第15章

"IhadbeenbroughtintocontactwithhimbyareportwhichoneofmyfriendsandIhaddrawnupontheopinionsofthepeopleoftheSouth,andofwhichhehadaskedtohaveacopy。Inalongconversationwithus,hediscussedthesubjectwiththeimpartialityofamanwhobringsanopenmindtoadebate,andheinvitedustocomeoftentoseehim。Weenjoyedourselvessomuchinhissocietythatwegotintothehabitofgoingtohishousenearlyeveryevening。

"OnhisarrivalintheSouthanoldcalumnywhichhadformerlypursuedhimagainmadeitsappearance,quiterejuvenatedbyitslongsleep。AwriterwhosenameIhaveforgotten,indescribingtheMassacresoftheSecondofSeptemberandthedeathoftheunfortunatePrincessedeLamballe,hadsaid,\'Somepeoplethoughttheyrecognisedinthemanwhocarriedherheadimpaledonapike,GeneralBruneindisguise,\'andthisaccusation;whichhadbeencaughtupwitheagernessundertheConsulate,stillfollowedhimsorelentlesslyin1815,thathardlyadaypassedwithouthisreceivingananonymousletter,threateninghimwiththesamefatewhichhadovertakentheprincess。Oneeveningwhilewewerewithhimsuchaletterarrived,andhavingreadithepasseditontous。Itwasasfollows:

"\'Wretch,——Weareacquaintedwithallyourcrimes,forwhichyouwillsoonreceivethechastisementyouwelldeserve。ItwasyouwhoduringtherevolutionbroughtaboutthedeathofthePrincessedeLamballe;itwasyouwhocarriedherheadonapike,butyourheadwillbeimpaledonsomethinglonger。IfyouaresorashastobepresentatthereviewoftheAlliesitisallupwithyou,andyourheadwillbestuckonthesteepleoftheAccoules。Farewell,SCOUNDREL！\'

"Weadvisedhimtotracethiscalumnytoitssource,andthentotakesignalvengeanceontheauthors。Hepausedaninstanttoreflect,andthenlittheletteratacandle,andlookingatitthoughtfullyasitturnedtoashesinhishand,said,——Vengeance！Yes,perhapsbyseekingthatIcouldsilencetheauthorsoftheseslandersandpreservethepublictranquillitywhichtheyconstantlyimperil。ButIpreferpersuasiontoseverity。Myprincipleis,thatitisbettertobringmen\'sheadsbacktoarightwayofthinkingthantocutthemoff,andtoberegardedasaweakmanratherthanasabloodthirstyone。\'

"TheessenceofMarshalBrune\'scharacterwascontainedinthesewords。

"PublictranquillitywasindeedtwiceendangeredatMarseillesduringtheHundredDays,andbothtimesinthesamemanner。Thegarrisonofficersusedtogatheratacoffee—houseintheplaceNecker,andsingsongssuggestedbypassingevents。Thiscausedanattackbythetownspeople,whobrokethewindowsbythrowingstones,someofwhichstrucktheofficers。Theserushedout,crying,\'Toarms！\'Thetownspeoplewerenotslowtorespond,butthecommandantorderedthe\'geneydle\'tobeat,sentoutnumerouspatrols,andsucceededincalmingtheexcitementandrestoringquietnesswithoutanycasualties。

"ThedayoftheChampduMaiordersforageneralilluminationweregiven,andthatthetricolourflagshouldbedisplayedfromthewindows。Thegreaternumberoftheinhabitantspaidnoattentiontothedesiresoftheauthorities,andtheofficersbeingannoyedatthisneglect,indulgedinreprehensibleexcesses,which,however,resultedinnothingmareseriousthansomebrokenwindowsbelongingtohouseswhichhadnotilluminated,andinsomeofthehouseholdersbeingforcedtoilluminateaccordingtoorder。

