t it, and they
came to the conclusion that it must be a very fine entertainment to see
a man shot right through the head. First there would be the getting up
early, for such spectacles generally take place at dawn, and it would
never do to sleep away such an opportunity as that, especially as it was
just as likely as not that the poor devil would be placed in the pillory
first. What could he have been doing? But suppose they were to pardon
him? Oh, no! no chance of that, for the General never pardons anybody;
even if it were his own son he would not pardon him if he were found
guilty, for he was "the iron man."

* * * * *

Meanwhile, inside there, "the iron man" is sitting in his wife's room on
a small embroidered armless chair. Opposite to him on a large elevated
divan lies his wife, a tiny, elegant, transparent little lady, with a
face of alabaster, and wee wee hands which a child of two would not have
known what to do with if they had been doled out to her. Her small
strawberry-like mouth scarcely seemed to have been made for talking
purposes; all the more eloquent, on the other hand, were her large
dark-blue eyes, which were saying at that moment that those who can love
are very, very happy.

The iron man was sitting in front of her with his elbows planted on his
knees and both his hands stretched forwards. Extended on these two
hands of his was a skein of thread, which the elegant little woman was
winding with great rapidity.

He need only have stretched his arms a wee bit more to burst the whole
skein to pieces, but he has learnt to watch very carefully lest the
thread gets entangled, and he laughs heartily every time he moves his
hands clumsily, at the same time begging pardon and promising to do
better in future.

"My darling, I have an old sword--it served me well in the French
war--do you think it would be of any use to you?"

The little lady laughed, and how charmingly she could laugh; it sounded
like the bells of a glass harmonica striking against each other.

"I understand the allusion. If you can use the owner of the sword for
unwinding thread, you might use his sword instead of scissors."

"I mean what I say."

"That doesn't matter a bit, you must wait till the skein is unwound."

"Naturally that is as it should be, of course. Nor would I suffer
anybody else to take my place. To hold a skein of thread requires great
strength of mind, not every man is up to it. A