.

"Things would have been different if your Serene Highness had not told
me that you would not abandon Moscow without another battle; all this
would not have happened," he said.

Kutuzov looked at Rostopchin as if, not grasping what was said to him,
he was trying to read something peculiar written at that moment on the
face of the man addressing him. Rostopchin grew confused and became
silent. Kutuzov slightly shook his head and not taking his penetrating
gaze from Rostopchin's face muttered softly:

"No! I shall not give up Moscow without a battle!"

Whether Kutuzov was thinking of something entirely different when
he spoke those words, or uttered them purposely, knowing them to be
meaningless, at any rate Rostopchin made no reply and hastily left him.
And strange to say, the Governor of Moscow, the proud Count Rostopchin,
took up a Cossack whip and went to the bridge where he began with shouts
to drive on the carts that blocked the way.

CHAPTER XXVI

Toward four o'clock in the afternoon Murat's troops were entering
Moscow. In front rode a detachment of Wurttemberg hussars and behind
them rode the King of Naples himself accompanied by a numerous suite.

About the middle of the Arbat Street, near the Church of the Miraculous
Icon of St. Nicholas, Murat halted to await news from the advanced
detachment as to the condition in which they had found the citadel, le
Kremlin.

Around Murat gathered a group of those who had remained in Moscow. They
all stared in timid bewilderment at the strange, long-haired commander
dressed up in feathers and gold.

"Is that their Tsar himself? He's not bad!" low voices could be heard
saying.

An interpreter rode up to the group.

"Take off your cap... your caps!" These words went from one to another
in the crowd. The interpreter addressed an old porter and asked if
it was far to the Kremlin. The porter, listening in perplexity to the
unfamiliar Polish accent and not realizing that the interpreter was
speaking Russian, did not understand what was being said to him and
slipped behind the others.

Murat approached the interpreter and told him to ask where the Russian
army was. One of the Russians understood what was asked and several
voices at once began answering the interpreter. A French officer,
returning from the advanced detachment, rode up to Murat and reported
that the gates of the citadel had been barricaded and that there was
probably an ambuscade there.