secretary's presence.

Another long pause ensued. Bonaparte pacing the room once more with
rapid steps. Violent and impassioned feelings seemed to agitate his
breast; for his eyes became more lustrous, his cheeks were suffused
with an almost imperceptible blush, and he breathed heavily; as if
oppressed by the closeness of the room, and in want of fresh air,
for he stepped up to the window and opened it violently.

An expression of amazement escaped from his lips, for the landscape,
which yesterday was clad in the gorgeous hues of autumn, now offered
an entirely different aspect. Hoar-frost, dense and glittering,
covered the trees and the verdure of the meadows; and the Noric
Alps, which crowned the horizon with a majestic wreath, had adorned
themselves during the night with sparkling robes of snow and
brilliant diadems of ice.

Bonaparte looked at the unexpected spectacle long and thoughtfully.
"What a country!" He then whispered, "Snow and ice in the first part
of October! Very well! we must make peace!" [Footnote: Bonaparte's
own words. Bourrienne, vol. 1., p. 313.]

He closed the window and returned to the desk.

"Give me the army register," he said to Bourrienne, and took a seat
at his side.

Bourrienne laid the books and papers in succession before him, and
Bonaparte read and examined them with close attention.