I took particular notice of
his features and his demeanour, from the very first moment of
the surprise. Nothing happened but what I have described.
The man seemed fierce and reckless. The Emperor showed not
the faintest signs of discomposure. All he said was, turning
to my wife, 'Comme il avait l'air sournois, cet homme!' and
resumed the conversation at the point where it was
interrupted.
Before we had gone a hundred yards I looked back to see what
had become of the offender. He was in the hands of two GENS
D'ARMES, who had been invisible till then.
'Poor devil,' thought I, 'this spells dungeon for you.'
Now, with Kinglake's acrimonious charge of the Emperor's
personal cowardice running in my head, I felt that this
exhibition of SANG FROID, when taken completely unawares,
went far to refute the imputation. What happened later in
the day strongly confirmed this opinion.
After dark, about six o'clock, I took a stroll by myself
through the town of Compiegne. Coming home, when crossing
the bridge below the Palace, I met the Emperor arm-in-arm
with Walewski.
