The Emperor's glance slowly roved about the room.

The young captain met his look.

Instantly and instinctively his hand went up in salute, his lips framed the familiar phrase: "_Vive l'Empereur_! Yes, Sire, we can still die for you," he added in a low respectful voice, but with tremendous emphasis nevertheless.
He was a mere youth, apparently.

Napoleon looked at him approvingly, although some of the marshals, with clouded brows and indignant words of protest at such an outburst from so young a man, would have reproved him had not their great leader checked them with a gesture.
"Your name, sir," he said shortly to the young officer who had been guilty of such an amazing breach of military decorum.
"Marteau, Sire.

Jean Marteau, at the Emperor's service," answered the young soldier nervously, realizing what impropriety he had committed.
"It remains," said the Emperor, looking back at the marshals and their aides, "for a beardless boy to set an example of devotion in which Princes and Dukes of the Empire, Marshals of France, heroes of fifty pitched battles, fail." "We will die for you, Sire, for France, die with arms in our hands, if we had them, and on the field of battle," began impetuous Ney.
"If we don't starve first, Sire," said cautious Berthier gloomily.
"Starve!" exclaimed the Emperor.
"The army is without food," said Marmont bluntly.
"It is half naked and freezing," added Victor.
"Ammunition fails us," joined in Oudinot.
"We have no arms," added Mortier.
"Do you, then, advise that we abandon ourselves to the tender mercies of the allies ?" asked Napoleon bitterly.
"Messieurs, it is surely better to die hungry and naked and without arms for the Emperor than to consent to his dishonor, which is the dishonor of France," suddenly burst forth the young man at the door.
"How dare you," thundered the usually cool and collected Berthier angrily, "a mere boy, monsieur, assume to speak in the presence of the Emperor, to say nothing of these great captains ?" "May my life be forfeit, _Monsieur le Duc_," said the young soldier more boldly, since Napoleon had condoned his first remark, "if I have done wrong in assuring my Emperor that we would still die for him." "Of what regiment are you ?" said Napoleon, waving Berthier of the frowning face into silence.
"I belong to the fifth of the line, Sire." "He is in my corps, Sire," said Ney.