It was not the first time, my friends, as
you are well aware, and you know the reasons that I had to trust
that neither nerve nor judgment would ever fail me. Certainly,
the Emperor had chosen the right man for his mission. "The
prince of messengers" he had called me. I would earn my title.
It was clear that I could do nothing until the Prussians had
passed, so I spent my time in observing them. I have no love for
these people, but I am compelled to say that they kept excellent
discipline, for not a man of them entered the inn, though their
lips were caked with dust and they were ready to drop with
fatigue. Those who had knocked at the door were bearing an
insensible comrade, and having left him they returned at once to
the ranks. Several others were carried in in the same fashion
and laid in the kitchen, while a young surgeon, little more than
a boy, remained behind in charge of them.
Having observed them through the cracks in the floor, I next
turned my attention to the holes in the roof, from which I had an
excellent view of all that was passing outside.
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