"Ah, that child of Montmartre!" he would say. "He will go far,
if he does not meet a shell too soon. He keeps a hand of steel on his
regiment, there is no discipline sterner than his, and yet his men love
him."
Bougainville showed pleasure at seeing John again, and gave him his hand
American fashion.
"We both still live," he said briefly.
"And hope for complete victory."
"We do," said Bougainville, earnestly, "but it will take all the
strength of the allied nations to achieve it. Much has happened,
Monsieur Scott, since we stood that day in the lantern of Basilique du
Sacre-Coeur on the Butte Montmartre and saw the Prussian cavalry riding
toward Paris."
"But what has happened is much less than that which will happen before
this war is over."
"You speak a great truth, Monsieur Scott. And now I must go. Hearing
that the Strangers were in this valley I wished to come and see with my
own eyes that you were alive and well. I have seen and I am glad."
He saluted, Captain Colton and the others saluted in return, and then he
walked over the hill to his own "children."
"An antique! An old Roman! Spirit defying death," said Captain Colton
looking after him.
"He has impressed me that way, too, sir," said John. But his mind
quickly left Bougainville, and turned to the message that Weber had
brought the night before.
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