CHAPTER XVII.
A VETERAN OF THE ARMY OF ITALY It was noon when Marteau presented himself before the house in which the Major of the first battalion, an old veteran named Lestoype, was quartered.
"Who shall I say wants to see him ?" asked the orderly before the door.
"A soldier of the Empire," was the bold answer, and it proved an open sesame to the astonished orderly.
Lestoype was writing at a table, but he looked up when Marteau came in.
He stared at him a moment and then rose to his feet.
"I report myself ready for duty, Major," said the young officer, saluting.
"Good God, is it Marteau!" exclaimed the Major.
"The same." "We thought you dead." Rapidly the young officer explained the situation.
"You see," he said in closing, "I survived the Eagle." "Ah, if we could only have got it back!" exclaimed the Major.
"It is back." "What do you mean ?" "It is here." "I don't understand." "Look," cried the officer, nervously tearing away the wrappings and holding up his precious burden.
The Major came to attention, his heels clicked together, his hand went up.

He stared at the Eagle.
"_Vive l'Empereur_," he said.
"_Vive l'Empereur_," answered the other, but both of them spoke in whispers, for there was no Emperor, and a mention of the name was treason to the King.
"It is the same ?" asked the Major, taking the precious emblem in his hand and pressing it to his heart.
"The very same." "But how ?" "The boy here and I marked the spot where it fell.

We took bearings, as a sailor would say; we took them independently, and when we had a chance to compare them we found that we agreed exactly.

When I was released from prison and discharged from the hospital as a convalescent, we went back to Arcis, to the bridge, to the river side.
The boy here is an expert swimmer.

The river was low.