ney's corps, as usual, had remained at smolensk as the rear-guard of the army. the rest and abundance of food did much to restore their morale. ney had utilized the time they remained there to see that the arms were examined, and new ones served out from the magazines in place of those found to be defective. a certain amount of clothing was also served out to the troops, and discipline restored. the numerous stragglers belonging to the divisions that had gone on were incorporated with his regiments, and all prepared for the toilsome and dangerous march before them. they believed that at krasnoi they should come up with the main body of the army. but krasnoi had already fallen, and the enemy were mustering thickly along the road.
"we have a rough time before us, jules," one of the veterans said. "i should not say as much to any of the youngsters, but your spirits seem proof against troubles. you see, in the first place, we know really nothing of what is going on. for the last four days we have heard the sound of cannon in the air. it is a long way off, and one feels it rather than hears it; but there has certainly been heavy and almost constant fighting. well, that shows that there are russians ahead of us. never was i in a country before where we could get no news. it is all guess-work. there may be 50,000 russians already between us and davoust's division, and there may be only a handful of cossacks. it is a toss-up. nothing seems to go as one would expect in this country. we are at a big disadvantage; for the skill of our generals is thrown away when they are working altogether in the dark.
"do you know, this reminds me a good deal of our pursuit of your army to corunna; only there i was one of the hunters, while here we are the hunted. when we entered the towns they had quitted we heard that they were altogether disorganized—a mere rabble of fugitives. but whenever we came up to them they turned round and fought like their own bull-dogs; and never did they make a stronger stand than they did when we came up at last and caught them at corunna. there was the army we had been told was a disorganized mass standing in as good order, and with as firm a front, as if they had but just landed from their ships. and it was not in appearance only. they had 16,000 men; we had 20,000. they had only six or eight cannon, having embarked the remainder on board their ships; we had over fifty guns; and with soult in command of us, there was not a man but regarded the affair as being as good as over, and considered that the whole of them would fall into our hands. well, it wasn't so. we were on higher ground than they were, and soon silenced their little guns; and the village of elvira, in front of their position, was carried without difficulty.
"suddenly their reserve marched round, fell on our flank, and threatened our great battery that was in position there. they drove us out of elvira, and for a time held us in check altogether. the fight round there became very hot; but they pushed forward and continued to attack us so desperately that they partly rolled our left up, and if it had not been that night set in—the fight had not begun until two o'clock—things would have gone very badly with us, for we were falling back in a great deal of confusion. there was a river behind us with but a single bridge by which we could retreat, and i can tell you we were glad indeed when the english ceased to press us and the firing stopped. all night their picket-fires burned, and we were expecting to renew the battle in the morning, when we found that their position was deserted, and that they were embarking on board their ships. that shows that although troops may be greatly disorganized in a retreat they do not fight any the worse when you come up to them.
"the english had practically no guns, they had no cavalry, they were inferior in numbers, and yet they beat us off. their back was against a wall. you see, they knew that if they didn't do it there was nothing but a french prison before them. it is the same thing with us, lad; we don't want to fight—we want to get away if we can. but if we have got to fight we shall do it better than ever, for defeat would mean death; and if a soldier has got to die, he would a thousand times rather die by a musket-ball or a bayonet-thrust than by cold and hunger. there is one thing in our favour, the country we have to cross now is for the most part forest; so we shall have wood for our bivouacs, and if we have to leave the road it will cover our movements and give us a chance of making our way round the enemy. you will find that child a heavy burden, jules. i do not blame you for bringing her along with you, but when things come to such a pass as this a man needs every ounce of his strength."
"i am aware of that," jules said, looking at stephanie as she stood laughing and talking with some of the soldiers at a fire close by; "but i believe that i shall save her. i cannot help thinking she would never have given that little cry which met my ears as i passed by the broken carriage, if it had not been meant that she should be saved. to all appearance she was well-nigh insensible, and she would have suffered no more pain. it would have been a cruel instead of a kind action to save her, when she was already well-nigh dead. i firmly believe that, whoever falls during the struggle that may be before us, that child will get through safely and be restored to her parents. i don't say that i think that i myself shall go through it, but my death does not necessarily mean hers. if she falls into the hands of the peasants, and tells them who she is, they may take care of her for the sake of getting a reward, and she may in time be restored to her friends. at any rate, as long as i have strength to carry her i shall assuredly do so; when i cannot, i shall wrap her in my cloak and shall lie down to die, bidding her sit wrapped up in it till she sees some russians approaching. she will then speak to them in their own language and tell them who she is, and that they will get a great reward from her parents if they take care of her and send her to them."
