circled square. There, in that common-room of
the cafe, deserted at this hour of mid-afternoon, the great man came to
him. Less than a year ago he had yielded precedence to Andre-Louis in
a matter of delicate leadership; to-day he stood on the heights, one
of the great leaders of the Nation in travail, and Andre-Louis was deep
down in the shadows of the general mass.

The thought was in the minds of both as they scanned each other, each
noting in the other the marked change that a few months had wrought.
In Le Chapelier, Andre-Louis observed certain heightened refinements of
dress that went with certain subtler refinements of countenance. He was
thinner than of old, his face was pale and there was a weariness in the
eyes that considered his visitor through a gold-rimmed spy-glass. In
Andre-Louis those jaded but quick-moving eyes of the Breton deputy noted
changes even more marked. The almost constant swordmanship of these
last months had given Andre-Louis a grace of movement, a poise, and a
curious, indefinable air of dignity, of command. He seemed taller by
virtue of this, and he was dressed with an elegance which if quiet was
none the less rich. He wore a small silver-hilted sword, and wore it as
if used to it, and his black hair that Le Chapelier had never seen other
than fluttering lank about his bony cheeks was glossy now and gathered
into a club. Almost he had the air of a petit-maitre.

In both, however, the changes were purely superficial, as each was
soon to reveal to the other. Le Chapelier was ever the same direct and
downright Breton, abrupt of manner and of speech. He stood smiling a
moment in mingled surprise and pleasure; then opened wide his arms. They
embraced under the awe-stricken gaze of the waiter, who at once effaced
himself.

"Andre-Louis, my friend! Whence do you drop?"

"We drop from above. I come from below to survey at close quarters one
who is on the heights."

"On the heights! But that you willed it so, it is yourself might now be
standing in my place."

"I have a poor head for heights, and I find the atmosphere too rarefied.
Indeed, you look none too well on it yourself, Isaac. You are pale."

"The Assembly was in session all last night. That is all. These damned
Privileged multiply our difficulties. They will do so until we decree
their abolition."

They sat down. "Abolition! You contemplate so much? Not that you
surprise me. You have always been an extremist."

"I contemplate i