The Downfall

ders circuitously down the sharp descent was thronged with men, horses, and vehicles in dire confusion. Half-way up the hill, in front of the church,

h a long line of stranded baggage wagons, while close at hand, at the inn of the Maltese Cross, a constant

d from time to time, glared ruddily in the darkness and made the stream and both its shores as light as day. They served to show the immense multitude of men massed there, awaiting a chance to cross, while the footway only permitted the passage of two men abreast, and over the bridge proper the cavalry and artillery were obliged to proceed at a walk, so that the crossing promised to be a protracted operation.

last comer's turn to cross, and everyone knew that even if the Prussians should not be enterprising enough to continue their pursuit in the darkness they would be there with the first glimpse of daylight. Orders came for them to stack muskets, however, and they made their camp on the great range of bare hills which slope downward to the

was nearly nine o'clock, they had been there two hours, and yet many of them, notwithstanding their terrible fatigue, could not sleep; stretched on the bare ground, they would start and bend their ears to catch the faintest sound that rose in the distance. They had ceased to fight their torturing hunger; they would eat over yonder, on the other bank, when they had passed the river; they would eat grass if nothing else was to be found. The

stance. And look! Bazeilles is over yonder-and then comes Douzy, and then Carignan, more to the right. We shall

the dusky meadows. The scattered trees made clumps of denser shade, especially a row of poplars to the left, whose tops were profiled on the horizon like the fantastic ornaments on some old castle gateway. And in the background

ck to the bridge of

g is against us. We sh

The cuirassiers were passing at the time, two abreast, in a long unbroken file, emerging from the obscurity of the hither shore to be swallowed up in the shadows of the other, and nothing was to be seen of the bridge; they appeared to be marching on the bosom of the ruddy stream, that flashed and danced in the flickering firelight. The horses snorted and hung back, manifesting every indication of terror as t

ested from him a de

am hu

that it finally got the better of their fears and struck them down upon the bare earth, where they lay on their back, with open mouth and arms outstretched,

I am so hungry tha

ty-six hours, and it was torn from him by sheer stress of physical suffering. Then Maurice, knowing that

have heard me speak. His house is five or six hundred yards from here; I didn't lik

posted. The house was a low structure, surrounded by quite an imposing cluster of dependencies; a barn, a stable, and cow-sheds, while across the road was a disused carriage-house

as he approached the

and barred everything tight and fa

owl in quest of something to eat. First they had called, then had knocked, and now, seeing that the place was dark and deserted, they were hammering at

! smash it in, since t

wearing the peasant's blouse, with a candle in one hand and a gun in the other. Beneath the thick shock of bristlin

gs as you are doing!" he shouted in

n by surprise, dre

ith hunger; we want

fill a hundred thousand mouths? Others were here before you; yes, General Ducrot'

ame forward ag

we can rest ourselves, and

gain, when the old fellow, placing his candle on

there, I'll put a hole in the f

t, who was like all the rest of them and would throw his bread in the river rather than give a mouthful to a starving soldier. The light of the candle glinted on the ba

t a crust! I tell you

n in affright, f

es, com

rs' guns, and raising hi

able. Don't you

o,

vasseur, yo

d his nephew, beyond a doubt, but was firm in hi

w or not in this infernal darkness? Clea

n and burn the shanty, he still had nothing to say but: "Clear

ar voice was heard

on me,

st two hours against an irresistible longing to come and knock at that door. He had sworn never to set foot in that house again, and in all his four years of army life had not exchanged a single letter with that father whom he now addressed

o fear he said in a matter-of-course way, as

l right, I'l

fastening them again, the maneuvers of a man determined to leave nothing at loose ends. At last the do

ou! and no o

ephew, however, notwithstand

, tho

roy his furniture! Finally Honore shoved their comrade inside the door by main strength and the old man had to make the best of it, grumbling and growling vindictively. He had carried his gun w

h hunger. You will let us have a l

is head at every instant toward the window as if listening for

deprived himself of food to give it to me.

