第10章

"ExcludefromtheoperationsoftheSpecialCourtacertainFeraud，GabrielFlorian，Generalofbrigadeofthepromotionof1814?"herepeated，inaslightlywonderingtone，andthenturnedawayfromtheglass。

"Whyexcludehimprecisely?"

"IamsurprisedthatyourExcellency，socompetentintheevaluationofmenofhistime，shouldhavethoughtworthwhiletohavethatnameputdownonthelist。"

"ArabidBonapartist!"

"Soiseverygrenadierandeverytrooperofthearmy，asyourExcellencywellknows。AndtheindividualityofGeneralFeraudcanhavenomoreweightthanthatofanycasualgrenadier。Heisamanofnomentalgrasp，ofnocapacitywhatever。Itisinconceivablethatheshouldeverhaveanyinfluence。"

"Hehasawell-hungtongue，though，"interjectedFouche。

"Noisy，Iadmit，butnotdangerous。"

"Iwillnotdisputewithyou。Iknownexttonoth-

ingofhim。Hardlyhisname，infact。"

"AndyetyourExcellencyhasthepresidencyoftheCommissionchargedbythekingtopointoutthosewhoweretobetried，"saidGeneralD"Hubert，withanemphasiswhichdidnotmisstheminister"sear。

"Yes，General，"hesaid，walkingawayintothedarkpartofthevastroom，andthrowinghimselfintoadeeparmchairthatswallowedhimup，allbutthesoftgleamofgoldembroideriesandthepallidpatchoftheface——

"yes，General。Takethischairthere。"

GeneralD"Hubertsatdown。

"Yes，General，"continuedthearch-masterintheartsofintrigueandbetrayals，whoseduplicity，asifattimesintolerabletohisself-knowledge，foundreliefinburstsofcynicalopenness。"Ididhurryontheforma-

tionoftheproscribingCommission，andItookitspresi-

dency。Anddoyouknowwhy?SimplyfromfearthatifIdidnottakeitquicklyintomyhandsmyownnamewouldheadthelistoftheproscribed。Sucharethetimesinwhichwelive。ButIamministerofthekingyet，andIaskyouplainlywhyIshouldtakethenameofthisobscureFeraudoffthelist?Youwonderhowhisnamegotthere!Isitpossiblethatyoushouldknowmensolittle?MydearGeneral，attheveryfirstsittingoftheCommissionnamespouredonuslikerainofftheroofoftheTuileries。Names!Wehadourchoiceofthousands。HowdoyouknowthatthenameofthisFeraud，whoselifeordeathdon"tmattertoFrance，doesnotkeepoutsomeothername?"

Thevoiceoutofthearmchairstopped。OppositeGeneralD"Hubertsatstill，shadowyandsilent。Onlyhissabreclinkedslightly。Thevoiceinthearmchairbeganagain。"AndwemusttrytosatisfytheexigenciesoftheAlliedSovereigns，too。ThePrincedeTalleyrandtoldmeonlyyesterdaythatNesselrodehadinformedhimofficiallyofHisMajestytheEmperorAlexander"sdissatisfactionatthesmallnumberofexamplestheGovernmentofthekingintendstomake——especiallyamongstmilitarymen。Itellyouthisconfidentially。"

"Uponmyword!"brokeoutGeneralD"Hubert，speakingthroughhisteeth，"ifyourExcellencydeignstofavourmewithanymoreconfidentialinformationI

don"tknowwhatIwilldo。It"senoughtobreakone"sswordoverone"sknee，andflingthepieces……"

"Whatgovernmentyouimaginedyourselftobeserving?"interruptedtheminister，sharply。

AfterashortpausethecrestfallenvoiceofGeneralD"Hubertanswered，"TheGovernmentofFrance。"

"That"spayingyourconscienceoffwithmerewords，General。Thetruthisthatyouareservingagovern-

mentofreturnedexiles，ofmenwhohavebeenwithoutcountryfortwentyyears。Ofmenalsowhohavejustgotoveraverybadandhumiliatingfright……

Havenoillusionsonthatscore。"

TheDukeofOtrantoceased。Hehadrelievedhim-

self，andhadattainedhisobjectofstrippingsomeself-

respectoffthatmanwhohadinconvenientlydiscoveredhimposturinginagold-embroideredcourtcostumebeforeamirror。Buttheywereahot-headedlotinthearmy；itoccurredtohimthatitwouldbeinconvenientifawell-disposedgeneralofficer，receivedinaudienceontherecommendationofoneofthePrinces，weretodosomethingrashlyscandalousdirectlyafterapri-

vateinterviewwiththeminister。Inachangedtoneheputaquestiontothepoint:"Yourrelation——thisFeraud?"

"No。Norelationatall。"

"Intimatefriend?"

