"The General upstairs," said he, "is snatching a short repose after the
labours of the day. Would not tomorrow morning--early tomorrow
morning--"
"No," said Henri, advancing, and thrusting himself in at the open door,
"tomorrow morning will be too late; and I am sure your General is too
good a soldier to care for having his rest broken; tell me which is his
room, and I'll step up to him. You needn't mind introducing me." And as
he spoke he managed to pass by the baker, and ran up a few steps of the
creaking, tottering stairs.
The poor baker was very much annoyed at this proceeding; for, in the
first place, he had strict orders from his Commander to let no one up
into his room; and, in the next place, his own wife and three children
were in the opposite garret to that occupied by the Captain, and he was
very unwilling that their poverty should be exposed. He could not,
however, turn a Commander-in-Chief out of the house, nor could he
positively refuse to give him the information required; so he hallooed
out, "The top chamber to the right, General; the top chamber to the
right.
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