ess, yet we were all flushed and moved by the extraordinary
interview which we had had, and by the thought of the great adventure
which lay before us. For my own part, it had been my fate three several
times to take my orders from the lips of the Emperor himself, but
neither the incident of the Ajaccio murderers nor the famous ride which
I made to Paris appeared to offer such opportunities as this new and
most intimate commission.

'If things go right with the Emperor,' said Despienne, 'we shall all
live to be marshals yet.'

We drank with him to our future cocked hats and our batons.

It was agreed between us that we should make our way separately to our
rendezvous, which was to be the first mile-stone upon the Paris road. In
this way we should avoid the gossip which might get about if three men
who were so well known were to be seen riding out together. My little
Violette had cast a shoe that morning, and the farrier was at work upon
her when I returned, so that my comrades were already there when I
arrived at the trysting-place. I had taken with me not only my sabre,
but also my new pair of English rifled pistols, with a mallet for
knocking in the charges. They had cost me a hundred and fifty francs at
Trouvel's, in the Rue de Rivoli, but they would carry far further and
straighter than the others. It was with one of them that I had saved old
Bouvet's life at Leipzig.

The night was cloudless, and there was a brilliant moon behind us, so
that we always had three black horsemen riding down the white road in
front of us. The country is so thickly wooded, however, that we could
not see very far. The great palace clock had already struck ten, but
there was no sign of the Countess. We began to fear that something might
have prevented her from starting.

And then suddenly we heard her in the distance. Very faint at first were
the birr of wheels and the tat-tat-tat of the horses' feet. Then they
grew louder and clearer and louder yet, until a pair of yellow lanterns
swung round the curve, and in their light we saw the two big brown
horses tearing along the high, blue carriage at the back of them. The
postilion pulled them up panting and foaming within a few yards of us.
In a moment we were at the window and had raised our hands in a salute
to the beautiful pale face which looked out at us.

'We are the three officers of the Emperor, madame,' said I, in a low
voice, leaning my face down to the open window. 'You have al