ladies were made as comfortable as possible.

"Do you care to see the sights of the village, madame?" asked Vavel of
the mother, after they had partaken of the lunch prepared by the
pastor's housekeeper. The young lady, who was exhausted by the journey,
had gone to her room. "There is a very old church here which is
interesting."

"Are there any fine pictures in it?" inquired madame.

"There is one,--a very touching scene,--'The Samaritan.'"

"Ancient or modern?" queried the lady.

"The subject is old--it dates back to the first years of Christianity,
madame. The execution is modern."

"Is it the work of a celebrated artist?"

"No; it is the work of our clerical host."

The lady shook her head; she was uncertain whether Count Vavel was
making sport of her or of the pastor.

But she understood him when she entered the church. The house
consecrated to the service of God had become a hospital, and was crowded
with wounded French soldiers. The women of the village, as volunteer
nurses, were taking care of them, and performed the task as faithfully
as if the invalids were their own sons and brothers. The pastor himself
supplied the necessary medicines from his own cupboard; for no army
surgeon came here at a time when twenty thousand wounded Frenchmen lay
at Aspern, and twenty-two thousand at Wagram.

"Is it not an affecting tableau, madame?" said Count Vavel. "It would be
a suitable altar-piece for Notre Dame--and the name of its creator
deserves perpetuation!"

CHAPTER III

Monsieur le Capitaine Descourcelles rode an excellent horse, was a
capital rider, and was plainly very much in love. These three
circumstances combined brought back the gallant soldier from Raab by
five o'clock in the afternoon.

The captain of the cuirassiers was not a little surprised to find the
general's wife playing cards with the hostile leader.

"General Guillaume agrees to everything," he announced immediately, on
entering the room. "He will release the ladies he has been holding as
prisoners."

Vavel hastened to shake hands with the bearer of these glad tidings, who
was, however, more eager to kiss the hand of Vavel's partner, and to
inquire:

"I hope I find the ladies perfectly comfortable?"

"Very comfortable indeed," replied madame. "_Messieurs les Cannibales_
are very polite, and _leur Catzique_ plays an excellent hand at piquet."

"And where is mademoiselle? I trust she is not suffering from the
fatigue of t