The instability of earthly power, the putting down of the great, their exile and chastening, and their restoration in their own persons, or in the persons of their descendants--this was his subject.

He brought the application down to their own rude, simple life, then returned with it to a higher plane.
At last, as if the memories of France, "beloved and incomparable," overcame him, he dwelt upon the bitter glory of the Revolution.

Then, with a sudden flush, he spoke of Napoleon.

At that name the church became still, and the dullest habitant listened intently.

Napoleon was in the air--a curious sequence to the song that was sung on the night of Valmond's arrival, when a phrase was put in the mouths of the parish, which gave birth to a personal reality.