and locking the door behind him in order that no one might follow him. They could hear his footsteps on the stairs that led to the cellar. There was another long period of waiting, and when he returned, again locking and bolting everything after him, he placed upon the table a big loaf of bread and a

o the sideboard brought

t have given us s

longer fearing that this anger might lead him i

ers, those fellows of Ducrot's, ate and d

iding them, no one knew where, in the depths of some wood or in some abandoned quarry, and he had devoted hours to burying all his household stores, wine, bread, and things of the least value, even to the flour and salt, so that anyone might have ransac

to satisfy his appeti

my sister Hen

lance at Jean, who was bolting huge mouthfuls of bread; after appare

is morning. He was with Monsieur Delaherche, his boss, who had come over in his carriage to

corn flitted over the old

e such a very good time after all, for ever since three o'clock the ro

n betrayed once more and that de Failly had sold them to Bismarck. Maurice's thoughts reverted to the aimless, blundering movements of the last two days, to Marshal MacMahon hurrying on their retreat and insisting on getting them across the Meuse at every cost, after wasting so many precious hours in incomprehensible delays. It was too late. Doubtless the mar

chair, watching with astonishment the inroads he was making

nning to feel

ad and replied with the sa

inning, t

re to see Silvine. The letter that he had received from her at Rheims lay on his bosom, next his skin, that letter, so tenderly passionate, in which she told him that she loved him still, that she should never love anyone save him, despite the cruel past, despite Goliah and little Charlot

ine with you

nce out of the corner of hi

s,

, so that the artillery man had pre

gone to b

, n

folks should cease to eat meat or why a man should not attend to his business, so he had taken a sheep and a quarter of beef over there, as it was his custom to do every Tuesday, and had just disposed of the last of his stock-in-trade when up came the 7th corps a

ith Doctor Dalichamp, her godfather. You would think to look at her that she wouldn't dare to say boo to a

his service, that girl who had caused dissension between father and son, whose child by the Prus

here in his room; she surel

illed the room, while he mechanically cut himself more bread and began to eat again. Jean also continued his operations in that line, without finding it necessary to say a word. Maurice contemplated the fu

it will never do to let the

inguishing the bridge, illuminated by the fires on the two banks. The cuirassiers were passing still, like phantoms in their long white cloaks, while their steeds trod upon the bosom of the stream and a chill wind of terror breathed on them from

a gesture of disappointment,

tramp upon the road, as regular as that of a sentry pacing his beat, but presently it ceased and the only sound that reached their ears was the distant clamor on the

oung and strong as Silvine. Why had she not returned in all that time since the old man lost sight of her in the confusion? He thought of the disorder of a retreating army corps, spreading

common impulse. There was a sound of rapid steps coming

he shouted. "Is

ion, threatening to fire. Then a laboring

d; it is I." And she quic

bed and

s well!

gave utterance to a deep-drawn sigh, as if to r

said Fouchard. "There

black hair and a pair of large, fine, lustrous eyes, the chief adornment of a small oval face, strong by reason of its tranquil resignation. The sudden meeting with Honore

, his heart in his throat, s

ening, S

vening,

nizing Maurice, gave him a smile. Jean's presence was embarrassing to her. She felt

ropping the friendl

ilvine, on account of the Pru

hand to her eyes as if to shut out some atrocious vision, and directing an

s-Oh! yes, ye

or some of the wounded, should there be a battle over in the direction of Metz and Verdun, had been busying himself for the last two weeks with improvising a hospital in the great hall of the mairie. Some people who dropped in remarked that they might find use for their hospital sooner than they expected, and sure enough, a little after midday, the roar of artillery had reached their ears from over Beaumont way. But that was not near enough to cause anxiety and no one was alarmed, when, all at once, just as the last of the French troops were filing out of Raucourt, a shel

d then a voice shouted something that I could not understand and all the muskets came to the ground together with a great crash. And I looked down into the street below, and there was a crowd of small, dirty-looking men in black, with ugly, big faces and wearing helmets like those our firemen wear. Someone told me they were Bavarians. Then I rai

ormer gesture, veiling her visi

g strips of raw bacon, others again had filled their mouths with flour. They were told that our troops had been passing through the town for the last two days and there was nothing left, but here and there they found some trifling store that had been hid away, not sufficient to feed so many hungry mouths, and that made them think the folks were lying to them, and they went on to smash things more furiously than ever. In less than an hour, there was not a butcher's, grocer's, or baker's shop in the city left ungutted; even the private houses were entered, their cellars emptied, and their closets pillaged. At the doctor's-did you ever h

