As to
Clement, we were afraid of the servants noticing him, so Eustace had
locked him up in his own room, but he slept as little as any of us,
and when his breakfast was brought him, he had never touched his
supper. Certainly mine was the saddest bridegroom who ever stole
away to be married; but I could forgive him. Did I not know what it
was to be an exile, with one's heart torn for one's country's
disgrace?
The difficulty was to get rid of the real Jacques Pierrot, but he
gave us a little assistance in that way by coming crying to M. le
Baron, to ask permission to take leave of his mother in the Faubourg
St. Denis. This was readily granted to him, with strong insistence
that he should be back by eleven o'clock, whereas we intended to
start as soon as the gates were opened, namely, at six. Eustace had
some time before purchased four mules and a carriage. He was not fit
to ride in bad weather, and for me to have made a journey on
horseback would have attracted too much attention, but the times were
too uncertain for us to trust to posting, and mules, though slower
than horses, would go on longer without resting, and were less likely
to be seized by any army. I would take no maid-servant, as she would
only have added to our dangers.
We ate our hearts till seven, when we succeeded in getting the mules
to the door, and haste softened the parting for the moment. Indeed,
Eustace and Meg had said much to each other in the course of the
night.
Pages:
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454