unded,--they shall be cared for by one who never
forgets his soldiers,--and with this victory the campaign is ended!"

Never were lines better calculated to stimulate the energy and flatter
the pride of those to whom they were addressed. It was a novel thing in
a general to communicate to his army the plan of his intended battle,
and perhaps to any other than a French army the disclosure would not
have been rated as such a favor; but their warlike spirit and military
intelligence have ever been most remarkably united, and the men were
delighted with such a proof of confidence and esteem.

A dull roar, like the sound of the distant sea, swelled along the lines
from the far right, where the Convent of Reygern stood, and growing
louder by degrees, proclaimed that the Emperor was coming. It was
already dark, but he was quickly recognized by the troops, and with one
burst of enthusiasm they seized upon the straw of their bivouacs, and
setting fire to it, held the blazing masses above their heads, waving
them wildly to and fro, amid the cries of "Vive l'Empereur!" For above
a league along the plain the red light flashed and glowed, marking out
beneath it the dense squares and squadrons of armed warriors. It was
the anniversary of Napoleon's coronation; and such was the fete by which
they celebrated the day.

The Emperor rode through the ranks uncovered. Never did a prouder smile
light up his features, while thronging around him the veterans of the
Guard struggled to catch even a passing glance at him. "Do but look
at us tomorrow, and keep beyond the reach of shot," said a _grognard_,
stepping forward; "we'll bring their cannon and their colors, and lay
them at thy feet." The marshals themselves, the hardened veterans of
so many fights, could not restrain their enthusiasm; and proffers of
devotion unto death accompanied him as he went.

At last all was silent in the encampment; the soldiers slept beside
their watchfires, and save the tramp of a patrol or the _qui vive_? of
the sentinels, all was still. The night was cold and sharp; a cutting
wind blew across the plain, which gave way to a thick mist,--so thick,
the sentries could scarcely see a dozen paces off.

I sat in my little hovel of straw,--my mind far too much excited for
sleep,--watching the stars as they peeped out one by one, piercing the
gray mist, until at last the air became thin and clear, and a frosty
atmosphere succeeded to the weighty fog; and now I could