"InMarseillesasintherestofFrance,peoplebegantodespairofthesuccessoftheroyalcause,andthosewhorepresentedthiscause,whowereverynumerousatMarseilles,gaveupannoyingthemilitaryandseemedtoresignthemselvestotheirfate。MarshalBrunehadleftthecitytotakeuphispostonthefrontier,withoutanyofthedangerswithwhichhewasthreatenedhavingcomeacrosshispath。

"The25thofJunearrived,andthenewsofthesuccessesobtainedatFleurusandatLignyseemedtojustifythehopesofthesoldiers,when,inthemiddleoftheday,mutteredreportsbegantospreadinthetown,thedistantreverberationsofthecannonofWaterloo。Thesilenceoftheleaders,theuneasinessofthesoldiers,thedelightoftheRoyalists,foretoldtheoutbreakofanewstruggle,the,resultsofwhichitwaseasytoanticipate。Aboutfouro\'clockintheafternoon,aman,whohadprobablygotearlierinformationthanhisfellow—townspeople,toreoffhistricolouredcockadeandtrampleditunderfoot,crying,"Longlivetheking！"Theangrysoldiersseizedhimandwereabouttodraghimtotheguard—house,buttheNationalGuardspreventedthem,andtheirinterferenceledtoafight。Shoutswereheardonallsides,alargeringwasformedroundthesoldiers,afewmusketshotsheard,othersanswered,threeorfourmenfell,andlaytherewelteringintheirblood。Outofthisconfuseduproartheword"Waterloo"emergeddistinct;andwiththisunfamiliarnamepronouncedforthefirsttimeintheresoundingvoiceofhistory,thenewsofthedefeatoftheFrencharmyandthetriumphoftheAlliesspreadapace。ThenGeneralVerdier,whoheldthechiefcommandintheabsenceofMarshalBrune,triedtoharanguethepeople,buthisvoicewasdrownedbytheshoutsofthemobwhohadgatheredroundacoffee—housewherestoodabustoftheemperor,whichtheyinsistedshouldbegivenuptothem。Verdier,hopingtocalm,whathetooktobeasimplestreetrow,gaveordersthatthebustshouldbebroughtout,andthisconcession,sosignificantonthepartofageneralcommandingintheemperor\'sname,convincedthecrowdthathiscausewaslost。Thefuryofthepopulacegrewgreaternowthattheyfeltthattheycouldindulgeitwithimpunity;theyrantotheTownHall,andtearingdownandburningthetricoloured,raisedthewhiteflag。Therollofthegenerale,theclangofthetocsinwereheard,theneighbouringvillagespouredintheirpopulationsandincreasedthethronginthestreets;singleactsofviolencebegantooccur,wholesalemassacreswereapproaching。IhadarrivedinthetownwithmyfriendM____theverybeginningofthetumult,sowehadseenthedangerousagitationandexcitementgrowunderoureyes,butwewerestillignorantofitstruecause,when,intheruedeNoailles,wemetanacquaintance,who,althoughhispoliticalopinionsdidnotcoincidewithours,hadalwaysshownhimselfveryfriendlytous。\'Well,\'saidI,\'whatnews？\'\'Goodformeandbadforyou,\'heanswered;\'Iadviseyoutogoawayatonce。\'

Surprisedandsomewhatalarmedatthesewords,webeggedhimtoexplain。\'Listen,\'saidhe;\'therearegoingtoberiotsinthetown;itiswellknownthatyouusedtogotoBrune\'snearlyeveryevening,andthatyouareinconsequencenofavouritewithyourneighbours;seeksafetyinthecountry。\'Iaddressedsomefurtherquestiontohim,but,turninghisbackonme,heleftmewithoutanotherword。

"M_____andIwerestilllookingateachotherinstupefaction,whentheincreasinguproararousedustoasensethatifwedesiredtofollowtheadvicejustgivenwehadnotamomenttolose。Wehastenedtomyhouse,whichwassituatedintheAlleesdeMeilhan。Mywifewasjustgoingout,butIstoppedher。

"\'Wearenotsafehere,\'Isaid;\'wemustgetawayintothecountry。\'