"you are a good fellow, comrade—a man with a heart. i trust that, whoever gets out of this alive, you may be one of them. to most of us it matters little one way or the other. we have had our share of good luck, and cannot expect that the bullets will always avoid us. now let us turn in, for we march at daybreak. at any rate, we may think ourselves lucky to have had five days' rest here, with no more trouble than was needed to keep the russians from occupying that place across the river."
julian called stephanie to him, lay down by the side of his comrade near the fire, and was soon fast asleep. they were under arms before daylight broke, and in a few minutes were on the way. they had marched but half a mile when a series of tremendous explosions were heard—the magazines left behind at smolensk had been blown up, together with such buildings as the fire had before spared. 112 guns had been left behind, there being only sufficient horses remaining to draw twelve. the fighting force was reduced to 7000 combatants, but there were almost as many stragglers, more or less armed, with them. the march led by the side of the dnieper, and they bivouacked that night at korodnia. the next day they arrived at a point within four miles of krasnoi, where, on a hill, fronted by a deep ravine, 12,000 russians, with forty guns, had taken up their position.
a thick mist covered the lower ground, and the advance of the french was not perceived by the enemy until they were within a short distance of its crest. then the forty guns poured a storm of grape into the leading regiment. the survivors, cheering loudly, rushed forward at the batteries, and had almost reached them, when a heavy mass of russian infantry flung themselves upon them with the bayonet, and after a short but desperate struggle hurled them down the hill again. the russian cavalry charged them on the slope, and swept through their shattered ranks. ney, ignorant that napoleon had already left krasnoi, and that the whole russian army barred his way, made another effort to force a passage. he planted his twelve guns on a height above the ravines, and sent forward several companies of sappers and miners to endeavour to carry the battery again. gallantly they made their way up the hill through a storm of fire. but the russians again fell upon them in great force, and few indeed were enabled to make the descent of the hill and rejoin their comrades.
darkness had set in now, and ney, finding it impossible to make his way further, and feeling sure that had the emperor been still at krasnoi he would have sent a force to his assistance, fell back into the forest. his position was a desperate one; the scanty supply of provisions with which they had started was exhausted, and they were in an unknown country, surrounded by foes, without a guide, without carriage for the wounded, without an idea of the direction in which to march. the russian general sent in two flags of truce, offering him terms of capitulation which would save the life of himself and of his brave soldiers. ney, however, was not yet conquered. he detained the messengers with the flags of truce, lest they might take news to their general of the position of his force, and then, with all capable of the exertion, continued his march. they passed in silence within half a mile of the cossack fires, and reaching a village on the dnieper, attempted the passage; but the ice broke under the first gun, and it was necessary to abandon the whole of the artillery and every vehicle.
before the entire body had passed, the cossacks, attracted by the sound made by the troops marching across the ice, arrived and captured several hundred prisoners, for the most part stragglers. in a village further on they found temporary rest, surprising a few cossacks and capturing their horses, which afforded a ration to the troops; but on the next morning a great swarm of cossacks appeared on the plain and opened a heavy artillery fire. unable to advance in that direction the column turned towards a wood on its left, but as it was about to enter the refuge, a battery concealed there poured a volley of grape into them. the column hesitated, but ney dashed to the front, and they rushed forward and drove the battery from the wood. all day they continued their march through the forest, until, coming upon a village, they obtained a few hours' rest and shelter and some food.
it had been a terribly heavy day, for the snow here was not, as on the road, trampled down, and the marching was very heavy. julian had carried the child the greater part of the day. the grenadiers had not been actively engaged, as they formed the rear-guard, and several times his friend the sergeant relieved him of stephanie's weight.
"this is better luck than i looked for, comrade," he said as they cooked the food they had found in the village, filled their pipes, and sat down by a blazing fire. "peste! i was frightened as we crossed the river last night. we knew the ice was not strong, and if it had given way as we crossed, not a man upon it would have reached the other side. however, it turned out for the best, and here we are again, and i believe that we shall somehow get through after all. ney always has good luck. there is never any hesitation about him. he sees what has to be done and does it. that is the sort of man for a leader. i would rather serve under a man who does what he thinks best at once, even if it turns out wrong, than one who hesitates and wants time to consider. ney has been called 'the child of victory,' and i believe in his star. anyone else would have surrendered after that fight yesterday, and yet you see how he has got out of the scrape so far. i believe that ney will cross the frontier safe, even if he carries with him only a corporal's guard."
julian was too exhausted to talk, and every moment of rest was precious. therefore, after smoking for a short time, he lay down to sleep. at daybreak the next morning the march through the forest continued. when from time to time they approached its edge, the cossacks could be seen hovering thickly on the plain; but they dared not venture into the wood, which was so close that their horses would be worse than useless to them. at three o'clock, when within twenty miles of orsza, two polish officers volunteered to push ahead to that town on some peasant's horses that had been brought from the village where they had slept to acquaint the commander of any french force that might be there with their situation, and to pray for assistance. after a halt of an hour the column pushed on again. when they had marched another twelve miles the forest ceased. night had long since fallen, and a thick fog hung over the ground. this served to hide their movements, but rendered it difficult in the extreme for them to maintain the right direction.
their way led over a steep hill, which was climbed with great difficulty by the exhausted troops; but on reaching the summit they saw to their horror a long line of bivouac fires illuminating the plain in front of them. even the most sanguine felt despair for a moment. ney himself stood for a few minutes speechless, then he turned to his men.
