One evening I was sitting alone in the _salle a manger_ of the _Couronne
d'Or_, at Boulogne, when Colonel G---, an old acquaintance, came in.
After the first greeting, he took a chair, and was soon as busily
occupied as I was with a cigar, which was occasionally removed from our
lips, as we asked and replied to questions as to what had been our
pursuits subsequently to our last rencontre. After about half an hour's
chit-chat, he observed, as he lighted a fresh cigar--
"When I was last in this room, I was in company with a very strange
personage."
"Male or female?" inquired I.
"Female," replied Colonel G---. "Altogether it's a story worth telling,
and, as it will pass away the time, I will relate it to you--unless you
wish to retire."
As I satisfied him that I was not anxious to go to bed, and very anxious
to hear his story, he narrated it, as nearly as I can recollect, in the
following words:--
"I had taken my place in the diligence from Paris, and when I arrived at
_Notre Dame des Victoires_ it was all ready for a start; the luggage,
piled up as high as an English haystack, had been covered over and
buckled down, and the _conducteur_ was calling out for the passengers.
I took my last hasty whiff of my cigar, and unwillingly threw away more
than half of a really good Havannah; for I perceived that in the
_interieur_, for which I had booked myself, there was one female already
seated: and women and cigars are such great luxuries in their respective
ways, that they are not to be indulged in at one and the same time--the
world would be too happy, and happiness, we are told, is not for us here
below. Not that I agree with that moral, although it comes from very
high authority; there is a great deal of happiness in this world, if you
knew how to extract it,--or, rather, I should say, of pleasure; there is
a pleasure in doing good; there is a pleasure, unfortunately, in doing
wrong; there is a pleasure in looking forward, ay, and in looking
backward also; there is pleasure in loving and being loved, in eating,
and drinking, and, though last, not least, in smoking. I do not mean to
say that there are not the drawbacks of pain, regret, and even remorse;
but there is a sort of pleasure even in them; it is pleasant to repent,
because you know that you are doing your duty; and if there is no great
pleasure in pain, it precedes an excess when it has left you. I say
again that, if you know how to extract it, there is a great deal of
pleasure and of happiness in this world, especially if you have, as I
have, a very bad memory.
"`_Allons, messieurs_!' said the _conducteur_; and when I got in I found
myself the sixth person, and opposite to the lady: for all the other
passengers were of my own sex. Having fixed our hats up to the roof,
wriggled and twisted a little so as to get rid of coat-tails, etcetera,
all of which was effected previously to our having cleared _Rue Notre
Dame des Victoires_, we began to scrutinise each other. Our female
companion's veil was down and doubled so that I could not well make her
out; my other four companions were young men--all Frenchmen,--apparently
good-tempered, and inclined to be agreeable. A few seconds were
sufficient for my reconnoitre of the gentlemen, and then my eyes were
naturally turned towards the lady. She was muffled up in a winter
cloak, so that her figure was not to be made out; and the veil still
fell down before her face, so that only one cheek and a portion of her
chin could be deciphered: that fragment of her physiognomy was very
pretty, and I watched in silence for the removal of the veil.
"I have omitted to state that, before I got into the diligence, I saw
her take a very tender adieu of a very handsome woman; but, as her back
was turned to me at the time, I did not see her face. She had now
fallen back in her seat, and seemed disposed to commune with her own
thoughts: that did not suit my views, which were to have a view of her
face. Real politeness would have induced me to leave her to herself,
but pretended politeness was resorted to that I might gratify my
curiosity; so I inquired if she wished the window up. The answer was in
the negative, and in a very sweet voice; and then there was a pause, of
course so I tried again.
"`You are melancholy at parting with your handsome sister,' observed I,
leaning forward with as much appearance of interest as I could put into
my beautiful phiz.
"`How could you have presumed that she was my sister?' replied she.
"`From the _strong family_ likeness,' replied I. `I felt certain of
it.'
"`But she is only my sister-in-law, sir,--my brother's wife.'
"`Then, I presume, he chose a wife as like his sister as he could find;
nothing more natural--I should have done the same.'
