The astonishment of the Emperor was great, when he found this town occupied, not by a feeble rear-guard of Schwartzenberg, but by a powerful division of Russians, commanded by Sacken, and, therefore, belonging to the apparently indestructible army of Blucher.  These unexpected enemies were charged in the streets, and at length retired out of the town (which was burnt to the ground in the struggle) and thence beyond the Aube—­which, in that quarter, runs nearly parallel with, and at no great distance from, the Seine.  The Emperor then halted, and spent the night in a wheelwright’s cottage at Chatres.

All this while the semblance, at least, of negotiation had been kept up at Chatillon.  Caulaincourt, receiving no answer to that important despatch which reached Buonaparte (as has been mentioned) at Nogent, on the 8th of February proceeded to act on the instructions dated at Troyes, on the 3rd; and, in effect, accepted the basis of the Allies.  When Schwartzenberg was attacked at Nangis on the 17th, he had just received the intelligence of Caulaincourt’s having signed the preliminary articles; and he, therefore, sent a messenger to ask why the Emperor, if aware of his ambassador’s act, persisted in hostilities?  Napoleon had ere then, as we have seen, desired Caulaincourt to assume “a less humble attitude,” and instead of ratifying, as he was bound on every principle of honour and law to do, the signature which his ambassador had had full powers to affix, he returned no answer whatever to Schwartzenberg, but despatched a private letter to the Emperor of Austria, once more endeavouring to seduce him from the European league.  The Emperor’s reply to this despatch reached Napoleon at this hovel in Chatres:  it announced his resolution on no account to abandon the general cause; but, at the same time, intimated that Francis lent no support to the Bourbonists (who were now arming in Franche-Comte around Monsieur), and urged Napoleon to avert by concession, ere it was yet too late, total ruin from himself and his House.  Buonaparte, flushed with a succession of victories, was in no temper to listen to such advice, and the Austrian envoy left his headquarters with a note, signifying that now he would not even consent to a day’s armistice, unless the Allies would fall back so as to leave Antwerp in their front.

The same evening there came news from Paris, which might have been expected to disturb the pride of these imaginations.  The Council of State had discussed deliberately the proposals of the Allied Powers, and, with only one dissenting voice, now entreated the Emperor to accept them.  They announced to him that—­while he had been driving the Austrians up the Seine—­the Army of the North, the third great force of the Allies, had at length effected their juncture with Blucher; who was now, therefore, at the head of a much greater army than he had as yet commanded, and was manifestly resolved to descend directly on Paris