"\'Butwherecanwego？\'

"\'Whereverlucktakesus。Letusstart。\'

"Shewasgoingtoputonherbonnet,butItoldhertoleaveitbehind;foritwasmostimportantthatnooneshouldthinkwesuspectedanything,butweremerelygoingforastroll。Thisprecautionsavedus,forwelearnedthenextdaythatifourintentiontoflyhadbeensuspectedweshouldhavebeenstopped。

"Wewalkedatrandom,whilebehindusweheardmusketshotsfromeverypartofthetown。Wemetacompanyofsoldierswhowerehurryingtothereliefoftheircomrades,butheardlaterthattheyhadnotbeenallowedtopassthegate。

"Werecollectedanoldofficerofouracquaintancewhohadquittedtheserviceandwithdrawnfromtheworldsomeyearsbefore,andhadtakenaplaceinthecountrynearthevillageofSaint—Just;wedirectedourcoursetowardshishouse。

"\'Captain,\'saidItohim,\'theyaremurderingeachotherinthetown,wearepursuedandwithoutasylum,sowecometoyou。\'\'That\'sright,mychildren,\'saidhe;\'comeinandwelcome。Ihavenevermeddledwithpoliticalaffairs,andnoonecanhaveanythingagainstme。Noonewillthinkoflookingforyouhere。\'

"Thecaptainhadfriendsinthetown,who,oneafteranother,reachedhishouse,andbroughtusnewsofallthatwentonduringthatdreadfulday。Manysoldiershadbeenkilled,andtheMamelukeshadbeenannihilated。Anegresswhohadbeenintheserviceoftheseunfortunateshadbeentakenonthequay。\'Cry"Longlivetheking！"\'

shoutedthemob。\'No,\'shereplied。\'ToNapoleonIowemydailybread;longliveNapoleon！\'Abayonet—thrustintheabdomenwastheanswer。\'Villains！\'saidshe,coveringthewoundwithherhandtokeepbacktheprotrudingentrails。\'LongliveNapoleon！\'Apushsentherintothewater;shesank,butroseagaintothesurface,andwavingherhand,shecriedforthelasttime,\'LongliveNapoleon！\'abulletshotputtinganendtoherlife。

"Severalofthetownspeoplehadmetwithshockingdeaths。Forinstance,M。Angles,aneighbourofmine,anoldmanandnoinconsiderablescholar,havingunfortunately,whenatthepalacesomedaysbefore,givenutterancebeforewitnessestothesentimentthatNapoleonwasagreatman,learnedthatforthiscrimehewasabouttobearrested。Yieldingtotheprayersofhisfamily,hedisguisedhimself,and,gettingintoawaggon,setofftoseeksafetyinthecountry。Hewas,however,recognisedandbroughtaprisonertotheplaceduChapitre,where,afterbeingbuffetedaboutandinsultedforanhourbythepopulace,hewasatlastmurdered。

"Itmayeasilybeimaginedthatalthoughnoonecametodisturbuswedidnotsleepmuchthatnight。Theladiesrestedonsofasorinarm—chairswithoutundressing,whileourhost,M_____andmyselftookturnsinguardingthedoor,guninhand。

"Assoonasitwaslightweconsultedwhatcourseweshouldtake:I

wasoftheopinionthatweoughttotrytoreachAixbyunfrequentedpaths;havingfriendsthere,weshouldbeabletoprocureacarriageandgettoNimes,wheremyfamilylived。Butmywifedidnotagreewithme。\'Imustgobacktotownforourthings,\'saidshe;\'wehavenoclothesbutthoseonourbacks。LetussendtothevillagetoaskifMarseillesisquieterto—daythanyesterday。\'Sowesentoffamessenger。

"Thenewshebroughtbackwasfavourable;orderwascompletelyrestored。Icouldnotquitebelievethis,andstillrefusedtoletmywifereturntothetownunlessIaccompaniedher。Butinthateveryonewasagainstme:mypresencewouldgiverisetodangerswhichwithoutmehadnoexistence。Wherewerethemiscreantscowardlyenoughtomurderawomanofeighteenwhobelongedtono—partyandhadneverinjuredanyone？Asforme,myopinionswerewellknown。

