LVI

THE PATRIOTS

At midnight the full moon, silver-gilt, touched the house-fronts of the
Street of the Hanged Man. They lit the figure and slouched hat of Jude,
who, carrying a package, slunk up to the door of the Gougeon shop and
was admitted. The Big Bench were in session. The light of the tallow-dip
seemed to concentrate itself on the wicked smile of the Admiral as he
watched Jude opening the packages.

"Do you know who sent this, gentlemen?" the spy cried, enjoying the
importance of being the bearer of some surprise.

"We are not gentlemen, and we do not know," retorted Hache.

"It was a high personage, rowers--no less a personage than a prince--a
royal prince."

"What have _we_ to do with princes?"

"With the Duke of Orleans, much; rival to the throne, he is the friend
of the people."

"Ah, yes, the friend of the people, and he wants us for something. That
is a good contract," the Admiral interrupted. "Whose windpipe does he
want to cut, and what does he promise to pay for it?"

"Nothing so risky; only some shouting, and as for the pay, here,
Admiral, is the nose of the dog," and he handed him a full bag of coin.

The Admiral tore it open, and exhibited the metal to his greedy-eyed
subordinates. Hache grabbed at a couple of the coins, and joyfully
flipped them up to the ceiling.

"Now what does our friend the Duke of Orleans want? Our _friend_ the
Duke of Orleans, _gentlemen_," the Admiral added, smiling ironically.

"To wear these badges and shout for him," replied Jude, displaying the
contents of his parcel, a couple of dozen red woollen tuques.

"No objection," the Admiral answered; "no objection in the world, but
what is the object?"

"Well, Monsieur Admiral----"

"Shut up with your 'Monsieurs', spy," called Hache. "Do you want us
hunted for aristocrats?"

"Well, Citizen Admiral then, you know how things have been going since
last spring. In May there was the holding of States-General; in June the
National Assembly confront the nobles and swear never to disperse; in
July the Court menaces to suppress the Parisians by the army; on the
eleventh the people slaughtered by the Dragoons; on the fourteenth----"

"The Bastille taken--I was there."

Exultation lit the ring of faces.

"Ragmen, we have had good times since the 14th of July," said the
Admiral. "It is now becoming our turn. I always told you it was coming,
but I am going to give you better still. You are going to learn to love
t