wonderful things. No one
knew exactly what. According to what they said, everyone was to be
able to eat meat, seven days a week, to wear good clothes, and to
do just as much work as pleased him and no more. Even the fishermen
and sailors were fools enough to believe it.

"But there is a great change now. At first they approved of cutting off
the heads of those who, they were told, were the cause of all misery
and poverty; but when, every day, fresh prisoners were brought in, and
it was not the nobles only but quiet citizens--tradesmen, manufacturers,
doctors, and advocates--and every morning a score were carried out to be
guillotined, men began to change their opinion; especially when they
found that the more heads were cut off, the less work there was and the
poorer they became. They began to talk among themselves and, when it
came to executing women and children, as well as men, they turned round
altogether.

"More than once the fishermen and sailors have tried to rescue
prisoners on their way to execution. The commissioners of the
republic have been hooted in the streets and, if they had had arms
in their hands, our men would have turned the tables; but the town
is full of troops now and, worse than all, they have enrolled this
corps of volunteers, who are the terror of the place. They have
spies everywhere, and no one dares whisper a word against the
commissioners or the executions for, if but two or three men are
standing by, the chances are that one of them is a spy."

"But surely my brother might have prevented my father's arrest,
Brenon? He was one of the leading men at that Jacobin Club."

"He is still one of the leading men of the party," Brenon said
gloomily. "He is established in your father's house, now, and is on
the most intimate terms with the commissaries of the Convention."

"Is Monsieur Desailles still here? He was a young advocate, and a
member of the Jacobin Club."

"Yes, he is a member still: but he is not in good odour with the
extreme party. He is at the head of what they call the moderates.
They say that sometimes these try to defend accused persons, and
that is considered a terrible offence by the others. I should never
be surprised to hear that he himself, and those with him, have been
denounced as enemies of the state. This is an awful time, monsieur,
and Heaven only knows what we shall come to.

"Now, is there anything that I can do for you, captain? You know
well that you have but