FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   >>  
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
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   >>  



Top keywords:

madame

 

pastor

 

comfortable

 

ladies

 

twenty

 
thousand
 

modern

 

wounded

 

excellent

 

village


church
 

capital

 
circumstances
 

combined

 

plainly

 

soldier

 

captain

 

cuirassiers

 

piquet

 
afternoon

gallant

 

brought

 

fatigue

 

creator

 

deserves

 
perpetuation
 
CHAPTER
 

Descourcelles

 
mademoiselle
 
Capitaine

suffering

 
Monsieur
 

Messieurs

 

bearer

 

hastened

 
suitable
 

holding

 

prisoners

 

replied

 

partner


inquire

 

perfectly

 
tidings
 

release

 

hostile

 
polite
 
leader
 
General
 

playing

 

surprised