with greater pleasure. Almost everyone
has some time in his life passed such sleepless nights, when it seems to
him that the darkness will never disappear, and the desire for light and
day becomes a fearful longing. Never was dawn more grateful than after
that wretched night. And yet the fear of a disastrous collision did not
disappear with the night. It was even likely that the Federals might
have waited for the morning to begin their attack, just when fatigue is
greatest, sleep most difficult to fight against, and therefore
discipline necessarily slackened. Anyhow, the light seemed to reassure
us; we could scarcely believe that the crime of civil war could be
perpetrated in the day-time. The night had been full of fears, the
morning found us bright and happy. Not all of us, however. I smile as I
remember an incident which occurred a little before daylight. One of our
comrades, who had been lying near me, got up, went out into the street,
and paced up and down some time, as if to shake off cramp or cold. My
eyes followed him mechanically; he was walking in front of the houses,
the backs of which look out upon the Passage des Panoramas, and as he
did so he cast furtive glances through the open doorways. He went into
one, and came out with a disappointed expression on his face. Having
repeated this strange manoeuvre several times, he reached a
_porte-cochere_ that was down by the side of the Restaurant Catelain. He
remained a few minutes, then reappeared with a beaming countenance, and
made straight for where I was standing, rubbing his hands gleefully.

"Monsieur," said he, in a low voice, so as not to be overheard, "do you
approve of this plan of action, which consists, in case of attack, of
shooting from the windows on the assailants?"--"A necessity of street
fighting," said I. "Let us hope we shall not have to try it."--"Oh! of
course; but I should have preferred it if they had taken other
measures."--"Why?" I asked.--"Why, you see, when we are in the houses
the insurgents will try to force their way in."--I could not see what he
was driving at, so I said, "Most probably."--"But if they do get in?" he
insisted:--"I will trust to our being reinforced from the Place de la
Bourse before they can effect an entrance."--"Doubtless! doubtless!" he
answered; but I saw he was anything but convinced.--"But you know
reinforcements often arrive too late, and if the Federals should get in,
we shall be shot down like dogs in those