type, was an old
soldier with not a bad heart, and some of his sympathy is to be
ascribed to a veteran's natural admiration for a daring young officer.

On the 24th of March, Victor Emmanuel, with the manliness that was
born with him, decided to go and treat himself for the conditions of
the armistice. It was the first act of his reign, and it was an act of
abnegation; but of how much less humiliation than that performed by
his father twenty-eight years before, when almost on the same day, by
order of King Charles Felix, the Prince of Carignano betook himself to
the Austrian camp at Novara, to be greeted with the derisive shout of:
'Behold the King of Italy!' Little did Radetsky think that the words,
addressed then in scorn to the father, might to-day have been
addressed in truthful anticipation to the son.

The Field-Marshal took good care, however, that nothing but respect
should be paid to his visitor, whom he received half-way, surrounded
by his superb staff, all mounted on fine horses and clad in splendid
accoutrements. As soon as the King saw him coming, he sprang from his
saddle, and Radetsky would have done the same had not he required,
owing to his great age, the aid of two officers to help him to the
ground. After he had laboriously dismounted, he made a military
salute, and then embraced Victor Emmanuel with the greatest
cordiality. The King was accompanied by very few officers, but the
presence of one of these was significant, namely, of the Lombard Count
Vimercati, whom he particularly pointed out to Radetsky.

While observing the most courteous forms, the Field-Marshal was not
long in coming to the point. The negotiations would be greatly
facilitated, nay, more, instead of beginning his reign with a large
slice of territory occupied by a foreign enemy for an indefinite
period, the King might open it with an actual enlargement of his
frontier, if he would only give the easy assurance of ruling on the
good old system, and of re-hoisting the blue banner of Piedmont
instead of the revolutionary tricolor. The moment was opportune;
Victor Emmanuel had not yet sworn to maintain the Constitution. But he
replied, without hesitation, that though he was ready, if needs be, to
accept the full penalties of defeat, he was determined to observe the
engagements entered into by his father towards the people over whom he
was called to reign.

One person had already received from his lips the same declaration,
with ano