lonel."

He bent his head and was silent for some time.

"Well, then, go back to the army," he said, drawing himself up to his
full height and addressing Michaud with a gracious and majestic gesture,
"and tell our brave men and all my good subjects wherever you go that
when I have not a soldier left I shall put myself at the head of my
beloved nobility and my good peasants and so use the last resources of
my empire. It still offers me more than my enemies suppose," said the
Emperor growing more and more animated; "but should it ever be ordained
by Divine Providence," he continued, raising to heaven his fine eyes
shining with emotion, "that my dynasty should cease to reign on the
throne of my ancestors, then after exhausting all the means at my
command, I shall let my beard grow to here" (he pointed halfway down his
chest) "and go and eat potatoes with the meanest of my peasants, rather
than sign the disgrace of my country and of my beloved people whose
sacrifices I know how to appreciate."

Having uttered these words in an agitated voice the Emperor suddenly
turned away as if to hide from Michaud the tears that rose to his eyes,
and went to the further end of his study. Having stood there a few
moments, he strode back to Michaud and pressed his arm below the elbow
with a vigorous movement. The Emperor's mild and handsome face was
flushed and his eyes gleamed with resolution and anger.

"Colonel Michaud, do not forget what I say to you here, perhaps we may
recall it with pleasure someday... Napoleon or I," said the Emperor,
touching his breast. "We can no longer both reign together. I have
learned to know him, and he will not deceive me any more...."

And the Emperor paused, with a frown.

When he heard these words and saw the expression of firm resolution
in the Emperor's eyes, Michaud--quoique etranger, russe de coeur et
d'ame--at that solemn moment felt himself enraptured by all that he had
heard (as he used afterwards to say), and gave expression to his
own feelings and those of the Russian people whose representative he
considered himself to be, in the following words:

"Sire!" said he, "Your Majesty is at this moment signing the glory of
the nation and the salvation of Europe!"

With an inclination of the head the Emperor dismissed him.

CHAPTER IV

It is natural for us who were not living in those days to imagine that
when half Russia had been conquered and the inhabitants were fleeing to
dis