e young girl, Dago

the matte

ing to the window. "I thought

ushed to the window and opened it, tearing down the

wind was blowing hard. The soldie

hrow the light outside. Still he saw nothing. Persuaded that a gust of wind had disturbed and

is very high; it is that which l

he fingers which had hold of i

obert," said Blanche,

; none but a giant could reach it without a ladder. Now, had any one used a ladder, there would not have been time to

been deceived

ter, it was only the

r having disturbed yo

atched the window, and that would have quite tranquillized you. But he no doubt scented the stable of his comra

ve us alone," cried the maide

r him scratching at the door, so we will continue our story," said Dagobert, as he again

ey had exiled the Emperor. Learning all this, your mother said to the general: 'The war is finished; you are free, but your Emperor is in trouble. You owe everything to him; go and join him in his misfortunes. I know not when we shall meet again, but I shall never marry any one but you, I am yours till death!'-Before he se

, with emotion, as she looke

r and mother as to their

concealed in the neighborhood of your mother's house; I received the letters, and conveyed them to her clandestinely. In one o

id he kn

ier of my old guard-a soldier of Egypt and Italy, battered with wounds-an old dare-devil, whom I decorated with my o

the silver cross with the red ribbon that you

l never marry any one but General Simon.' A spirited woman, I can tell you-resigned, but wonderfully courageous. One day she received a letter from the general; he had left the Isle of Elba with the Emperor; the war had again broken out, a short campaign, but as fierce as ever, and heightened by soldiers' devotion. In that campaign of France; my children, especially at Mon

d to his memory the sublime enthusiasm of the wars of the republic-those armed risings of a whole people, from wh

, did not shrink from the rough energy of these words, but

the children of so brave

g of the battle of Montmirail, the Emperor, to the joy of the w

astonishment, without understand

added Blanche wit

the people were devoted to him. It was all very fine to tell them 'Your Emperor makes you food for cannon.' 'Stuff!' replied the people, who are no fools, 'another would make us food for misery. We prefer

l city-do you mean to say there are poor peo

when I say duke and marshal, I am partly right and partly wrong, for the title and the rank were not recognized in the end; because, after Montmirail, came a day of glo

ert an expression of such deep sorrow, t

sion of the Guards. When he was nearly cured, which was not for a long time, he solicited permission to go to St. Helena-another island at the far end of the world, to which the Engl

t way, you will mak

ll composed of his old soldiers, and he went down to a place in Picardy, where they were then in garrison; but the conspiracy had already been divulged. Arrested the moment of his arrival, the general was taken before the colonel of the regiment. And this colonel," said the soldier, after a brief pause, "who do you think it was again? Bah! it would be too long to tell you all, and would only make you more sad; but

ful he

im he had only just time to save himself. In fact, he happily succeeded in leaving Fr

ortunes, g

tten to him: 'The Emperor first, and me next!' both unable to do anything more for the Emperor, nor even for his son, the general, banished from

at was great happiness in th

and soul; she spoke out boldly what others did not dare speak in a whisper, and all the unfortunate called her their protecting angel. That was enough to excite the suspicions of the Russian governor. One day, a friend of the general's, formerly a colonel in the lancers, a brave and worthy man, was condemned to be exiled to Sib

t did they mean

your mother to Siberia; it was an opportunity to get rid of her; she did too much good at Warsaw, and they feared her accordingly. Not content with banishing her, they confiscated all her property; the only favor she could obtain was, that I should accompany her, and, had it not been

our f

your mother to think of flight, with two children; impossible

ime, you have had

ldren-once w

by

ordered by the Emperor to carry a battery, which was playing heavily on our army; after several unsuccessful efforts, the general put himself at the head of a regiment of cuirassiers, and charged the battery, intending, as was his custom, to cut down the men at their guns. He was on horseback

peril for

the match, and the gun go off-but, at the very nick, a man of tall stature, dressed as

eature! what a

e been so. He ought by rights to have been blown i

o you t

ficed himself in my place. When I again opened them, the first thing I saw in the midst of the smoke, was the tall figure of this man, standing erect and calm on the same spot, and casting a sad mild look on th

ert! how can th

ther must have been greatly struck with the countenance of this man, who appeared, he said, about thirty years of age-for he remarked, that his extremely black eyebrows were joine

ig

it," said the orphans, growing more

is man with a black s

, this same man bending over him, with a look of great mildness and deep melancholy, stanching his wounds, and using every effort to revive him. But as your father, whose senses were still wandering, repulsed his kindness saying,

nd since then, did our fa

he who brought news of the g

at? We never

your mother died, you went to t

lly; "to fetch some heath, of

o well that morning, that we could not dream

as I was singing at my work, on a sudden I heard a voice ask me in French: 'Is this the village of Milosk?'-I turned round,

, w

gh and open forehead; but his eyebrows met, a

n who had twice been wit

it wa

thoughtfully, "is it not a l

sixteen

age was thi

more tha

, who sixteen years before, had

s silence, and shrugging his shoulders: "I may

e, he could not have go

if he had not formerly

; 'could you tell me the house of Madame Simon, the general's wife?' 'She lives here, sir.' Then looking at me for some seconds in silence, he took me by the hand and said: 'You are the friend of General Simon-his best friend?' Judge of my astonishment, as I answered: 'But, sir, how do you kno

er-I love him alr

ng father

inform your mother, so that the surprise might not

man was this tra

a dark pelisse, and a fur c

e hand

with so mild and melancholy an air,

doubtless known

ws of the general. She was in tears, and had before her a large packet of papers; it was a kind of journal, which your father h

e these paper

y I will give them to you: but I have picked out a few leave

her been lon

Turks-for he always liked to side with the weak against the strong. In India he made fierce war against the English, they had murdered our p

e did he s

t miss this opportunity. In a few months he had so well-trained and disciplined the twelve or fifteen thousand men of the prince, that, in two encounters, they cut to pieces the English sent against them, and who, no doubt, had in their reckoning

ages written by our father, is alm

ere close beside

that Dagobert had taken from his pocket. Then, by a simultaneous movement, full of

y, should be called Gabriel. Read, read," added the soldier, observing the puzzled air of the orphans. "Only I ough

Blanche, with her head resting on her sister's shoulder, followed attentively every word. One c