n,
his taste is not very refined, any maudlin trash of prose or verse
appearing sublime to him, provided it correspond, in some degree, with
his own situation.

"Candid youth!" cried my unknown, "I love to hear thy innocent story and
look on thy guileless face. There is, alas! so much of the contrary in
this world, so much terror and crime and blood, that we who mingle with
it are only too glad to forget it. Would that we could shake off our
cares as men, and be boys, as thou art, again!"

Here my friend began to weep once more, and fondly shook my hand. I
blessed my stars that I had, at the very outset of my career, met with
one who was so likely to aid me. What a slanderous world it is,
thought I; the people in our village call these Republicans wicked and
bloody-minded; a lamb could not be more tender than this sentimental
bottle-nosed gentleman! The worthy man then gave me to understand that
he held a place under Government. I was busy in endeavoring to discover
what his situation might be, when the door of the next apartment opened,
and Schneider made his appearance.

At first he did not notice me, but he advanced to my new acquaintance,
and gave him, to my astonishment, something very like a blow.

"You drunken, talking fool," he said, "you are always after your time.
Fourteen people are cooling their heels yonder, waiting until you have
finished your beer and your sentiment!"

My friend slunk muttering out of the room.

"That fellow," said Schneider, turning to me, "is our public
executioner: a capital hand too if he would but keep decent time; but
the brute is always drunk, and blubbering over 'The Sorrows of Werter!'"

I know not whether it was his old friendship for my uncle, or my
proper merits, which won the heart of this the sternest ruffian of
Robespierre's crew; but certain it is, that he became strangely attached
to me, and kept me constantly about his person. As for the priesthood
and the Greek, they were of course very soon out of the question. The
Austrians were on our frontier; every day brought us accounts of
battles won; and the youth of Strasburg, and of all France, indeed, were
bursting with military ardor. As for me, I shared the general mania,
and speedily mounted a cockade as large as that of my friend, the
executioner.

The occupations of this worthy were unremitting. Saint Just, who had
come down from Paris to preside over our town, executed the laws and
the aristocrats with terr