y and a horse to ride was all
that he needed. I meant to have no more to do with money when I came
here; but after a time I saw that money means power, and that it is in
fact a necessity, if any good is to be done. So I have made arrangements
in my will for turning my house into an almshouse, in which old people
who have not Moreau's fierce independence can end their days. Part of
the income of nine thousand francs brought in by the mill and the rest
of my property will be devoted to giving outdoor relief in hard winters
to those who really stand in need of it.

"This foundation will be under the control of the Municipal Council,
with the addition of the cure, who is to be president; and in this way
the money made in the district will be returned to it. In my will I have
laid down the lines on which this institution is to be conducted; it
would be tedious to go over them, it is enough to say that I have a fund
which will some day enable the Commune to award several scholarships for
children who show signs of promise in art or science. So, even after
I am gone, my work of civilization will continue. When you have set
yourself to do anything, Captain Bluteau, something within you urges you
on, you see, and you cannot bear to leave it unfinished. This craving
within us for order and for perfection is one of the signs that point
most surely to a future existence. Now, let us quicken our pace, I have
my round to finish, and there are five or six more patients still to be
visited."

They cantered on for some time in silence, till Benassis said laughingly
to his companion, "Come now, Captain Bluteau, you have drawn me out and
made me chatter like a magpie, and you have not said a syllable about
your own history, which must be an interesting one. When a soldier has
come to your time of life, he has seen so much that he must have more
than one adventure to tell about."

"Why, my history has been simply the history of the army," answered
Genestas. "Soldiers are all after one pattern. Never in command, always
giving and taking sabre-cuts in my place, I have lived just like anybody
else. I have been wherever Napoleon led us, and have borne a part
in every battle in which the Imperial Guard has struck a blow; but
everybody knows all about these events. A soldier has to look after his
horse, to endure hunger and thirst at times, to fight whenever there is
fighting to be done, and there you have the whole history of his life.
As si