"'You will also find in the same drawer two things by which your father would always recognise you, if you should ever meet him and if you wished to make yourself known. I leave it entirely to you to act as you think best; but if you ever should see him, tell him that I was true to him, explain all, and tell him that I loved him to the last.' "Two days later my poor mother passed away. I was thus left an orphan and nameless. I was utterly alone in the world. I had not a creature to love me, and I knew that I must never dare to love anyone. Left to myself, I cursed the whole world and its prejudices and baseness." Gauthier covered his face with his hand, and Saussier, respecting his friend's grief, did not speak for some time. The two officers walked on through the snow without noticing where they were going. Suddenly Gauthier said, bitterly: "You understand now the cause of the melancholy that is always weighing on me?" "I do, indeed," replied Saussier. "The tortures of the Inquisition are nothing to what I endure, when I think of my poor mother suffering through all those years without a word of consolation from any living soul." "It must have been terrible!" "Then, too, you know now why I always find out the name of the Russian commander before every attack; for by now he must be at least a General." "Yes, it is indeed fearful!" * * * * * Sebastopol had been besieged ever since October 9th, 1854. Marshal Canrobert commanded the troops with Lord Raglan. [Illustration: "TELL HIM THAT I LOVED HIM TO THE LAST."] Prince Mentschiskoff and Prince Todleben resisted the attack bravely. The sight of the city, which was all in ruins, exasperated the Russian Commander-in-Chief, and he ordered a sally, but the French and the English were well on guard and repulsed this desperate attempt. The attack was terrible, and the heroism on every side sublime. The most warlike of the besieged troops rushed against the French, preferring to have to do with the _furia francesca_ rather than with the British deliberation and _sang-froid_. The combat was sustained and desperate. Profiting by the confusion amongst the French troops, caused by the death of their Commander-in-Chief, the Russians succeeded in obtaining the first trench. The besiegers, however, got reinforcements and the struggle was continued. Two young officers, who were fighting side by side, attracted everyone's notice. They were in the first rank, and they led their soldiers into the thickest of the fray and cut down the enemy right and left. One of them was rather in advance of the other, and was encouraging his soldiers to follow him. Suddenly with his pistol he took aim at a Russian commander, who, on seeing that the enemy was gaining ground, had spurred his horse forward and was calling to his soldiers to advance. Another horseman, seeing the danger his chief was in, rushed before him, exclaiming:-- "Take care, General Porthikopoff!"