"there is but one thing to do, comrades," he said. "it is death to stay here. better a thousand times meet it as soldiers. let us advance in absolute silence, and then rush upon our enemies and strive to burst our way through. they cannot know that we are so near, and, aided by the surprise, we may force a passage. if we fail, we will, before we die, sell our lives so dearly that our enemies will long bear us in remembrance."
in silence the column marched down the hill. no sound proclaimed that the enemy had taken the alarm. when within charging distance, the line levelled its bayonets and rushed forward to the fires. to their stupefaction and relief, they found no foe to oppose them. the fires had been lighted by order of the cossack general to make them believe that an army lay between them and orsza, and so cause them to arrest their march. half an hour was given to the men to warm themselves by the fires, then the march was resumed. three miles further the sound of a large body of men was heard, then came a challenge in french, "qui vive!" a hoarse shout of delight burst from the weary force, and a minute later they were shaking hands with their comrades of davoust's division. the polish messengers had, in spite of the numerous cossacks on the plains, succeeded in reaching orsza safely. the most poignant anxiety reigned there as to the safety of ney's command; and davoust, on hearing the welcome news, instantly called his men under arms and advanced to meet them.
the delight on both sides was extreme, and ney's soldiers were supplied with food that davoust had ordered his men to put in their haversacks. a halt of three or four hours was ordered, for the column had been marching for eighteen hours, and could go no further. at daybreak they completed the remaining eight miles into orsza. napoleon himself was there. here they rested for five days. food was abundant, and arms were distributed to those who needed them. ammunition was served out, and napoleon employed himself with great energy in reorganizing his forces and in distributing the stragglers,—who were almost as numerous as those with the standards,—among them. ney's corps was now too small for separate service, and henceforth was united to that of davoust. the halt did wonders for the men. they were billeted among the houses of the town, and warmth and abundant food revived their strength. they looked forward with some confidence to reaching the spot where great magazines had been prepared, and where they would take up their quarters until the campaign recommenced in the spring.
napoleon's plans, however, were all frustrated by the inconceivable blunders and follies of the generals, to whom were entrusted the task of carrying them out. everywhere, in turn, they suffered themselves to be deceived and caught napping. the important positions entrusted to them were wrested from their hands. minsk, where there were supplies for the whole army for months, had been captured, and now borizow, where the passage of the berezina was to be made, was captured almost without resistance. well might napoleon when he heard the news exclaim in despair:
"will there never be an end to this blundering?"
great as the cold had been before, it increased day by day in severity. happily for the french, kutusow, with the main russian army, was far in their rear, and they might well hope, when joined by victor, who was to meet them near the berezina with his division, to be able to defeat the two russian armies that barred their way, either force being inferior to their own.
stephanie had borne the march wonderfully well. since leaving smolensk, she had had no walking to do. the cold was so great that she was glad to remain during the day snuggled up beneath julian's cloak. the marching songs had ceased. hunted as they were, silence was imperative, and indeed the distances traversed and the hardships endured were so great that even julian felt that he had no longer strength to raise his voice. few words indeed were spoken on the march, for the bitter cold seemed to render talking almost impossible.
being in ignorance of the forces concentrating to cut him off, napoleon ordered oudinot's corps to march forward to secure the passage at borizow, and victor that at studenski, but tchichagow arrived at borizow before oudinot, and began to cross the bridge there. oudinot, however, fell upon him fiercely before his whole army had passed over, and the russians drew back across the bridge, destroying it behind them. napoleon on his arrival found the russian army of the danube drawn up on the opposite bank ready to dispute his passage. he at once sent bodies of troops up and down the river to deceive the russian admiral as to the point at which he intended to force a passage. victor had already come in contact with wittgenstein and had fought a drawn battle with him, and now moved to join napoleon at the spot decided upon for the passage of the berezina, near studenski.
on the evening of the 25th of november napoleon arrived there with oudinot's corps. the engineers immediately commenced the construction of two bridges, and the cavalry and light infantry crossed the river to reconnoitre the enemy, and some batteries were established to cover the work. materials were very scarce, and it was not until noon on the following day that the bridges were reported practicable. oudinot's corps crossed at once, but the rest of the troops passed over in great confusion, which was increased by the frequent breaking down of the bridges. victor took up a position to cover the rear, but one of his divisions was cut off by wittgenstein, and eight thousand men forced to surrender. the main body of the french army, completely panic-stricken by the thunder of guns in their rear, crowded down in a confused mass. the passage was frequently arrested by fresh breakages in the bridges; hundreds were pushed off into the river by the pressure from behind; others attempted to swim across, but few of these succeeded in gaining the opposite bank, the rest being overpowered by the cold or overwhelmed by the floating masses of ice. thousands perished by drowning. by the 28th the greater part of the french army had crossed, victor's corps covering the passage and repulsing the efforts of wittgenstein up to that time; then being unable to hold the russians at bay any longer he marched down to the bridge, forcing a way through the helpless crowd that still blocked the approaches.
altogether the loss of the french amounted to 28,000 men, of whom 16,000 were taken prisoners.
on the same day tchichagow attacked in front with his army, but, animated by napoleon's presence, and by despair, the french fought so fiercely that he was repulsed with much loss, and the way lay open to wilna. the intensity of the cold increased daily, and the sufferings of the army were proportionately great. on the 5th of december napoleon handed over the wreck of the army, now reduced to 45,000 men, to murat; while the viceroy was to have the chief command of the infantry.
