al of skirmishing just before Ulm
surrendered, which kept the cavalry pretty fully occupied. Moreover, we
were under the command of Murat, who never let the grass grow under his
feet.

"I was still only a sub-lieutenant in those days. It was just at the
opening of the campaign, and after one of these affairs, that we took
possession of a district in which there were a good many fine estates;
so it fell out that one evening my regiment bivouacked in a park
belonging to a handsome chateau where a countess lived, a young and
pretty woman she was. Of course, I meant to lodge in the house, and
I hurried there to put a stop to pillage of any sort. I came into the
salon just as my quartermaster was pointing his carbine at the countess,
his brutal way of asking for what she certainly could not give the
ugly scoundrel. I struck up his carbine with my sword, the bullet
went through a looking-glass on the wall, then I dealt my gentleman a
back-handed blow that stretched him on the floor. The sound of the shot
and the cries of the countess fetched all her people on the scene, and
it was my turn to be in danger.

"'Stop!' she cried in German (for they were going to run me through the
body), 'this officer has saved my life!'

"They drew back at that. The lady gave me her handkerchief (a fine
embroidered handkerchief, which I have yet), telling me that her house
would always be open to me, and that I should always find a sister and
a devoted friend in her, if at any time I should be in any sort of
trouble. In short, she did not know how to make enough of me. She was
as fair as a wedding morning and as charming as a kitten. We had dinner
together. Next day, I was distractedly in love, but next day I had to be
at my place at Guntzburg, or wherever it was. There was no help for it,
I had to turn out, and started off with my handkerchief.

"Well, we gave them battle, and all the time I kept on saying to myself,
'I wish a bullet would come my way! _Mon Dieu_! they are flying thick
enough!'

"I had no wish for a ball in the thigh, for I should have had to stop
where I was in that case, and there would have been no going back to the
chateau, but I was not particular; a nice wound in the arm I should have
liked best, so that I might be nursed and made much of by the princess.
I flung myself on the enemy, like mad; but I had no sort of luck, and
came out of the action quite safe and sound. We must march, and there
was an end of it; I nev