Lisbeth sobbed aloud. "Commandant," said my uncle, with firmness, "you do not know, perhaps, that there are two Reethals, one on the side of Kaiserslautern, and the other on the Queich, three leagues from Landau. The Austrians were, perhaps, down there, but upon this side nothing had been seen of them on Wednesday night." "Well, now," said the Commandant, in wretched Lorraine German, with a sneer, "that is not bad. But we are as sharp as you. At any rate, unless you prove that there are two Reethals, I will not conceal from you that it is my duty to arrest you and try you by court-martial." Well, well, this is famous," said he. "Where did this map come from?" "You have no use for this map, citizendoctor,” said he in German, "but I require it, and I demand it for the service of the Republic. Come, come! let us make amends. We will drink another glass to cement the feasts of concord." It may be imagined with what readiness Lisbeth went down into the cellar to get another bottle. Uncle Jacob had regained his confidence. The Commandant, who then looked at me, asked him, "Is that your son?" "No, he is my nephew." "A sprightly little fellow, solidly built. When I saw him come to your assistance just now, it gave me pleasure. Come, come to me," said he, drawing me to him by the arm. He passed his hand through my hair, and said, in a voice a little rough, but yet pleasant at the same time, "Bring up that boy to love the rights of man. Instead of keeping cows, he may become a commandant or a general, as others have done. Now all doors are open, all places are ready to be taken; nothing is needed but courage and a chance to succeed. I myself, such as you see me, I am the son of a blacksmith at Šarraguemines; but for the Republic I should be still hammering on the anvil. Our great booby of a count, who is with the white coats, would be an eagle, by the grace of God, and I should be an ass; while now it is quite the contrary, by the grace of the Revolution." He abruptly emptied his glass, and, half-closing his eyes, said with a sly look, 66 That makes some difference." By the side of the ham was one of our cakes which the Republicans had baked with the first heating of the oven; the Commandant cut a piece of it for me. "Swallow that boldly," said he, quite good-humouredly, "and try to become a man!" Then turning toward the kitchen, 66 Sergeant Lafleche!" cried he, with his voice like thunder. An old sergeant with grey moustaches, dry as a smoked herring, appeared upon the threshold. "How many loaves, sergeant?" "Forty." "In an hour we must have fifty; with our ten ovens, five hundred; three pounds "My father made it; he was a sur- of bread per man." veyor. The Republican smiled. "Yes; the woods, the rivers, the roads, ́everything is marked,” said he. "I recognise that; we passed there; this is good,excellent." And straightening himself up, The sergeant went back into the kitchen. My uncle and I observed all this without stirring. The Commandant again put his elbows upon the map with his head between his hands. The greyish day began to dawn; we could see the shadow of the sentinel as country only fair or brown haired women, he marched, his musket on his shoulder, this woman produced on me, young as I before our windows. A kind of stillness was, an effect of astonishment and extraorwas established. Many of the Republicans were no doubt sleeping, their heads on their knapsacks, around the large fires they had lighted, others in their houses. The pendulum moved slowly, the fire sparkled all the time in the kitchen. 66 Very well! let them bring him to me." The sergeant went out. Two minutes afterward our entry was full of people. The door was opened again, and Joseph Spick, in his short waistcoat, his long cloth pantaloons, and his cap of curled wool, appeared on the threshold between four soldiers of the Republic, with their muskets on their shoulders, their faces as yellow as gingerbread, their hats worn, holes in their elbows, patches on their knees, their shoes in tatters fastened together with strings; all which, however, did not prevent them from holding up their heads and being as proud as kings.. Joseph, his hands in the pockets of his vest, his shoulders stooping, his face flat, and his cheeks hanging, could scarcely support himself upon his long legs; he looked on the ground as if he was utterly scared. Behind, in the shadow, was seen the head of a woman, pale and thin, which immediately attracted my attention. She had a high forehead, a straight nose, a long chin, and hair of a bluish black. Her hair was brought down in large bands upon her cheeks, and was drawn up in braids behind her ears in such a way that her countenance, which was visible only in front, and not at the sides, seemed extremely long. Her eyes were large and black. She wore a felt hat with a tri-colored cockade, and over her hat a red handkerchief tied under her chin. As until then I had seen in our dinary admiration. I looked at her wonderstruck; my uncle appeared to me not less astonished than I was, and when she entered, followed by five or six other Republicans, dressed as the others were, during the whole time she was there we did not take our eyes from her. As she came into the room, we saw that she had on a large cloak of blue cloth with a triple cape falling below her elbows, and bore a small cask, the string of which passed crosswise over her shoulder; around her neck was