by the time they reached the berezina, davoust's corps had been diminished to a few thousand men, and on victor taking the post of rear-guard, they were relieved from that arduous task, and were among the first who crossed the fatal bridge. from there to wilna there was comparatively little fighting. kutusow's army was still far behind, and although wittgenstein and the admiral hung on their rear, the french army still inspired sufficient respect to deter them from attacking it in force.
as the army approached the berezina, scarce a hundred men of the grenadiers of the rhone still hung together, and these were so feeble that they staggered rather than marched along. rations had ceased to be issued, and the troops depended solely upon the flesh of the horses of the waggons conveying the military chests, treasure, and artillery, and from what they could gather in the deserted villages. so desperate were they now that even the fear of falling into the hands of the peasants was insufficient to deter them from turning off, whenever a village appeared in sight, in the hope of finding food, or, if that failed, at least a few hours' shelter. not one of them was in such good condition as julian, who had been sustained not only by his naturally high spirits, but by the prattle of the child, and by the added warmth of her sleeping close to him at night.
she now, for the most part, trotted beside him, and it was only when very tired that the child would allow him to take her up. she herself had never been short of food, for however small the portion obtained, enough for her was always set aside before it was touched. one day julian had, with some of his comrades, entered a village. the others had insisted on lying down for a sleep, after devouring a little food they were fortunate enough to find in one of the houses. julian's efforts to induce them to continue the march were in vain. they lighted a huge fire on a hearth with wood obtained by breaking up some of the doors, and declared that they would be warm for once, whatever came of it. the column was already some distance off, and night was closing in. julian therefore started alone. he was carrying the child now, and for an hour he kept on his way. still there were no signs of a road, and he at last became convinced that he must have gone in the wrong direction. he walked for half an hour longer, and then coming upon a small hut, he at once determined to pass the night there.
laying the sleeping child down, he covered her over with his cloak. then he broke up some woodwork, cut a portion of it into small pieces, mixed the contents of a cartridge with a little snow and placed it among them, and then drew the charge from his musket, put a little powder into it, and discharged it into the heap. in a few minutes a bright fire was blazing, and taking the child in his arms, he lay down before it, and was soon asleep. he was awakened some time afterwards by a strange noise. he sprang up at once, threw some fresh wood on the embers, and, grasping his musket, stood listening. in a minute the noise was renewed; something was scratching at the door, and a moment later he heard a pattering of feet overhead. then came a low whimper and a snarl, and the truth at once rushed upon him. he was surrounded by wolves.
for a long time the march of the army had been accompanied by these creatures. driven from the forest by cold and hunger, and scenting blood from afar, they had hung upon the skirts of the army, feasting on the bones of the horses and the bodies of the dead. julian examined the door. it was a strong one, and there was no fear of their making an entry there. the roof, too, seemed solid; and the window, which was without glass, had a heavy wooden shutter. hoping that by morning the wolves, finding that they could not enter, would make off, julian lay down by the fire again, and slept for some hours. when he woke daylight was streaming in through a crack in the shutter. on looking through this and through the chinks of the door, he saw to his dismay that the wolves were still there. some were sitting watching the house; others were prowling about. it was clear that they had no intention whatever of leaving. the child had been roused by his movements.
"stephanie wants breakfast," she said decidedly, as he broke up some more wood and rekindled the fire.
"i am afraid, dear, you will have to wait," he said. "i have not got any to give you."
"let us go and get some," she said, standing up.
"i would, stephanie; but there are some wolves outside, and we can't go until they move."
"wolves are bad beasts. stephanie was out riding in the sleigh with papa, when they came out from a wood and ran after us, and they would have killed us if the horses had not been very fast. papa shot some of them, but the others did not seem to mind, and were close behind when we got home, where the men came out with forks and axes, and then they ran away. stephanie will wait for her breakfast."
julian thought for some time, and, then going to the window, opened the shutters and began to fire at the wolves. several were killed. they were at once torn to pieces by their companions, who then withdrew to a safe distance, and sat down to watch. julian had not even hoped that it would be otherwise. had he waited, it was possible that they would at last leave the hut and go off in the track of the army; but even in that case, he would not, he felt, be able to overtake it alone, for, weak as he was, he felt unequal to any great exertion, and he and his charge might be devoured by these or other wolves, long before he came up with the column, or they might be killed by cossacks or by peasants. the last were the most merciless enemies, for death at their hands would be slower and more painful than at the hands of the wolves, but at least the child might be saved, and it was in hopes of attracting attention that he opened fire. he continued therefore to discharge his gun at intervals, and to his great satisfaction saw in the afternoon a number of peasants approaching. the wolves at once made off.
"stephanie," he said, "there are some of your people coming. they will soon be here, and you must tell them who you are, and ask them to send you to your father, and tell them that he will give them lots of money for bringing you back to him."
"yes," the child said, "and he will thank you very, very much for having been so good to me."
"i am afraid, stephanie, that i shall not go back with you. the people kill the french whenever they take them."
"but you are not french; you are english," she said, indignantly. "besides, the french are not all bad; they were very good to me."
"i am afraid, dear, that it will make very little difference to them my being an englishman. they will see that i am in french uniform, and will regard me as an enemy just as if i were french."
"i will not let them hurt you," she said sturdily. "they are serfs, and when i tell them who i am they will obey me, for if they don't i will tell them that my father will have them all flogged to death."
