ve slowly out of the station, an employee found the means to
slip into the hands of the Marquis a small packet containing the little
fetich which his mistress had kept for him. It was a medallion of the
Holy Virgin, which had been blessed at Notre-Dame des-Victoires, and it
was attached to a long gold chain.

Thirty-six hours later, on the evening of the 26th of June, the
battalion embarked aboard the Imperial, which, with steam up, was due to
leave the Toulon roadstead at daybreak. At the moment of getting under
weigh, the officer in charge of the luggage, who was the last to leave
the shore, brought several despatches aboard the ship, and handed to
Lieutenant de Prerolles a telegram, which had been received the evening
before at the quay.

The Marquis opened it and read: "Chateau and lands sold for 1,450,000
francs. Everything paid, 1600 francs remain disposable."

"That is to say," thought the officer, sadly, "I have my pay and barely
three thousand francs' income!"

Leaning both elbows upon the taffrail, he gazed long at the shores
of France, which appeared to fly toward the horizon; then, brusquely
turning his eyes to the quarters filled with the strong figures and
manly faces of the young foot-soldiers of the 18th battalion, he said
to himself that among such men, under whatever skies or at whatever
distance, one found his country--glancing aloft where floated above his
head the folds of his flag.

CHAPTER IX. THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE

Twenty-three years after the events already recorded, on a cold
afternoon in February, the Bois de Boulogne appeared to be draped in a
Siberian mantle rarely seen at that season. A deep and clinging covering
of snow hid the ground, and the prolonged freezing of the lakes gave
absolute guaranty of their solidity.

A red sun, drowned in mist, threw a mild radiance over the landscape,
and many pedestrians stamped their feet around the borders of the lake
belonging to the Skaters' Club, and watched the hosts of pretty women
descending from their carriages, delighted at the opportunity afforded
them, by this return of winter, to engage in their favorite exercise.

Received on her arrival by one of the attendants posted at the entrance,
each of the fair skaters entered in turn a small building reserved for
ladies, whence she soon came forth in full skating array, ready to risk
herself on the ice, either alone or guided by the hand of some expert
cavalier.

Here and there, aro