In the Reign of Terror: The Adventures of a Westminster Boy Read online

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  IN THE REIGN OF TERROR

  The Adventures of a Westminster Boy.

  by

  G. A. Henty

  PREFACE.

  MY DEAR LADS,

  This time only a few words are needed, for the story speaks foritself. My object has been rather to tell you a tale of interestthan to impart historical knowledge, for the facts of the dreadfultime when "the terror" reigned supreme in France are well known toall educated lads. I need only say that such historical allusions asare necessary for the sequence of the story will be found correct,except that the Noyades at Nantes did not take place until a somewhatlater period than is here assigned to them.

  Yours sincerely,

  G.A. HENTY.

  CONTENTS

  I A Journey to France II A Mad Dog III The Demon Wolf IV The Clouds Gather V The Outburst VI An Anxious Time VII The 2d of September VIII Marie Arrested IX Robespierre X Free XI Marie and Victor XII Nantes XIII In the Hands of the Reds XIV The Noyades XV England

  CHAPTER I

  A Journey to France

  "I don't know what to say, my dear."

  "Why, surely, James, you are not thinking for a moment of lettinghim go?"

  "Well, I don't know. Yes, I am certainly thinking of it, though Ihaven't at all made up my mind. There are advantages and disadvantages."

  "Oh, but it is such a long way, and to live among those French people,who have been doing such dreadful things, attacking the Bastille,and, as I have heard you say, passing all sorts of revolutionarylaws, and holding their king and queen almost as prisoners inParis!"

  "Well, they won't eat him, my dear. The French Assembly, or theNational Assembly, or whatever it ought to be called, has certainlybeen passing laws limiting the power of the king and abolishingmany of the rights and privileges of the nobility and clergy; butyou must remember that the condition of the vast body of the Frenchnation has been terrible. We have long conquered our liberties,and, indeed, never even in the height of the feudal system were themass of the English people more enslaved as have been the peasantsof France.

  "We must not be surprised, therefore, if in their newly-recoveredfreedom they push matters to an excess at first; but all this willright itself, and no doubt a constitutional form of government,somewhat similar to our own, will be established. But all this isno reason against Harry's going out there. You don't suppose thatthe French people are going to fly at the throats of the nobility.Why, even in the heat of the civil war here there was no instanceof any personal wrong being done to the families of those engagedin the struggle, and in only two or three cases, after repeatedrisings, were any even of the leaders executed.

  "No; Harry will be just as safe there as he would be here. As tothe distance, it's nothing like so far as if he went to India, forexample. I don't see any great chance of his setting the Thameson fire at home. His school report is always the same--'Conductfair; progress in study moderate'--which means, as I take it, thathe just scrapes along. That's it, isn't it, Harry?"

  "Yes, father, I think so. You see every one cannot be at the topof the form."

  "That's a very true observation, my boy. It is clear that if thereare twenty boys in a class, nineteen fathers have to be disappointed.Still, of course, one would like to be the father who is notdisappointed."

  "I stick to my work," the boy said; "but there are always fellowswho seem to know just the right words without taking any troubleabout it. It comes to them, I suppose."

  "What do you say to this idea yourself, Harry?"

  "I don't know, sir," the boy said doubtfully.

  "And I don't know," his father agreed. "At anyrate we will sleepupon it. I am clear that the offer is not to be lightly rejected."

  Dr. Sandwith was a doctor in Chelsea. Chelsea in the year 1790was a very different place to Chelsea of the present day. It was apretty suburban hamlet, and was indeed a very fashionable quarter.Here many of the nobility and personages connected with the courthad their houses, and broad country fields and lanes separated itfrom the stir and din of London. Dr. Sandwith had a good practice,but he had also a large family. Harry was at Westminster, goingbackwards and forwards across the fields to school. So far he hadevinced no predilection for any special career. He was a sturdy,well-built lad of some sixteen years old. He was, as his fathersaid, not likely to set the Thames on fire in any way. He was asundistinguished in the various sports popular among boys in thosedays as he was in his lessons. He was as good as the average, butno better; had fought some tough fights with boys of his own age,and had shown endurance rather than brilliancy.

  In the ordinary course of things he would probably in three or fouryears' time have chosen some profession; and, indeed, his fatherhad already settled in his mind that as Harry was not likely tomake any great figure in life in the way of intellectual capacity,the best thing would be to obtain for him a commission in hisMajesty's service, as to which, with the doctor's connection amongpeople of influence, there would not be any difficulty. He had,however, said nothing as yet to the boy on the subject.