"don't do that, dear. you are a long way from your father's house, and they may not know his name; so do not talk about flogging, but only about the money they will get if they take you back. they are poor men, they have had a great deal to suffer, and have been made very savage; so it is best for you to speak kindly and softly to them. now, dear, let us turn down that collar, so that they can see your face, and take your things off your head, and then go out and speak to them. they are close here."
the child did as he told her, and as he opened the door she stepped out. the peasants, who were only some twenty yards away, stopped in surprise at the appearance of the strange little figure before them. her golden hair fell over her shoulders, and the long loose jacket concealed the rest of her person. she spoke to them in russian, in a high, clear voice:
"i am the countess stephanie woronski. i am glad to see you. i was travelling to go to my father, when there was an accident, and my nurse and the coachman were both killed; and i should have died too, but a good man—an englishman—took me up, and he has carried me many days, and has fed me and kept me warm and been my nurse. he must go with me back to my father; and my father will give you lots of money for taking us both to him, and you must remember that he is an englishman and not a frenchman, although somehow he has been obliged to go with their army; and he is very, very good."
all this time julian was standing behind her, musket in hand, determined to sell his life dearly. the peasants stood irresolute; they conferred together; then one of them advanced, and took off his fur cap and bowed to the child.
"little mistress," he said, "we are but peasants, and do not know the name of your honoured father; but assuredly we will take you to our village, and our priest will find out where he lives, and will take you home to him; but this man with you is a frenchman, and an enemy."
the child stamped her foot angrily. "pig of a man!" she exclaimed passionately, "do i, then, lie? i tell you he is english. i have a french coat on, just as he has. will you say next that i am a french girl? i tell you that my friend must come with me, and that when i come to my father he will give you much money. he is a friend of the czar, and if i tell him that you have hurt my friend, he and the czar will both be angry."
a murmur broke from the group of peasants. the anger of the czar was, of all things, the most terrible. doubtless this imperious, little countess was a great lady, and their habitual habit of subservience to the nobles at once asserted itself, and, while they had hesitated before, the threat of the czar's anger completed their subjugation.
woronski
"i am the countess stephanie woronski. i am glad to see you."
"it shall be as the little mistress wills it," the peasant said humbly. "no harm shall be done to your friend. we cannot promise that the troops will not take him away from us, but if they do not he shall go with you when we find where your father lives. if he has saved your life, he must be, as you say, a good man, and we will take care of him."
"they will take care of you," the child said in french, turning to julian. "i told them that my father would reward them, and that the czar would be very angry with them if they hurt you; and so they have promised to take you with me to him."
julian at once placed his gun against the wall, and, taking her hand, walked forward to the peasants.
"tell them," he said, "that the english are the friends of russia, and that there are some english officers now with their army, for i have several times seen scarlet uniforms among the russian staff."
the child repeated this to the peasants. one of them went into the hut, and looked round; and then securing julian's musket, rejoined the others, who at once started across the snow, one of the party carrying stephanie. on her telling them that she was hungry, some black bread was produced. she gave the first piece handed her to julian, and then sat contentedly munching another. the peasants had now come to the conclusion that the capture would bring good fortune to them, and one of them took from the pocket of his sheep-skin caftan a bottle, which he handed to julian. the latter took a drink that caused him to cough violently, to the amusement of the peasants, for it was vodka, and the strong spirit took his breath away after his long abstinence from anything but water. it did him good, however, and seemed to send a glow through every limb, enabling him to keep pace with the peasants. their course lay north, and after four hours' walking they arrived at a good-sized village at the edge of a forest.
their arrival created much excitement. there was a hubbub of talk, and then they were taken into the largest house in the village. stephanie, who had been asleep for some time, woke up; and julian threw aside his cloak, for the close heat of the interior was almost overpowering. a very old man, the father of the families that occupied the house,—for in russia married sons all share the houses of their parents,—made a deep bow to stephanie, and placed a low seat for her before the stove. julian helped her off with her jacket and her other encumbrances, and her appearance in a pretty dress evidently increased the respect in which she was held by the peasants. in a short time bowls of hot broth were placed before them, and, weak as was the liquor, both enjoyed it immensely after their monotonous diet of horse-flesh. then stephanie was given a corner on the cushion placed on a wide shelf running round the apartment. the place next to her was assigned to julian, who, after swallowing another glass of vodka, was in a few minutes sound asleep, with a sweet consciousness of rest and security to which he had long been a stranger.
in the morning there was a gathering composed of the papa or priest of the village and the principal men. when it was concluded, stephanie was informed that none of them knew the place of residence of her father, but that a messenger had been sent off to the nearest town with a letter from the priest to the bishop there, asking him to inform them of it. she was asked how many days had passed since she had fallen in with the french, and how long she had been travelling before she did so. julian was able to say exactly where he had fallen in with her—about thirty miles from smolensk. stephanie herself was vague as to the time she had travelled before the accident to the carriage, "days and days" being the only account that she could give of the matter. the priest then spoke to her for some time in russian.
"they want you," she said to julian, "to take off your uniform and to put on clothes like theirs. they say that though they wish to take you with me to my father, they might on the way fall in with other people or with soldiers, who would not know how good you are, and might take you away from them and kill you, so that it would be safer for you to travel in russian dress. you won't mind that, will you?"
