were superb; the serene tranquillity of
the child, the candid conviction of the innocent who knows nothing and
fears nothing. "_Parbleu_! it is so, because it is so, and that's all
there is about it!"

Weiss, stunned and almost convinced, made haste to declare that he
wished for nothing better. As for Maurice, who had prudently held his
tongue, not venturing to express an opinion in presence of his superior
officer, he concluded by joining in the other's merriment; he warmed
the cockles of his heart, that devil of a man, whom he nevertheless
considered rather stupid. Jean, too, had nodded his approval at every
one of the lieutenant's assertions. He had also been at Solferino, where
it rained so hard. And that showed what it was to have a tongue in one's
head and know how to use it. If all the leaders had talked like that
they would not be in such a mess, and there would be camp-kettles and
flannel belts in abundance.

It was quite dark by this time, and Rochas continued to gesticulate and
brandish his long arms in the obscurity. His historical studies had been
confined to a stray volume of Napoleonic memoirs that had found its way
to his knapsack from a peddler's wagon. His excitement refused to be
pacified and all his book-learning burst from his lips in a torrent of
eloquence:

"We flogged the Austrians at Castiglione, at Marengo, at Austerlitz,
at Wagram; we flogged the Prussians at Eylau, at Jena, at Lutzen; we
flogged the Russians at Friedland, at Smolensk and at the Moskowa; we
flogged Spain and England everywhere; all creation flogged, flogged,
flogged, up and down, far and near, at home and abroad, and now you tell
me that it is we who are to take the flogging! Why, pray tell me? How?
Is the world coming to an end?" He drew his tall form up higher still
and raised his arm aloft, like the staff of a battle-flag. "Look you,
there has been a fight to-day, down yonder, and we are waiting for the
news. Well! I will tell you what the news is--I will tell you, I! We
have flogged the Prussians, flogged them until they didn't know whether
they were a-foot or a-horseback, flogged them to powder, so that they
had to be swept up in small pieces!"

At that moment there passed over the camp, beneath the somber heavens, a
loud, wailing cry. Was it the plaint of some nocturnal bird? Or was it a
mysterious voice, reaching them from some far-distant field of carnage,
ominous of disaster? The whole camp shuddered, lying there