"Intimate……yes。Thereisbetweenusanintimateconnectionofanaturewhichmakesitapointofhonourwithmetotry……"

Theministerrangabellwithoutwaitingfortheendofthephrase。Whentheservanthadgoneout，afterbringinginapairofheavysilvercandelabraforthewriting-desk，theDukeofOtrantorose，hisbreastglis-

teningalloverwithgoldinthestronglight，andtakingapieceofpaperoutofadrawer，helditinhishandosten-

tatiouslywhilehesaidwithpersuasivegentleness:

"Youmustnotspeakofbreakingyourswordacrossyourknee，General。Perhapsyouwouldnevergetanother。TheEmperorwillnotreturnthistime……

Diabled"homme!Therewasjustamoment，hereinParis，soonafterWaterloo，whenhefrightenedme。

Itlookedasthoughhewerereadytobeginalloveragain。Luckilyoneneverdoesbeginalloveragain，really。Youmustnotthinkofbreakingyoursword，General。"

GeneralD"Hubert，lookingontheground，movedslightlyhishandinahopelessgestureofrenunciation。

TheMinisterofPoliceturnedhiseyesawayfromhim，andscanneddeliberatelythepaperhehadbeenholdingupallthetime。

"Thereareonlytwentygeneralofficersselectedtobemadeanexampleof。Twenty。Aroundnumber。

Andlet"ssee，Feraud……Ah，he"sthere。Ga-

brielFlorian。Parfaitement。That"syourman。Well，therewillbeonlynineteenexamplesmadenow。"

GeneralD"Hubertstoodupfeelingasthoughhehadgonethroughaninfectiousillness。"ImustbegyourExcellencytokeepmyinterferenceaprofoundsecret。

Iattachthegreatestimportancetohisneverlearn-

ing……"

"Whoisgoingtoinformhim，Ishouldliketoknow?"

saidFouche，raisinghiseyescuriouslytoGeneralD"Hubert"stense，setface。"Takeoneofthesepens，andrunitthroughthenameyourself。Thisistheonlylistinexistence。Ifyouarecarefultotakeupenoughinknoonewillbeabletotellwhatwasthenamestruckout。But，parexemple，Iamnotresponsi-

bleforwhatClarkewilldowithhimafterwards。IfhepersistsinbeingrabidhewillbeorderedbytheMinisterofWartoresideinsomeprovincialtownunderthesupervisionofthepolice。"

AfewdayslaterGeneralD"Hubertwassayingtohissister，afterthefirstgreetingshadbeengotover:"Ah，mydearLeonie!itseemedtomeIcouldn"tgetawayfromParisquickenough。"

"Effectoflove，"shesuggested，withamalicioussmile。

"Andhorror，"addedGeneralD"Hubert，withpro-

foundseriousness。"Ihavenearlydiedthereof……

ofnausea。"

Hisfacewascontractedwithdisgust。Andashissisterlookedathimattentivelyhecontinued，"IhavehadtoseeFouche。Ihavehadanaudience。Ihavebeeninhiscabinet。Thereremainswithone，whohadthemisfortunetobreathetheairofthesameroomwiththatman，asenseofdiminisheddignity，anuneasyfeel-

ingofbeingnotsoclean，afterall，asonehopedonewas……Butyoucan"tunderstand。"

Shenoddedquicklyseveraltimes。Sheunderstoodverywell，onthecontrary。Sheknewherbrotherthoroughly，andlikedhimashewas。Moreover，thescornandloathingofmankindwerethelotoftheJacobinFouche，who，exploitingforhisownadvantageeveryweakness，everyvirtue，everygenerousillusionofmankind，madedupesofhiswholegeneration，anddiedobscurelyasDukeofOtranto。

"MydearArmand，"shesaid，compassionately，"whatcouldyouwantfromthatman?"

"Nothinglessthanalife，"answeredGeneralD"Hubert。"AndI"vegotit。Ithadtobedone。ButIfeelyetasifIcouldneverforgivethenecessitytothemanIhadtosave。"

GeneralFeraud，totallyunable(asisthecasewithmostofus)tocomprehendwhatwashappeningtohim，receivedtheMinisterofWar"sordertoproceedatoncetoasmalltownofCentralFrancewithfeelingswhosenaturalexpressionconsistedinafiercerollingoftheeyeandsavagegrindingoftheteeth。Thepassingawayofthestateofwar，theonlyconditionofsocietyhehadeverknown，thehorribleviewofaworldatpeace，frightenedhim。Hewentawaytohislittletownfirmlyconvincedthatthiscouldnotlast。Therehewasin-

formedofhisretirementfromthearmy，andthathispension(calculatedonthescaleofacolonel"srank)wasmadedependentonthecorrectnessofhisconduct，andonthegoodreportsofthepolice。Nolongerinthearmy!Hefeltsuddenlystrangetotheearth，likeadisembodiedspirit。Itwasimpossibletoexist。Butatfirsthereactedfromsheerincredulity。Thiscouldnotbe。Hewaitedforthunder，earthquakes，naturalcataclysms；butnothinghappened。TheleadenweightofanirremediableidlenessdescendeduponGeneralFeraud，whohavingnoresourceswithinhimselfsankintoastateofawe-inspiringhebetude。Hehauntedthestreetsofthelittletown，gazingbeforehimwithlack-

lustreeyes，disregardingthehatsraisedonhispassage；

andpeople，nudgingeachotherashewentby，whispered，"That"spoorGeneralFeraud。Hisheartisbroken。

BeholdhowhelovedtheEmperor。"

TheotherlivingwreckageofNapoleonictempestclusteredroundGeneralFeraudwithinfiniterespect。

