e been good politically."

"Reasons of birth, I suppose," said Monsieur Joseph. "He has my cordial
sympathy."

The Prefect coughed; the General scraped his chair; Angelot nearly
laughed aloud.

"You will find it very agreeable to have your cousins at Lancilly," the
Prefect said, looking at him kindly.

"I don't know, monsieur," Angelot answered. "Young girls are hardly
companions for me."

"Indeed! As to that--" began the Prefect, still smiling as he looked at
the lad; but his remark was cut short and his attention pleasantly
distracted.

Gigot, with unshaken solemnity, set open the doors for the second time
that morning.

"Monsieur est servi!"

CHAPTER IV

HOW THE BREAKFAST COOKED FOR THOSE WAS EATEN BY THESE

The Prefect and the General enjoyed their breakfast thoroughly. They sat
over it long; so long that Angelot, his hunger satisfied, began to
suffer in his young limbs from a terrible restlessness. It was as much
as he could do to sit still, listening first to the Prefect's political
and society talk, then to stories of the General's campaigns. Under the
influence of the despised wine of Anjou, Monsieur de Mauves, whose
temper needed no sweetening, became a little sleepy, prosy, and
long-winded. General Ratoneau on his side was mightily cheered, and
showed quite a new animation: long before the meal ended, he was talking
more than the other three put together. It was he who had been the hero
of Eylau, of Friedland, of Wagram; the Emperor and the Marshals were
nowhere. All the great movements were in consequence of his advice. And
then his personal courage! The men he had killed with his own hand! As
to the adventures which had fallen to his lot in storming and plundering
towns, burning villages, quartering his men on country houses, these
often belonged so much to the very seamiest side of war that Monsieur
Joseph, soldier as he was, listened with a frown, and the Prefect
coughed and glanced more than once at Angelot. For some of these stories
were hardly suited to young and innocent ears, and Angelot looked, and
indeed was, younger than his age.

He was listening, not curiously, but with a kind of unwilling
impatience. The man seemed to impress him in spite of himself, in spite
of disgust at the stories and dislike of the teller. Once or twice he
laughed, and then General Ratoneau gave him a stare, as if just reminded
of his existence, and went on to some further piece of coarse bragging.