As for me, I stood quietly beside Roustem at the door, and
he took not the slightest notice of my presence.
'Well,' he cried presently, 'is it ready, de Meneval? We have something
more to do.'
The secretary half turned in his chair, and his face was more agitated
than ever.
'If it please you, Sire--' he stammered.
'Well, well, what is the matter now?'
'If it please you, Sire, I find some little difficulty in reading what
you have written.'
'Tut, tut, sir. You see what the report is about.'
'Yes, Sire, it is about forage for the cavalry horses.'
Napoleon smiled, and the action made his face look quite boyish.
'You remind me of Cambaceres, de Meneval. When I wrote him an account
of the battle of Marengo, he thought that my letter was a rough plan of
the engagement. It is incredible how much difficulty you appear to have
in reading what I write. This document has nothing to do with cavalry
horses, but it contains the instructions to Admiral Villeneuve as to the
concentration of his fleet so as to obtain command of the Channel.
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