Moreover,mymother—in—lawofferedtoaccompanyherdaughter,andbothjoinedinpersuadingmethattherewasnodanger。AtlastIwasforcedtoconsent,butonlyononecondition。

"\'Icannotsay,\'Iobserved,\'whetherthereisanyfoundationforthereassuringtidingswehaveheard,butofonethingyoumaybesure:

itisnowseveno\'clockinthemorning,youcangettoMarseillesinanhour,packyourtrunksinanotherhour,andreturninathird;letusallowonehourmoreforunforeseendelays。Ifyouarenotbackbyeleveno\'clock,Ishallbelievesomethinghashappened,andtakestepsaccordingly。\'\'Verywell,\'saidmywife;\'ifIamnotbackbythen,youmaythinkmedead,anddowhateveryouthinkbest。\'Andsosheandhermotherleftme。

"Anhourlater,quitedifferentnewscametohand。Fugitives,seekinglikeourselvessafetyinthecountry,toldusthattherioting,farfromceasing,hadincreased;thestreetswereencumberedwithcorpses,andtwopeoplehadbeenmurderedwithunheard—ofcruelty。

"AnoldmannamedBessieres,whohadledasimpleandblamelesslife,andwhoseonlycrimewasthathehadservedundertheUsurper,anticipatingthatunderexistingcircumstancesthiswouldberegardedasacapitalcrime,madehiswill,whichwasafterwardsfoundamonghispapers。Itbeganwiththefollowingwords:

"\'AsitispossiblethatduringthisrevolutionImaymeetmydeath,asapartisanofNapoleon,althoughIhaveneverlovedhim,Igiveandbequeath,\'etc。,etc。

"Thedaybefore,hisbrother—in—law,knowinghehadprivateenemies,hadcometothehouseandspentthenighttryingtoinducehimtoflee,butallinvain。Butthenextmorning,hishousebeingattacked,heyielded,andtriedtoescapebythebackdoor。HewasstoppedbysomeoftheNationalGuard,andplacedhimselfundertheirprotection。

TheytookhimtotheCoursSt。Louis,where,beinghustledbythecrowdandveryineffectuallydefendedbytheGuards,hetriedtoentertheCaf？Mercantier,butthedoorwasshutinhisface。Beingbrokenbyfatigue,breathless,andcoveredwithdustandsweat,hethrewhimselfononeofthebenchesplacedagainstthewall,outsidethehouse。Herehewaswoundedbyamusketbullet,butnotkilled。

Atthesightofhisbloodshrieksofjoywereheard,andthenayoungmanwithapistolineachhandforcedhiswaythroughthethrongandkilledtheoldmanbytwoshotsfiredpointblankinhisface。

"Anotherstillmoreatrociousmurdertookplaceinthecourseofthesamemorning。Afatherandson,boundbacktoback,weredeliveredovertothetendermerciesofthemob。Stonedandbeatenandcoveredwitheachother\'sblood,fortwolonghourstheirdeath—agonyendured,andallthewhilethosewhocouldnotgetnearenoughtostrikeweredancingroundthem。

"Ourtimepassedlisteningtosuchstories;suddenlyIsawafriendrunningtowardsthehouse。Iwenttomeethim。HewassopalethatIhardlydaredtoquestionhim。Hecamefromthecity,andhadbeenatmyhousetoseewhathadbecomeofme。Therewasnooneinit,butacrossthedoorlaytwocorpseswrappedinablood—stainedsheetwhichhehadnotdaredtolift。

