the emperor walked nervously up and down the long, low-ceiled apartment, the common room of the public inn at nogent. grouped around a long table in the center of the room several secretaries were busy with orders, reports and dispatches. at one end stood a group of officers of high rank in rich uniforms whose brilliance was shrouded by heavy cloaks falling from their shoulders and gathered about them, for the air was raw and chill, despite a great fire burning in a huge open fireplace. their cloaks and hats were wet, their boots and trousers splashed with mud, and in general they were travel-stained and weary. they eyed the emperor, passing and repassing, in gloomy silence mixed with awe. in their bearing no less than in their faces was expressed a certain unwonted fierce resentment, which flamed up and became more evident when the emperor turned his back in his short, restless march to and fro, but which subsided as suddenly when he had them under observation. by the door was stationed a young officer in the uniform of the fifth regiment of the infantry of the line. he stood quietly at attention, and was evidently there on duty.
from time to time officers, orderlies and couriers came into the room, bearing dispatches. these were handed to the young officer and by him passed over to the emperor. never since the days of job had any man perhaps been compelled to welcome such a succession of bearers of evil tidings as napoleon on that winter night.
the emperor's face was pale always, but there was an ashy grayness about his pallor in that hour that marked a difference. his face was lined and seamed, not to say haggard. the mask of imperturbability he usually wore was down. he looked old, tired, discouraged. his usual iron self-control and calm had given place to an overwhelming nervousness and incertitude. he waved his hands, he muttered to himself, his mouth twitched awry from time to time as he walked.
"well, messieurs," he began at last, in sharp, rather high-pitched notes—even his voice sounded differently—as he lifted his eyes from perusing the latest dispatch and faced the uneasy group by the fireplace, "you are doubtless anxious to know the news." the emperor stepped over to the table as he spoke, and gathered up a handful of dispatches and ran over them with his hands. "it is all set forth here: the germans and the english have shut up carnot in antwerp," he continued rapidly, throwing one paper down. "the bourbons have entered brussels,"—he threw another letter upon the table—"belgium, you see, is lost. bernadotte has taken denmark. macdonald is falling back on épernay, his weak force growing weaker every hour. yorck, who failed us once before, is hard on his heels with twice, thrice, the number of his men. sacken is trying to head him off. the king of naples seeks to save the throne on which i established him by withdrawing from me now—the poor fool! the way to paris along the marne is open, and blücher is marching on the capital with eighty thousand russians, prussians and bavarians. schwarzenburg with many more is close at hand."
something like a hollow groan broke from the breasts of the auditors as the fateful dispatches fell one by one from the emperor's hand. the secretaries stopped writing and stared. the young officer by the door clenched his hands.
"sire——," said one of the officers, the rich trappings of whose dress indicated that he was a marshal of france. he began boldly but ended timidly. "before it is too late——"
napoleon swung around and fixed his piercing eyes upon him, as his voice died away. the emperor could easily finish the uncompleted sentence.
"what, you, mortier!" he exclaimed.
"i, too, sire," said another marshal more boldly, apparently encouraged by the fact that his brother officer had broken the ice.
"and you, marmont," cried the emperor, transfixing him in turn with a reproachful glance.
both marshals stepped back abashed.
"besides," said the emperor gloomily, "it is already too late. i have reserved the best for the last," he said with grim irony. "the courier who has just departed is from caulaincourt." he lifted the last dispatch, which he had torn open a moment or two since. he shook it in the air, crushed it in his hand, laughed, and those who heard him laugh shuddered.
"what does the duke of vicenza say, sire?" chimed in another marshal.
"it is you, berthier," said the emperor. "you, at least, do not advise surrender?"
"not yet, sire."
"but when?" asked napoleon quickly. without waiting for an answer to his question, he continued: "the allies now graciously offer us—think of it, gentlemen—the limits of 1791."
"impossible!" cried a big red-headed marshal.
"they demand it, prince of the moskowa," answered the emperor, addressing marshal ney.
"but it's incredible, sire."
"what!" burst out napoleon passionately. "shall we leave france less than we found her, after all these victories, after all these conquests, after all these submissions of kings and nations? shall we go back to the limits of the old monarchy? never!"
"but, sire——" began marshal maret.
"no more," said the emperor, turning upon the duc de bassano. "rather death than that. while we have arms we can at least die."
he flashed an imperious look upon the assembly, but no one seemed to respond to his appeal. the emperor's glance slowly roved about the room. the young captain met his look. instantly and instinctively his hand went up in salute, his lips framed the familiar phrase:
"vive l'empereur! yes, sire, we can still die for you," he added in a low respectful voice, but with tremendous emphasis nevertheless.
he was a mere youth, apparently. napoleon looked at him approvingly, although some of the marshals, with clouded brows and indignant words of protest at such an outburst from so young a man, would have reproved him had not their great leader checked them with a gesture.
"your name, sir," he said shortly to the young officer who had been guilty of such an amazing breach of military decorum.
"marteau, sire. jean marteau, at the emperor's service," answered the young soldier nervously, realizing what impropriety he had committed.
"it remains," said the emperor, looking back at the marshals and their aides, "for a beardless boy to set an example of devotion in which princes and dukes of the empire, marshals of france, heroes of fifty pitched battles, fail."
"we will die for you, sire, for france, die with arms in our hands, if we had them, and on the field of battle," began impetuous ney.
"if we don't starve first, sire," said cautious berthier gloomily.
"starve!" exclaimed the emperor.
"the army is without food," said marmont bluntly.
"it is half naked and freezing," added victor.
"ammunition fails us," joined in oudinot.
"we have no arms," added mortier.
"do you, then, advise that we abandon ourselves to the tender mercies of the allies?" asked napoleon bitterly.
