The Blockade of Phalsburg: An Episode of the End of the Empire Read online

  VII

  SERGEANT TRUBERT IN A NEW LIGHT

  You see, Fritz, what the common people had to endure in those days.Ah, well! just as we were performing extra service, while Monborne wascommanding me at the drilling, while Sergeant Trubert was down upon me,while we were hearing of domiciliary visits of inspection to ascertainwhat provisions the citizens had--in the midst of all this, my dozenpipes of spirits of wine were being slowly wheeled over the road.

  How I repented of having ordered them! How often I could have torn myhair as I thought that half my thirty years' gains were at the mercy ofcircumstances! How I prayed for the Emperor! How I ran every morningto the coffee-houses and ale-houses to learn the news, and how Itrembled as I read!

  Nobody knew what I suffered, not even Sorle, for I kept it all fromher. She was too keen-sighted not to perceive my anxiety, andsometimes she would say, "Come, Moses, have courage! All will comeright--patience a little longer!"

  But the rumors which came from Alsace, and German Lorraine, andHundsruck, quite upset me: "They are coming! They will not dare tocome! We are ready for them! They will take us by surprise! Peace isgoing to be made! They will pass by to-morrow! We shall have nofighting this winter! They can wait no longer! The Emperor is stillin Paris! Marshal Victor is at Huninguen! They are impressing thecustom-house officers, the forest-keepers, and the gendarmerie! SomeSpanish dragoons went down by Saverne yesterday! The mountaineers areto defend the Vosges! There will be fighting in Alsace!" etc., etc.Your head would have been turned, Fritz. In the morning the wind wouldblow one way and put you in good spirits; at night it would blowanother way and you would be miserable.

  And my spirits of wine were coming nearer and nearer, and at lastarrived, in the midst of this conflict of news, which might any dayturn into a conflict of bullets and shells. If it had not been for myother troubles I should have been beside myself. Fortunately, myindignation against Monborne and the other villains diverted my mind.

  We heard nothing more of Sergeant Trubert after the great dinner forthe remainder of that day, and the night following, as he was on guard;but the next morning, as I was getting up, behold, he came up thestairs, with his musket on his shoulder; he opened the door and beganto laugh, with his mustaches all white with frost. I had just put onmy pantaloons, and looked at him in astonishment. My wife was still inher room.

  "He! he! Father Moses," said he, in a good-natured voice, "it has beena dreadful cold night." He did not look or speak like the same person.

  "Yes, sergeant," I replied, "it is December, and that is what we mustexpect."

  "What we must expect," he repeated;--"all the more reason for taking adrop. Let us see, is there any more of that old cherry-brandy?"

  He looked, as he spoke, as if he could see through me. I got up atonce from my arm-chair, and ran to fetch the bottle: "Yes, yes,sergeant," I exclaimed, "there is more, drink and enjoy it."

  As I said this, his face, still a little hard, seemed to smile allover. He placed his gun in a corner, and, standing up, handed me theglass, saying, "Pour out, Father Moses, pour out!"

  I filled it brimful. As I did so, he laughed quietly. His yellow facepuckered up in hundreds of wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, andaround his cheeks and mustaches and chin. He did not laugh so as to beheard, but his eyes showed his good-humor.

  "Famous cherry-brandy this, in truth, Father Moses!" he said as hedrank it. "A body knows who has drank it in the Black Forest, where itcost nothing! Aren't you going to drink with me?"

  "With pleasure," I answered. And we drank together. He looked at meall the time. Suddenly he said, with a mischievous look, "Hey, FatherMoses, say, you were afraid of me yesterday?" He smiled as he spoke.

  "Oh--Sergeant----"

  "Come, come," said he, laying his hand upon my shoulder--"confess thatI frightened you."

  He smiled so pleasantly that I could not help saying: "Well, yes, alittle!"

