下载辰思小说免费APP
"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-