"Attheseterriblewordsnothingcouldholdmeback。IsetoffforMarseilles。M_____whowouldnotconsenttoletmereturnalone,accompaniedme。InpassingthroughthevillageofSaint—Justweencounteredacrowdofarmedpeasantsinthemainstreetwhoappearedtobelongtothefreecompanies。Althoughthiscircumstancewasratheralarming,itwouldhavebeendangeroustoturnback,sowecontinuedourwayasifwewerenotintheleastuneasy。Theyexaminedourbearingandourdressnarrowly,andthenexchangedsomesentencesinalow,voice,ofwhichweonlycaughtthewordaustaniers。ThiswasthenamebywhichtheBonapartistswerecalledbythepeasants,andmeans\'eatersofchestnuts,\'thisarticleoffoodbeingbroughtfromCorsicatoFrance。However,wewerenotmolestedinanyway,forasweweregoingtowardsthecitytheydidnotthinkwecouldbefugitives。Ahundredyardsbeyondthevillagewecameupwithacrowdofpeasants,whowere,likeus,onthewaytoMarseilles。Itwasplaintoseethattheyhadjustbeenpillagingsomecountryhouse,fortheywereladenwithrichstuffs,chandeliersandjewels。ItprovedtobethatofM。R____,inspectorofreviews。

Severalcarriedmuskets。Ipointedouttomycompanionastainofbloodonthetrousersofoneofthemen,whobegantolaughwhenhesawwhatwewerelookingat。TwohundredyardsoutsidethecityI

metawomanwhohadformerlybeenaservantinmyhouse。Shewasverymuchastonishedtoseeme,andsaid,\'Goawayatonce;themassacreishorrible,muchworsethanyesterday。\'

"\'Butmywife,\'Icried,\'doyouknowanythingabouther？\'

"\'No,sir,\'shereplied;\'Iwasgoingtoknockatthedoor,butsomepeopleaskedmeinathreateningmannerifIcouldtellthemwherethefriendofthatrascalBrinewas,astheyweregoingtotakeawayhisappetiteforbread。Sotakemyadvice,\'shecontinued,\'andgobacktowhereyoucamefrom。\'

"ThisadvicewasthelastIcouldmakeupmymindtofollow,sowewenton,butfoundastrongguardatthegate,andsawthatitwouldbeimpossibletogetthroughwithoutbeingrecognised。Atthesametime,thecriesandthereportsoffirearmsfromwithinwerecomingnearer;itwouldthereforehavebeentocourtcertaindeathtoadvance,soweretracedoursteps。InpassingagainthroughthevillageofSaint—Justwemetoncemoreourarmedpeasants。Butthistimetheyburstoutintothreatsonseeingus,shouting,\'Letuskillthem！Letuskillthem！\'Insteadofrunningaway,weapproachedthem,assuringthemthatwewereRoyalists。Ourcoolnesswassoconvincingthatwegotthroughsafeandsound。

"Ongettingbacktothecaptain\'sIthrewmyselfonthesofa,quiteovercomebythethoughtthatonlythatmorningmywifehadbeenbesidemeundermyprotection,andthatIhadlethergobacktothetowntoacruelandinevitabledeath。Ifeltasifmyheartwouldbreak,andnothingthatourhostandmyfriendcouldsaygavemetheslightestcomfort。Iwaslikeamadman,unconsciousofeverythingroundme。

"M_____wentouttotrytopickupsomenews,butinaninstantweheardhimrunningback,andhedashedintotheroom,callingout"\'Theyarecoming！Theretheyare！\'

"\'Whoarecoming？\'weasked。

"\'Theassassins！\'

"Myfirstfeeling,Iconfess,wasoneofjoy。Ipounceduponapairofdouble—barrelledpistols,resolvednottoletmyselfbeslaughteredlikeasheep。ThroughthewindowIcouldseesomemenclimbingoverthewallandgettingdownintothegarden。Wehadjustsufficienttimetoescapebyabackstaircasewhichledtoadoor,throughwhichwepassed,shuttingitbehindus。Wefoundourselvesonaroad,attheothersideofwhichwasavineyard。Wecrossedtheroadandcreptunderthevines,whichcompletelyconcealedus。

