One evening, when the sun was setting red over the reapen fields, two riders on trembling and sinking horses went through the village using whip and spur, and scarcely drew rein as they shouted to the cottagers to know whether they had seen go by a man running for his life.  The people replied that they had seen nothing of the kind, and the horsemen pressed on, jamming their spurs into their poor beasts’ steaming flanks.  “If you see him, catch and hang him,” they shouted, as they scoured away; “he is a Prussian spy!”

“A Prussian!” the villagers echoed, with a stupid stare—­“a Prussian in France!”

One of the riders looked over his shoulder for a moment.  “You fools! do you not know?  We are beaten,—­beaten everywhere,—­and the Prussian pigs march on Paris.”

The spy was not seen in the Berceau, but the news brought by his pursuers scared sleep from the eyes of every grown man that night in the little village.  “It is the accursed Empire!” screamed the patriots of the wine-shop.  But the rest of the people were too terrified and down-stricken to take heed of empires or patriots; they only thought of Louis and Jean and Andre and Valentin; and they collected round Reine Allix, who said to them, “My children, for love of money all our fairest fruits and flowers—­yea, even to the best blossoms of our maidenhood—­were sent to be bought and sold in Paris.  We sinned therein, and this is the will of God.”

This was all for a time that they heard.  It was a place lowly and obscure enough to be left in peace.  The law pounced down on it once or twice and carried off a few more of its men for army service, and arms were sent to it from its neighbouring town, and an old soldier of the First Empire tried to instruct its remaining sons in their use.  But he had no apt pupil except Bernadou, who soon learned to handle a musket with skill and with precision, and who carried his straight form gallantly and well, though his words were seldom heard and his eyes were always sad.

“You will not be called till the last, Bernadou,” said the old soldier; “you are married, and maintain your grandam and wife and child.  But a strong, muscular, well-built youth like you should not wait to be called; you should volunteer to serve France.”

“I will serve France when my time comes,” said Bernadou, simply, in answer.  But he would not leave his fields barren, and his orchard uncared for, and his wife to sicken and starve, and his grandmother to perish alone in her ninety-third year.  They jeered and flouted and upbraided him, those patriots who screamed against the fallen Empire in the wine-shop; but he looked them straight in the eyes, and held his peace, and did his daily work.

“If he is called, he will not be found wanting,” said Reine Allix, who knew him better than did even the young wife whom he loved.