hamps church, looming dimly through the furious
storm, which seemed as if it would sweep away bodily the few poor
moss-grown cottages of the village. As Jean's glance wandered down the
ascending road he became conscious of a doctor's gig coming up at
a sharp trot along the stony road, that was now the bed of a rapid
torrent.

It was Maurice, who, at a turn in the road, from the hill that lay
beyond the valley, had finally discerned the 7th corps. For two hours
he had been wandering about the country, thanks to the stupidity of a
peasant who had misdirected him and the sullen ill-will of his driver,
whom fear of the Prussians had almost deprived of his wits. As soon
as he reached the farmhouse he leaped from the gig and had no further
trouble in finding the regiment.

Jean addressed him in amazement:

"What, is it you? What is the meaning of this? I thought you were to
wait until we came along."

Maurice's tone and manner told of his rage and sorrow.

"Ah, yes! we are no longer going in that direction; it is down yonder we
are to go, to get ourselves knocked in the head, all of us!"

"Very well," said the other presently, with a very white face. "We will
die together, at all events."

The two men met, as they had parted, with an embrace. In the drenching
rain that still beat down as pitilessly as ever, the humble private
resumed his place in the ranks, while the corporal, in his streaming
garments, never murmured as he gave him the example of what a soldier
should be.

And now the tidings became more definite and spread among the men; they
were no longer retreating on Paris; the advance to the Meuse was again
the order of the day. An aide-de-camp had brought to the 7th corps
instructions from the marshal to go and encamp at Nonart; the 5th was to
take the direction of Beauclair, where it would be the right wing of the
army, while the 1st was to move up to Chene and relieve the 12th, then
on the march to la Besace on the extreme left. And the reason why more
than thirty thousand men had been kept waiting there at ordered arms,
for nearly three hours in the midst of a blinding storm, was that
General Douay, in the deplorable confusion incident on this new change
of front, was alarmed for the safety of the train that had been sent
forward the day before toward Chagny; the delay was necessary to give
the several divisions time to close up. In the confusion of all these
conflicting movements it was said that the 12t