on."

"My wife and daughters, and those of the Marquis of Valoroso, are
all most anxious to see you, and thank you and your officers. They
were too frightened and agitated, last night, to say aught and,
indeed, as they say, they scarcely noticed your features. Can you
bring your officers round now?"

"I am sorry to say I cannot do that, senor. They have to see after
the arrangements and comfort of the men, the getting of the
rations, the cooking, and so on. Tomorrow they will, I am sure, be
glad to pay you a visit."

"But you can come, can you not, colonel?"

"Yes, I am at liberty now, count, and shall be happy to pay my
respects to the senoras."

"The more I hear," the marquis said, as they walked along together,
"of the events of last night, the more deeply I feel the service
that you have rendered us. I am unable to understand how it is that
your soldiers should behave with such outrageous violence to
allies."

"It is very disgraceful, and greatly to be regretted, senor; but I
am bound to say that, as I have now gone through four campaigns,
and remember the conduct of the Spanish authorities to our troops
during our march to Talavera, our stay there, and on our retreat, I
am by no means surprised that among the soldiers, who are unable to
draw a distinction between the people and the authorities, there
should be a deep and lasting hatred. There is no such hatred for
the French.

"Our men fought the battle of Talavera when weak with hunger; while
the Spaniards, who engaged to supply them with provisions, were
feasting. Our men were neglected and starved in the hospitals, and
would have died to a man had not, happily for them, the French
arrived, and treated them with the greatest humanity and kindness.
Soldiers do not forget this sort of thing. They know that, for the
last three years, the promises of the Spanish authorities have
never once been kept, and that they have had to suffer greatly from
the want of transport and stores promised. We can, of course,
discriminate between the people at large and their authorities; but
the soldiers can make no such distinction and, deeply as I deplore
what has happened here, I must own that the soldiers have at least
some excuse for their conduct."

The two Spaniards were silent.

"I cannot gainsay your statement," the Count de Montego said.
"Indeed, no words can be too strong for the conduct of both the
central, and all the provincial juntas."

"Then, senor, how