“My dear Hugh!” protested Mrs. Redacre from her sofa.
“And so Canrobert thinks it will blow over?” said Léon, who was another man now that he felt himself safe amongst his fellow-men. “That is hard on us, after calling us back from Marseilles just as we were going to embark. We made certain there was war in the wind when the order came to return. The colonel will be horribly disappointed; he was sure to get his command if war had been declared.”
“Well, my opinion is that it will be declared,” said the baron; “so cheer up and hope for the best.”
“If you go to war I don’t see how we are to keep out of it,” said Col. Redacre.
“That would be most unfortunate,” said M. de Kerbec. “I should have to leave France.”
“Why so? You are not a naturalized Englishman, are you?” said M. Léopold.
“Not exactly; but our property is in England; and besides, my wife hates living there. But of course I could not consider that; a man must overrule his wife and take her interests in hand, even against her will, when his judgment dictates. I invariably do so.”
“You poor creature!” thought Col. Redacre. “But I don’t contemplate our going to war with France,” he added aloud; “we should take sides with her against Austria—that is to say, if Prussia joined her—”
“Which she won’t,” said M. Léopold emphatically. “I have just been saying so to one of the ministers—I won’t name him, because what he said to me was confidential—”
“And what did he say?” inquired M. de Kerbec.