‘That will do.  You can go,’ said the Emperor, abruptly.  Then, when the secretary had left the room, he strode across with his hands behind his back, and he looked me up and down without a word.  Though he was a small man himself, he was very fond of having fine-looking fellows about him, and so I think that my appearance gave him pleasure.  For my own part, I raised one hand to the salute and held the other upon the hilt of my sabre, looking straight ahead of me, as a soldier should.

‘Well, Monsieur Gerard,’ said he, at last, tapping his forefinger upon one of the brandebourgs of gold braid upon the front of my pelisse, ’I am informed that you are a very deserving young officer.  Your Colonel gives me an excellent account of you.’

I wished to make a brilliant reply, but I could think of nothing save Lasalle’s phrase that I was all spurs and moustaches, so it ended in my saying nothing at all.  The Emperor watched the struggle which must have shown itself upon my features, and when, finally, no answer came he did not appear to be displeased.

‘I believe that you are the very man that I want,’ said he.  ’Brave and clever men surround me upon every side.  But a brave man who——­’ He did not finish his sentence, and for my own part I could not understand what he was driving at.  I contented myself with assuring him that he could count upon me to the death.

‘You are, as I understand, a good swordsman?’ said he.

‘Tolerable, sire,’ I answered.

’You were chosen by your regiment to fight the champion of the Hussars of Chambarant?’ said he.

I was not sorry to find that he knew so much of my exploits.

‘My comrades, sire, did me that honour,’ said I.

’And for the sake of practice you insulted six fencing masters in the week before your duel?’

‘I had the privilege of being out seven times in as many days, sire,’ said I.

‘And escaped without a scratch?’

’The fencing master of the 23rd Light Infantry touched me on the left elbow, sire.’

‘Let us have no more child’s play of the sort, monsieur,’ he cried, turning suddenly to that cold rage of his which was so appalling.  ’Do you imagine that I place veteran soldiers in these positions that you may practise quarte and tierce upon them?  How am I to face Europe if my soldiers turn their points upon each other?  Another word of your duelling, and I break you between these fingers.’

I saw his plump white hands flash before my eyes as he spoke, and his voice had turned to the most discordant hissing and growling.  My word, my skin pringled all over as I listened to him, and I would gladly have changed my position for that of the first man in the steepest and narrowest breach that ever swallowed up a storming party.  He turned to the table, drank off a cup of coffee, and then when he faced me again every trace of this storm had vanished, and he wore that singular smile which came from his lips but never from his eyes.