  The fact that Harry had three younger brothers and four sisters,and that Dr. Sandwith, who was obliged to keep up a good position,sometimes found it difficult to meet his various expenses, madehim perhaps more inclined to view favourably the offer he hadthat morning received than would otherwise have been the case. Twoyears before he had attended professionally a young French noblemanattached to the embassy. It was from him that the letter whichhad been the subject of conversation had been received. It ran asfollows:

  "Dear Doctor Sandwith,--Since my return from ParisI have frequently spoken to my brother, the Marquis of St. Caux,respecting the difference of education between your English boysand our own. Nothing struck me more when I was in London than yourgreat schools. With us the children of good families are almostalways brought up at home. They learn to dance and to fence, buthave no other exercise for their limbs, and they lack the air ofmanly independence which struck me in English boys. They are moregentil--I do not know the word in your language which expressesit--they carry themselves better; they are not so rough; they aremore polite. There are advantages in both systems, but for myself Ilike yours much the best. My brother is, to some extent, a convertto my view. There are no such schools to which he could send his sonsin France, for what large schools we have are under the managementof the fathers, and the boys have none of that freedom which isthe distinguishing point of the English system of education. Evenif there were such schools, I am sure that madame my sister-in-lawwould never hear of her sons being sent there.

  "Since this is so, the marquis has concluded that the best thingwould be to have an English boy of good family as their companion.He would, of course, study with them under their masters. He wouldplay and ride with them, and would be treated as one of themselves.They would learn something of English from him, which wouldbe useful if they adopt the diplomatic profession. He would learnFrench, which might also be useful to him; but of course the greatpoint which my brother desires is that his sons should acquiresomething of the manly independence of thought and action whichdistinguishes English boys.

  "Having arranged this much, I thought of you. I know that you haveseveral sons. If you have one of from fourteen to sixteen years,and you would like him to take such a position for two or threeyears, I should be glad indeed to secure such a companion for mynephews. If not, would you do me the favour of looking round amongyour acquaintances and find us a lad such as we need. He must
bea gentleman and a fair type of the boy we are speaking of. I maysay that my brother authorizes me to offer in his name, in additionto all expenses, two thousand francs a year to the young gentlemanwho will thus benefit his sons. I do not think that the politicalexcitement which is agitating Paris need be taken into consideration.Now that great concessions have been made to the representativesof the nation, it is not at all probable that there will be anyrecurrence of such popular tumults as that which brought about thecapture of the Bastille. But in any case this need not weigh inthe decision, as my brother resides for the greater part of theyear in his chateau near Dijon in Burgundy, far removed from thetroubles in the capital."

  The more Dr. Sandwith thought over the matter the more he liked it.There were comparatively few Englishmen in those days who spoke theFrench language. It was, indeed, considered part of the educationof a young man of good family to make what was called the grandtour of Europe under the charge of a tutor, after leaving theuniversity. But these formed a very small proportion of society,and, indeed, the frequent wars which had, since the Stuarts lost thethrone of England, occurred between the two countries had greatlyinterfered with continental travel.

  Even now the subjects of France and England were engaged in adesperate struggle in India, although there was peace between thecourts of Versailles and St. James's. A knowledge of the Frenchlanguage then would be likely to be of great utility to Harry ifhe entered the army; his expenses at Westminster would be saved,and the two hundred and forty pounds which he would acquire duringhis three years' stay in France would be very useful to him onhis first start in life. After breakfast next morning Dr. Sandwithasked Harry to take a turn in the garden with him, for the holidayshad just begun.

  "What do you think of this, Harry?"

  "I have not thought much about it one way or the other, sir,"Harry said, looking up with a smile. "It seemed to me better thatyou should do the thinking for both of us."

  "I might perhaps be better able to judge whether it wouldbe advantageous or otherwise for you to accept the offer, but youmust be the best judge as to whether you would like to accept itor not."

  "I can't quite make up my mind as to that, sir. I like school verymuch and I like being at home. I don't want to learn Frenchifiedways, nor to eat frogs and snails and all sorts of nastiness;still, it would be fun going to a place so different to England,and hearing no English spoken, and learning all their rum ways,and getting to jabber French."

  "It might be very useful to you in the army, Harry;" and then thedoctor stopped suddenly.

  "The army!" Harry exclaimed in a tone of astonished delight. "Oh,sir, do you really think of my going into the army? You never saida word about that before. I should like that immensely."

