"That is true," he said; "the occurrence was put upon the order of the day, and I must acknowledge that, however one may judge of it individually, it had a good influence upon the discipline of the soldiers. But God preserve me from having to give such an example, for I do not hesitate to say that I should not do it. The devil! we are Frenchmen, and not Spartans. They can put a mask over our faces for a time, but sooner or later that mask will lift and the face beneath will be the same; it may have a few more wrinkles, but that is all." "Well, general, to return to my father's letter--" "It is settled that you stay with us. I attach you as secretary to my staff. Can you ride?" "I must confess, general, that I am not a very good horseman." "You will learn. You came on foot?" "From Rohwillers, yes." "And how did you get from Strasbourg to Rohwillers?" "I came in a carry-all with Madame Teutch." "The landlady of the Hôtel de la Lanterne?" "And sergeant-major Augereau." "And how the devil did you get acquainted with that brute, Pierre Augereau?" "He was Eugene Beauharnais' fencing-master." "Son of General Beauharnais?" "Yes." "Another one who will expiate his victories upon the scaffold," said Pichegru, with a sigh; "they find that grape-shot does not work fast enough. But then, my poor child, you must be half starved." "Oh, no," replied Charles; "I have just seen a sight that has taken away my appetite." "What have you seen?" "I saw a poor noble shot, who comes from our country. He emigrated, and I think you must know him." "The Comte de Sainte-Hermine?" "Yes." "They guillotined the father eight months ago, and to-day they have shot the son. There are still two brothers." Pichegru shrugged his shoulders, and continued, "Why not shoot them all at once? Then they would be rid of the whole family. Have you ever seen any one guillotined?" "No." "Well, to-morrow, if it will amuse you, you can have the pleasure; there are twenty-two to be disposed of. There will be all kinds, from officers to grooms. And now let us arrange about your quarters. It will not take long." He showed the boy a mattress upon the floor. "That is my bed," said he. Then, pointing to another, "That one belongs to citizen Reignac, chief secretary of the staff." Here he rang, and a soldier appeared. "A mattress," ordered the general. Five minutes later the soldier returned with a mattress. Pichegru pointed out the spot where he wished it to be placed.