cation leading into the kitchen of
the cottage had been torn from its hinges, and used to carry the men
wounded in the skirmish from the field. They were now comfortably laid
at rest in the kitchen, under the care of the French surgeon and the
English nurse attached to the ambulance. A piece of coarse canvas
screened the opening between the two rooms in place of the door. A
second door, leading from the bed-chamber into the yard, was locked; and
the wooden shutter protecting the one window of the room was carefully
barred. Sentinels, doubled in number, were placed at all the outposts.
The French commander had neglected no precaution which could reasonably
insure for himself and for his men a quiet and comfortable night.

Still absorbed in his perusal of the dispatches, and now and then making
notes of what he read by the help of writing materials placed at his
side, Captain Arnault was interrupted by the appearance of an intruder
in the room. Surgeon Surville, entering from the kitchen, drew aside
the canvas screen, and approached the little round table at which his
superior officer was sitting.

"What is it?" said the captain, sharply.

"A question to ask," replied the surgeon. "Are we safe for the night?"

"Why do you want to know?" inquired the captain, suspiciously.

The surgeon pointed to the kitchen, now the hospital devoted to the
wounded men.

"The poor fellows are anxious about the next few hours," he replied.
"They dread a surprise, and they ask me if there is any reasonable hope
of their having one night's rest. What do you think of the chances?"

The captain shrugged his shoulders. The surgeon persisted.

"Surely you ought to know?" he said.

"I know that we are in possession of the village for the present,"
retorted Captain Arnault, "and I know no more. Here are the papers of
the enemy." He held them up and shook them impatiently as he spoke.
"They give me no information that I can rely on. For all I can tell to
the contrary, the main body of the Germans, outnumbering us ten to one,
may be nearer this cottage than the main body of the French. Draw your
own conclusions. I have nothing more to say."

Having answered in those discouraging terms, Captain Arnault got on his
feet, drew the hood of his great-coat over his head, and lit a cigar at
the candle.

"Where are you going?" asked the surgeon.

"To visit the outposts."

"Do you want this room for a little while?"

"Not for some hours to com