"`Sir, you are very polite,' replied the lady, who lowered down the
window, adding, `I like fresh air.'
"`Perhaps you will find yourself less incommoded if you take off your
veil?'
"`I will not ascribe that proposition to curiosity on your part, sir,'
replied the lady, `as you have already seen my face.'
"`You cannot, then, be surprised at my wishing to see it once more.'
"`You are very polite, sir.'
"Although her voice was soft, there was a certain quickness and decision
in her manner and language which were very remarkable. The other
passengers now addressed her, and the conversation became general. The
veiled lady took her share in it, and showed a great deal of smartness
and repartee. In an hour more we were all very intimate. As we changed
horses, I took down my hat to put into it my cigar-case, which I had
left in my pocket, upon which the lady observed, `You smoke, I perceive;
and so, I dare say, do all the rest of the gentlemen. Now, do not mind
me; I am fond of the smell of tobacco--I am used to it.'
"We hesitated.
"`Nay, more, I smoke myself, and will take a cigar with you.'
"This was decisive. I offered my cigar-case--another gentleman struck a
light. Lifting up her veil so as to show a very pretty mouth, with
teeth as white as snow, she put the cigar in her mouth, and set us the
example. In a minute both windows were down, every one had a cigar in
his mouth.
"`Where did you learn to smoke, madam?' was a question put to the
incognita by the passenger who sat next to her.
"`Where?--In the camp--Africa--everywhere. I did belong to the army--
that is, my husband was the captain of the 47th. He was killed, poor
man! in the last successful expedition to Constantine:--_c'etait un
brave homme_.'
"`Indeed! Were you at Constantine?'
"`Yes, I was; I followed the army during the whole Campaign.'
"The diligence stopped for supper or dinner, whichever it might be
considered, and the _conducteur_ threw open the doors. `Now,' thought
I, `we shall see her face;' and so, I believe, thought the other
passengers; but we were mistaken; the lady went upstairs and had a basin
of soup taken to her. When all was ready we found her in the diligence,
with her veil down as before.
"This was very provoking, for she was so lively and witty in
conversation, and the features of her face which had been disclosed were
so perfect, that I was really quite on a fret that she would leave me
without satisfying my curiosity:--they talk of woman's curiosity, but we
men have as much, after all. It became dark;--the lady evidently
avoided further conversation, and we all composed ourselves as well as
we could. It may be as well to state in few words, that the next
morning she was as cautious and reserved as ever. The diligence arrived
at this hotel--the passengers separated--and I found that the lady and I
were the only two who took up our quarters there. At all events, the
Frenchmen who travelled with us went away just as wise as they came.
"`You remain here?' inquired I, as soon as we had got out of the
diligence.
"`Yes,' replied she. `And you--'
"`I remain here, certainly; but I hope you do not intend to remain
always veiled. It is too cruel of you.'
"`I must go to my room now, and make myself a little more comfortable;
after that, Monsieur l'Anglais, I will speak to you. You are going over
in the packet, I presume?'
"`I am, by to-morrow's packet.'
"`I shall put myself under your protection, for I am also going to
London.'
"`I shall be most delighted.'
"`_Au revoir_.'
"About an hour afterwards a message was brought to me by the _garcon_,
that the lady would be happy to receive me at Number 19. I ascended to
the second floor, knocked, and was told to come in.
"She was now without a veil; and what do you think was her reason for
the concealment of her person?"
"By the beard of Mokhanna, how can I tell?"
"Well, then, she had two of the most beautiful eyes in the world; her
eyebrows were finely arched; her forehead was splendid; her mouth was
tempting,--in short, she was as pretty as you could wish a woman to be,
only she had _broken her nose_,--a thousand pities, for it must once
have been a very handsome one. Well, to continue, I made my bow.
"`You perceive now, sir,' said she, `why I wore my veil down.'
"`No, indeed,' replied I.
"`You are very polite, or very blind,' rejoined she; `the _latter_ I
believe not to be the fact. I did not choose to submit to the
impertinence of my own countrymen in the diligence; they would have
asked me a hundred questions upon my accident. But you are an
Englishman, and have respect for a female who has been unfortunate.'
