skeptic spirit was reverent as a child's before an altar.
In her sight the survivor of the Army of Italy was sacred; sacred
the eyes which, when full of light, had seen the sun glitter on the
breastplates of the Hussars of Murat, the Dragoons of Kellerman, the
Cuirassiers of Milhaud; sacred the hands which, when nervous with youth,
had borne the standard of the Republic victorious against the gathered
Teuton host in Champagne; sacred the ears which, when quick to hear,
had heard the thunder of Arcola, of Lodi, of Rivoli, and, above even
the tempest of war, the clear, still voice of Napoleon; sacred the
lips which when their beard was dark in the fullness of manhood, had
quivered, as with a woman's weeping, at the farewell, in the spring
night, in the moonlit Cour des Adieux.

Cigarette had a religion of her own; and followed it more closely than
most disciples follow other creeds.

CHAPTER XXIV.

"MILADY AUX BEAUX YEUX BLEUS."

Early that morning, when the snowy cloud of pigeons were circling down
to take their daily alms from Cigarette, where her bright brown face
looked out from the lattice-hole, Cecil, with some of the roughriders
of his regiment, was sent far into the interior to bring in a string of
colts, bought of a friendly desert tribe, and destined to be shipped to
France for the Imperial Haras. The mission took two days; early on the
third day they returned with the string of wild young horses, whom it
had taken not a little exertion and address to conduct successfully
through the country into Algiers.

He was usually kept in incessant activity, because those in command over
him had quickly discovered the immeasurable value of a bas-officier who
was certain to enforce and obtain implicit obedience, and certain to
execute any command given him with perfect address and surety, yet,
who, at the same time, was adored by his men, and had acquired a most
singularly advantageous influence over them. But of this he was always
glad; throughout his twelve years' service under the Emperor's flag, he
had only found those moments in which he was unemployed intolerable; he
would willingly have been in the saddle from dawn till midnight.

Chateauroy was himself present when the colts were taken into the
stable-yard; and himself inquired, without the medium of any third
person, the whole details of the sale and of the transit. It was
impossible, with all his inclination, to find any fault either with the
executio