his glance upon me.
'Lieutenant Marteau,' I answered. His voice came to me as in a dream
and my own voice sounded far away. 'Of what regiment?' 'The
Fifth-of-the-Line, Sire.' 'You have saved the Eagle.' 'Yes, Sire,' I
replied. And then consciousness left me. As I fell I heard the
Emperor say, 'See that he gets the Legion of Honor if he survives.'
People caught me in their arms. When I woke up I was in France. Here,
at Aumenier, in my father's house."

Young Marteau did not add to his story that, as he fell, he heard the
Emperor, deeply moved, exclaim:

"With such men what resources does not France possess?"

"And did the Emperor give you the cross?" eagerly asked the girl.

"It was forgot until a few days since. When I recovered I rejoined the
regiment. To take the duty of an officer suddenly ill I happened to be
stationed on service near the Emperor at Nogent. When others were
urging him to make terms, I, though a young soldier, ventured to
express myself to the contrary."

"And then?"

"His Majesty pardoned the liberty, recognized me, gave me his own
cross, made me a Major on his staff."

"And the Eagle?"

"It is still carried at the head of what remains of the
Fifth-of-the-Line," said the young man proudly.

"When we have taken your Emperor we will do away with those Eagles, and
after we restore her rightful king to France we shall give her back her
ancient flag of golden lilies," said the Russian.

"Precisely," said Marteau sharply. "When you have taken the Emperor
you may do all that. The men who have made France so great under him
will care little what you do, monsieur, under such circumstances."

"And why will they be so indifferent, Monsieur Jean?" asked the
Countess curiously.

"They will be dead, mademoiselle, and their Emperor, too, unless God
preserve his life for some future use."

"Happy," said the young girl, "is the man who can inspire such
devotion, monsieur. Although I have been trained differently I think
that----"

What the Countess thought was never said for at that instant the door
at the farther end of the great room was thrown open suddenly with a
violent crash, and into the apartment came crowding the score of
villains and scoundrels who had been imprisoned below stairs. They had
managed to break out in some way and had returned to the great hall to
seize again their captives and to wreak their vengeance upon their
betrayer. They had got at the wine and were