them
by those acts of injustice for which he reproached himself, and which he
was afterwards anxious to repair.

It was to Count Daru alone that he unbosomed himself frankly, but
without weakness. He said, "he should march upon Kutusoff, crush or
drive him back, and then turn suddenly towards Smolensk." Daru, who had
before approved this course, replied, that "it was now too late; that
the Russian army was reinforced, his own weakened; his victory
forgotten; that the moment his troops should turn their faces towards
France, they would slip away from him by degrees; that each soldier,
laden with booty, would try to get the start of the army, for the
purpose of selling it in France."--"What then is to be done?" exclaimed
the Emperor. "Remain here," replied Daru, "make one vast entrenched camp
of Moscow and pass the winter in it. He would answer for it that there
would be no want of bread and salt: the rest foraging on a large scale
would supply. Such of the horses as they could not procure food for
might be salted down. As to lodgings, if there were not houses enough,
the cellars might make up the deficiency. Here we might stay till the
return of spring, when our reinforcements and all Lithuania in arms
should come to relieve, to join us, and to complete the conquest."

After listening to this proposal the Emperor was for some time silent
and thoughtful; he then replied, "This is a lion's counsel! But what
would Paris say? what would they do there? what have they been doing for
the last three weeks that they have not heard from me? who knows what
would be the effect of a suspension of communications for six months!
No; France would not accustom itself to my absence, and Prussia and
Austria would take advantage of it."

Still Napoleon did not decide either to stay or to depart. Overcome in
this struggle of obstinacy, he deferred from day to day the avowal of
his defeat. Amid the dreadful storm of men and elements which was
gathering around him, his ministers and his aides-de-camp saw him pass
whole days in discussing the merits of some new verses which he had
received, or the regulations for the _Comedie Francaise_ at Paris, which
he took three evenings to finish. As they were acquainted with his deep
anxiety, they admired the strength of his genius, and the facility with
which he could take off or fix the whole force of his attention on
whatever he pleased.

It was merely remarked that he prolonged his meals, which ha