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the loss of so many thousands of lives。  But his phlegmatic



physiognomy lighted up when he spoke of his only wound; with



something resembling satisfaction。  You will see that there was



some reason for it when you learn that he was wounded in the



heel。  〃Like his Majesty the Emperor Napoleon himself;〃 he



reminded his hearers with assumed indifference。  There can be no



doubt that the indifference was assumed; if one thinks what very



distinguished sort of wound it was。  In all the history of



warfare there are; I believe; only three warriors publicly known



to have been wounded in the heelAchilles and Napoleondemi…



gods indeedto whom the familial piety of an unworthy descendant



adds the name of the simple mortal; Nicholas B。







The Hundred Days found Mr。 Nicholas B。 staying with a distant



relative of ours; owner of a small estate in Galicia。  How he got



there across the breadth of an armed Europe and after what



adventures I am afraid will never be known now。  All his papers



were destroyed shortly before his death; but if there was amongst



them; as he affirmed; a concise record of his life; then I am



pretty sure it did not take up more than a half…sheet of foolscap



or so。  This relative of ours happened to be an Austrian officer;



who had left the service after the battle of Austerlitz。  Unlike



Mr。 Nicholas B。; who concealed his decorations; he liked to



display his honourable discharge in which he was mentioned as



unschreckbar (fearless) before the enemy。  No conjunction could



seem more unpromising; yet it stands in the family tradition that



these two got on very well together in their rural solitude。







When asked whether he had not been sorely tempted during the



Hundred Days to make his way again to France and join the service



of his beloved Emperor; Mr。 Nicholas B。 used to mutter:  〃No



money。  No horse。  Too far to walk。〃







The fall of Napoleon and the ruin of national hopes affected



adversely the character of Mr。 Nicholas B。  He shrank from



returning to his province。  But for that there was also another



reason。  Mr。 Nicholas B。 and his brothermy maternal



grandfatherhad lost their father early; while they were quite



children。  Their mother; young still and left very well off;



married again a man of great charm and of an amiable disposition



but without a penny。  He turned out an affectionate and careful



stepfather; it was unfortunate though that while directing the



boys' education and forming their character by wise counsel he



did his best to get hold of the fortune by buying and selling



land in his own name and investing capital in such a manner as to



cover up the traces of the real ownership。  It seems that such



practices can be successful if one is charming enough to dazzle



one's own wife permanently and brave enough to defy the vain



terrors of public opinion。  The critical time came when the elder



of the boys on attaining his majority in the year 1811 asked for



the accounts and some part at least of the inheritance to begin



life upon。  It was then that the stepfather declared with calm



finality that there were no accounts to render and no property to



inherit。  The whole fortune was his very own。  He was very good…



natured about the young man's misapprehension of the true state



of affairs; but of course felt obliged to maintain his position



firmly。  Old friends came and went busily; voluntary mediators



appeared travelling on most horrible roads from the most distant



corners of the three provinces; and the Marshal of the Nobility



(ex…officio guardian of all well…born orphans) called a meeting



of landowners to 〃ascertain in a friendly way how the



misunderstanding between X and his stepsons had arisen and devise



proper measures to remove the same。〃  A deputation to that effect



visited X; who treated them to excellent wines; but absolutely



refused his ear to their remonstrances。  As to the proposals for



arbitration he simply laughed at them; yet the whole province



must have been aware that fourteen years before; when he married



the widow; all his visible fortune consisted (apart from his



social qualities) in a smart four…horse turn…out with two



servants; with whom he went about visiting from house to house;



and as to any funds he might have possessed at that time their



existence could only be inferred from the fact that he was very



punctual in settling his modest losses at cards。  But by the



magic power of stubborn and constant assertion; there were found



presently; here and there; people who mumbled that surely 〃there



must be something in it。〃  However; on his next name…day (which



he used to celebrate by a great three…days' shooting…party); of



all the invited crowd only two guests turned up; distant



neighbours of no importance; one notoriously a fool; and the



other a very pious and honest person but such a passionate lover



of the gun that on his own confession he could not have refused



an invitation to a shooting…party from the devil himself。  X met



this manifestation of public opinion with the serenity of an



unstained conscience。  He refused to be crushed。  Yet he must



have been a man of deep feeling; because; when his wife took



openly the part of her children; he lost his beautiful



tranquillity; proclaimed himself heart…broken and drove her out



of the house; neglecting in his grief to give her enough time to



pack her trunks。







This was the beginning of a lawsuit; an abominable marvel of



chicane; which by the use of every legal subterfuge was made to



last for many years。  It was also the occasion for a display of



much kindness and sympathy。  All the neighbouring houses flew



open for the reception of the homeless。  Neither legal aid nor



material assistance in the prosecution of the suit was ever



wanting。  X; on his side; went about shedding tears publicly over



his stepchildren's ingratitude and his wife's blind infatuation;



but as at the same time he displayed great cleverness in the art



of concealing material documents (he was even suspected of having



burnt a lot of historically interesting family papers); this



scandalous litigation had to be ended by a compromise lest worse



should befall。  It was settled finally by a surrender; out of the



disputed estate; in full satisfaction of all claims; of two



villages with the names of which I do not intend to trouble my



readers。  After this lame and impotent conclusion neither the



wife nor the stepsons had anything to say to the man who had



presented the world with such a successful example of self…help



based on character; determination and industry; and my great…



grandmother; her health completely broken down; died a couple of



years later in Carlsbad。  Legally secured by a decree in the



possession of his plunder; X regained his wonted serenity and



went on living in the neighbourhood in a comfortable style and in



apparent peace of mind。  His big shoots were fairly well attended



again。  He was never tired of assuring people that he bore no



grudge for what was past; he protested loudly of his constant



affection for his wife and stepchildren。  It was true he said



that they had tried their best to strip him as naked as a Turkish



saint in the decline of his days; and because he had defended



himself from spoliation; as anybody else in his place would have



done; they had abandoned him now to the horrors of a solitary old



age。  Nevertheless; his love for them survived these cruel blows。



And there might have been some truth in his protestations。  Very



soon he began to make overtures of friendship to his eldest



stepson; my maternal grandfather; and when these were



peremptorily rejected he went on renewing them again and again



with characteristic obstinacy。  For years he persisted in his



efforts at reconciliation; promising my grandfather to execute a



will in his favour if he only would be friends again to the



extent of calling now and then (it was fairly close neighbourhood



for these parts; forty miles or so); or even of putting in an



appearance for the great shoot on the name…day。  My grandfather



was an ardent lover of every sport。  His temperament was as free



from hardness and animosity as can be imagined。  Pupil of the



liberal…minded Benedictines who directed the only public school



of some standing then in the south; he had also read deeply the



authors of the eighteenth century。  In him Christian charity was



joined to a philosophical indulgence for the failings of huma

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