  "He! he! he! I knew it very well," said he. "You had heard them say,'Sergeant Trubert is a tough one!' You were afraid, and you gave me adinner fit for a prince to coax me!"

  He laughed aloud, and I ended by laughing too. Sorle had heard all, inthe next room, and now came to the door and said, "Good-morning, Mr.Sergeant."

  He exclaimed, "Father Moses, here is what may be called a woman! Youcan boast of having a spirited woman, a sly woman, slyer than you are,Father Moses; he, he, he! That is as it should be--that is as itshould be!"

  Sorle was delighted.

  "Oh! Mr. Sergeant," said she, "can you really think so?"

  "Bah! bah!" he exclaimed. "You are a first-rate woman! I saw you whenI first came, and said to myself, 'Take heed, Trubert! They make afair pretence; it is a stratagem to send you to the hotel to sleep. Wewill let the enemy unmask his batteries!'

  "Ha! ha! ha! You are nice folks. You gave me a dinner fit for aMarshal of the Empire. Now, Father Moses, I invite myself to take asmall glass of cherry-brandy with you now and then. Put the bottleaside, by itself, it is excellent! And as for the rest, the room whichyou have given me is too handsome; I don't like such gewgaws; this finefurniture and these soft beds are good for women. What I want is asmall room, like that at the side, two good chairs, a pine table, aplain bed with a mattress, paillasse, and coverings, and five or sixnails in the wall for hanging my things. You just give me that!"

  "Since you wish it, Mr. Sergeant."

  "Yes, I wish it; the handsome room will be for state occasions."

  "You will breakfast with us?" asked my wife, well pleased.

  "I breakfast and dine at the cantine," replied the sergeant. "I dovery well there; and I don't want to have good people go to any expensefor me. When people respect an old soldier as he ought to berespected, when they treat him kindly, when they are likeyou,--Trubert, too, is what he ought to be."

  "But, Mr. Sergeant!" said Sorle.

  "Call me sergeant," said he, "I know you now. You are not like all therabble of the city; rascals who have been growing rich while we havebeen off fighting; wretches who do nothing but heap up money and growbig at the expense of the army, who live on us, who are indebted to usfor everything, and who send us to sleep in nests of vermin. Ah! athousand million thunders!"

  His face resumed its bad look; his mustaches shook with his anger, andI thought to myself, "What a good idea it was to treat him well!Sorle's ideas are always good!"

  But in a moment he relaxed, and laying his hand on my arm, he exclaimed:

  "To think that you are Jews! a kind of abominable race; everything thatis dirty and vile and niggardly! To think that you are Jews! It istrue, is it not, that you are Jews?"

  "Yes, sir," replied Sorle.

  "Well, upon my word, I am surprised to hear it," said he; "I have seenso many Jews, in Poland and Germany, that I thought to myself 'They aresending me to some Jews; they had better look out or I'll smasheverything.'"

  We kept silent in our mortification, and he added, "Come, we will sayno more about that. You are good, honest people; I should be sorry totrouble you. Your hand, Father Moses!"

  I gave him my hand.

  "I like you," said he. "Now, Madame Moses, the side room!"

  We showed him the small room that he asked for, and he went at once tofetch his knapsack from the other, saying as he went:

  "Now I am among honest people! We shall have no difficulty in gettingalong together. You do not trouble me, I do not trouble you; I come inand go out, by day or night; it is Sergeant Trubert, that is enough.And now and then, in the morning, we will take our little glass; it isagreed, is it not, Father Moses!"

  "Yes, sergeant."

  "And here is the key of the house," said Sorle.

  "Very well; everything is arranged; now I am going to take a nap;good-by, my friends."

  "I hope you will sleep well, sergeant." We went out at once, and heardhim lie down.

  "You see, Moses, you see," whispered my wife, in the alley, "it has allcome right
."

  "Yes," I replied, "all right, excellent; your plan was a good one; andnow, if the spirits of wine only come, we shall be happy."