  "That slipped out, Harry, for I did not mean to say anything aboutit until you had left school; still, if you go to France I do notknow why you should not keep that before you. I don't think the armyis a very good profession, but you do not seem to have any markedtalent for anything else. You don't like the idea of medicine orthe church, and you were almost heart-broken when I wanted you toaccept the offer of your uncle John of a seat in his counting-house.It seems to me that the army would suit you better than anythingelse, and I have no doubt that I could get you a commission. Now,whenever we fight France is sure to be on the other side, and Ithink that it would be of great advantage to you to have a thoroughknowledge of French--a thing which very few officers in our armypossess. If you accept this offer you will have the opportunity ofattaining this, and at the same time of earning a nice little sumwhich would pay for your outfit and supply you with pocket-moneyfor some time."

  "Yes, sir, it would be first rate!" Harry exclaimed excitedly. "Oh,please, accept the offer; I should like it of all things; and evenif I do get ever so skinny on frogs and thin soup, I can get faton roast beef again when I get back."

  "That is all nonsense, Harry, about frogs and starving. The Frenchstyle of cookery differs from ours, but they eat just as much, andalthough they may not, as a rule, be as broad and heavy as Englishmen,that is simply a characteristic of race; the Latin peoples are ofslighter build than the Teutonic. As to their food, you know thatthe Romans, who were certainly judges of good living, consideredthe snail a great luxury, and I dare say ate frogs too. A gentlemanwho had made the grand tour told me that he had tasted them in Parisand found them very delicate eating. You may not like the livingquite at first, but you will soon get over that, and once accustomedto it you will like it quite as well as our solid joints. Myprincipal objection to your going lies quite in another direction.Public opinion in France is much disturbed. In the National Assembly,which is the same as our Parliament, there is a great spiritof resistance to the royal authority, something like a revolutionhas already been accomplished, and the king is little more than aprisoner."

  "But that would surely make no difference to me, sir!"

  "No, I don't see that it should, Harry. Still, it would cause yourmother a good deal of anxiety."

  "I don't see it could make any difference," Harry repeated; "andyou see, sir, when I go into the army and there is war, motherwould be a great deal more anxious."

  "You mean, Harry," the doctor said with a smile, "that whether heranxiety begins a little sooner or later does not make much difference."

  "I don't think I quite meant that, sir," Harry said; "but yes,"he added frankly, after a moment's thought, "I suppose I did; butI really don't see that supposing there were any troubles in Franceit could possibly make any difference to me; even if there were acivil war, such as we had in England, they would not interfere withboys."

  "No, I don't see that it would make any difference, and the chanceis so remote that it need not influence our decision. Of course ifwar broke out between the two countries the marquis would see thatyou were sent back safely. Well, then, Harry, I am to consider thatyour decision is in favour of your accepting this appointment."

  "If you please, sir. I am sure it will be a capital thing for me,and I have no doubt it will be great fun. Of course at first itwill be strange to hear them all jabbering in French, but I supposeI shall soon pick it up."

  And so Mrs. Sandwith was informed by her husband that after talkingit over with Harry he had concluded that the proposed arrangementwould really be an excellent one, and that it would be a great pityto let such an opportunity slip.

  The good lady was for a time tearful in her forebodings that Harrywould be starved, for in those days it was a matter of nationalopinion that our neighbours across the Channel fed on the most meagreof diet; but she was not in the habit of disputing her husband'swill, and when the letter of acceptance had been sent off, shebusied herself in preparing Harry's clothes for his long absence.

  "He ought to be measured for several suits, my dear," she said toher husband, "made bigger and bigger to allow for his growing."

  "Nonsense, my dear! You do not suppose that clothes cannot bepurchased in France! Give him plenty of under-linen, but the fewerjackets and trousers he takes over the better; it will be muchbetter for him to get clothes out there of the same fashion asother people; the boy will not want to be stared at wherever hegoes. The best rule is always to dress like people around you. Ishall give him money, and directly he gets there he can get a suitor two made by the tailor who makes for the lads he is going to bewith. The English are no more loved in France than the French arehere, and though Harry has no reason to be ashamed of his nationalitythere is no occasion for him to draw the attention of everyonehe meets to it by going about in a dress which would seem to thempeculiar."

  In due time a letter was received from Count Auguste de St. Caux,stating that the marquis had requested him to write and say thathe was much gratified to hear that one of the doctor's own sonswas coming over to be a companion and friend to his boys, and thathe was sending off in the course of two days a gentleman of hishousehold to Calais to meet him and conduct him to Paris. On youngMr. Sandwith's arrival at Calais he was to go at once to the HotelLion door and ask for M. d
u Tillet.

