Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 2.djvu/216

 186 TRANSAUTIONR CHAf. XIT. et Amaud in the yire- sence of Ijord Strat- ford and Lord Baglan. meet liim at Lord Stratford's, and intimated that he had an important communication to make. It was arranged that the English Ambassador shouhi receive the Marshal alone, 'in order/ as Lord Stratford almost cruelly expressed it — 'in wards Lord Eaglan should join them. It jars upon one's love of fair strife to see Marshal St Aruaud brought in cold blood into the presence of the two men whom he ventured to encounter ; into the presence of Lord Stratford prepared and calmed by his foreknowledge of the intrigue — and of Lord Kaglan, roused by his sense of the danger which threatened the alliance. But the interview took place. The Marshal went to the English Embassy, and the operation of ' mak- ' ing his acquaintance ' was carried into full effect. Imagination may see the process — may see the light, agile Frenchman coming gaily into the room, content with himself, content with all the world, and charmed at first with the sea-blue depth of the eyes that lightened upon him from under the shadow of the Canning brow, but pres- ently beginning to understand the thin, tight, merciless lips of his host, and tlu'ii finding him- self cowed and pressed down by the majesty and the graciousness of the welcome ; for the welcome was such as the great I'^Uchi would be sure to give to one who (for im])evative reasons of State) was to be treated as his honoured guest, Ijut who was also a vain mortal, ]irctending to the command of the Ottoman army, and daring
 * order to make his acquaintance,' and that after-