"`I trust I deserve your good opinion, madam; and if I can be in any way
useful to you--'
"`You can. I shall be a stranger in England. I know that in London
there is a great man, one Monsieur Lis-tong, who is very clever.'
"`Very true, madam. If your nose instead of having been slightly
injured as it is, had been left behind you in Africa, Mr Liston would
have found you another.'
"`If he will only repair the old one, I ask no more. You give me hopes.
But the bones are crushed completely, as you must see.'
"`That is of no consequence. Mr Liston has put a new eye in, to my
knowledge. The party was short-sighted, and saw better with the one put
in by Mr Liston than with the one which had been left him.'
"`_Est-il possible? Mais, quel homme extraordinaire_! Perhaps you will
do me the favour to sit with me, monsieur; and, if I mistake not, you
have a request to make of me--_n'est-ce pas_?'
"`I felt such interest about you, madam, that I acknowledge, if it would
not be too painful to you, I should like to ask a question.'
"`Which is, How did I break my nose? Of course you want to know. And
as it is the only return I can make for past or future obligations to
you, you shall most certainly be gratified. I will not detain you now.
I shall expect you to supper. Adieu, monsieur.'
"I did not, of course, fail in my appointment; and after supper she
commenced:--
"`The question to be answered,' said she, `is, How did you break your
nose?--is it not? Well then, at least, I shall answer it after my own
fashion. So, to begin at the beginning, I am now exactly twenty-two
years old. My father was tambour-majeur in the Garde Imperiale. I was
born in the camp--brought up in the camp--and, finally, I was married in
the camp, to a lieutenant of infantry at the time. So that, you
observe, I am altogether _militaire_. As a child, I was wakened up with
the drum and fife, and went to sleep with the bugles; as a girl, I
became quite conversant with every military manoeuvre; and now that I am
a woman grown, I believe that I am more fit for the _baton_ than
one-half of those marshals who have gained it. I have studied little
else but tactics and have as my poor husband said, quite a genius for
them; but of that hereafter. I was married at sixteen, and have ever
since followed my husband. I followed him at last to his grave. He
quitted my bed for the bed of honour, where he sleeps in peace. We'll
drink to his memory.'
"We emptied our glasses, when she continued:--
"`My husband's regiment was not ordered to Africa until after the first
disastrous attempt upon Constantine. It fell to our lot to assist in
retrieving the honour of our army in the more successful expedition
which took place, as you, of course, are aware, about three months ago.
I will not detain you with our embarkation or voyage. We landed from a
steamer at Bona, and soon afterwards my husband's company was ordered to
escort a convoy of provisions to the army which was collecting at Mzez
Ammar. Well, we arrived safely at our various camps of Drean, Nech
Meya, and Amman Berda. We made a little _detour_ to visit Ghelma. I
had curiosity to see it, as formerly it was an important city. I must
say, that a more tenable position I never beheld. But I tire you with
these details.'
"`On the contrary, I am delighted.'
"`You are very good. I ought to have said something about the
travelling in those wild countries, which is anything but pleasant. The
soil is a species of clay, hard as a flint when the weather is dry, but
running into a slippery paste as soon as moistened. It is, therefore,
very fatiguing, especially in wet weather, when the soldiers slip about
in a very laughable manner to look at, but very distressing to
themselves. I travelled either on horseback or in one of the waggons,
as it happened. I was too well known, and, I hope I may add, too well
liked, not to be as well provided for as possible. It is remarkable how
soon a Frenchman will make himself comfortable, wherever he may chance
to be. The camp of Mzez Ammar was as busy and as lively as if it was
pitched in the heart of France. The followers had built up little
cabins out of the branches of trees, with their leaves on, interwoven
together, all in straight lines, forming streets, very commodious, and
perfectly impervious to the withering sun. There were _restaurants,
cafes, debis de vin et d'eau-de-vie_, sausage-sellers, butchers,
grocers--in fact, there was every trade almost, and everything you
required; not very cheap certainly, but you must recollect, that this
little town had sprung up, as if by magic, in the heart of the desert.