He，himself，imaginedhissoultobecrushedbygrief。

Hesufferedfromquicklysucceedingimpulsestoweep，tohowl，tobitehisfiststillbloodcame，tospenddaysonhisbedwithhisheadthrustunderthepillow；butthesearosefromsheerennui，fromtheanguishofanimmense，indescribable，inconceivableboredom。Hismentalin-

abilitytograspthehopelessnatureofhiscaseasawholesavedhimfromsuicide。Henevereventhoughtofitonce。Hethoughtofnothing。Buthisappetiteabandonedhim，andthedifficultyheexperiencedtoexpresstheoverwhelmingnatureofhisfeelings(themostfuriousswearingcoulddonojusticetoit)inducedgraduallyahabitofsilence——asortofdeathtoasoutherntemperament。

Great，therefore，wasthesensationamongstthean-

ciensmilitairesfrequentingacertainlittlecafe；fullofflieswhenonestuffyafternoon"thatpoorGeneralFeraud"

letoutsuddenlyavolleyofformidablecurses。

HehadbeensittingquietlyinhisownprivilegedcornerlookingthroughtheParisgazetteswithjustasmuchinterestasacondemnedmanontheeveofexe-

cutioncouldbeexpectedtoshowinthenewsoftheday。

AillfindoutpresentlythatIamaliveyet，"hedeclared，inadogmatictone。"However，thisisaprivateaffair。

Anoldaffairofhonour。Bah!Ourhonourdoesnotmatter。Herewearedrivenoffwithasplitearlikealotofcasttroophorses——goodonlyforaknacker"syard。ButitwouldbelikestrikingablowfortheEmperor……Messieurs，Ishallrequiretheassis-

tanceoftwoofyou。"

Everymanmovedforward。GeneralFeraud，deeplytouchedbythisdemonstration，calledwithvisibleemotionupontheone-eyedveterancuirassierandtheofficeroftheChasseursaChevalwhohadleftthetipofhisnoseinRussia。Heexcusedhischoicetotheothers。

"Acavalryaffairthis——youknow。"

Hewasansweredwithavariedchorusof"Parfaite-

ment，monGeneral……C"estjuste……Par-

bleu，c"estconnu……"Everybodywassatisfied。

Thethreeleftthecafetogether，followedbycriesof"Bonnechance。"

Outsidetheylinkedarms，thegeneralinthemiddle。

Thethreerustycockedhatswornenbataillewithasinisterforwardslantbarredthenarrowstreetnearlyrightacross。Theoverheatedlittletownofgreystonesandredtileswasdrowsingawayitsprovincialafternoonunderabluesky。Theloudblowsofacooperhoopingacaskreverberatedregularlybetweenthehouses。Thegeneraldraggedhisleftfootalittleintheshadeofthewalls。

"Thisdamnedwinterof1813hasgotintomybonesforgood。Nevermind。Wemusttakepistols，that"sall。Alittlelumbago。Wemusthavepistols。He"sgameformybag。Myeyesareaskeenasever。YoushouldhaveseenmeinRussiapickingoffthedodgingCossackswithabeastlyoldinfantrymusket。Ihaveanaturalgiftforfirearms。"

InthisstrainGeneralFeraudranon，holdinguphishead，withowlisheyesandrapaciousbeak。Amerefighterallhislife，acavalryman，asabreur，heconceivedwarwiththeutmostsimplicity，as，inthemain，amassedlotofpersonalcontests，asortofgregariousduelling。

Andherehehadinhandawarofhisown。Herevived。

Theshadowofpeacepassedawayfromhimliketheshadowofdeath。ItwasthemarvellousresurrectionofthenamedFeraud，GabrielFlorian，engagevolontaireof1793，Generalof1814，buriedwithoutceremonybymeansofaserviceordersignedbytheWarMinisteroftheSecondRestoration。

IV

Nomansucceedsineverythingheundertakes。Inthatsenseweareallfailures。Thegreatpointisnottofailinorderingandsustainingtheeffortofourlife。

Inthismattervanityiswhatleadsusastray。Ithurriesusintosituationsfromwhichwemustcomeoutdam-

aged；whereasprideisoursafeguard，bythereserveitimposesonthechoiceofourendeavourasmuchasbythevirtueofitssustainingpower。

GeneralD"Hubertwasproudandreserved。Hehadnotbeendamagedbyhiscasualloveaffairs，successfulorotherwise。Inhiswar-scarredbodyhisheartatfortyremainedunscratched。Enteringwithreserveintohissister"smatrimonialplans，hehadfelthimselffallingirremediablyinloveasonefallsoffaroof。Hewastooproudtobefrightened。Indeed，thesensationwastoodelightfultobealarming。

Theinexperienceofamanoffortyisamuchmoreseriousthingthantheinexperienceofayouthoftwenty，foritisnothelpedoutbytherashnessofhotblood。

Thegirlwasmysterious，asyounggirlsarebythemereeffectoftheirguardedingenuity；andtohimthemysteriousnessofthatyounggirlappearedexceptionalandfascinating。ButtherewasnothingmysteriousaboutthearrangementsofthematchwhichMadameLeoniehadpromoted。Therewasnothingpeculiar，either。Itwasaveryappropriatematch，commendingitselfextremelytotheyounglady"smother(thefatherwasdead)andtolerabletotheyounglady"suncle——anoldemigrelatelyreturnedfromGermany，andpervad-

ing，caneinhand，aleanghostoftheancienregime，thegardenwalksoftheyounglady"sancestralhome。

GeneralD"Hubertwasnotthemantobesatisfiedmerelywiththewomanandthefortune——whenitcametothepoint。Hispride(andprideaimsalwaysattruesuccess)wouldbesatisfiedwithnothingshortoflove。

