th and parentage," said a wrinkled, sour-looking old fellow,
with one eye.

"Or a lieutenant of hussars, Mademoiselle!" said Pioche, looking fixedly
at the vivandiere, who held the book close to her face to conceal a deep
blush that covered it.

"But, halloo, there! Qui vive?" The cuirassier had just caught a glimpse
of me at the moment, and every eye was turned at once to where I was
standing. "Ah, Lieutenant, you here! Not invalided, I hope?"

"No, Pioche. My visit was intended for you; and I have had the good
fortune to come in for the tale mademoiselle was reading."

Before I had concluded these few words, the wounded soldiers, or such of
them as could, had risen from their seats, and stood respectfully around
me; while Minette, retreating behind the great chair where Pioche lay,
seemed to wish to avoid recognition.

"Front rank, Mademoiselle! front rank!" said Pioche. "_Parbleu!_when one
has the 'cross of the Legion' from the hands of the Emperor himself, one
need not be ashamed of being seen. Besides," added he, in a lower tone,
but one I could well overhear, "thou art not dressed in thy uniform now;
thou hast nothing to blush for!"

Still she hung down her head, and her confusion seemed only to increase;
so that, unwilling to prolong her embarrassment, which I saw my presence
had caused, I merely made a few inquiries from Pioche regarding his own
health, and took my leave of the party.

As I rode homeward, I could not help turning over in my mind the words
of Pioche, "Thou art not in thy uniform now; thou hast nothing to blush
for!" Here, then, seemed the key to the changed manner of the poor girl
when I met her at Austerlitz,--some feeling of womanly shame at being
seen in the costume of the vivandiere by one who had known her only in
another guise. But could this be so? I asked myself,--a question a
very little knowledge of a woman's heart might have spared me. And thus
pondering, I returned to the Luxembourg.

CHAPTER XVI. AN OLD FRIEND UNCHANGED

They who took their tone in politics from the public journals of France
must have been somewhat puzzled at the new and unexpected turn of
the papers in Government influence at the period I now speak of. The
tremendous attacks against the "perfide Albion," which constituted
the staple of the leading articles in the "Moniteur," were gradually
discontinued; the great body of the people were separated from the
"tyrannical domination of an insolent aristocra