, and she put her hand to her e

not bear it; I

hey going to start out as robbers at that late day? Maurice and Jean, too, were deeply interested in those details about an enemy whom the girl had seen, and whom they had not succeeded in setting eyes on i

little urchin, large and strong for his age, with a thatch of curling, straw-colored hair and big blue eyes. Silvine shivered at his sudden appearance, as if the sight of him had recalled to her mind the image

ad, pink face, the true Teutonic type, in all the health and strength of rosy, smiling childhood. The son of the Prussian, the Prussian, as the pothouse wits of Remilly had

me with me back to bed. Say

adjoining room she was no longer weeping; her face wore i

a trembling voice, start

d the Prussi

bandaging themselves with handsome chemises, trimmed with lace, stolen, doubtless, from pretty Madame Lefevre, the manufacturer's wife. The pillage went on until night. The houses had no doors or windows left, and one passing in the street could look within and see the wrecked furniture, a scene of destruction that would have aroused the anger of a saint. For my part, I was almost wild, and could remain there no longer. They tried in vain to keep me, telling me t

ve like myself. She was from Beaumont, she said, and she told me things too horrible to repeat. After t

s the impetuous torrent of horses, guns, and men tore onward at a mad gallop. Their feet were winged with the tireless speed of victory as they rushed on in devilish pursuit of the French, to overtake them in some last ditch and crush them, annihilate them there. They stopped for nothing; on, on they went, heedless of what lay in their way. Horses fell; their traces were immediately cut, and they were left to be ground and torn by the pitiless wheels until they were a shapeless, bleeding mass. Human beings, prisoners and wounded men, who attempte

his head decline upon the table on his crossed arms. Jean's resistance lasted a little longer, but presently he too was overcome and fell dead asleep at the other end

ing on the half-submerged structure. Horses reared and plunged in terror at sight of the swift-running stream, the wheel of a caisson ran over the guard-rail; immediately a hundred strong arms seized the encumbrance and hurled the heavy vehicle to the bottom of the river that it might not obstruct the passage. And as the young man watched the slow,

d in the shuddering darkness, alive with al

re unh

s; so u

which he was about to speak, and her

id it happen? I

not find words

ge of you, or was it

, in a voice that

ll not lie to you-I cannot! No, I have no excuse to offer; I cannot say he beat me. Yo

oment. The thought that she was unwilling to tell him a lie, however, was an assuagement to his rage and grief;

s kept you he

igned, courageous air, w

other mouth to feed he has taken advantage of it to reduce my wages. He knows

o you stay

ed her so that she l

little one and I have at least a home

camp came faintly to their ears, and the dull rumble of wheels upon the bridge of boats went on unceasingly. There was a s

me great pleasure. I should have never come back here, but that letter-I have been reading

he was angry that she had dared to write to him, like one devoid of sham

in, it would be a great sorrow to me to leave this world with the thought that you no longer loved me. And therefore, since you love me still, since I am your first and only love-" His tongue became th

he young man's bosom. She could not speak a word; every drop of blood in her veins

Should my father refuse us his consent, the earth is large; we will go away. And your little one, no one

y. Such happiness seemed too great

might repent your generosity some day. But how

ne of loneliness and sorrow! With an involuntary, irresistible impulse she threw her arms about him, kissing him again and again, straining him to her bosom with all her woman's strength, as a treasure that

fields shadowy forms were seen emerging in indistinguishable masses, a surging, billowing sea whose waves were already streaming downward to the road beneath. The fires on the banks of the stream were dying down; all that could be see

ing. Jean and Maurice awoke, stiff and shivering, and got on their feet

romise. Wa

oul went out to him in one long, last look, as he leap

by, fa

by, my

y had met, without embracing, like a father and son

and then another. At last, when they had near lost their wits in the fearful confusion, they stumbled on their company, under the command of Lieutenant Rochas; as for the regiment and Captain Beaudoin, no one could say where they were. And Maurice was asto

who was standing near,

to make the movement was the

e of boats superintending operations, was in despair that only a portion of his 3d division had so far crossed the stream; it would soon be day, and they were liable to be attacked at any moment. He therefore sent instructions to the several organizations of his command to make at once for Sedan, each independently of the others, by the most direct roads, while he himself, leaving orders to burn the bridge of

es from the rout at Beaumont, in ragged uniforms, begrimed with blood and dirt, who inoculated the others with their own terror. Down the wide valley, from the wooded hills across the stream, came one universal, all-pervading uproar, the scurrying tramp of other hosts in swift retreat; the 1st corps, coming

ng the exhalations of the meadows in the chill, wan light of dawn, while against the somber background of her great forests Sedan was profiled in livid outlines, indistinct as the creation of some hideous nightmare. When they had left Wadelincourt behind th