d to welcome their
deliverance from this most costly and bitter British protection.

"Do you, Messieurs, detect a flaw in these arguments?"

Both shook their heads.

"Bien!" said the major of Portuguese Cacadores. "Then we reach one
or two only possible conclusions: either these rumours of a policy of
devastation which have reached the Prince of Esslingen are as utterly
false as he believes them to be, or--"

"To my cost I know them to be true, as I have already told you," Samoval
interrupted bitterly.

"Or," the major persisted, raising a hand to restrain the Count, "or
there is something further that has not been yet discovered--a mystery
the enucleation of which will shed light upon all the rest. Since you
assure me, Monsieur le Comte, that milord Wellington's policy is beyond
doubt, as reported to Monsieur, le Marechal, it but remains to
address ourselves to the discovery of the mystery underlying it.
What conclusions have you reached? You, Monsieur de Samoval, have had
exceptional opportunities of observation, I understand."

"I am afraid my opportunities have been none so exceptional as you
suppose," replied Samoval, with a dubious shake of his sleek, dark head.
"At one tine I founded great hopes in Lady O'Moy. But Lady O'Moy is a
fool, and does not enjoy her husband's confidence in official matters.
What she knows I know. Unfortunately it does not amount to very much.
One conclusion, however, I have reached: Wellington is preparing in
Portugal a snare for Massena's army."

"A snare? Hum!" The major pursed his full lips into a smile of scorn.
"There cannot be a trap with two exits, my friend. Massena enters
Portugal at Almeida and marches to Lisbon and the open sea. He may be
inconvenienced or hampered in his march; but its goal is certain. Where,
then, can lie the snare? Your theory presupposes an impassable
barrier to arrest the French when they are deep in the country and
an overwhelming force to cut off their retreat when that barrier
is reached. The overwhelming force does not exist and cannot be
manufactured; as for the barrier, no barrier that it lies within human
power to construct lies beyond French power to over-stride."

"I should not make too sure of that," Samoval warned him. "And you have
overlooked something."

The major glanced at the Count sharply and without satisfaction. He
accounted himself--trained as he had been under the very eye of the
great Emperor--of some force in strategy and