to think of it! The money! The honor of the
army! The name of Burle, that respected name, dragged through the mire!
By all that was holy this could and should not be!

Presently the major softened. If he had only possessed five hundred and
forty-five francs! But he had not got such an amount. On the previous
day he had drunk too much cognac, just like a mere sub, and had lost
shockingly at cards. It served him right--he ought to have known better!
And if he was so lame he richly deserved it too; by rights, in fact, his
leg ought to be much worse.

At last he crept downstairs and rang at the bell of Mme Burle's flat.
Five minutes elapsed, and then the old lady appeared.

"I beg your pardon for keeping you waiting," she said; "I thought that
dormouse Rose was still about. I must go and shake her."

But the major detained her.

"Where is Burle?" he asked.

"Oh, he has been snoring since nine o'clock. Would you like to knock at
his door?"

"No, no, I only wanted to have a chat with you."

In the parlor Charles sat at his usual place, having just finished his
exercises. He looked terrified, and his poor little white hands were
tremulous. In point of fact, his grandmother, before sending him to bed,
was wont to read some martial stories aloud so as to develop the latent
family heroism in his bosom. That night she had selected the episode of
the Vengeur, the man-of-war freighted with dying heroes and sinking into
the sea. The child, while listening, had become almost hysterical, and
his head was racked as with some ghastly nightmare.

Mme Burle asked the major to let her finish the perusal. "Long live the
republic!" She solemnly closed the volume. Charles was as white as a
sheet.

"You see," said the old lady, "the duty of every French soldier is to
die for his country."

"Yes, Grandmother."

Then the lad kissed her on the forehead and, shivering with fear, went
to bed in his big room, where the faintest creak of the paneling threw
him into a cold sweat.

The major had listened with a grave face. Yes, by heavens! Honor was
honor, and he would never permit that wretched Burle to disgrace the old
woman and the boy! As the lad was so devoted to the military profession,
it was necessary that he should be able to enter Saint-Cyr with his head
erect.

When Mme Burle took up the lamp to show the major out, she passed the
door of the captain's room, and stopped short, surprised to see the key
outside, which was a m