Butastrueprideexcludesvanity，hecouldnotimagineanyreasonwhythismysteriouscreaturewithdeepandbrillianteyesofavioletcolourshouldhaveanyfeelingforhimwarmerthanindifference。Theyounglady(hernamewasAdele)baffledeveryattemptataclearunder-

standingonthatpoint。Itistruethattheattemptswereclumsyandmadetimidly，becausebythenGeneralD"Huberthadbecomeacutelyawareofthenumberofhisyears，ofhiswounds，ofhismanymoralimperfec-

tions，ofhissecretunworthiness——andhadincidentallylearnedbyexperiencethemeaningofthewordfunk。

Asfarashecouldmakeoutsheseemedtoimplythat，withanunboundedconfidenceinhermother"saffectionandsagacity，shefeltnounsurmountabledislikeforthepersonofGeneralD"Hubert；andthatthiswasquitesufficientforawell-brought-upyoungladytobeginmarriedlifeupon。ThisviewhurtandtormentedtheprideofGeneralD"Hubert。Andyetheaskedhimself，withasortofsweetdespair，whatmorecouldheexpect?

Shehadaquietandluminousforehead。Hervioleteyeslaughedwhilethelinesofherlipsandchinremainedcomposedinadmirablegravity。Allthiswassetoffbysuchagloriousmassoffairhair，byacomplexionsomarvellous，bysuchagraceofexpression，thatGeneralD"Hubertreallyneverfoundtheopportunitytoexaminewithsufficientdetachmenttheloftyexigenciesofhispride。Infact，hebecameshyofthatlineofinquirysinceithadledonceortwicetoacrisisofsolitarypas-

sioninwhichitwasborneuponhimthathelovedherenoughtokillherratherthanloseher。Fromsuchpassages，notunknowntomenofforty，hewouldcomeoutbroken，exhausted，remorseful，alittledismayed。

Hederived，however，considerablecomfortfromthequietistpracticeofsittingnowandthenhalfthenightbyanopenwindowandmeditatinguponthewonderofherexistence，likeabelieverlostinthemysticcon-

templationofhisfaith。

Itmustnotbesupposedthatallthesevariationsofhisinwardstateweremademanifesttotheworld。

GeneralD"Hubertfoundnodifficultyinappearingwreathedinsmiles。Because，infact，hewasveryhappy。Hefollowedtheestablishedrulesofhiscondi-

tion，sendingoverflowers(fromhissister"sgardenandhot-houses)earlyeverymorning，andalittlelaterfol-

lowinghimselftolunchwithhisintended，hermother，andheremigreuncle。Themiddleofthedaywasspentinstrollingorsittingintheshade。Awatchfuldefer-

ence，tremblingonthevergeoftendernesswasthenoteoftheirintercourseonhisside——withaplayfulturnofthephraseconcealingtheprofoundtroubleofhiswholebeingcausedbyherinaccessiblenearness。LateintheafternoonGeneralD"Hubertwalkedhomebetweenthefieldsofvines，sometimesintenselymiserable，some-

timessupremelyhappy，sometimespensivelysad；butalwaysfeelingaspecialintensityofexistence，thatela-

tioncommontoartists，poets，andlovers——tomenhauntedbyagreatpassion，anoblethought，oranewvisionofplasticbeauty。

TheoutwardworldatthattimedidnotexistwithanyspecialdistinctnessforGeneralD"Hubert。Oneevening，however，crossingaridgefromwhichhecouldseebothhouses，GeneralD"Hubertbecameawareoftwofiguresfardowntheroad。Thedayhadbeendivine。

Thefestaldecorationoftheinflamedskylentagentleglowtothesobertintsofthesouthernland。Thegreyrocks，thebrownfields，thepurple，undulatingdistancesharmonizedinluminousaccord，exhaledalreadythescentsoftheevening。Thetwofiguresdowntheroadpresentedthemselvesliketworigidandwoodensil-

houettesallblackontheribbonofwhitedust。GeneralD"Hubertmadeoutthelong，straight，militarycapotesbuttonedcloselyrightuptotheblackstocks，thecockedhats，thelean，carven，browncountenances——oldsoldiers——vieillesmoustaches!Thetallerofthetwohadablackpatchoveroneeye；theother"shard，drycoun-

tenancepresentedsomebizarre，disquietingpeculiarity，whichonnearerapproachprovedtobetheabsenceofthetipofthenose。Liftingtheirhandswithonemove-

menttosalutetheslightlylamecivilianwalkingwithathickstick，theyinquiredforthehousewheretheGen-

eralBaronD"Hubertlived，andwhatwasthebestwaytogetspeechwithhimquietly。

"Ifyouthinkthisquietenough，"saidGeneralD"Hubert，lookingroundatthevine-fields，framedinpurplelines，anddominatedbythenestofgreyanddrabwallsofavillageclusteringaroundthetopofaconicalhill，sothatthebluntchurchtowerseemedbuttheshapeofacrowningrock——"ifyouthinkthisspotquietenough，youcanspeaktohimatonce。AndI

begyou，comrades，tospeakopenly，withperfectcon-

fidence。"

Theysteppedbackatthis，andraisedagaintheirhandstotheirhatswithmarkedceremoniousness。

