She listened without much comprehension of his meaning, and went sadly out of the place, and towards her mother's. As she reached the corner of Bayling Place, she was accosted by a tall stranger, who said in a gentlemanly voice, and raising his hat,

"I beg your pardon. Are you Mrs. Artish's daughter?" "Yes, sir," said Mary, surprised.

"She is an old friend of mine. Does she very much want the money which you have been trying to get at the pawnbroker's? I am not rich, but sooner than that woman should want, I would -never mind. Tell me, is she in any distress?"

He spoke so earnestly, and as one who did not wish to make many words before acting, that Mary felt she had a friend. She briefly explained her trouble, and the stranger listened with atten

tion.

"He is locked up for thirty-five pounds, you say?" said the stranger, thoughtfully.

"Yes, but we had five in the house, and mother has six, and we could manage the other four-if we had only the-the twenty," said Mary, in whose eyes the sum had become not lightly to be named, since the sad defeat of her teapot.

"It is strange," said the other. "I was in the shop with you, and had actually put down ten pounds to redeem some things of my own, when something suggested to me to hold the money. There is ten for you," he added, placing a note in her hand.

Oh, sir!" said Mary, her heart running over with thanks, "whom am I speaking to? Come in and see mother."

"No," said the stranger, sadly. "No, I should not be welcome; at any rate not yet. Promise me, as the only return for what I may do, that you will not mention to Mrs. Artish that you have seen me. I will tell you my name, of course; it is Russell; but not a word to your mother, until I desire it."

"Of course, sir," said little Mary, "you have a right to name your own terms; but if you think mother bears any old grudge against you, or anybody, I assure you-"

"Hush, hush! Not a word of it," said the other, impressively. "You revive recollections which had better be let alone. Your mother served me well, and I-but no matter. Time is precious. It is now nine o'clock, and if your husband is to be released tonight, we must be speedy. I have only another sovereign or two about me, but at home I have, I think, enough to make up the balance. Come on to my house at once, and I will give it you."

"How shall I ever thank you!" said poor Mary, exulting in the thought of her husband's liberation.

"Your mother shall thank me," said the stranger, "when the time comes. Here, cab!" he cried, as a vehicle crawled slowly along. The tired, hard-mouthed animal was incontinently tugged round, and the cab drew up by the lamp-post near which they stood. The stranger opened the door, handed the young wife in, and spoke to the driver in a low voice.

What caused Mary at that instant to look earnestly into her benefactor's face? What, as she did so, and noticed that he wore a large imperial, brought back the words, unheeded when spoken, of the familiar but well-meaning shopman? What instinctively told her, the next instant, that something was wrong? She sprang from the seat she had taken in the further corner of the vehicle to the door. One little foot was on the ground, as the stranger tried to prevent her coming out.

"Don't stop me, Mr. Russell," said the young wife, her meek little spirit now fairly in arms.

.

"I would n't, Mr. Russell, if I was you," said a male voice at his elbow. It was that of the young pawnbroker. “Would you, pleeceman B 150?"

"I should say not," said the officer in question, coming up on the other side. Mary stood aghast at the cab door, as the "situation" developed. The benevolent Mr. Russell saw that he was beaten, and had he been a prudent man would have bowed, paid the cabman, and disappeared. But a course of town revelry, pursued recklessly, weakens the judgment, and prevents the passions from being under the complete control which a wise man would desire. In his hasty wrath, the melodramatic stranger threw himself on guard, and I am sorry to say, that before the officer could interfere, the soi-disant Mr. Russell, with a very fierce curse, had delivered a smashing blow into the face of the pawnbroker, which sent him down at the foot of the lamp.

"Take that, and mind your own business in future," said Mr. Russell, with a savage laugh. The officer seized him by the

collar.

"Just the thing," said the policeman. "Wuss assault, more unprovoked, I never see. For you, m'm, I should say the sooner you went home the better. And as for you, cabby, cut it."

"But here is his money," said Mary, holding out the bank note at arm's length, as if afraid it would injure her; "take his money, pray do."