"`It was in the month of September that Damremont ordered a
_reconnoissance_ in the direction of Constantine, and a battalion of my
husband's regiment, the 47th, was ordered to form a part of it. I have
said nothing about my husband. He was a good little man, and a brave
officer, full of honour, but very obstinate. He never would take
advice, and it was nothing but "_Tais-toi, Coralie_," all day long--but
no one is perfect. He wished me to remain in the camp, but I made it a
rule never to be left behind. We set off; and I rode in one of the
little carriages called _cacolets_ which had been provided for the
wounded. It was terrible travelling, I was jolted to atoms, in the
ascent of the steep mountain called the Rass-el-akba; but we gained the
summit without a shot being fired. When we arrived there, and looked
down beneath us, the sight was very picturesque. There were about four
or five thousand of the Arab cavalry awaiting our descent; their white
bournous, as they term the long dresses in which they enfold themselves,
waving in the wind as they galloped at speed in every direction; while
the glitter of their steel arms flashed like lightning upon our eyes.
We closed our ranks and descended; the Arabs, in parties of forty or
fifty, charging upon our flanks every minute, not coming to close
conflict, but stopping at pistol-shot distance, discharging their guns,
and then wheeling off again to a distance--mere child's play, sir;
nevertheless, there were some of our men wounded, and the little waggon,
upon which I was riding, was ordered up in the advance to take them in.
Unfortunately, to keep clear of the troops, the driver kept too much on
one side of the narrow defile through which we passed: the consequence
was, that the waggon upset, and I was thrown out a considerable distance
down the precipice.' `And broke your nose,' interrupted I.
"`No, indeed, sir, I did not. I escaped with only a few contusions
about the region of the hip, which certainly lamed me for some time, and
made the jolting more disagreeable than ever. Well, the
_reconnoissance_ succeeded. Damremont was, however, wrong altogether.
I told him so when I met him; but he was an obstinate old fool, and his
answer was not as polite as it might have been, considering that at that
time I was a very pretty woman. We returned to the camp at Mzez Ammar;
a few days afterwards we were attacked by the Arabs, who showed great
spirit and determination in their desultory mode of warfare, which,
however, can make no impression on such troops as the French. The
attack was continued for three days, when they decamped as suddenly as
they had come. But this cannot be very interesting to you, monsieur.'
"`On the contrary, do not, I beg, leave out a single remark or
incident.'
"`You are very good. I presume you know how we _militaires_ like to
fight our battles over again. Well, sir, we remained in camp until the
arrival of the Duc de Nemours,--a handsome, fair lad, who smiled upon me
very graciously. On the 1st of October we set off on our expedition to
Constantine; that is to say, the advanced guard did, of which my
husband's company formed a portion. The weather, which had been very
fine, now changed, and it rained hard all the day. The whole road was
one mass of mud, and there was no end to delays and accidents. However,
the weather became fine again, and on the 5th we arrived within two
leagues of Constantine, when the Arabs attacked us, and I was very
nearly taken prisoner.'
"`Indeed?'
"`Yes; my husband, who, as I before observed to you, was very obstinate,
would have me ride on a _caisson_ in the rear; whereas I wished to be in
the advance, where my advice might have been useful. The charge of the
Arabs was very sudden; the three men who were with the _caisson_ were
sabred, and I was in the arms of a chieftain, who was wheeling round his
horse to make off with me when a ball took him in the neck, and he fell
with me. I disengaged myself, seized the horse by the bridle, and
prevented its escape; and I also took possession of the Arab's pistols
and scymitar.'
"`Indeed!'
"`My husband sold the horse the next day to one of our generals, who
forgot to pay for it after my husband was killed. As for the scymitar
and pistols, they were stolen from me that night: but what can you
expect?--our army is brave, but a little demoralised. The next day we
arrived before Constantine, and we had to defile before the enemy's
guns. At one portion of the road, men and horses were tumbled over by
their fire; the _caisson_ that I was riding upon was upset by a ball,
and thrown down the ravine, dragging the horses after it. I lay among
the horses' legs--they kicking furiously; it was a miracle that my life
was preserved: as it was--'
"`You broke your nose,' interrupted I.