  During the intervening time Harry had been very busy, he had tosay good-bye to all his friends, who looked, some with envy, somewith pity, upon him, for the idea of a three years' residence inFrance was a novel one to all. He was petted and made much of athome, especially by his sisters, who regarded him in the light ofa hero about to undertake a strange and hazardous adventure.

  Three days after the arrival of the letter of the marquis, Dr.Sandwith and Harry started by stage for Dover, and the doctor puthis son on board the packet sailing for Calais. The evening before,he gave him much good advice as to his behaviour.

  "You will see much that is new, and perhaps a good deal that youdon't like, Harry, but it is better for you never to criticize orgive a hostile opinion about things; you would not like it if aFrench boy came over here and made unpleasant remarks about Englishways and manners. Take things as they come and do as others do;avoid all comparisons between French and English customs; fall inwith the ways of those around you; and adopt as far as you can thepolite and courteous manner which is general among the French, andin which, I must say, they are far ahead of us. If questioned, youwill, of course, give your opinion frankly and modestly; it is theindependence of thought among English boys which has attracted theattention and approval of Auguste de St. Caux.

  "Be natural and simple, giving yourself no airs, and permittingnone on the part of the lads you are with; their father says youare to be treated as their equal. But, upon the other hand, do notbe ever on the lookout for small slights, and bear with perfectgood temper any little ridicule your, to them foreign, ways andmanners may excite. I need not tell you to be always straightforward,honest, and true, for of those qualities I think you possess a fairshare. Above all things restrain any tendency to use your fists;fighting comes naturally to English boys, but in France it isconsidered as brutal and degrading--a blow is a deadly insult,and would never be forgiven.

  "So, whatever the provocation, abstain from striking anyone. Shouldyou find that in any way your position is made intolerable, youwill of course appeal to the marquis, and unless you obtain redressyou will come home--you will find no difficulty in travellingwhen you once understand the language--but avoid anything likepetty complaints. I trust there will be no reason for complaints atall, and that you will find your position an exceedingly pleasantone as soon as you become accustomed to it; but should occasionarise bear my words in mind."

  Harry promised to follow his father's advice implicitly, but inhis own mind he wondered what fellows did when they quarrelled ifthey were not allowed to fight; however, he supposed that he should,under the circumstances, do the same as French boys, whatever thatmight be.

  As soon as the packet was once fairly beyond the harbour Harry'sthoughts were effectually diverted from all other matters by themotion of the sailing boat, and he was soon in a state of prostration,in which he remained until, seven hours later, the packet enteredCalais harbour.

  Dr. Sandwith had requested the captain to allow one of his mento show Harry the way to the Lion door. Harry had pulled himselftogether a little as the vessel entered the still water in theharbour, and was staring at the men in their blue blouses and woodenshoes, at the women in their quaint and picturesque attire, whena sailor touched him on the shoulder:

  "Now, young sir, the captain tells me I am to show you the way toyour hotel. Which is your box?"

  Harry pointed out his trunk; the sailor threw it on his shoulder,and Harry, with a feeling of bewilderment, followed him along thegangway to the shore. Here he was accosted by an officer.

  "What does he say?" he asked the sailor.

  "He asks for your passport."

  Harry fumbled in his breast pocket for the document which his fatherhad obtained for him from the foreign office, duly viseed by theFrench ambassador, notifying that Henry Sandwith, age sixteen,height five feet eight, hair brown, eyes gray, nose short, mouthlarge, was about to reside in France in the family of the Marquisde St. Caux. The officer glanced it over, and then returned it toHarry with a polite bow, which Harry in some confusion endeavouredto imitate.

  "What does the fellow want to bow and scrape like that for?" hemuttered to himself as he followed his guide. "An Englishman wouldjust have nodded and said 'All right!' What can a fellow want more,I should like to know? Well I suppose I shall get accustomed toit, and shall take to bowing and scraping as a matter of course."

  The Lion door was close at hand. In reply to the sailor's questionthe landlord said that M. du Tillet was within. The sailor putdown the trunk, pocketed the coin Harry gave him, and with a "Goodluck, young master!" went out, taking with him, as Harry felt,the last link to England. He turned and followed the landlord. Thelatter mounted a flight of stairs, knocked at a door, and openedit.

  "A young gentleman desires to see M. du Tillet," he said, and Harryentered.

