obtained here of the circle of hills from Valerien round by
Meudon, and the whole of the left bank of the river. It needed but a
glance to see that the army of the Commune had made but little progress.
Although the fighting began soon after two o'clock in the morning, and
it was now nearly mid-day, the heights of Meudon were still in the hands
of the troops.

From among the trees by the chateau white puffs of smoke shot out, many
of the shells bursting in and around the fort of Issy, which replied
briskly. The guns of Vanves joined in the combat, their fire being
directed towards the plateau of Chatillon, which was held by the troops.
Round Issy a force of the National Guard was assembled, but the main
body was in the deep valley between the forts and Meudon, and on the
slopes nearly up to the chateau; the rattle of musketry here was
continuous, a light smoke drifting up through the trees. After a time it
was evident that the line of musketry fire was lower down the hill,
descending, showing that the troops were pressing the Communists
backwards, and presently one of the batteries near the chateau shifted
its position, and took ground some distance down the hill, and this and
a battery near the end of the viaduct by the chateau, opened a heavy
fire on the forts.

A look through the telescope showed that the Communists were crouching
behind walls and houses, occasionally, when the fire of the guns was
silent, a few of them would get up and advance into the open, but only
to scamper back into shelter as soon as they reopened fire.

"That settles it, monsieur," Cuthbert said, to the owner of the
telescope, after taking a long look through it, "hitherto, the
Communists have believed that Versailles was at their mercy, and they
had but to march out to capture it. They have failed, and failure means
their final defeat. They say that the prisoners of war are arriving in
Versailles at the rate of two or three thousand a day, and in another
fortnight, Thiers will have a force sufficient to take the offensive,
and by that time, will doubtless have siege-guns in position. I don't
say that Paris may not hold out for a considerable time, but it must
fall in the long run, and I fear, that all who have got anything to lose
will have a very bad time of it."

"I fear so, monsieur; as these wretches become more desperate, they will
proceed to greater lengths. You see they have already insisted that all
the National Guard--whatever th