ct, and
then lit the letter at a candle, and looking at it thoughtfully as it
turned to ashes in his hand, said,--Vengeance! Yes, perhaps by seeking
that I could silence the authors of these slanders and preserve
the public tranquillity which they constantly imperil. But I prefer
persuasion to severity. My principle is, that it is better to bring
men's heads back to a right way of thinking than to cut them off, and to
be regarded as a weak man rather than as a bloodthirsty one.'

"The essence of Marshal Brune's character was contained in these words.

"Public tranquillity was indeed twice endangered at Marseilles during
the Hundred Days, and both times in the same manner. The garrison
officers used to gather at a coffee-house in the place Necker, and
sing songs suggested by passing events. This caused an attack by the
townspeople, who broke the windows by throwing stones, some of
which struck the officers. These rushed out, crying, 'To arms!' The
townspeople were not slow to respond, but the commandant ordered the
'geneydle' to beat, sent out numerous patrols, and succeeded in calming
the excitement and restoring quietness without any casualties.

"The day of the Champ du Mai orders for a general illumination were
given, and that the tricolour flag should be displayed from the windows.
The greater number of the inhabitants paid no attention to the desires
of the authorities, and the officers being annoyed at this neglect,
indulged in reprehensible excesses, which, however, resulted in nothing
mare serious than some broken windows belonging to houses which had not
illuminated, and in some of the householders being forced to illuminate
according to order.

"In Marseilles as in the rest of France, people began to despair of the
success of the royal cause, and those who represented this cause, who
were very numerous at Marseilles, gave up annoying the military and
seemed to resign themselves to their fate. Marshal Brune had left the
city to take up his post on the frontier, without any of the dangers
with which he was threatened having come across his path.

"The 25th of June arrived, and the news of the successes obtained at
Fleurus and at Ligny seemed to justify the hopes of the soldiers, when,
in the middle of the day, muttered reports began to spread in the town,
the distant reverberations of the cannon of Waterloo. The silence of the
leaders, the uneasiness of the soldiers, the delight of the Royalists,
foretold t