"not at all, stephanie; i think that it is a very good plan indeed."
a quarter of an hour later julian was equipped in the attire of a well-to-do peasant, with caftan lined with sheep-skin, a round fur cap, a thick pair of trousers of a dark rough cloth, bandages of the same material round the leg from the knee to the ankle, and high loose boots of untanned leather with the hair inside. the transformation greatly pleased the peasants, whose hatred of the french uniform had hitherto caused them to stand aloof from him, and they now patted him on the shoulder, shook his hand, and drank glasses of vodka, evidently to his health, with great heartiness. julian could, as yet, scarcely believe that all this was not a dream. from the day that he had crossed the niemen he had been filled with gloomy forebodings of disaster, and sickened by the barbarities of the soldiers upon the people, while, during the retreat, he had been exposed to constant hardship, engaged in innumerable fights and skirmishes, and impressed with the firm belief that not a frenchman would ever cross the frontier save as a prisoner. after this the sense of warmth, the abundance of food, and the absence of any necessity for exertion seemed almost overpowering, and for the next three or four days he passed no small proportion of his time in sleep.
stephanie was quite in her element. she was treated like a little queen by the villagers, who considered her presence among them a high honour as well as a source of future reward. they were never weary of listening to the details of her stay among the french, and accorded to julian a good deal of deference both for the kindness he had shown the little countess and for the service that he had thereby rendered to themselves. it was ten days before an answer was received as to the count's estates. they lay, it said, far to the south, but the bishop was of opinion that the little countess had better be sent to st. petersburg, as the count had a palace there, and would be certain to be at the capital at the present juncture of affairs. he offered that, if they would bring her to him, he would see that she was sent on thither by a post-carriage, but that in view of the extreme cold it would be better that she should not be forwarded until the spring.
a village council was held on the receipt of this letter, and the proposal that she should be sent by the bishop was unanimously negatived. it seemed to the villagers that in such a case the glory of restoring stephanie to her parents, and the reward that would naturally accrue from it, would not fall to them; but, at the same time, no alternative method occurred to them. finally, after much consultation, stephanie was asked to interpret the bishop's letter to julian, and when she had done so she was told to add: "they think, julian, that if they send us to the bishop papa will not know that it was they who found me and took care of me."
julian understood the difficulty. he first inquired how much the village could raise to pay for the expenses of a post-carriage to st. petersburg. he said that it would, of course, be only a loan, and would be repaid by the count. this led to a considerable amount of discussion, but the difficulty was much diminished when julian said that he could himself supply five napoleons towards the fund. it had been decided that three times that amount would be required to pay all expenses of travel, and the priest agreeing to contribute an equal amount to julian's, the remaining sum was speedily made up. it was then arranged that the priest would himself go to borizow and obtain the podorojna or order for the supply of post-horses at the various stations. he would have to name those who would accompany him. the head man of the village was unanimously elected to go with him, and after some talk it was settled that julian should be put down as ivan meriloff, as a foreign name would excite suspicion and cause much trouble, and possibly he might be detained as a prisoner, in which case the peasants saw that there would be considerable difficulty in inducing the little countess to go with them. the priest was absent three days, and then returned with the necessary document authorizing him to start from borizow in four days' time. julian was sorry when the time came for his departure. after four months of incessant hardship and fatigue, the feeling of rest and comfort was delightful. he had been more weakened than he was aware of by want of food, and, as his strength came back to him, he felt like one recovering from a long illness, ready to enjoy the good things of life fully, to bask in the heat of the stove, and to eat his meals with a sense of real enjoyment.
rumours had come in every day of the terrible sufferings of the french as they were hotly pressed by the triumphant russians, and of the general belief that but few would survive to cross the niemen. still, while the french were thus suffering the russians were in but little better plight, following, as they did, through a country that had been swept bare of everything that could be burned by the retreating french. their sufferings from cold were terrible, 90,000 perished, and out of 10,000 recruits, who afterwards marched for wilna, as a reinforcement, only 1500 reached that city, and the greater portion of these had at once to be taken to the hospital mutilated from frost-bite. thus, then, the number of russians that perished was at least as great as that of their harassed foes, and this in their own climate, and without the necessity for the constant vigilance, that had assisted to break down the retreating army.
julian was instructed in the russian words to reply if asked by any of the postmasters whether he was the ivan meriloff mentioned in the passport, and, on the day after the return of the priest, they started in a sledge filled with hay and covered with sheep-skins.
julian with stephanie were nestled up in the hay at one end of the sledge, the two russians at the other. on reaching borizow they stopped at the post-house, and on producing the podorojna were told that the carriage and horses would be ready in half an hour. they had brought a considerable amount of provisions with them, and now laid in a stock of such articles as could not be procured in the villages. when the post-carriage came round, a large proportion of the hay in the sledge was transferred to it, together with the sheep-skins. there was no luggage, and four horses were deemed sufficient. the wheels had, of course, been taken off the vehicle, and it was placed on runners. the driver climbed up to his seat, cracked his whip furiously, and the horses started at a gallop. the motion was swift and pleasant, indeed travelling in russia is much more agreeable in winter than in summer, for the roads, which in summer are often detestable, are in winter as smooth as glass, over which the sledge glides with a scarce perceptible movement, and the journeys are performed much more rapidly than in summer.
the distance between the post-houses varied considerably, being sometimes only nine miles apart, sometimes as many as twenty, but they were generally performed at a gallop, the priest, at julian's suggestion, always giving somewhat more than the usual drink-money to the driver, and in five days from the time of their leaving borizow they arrived at st. petersburg, halting only for a few hours each night at post-houses. they had no difficulty in ascertaining where the woronski palace was situated, and, taking a droski, drove there at once. stephanie clapped her hands as she saw it.
