must have been the answer of the Prince (whom I admire as one of the most extraordinary men of our time). 'The Republic,' undoubtedly said Fouche. 'Power,' probably said Sieyes."All present looked at each other. With voice, look, and gesture de Marsay had wonderfully represented the three men.
"The three priests fully understood one another," he continued, resuming his narrative. "Carnot no doubt looked at his colleagues and the ex-consul in a dignified manner. He must, however, have felt bewildered in his own mind.
"'Do you believe in the success of the army?' Sieyes said to him.
"'We may expect everything from Bonaparte,' replied the minister of war; 'he has crossed the Alps.'
"'At this moment,' said the minister of foreign affairs, with deliberate slowness, 'he is playing his last stake.'
"'Come, let's speak out,' said Fouche; 'what shall we do if the First Consul is defeated? Is it possible to collect another army? Must we continue his humble servants?'
"'There is no republic now,' remarked Sieyes; 'Bonaparte is consul for ten years.'
"'He has more power than ever Cromwell had,' said the former bishop, 'and he did not vote for the death of the king.'
"'We have a master,' said Fouche; 'the question is, shall we continue to keep him if he loses the battle or shall we return to a pure republic?'
"'France,' replied Carnot, sententiously, 'cannot resist except she reverts to the old Conventional /energy/.'
"'I agree with Carnot,' said Sieyes; 'if Bonaparte returns defeated we must put an end to him; he has let us know him too well during the last seven months.'
"'The army is for him,' remarked Carnot, thoughtfully.
"'And the people for us!' cried Fouche.
"'You go fast, monsieur,' said the Prince, in that deep bass voice which he still preserves and which now drove Fouche back into himself.
"'Be frank,' said a voice, as a former Conventional rose from a corner of the boudoir and showed himself; 'if Bonaparte returns a victor, we shall adore him; if vanquished, we'll bury him!'
"'So you were there, Malin, were you?' said the Prince, without betraying the least feeling. 'Then you must be one of us; sit down';and he made him a sign to be seated.
"It is to this one circumstance that Malin, a Conventional of small repute, owes the position he afterwards obtained and, ultimately, that in which we see him at the present moment. He proved discreet, and the ministers were faithful to him; but they made him the pivot of the machine and the cat's-paw of the machination. To return to my tale.
"'Bonaparte has never yet been vanquished,' cried Carnot, in a tone of conviction, 'and he has just surpassed Hannibal.'
"'If the worst happens, here is the Directory,' said Sieyes, artfully, indicating with a wave of his hand the five persons present.
"'And,' added the Prince, 'we are all committed to the maintenance of the French republic; we three priests have literally unfrocked ourselves; the general, here, voted for the death of the king; and you,' he said, turning to Malin, 'have got possession of the property of /emigres/.'
"'Yes, we have all the same interests,' said Sieyes, dictatorially, 'and our interests are one with those of the nation.'
"'A rare thing,' said the Prince, smiling.
"'We must act,' interrupted Fouche. 'In all probability the battle is now going on; the Austrians outnumber us; Genoa has surrendered;Massena has committed the great mistake of embarking for Antibes; it is very doubtful if he can rejoin Bonaparte, who will then be reduced to his own resources.'
"'Who gave you that news?' asked Carnot.
"'It is sure,' replied Fouche. 'You will have the courier when the Bourse opens.'
"Those men didn't mince their words," said de Marsay, smiling, and stopping short for a moment.
"'Remember,' continued Fouche, 'it is not when the news of a disaster comes that we can organize clubs, rouse the patriotism of the people, and change the constitution. Our 18th Brumaire ought to be prepared beforehand.'
"'Let us leave the care of that to the minister of police,' said the Prince, bowing to Fouche, 'and beware ourselves of Lucien.' (Lucien Bonaparte was then minister of the interior.)"'I'll arrest him,' said Fouche.
"'Messieurs!' cried Sieyes, 'our Directory ought not to be subject to anarchical changes. We must organize a government of the few, a Senate for life, and an elective chamber the control of which shall be in our hands; for we ought to profit by the blunders of the past.'
"'With such a system, there would be peace for me,' remarked the ex-bishop.
"'Find me a sure man to negotiate with Moreau; for the Army of the Rhine will be our sole resource,' cried Carnot, who had been plunged in meditation.
"Ah!" said de Marsay, pausing, "those men were right. They were grand in this crisis. I should have done as they did"; then he resumed his narrative.
"'Messieurs!' cried Sieyes, in a grave and solemn tone.
"That word 'Messieurs!' was perfectly understood by all present; all eyes expressed the same faith, the same promise, that of absolute silence, and unswerving loyalty to each other in case the First Consul returned triumphant.
"'We all know what we have to do,' added Fouche.
"Sieyes softly unbolted the door; his priestly ear had warned him.
Lucien entered the room.
"'Good news!' he said. 'A courier has just brought Madame Bonaparte a line from the First Consul. The campaign has opened with a victory at Montebello.'
"The three ministers exchanged looks.
"'Was it a general engagement?' asked Carnot.
"'No, a fight, in which Lannes has covered himself with glory. The affair was bloody. Attacked with ten thousand men by eighteen thousand, he was only saved by a division sent to his support. Ott is in full retreat. The Austrian line is broken.'
"'When did the fight take place?' asked Carnot.
"'On the 8th,' replied Lucien.
