Part 24 (1/2)

”What! has he not told you of the famous thing he did, Madame Sorle?

Has he not told you that the national guard Moses, on patrol about nine o'clock at the Hospital bastion, discovered and then arrested a deserter in the very act! It is on Lieutenant Schnindret's affidavit!”

”But I was not alone,” I exclaimed in despair; ”there were four of us.”

”Bah! You discovered the track, you went down into the trenches, you carried the lantern! Father Moses, you must not try to make your good deed seem less; you are wrong. You are going to be named for corporal.

The court-martial will sit to-morrow at nine. Be easy, they will take care of your man!”

Imagine, Fritz, how I looked; Sorle, Zeffen, and the children looked at me, and I did not know what to say.

”Now I must go and change my clothes,” said the sergeant, shaking my hand. ”We will talk about it again, Father Moses. I always said that you would turn out well in the end.”

He gave a low laugh as was his custom, winking his eyes, and then went across the pa.s.sage into his room.

My wife was very pale.

”Is it true, Moses?” she asked after a minute.

”He! I did not know that he wanted to desert, Sorle,” I replied. ”And then the boy ought to have looked round on all sides; he ought to have gone down on the Hospital square, gone round the dunghills, and even into the lane to see if any one was coming; he brought it on himself; I did not know anything, I----”

But Sorle did not let me finish.

”Run quickly, Moses, to Burguet's!” she exclaimed; ”if this man is shot, his blood will be upon our children. Make haste, do not lose a minute.”

She raised her hands, and I went out, much troubled.

My only fear was that I should not find Burguet at home; fortunately, on opening his door, on the first floor of the old Cauchois house, I saw the tall barber Vesenaire shaving him, in the midst of the old books and papers which filled the room.

Burguet was sitting with the towel at his chin.

”Ah! It is you, Moses!” he exclaimed, in a glad tone. ”What gives me the pleasure of a visit from you?”

”I come to ask a favor of you, Burguet.”

”If it is for money,” said he, ”we shall have difficulty.”

He laughed, and his servant-woman, Marie Loriot, who heard us from the kitchen, opened the door, and thrust her red head-gear into the room, as she called out, ”I think that we shall have difficulty! We owe Vesenaire for three months' shaving; do not we, Vesenaire?”

She said this very seriously, and Burguet, instead of being angry, began to laugh. I have always fancied that a man of his talents had a sort of need of such an incarnation of human stupidity to laugh at, and help his digestion. He never was willing to dismiss this Marie Loriot.

In short, while Vesenaire kept on shaving him, I gave him an account of our patrol and the arrest of the deserter; and begged him to defend the poor fellow. I told him that he alone was able to save him, and restore peace, not only to my own mind, but to Sorle, Zeffen, and the whole family, for we were all in great distress, and we depended entirely upon him to help us.

”Ah! you take me at my weak point, Moses! If it is possible for me to save this man, I must try. But it will not be an easy matter. During the last fortnight, desertions have begun--the court-martial wishes to make an example. It is a bad business. You have money, Moses; give Vesenaire four sous to go and take a drop.”

I gave four sous to Vesenaire, who made a grand bow and went out.

Burguet finished dressing himself.

”Let us go and see!” said he, taking me by the arm.

And we went down together on our way to the mayoralty.