"Aswelearnedlater,thecaptain\'shousehadbeendenouncedasaBonapartistnest,andtheassassinshadhopedtotakeitbysurprise;

and,indeed,iftheyhadcomealittlesoonerwehadbeenlost,forbeforewehadbeenfiveminutesinourhiding—placethemurderersrushedoutontheroad,lookingforusineverydirection,withouttheslightestsuspicionthatwewerenotsixyardsdistant。ThoughtheydidnotseeusIcouldseethem,andIheldmypistolsreadycocked,quitedeterminedtokillthefirstwhocamenear。However,inashorttimetheywentaway。

"Assoonastheywereoutofhearingwebegantoconsideroursituationandweighourchances。Therewasnouseingoingbacktothecaptain\'s,forhewasnolongerthere,havingalsosucceededingettingaway。Ifweweretowanderaboutthecountryweshouldberecognisedasfugitives,andthefatethatawaitedusassuchwasatthatmomentbroughthometous,forafewyardsawaywesuddenlyheardtheshrieksofamanwhowasbeingmurdered。TheywerethefirstcriesofagonyIhadeverheard,andforafewmoments,I

confess,Iwasfrozenwithterror。Butsoonaviolentreactiontookplacewithinme,andIfeltthatitwouldbebettertomarchstraighttomeetperilthantoawaititscoming,andalthoughIknewthedangeroftryingtogothroughSaint—Justagain,Iresolvedtoriskit,andtogettoMarseillesatallcosts。So,turningtoM____,I

said:

"\'Youcanremainherewithoutdangeruntiltheevening,butIamgoingtoMarseillesatonce;forIcannotendurethisuncertaintyanylonger。IfIfindSaint—Justclear,Ishallcomebackandrejoinyou,butifnotIshallgetawayasbestIcanalone。\'

"Knowingthedangerthatwewererunning,andhowlittlechancetherewasthatweshouldeverseeeachotheragain,heheldouthishandtome,butIthrewmyselfintohisarmsandgavehimalastembrace。

"Istartedatonce:whenIreachedSaint—JustIfoundthefreebootersstillthere;soIwalkeduptothem,trollingamelody,butoneofthemseizedmebythecollarandtwootherstookaimatmewiththeirmuskets。

"IfeverinmylifeIshouted\'Longlivetheking！\'withlessenthusiasmthanthecrydeserves,itwasthen:toassumearollickingair,tolaughwithcoolcarelessnesswhenthereisnothingbetweenyouanddeathbutthemoreorlessstrongpressureofahighwayman\'sfingeronthetriggerofamusket,isnoeasytask;butallthisI

accomplished,andoncemoregotthroughthevillagewithawholeskinindeed,butwiththeunalterableresolutiontoblowmybrainsoutratherthanagaintrysuchanexperiment。

"HavingnowavillagebehindmewhichIhadvowednevertore—enter,andtherebeingnoroadavailablebywhichIcouldhopetogetroundMarseilles,theonlycourseopentomewastomakemywayintothecity。Atthatmomentthiswasathingofdifficulty,formanysmallbodiesoftroops,wearingthewhitecockade,infestedtheapproaches。

Isoonperceivedthatthedangerofgettinginwasasgreatasever,soIdeterminedtowalkupanddowntillnight,hopingthedarknesswouldcometomyaid;butoneofthepatrolssoongavemetounderstandthatmyprowlingabouthadarousedsuspicion,andorderedmeeithertogoontothecity,inwhichbyallaccountstherewassmallchanceofsafetyforme,orbacktothevillage;wherecertaindeathawaitedme。Ahappyinspirationflashedacrossmymind,I

