At midday the banker's agent, considering the day lost and the French army about to be annihilated, hastened to despatch the courier.

On receipt of that news Fouche was about to put into motion a whole army of bill-posters and cries, with a truck full of proclamations, when the second courier arrived with the news of the triumph which put all France beside itself with joy.

There were heavy losses at the Bourse, of course.

But the criers and posters who were gathered to announce the political death of Bonaparte and to post up the new proclamations were only kept waiting awhile till the news of the victory could be struck off! "Malin, on whom the whole responsibility of the plot of which he had been the working agent was likely to fall if it ever became known, was so terrified that he packed the proclamations and other papers in carts and took them down to Gondreville in the night-time, where no doubt they were hidden in the cellars of that chateau, which he had bought in the name of another man--who was it, by the bye?
he had him made chief-justice of an Imperial court--Ah! Marion.

Having thus disposed of these damning proofs he returned to Paris to congratulate the First Consul on his victory.