a big cravat of black silk with long fringe, some booty of war no doubt, which still heightened the beauty of her calm and haughty head. The Commandant waited till every one had come in, particularly observing Joseph Spick, who seemed more dead than alive. Then, addressing the woman, who just raised her hat with a motion of her head, 66 Well, Thérèse," he said, "what is the matter?" "You know, Commandant, that at the last halt I had not a drop of brandy left," said she, in a firm and distinct tone; "my first care on arriving here was to find some, paying for it of course. But the people hid every thing, and only within half an hour I discovered the pine branch at the door of this man. Corporal Merlot, the fusileer Cincinnatus, and the drum-major Horatius Cocles, followed to assist me. We went in, asked for some wine or brandy, no matter which, but this Imperialist had nothing; he did not understand, he pretended to be deaf. We then began to search for it, to look into all the corners, and finally we found the entrance to the cellar at the end of a woodpile in the court, behind a heap of fagots which he had put in front of it. We might have got angry; but instead we went down and found some wine, some bacon, some sour-crout, and some brandy; we filled our casks, we took some bacon, and then we came up again without making any disturbance. But upon seeing us come back so loaded, this man who had kept himself quiet in his room began to shout like a blind man, and instead of accepting my assignats he tore them up, and taking me by the arm he shook me with all his might. Cincinnatus, putting his load on the table, took the great booby by the collar and threw him against the window of his hovel. Just then Sergeant Lafleche came in. That is all, Commandant.” When this woman had thus spoken, she withdrew behind the others, and immedi MADAME THERESE. ately a little dried-up man, thin and gruff, | little houses with their broad thatched roofs 66 Commandant, what the citizeness Thérèse has just communicated to you is indignation at the bad faith, which every one would have felt at finding himself face to face with an Imperialist devoid of all civic sentiment, and who intended ". 66 66 That will do," interrupted the ComThe word of the citizeness mandant. Thérèse is enough for me." Then addressing Joseph Spick in German, he said to him, frowning, 66 Say then, do you want to be shot? It will cost only the trouble of taking you into your garden. Do you not know that the paper of the Republic is worth more than the gold of tyrants? Listen! for this once I am pleased to pardon you, in consideration of your ignorance, but if it happen that you again conceal your provisions, and refuse assignats in payment, I will have you shot upon the village square to serve as an example to others. Come, march, you great fool." He uttered this little harangue very distinctly, then, turning to the cantinière, "It is all right, Thérèse," said he; "you may fill your casks, this man will make no more trouble. And you others, let him go free." They all went out, Thérèse at the head and Joseph the last. The poor devil had scarcely a drop of blood in his veins; he had run a great risk. The In the mean time day had come. Commandant rose, folded up the map, and put it in his pocket. Then he went to one of the windows and began to look at the village. My uncle and I looked out of the other window. It was about five o'clock in the morning. III. All my life long I shall remember that silent street encumbered with sleeping people, some stretched out, others doubled up, their heads upon their knapsacks. I yet see those muddy feet, those worn soles, those patched coats, those weather-beaten young faces, those old rigid cheeks, those closed eyelids; those large hats, those faded epaulettes, those pompons, those woollen blankets with red borders and full of holes, those grey cloaks, that straw scattered in the mud. And the great silence of sleep after the forced march, that absolute repose so like death, and the bluish dawn enveloping all with its uncertain light, the pale sun rising in mist, the 444 VOL. XI. LIVING AGE. on each side of the village, upon the Alten- As the day came on, the scene became more animated; a head was raised, rested upon the elbow, looked round, then gaped and went to sleep again; in another place an old soldier started up suddenly, shook the straw from his clothes, put on his old hat, and folded up his rag of a blanket; another still rolled up his cloak and buckled it upon his knapsack, while another drew from his pocket a short pipe, and struck a light. The early risers approached each other and talked together; others joined them, stamping their feet, for it was cold at this hour, and the fires that had been lighted in the street and in the square had gone out. In front of our house in the small square was the fountain; numbers of the Republicans ranged around the two, large, mossy troughs were washing themselves, laughing and joking in spite of the cold, while others were drinking from the spout. Then the house doors opened one after another, and the soldiers were to be seen coming out of them, bending their large hats and their knapsacks under the small doors. Almost all had their pipes lighted. To the left of our barn, in front of Spick's tavern, the cantinière's cart was stationed, covered with a large cloth; it was shaped like a wheelbarrow, on two wheels, and