wouldgetsomerefreshment,andseeinganinnnearby,Iwentinandorderedamugofbeer,sittingdownnearthewindow,faintlyhopingthatbeforethenecessityforafinaldecisionarrived,someonewhoknewmewouldpassby。Afterwaitinghalfanhour,Ididindeedseeanacquaintance——nootherthanM_____,whomIhadleftinthevineyard。Ibeckonedhim,andhejoinedme。Hetoldmethat,beingtooimpatienttoawaitmyreturn,hehadsoonmadeuphismindtofollowme,andbyjoiningabandofpillagerswasluckyenoughtogetsafelythroughSaint—Just。Weconsultedtogetherastowhatwehadbetterdonext,andhavingappliedtoourhost,foundhecouldsupplyuswithatrustymessenger,whowouldcarrythenewsofourwhereaboutstomybrother—in—law。Afterananxiouswaitofthreehours,wesawhimcoming。Iwasabouttorunouttomeethim,butM____heldmeback,pointingoutthedangerofsuchastep;sowesatstilloureyesfixedontheapproachingfigure。Butwhenmybrother—in—lawreachedtheinn,Icouldrestrainmyimpatiencenolonger,butrushingoutoftheroommethimonthestairs。

"\'Mywife？\'Icried。\'Haveyouseenmywife？\'

"\'Sheisatmyhouse,\'wasthereply,andwithacryofjoyIthrewmyselfintohisarms。

"Mywife,whohadbeenthreatened,insulted,androughlytreatedbecauseofmyopinions,hadindeedfoundsafetyatmybrother—in—law\'s。

"Nightwascomingon。Mybrother—in—law,whoworetheuniformoftheNationalGuard,whichwasatthatmomentasafeguard,tookuseachbyanarm,andwepassedthebarrierwithoutanyoneaskinguswhowewere。Choosingquietstreets,wereachedhishouseunmolested;butinfactthewholecitywasquiet,forthecarnagewaspracticallyatanend。

"Mywifesafe！thisthoughtfilledmyheartwithjoyalmosttoogreattobear。

"Heradventureswerethefollowing:

"Mywifeandhermotherhadgonetoourhouse,asagreedupon,topackourtrunks。Astheylefttheirrooms,havingaccomplishedtheirtask,theyfoundthelandladywaitingonthestaircase,whoatonceoverwhelmedmywifewithatorrentofabuse。

Thehusband,whountilthenhadknownnothingoftheirtenant\'sreturn,hearingthenoise,cameoutofhisroom,and,seizinghiswifebythearm,pulledherinandshutthedoor。She,however,rushedtothewindow,andjustasmywifeandhermotherreachedthestreet,shoutedtoafreebandwhowereonguardacrosstheway,\'Fire！theyareBonapartists！\'Fortunatelythemen,moremercifulthanthewoman,seeingtwoladiesquitealone,didnothindertheirpassage,andasjustthenmybrother—in—lawcameby,whoseopinionswerewellknownandwhoseuniformwasrespected,hewasallowedtotakethemunderhisprotectionandconductthemtohishouseinsafety。

"Ayoungman,employedatthePrefecture,whohadcalledatmyhousethedaybefore,IhavingpromisedtohelphimineditingtheJournaldesBouches—du—Rhone,wasnotsolucky。Hisoccupationandhisvisittomelaidhimundersuspicionofpossessingdangerousopinions,andhisfriendsurgedhimtofly;butitwastoolate。HewasattackedatthecorneroftheruedeNoailles,andfellwoundedbyastabfromadagger。Happily,however,heultimatelyrecovered。

"Thewholedaywaspassedinthecommissionofdeedsstillmorebloodythanthoseofthedaybefore;thesewersranblood,andeveryhundredyardsadeadbodywastobemet。Butthissight,insteadofsatiatingthethirstforbloodoftheassassins,onlyseemedtoawakenageneralfeelingofgaiety。Intheeveningthestreetsresoundedwithsongandroundelay,andformanyayeartocomethatwhichwelookedbackonas\'thedayofthemassacre\'livedinthememoryoftheRoyalistsas\'thedayofthefarce。\'

"Aswefeltwecouldnotliveanylongerinthemidstofsuchscenes,eventhough,asfaraswewereconcerned,alldangerwasover,wesetoutforNimesthatsameevening,havingbeenofferedtheuseofacarriage。