Thentheonewiththechippednose，speakingforboth，remarkedthatthematterwasconfidentialenough，andtobearrangeddiscreetly。Theirgeneralquarterswereestablishedinthatvillageoverthere，wheretheinfernalclodhoppers——damntheirfalse，Royalisthearts!——lookedremarkablycross-eyedatthreeunassumingmilitarymen。ForthepresentheshouldonlyaskforthenameofGeneralD"Hubert"sfriends。

"Whatfriends?"saidtheastonishedGeneralD"Hu-

bert，completelyoffthetrack。"Iamstayingwithmybrother-in-lawoverthere。"

"Well，hewilldoforone，"saidthechippedveteran。

"We"rethefriendsofGeneralFeraud，"interjectedtheother，whohadkeptsilenttillthen，onlygloweringwithhisoneeyeatthemanwhohadneverlovedtheEmperor。Thatwassomethingtolookat。Foreventhegold-lacedJudaseswhohadsoldhimtotheEnglish，themarshalsandprinces，hadlovedhimatsometimeorother。ButthismanhadneverlovedtheEmperor。

GeneralFeraudhadsaidsodistinctly。

GeneralD"Hubertfeltaninwardblowinhischest。

Foraninfinitesimalfractionofaseconditwasasifthespinningoftheearthhadbecomeperceptiblewithanawful，slightrustleintheeternalstillnessofspace。

Butthisnoiseofbloodinhisearspassedoffatonce。

Involuntarilyhemurmured，"Feraud!Ihadforgottenhisexistence。"

"He"sexistingatpresent，veryuncomfortably，itistrue，intheinfamousinnofthatnestofsavagesupthere，"saidtheone-eyedcuirassier，drily。"Wearrivedinyourpartsanhouragoonposthorses。He"sawaitingourreturnwithimpatience。Thereishurry，youknow。

TheGeneralhasbrokentheministerialordertoobtainfromyouthesatisfactionhe"sentitledtobythelawsofhonour，andnaturallyhe"sanxioustohaveitalloverbeforethegendarmeriegetsonhisscent。"

Theotherelucidatedtheideaalittlefurther。"Getbackonthequiet——youunderstand?Phitt!Noonethewiser。Wehavebrokenout，too。Yourfriendthekingwouldbegladtocutoffourscurvypittancesatthefirstchance。It"sarisk。Buthonourbeforeevery-

thing。"

GeneralD"Huberthadrecoveredhispowersofspeech。"Soyoucomeherelikethisalongtheroadtoinvitemetoathroat-cuttingmatchwiththat——

that……"Alaughingsortofragetookpossessionofhim。"Ha!ha!ha!ha!"

Hisfistsonhiships，heroaredwithoutrestraint，whiletheystoodbeforehimlankandstraight，asthoughtheyhadbeenshotupwithasnapthroughatrapdoorintheground。Onlyfour-and-twentymonthsagothemas-

tersofEurope，theyhadalreadytheairofantiqueghosts，theyseemedlesssubstantialintheirfadedcoatsthantheirownnarrowshadowsfallingsoblackacrossthewhiteroad:themilitaryandgrotesqueshadowsoftwentyyearsofwarandconquests。Theyhadanout-

landishappearanceoftwoimperturbablebonzesofthereligionofthesword。AndGeneralD"Hubert，alsooneoftheex-mastersofEurope，laughedattheseseriousphantomsstandinginhisway。

Saidone，indicatingthelaughingGeneralwithajerkofthehead:"Amerrycompanion，that。"

"Therearesomeofusthathaven"tsmiledfromthedayTheOtherwentaway，"remarkedhiscomrade。

Aviolentimpulsetosetuponandbeatthoseunsub-

stantialwraithstothegroundfrightenedGeneralD"Hubert。Heceasedlaughingsuddenly。Hisdesirenowwastogetridofthem，togetthemawayfromhissightquicklybeforehelostcontrolofhimself。Hewonderedatthefuryhefeltrisinginhisbreast。Buthehadnotimetolookintothatpeculiarityjustthen。

"Iunderstandyourwishtobedonewithmeasquicklyaspossible。Don"tletuswastetimeinemptyceremonies。Doyouseethatwoodthereatthefootofthatslope?Yes，thewoodofpines。Letusmeetthereto-morrowatsunrise。Iwillbringwithmemyswordormypistols，orbothifyoulike。"

ThesecondsofGeneralFeraudlookedateachother。

"Pistols，General，"saidthecuirassier。

"Sobeit。Aurevoir——to-morrowmorning。Tillthenletmeadviseyoutokeepcloseifyoudon"twantthegendarmeriemakinginquiriesaboutyoubeforeitgetsdark。Strangersarerareinthispartofthecoun-

try。"

Theysalutedinsilence。GeneralD"Hubert，turninghisbackontheirretreatingforms，stoodstillinthemiddleoftheroadforalongtime，bitinghislowerlipandlookingontheground。Thenhebegantowalkstraightbeforehim，thusretracinghisstepstillhefoundhimselfbeforetheparkgateofhisintended"shouse。

Duskhadfallen。Motionlesshestaredthroughthebarsatthefrontofthehouse，gleamingclearbeyondthethicketsandtrees。Footstepsscrunchedonthegravel，andpresentlyatallstoopingshapeemergedfromthelateralalleyfollowingtheinnersideoftheparkwall。

LeChevalierdeValmassigue，uncleoftheadorableAdele，ex-brigadierinthearmyofthePrinces，book-

binderinAltona，afterwardsshoemaker(withagreatreputationforeleganceinthefitofladies"shoes)inanothersmallGermantown，woresilkstockingsonhisleanshanks，lowshoeswithsilverbuckles，abrocadedwaistcoat。Along-skirtedcoat，alafrancaise，coveredlooselyhisthin，bowedback。Asmallthree-corneredhatrestedonalotofpowderedhair，tiedinaqueue。

"MonsieurleChevalier，"calledGeneralD"Hubert，softly。

"What?Youhereagain，monami?Haveyouforgottensomething?"

