rned,
more excited and noisy than ever. Barricades were erected with wonderful
rapidity; two of those were on the boulevard close to the place where I
was. I saw a horseman suddenly bound over the first; he wore a tuft of
red-and-white feathers in his hat. I saw that it was a staff officer,
doubtless carrying some despatch to headquarters. He continued his way,
sabre in its sheath, head erect, proud and calm in the midst of insulting
shouts from the crowd; stones were thrown at him and sticks at his
horse's legs; he looked as if he were parading upon the Place du
Carrousel.

"When he reached the second barricade, he drew his horse up, as if it
were merely a question of jumping a hurdle in a steeplechase just then I
saw the window on the first floor open again. 'Ah! you old rascal!' I
exclaimed. The report of a gun drowned my voice; the horse which had just
made the leap, fell on his knees; the horseman tried to pull him up, but
after making one effort the animal fell over upon his side. The ball had
gone through the steed's head."

"It was that poor Fidele that I gave your husband," said Mademoiselle de
Corandeuil, who was always very sentimental in the choice of names she
gave to animals.

"He merited his name, Mademoiselle, for the poor beast died for his
master, for whom the shot was in tended. Several of those horrible faces,
which upon riot days suddenly appear as if they came out of the ground,
darted toward the unhorsed officer. I, and several other young men who
were as little disposed as myself to allow a defenceless man to be
slaughtered, ran toward him. I recognized Christian as I approached; his
right leg was caught under the horse, and he was trying to unsheath his
sword with his left hand. Sticks and stones were showered at him. I drew
out the sword, which his position prevented him from doing, and exclaimed
as I waved it in the air: 'The first rascal who advances, I will cut open
like a dog.'

"I accompanied these words with a flourish which kept the cannibals at a
distance for the time being.

"The young fellows who were with me followed my example. One took a
pickaxe, another seized the branch of a tree, while others tried to
release Christian from his horse. During this time the crowd increased
around us; the shouts redoubled: 'Down with the ordinances! These are
disguised gendarmes! Vive la liberte!--We must kill them! Let's hang the
spies to the lamp-posts!'

"Danger was imminent, and I reali