The cure, finding that the "Momiers" did not cease to exist, next
adopted the expedient of preaching them down. On the occasion of the
Fete Napoleon, 1862, when the Rev. Mr. Freemantle visited Guillestre
for the purpose of being present at the Vaudois services on Sunday,
the 10th of August, the cure preached a special sermon to his
congregation at early morning mass, telling them that an Englishman
had come into the town with millions of francs to buy up the souls of
Guillestre, and warning them to abstain from such men.

The people were immediately filled with curiosity to know what it was
that this stranger had come all the way from England to do, backed by
"millions of francs." Many of them did not as yet know that there was
such a thing as a Vaudois church in Guillestre; but now that they did
know, they were desirous of ascertaining something about the doctrines
taught there. The consequence was, that a crowd of people--amongst
whom were some of the highest authorities in the town, the registrar,
the douaniers, the chief of a neighbouring commune, and persons of all
classes--assembled at noon to hear M. de Faye, the Protestant pastor,
who preached to them an excellent sermon under the trees of the
parsonage orchard, while a still larger number attended in the
afternoon.

When the cure heard of the conduct of his flock he was greatly
annoyed. "What did you hear from the heretics?" he asked of one of the
delinquents. "I heard _your_ sermon in the morning, and a sermon _upon
charity_ in the afternoon," was the reply.

Great were the surprise and excitement in Guillestre when it became
known that the principal sergeant of gendarmerie--the very embodiment
of law and order in the place--had gone over and joined the "Momiers"
with his wife and family. M. Laugier was quite a model gendarme. He
was a man of excellent character, steady, sensible, and patient, a
diligent self-improver, a reader of books, a botanist, and a bit of a
geologist. He knew all the rare mountain plants, and had a collection
of those that would bear transplantation, in his garden at the back of
the town. No man was more respected in Guillestre than the sergeant.
His long and faithful service entitled him to the _medaille
militaire_, and it would have been awarded to him, but for the
circumstance which came to light, and which he did not seek to
conceal, that he had joined the Protestant connexion. Not only was the
medal withheld, but influence was u