comically life is made up of trivialities! I remember once in Paris
going with a friend to take the oath of allegiance to the French
Republic."

"And did you take it?" cried Dupre eagerly.

"Alas, no! We met two other friends, and we all adjourned to a cafe
and had something to drink. I little thought that bottle of champagne
was going to cost me my life; for, of course, if I had taken the oath
of allegiance, my friend the French minister would have bombarded the
city before he would have allowed this execution to go on."

"Then you know to what you are condemned?" said the manager, with
tears in his eyes.

"Oh, I know that Balmaceda thinks he is going to have me shot; but
then he always was a fool, and never knew what he was talking about. I
told him if he would allow you two in at the execution, and instead of
ordering a whole squad to fire at me, order one expert marksman, if
he had such a thing in his whole army, who would shoot me through
the heart, that I would show you, Dupre, how a man dies under such
circumstances; but the villain refused. The usurper has no soul for
art, or for anything else, for that matter. I hope you two won't mind
my death. I assure you I don't mind it myself I would much rather be
shot than live in this confounded country any longer. But I have made
up my mind to cheat old Balmaceda if I can, and I want you, Dupre, to
pay particular attention, and not to interfere."

As Lemoine said this he quickly snatched from the sheath at the
soldier's side the bayonet which hung at his hip. The soldiers were
standing one to the right and one to the left of him, with their hands
interlaced over the muzzles of their guns, whose butts rested on the
stone floor. They apparently paid no attention to the conversation
that was going on, if they understood it, which was unlikely. Lemoine
had the bayonet in his hands before either of the four men present
knew what he was doing.

Grasping both hands over the butt of the bayonet, with the point
towards his breast, he thrust the blade with desperate energy nearly
through his body. The whole action was done so quickly that no one
realized what had happened until Lemoine threw his hands up and they
saw the bayonet sticking in his breast. A look of agony came in the
wounded man's eyes, and his lips whitened. He staggered against
the soldier at his right, who gave way with the impact, and then he
tottered against the whitewashed stone wall, his right arm sw