The Bronze Eagle

c hand upon the handle of the door, it was opened from without with wha

or the moment seemed to have forgotten where he was, as well as the etiquette which surrounded the august personality of his master. He certainly contrived to

have occurred thus to ruffle Hector's ingrained dignity, and even M. le Comte was involuntarily

tor?" he exclaim

rom sheer excitement, "the Corsican . . . he has come back . .

h a wave of the hand as it were

broad daylight, Hector . . . and this excitement is most unseemly. Show

o recover his pomposity and actually took up the correct attitude which a well-trained servant assumes when he sh

le Comte," he said, "and b

hen Mme. la Duchesse has retired,"

"I'll wait and hear what M. le préfet has to say. The news-i

nto the room, and once more sat down in the chair beside her brother's bureau, whilst Hector with

olitical conversations, and his manner now plainly showed to Mme. la Duchesse that he would like to receive M. le préfet alone. But he said nothing-probably be

. le pr

antage the shapely calf and well-shod foot. M. le préfet Fourier, mathematician of great renown, and member of the Ins

rked and curious contrast. M. le Comte de Cambray calm, unperturbed, slightly supercilious, in a studied attitude and moving with pompous deliberati

with a semblance of dignity, and to kiss her hand in something of the approved courtly manner. When h

urbed, my goo

, still somewhat out of breath, "how can I hel

the brows, which was meant to convey complete d

and, was unable to contain his agitation and had obvi

plied th

also shoo

s far as the Castle of Brestal

"town gossip, M. le Comte! . . . But God in Heaven help us all. Bonaparte landed at Antibes five days ago. H

d the Comte drily. "We have had news of the landing of

ent that courier straight on to me, telling me that he and General Loverdo, who is in command of the troops in that district, promptly evacuated Digue because they were not certain of the loyalty of the garrison. The Corsican it seems only landed with about a thousand of his old guard, but since then, the troops in every distric

exceedingly thoughtful and considerate, my go

e population acclaimed him with cries of 'Vive l'Empereur!' The préfet and the general in command had intended to resist his entry into the city, but all the notabilities of the town forced t

me a shade paler than usual, and the slender hand which toyed with an ivory paper-knife on his desk had not its wonted steadiness. Mme. la Duchesse perceived this, no doubt, for her keen eyes were fixed scrutinisingly upon her

Grenoble itself, is the garrison equally l

his shoulders. He

re to prophesy. Général Marchand does not intend to trust entirely to the garr

e had not a great deal of faith in the

Fourier," he said, "you don't mean to suggest tha

apparently had me

bear in mind that the whole of the Dauphiné

se . . ." ejacu

. At the bottom of every soldier's haversack there is an old and worn tricolour cockade, which is there ready to be fetched out at a moment's notice, and will be fetched o

-tap of the ivory paper-knife with which M. le Comte was still nervously

ting noise," said Mme. Duchesse after aw

n, Sophie," said

of it himself. His attitude was on the verge of incorrectness. Where was the aristocratic sangfroid which should have made him proof even

re figure, put on that air of detachment which became him so well, and final

ith his accust

t the situation before me, will you also tell me in what way

at this hour, when I was coming anyhow to partake of your gracious hospitality later on. But I do want

, concerns His Majesty and the security of his throne. I canno

as far as Lyons and thence by a?rial telegraph to Paris. The King-may God preserve him!" added the ex-Bonapartist ferventl

olemnly, "Louis de Bourbon, XVIIIth of his name, by th

now let me come to my point, M. le Comte

service, my de

rmed in my position as préfet of this department, I thought it was my duty to tell you of the

ch money, which the unfortunate wife of that br

rtable form, being chiefly notes and bankers' drafts to bearer, but

a Duchesse drily. "I did not know that

s fleeing the country. Talleyrand did it all, and it was his idea to k

useless, it is in danger of spoliation," he added with unconscious naiveté. "If the Corsican marches into Grenoble, if the garrison and the townspe

