\"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。