or fix it on, whatever subject he pleased.

It was merely remarked that he prolonged his meals, which had hitherto
been so simple and so short. He seemed desirous of stifling thought by
repletion. He would then pass whole hours half reclined, and as if
torpid, awaiting with a novel in his hand the catastrophe of his
terrible history. In contemplating this obstinate and inflexible
character thus struggling with impossibility, his officers would observe
to each other that, having arrived at the summit of his glory, he no
doubt foresaw that from his first retrograde step would date its
decline; that for this reason he continued immovable, clinging to, and
lingering a few moments longer on, his proud elevation.

Kutusoff, meanwhile, was gaining the time which we were losing. His
letters to Alexander described "his army as being in the midst of
plenty; his recruits arriving from all quarters, and being rapidly
trained; his wounded recovering in the bosom of their families; the
whole of the peasantry on foot, some in arms, some on the look-out from
the tops of steeples or in our camp, while others were stealing into our
habitations, and even into the Kremlin. Rostopchin received a daily
report of what was passing at Moscow as regularly as before its capture.
If they undertook to be our guides, it was for the purpose of delivering
us into his hands. His partisans were every day bringing in some
hundreds of prisoners. Everything concurred to destroy the enemy's army
and to strengthen his own; to serve him and to betray us; in a word, the
campaign, which was over for us, was but just about to begin for them."

Kutusoff neglected no advantage. He made his camp ring with the news of
the victory of Salamanca. "The French," said he, "are expelled from
Madrid. The hand of the Most High presses heavily upon Napoleon. Moscow
will be his prison, his grave, and that of the whole of his Grand Army.
We shall soon subdue France in Russia!" It was in such language that
the Russian general addressed his troops and his emperor; and still he
kept up appearances with Murat. At once bold and crafty, he contrived
gradually to prepare a sudden and impetuous warfare, and to cover his
plans for our destruction with demonstrations of kindness and honeyed
words.

But at length, after so many days of illusion, the charm was all at once
dispelled. A single Cossack dissolved it. This barbarian fired at Murat,
at the moment when that prince came as usua