"you ought to have put on your cloak, julian, and to have packed me up under it as you used to carry me, and to take me in like that."
"i am afraid that grand-looking personage at the door would not have let me in. as it is, he is looking at us with the greatest contempt."
"that is peter," the child said. "peter, peter, what are you standing staring for? why don't you come and help me down as usual?"
the porter, a huge man with a great beard, and wearing a fur cap and a long fur-trimmed pelisse, almost staggered back as the child spoke. he had, as julian said, been regarding the droski and its load with an air of supreme contempt, and had been about to demand angrily why it ventured to drive up into the courtyard of the palace. he stood immovable until stephanie threw back her sheep-skin hood, then, with a loud cry, he sprang down the steps, dashed his fur cap to the ground, threw himself on his knees, and taking the child's hand in his, pressed it to his forehead. the tears streamed down his cheeks, as he sobbed out, "my little mistress, my little mistress! and you have come back again to be the light of our hearts—oh, what a joyful day is this!"
"thank you, peter. now, please lift me down. i am quite well. are papa and mamma well?"
"the gracious countess is not well, little mistress, but when she knows that you are back, she will soon regain her health. his excellency, your father, is not ill, but he is sorely troubled. he has been away for a fortnight searching for news of you, and returned but last week. i don't know what his news was, but it was bad, for the countess has been worse since he returned."
"this gentleman has told me, peter, that i must not run in to see them without their being told first that i am safe, and that you had better fetch papa serge. this is the english gentleman, peter, who saved my life when i was almost dead with cold, and carried me for days and days under his cloak, and kept me warm close to him when we lay down in the snow at night."
again the russian fell on his knees, and seizing julian's hand, put it to his forehead. then he jumped up, "why am i keeping you out in the cold?" he said. "come in, little mistress, and i will send to fetch the papa."
"cover up your head, stephanie," julian said as, holding his hand tightly, they entered the hall together. "if others were to see you the news would run through the house like wildfire, and it would come to your mother's ears before it had been broken to her. tell peter to take us into a quiet room, and not to inform the man he sends to the priest that you are here."
followed by the village priest and the peasant they entered a room fitted as a library.
"it is here papa writes his letters," stephanie said, throwing back her hood again and taking off her cloak; "isn't it nice and warm?"
coming in from the temperature of some forty degrees below freezing, it was to julian most uncomfortably warm. it was some four or five minutes before the door opened, and papa serge, the family chaplain, entered with a somewhat bewildered face, for he had been almost forcibly dragged down by peter, who had refused to give any explanation for the urgency of his demand that he should accompany him instantly to the count's study. when his eyes fell on stephanie, who had started up as he entered, he gave a cry of joy. a moment later she sprang into his arms.
"dear, dear, papa serge!" she said, as she kissed his withered cheeks warmly. "oh i do love to be home again, though i have been very happy, and everyone has been very kind to me. now, you mustn't stay here, because i want to see papa and mamma; and this gentleman says—he is my great friend, you know, and i call him nurse julian—that you must go and tell them first that i have come, and that you must tell them very gently, so that it won't upset poor mamma."
"tell him, stephanie, that he had better say at first only that someone has just come with the news that you are quite safe, and that you will be here soon, and then after a little while, he had better call your father out and tell him the truth. by the way, ask if they are together now."
the child put the question.
"no, the countess is in bed and the count is walking up and down the great drawing-room. he does it for hours at a time."
"in that case, stephanie, tell serge to speak first to your father, and to bring him down here to you. he will break it to your mother better than anyone else would do."
the priest was too deeply moved to speak, but upon stephanie translating what julian had said, put her down and left the room. as soon as he had done so the priest who had travelled with them, and who, with his companion, had been standing in an attitude of respect while stephanie was speaking, said to her:
"little countess, we will go out into the hall and wait there. it were better that his excellency, your father, should meet you here alone."
"he would not mind," stephanie said, "but if you think that you had better go, please do."
the two peasants left the room somewhat hastily. they had been absolutely awed at the splendour of the house, which vastly surpassed anything they had ever imagined, and were glad to make an excuse to leave the room and so avoid seeing the count until his daughter had explained the reason of their presence there. julian guessed their reason for leaving and was about to follow them when stephanie took him by the hand.
"no," she said, "you are not to go, julian. it is you who saved my life, and it is you who must give me back to papa." a few minutes elapsed, then the door was suddenly thrown open and the count ran in.
"my stephanie! my little stephanie!" he cried, as he caught her up. "oh, my little girl! we never thought to see you again—it seems a miracle from heaven. do not cry, darling," he said presently, as she lay sobbing with her head on his shoulder. "it is all over now, and you will come to think of it in time as a bad dream."
