d more. Weary of
watching the river through the hedges of the muddy road which she was
following along a hillside, she asked its name of a passing soldier.

"That's the Saale," he said, showing her the Prussian army, grouped in
great masses on the other side of the stream.

Night came on. Laurence beheld the camp-fires lighted and the glitter
of stacked arms. The old marquis, whose courage was chivalric, drove
the horses himself (two strong beasts bought the evening before), his
servant sitting beside him. He knew very well he should find neither
horses nor postilions within the lines of the army. Suddenly the bold
equipage, an object of great astonishment to the soldiers, was stopped
by a gendarme of the military gendarmerie, who galloped up to the
carriage, calling out to the marquis: "Who are you? where are you going?
what do you want?"

"The Emperor," replied the Marquis de Chargeboeuf; "I have an important
dispatch for the Grand-marechal Duroc."

"Well, you can't stay here," said the gendarme.

Mademoiselle de Cinq-Cygne and the marquis were, however, compelled to
remain where they were on account of the darkness.

"Where are we?" she asked, stopping two officers whom she saw passing,
whose uniforms were concealed by cloth overcoats.

"You are among the advanced guard of the French army," answered one of
the officers. "You cannot stay here, for if the enemy makes a movement
and the artillery opens you will be between two fires."

"Ah!" she said, with an indifferent air.

Hearing that "Ah!" the other officer turned and said: "How did that
woman come here?"

"We are waiting," said Laurence, "for a gendarme who has gone to find
General Duroc, a protector who will enable us to speak to the Emperor."

"Speak to the Emperor!" exclaimed the first officer; "how can you think
of such a thing--on the eve of a decisive battle?"

"True," she said; "I ought to speak to him on the morrow--victory would
make him kind."

The two officers stationed themselves at a little distance and sat
motionless on their horses. The carriage was now surrounded by a mass
of generals, marshals, and other officers, all extremely brilliant in
appearance, who appeared to pay deference to the carriage merely because
it was there.

"Good God!" said the marquis to Mademoiselle de Cinq-Cygne; "I am afraid
you spoke to the Emperor."

"The Emperor?" said a colonel, beside them, "why there he is!" pointing
to the officer who had said, "Ho