cola; we conquered at Rivoli. Then who
so great as the Little Corporal? We planted the eagles upon the lion of
Saint Mark, at Venice--a famous lion, nevertheless. But who could resist
us? We had Napoleon! Then we returned to Toulon. Then Napoleon said,
'Soldiers! two years ago you had nothing. I made promises to you; have I
kept them?'--'You have; you have, my general!' every man of us shouted.
'Will you follow me again?' said Napoleon. 'To the death, my general!'
we shouted once more. Behold us now embarked in ships. 'And now, what
place are we to conquer?' we asked our generals. 'Egypt,' they answered.
'It is well,' we said. 'We will go to Egypt; we will take Egypt.'

[Illustration: "_What fates, my comrades!"--A Review Day under the First
Empire (From the Painting by H. Bellange_)]

"My faith! but you were brave, you old soldiers," cried the youngster
with enthusiasm. "But think of it, then! To Egypt!"

"Well, we took Egypt," resumed old Nonesuch. "We were Frenchmen. We had
Napoleon! And after that we undertook another little campaign in Italy.
Then we returned to France, our beautiful France, to install ourselves
in the Tuileries. Eh!"--puff--puff,--"Light my pipe, Stephen!"

And Stephen again lighted the old veteran's pipe.

"Yes; in the Tuileries"--puff--puff. "We gave ourselves up to _fetes_.
Ah! there were grand times--each one finer than the other. One might
call them _fetes_ indeed! Death of my life! Who was it said just now
that the emperor was a man? Why, look you! his enemies--those villains
of traitors--tried to kill him. They plotted against him. But, bah! they
could not. He rode over infernal machines as if they were roses. They
could not kill him. Those things are for men--for little kings. He was
Napoleon!"

"And at last he was crowned emperor," suggested the youngster.

"Yes; on the second of December, in the year 1804," answered old
Nonesuch. "And the Pope himself came from Rome to consecrate our
emperor. Ah, then, what _fetes_, my comrades! what _fetes_ and _fetes_
and _fetes_! It rained kings on all sides."

"But there came an end of _fetes_" said the scholar, who read in books
and newspapers.

"Well, what would you have?--always feasting? Perhaps you think that our
emperor once an emperor, would rest at home. Yes? Well, that would have
been good for you and me; but he had still to undertake battles and
victories,--battles and victories; they were the same thing! We were at
Austerlitz; th