etween
being married, and trudging along under a knapsack and musket at
Lutzen!"

"I believe you, Mamma Gredel," I would answer.

Then she would sit down, with her hands on her knees, and say: "All
this comes from peace; peace makes everybody happy, and to think of
that mob of barefoot beggars who shout against the King!"

At first Mr. Goulden, who was at work, would say nothing, but when she
kept on he would say, "Come, Mother Gredel, a little moderation, you
know that opinion is free now, we have two chambers and constitution,
and each one has a voice."

"But it is also true," said aunt looking at me maliciously, "that one
must hold his tongue from time to time, and that shows a difference
too."

Mr. Goulden never went farther than this, for he looked upon aunt as a
good woman, but who was not worth the trouble of converting. He would
only laugh when she went too far, and matters went on without jarring
until something new happened. At first there was an order from Nancy
to compel the people to close all their shutters during service on
Sunday--Jews, Lutherans, and all. There was no more noise in the inns
and wine-shops, it was still as death in the city during mass and
vespers. The people said nothing, but looked at each other as if they
were afraid.

The first Sunday that our shutters were closed, Mr. Goulden seemed very
sad, and said, as we were dining in the dark, "I had hoped, my
children, that all this was over, and that people would have
common-sense, and that we should be tranquil for years, but unhappily I
see that these Bourbons are of the same race as Dagobert. Affairs are
growing serious."

He did not say anything else on this Sunday, and went out in the
afternoon to read the papers. Everybody who could read went, while the
peasants were at mass, to read the papers after shutting their shops.
The citizens and master-workmen then got in the habit of reading the
papers, and a little later they wanted a Casino. I remember that
everybody talked of Benjamin Constant and placed great confidence in
him. Mr. Goulden liked him very much, and as he was accustomed to go
every evening to Father Colin's, to read of what had taken place, we
also heard the news. He told us that the Duke d'Angouleme was at
Bordeaux, the Count d'Artois at Marseilles, they had promised this, and
they had said that.

Catherine was more curious than I, she liked to hear all the news there
was in the country, and when Mr.