the shafts were resting on the ground. Behind, the mule, who was covered with an old woollen horse-blanket in red and blue squares, was gravely chewing a long bunch of hay, his eyes half-shut with a sentimental air. The cantinière, in the opposite window, was mending a little pair of small-clothes, and bent down now and then to cast a look under the shed. There the drum-major, Horatius Cocles, Cincinnatus Merlot, and a great jolly fellow, thin and dry, straddling across some bundles of hay, were dressing each other's queues, combing the locks, and making them smooth by spitting in their hands. Horatius Cocles, who was the head of the band, hummed an air, and his companions repeated the refrain under their breath. Near them, against two old casks, slept a little drummer about twelve years old, quite fair, like me, and who interested me particularly. It was he whom the cantiniere watched, and whose trousers no doubt she was mending. His little red nose was turned up in the air, his mouth half open, his back against the two barrels, and one arm over his drum; his drumsticks were passed under his shoulder-belt, and over his feet, covered with a little straw, was stretched a large and very muddy poodle, which kept him warm. Every minute this animal raised his head and looked at him as if to say, "I should like extremely to make a tour through the kitchens of the village." But the little boy did not move, he slept so well. And when at a distance some dogs barked, the poodle yawned; he would so have liked to make one of the party. Soon two officers came out from the neighbouring house; two slender young men, their bodies squeezed into their coats. As they passed before the house, the Commandant called to them, 66 Duchesne! Richer! - loaves in sacks and baskets. The distribution began. As the Republicans had made soup on their arrival, they strapped the loaves for each other upon their knapsacks. "Come," cried the Commandant in a cheerful tone," we must be off.” He took his cloak, threw it over his shoulder, and went out without saying either good-day or good-night to us. We were thinking that we had got rid of these people forever. Just as the Commandant went out, the burgomaster came to beg Uncle Jacob to go directly to his house, saying the sight of the Republicans had made his wife ill. They went out together immediately. Lisbeth was already setting up the chairs and sweeping the room. We heard the officers outside giving the word of command, " 'Forward! march!" The drums sounded, the cantinière cried Gee ho! and the battalion went on its way, when a terrible sort "Good-day, Commandant," said they, of crackling resounded from the end of the Nothing, Commandant." “In half an hour we must be on the march. Let the call to arms be sounded, Richer! Come in, Duchesne." village. It was the firing of guns, sometimes several at a time, sometimes one by one. The Republicans were about to enter the street. "Halt!" cried the Commandant, who, standing on his stirrups, looked forward. listening. I had placed myself at the window, and I saw all these men attentive, and the officers out of the ranks around their chief, who was speaking eagerly. Suddenly a soldier appeared at the turn of the street, running, his gun on his shoulder. "Commandant," said he from a distance, quite breathless, "the Croats! The advance guard is taken, they are coming!" Scarcely had the Commandant heard him than he turned, galloped along the line at full speed, shouting, "Form the square!" One of the officers entered; the other passed under the shed and spoke to Horatius Cocles. As for me, I was looking at the new-comer. The Commandant had had a bottle of brandy brought, and they drank together, when a sort of humming was heard outside. It was the call to arms. I ran to see what was going on. Horatius Cocles, holding up a cane, in front of five drummers, the little boy being on the left, regulated the drum-beat. As long as the cane was raised, the drumming continued. The officers, the drummers, the cantinière, The Republicans came in from all the lanes fell back at the same time around the founof the village; they ranged themselves in tain, while the companies crossed each other two lines in front of the fountain, and their like a shuffling of cards; in less than a minsergeants began the roll-call. My uncle ute they formed the square in three ranks, and I were astonished at the order which the others in the middle; and almost as reigned among these people; as they were called they answered so quickly that it was like a murmur on all sides. They had taken up their guns and held them at will on their shoulders or the butt end on the ground. After the roll-call there was great silence, and several of the men were detached, under the lead of their corporals, to go to get bread. The citizeness Thérèse then harnessed her mule to the cart. After some minutes the squads returned, bringing the quickly there was a frightful noise in the street. The Croats were coming, the earth trembled under them! I see them still, pouring in at the turning of the street, their large red cloaks floating behind them like the folds of fifty standards, and bent so low upon their saddles, with their spears forward, that their bony and brown faces and yellow moustaches were scarcely to be seen. It must be that children are possessed by the devil, for instead of running away, I remained, my eyes wide open in order to |