"Byheavens!that"sjustit。Ihaveforgottensome-

thing。Iamcometotellyouofit。No——outside。

Behindthiswall。It"stooghastlyathingtobeletinatallwhereshelives。"

TheChevaliercameoutatoncewiththatbenevolentresignationsomeoldpeopledisplaytowardsthefugueofyouth。OlderbyaquarterofacenturythanGeneralD"Hubert，helookeduponhiminthesecretofhisheartasarathertroublesomeyoungsterinlove。Hehadheardhisenigmaticalwordsverywell，butattachednoundueimportancetowhatameremanoffortysohardhitwaslikelytodoorsay。TheturnofmindofthegenerationofFrenchmengrownupduringtheyearsofhisexilewasalmostunintelligibletohim。Theirsenti-

mentsappearedtohimundulyviolent，lackingfinenessandmeasure，theirlanguageneedlesslyexaggerated。

HejoinedcalmlytheGeneralontheroad，andtheymadeafewstepsinsilence，theGeneraltryingtomasterhisagitation，andgetpropercontrolofhisvoice。

"Itisperfectlytrue；Iforgotsomething。IforgottillhalfanhouragothatIhadanurgentaffairofhonouronmyhands。It"sincredible，butitisso!"

Allwasstillforamoment。Thenintheprofoundeveningsilenceofthecountrysidetheclear，agedvoiceoftheChevalierwasheardtremblingslightly:"Mon-

sieur!That"sanindignity。"

Itwashisfirstthought。Thegirlbornduringhisexile，theposthumousdaughterofhispoorbrothermur-

deredbyabandofJacobins，hadgrownsincehisreturnverydeartohisoldheart，whichhadbeenstarvingonmerememoriesofaffectionforsomanyyears。"Itisaninconceivablething，Isay!Amansettlessuchaf-

fairsbeforehethinksofaskingforayounggirl"shand。

Why!Ifyouhadforgottenfortendayslonger，youwouldhavebeenmarriedbeforeyourmemoryreturnedtoyou。Inmytimemendidnotforgetsuchthings——

noryetwhatisduetothefeelingsofaninnocentyoungwoman。IfIdidnotrespectthemmyself，Iwouldqualifyyourconductinawaywhichyouwouldnotlike。"

GeneralD"Hubertrelievedhimselffranklybyagroan。"Don"tletthatconsiderationpreventyou。

Yourunnoriskofoffendinghermortally。"

Buttheoldmanpaidnoattentiontothislover"snonsense。It"sdoubtfulwhetherheevenheard。

"Whatisit?"heasked。"What"sthenatureof……?"

"Callitayouthfulfolly，MonsieurleChevalier。Aninconceivable，incredibleresultof……"Hestoppedshort。"Hewillneverbelievethestory，"hethought。

"HewillonlythinkIamtakinghimforafool，andgetoffended。"GeneralD"Hubertspokeupagain:"Yes，originatinginyouthfulfolly，ithasbecome……"

TheChevalierinterrupted:"Well，thenitmustbearranged。"

"Arranged?"

"Yes，nomatteratwhatcosttoyouramourpropre。

Youshouldhaverememberedyouwereengaged。Youforgotthat，too，Isuppose。Andthenyougoandforgetyourquarrel。It"sthemosthopelessexhibitionoflevityIeverheardof。"

"Goodheavens，Monsieur!Youdon"timagineI

havebeenpickingupthisquarrellasttimeIwasinParis，oranythingofthesort，doyou?"

"Eh!Whatmatterstheprecisedateofyourinsaneconduct，"exclaimedtheChevalier，testily。"Theprin-

cipalthingistoarrangeit。"

NoticingGeneralD"Hubertgettingrestiveandtry-

ingtoplaceaword，theoldemigreraisedhishand，andaddedwithdignity，"I"vebeenasoldier，too。Iwouldneverdaresuggestadoubtfulsteptothemanwhosenamemynieceistobear。Itellyouthatentregalantshommesanaffaircanalwaysbearranged。"

"Butsaperiotte，MonsieurleChevalier，it"sfifteenorsixteenyearsago。Iwasalieutenantofhussarsthen。"

TheoldChevalierseemedconfoundedbythevehe-

mentlydespairingtoneofthisinformation。"Youwerealieutenantofhussarssixteenyearsago，"hemum-

bledinadazedmanner。

"Why，yes!YoudidnotsupposeIwasmadeageneralinmycradlelikearoyalprince。"

Inthedeepeningpurpletwilightofthefieldsspreadwithvineleaves，backedbyalowbandofsombrecrim-

soninthewest，thevoiceoftheoldex-officerinthearmyofthePrincessoundedcollected，punctiliouslycivil。

"DoIdream?Isthisapleasantry?OramItounderstandthatyouhavebeenhatchinganaffairofhonourforsixteenyears?"

