, 1891-09-12

one thing and another. 1 was three
days on the road. l reached MacMahon's
camp on the twenty-second pretty tired.
i handed in my dispatches. Napoleon
and the marshal were in the room to-
gether. MacMahon questioned me. The
dispatch said that Bazaine meant to
break through the investing armies I'M
der Prince Frederick and Albert of Sax
ony and gain Chalons by a northern
route. / said that l did not believe he
would succeed. The enemy were too
strong and were constantly REINFORCED.
Napoleon listened and kept his eyes on
me. what should we do, then, Mr.. de
LisleT' he asked me. March 10 save
Paris at oncel" / said. Napoleon glanced
at MacMahon and nodded. But, as ]
learned later. the minister of war In
Paris had sent orders to move on rneuz;
MacMahon hesitated; Napoleon, who
was i'll, would not decide, and in the
end, as no doubt you remember, made
moiselle, we set out for the Mouse. Tt
was when that order was given that
France was defeated. Sedan was merely
the corollary.
"And were you at Sedan alsoY'
Eyes; / saw the end. When MacMahon
got his wound it was still early in the
morning; he gave his command to Due
rot, who was in his right senses, and
perceived that our only hope was to
break through to the westward and gain
Mezieres. But the French were doomed.
DeWimpffen, who had been appointed
MacMahon's contingent successor by or
ders from Paris, was mad enough to not
only countermand Ducrot's orders, but
to prepare to pierce the enemy's lines to
the eastward and march for Metz. You
may imagine, mademoiselle, the con-
fusion. 1t soon became CONSERVATION,
and, with some, panic. Meanwhile the
Germans encircled us; from the sur
rounding hills their canno played on
us, c~onverging. We could do nothing;
what we could we tried. In the morn
ing / had, at Napoleon's request, headed
u line at Daigny, and held it for two
hours, and later, when Douay at last
gave way before the Fifth and Eleventh
corps at Floring and we were all being
driven in upon our center, 1 Joined in
the charges of our Seventh cavalry, and
l believe it was there hat / won the
cross. At any rate, L was pretty badly
hurt there, and late in the afternoon,
while l lay inside the fortress, listening
to the cannon and wondering if any one
would be left alive by morning, the IN
peror came in.
HE looked as if he had been wounded
to death himself; and so he had, though
not by sword or bullet. His heart and
spirit were broken. But he saluted me
courteously, and said: we are ruined,
M. de Lisle. l am about to order the
white flag to be hoisted. But l wish to
say to you that it is not your fault that
France falls today. You saw the rem
edy, and urged it; you have also ex-
posed your life like a brave man, and in
a to effect the best results. You
have done well, and / thank you. In an
hour l shall cease to be emperor; mean
while, let me bestow upon you what is
in my power to bestow.' He then gave
me the cross from his breast, and put in
my hand a folded paper-the patent of
nobility. Il have observed your con-
duct he said, and provided this recog-
milton of it. Had destiny been kind to
us you should have beer great in
France"
sit was very nice of him." remarked
Olympia. mo wonder you like such a
man"
al entreated him to go to America"
continued the count, "and offered to
undertake to bring him here. l said:
when these troubles are over France
will ask for you again But he answered
that it was too late. France will never
forgive me this defeat he said; and, be-
sides, l am a dying man. / once thought
there might be a future for me and had
taken steps to assure it. But all that is
past hope. l shall retire to England. Do
you go to America, if you will, and seek
the fortune that 1 have lost Other
things he told me; among them secrets
known only to himself. But 1 weary
you, mademoiselle, with SO long a story"
But Olympia had been deeply inter
ested. Beneath an outward quietude of
speech and there was in Count
de Lisle a suppressed fire and emphasis
hat fascinated the attention and sum-
moned pictures before the imagination.
Fixing her eyes upon his strong, reserved
features Olympia wondered at the at
traction he had for her. And again,
when she looked away, she had a notion
that he was somehow less a stranger
than he appeared. Some natures exer-
else a mutual magnetism over each other,
so that when they meet it is as if they
had known each other before.
Olympia's fine organization made her
susceptible to impressions that had no
existence for ordinary people. The eff
feet, in this instance, was to incline her
to reserve. Ayoung maiden instructive
ly resists whatever threatens to subdue
her, and, moreover, in Olympia's MEM
! ory, the figure of Keppel Darke remained
as something sacred, not to be disturbed.
How shall you amuse yourself in
New York;" she asked, breaking a short
silence.
81 have made some plans" he said;
but the first thing is to make the ac-
quaintance of the people. That l must
do quickly, for this winter / mea to
give a ball at my new house, and every
n who is anybody must be there. AZ
ter that l shall be at home and can at
tend to my own business. l am going
to build n school of art"
Olympia Immediately forgot her hest
tations. That's good newsr' she ex-
claimed "There is nothing 1 could de-
sire more. But what will be the plan