The new-comers proved to be a couple of the kitchen servants. They were
provided with a basket, in which they removed the fish selected by
Monsieur Lemaitre, taking them up and conveying them away without
vouchsafing to favour me with so much as a single word.
The time passed on without any one else appearing; a silence, as if of
the grave, prevailed in the building; and had it not been for the bugle-
calls in the adjacent barrack-yard, the shouts of command and the
measured tramp of the men at drill, together with the loud and frequent
boom of artillery from the walls, and the fainter echo of our own
ordnance in the distance, I might have supposed myself to be in a
deserted city.
At length the tramp of horses became audible outside; the sound
increased rapidly; and in another minute I became aware that a cavalcade
of some sort had approached the great door of the building; then there
came the sound of champing of bits, the clatter of accoutrements, the
jingle of spurs, and loud voices talking and laughing. Finally the
heavy latch of the door was turned, one leaf swung heavily back upon its
well-oiled hinges, and a group of some fourteen officers entered the
hall; among whom was one who I had no doubt was the general.
The majority of the officers merely glanced carelessly at me and passed
on; one of them, however, apparently a lieutenant, stopped and asked me
what I wanted.
I replied by telling him shortly the story I had arranged; adding that I
had been advised to come up and report myself to the general. When I
had finished he ordered me to follow him; and we made sail in the wake
of the others; passing through a door at the far end of the hall, which
led, not, as I had supposed, to a room, but to a long passage
terminating in a yard, in one side of which was an archway leading
through the building into the barrack-yard, and on the opposite side a
group of one-storey buildings, the first of which appeared to be a sort
of guard-room.
Entering this room, in which were some twenty men, who rose and saluted
my conductor as we passed, we continued on through it into another and
very large room, the tables in which were strewed with plans and
drawings.
Here we found a great many of the officers who had preceded us, engaged
in unbuckling their swords, etcetera, preparatory, as it seemed to me,
to sitting down to work upon some of the drawings which lay scattered
about.
Crossing this room also, followed by curious glances from many of its
occupants, we paused before a door, at which my guide tapped.
"_Entrez_," exclaimed a voice from the inside.
The lieutenant turned the handle, threw open the door, and passed into
the other apartment, signing to me to follow. I did so, and found
myself in a small but very comfortably furnished room, containing a
press full of papers, a case of books, half a dozen chairs, and a large
writing-table, at which the individual whom I had rightly taken to be
the general was just seating himself.
He was a man apparently between fifty and sixty years of age, a trifle
above medium height, thin and spare of body, with a bronzed complexion,
and grey hair and moustache, both cut quite short. His eyes were dark
and piercing; the expression of his features severe and cruel; and his
beauty--if he ever had any--was completely destroyed by a great ghastly
scar which reached from the outer corner of his right eyebrow to his
chin, splitting both the upper and under lip in its course.
"Well, Saint Croix; what now?" exclaimed he sharply, as we entered.
"I have taken the liberty of introducing this man to you at once, sir,"
said my guide. "He informs me that he is an escaped prisoner from the
English fleet; and that in accordance with advice received, he wishes,
as a stranger in the town, to report himself to you and to be duly
registered."
"Call Montrouge here."
The lieutenant retired into the adjoining room, and presently
reappeared, accompanied by another officer; the general, meanwhile,
taking no notice whatever of me, but busying himself in searching among
a large bundle of papers which lay on the table.
On the entrance of the two officers, their surly senior looked fiercely
at the new-comer, and pointing to the opposite side of the table said,--
"Sit down there; take paper; and note down what this fellow has to say
for himself."
Then turning angrily to me, he ordered me to proceed.
I told my story; stopping at intervals, when desired, in order that the
officer who was taking it down might properly follow me. When I had
finished, the officer called Montrouge was ordered to read over to me
what he had written; and at the close I was asked by the general if that
was a correct transcription of my story.