Money no object," said the officer, " especially when the notes comes out of the Bank of Elegance; curl your hair with it, m'm; he's got plenty more in his pocket, I dessay."

"I warned you against him," said the pawnbroker, sorrowfully picking himself up, and holding his hand over his astonished nose, "but I doubted you minded me, and I owed him a grudge. Don't forget your tea-pot."

And the plaintiff, the defendant, and the executive departed, leaving Mary to return, in no slight state of bewilderment, to her parent's first-floor front."

359

CAMPS AND MANEUVRES.

Ir is a difficult matter at the present time to penetrate into any French circle, caste, or class, or make oneself at home there. There is great distrust, great silence, a good deal of shame, and altogether, a foreigner finds himself shunned, and little spoken to, unless under very peculiar circumstances. Of all the classes in France, none keep to themselves more strictly and completely than the army. I believe they do so in all countries. Even in England, military officers have a kind of freemasonry amongst them, as effectual and exclusive as the freemasonry of other callings. In France this used not so much to be the case; but it has become so. And hence I found it a matter of extreme difficulty to get into an officer's tent or barraque, at the camp at Satory, so as to see a little more of the spirit of things, than could be seen from galloping across that wide plain at the tail of a battery. How I succeeded need not concern the reader; it being only necessary just to tell him that I made friends at Satory, fed and chatted with them, and found it amusing to accompany them to the expedition, which I see fills two columns of our journals-the military attack upon St. Germains.

I cannot boast of its being at all pleasant or in the least instructive: though seldom, perhaps, have such crowds been collected, or such numbers come to witness the manœuvres of war. First of all, the weather was exceedingly cold, which was not counteracted by any degree of excitement, caused by the operations. It was wisely done to break up the camp at Chobham early, and keep the regiments when camped a very limited time under canvas. For after all, what enables the soldier to bear such hardships, but novelty and excitement. When novelty disappears, and excitement subsides, he feels cold more keenly, ennui more heavily, and disease, which somehow or another respects a buoyant spirit, is sure to fix its fangs on a wearied or languid one. The operations against St. Germains were undertaken at the close of the season. Then the Emperor was not to be present; he always takes care to make some gratuity, and procure some comfort.

The order was given, however, and must be obeyed. Pots and pans were packed and forwarded; the required number of tentlets prepared, and despatched also by that most useful but despised portion of the army, the train. The most striking feature in the great reviews of Satory was the cavalry, of which very large bodies could at times be mustered, and which is now one of the most efficient arms in the French service. During the Bourbon reign, the cavalry were exceedingly ill horsed; no wonder, since Napoleon, in the Russian and other campaigns, had lost nearly 100,000 horses, of one kind or another. Even under Louis Philippe, when every thing like equippement was largely provided for, cavalry horses were not up to par. Bu

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Louis Napoleon's agents made very large and extensive purchases both in England and in Germany; so that no cavalry can at the present moment be better mounted than the French. No cavalry, however, were stationed in the camp of Satory. The long line of tents were occupied by infantry and artillery alone. The cavalry regiments were quartered in the vast barracks of Versailles. infantry at Satory used to complain that the cavalry were aristos; so well were they housed and cared for, and so seldom were they called forth to join in the fatigues and manœuvres of the camp. There is even more for cavalry to learn in encampment than infantry. But their camps are generally in fertile countries; such as the vicinity of St. Omers, or Luneville, where the plains of Artois, or Lorraine, afford deep pasturage for the horse, as well as ample field for their manœuvres.

