Part 17 (1/2)
”Citizens of Boulogne, awake!”
They had not slept, only some of the, worse indeed than any wakefulness
Within the houses, the wo for every sound, dreading every bit of nehich the wind h the small, open s
If one prisoner escaped, every fane would be deprived of the bread-winner Therefore the women wept, and tried to remember those Paters and Aves which the tyranny of liberty, fraternity and equality had ordered thelected corners, and knees stiff with endless, thankless toil were bent once more in prayer
”Oh God! Good God! Do not allow that woin! Mother of God! Make that she should not escape!”
Some of the women went out in the early dawn to take hot soup and coffee to theirbeen seen?”
”Have ye seen the woman?”
”Which room is she in?”
”Why won't they let us see her?”
”Are you sure she hath not already escaped?”
Questions and sur cans were passed round No one had a definite answer to give, although Desire Melun declared that he had, once during the night, caught sight of a woman's face at one of the s above: but as he could not describe the woree of precision the particular hich she was supposed to have appeared, it was unani
”Citizens of Boulogne, awake!”
The cry came first from the Town Hall, and therefore from behind the crowd of men and women, whose faces had been so resolutely set for all these past hours towards the Gayole prison
They were all awake! but too tired and cramped to move as yet, and to turn in the direction whence arose that cry
”Citizens of Boulogne, awake!”
It was just the voice of Auguste Moleux, the town-crier of Boulogne, who, bell in hand, was trudging his way along the Rue Dauuard
Auguste was in the very midst of the sullen crowd, before the men even troubled about his presence here, but noith orous ”Allons donc!” and ”Voyez-h the throng
He was neither tired nor cramped; he served the Republic in comfort and ease, and had slept soundly on his paillasse in the little garret allotted to him in the Town Hall
The crowd parted in silence, to allow hiuste was lean and powerful, the scanty and overn his fat He had very hard elbows, and soon he ateway of Gayole
”Voyons! enlevez- to the proclauard fell to and tore the parchment away from the door whilst the crowd looked on with stupid auste Moleux turned and faced the es! wake up! the government of the Republic has decreed that to-day is to be a day of gaiety and public rejoicings!”
”Gaiety? Public rejoicings forsooth, when the bread-winner of every family”
”Hush!+ Hush!+ Be silent, all of you,” quoth Auguste impatiently, ”you do not understand! All that is at an end There is no fear that the woman shall escape You are all to dance and rejoice The Scarlet Piht”
”Qui ca the Scarlet Pilish adventurer who rescued people frouillotine!”
”A hero? quoi?”
”No! no! only an English spy, a friend of aristocrats he would have cared nothing for the bread-winners of Boulogne”
”He would not have raised a finger to save thehed a fene to help theuste Moleux sententiously, ”and, reat is the pleasure of the all-powerful Committee of Public Safety at this capture, that because he has been caught in Boulogne, therefore Boulogne is to be specially rewarded!”
”Holy Virgin, who'd have thought it?”
”Sh Jeanette, dost not know that there's no Holy Virgin now?”
”And dost know, Auguste, hoe are to be rewarded?”
It is a difficult matter for the human mind to turn very quickly frorasped the fact that they were to hts of anxiety uste Moleux took out a parchment from the capacious pocket of his coat; he put on hiswith extended forefinger to the parchne who are under arrest at the present ne who are under sentence of death: perne to quit the toith their families, to embark on any vessel they please, in or out of the harbour, and to go whithersoever they choose, without passports, formalities or questions of any kind”
Dead silence followed this announce to crowd anxiety and sullenness out of the way
”Then poor Andre Legrand will be pardoned,” whispered a voice suddenly; ”he was to have been guillotined to-day”
”And Denise Latour! she was innocent enough, the gentle pigeon”
”And they'll let poor Abbe Foucquet out of prison too”
”And Francois!”
”And poor Felicite, who is blind!”