"Ithasclungtomeforthatlengthoftime。Thatismyprecisemeaning。Thequarrelitselfisnottobeexplainedeasily。Wemetonthegroundseveraltimesduringthattime，ofcourse。"

"Whatmanners!Whathorribleperversionofman-

liness!NothingcanaccountforsuchinhumanitybutthesanguinarymadnessoftheRevolutionwhichhastaintedawholegeneration，"musedthereturnedemigreinalowtone。"Who"syouradversary?"heaskedalittlelouder。

"Myadversary?HisnameisFeraud。"

Shadowyinhistricorneandold-fashionedclothes，likeabowed，thinghostoftheancienregime，theCheva-

liervoicedaghostlymemory。"IcanrememberthefeudaboutlittleSophieDerval，betweenMonsieurdeBrissac，CaptainintheBodyguards，andd"Anjorrant(notthepock-markedone，theother——theBeaud"Anjorrant，astheycalledhim)。Theymetthreetimesineighteenmonthsinamostgallantmanner。ItwasthefaultofthatlittleSophie，too，whowouldkeeponplaying……"

"Thisisnothingofthekind，"interruptedGeneralD"Hubert。Helaughedalittlesardonically。"Notatallsosimple，"headded。"Noryethalfsoreasonable，"

hefinished，inaudibly，betweenhisteeth，andgroundthemwithrage。

Afterthissoundnothingtroubledthesilenceforalongtime，tilltheChevalierasked，withoutanimation:

"Whatishe——thisFeraud?"

"Lieutenantofhussars，too——Imean，he"sageneral。

AGascon。Sonofablacksmith，Ibelieve。"

"There!Ithoughtso。ThatBonapartehadaspecialpredilectionforthecanaille。Idon"tmeanthisforyou，D"Hubert。Youareoneofus，thoughyouhaveservedthisusurper，who……"

"Let"sleavehimoutofthis，"brokeinGeneralD"Hu-

bert。

TheChevaliershruggedhispeakedshoulders。"Fe-

raudofsorts。Offspringofablacksmithandsomevillagetroll。Seewhatcomesofmixingyourselfupwiththatsortofpeople。"

"Youhavemadeshoesyourself，Chevalier。"

"Yes。ButIamnotthesonofashoemaker。Neitherareyou，MonsieurD"Hubert。YouandIhavesome-

thingthatyourBonaparte"sprinces，dukes，andmar-

shalshavenot，becausethere"snopoweronearththatcouldgiveittothem，"retortedtheemigre，withtherisinganimationofamanwhohasgotholdofahopefulargument。"Thosepeopledon"texist——alltheseFe-

rauds。Feraud!WhatisFeraud?Ava-nu-piedsdis-

guisedintoageneralbyaCorsicanadventurermas-

queradingasanemperor。ThereisnoearthlyreasonforaD"Huberttos"encanaillerbyaduelwithapersonofthatsort。Youcanmakeyourexcusestohimper-

fectlywell。Andifthemananttakesintohisheadtodeclinethem，youmaysimplyrefusetomeethim。"

"YousayImaydothat?"

"Ido。Withtheclearestconscience。"

"MonsieurleChevalier!Towhatdoyouthinkyouhavereturnedfromyouremigration?"

Thiswassaidinsuchastartlingtonethattheoldmanraisedsharplyhisbowedhead，glimmeringsilverywhiteunderthepointsofthelittletricorne。Foratimehemadenosound。

"Godknows!"hesaidatlast，pointingwithaslowandgravegestureatatallroadsidecrossmountedonablockofstone，andstretchingitsarmsofforgedironallblackagainstthedarkeningredbandinthesky——"Godknows!Ifitwerenotforthisemblem，whichIremem-

berseeingonthisspotasachild，IwouldwondertowhatwewhoremainedfaithfultoGodandourkinghavereturned。Theveryvoicesofthepeoplehavechanged。"

"Yes，itisachangedFrance，"saidGeneralD"Hu-

bert。Heseemedtohaveregainedhiscalm。Histonewasslightlyironic。"ThereforeIcannottakeyouradvice。Besides，howisonetorefusetobebittenbyadogthatmeanstobite?It"simpracticable。Takemywordforit——Feraudisn"tamantobestayedbyapolo-

giesorrefusals。Butthereareotherways。Icould，forinstance，sendamessengerwithawordtothebriga-

dierofthegendarmerieinSenlac。Heandhistwofriendsareliabletoarrestonmysimpleorder。Itwouldmakesometalkinthearmy，boththeorganizedandthedisbanded——especiallythedisbanded。Allcanaille!AllonceuponatimethecompanionsinarmsofArmandD"Hubert。ButwhatneedaD"Hu-

bertcarewhatpeoplethatdon"texistmaythink?Or，betterstill，Imightgetmybrother-in-lawtosendforthemayorofthevillageandgivehimahint。Nomorewouldbeneededtogetthethree"brigands"setuponwithflailsandpitchforksandhuntedintosomenice，deep，wetditch——andnobodythewiser!IthasbeendoneonlytenmilesfromheretothreepoordevilsofthedisbandedRedLancersoftheGuardgoingtotheirhomes。Whatsaysyourconscience，Chevalier?CanaD"Hubertdothatthingtothreemenwhodonotexist?"

Afewstarshadcomeoutontheblueobscurity，clearascrystal，ofthesky。Thedry，thinvoiceoftheChevalierspokeharshly:"Whyareyoutellingmeallthis?"

