here
is in Englishmen, and how naturally they take to arms, but also it
inspired with martial feeling and happy faith the wives and mothers of
all the gallant warriors there. It would make the blood-stained despot
cower upon his throne of murder, and teach him the madness of invading
any land so fortified.

However, Napoleon failed to see the matter in that wholesome light, and
smiled a grim and unkind smile as he read Caryl Carne's report of those
"left-handed and uncouth manoeuvres." "One of your Majesty's feeblest
regiments would send the whole of those louts to the devil; and I
am bound to impress once more, with all deference to your infallible
judgment, the vast importance of carrying out your grand designs at
the first moment. All is prepared on my part. One day's notice is all I
need."

So wrote Carne; and perhaps the truth, as usual, lay about half-way
between the two opinions. Even Carne was not admitted to a perfect
knowledge of his master's schemes. But to keep things moving and men
alert, the Emperor came to the coast at once, busy as he was in Paris,
and occupied for several weeks, with short intervals of absence, the
house prepared for him near Boulogne, whence he watched and quickened
the ripening of his mighty plans against us.

Now Carne himself, while working with new vigour and fresh enterprise,
had a narrow escape from invasion. Captain Stubbard, stirred up now and
again by Mr. Twemlow, had thoroughly searched all covered places, likely
to harbour gunpowder, within at least six miles of his fort, that is to
say, all likely places, save and except the right one. By doing this
he had done for himself--as regards sweet hospitality--among all the
leading farmers, maltsters, tanners, and millers for miles around. Even
those whose premises were not entered, as if they had been Frenchmen,
had a brother-in-law, or at least a cousin, whose wooden bars had been
knocked up. And the most atrocious thing of all, if there could be
anything worse than worst, was that the Captain dined one day, at a
market-ordinary, with Farmer, or you might say Squire Hanger--for the
best part of his land followed to him from his father--and had rum and
water with him, and spoke his health, and tucked Mrs. Hanger up into the
shay, and rode alongside to guarantee them; and then the next day, on
the very same horse, up he comes at Hanger-dene, and overhauls every tub
on the premises, with a parchment as big as a malt-shovel! Such