soldiers of the Sambre and Meuse, the men
of Jemmappes--he had arrayed the ardent, high-spirited youth of the
Consulate and the Empire, the heroes of Areola, of Rivoli, of Cairo, and
Austerlitz. How vain to discuss questions of social order or national
freedom with the cordoned and glittering bands who saw monarchy and
kingdoms among the prizes of their ambition! And even I, who had few
ambitious hopes, how the ardor that once stimulated me and led me to the
soldier's life,--how had it given way to the mere conventional aspirings
of a class! The grade of colonel was far oftener in my thoughts than the
cause of freedom; the cross of the Legion would have reconciled me to
much that in my calmer judgment I might deem harsh and tyrannical.

"Believe me, Tom," said Bubbleton, who saw in my silence that his
observations had their weight with me, "believe me, my philosophy is the
true one,--never to meddle where you cannot serve yourself or some
of your friends. The world will always consist of two parties,--one
governing, the other governed. We belong to the latter category, and
shall only get into a scrape by poking our heads where they have no
business to be."

"Why, a few moments since you were full of state secrets, and plots, and
secret treaties, and Heaven knows what besides!"

"To be sure I was. And for whose interest, man,--for whose sake? George
Frederick Augustus Bubbleton's. Ay, no doubt of it. Here am I, a
_detenu_,--and have been these two years and a half--wasting away
existence at Verdun, while my property is going to the devil from sheer
neglect. My West India estates, who can say how I shall find them? my
Calcutta property, the same; then there's that fee-simple thing in
Norfolk. But I can't even think of it. Well, I verily believe no single
step has been taken for my release or exchange. The Whigs, you know,
will do nothing for me. I may tell you in confidence,"--here he dropped
his voice to a low whisper,--"I may tell you, Charles Fox hates me. But
more of this another time. What was I to do in all this mess of trouble
and misfortune? Stand still and bear it? No, faith; that's not Bubbleton
policy. You 'd never guess what I did."

"I fear not."

"Well, it chanced that some little literary labors of mine--you know I
dally sometimes with the muse--became known to the prefet at Verdun.
I saw that they watched me; and consequently I made great efforts at
secrecy, concealing my papers in the chimney, under