TheGeneralseizedthewitheredoldhandwithastronggrip。"BecauseIoweyoumyfullestconfidence。

WhocouldtellAdelebutyou?YouunderstandwhyI

darenottrustmybrother-in-lawnoryetmyownsister。

Chevalier!IhavebeensoneardoingthesethingsthatItrembleyet。Youdon"tknowhowterriblethisduelappearstome。Andthere"snoescapefromit。"

Hemurmuredafterapause，"It"safatality，"

droppedtheChevalier"spassivehand，andsaidinhisordinaryconversationalvoice，"Ishallhavetogowith-

outseconds。Ifitismylottoremainontheground，youatleastwillknowallthatcanbemadeknownofthisaffair。"

Theshadowyghostoftheancienregimeseemedtohavebecomemorebowedduringtheconversation。

"HowamItokeepanindifferentfacethiseveningbeforethesetwowomen?"hegroaned。"General!I

finditverydifficulttoforgiveyou。"

GeneralD"Hubertmadenoanswer。

"Isyourcausegood，atleast?"

"Iaminnocent。"

ThistimeheseizedtheChevalier"sghostlyarmabovetheelbow，andgaveitamightysqueeze。"I

mustkillhim!"hehissed，andopeninghishandstrodeawaydowntheroad。

ThedelicateattentionsofhisadoringsisterhadsecuredfortheGeneralperfectlibertyofmovementinthehousewherehewasaguest。Hehadevenhisownentrancethroughasmalldoorinonecorneroftheorangery。Thushewasnotexposedthateveningtothenecessityofdissemblinghisagitationbeforethecalmignoranceoftheotherinmates。Hewasgladofit。Itseemedtohimthatifhehadtoopenhislipshewouldbreakoutintohorribleandaimlessimprecations，startbreakingfurniture，smashingchinaandglass。

Fromthemomentheopenedtheprivatedoorandwhileascendingthetwenty-eightstepsofawindingstaircase，givingaccesstothecorridoronwhichhisroomopened，hewentthroughahorribleandhumiliatingsceneinwhichaninfuriatedmadmanwithblood-shoteyesandafoamingmouthplayedinconceivablehavocwitheverythinginanimatethatmaybefoundinawell-

appointeddining-room。Whenheopenedthedoorofhisapartmentthefitwasover，andhisbodilyfatiguewassogreatthathehadtocatchatthebacksofthechairswhilecrossingtheroomtoreachalowandbroaddivanonwhichhelethimselffallheavily。Hismoralprostrationwasstillgreater。Thatbrutalityoffeelingwhichhehadknownonlywhenchargingtheenemy，sabreinhand，amazedthismanofforty，whodidnotrecognizeinittheinstinctivefuryofhismenacedpassion。Butinhismentalandbodilyexhaustionthispassiongotcleared，distilled，refinedintoasentimentofmelancholydespairathaving，perhaps，todiebeforehehadtaughtthisbeautifulgirltolovehim。

Thatnight，GeneralD"Hubertstretchedoutonhisbackwithhishandsoverhiseyes，orlyingonhisbreastwithhisfaceburiedinacushion，madethefullpil-

grimageofemotions。Nauseatingdisgustattheabsur-

dityofthesituation，doubtofhisownfitnesstoconducthisexistence，andmistrustofhisbestsentiments(forwhatthedevildidhewanttogotoFouchefor?)——heknewthemallinturn。"Iamanidiot，neithermorenorless，"hethought——"Asensitiveidiot。BecauseI

overheardtwomentalkinginacafe……Iamanidiotafraidoflies——whereasinlifeitisonlytruththatmatters。"

Severaltimeshegotupand，walkinginhissocksinordernottobeheardbyanybodydownstairs，drankallthewaterhecouldfindinthedark。Andhetastedthetormentsofjealousy，too。Shewouldmarrysomebodyelse。Hisverysoulwrithed。ThetenacityofthatFeraud，theawfulpersistenceofthatimbecilebrute，cametohimwiththetremendousforceofarelentlessdestiny。GeneralD"Huberttrembledasheputdowntheemptywaterewer。"Hewillhaveme，"hethought。

GeneralD"Hubertwastastingeveryemotionthatlifehastogive。Hehadinhisdrymouththefaintsicklyflavouroffear，nottheexcusablefearbeforeayounggirl"scandidandamusedglance，butthefearofdeathandthehonourableman"sfearofcowardice。

Butiftruecourageconsistsingoingouttomeetanodiousdangerfromwhichourbody，soul，andheartrecoiltogether，GeneralD"Huberthadtheopportunitytopractiseitforthefirsttimeinhislife。Hehadchargedexultinglyatbatteriesandatinfantrysquares，andriddenwithmessagesthroughahailofbulletswith-

outthinkinganythingaboutit。Hisbusinessnowwastosneakoutunheard，atbreakofday，toanobscureandrevoltingdeath。GeneralD"Hubertneverhesi-

tated。Hecarriedtwopistolsinaleatherbagwhichheslungoverhisshoulder。Beforehehadcrossedthegardenhismouthwasdryagain。Hepickedtwooranges。Itwasonlyaftershuttingthegateafterhimthathefeltaslightfaintness。

Hestaggeredon，disregardingit，andaftergoingafewyardsregainedthecommandofhislegs。Inthecolourlessandpelluciddawnthewoodofpinesde-