  A tall, big man, whose proportions at once disappointed Harry'spreconceived notions as to the smallness and leanness of Frenchmen,rose from the table at which he was writing.

  "Monsieur--Sandwith?" he said interrogatively. "I am glad to seeyou."

  Harry did not understand the latter portion of the remark, but hecaught the sound of his name.

  "That's all right," he said nodding. "How do you do, M. du Tillet?"

  The French gentleman bowed; Harry bowed; and then they lookedat each other. There was nothing more to say. A smile stole overHarry's face, and broke into a frank laugh. The Frenchman smiled,put his hand on Harry's shoulder, and said:

  "Brave garcon!" and Harry felt they were friends.

  M. du Tillet's face bore an expression of easy good temper. He worea wig with long curls; he had a soldier's bearing, and a scar onhis left cheek; his complexion was dark and red, his eyebrows blackand bushy. After a pause he said:

  "Are you hungry?" and then put imaginary food to his mouth.

  "You mean will I eat anything?" Harry translated. "Yes, that Iwill if there's anything fit to eat. I begin to feel as hungry asa hunter, and no wonder, for I am as hollow as a drum!"

  His nod was a sufficient answer. M. du Tillet took his hat, openedthe door, and bowed for Harry to precede him.

  Harry hesitated, but believing it would be the polite way to do ashe was told, returned the bow and went out. The Frenchman put hishand on his shoulder, and they went down stairs together and tooktheir seats in the salon, where his companion gave an order, andin two or three minutes a bowl of broth was placed before each ofthem.

  It fully answered Harry's ideas as to the thinness of French soup,for it looked like dirty water with a few pieces of bread and somescraps of vegetables floating in it. He was astonished at the pieceof bread, nearly a yard long, placed on the table. M. du Tilletcut a piece off and handed it to him. He broke a portion of it intohis broth, and found, when he tasted it, that it was much nicerthan it looked.

  "It's not so bad after all," he thought to himself. "Anyhow breadseems plentiful, so there's no fear of my starving." He followedhis companion's example and made his way steadily through a numberof dishes all new and strange to him; neither his sight nor his tastegave him the slightest indication as to what meat he was eating.

  "I suppose it's all right," he concluded; "but what people can wantto make such messes of their food for I can't make out. A slice ofgood roast beef is worth the lot of it; but really it isn't nasty;some of the dishes are not bad at all if one only knew what theywere made of." M. du Tillet offered him some wine, which he tastedbut shook his head, for it seemed rough and sour; but he pouredhimself out some water. Presently a happy idea seized him; hetouched the bread and said interrogatively, "Bread?" M. du Tilletat once replied "Pain," which Harry repeated after him.

  The ice thus broken, conversation began, and Harry soon learned theFrench for knife, fork, spoon, plate, and various other articles,and felt that he was fairly on the way towards talking French.After the meal was over M. du Tillet rose and put on his hat, andsigned to Harry to accompany him. They strolled through the town,went down to the quay
s and looked at the fishing-boats; Harry wasfeeling more at home now, and asked the French name for everythinghe saw, repeating the word over and over again to himself until hefelt sure that he should remember it, and then asking the name ofsome fresh object.

  The next morning they started in the post-waggon for Paris, andarrived there after thirty-six hours' travel. Harry was struckwith the roads, which were far better tended and kept than those inEngland. The extreme flatness of the country surprised him, and,except in the quaintness of the villages and the variety of thechurch towers, he saw little to admire during the journey.

  "If it is all like this," he thought to himself, "I don't see thatthey have any reason for calling it La belle France."

  Of Paris he saw little. A blue-bloused porter carried his trunk whatseemed to Harry a long distance from the place where the conveyancestopped. The streets here were quiet and almost deserted after thebusy thoroughfares of the central city. The houses stood, for themost part, back from the street, with high walls and heavy gates.

  "Here we are at last," his guide said, as he halted before a largeand massive gateway, surmounted by a coat of arms with supporterscarved in stone work. He rang at the bell, which was opened by aporter in livery, who bowed profoundly upon seeing M. du Tillet.Passing through the doorway, Harry found himself in a spacioushall, decorated with armour and arms. As he crossed the thresholdM. du Tillet took his hand and shook it heartily, saying, "Welcome!"Harry understood the action, though not the words, and nodded,saying:

  "I think I shall get on capitally if they are all as jolly as youare."

  Then they both laughed, and Harry looked round wondering what wascoming next.

