reated with the rest to Belfort, to Rheims, had now been
marching five days trying to find the enemy, and his useless _chassepot_
was as clean as the day it left the shop, without the least smell of
smoke on it. He felt an aching desire to discharge his piece once, if
no more, to relieve the tension of his nerves. Since the day, near six
weeks ago, when he had enlisted in a fit of enthusiasm, supposing that
he would surely have to face the foe in a day or two, all that he
had done had been to tramp up and down the country on his poor,
sore feet--the feet of a man who had lived in luxury, far from the
battle-field; and so, among all those impatient watchers, there was
none who watched more impatiently than he the Grand-Pre road, extending
straight away to a seemingly infinite distance between two rows of
handsome trees. Beneath him was unrolled the panorama of the valley;
the Aisne was, like a silver ribbon, flowing between its willows and
poplars, and ever his gaze returned, solicited by an irresistible
attraction, to that road down yonder that stretched away, far as the eye
could see, to the horizon.

About four o'clock the 4th hussars returned, having made a wide circuit
in the country round about, and stories, which grew as they were
repeated, began to circulate of conflicts with uhlans, tending to
confirm the confident belief which everyone had that an attack was
imminent. Two hours later a courier came galloping in, breathless with
terror, to announce that General Bordas had positive information that
the enemy were on the Vouziers road, and dared not leave Grand-Pre.
It was evident that that could not be true, since the courier had just
passed over the road unharmed, but no one could tell at what moment it
might be the case, and General Dumont, commanding the division, set out
at once with his remaining brigade to bring off his other brigade that
was in difficulty. The sun went down behind Vouziers and the roofs of
the town were sharply profiled in black against a great red cloud. For
a long time the brigade was visible as it receded between the double row
of trees, until finally it was swallowed up in the gathering darkness.

Colonel de Vineuil came to look after his regiment's position for the
night. He was surprised not to find Captain Beaudoin at his post, and
as that officer just then chanced to come in from Vouziers, where he
alleged in excuse for his absence that he had been breakfasting with the
Baronne de