"NothingworthyofnotehappenedontheroadtoOrgon,whichwereachednextday;buttheisolateddetachmentsoftroopswhichwepassedfromtimetotimeremindedusthatthetranquillitywasnowhereperfect。Aswenearedthetownwesawthreemengoingaboutarminarm;thisfriendlinessseemedstrangetousafterourrecentexperiences,foroneofthemworeawhitecockade,thesecondatricolour,andthethirdnoneatall,andyettheywentaboutonthemostbrotherlyterms,eachawaitingunderadifferentbannertheoutcomeofevents。Theirwisdomimpressedmemuch,andfeelingIhadnothingtofearfromsuchphilosophers,Iwentuptothemandquestionedthem,andtheyexplainedtheirhopestomewiththegreatestinnocence,andaboveall,theirfirmdeterminationtobelongtowhateverpartygottheupperhand。AswedroveintoOrgonwesawataglancethatthewholetownwassimmeringwithexcitement。

Everybody\'sfaceexpressedanxiety。Amanwho,weweretold,wasthemayor,washaranguingagroup。Aseveryonewaslistening,withthegreatestattention,wedrewnearandaskedthemthecauseoftheexcitement。

"\'Gentlemen,\'saidhe,\'yououghttoknowthenews:thekingisinhiscapital,andwehaveoncemorehoistedthewhiteflag,andtherehasnotbeenasingledisputetomarthetranquillityoftheday;onepartyhastriumphedwithoutviolence,andtheotherhassubmittedwithresignation。ButIhavejustlearnedthatabandofvagabonds,numberingaboutthreehundred,haveassembledonthebridgeovertheDurance,andarepreparingtoraidourlittletownto—night,intendingbypillageorextortiontogetatwhatwepossess。IhaveafewgunsleftwhichIamabouttodistribute,andeachmanwillwatchoverthesafetyofall。\'

"Althoughhehadnotenougharmstogoround,heofferedtosupplyus,butasIhadmydouble—barrelledpistolsIdidnotdeprivehimofhisweapons。Imadetheladiesgotobed,and,sittingattheirdoor,triedtosleepaswellasIcould,apistolineachhand。Butateveryinstantthenoiseofafalsealarmsoundedthroughthetown,andwhendaydawnedmyonlyconsolationwasthatnooneelseinOrgonhadsleptanybetterthanI。

"ThenextdaywecontinuedourjourneytoTarascon,wherenewexcitementsawaitedus。Aswegotnearthetownweheardthetocsinclanginganddrumsbeatingthegenerale。Weweregettingsoaccustomedtotheuproarthatwewerenotverymuchastonished。

However,whenwegotinweaskedwhatwasgoingon,andweweretoldthattwelvethousandtroopsfromNimeshadmarchedonBeaucaireandlaiditwastewithfireandsword。Iinsinuatedthattwelvethousandmenwasratheralargenumberforonetowntofurnish,butwastoldthatthatincludedtroopsfromtheGardonninqueandtheCevennes。

Nimesstillclungtothetricolour,butBeaucairehadhoistedthewhiteflag,anditwasforthepurposeofpullingitdownandscatteringtheRoyalistswhowereassemblinginnumbersatBeaucairethatNimeshadsentforthhertroopsonthisexpedition。SeeingthatTarasconandBeaucaireareonlyseparatedbytheRhone,itstruckmeaspeculiarthatsuchquietshouldprevailononebank,whilesuchfierceconflictwasragingontheother。Ididnotdoubtthatsomethinghadhappened,butnotaneventofsuchgravityaswasreported。WethereforedecidedtopushontoBeaucaire,andwhenwegottherewefoundthetowninthemostperfectorder。Theexpeditionoftwelvethousandmenwasreducedtooneoftwohundred,whichhadbeeneasilyrepulsed,withtheresultthatoftheassailantsonehadbeenwoundedandonemadeprisoner。Proudofthissuccess,thepeopleofBeaucaireentrusteduswithathousandobjurgationstodelivertotheirinveterateenemiesthecitizensofNimes。