"`No, sir, indeed I did not. I only received a kick on the arm, which
obliged me to carry it in a sling for some days. The weather became
very bad; we had few tents, and they were not able to resist the storms
of rain and wind. We wrapped ourselves up how we could, and sat in deep
pools of water, and the Arabs attacked us before we could open the fire
of our batteries; we were in such a pickle that, had the bad weather
lasted, we must have retreated; and happy would those have been who
could have once more found themselves safe in the camp of Mzez Ammar. I
don't think that I ever suffered so much as I did at that time--the
weather had even overcome the natural gallantry of our nation; and so
far from receiving any attention, the general remark to me was, "What
the devil do _you_ do here?" This to be said to a pretty woman!
"`It was not till the 10th that we could manage to open the fire of our
batteries. It was mud, mud, and mud again; the men and horses were
covered with mud up to their necks--the feathers of the staff were
covered with mud--every ball which was fired by the enemy sent up
showers of mud; even the face of the Duc de Nemours was disfigured with
it. I must say that our batteries were well situated, all except the
great mortar battery. This I pointed out to Damremont when he passed
me, and he was very savage. Great men don't like to be told of their
faults; however, he lost his life three days afterwards from not taking
my advice. He was going down the hill with Rhullieres when I said to
him, "Mon General, you expose yourself too much; that which is duty in a
subaltern is a fault in a general." He very politely told me to go to
where he may chance to be himself now; for a cannonball struck him a few
seconds afterwards, and he was killed on the spot. General Perregaux
was severely wounded almost at the same time. For four days the
fighting was awful; battery answered to battery night and day: while
from every quarter of the compass we were exposed to the fierce attacks
of the Arab cavalry. The commander of our army sent a flag of truce to
their town, commanding them to surrender: and, what do you think was the
reply?--"If you want powder, we'll supply you; if you are without bread,
we will send it to you: but as long as there is one good Mussulman left
alive, you do not enter the town."--Was not that grand? The very reply,
when made known to the troops, filled them with admiration of their
enemy, and they swore by their colours that if ever they overpowered
them they would give them no quarter.
"`In two days, General Vallee, to whom the command fell upon the death
of Damremont, considered the breach sufficiently wide for the assault,
and we every hour expected that the order would be given. It came at
last. My poor husband was in the second column which mounted. Strange
to say, he was very melancholy on that morning, and appeared to have a
presentiment of what was to take place. "Coralie," said he to me, as he
was scraping the mud off his trousers with his pocket-knife, "if I fall,
you will do well. I leave you as a legacy to General Vallee--he will
appreciate you. Do not forget to let him know my testamentary
dispositions."
"`I promised I would not. The drums beat. He kissed me on both cheeks.
"Go, my Philippe," said I; "go to glory." He did; for a mine was
sprung, and he with many others was blown to atoms. I had watched the
advance of the column and was able to distinguish the form of my dear
Philippe when the explosion with the vast column of smoke took place.
When it cleared away, I could see the wounded in every direction
hastening back; but my husband was not among them. In the mean time the
other columns entered the breach--the firing was awful, and the carnage
dreadful. It was more than an hour after the assault commenced before
the French tricolor waved upon the minarets of Constantine.
"`It was not until the next day that I could make up my mind to search
for my husband's body; but it was my duty. I climbed up the breach,
strewed with the corpses of our brave soldiers, intermingled with those
of the Arabs; but I could not find my husband. At last a head which had
been blown off attracted my attention. I examined it--it was my
Philippe's, blackened and burnt, and terribly disfigured: but who can
disguise the fragment of a husband from the keen eyes of the wife of his
bosom? I leaned over it. "My poor Philippe!" exclaimed I: and the
tears were bedewing my cheeks when I perceived the Duc de Nemours close
to me, with all his staff attending him. "What have we here?" said he
with surprise, to those about him. "A wife, looking for her husband's
body, mon prince," replied I. "I cannot find it; but here is his head."