Comte, "I hadn't

originally taken from his wife, the brigand will not be committing an

e Comte, highly shocked. "Money rob

Madame sharply, "let us hear

te préfet, "I have nothing to propose! I am at my wit

ht, my dear M. Fourier,

, and then see to what conclusion we can arrive that will be for the best. Firstly, of course, there is the possibility of your

n M. Fourier was read

knows everything that goes on in Grenoble . . . and his friend Emery, who is an army surgeon in the pay of Bonaparte . . . both these men have been to and from Elba incessantly these past few months . . . then there's the

ently, "the long and the short of it is that you would

e it, M.

posited there, where it will be safe.

ist! . . . M. de Talleyrand would no

so . . .

nce this district seems to be a hot-bed of disloyalty-would be to convey the money straigh

Madame with eyes full of admiration for her wisdom, "how cleverly that was spoken! If only I could be relieved from

o be done? 'Convey the money to Paris' is easily said. But who is going to do it? M. le

erly. "I have already thought of such a bea

n lips curled in

lan, but I warn you that I will not have the money brought here. I don't half trust the pea

was ready w

capturing Grenoble, no place would be sacred to him. No! My idea was if you, M. le Comte-who have oft before journeyed to

Grenoble is full of Bonapartist spies, my movements

te, not quite so c

rthy man, however, was apparentl

s that the splendid plan you thought on merely consists in

ok on poor M. Fourier that the unfortun

e right to dispose of this money which was entrusted to you by M. de Talleyran

is no time for red-tapeism now with that ogre at our gates. How are you going to consult His Majesty's wish

Comte waxed po

"you would prefer

sty the King to have that money, or should M. le préfet here take the risk of its falling in Bonaparte's hands? An

he Comte stiffly. "Of course we desire Hi

Louise. Very well then, obviously that money ought to be taken to Paris before Bonaparte gets mu

" queried the

plied Mme.

Sophie! I

k to Paris after Crystal's wedding? Who would suspect me, I should like to know, of carrying twenty-five millions under my petticoats? All I should want would be a couple of sturdy fellows on the box to protect m

ere was obvious relief on the ruddy face of little M. Fou

cended to say, "it does s

harge of the money all along, and M. le Comte de Cambray, who is the only true royalist in the district, are both marked down by spies: ergo Mme. la Duchesse d'Agen is the only possible agent for the business, and an inoffensive old woman without any political standing is the least likely to be molested in her task. If I fail, I fail," concluded Madame decisively, "if I am stopped on the way and the money taken from me, well! I a

fet, who was obviously overjoyed, and

ess of purpose always imposed themselves on those over whom she chose to exert her will: and men of somew

nity to make one more protest before he

lling alone through the country without sufficie

eally determined to oppose this sensible scheme of mine. Travelling alone, forsooth! Did I not arrive only yeste

f," retorted the Comte, greatly angered that M. le préfet should hear the fac

d like to know? So now if you have exhausted your string of objections, my

point: he certainly could and would bring the money over with hi

during the course of his evidence gave a detailed account of this same interview which he had with M. le Comte de Cambray and Mme. la Duchesse douairière d'Agen on Sunday, March the 5th. In his deposition he nat

urier. (Dossier de M

en Mme. la Duchesse and the two men, and that the details of the

ng back here to respond to M. le Comte's gracious invitatio

ur great chance of success. I ought not to start later than Tuesday, and I could do so soon after the wedding ceremony. I could a

e not delayed,"

me is up. But we are not going to anticipate misfor

expedition! The whole thing seems to me chivalrous and romantic rat

rtainly was not prudence which set Henry of Navarre upon the throne of France and in the heart of his people. So for gracious' sake do not let us talk of prudence any more. Rather let us allow M. le préfet to return quietly to the H?tel de Ville, so that he and Mme. Fourier may proceed to dress for to-night's ceremony, just as if nothing untoward

Mme. la Duchesse douairière d'Agen-though a fervent royalist herself-had a wholesome contempt for these opportunists. Fourier, celebrated mathematician, loaded with gifts and honours by Napoleon, who had made him a member of the Institute of Scien

behind Madame's curt nod to him, struck the préfet's sensibilities, for the high colour suddenly fled from his round face, and he did not attempt to approach her for the ceremonial hand-kissing. But he ran across the roo

omte when he found himself once more alone with the pr

er. Ah, the women of France!" he added ecstatically, "the women! how often have they s

my dear M. Fourier," r