The cavalry were lying snug in their barracks, whilst the artillery followed the high paved road to St. Germains, and the infantry marched through the woods of La Selle. Half-way between Versailles and St. Cloud is a beautiful park and splendid mansion, that of Beauregard, the property and title of which has been conferred on his friend, Mrs. Howard, by the Emperor. It is within a short distance of the ruined park of Marly, once famous as the abode of royalty. A far more beautiful, but more humble residence, is the villa of Louvecienne, on the declivity of the hills, as they drop down to the Seine. This was built by Louis XV., and given to Madame du Barry, who inhabited it as late as the year 1792, when she was torn from it in extreme old age to perish under the guillotine. The soldier knew nor cared nothing for such sites or reminiscences. The name and the spot that attracted his regard and respect was La Malmaison; along the domain-wall of which one of the divisions moved. It is surprising how wellread the French soldier is in everything relating to the Emperor. Fleury De Chaboulon is the popular source. They were well aware that the Emperor had returned to Malmaison, in 1815; Josephine, who inhabited it, having not long previously died. Here he was in appearance attended, but really guarded by officers in the pay of Fouché. And yet, whilst the Prussians were occupying St. Germains, and the English crossing the hills above Argenteuil, Napoleon had ideas of rallying the scattered French troops at Rueil, and in the valleys around, to make a last fight, and endeavour to retrieve, by some millitary miracle, his expiring fortunes. If so, it was remarked, he would have done precisely in reality, what the troops were about to accomplish in a sham fight. He would have moved through the wood of Vezinet, and surprised the Prussians in St. Germains. This was the only thought that gave life and spirit to the present plan of action, in which no soldier seemed otherwise interested. The park of Malmaison, it is known, was long since sold by the family of Prince Eugene, and cut up into villas and small partitions. The old house itself, and a certain quantity of the high forest that surrounded and surrounds it, were purchased by Queen Christina. She was there but the other day with her husband, and she keeps up the Malmaison in excellent order and repair.

The Seine, as it flows from Argenteuil, and strikes against the height of Bougival, forms almost an island, which is covered by the wood of Vezinet, and which contains the two villages of Chatou and Croissy. The attacking army was to enter this island by the bridge of Chatou, and bivouac in the wood, after having made preparations for throwing a bridge of pontoons over the river for their passage in the morning towards St. Germains. It was at first intended to throw this bridge over the river at Croissy, a league from St. Germains, and removed from its fire. This would have been the military way of proceeding. But it would not do as a fête. The passage of the river should take place early in the morning, and the advance on St. Germains be slow.

It was thought more advisable to establish the pontoon bridge nearly opposite St. Germains, and thus concentrate attack and defence, so that both could be seen at one glance by the crowd of visitors from the Great Terrace. As the troops descended on the Friday from the heights of Louvecienne to the road, that runs by Malmaison, they were met by Marshal Magnan, who had ridden from Paris with his staff, amidst which were some of the Bonaparte princes, and several foreign officers. There were two Austrians and a Russian, the former in light blue and white uniforms, the latter with dark blue, which left the wearer undistinguishable from the French officers around. Marshal Magnan is a tall, portly man, gigantic in limb and feature, the size of the latter being increased by the small kepi, or red cap, which he usually wears. He distinguished himself in Africa, where he must have attracted the same admiration that Kleber did, by his stalwart form. The operations of Friday were limited to a feint attack and defence of the bridge of Chatou, which the troops crossed to bivouac in the wood. The soldiers prepared their awnings, for, in truth, their great coat was their tent. The Marshal alone had a complete canvas dormitory.

I have often heard of the gaiety of Frenchmen in a bivouac, as I have heard of the extreme vivacity of the French in social converse. It has been my lot to observe a very great want of both. The French regiments at Vezinet went about their task of encampment with certainly less gaiety than prevailed at Chobham. There was far less good will in all they did, although it must be owned, there was more expertness. A camp is a dirty place, even when meat is brought to it ready killed, and with nothing save the pot to boil. What must it be in actual warfare, when the butcher's trade must be plied next door to the cook's, and almost at the same time? The men were more blackened by overlooking the soup pots than by the blazing of the powder.

M. Emile Pereire, Director of the railway, gave a grand dinner to the Marshal, his suite, his generals, and the strangers, in the Château of Croissy, which belongs to the Railway Company. Pereire is one of the celebrities of the day. Originally of the Jewish persuasion, and a writer in the "National" on the subject of Political Economy and Finance, he was placed at the head