continued without replying.

"I became minister, as I said, the 8th of June; that is, a short time
after the siege of Saint-Jean-d'Acre was raised."

Bonaparte bit his lips. "I did not raise the siege until after I had
ruined the fortifications," he replied.

"That is not what Kleber wrote; but that does not concern me." Then he
added, smiling: "It happened while Clark was minister."

There was a moment's silence, during which Bonaparte endeavored to make
Bernadotte lower his eyes. Not succeeding, he said: "Go on."

Bernadotte bowed and continued: "Perhaps no minister of war--and the
archives of the ministry are there for reference--ever received the
portfolio under more critical circumstances: civil war within, a foreign
enemy at our doors, discouragement rife among our veteran armies,
absolute destitution of means to equip new ones. That was what I had
to face on the 8th of June, when I entered upon my duties. An active
correspondence, dating from the 8th of June, between the civil and
military authorities, revived their courage and their hopes. My
addresses to the armies--this may have been a mistake--were those, not
of a minister to his soldiers, but of a comrade among comrades, just
as my addresses to the administrators were those of a citizen to his
fellow-citizens. I appealed to the courage of the army, and the heart of
the French people; I obtained all that I had asked. The National Guard
reorganized with renewed zeal; legions were formed upon the Rhine, on
the Moselle. Battalions of veterans took the place of old regiments
to reinforce the troops that were guarding our frontiers; to-day our
cavalry is recruited by a remount of forty thousand horses, and one
hundred thousand conscripts, armed and equipped, have received with
cries of 'Vive la Republique!' the flags under which they will fight and
conquer--"

"But," interrupted Bonaparte bitterly, "this is an apology you are
making for yourself."

"Be it so. I will divide my discourse into two parts. The first will
be a contestable apology; the second an array of incontestable facts.
I will set aside the apology and proceed to facts. June 17 and 18, the
battle of the Trebbia. Macdonald wished to fight without Moreau; he
crossed the Trebbia, attacked the enemy, was defeated and retreated
to Modena. June 20, battle of Tortona; Moreau defeated the Austrian
Bellegarde. July 22, surrender of the citadel of Alexandria to the
Austro-Russians. So far the scale tu