He said something very complimentary and kind, and then walked on. I
continued my search without success, and determined to take up my
quarters in the town. As I clambered along, I gained a battered wall;
and, putting my foot on it it gave way with me, and I fell down several
feet. Stunned with the blow, I remained for some time insensible; when
I came to, I found--'
"`That you had broken your nose.'
"`No, indeed; I had sprained my ankle and hurt the cap of my knee, but
my nose was quite perfect. You must have a little patience yet.
"`What fragments of my husband were found, were buried in a large grave,
which held the bodies and the mutilated portions of the killed: and
having obtained possession of an apartment in Constantine, I remained
there several days, lamenting his fate. At last, it occurred to me that
his testamentary dispositions should be attended to, and I wrote to
General Vallee, informing him of the last wishes of my husband. His
reply was very short; it was, that he was excessively flattered,--but
press of business would not permit him to administer to the will. It
was not polite.
"`On the 26th I quitted Constantine with a convoy of wounded men. The
dysentery and the cholera made fearful ravages, and I very soon had a
_caisson_ all to myself. The rain again came on in torrents, and it was
a dreadful funeral procession. Every minute wretches, jolted to death,
were thrown down into pits by the road-side, and the cries of those who
survived were dreadful. Many died of cold and hunger; and after three
days we arrived at the camp of Mzez Ammar, with the loss of more than
one-half of our sufferers.
"`I took possession of one of the huts built of the boughs of the trees
which I formerly described, and had leisure to think over my future
plans and prospects. I was young and pretty, and hope did not desert
me. I had recovered my baggage, which I had left at the camp, and was
now able to attend to my toilet. The young officers who were in the
camp paid me great attention, and were constantly passing and repassing
to have a peep at the handsome widow, as they were pleased to call me:
and now comes the history of my misfortune.
"`The cabin built of boughs which I occupied was double; one portion was
fenced off from the other with a wattling of branches, which ran up
about seven feet, but not so high as the roof. In one apartment I was
located, the other was occupied by a young officer who paid me
attention, but who was not to my liking. I had been walking out in the
cool of the evening, and had returned, when I heard voices in the other
apartment. I entered softly and they did not perceive my approach; they
were talking about me, and I must say that the expressions were very
complimentary. At last one of the party observed, "Well, she is a
splendid woman, and a good soldier's wife. I hope to be a general
by-and-bye, and she would not disgrace a marshal's baton. I think I
shall propose to her before we leave the camp."
"`Now, sir, I did not recognise the speaker by his voice, and, flattered
by the remark, I was anxious to know who it could be who was thus
prepossessed in my favour. I thought that if I could climb up on the
back of the only chair which was in my apartment, I should be able to
see over the partition and satisfy my curiosity. I did so, and without
noise; and I was just putting my head over to take a survey of the
tenants of the other apartment when the chair tilted, and down I came on
the floor, and on my face. Unfortunately, I hit my nose upon the edge
of the frying-pan, with which my poor Philippe and I used to cook our
meat; and now, sir, you know how it was that I broke my nose.'
"`What a pity!' observed I.
"`Yes; a great pity. I had gone through the whole campaign without any
serious accident, and--But, after all, it was very natural: the two
besetting evils of women are Vanity and Curiosity, and if you were to
ascertain the truth, you would find that it is upon these two
stumbling-blocks that most women are upset and break their noses.'
"`Very true, madam,' replied I. `I thank you for your narrative, and
shall be most happy to be of any use to you. But I will detain you from
your rest no longer, so wish you a very good night.'"
"Well, colonel," said I, as he made a sudden stop, "what occurred after
that?"
"I took great care of her until we arrived in London, saw her safe to
the hotel in Leicester Square, and then took my leave. Whether Liston
replaced her nose, and she is now _flanee_-ing about Paris, as beautiful
as before her accident; or, whether his skill was useless to her, and
she is among the _Soeurs de Charite_, or in a convent, I cannot say: I
have never seen or heard of her since."
"Well, I know Liston, and I'll not forget to ask him about her the very
first time that I meet him. Will you have another cigar?"
"No, I thank you. I've finished my cigar, my bottle, and my story, and
so now good night!"