"not a very bad one, papa. it has been funny and strange, but not bad. oh, and i meant this gentleman—he is an english gentleman, papa—to have put me into your arms, only somehow i forgot all about it when you came in. i call him nurse julian, papa, because he has been my nurse. he has carried me for days and days on his back under his warm cloak, and i have slept curled up in his arms; and sometimes there were battles. oh, such a noise they made! when it was a big battle he stowed me away in a waggon, but sometimes when it was a small one, and he had not time to take me to the waggon, he carried me on his back, and i used to jump at first when he fired his gun, but i soon got accustomed to it, and he always got me plenty of food, though it was not very nice. but he didn't often get enough, and he became very thin and pale, and then i used sometimes to run along by his side for a bit, and i only let him carry me when i was very tired, and at last we were in a little hut by ourselves, and some peasants came. they looked very wicked at first, but i told them who i was, and that you would give them money if they brought me back to you, and so we went to their village and stayed there, and it was warm and nice, and there was plenty of food, and dear julian got strong again, and then they brought us here in a post-carriage, and two of them came with me. they are out in the hall now."
the count set his little daughter down, and coming up to julian threw his arms round his neck and kissed him in russian fashion. "my benefactor!" he exclaimed, "i don't understand all that stephanie has told me, but it is enough that you saved her life, and that you nursed her with the tenderness of a mother, and have restored her to us as one from the grave. never can i fully express my thanks or prove my gratitude to you, but now you will, i trust, excuse me. i am burning to carry the news of our dear one's return to her mother, whose condition is giving us grave anxiety. she is far too weak to stand any sudden shock, and i will merely tell her now that news has come that a little girl whose description corresponds with that of stephanie has been found and is on her way here, and may arrive very shortly. more than that i shall not venture upon to-day, unless, indeed, i find that the excitement and suspense is likely to be even more injurious to her than the state of dull despair in which she now lies. if i see that it is so i must go on, little by little, till she guesses the truth. now, stephanie, you had better come up to your own room. of course, your friend will come with you," he added with a smile as stephanie took julian's hand. "but you had better wait three or four minutes so that i may give strict orders to the household that everything is to be kept perfectly quiet, and that not a sound is to be heard in the house. there will be time enough for rejoicings afterwards."
the count, who was a handsome man some thirty years old, now left the room. he paused in the hall for a minute, shook the priest and his companion warmly by the hand, and assured them that they should be handsomely rewarded for the kindness they had shown to his daughter, and then after speaking to peter he ran lightly upstairs to his wife's room. stephanie waited for about five minutes and then said:
"i should think that papa has had time to give the orders. now, julian, shall we go?"
"yes, dear, i think we might do so."
on going out into the hall a singular spectacle presented itself. the grand staircase was lined on each side with kneeling men and women. there was a sound of suppressed sobbing, and a low murmur was heard as stephanie appeared.
"go first, stephanie dear," julian said in a low voice; "they want to kiss your hands."
stephanie showed no shyness, for, stopping on each step, she held out her hands to the kneeling figures, who murmured prayers and blessings. as they kissed them, she said softly to each, "thank you very much, but i must not talk now. this gentleman is my friend. it is he who saved my life, and nursed me, and carried me. you must all love him for my sake," whereupon, as julian followed her, he met with a reception similar to that given to their young mistress. he was glad when at last they reached the top of the stairs and stephanie led the way into her own room, which was a sort of glorified nursery. here two or three maids were laying a table, and as the door closed behind him they crowded round her and by turns kissed and hugged her. then an old woman, who had sat apart until the girls had had their turn, came forward. she placed her hands solemnly on the child's head:
"may the great father bless you, my child. i have seen many glad days since i entered the service of your house sixty years ago. i was present at your grandfather's wedding, and your father's, but never was there so bright and happy a day as this, which but half an hour ago was so dark and sad. it was but three days ago that the whole household went into mourning for you, for the news your father brought home seemed to show that all hope was at an end. in five minutes all this has changed. you see the maids have got on their festive dresses, and i will warrant me they never changed their things so rapidly before. now we have but to get your beloved mother strong again, which, please god, will not be long, and then this will be the happiest house in all russia."
"this is my nurse, my new nurse, elizabeth. his name is julian, and he is an english gentleman, as you will see better when he gets some nice clothes on. he has carried me days and days across the snow, and kept me warm by night and day, and done everything for me. he doesn't speak russian, but he can speak french, and so, of course, we got on very nicely; and i have been in battles, elizabeth, think of that! and i was not afraid a bit, and i was quite happy all the time, only, of course, i am very, very glad to get home again."
the meal was now laid, and julian and the child sat down to it with a vigorous appetite. their food while in the village had been coarse though plentiful, and julian especially appreciated the delicate flavour and perfect cooking of the many dishes of whose names and contents he was absolutely ignorant. an hour after they had finished, the count came in.
"your mother has borne it better than i expected, stephanie," he said. "i have been able to break the news to her sooner than i expected. come with me; be very quiet and do not talk much. she will be well content to have you lying quietly in her arms." so saying, he lifted her and carried her off, saying to julian, "i will return and have the pleasure of a talk with you after i have left stephanie with her mother."