  "The marquis and his family are all away at their chateau nearDijon," his companion said, waving his hand. "We shall stay a dayor two to rest ourselves after our journey, and then start to jointhem."

  He led Harry into a great salon magnificently furnished, pointedto the chairs and looking-glasses and other articles of furniture,all swathed up in coverings; and the lad understood at once thatthe family were away. This was a relief to him; he was getting oncapitally with M. du Tillet, but shrank from the prospect of meetingso many strange faces.

  A meal was speedily served in a small and comfortably-furnishedapartment; and Harry concluded that although he might not be ableto decide on the nature of his food, it was really nice, and thatthere was no fear whatever of his falling away in flesh. M. duTillet pressed him to try the wine again, and this he found to bea vast improvement upon the vintage he had tasted at Calais.

  After breakfast next morning they started for a walk, and Harrywas delighted with the Louvre, the Tuileries, the Palais Royal, andother public buildings, which he could not but acknowledge werevastly superior to anything he had seen in London. Then he wastaken to a tailor's, the marquis having commissioned his guide tocarry out Dr. Sandwith's request in this matter. M. du Tillet lookedinterrogatively at Harry as he entered the shop, as if to ask ifhe understood why he was taken there.

  Harry nodded, for indeed he was glad to see that no time wasto be lost, for he was already conscious that his dress differedconsiderably from that of French boys. Several street gamins hadpointed at him and made jeering remarks, which, without understandingthe words, Harry felt to be insulting, and would, had he heard themin the purlieus of Westminster, have considered as a challenge tobattle. He had not, however, suffered altogether unavenged, forupon one occasion M. du Tillet turned sharply round and caught oneoffender so smartly with his cane that he ran howling away.

  "They are awful guys!" Harry thought as he looked at the French boyshe met. "But it's better to be a guy than to be chaffed by everyboy one meets, especially if one is not to be allowed to fight."It was, therefore, with a feeling of satisfaction that he turnedinto the tailor's shop. The proprietor came up bowing, as Harrythought, in a most cringing sort of way to his companion. M. duTillet gave some orders, and the tailor unrolled a variety of piecesof cloth and other materials for Harry's inspection.

  The lad shook his head and turned to his guide, and, pointing tothe goods, asked him to choose the things which were most suitablefor him; M. du Tillet understood the appeal and ordered four suits.Two of these were for ordinary wear; another was, Harry concluded,for the evening; and the fourth for ceremonial occasions.

  The coats were cut long, but very open in front, and were far tooscanty to button; the waistcoats were long and embroidered; a whiteand ample handkerchief went round the throat and was tied loosely,with long ends edged with lace falling in front; knee-breeches,with white stockings, and shoes with buckles, completed the costume.

  Harry looked on with a smile of amusement, and burst into a heartylaugh when the garments were fixed upon, for the idea of himselfdressed out in these seemed to him ludicrous in the extreme.

  "How they would laugh at home," he thought to himself, "if theycould see me in these things! The girls would give me no peace.And wouldn't there be an uproar if I were to turn up in them inDean's Yard and march up school!"

  Harry was then measured. When this was done he took out his purse,which contained fifty guineas; for his father had thought it probablethat the clothes he would require would cost more than they wouldin London, and he wished him to have a good store of pocket-moneyuntil he received the first instalment of his pay. M. du Tillet,however, shook his head and motioned to him to put up his purse;and Harry supposed that it was not customary to pay for things inFrance until they were delivered. Then his companion took him intoanother shop, and pointing to his own ruffles intimated that Harrywould require some linen of this kind to be worn when in full dress.Harry signified that his friend should order what was necessary;and half a dozen shirts, with deep ruffles at the wrist and breast,were ordered. This brought their shopping to an end.

  They remained three days in Paris, at the end of which time Harry'sclothes were delivered. The following morning a carriage with thearms of the marquis emblazoned upon it came up to the door, andthey started. The horses were fat and lazy; and Harry, who had noidea how far they were going, thought that the journey was likelyto be a long one if this was the pace at which they were to travel.

  Twelve miles out they changed horses at a post-station, their ownreturning to Paris, and after this had relays at each station, andtravelled at a pace which seemed to Harry to be extraordinarilyrapid. They slept twice upon the road.

  The third day the appearance of the country altogether changed, and,instead of the flat plains which Harry had begun to think extendedall over France, they were now among hills higher than anything hehad ever seen before. Towards the afternoon they crossed the rangeand began to descend, and as evening approached M. du Tillet pointedto a building standing on rising ground some miles away and said:

  "That is the chateau."