"messieurs, it is surely better to die hungry and naked and without arms for the emperor than to consent to his dishonor, which is the dishonor of france," suddenly burst forth the young man at the door.
"how dare you," thundered the usually cool and collected berthier angrily, "a mere boy, monsieur, assume to speak in the presence of the emperor, to say nothing of these great captains?"
"may my life be forfeit, monsieur le duc," said the young soldier more boldly, since napoleon had condoned his first remark, "if i have done wrong in assuring my emperor that we would still die for him."
"of what regiment are you?" said napoleon, waving berthier of the frowning face into silence.
"i belong to the fifth of the line, sire."
"he is in my corps, sire," said ney. "i have brigaded that veteran regiment with the new recruits of the young guard."
"but i have seen service before," said the young captain.
"and i have seen you before," said napoleon, fixing upon him a penetrating glance.
"yes, sire, at the end of the bridge over the elster at leipsic. you were watching the men streaming across when the bridge was blown up. i was among the last to cross the bridge."
"go on," said the emperor, as the young man paused.
"your majesty was pleased to say——"
"i recall it all now. i saw you plunge into the river and bring back to shore an eagle—that of your regiment. you fell at my feet. you should have had the legion of honor for it. i promised it to you, did i not?"
"yes, sire."
"why did you not claim it?"
"i was wounded and left for dead; when i got back to france and my regiment i could not add to your anxiety by——"
"here," said the emperor, "i still have power to reward faithful servants and bold spirits." he took off his own cross, fastened it on the heaving breast of the amazed young soldier. "prince," continued the emperor, turning to ney.
"sire?"
"spare me this young man. i need him on my staff."
"i can ill spare any officer from my weak corps of boys and old men, much less a veteran," the marshal laughed. "one campaign makes us veterans, it seems, nowadays, but you shall have him."
"berthier," continued napoleon, "make out the transfer. give the young man a step up. let him be major."
"very well, sire," said berthier, turning to one of the secretaries and giving him directions.
"meanwhile, what's to be done?" continued napoleon.
"tell caulaincourt to agree to anything," said maret bluntly.
"i yet live," said napoleon proudly. "naked, starving, unarmed, though we may be, i and my soldiers have not forgot our trade. courage, messieurs. all is not yet lost while your emperor breathes. here at nogent, at montereau and farther back we still have seventy thousand men. with seventy thousand men and napoleon much may be accomplished. blücher, it is true, marches on paris. he counts on the army of schwarzenberg to contain us. he marches leisurely, with wide intervals between his divisions. what shall prevent us——"
"your majesty," cried marmont, his eyes flashing as he divined the emperor's plan.
he was the quickest witted and most brilliant of the marshals, but by no means the hardest fighter, or the most loyal and devoted subordinate.
"i am worn out," said the emperor, smiling more kindly upon them. "i have scarcely been out of the saddle—i have scarcely had an hour of sleep since the bloody day of la rothière. i must have rest. let none disturb me for two hours. hold the messenger from the duke of vicenza. i will give an answer then."
the emperor drooped, as he spoke, much of the animation went out of his face and figure. he looked grayer than ever, heavier than ever, older than ever.
"in two hours awaken me," he said.
he stepped toward the door that led to the room reserved for himself, but before he reached it two officers were admitted. napoleon stopped and looked at them. they saluted him, walked over to berthier, the chief of staff.
"the soldiers are dying of hunger," said the first. "the commissary general has nothing to give them. he expected a convoy of provisions, but cossacks, who are reported at fontainebleau, have captured the train. what shall we do?"
berthier threw up his hands, and turned to the other officer to hear his report.
"ten thousand men are without arms, or with arms unserviceable and broken. the supply of powder is low. where shall we get any more?"
the silence in the room was terrible.
"sire," said berthier in a low voice, turning to napoleon, standing staring, "you hear?" he stretched out his hand in appealing gesture.
the emperor turned on his heel, without deigning to look or speak.
"watch the door for two hours," he said to the young officer, crashing to the door behind him. "awaken me then."
"gentlemen," said berthier despairingly to the other officers, "we shall never persuade him. you had better repair to your commands. some of you must have something to eat. divide what you have with the less fortunate divisions. arm and equip the best men. there is a small supply at nogent, i am told. the others must wait."
"if we could only get at these pigs of prussians, these dogs of russians," said ney, "we could take food and guns and powder from them."
"doubtless," said berthier, not caring to argue that point.
he bowed to the officers, as they saluted, and went out of the door muttering and arguing noisily and insubordinately, it must be admitted, and then turned to the table where the secretaries sat. one of them had laid his head down on his arms, stretched out on the table and was fast asleep. the marshal awoke him and dismissed him with most of the rest. from another berthier took a paper. he examined it, signed it, sealed it, and handed it to the young officer on guard at the door.
"your commission, monsieur," he said. "once i was young and full of enthusiasm and hope and determination. it is well for france that some of her children still retain those things."
"i thank the prince de wagram," said the young officer, bowing low, "and i beg his pardon for having spoken."
"the emperor has forgiven," said berthier indifferently. "his absolution covers us all. at least if i fall behind you in those other qualities of youth i shall not fall behind you in devotion. come, maret," continued the grand marshal.
the two worthies turned away and went out. the long room sank into silence. a soldier came in after a while and replenished the fire, saluted and passed out. the pen of the busy secretary, the only one left of the group, ceased scratching on the paper. he, too, sank back in his chair asleep. the short day faded into twilight and then into darkness. from outside beyond the courtyard of the inn came confused noises, indicating moving bodies of men, the rumble of artillery, the clatter of cavalry, faint words of command. a light snow began to fall. it was intensely raw and cold. the officer picked up his cloak, wrapped it around him, and resumed his immobile guard.
