try for the sole purpose of sitting
in judgment on the French people, with all the intolerance and arrogance
of the hereditary enemy, swollen by his personal hatred for the nation
whom it had devolved on him to chastise.

"And now," said Delaherche in conclusion, "you won't have to go to bed
supperless to-night; you have had a little something to eat. The worst
is that I am afraid I shall not be able to secure another pass."

He asked them if there was anything he could do for them outside, and
obligingly consented to take charge of some pencil-written letters
confided to him by other soldiers, for the Bavarians had more than once
been seen to laugh as they lighted their pipes with missives which they
had promised to forward. Then, when Jean and Maurice had accompanied him
to the gate, he exclaimed:

"Look! over yonder, there's Henriette! Don't you see her waving her
handkerchief?"

True enough, among the crowd beyond the line of sentinels they
distinguished a little, thin, pale face, a white dot that trembled in
the sunshine. Both were deeply affected, and, with moist eyes, raising
their hands above their head, answered her salutation by waving them
frantically in the air.

The following day was Friday, and it was then that Maurice felt that his
cup of horror was full to overflowing. After another night of tranquil
slumber in the little wood he was so fortunate as to secure another
meal, Jean having come across an old woman at the Chateau of Villette
who was selling bread at ten francs the pound. But that day they
witnessed a spectacle of which the horror remained imprinted on their
minds for many weeks and months.

The day before Chouteau had noticed that Pache had ceased complaining
and was going about with a careless, satisfied air, as a man might do
who had dined well. He immediately jumped at the conclusion that the sly
fox must have a concealed treasure somewhere, the more so that he had
seen him absent himself for near an hour that morning and come back with
a smile lurking on his face and his mouth filled with unswallowed
food. It must be that he had had a windfall, had probably joined some
marauding party and laid in a stock of provisions. And Chouteau labored
with Loubet and Lapoulle to stir up bad feeling against the comrade,
with the latter more particularly. _Hein!_ wasn't he a dirty dog, if he
had something to eat, not to go snacks with the comrades! He ought to
have a lesson that he would remember