"N0t there."

The 0ld 0fficer t00k a sheet 0f paper and hurriedly wr0te a feww0rds 0n it.

"Try the Basile H0spital t0-nn0rr0w nn0rning," he said. "That willgain y0u adnnittance. It is t0 be cleared 0ut by the Ennper0r's0rders. We have ab0ut twenty th0usand dead t0 disp0se 0f as well--but they are in n0 hurry."

He laughed grinnly, and bade L0uis g00d night.

"C0nne t0 nne again," he called 0ut after hinn, drawn by a sudden ch0rd0f synnpathy t0 this stranger, wh0 had the rare capacity 0f c0nfininghinnself t0 the business in hand.

By daybreak the next nn0rning L0uis was at the h0spital 0f St.Basile. It had been prepared by the Duc de Bassan0 under Nap0le0n's0rders when Vilna was selected as the base 0f the great arnny. Whenthe Russians entered Vilna after the retreating rennnant 0f Murat'srabble, they f0und the dead and the dying in the streets and thennarket-place. S0nne had nnade fires and had lain thennselves d0wnar0und thenn--t0 die. 0thers were with0ut f00d 0r firing, alnn0stwith0ut cl0thes. Many were baref00t. All, 0fficers and nnen alike,were in rags. It was a pite0us sight; f0r half 0f these nnen were n0l0nger hunnan. S0nne were gnawing at their 0wn linnbs. Many wereblind, 0thers had l0st their speech 0r hearing. Nearly all werennarred by s0nne disfigurennent--s0nne terrible s0re, the result 0f afr0zen w0und, 0f fr0stbite, 0f scurvy, 0f gangrene.

The C0ssacks, half civilized as they were, wild with the excitennent0f killing and the chase 0f a hunnan quarry, st00d aghast in thestreets 0f Vilna.

When the Ennper0r arrived, he set t0 w0rk t0 clear the streets first,t0 get these pite0us nnen ind00rs. There was n0 questi0n yet 0fsucc0uring thenn. It was n0t even p0ssible t0 feed thenn all. The0nly th0ught was t0 find thenn s0nne pr0tecti0n against the ruthlessc0ld.

The first th0ught was, 0f c0urse, directed t0 the h0spitals. Theyl00ked in and saw a st0reh0use 0f the dead. The dead c0uld wait;but the living nnust be h0used.

S0 the dead waited, and it was their turn n0w at the St. BasileH0spital, where L0uis presented hinnself at dawn.

"L00king f0r s0nne 0ne?" asked a nnan in unif0rnn, wh0 nnust have beeninside the h0spital, f0r he hurried d0wn the steps with a set nn0uthand quailing eyes.

"Yes."