nd if that thing is the pacification of the Vendee, I shall say in my
turn: 'Beware! Better the Vendee fighting than the Vendee conspiring.
The Vendee fighting means the sword, the Vendee conspiring means the
dagger.'"

"Oh! I know your dagger," said Bonaparte. "Here it is."

And he drew from a drawer the dagger he had taken from Roland and laid
it on the table within reach of Morgan's hand.

"But," he added, "there is some distance between Bonaparte's breast and
an assassin's dagger. Try."

And he advanced to the young man with a flaming eye.

"I did not come here to assassinate you," said the young man, coldly.
"Later, if I consider your death indispensable to the cause, I shall do
all in my power, and if I fail it will not be because you are Marius
and I the Cimbrian. Have you anything else to say to me, citizen First
Consul?" concluded the young man, bowing.

"Yes. Tell Cadoudal that when he is ready to fight the enemy, instead
of Frenchmen, I have a colonel's commission ready signed in my desk for
him."

"Cadoudal commands, not a regiment, but an army. You were unwilling to
retrograde from Bonaparte to Monk; why should you expect him to descend
from general to colonel? Have you nothing else to say to me, citizen
First Consul?"

"Yes. Have you any way of transmitting my reply to the Comte de
Provence?"

"You mean King Louis XVIII.?"

"Don't let us quibble over words. To him who wrote to me."

"His envoy is now at the camp at Aubiers."

"Well, I have changed my mind; I shall send him an answer. These
Bourbons are so blind that this one would misinterpret my silence."

And Bonaparte, sitting down at his desk, wrote the following letter with
a care that showed he wished to make it legible:

I have received your letter, monsieur. I thank you for the good
opinion you express in it of me. You must not wish for your return
to France; it could only be over a hundred thousand dead bodies.
Sacrifice your own interests to the repose and welfare of France.
History will applaud you. I am not insensible to the misfortunes of
your family, and I shall hear with pleasure that you are
surrounded with all that could contribute to the tranquillity of
your retreat. BONAPARTE.

Then, folding and sealing the letter, he directed it to "Monsieur le
Comte de Provence," and handed it to Morgan. Then he called Roland, as
if he knew the latter were not far off.

"General?" said the young officer, appearing