my last, little monster, or else "
The child rose, and shook his head, in token of refusal.
" Ah ! this is it, is it ? " said the same voice. " Wait, you shall see."
And the shoemaker, Simon, rushed into his hut as a
wild beast to its den.
" Halloo ! halloo ! " said Louis, frowning. " Where are you going so fast, Master Simon ? "
" To chastise this little wolf's cub," said the shoemaker.
" To chastise him, for what ? "
" For what ? "
"Yes."
" Because the little beggar will neither sing like a
good patriot, nor work like a good citizen."
" Well, what have you to do with that ?" said Louis.
" Did the nation confide Capet to you that you might
teach him to sing ? "
" And what business have you to interfere, I should
like to know, Citizen Sergeant ?"said Simon, astonished.
" I interfere, as it becomes every man of feeling to do.
It is unworthy of a man to see a child beaten, and to
suffer him to be beaten."
" Bali ! the son of a tyrant."
" He is a child ; and the child has not participated in the crimes of the father. The child is not culpable, and,
consequently, ought not to be punished."
" And I tell you he was placed with me to do what I
choose with him. I choose him to sing Madame Veto,'
and he shall sing it."
"Contemptible wretch!" said Louis. "'Madame
Veto ' is mother to this child. Would you yourself like
your child to be made to sing that you were one of the
canaille?"
" Me ! " cried Simon. " Vile aristocrat of a sergeant ! "
THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 79
" No names," said Louis. " I am not Capet ; and they will not make me sing by force."
" I will have you arrested, vile ci-devant ! "
"You! "said Louis, "you have me arrested ? You had better try to arrest a Thermopyle."
" Good, good ! He laughs best who laughs last. And
now, Capet, pick up my last, and come and finish your
shoe, or, mille tonnerres ! "
" And I," said Louis, turning deathly pale, and advancing a few steps forward, his hands clinched and his
teeth set " I tell you he shall not pick up your last, he shall not make shoes ; do you hear, idiot ? "
"Ah, yes; you talk very largely, but that will not
make me fear you any the more. "Ah, massacre ! "
roared Simon, turning pale with rage.
At this moment two women entered the court. One
held a paper in her hand. She addressed herself to the
sentinel.
"Sergeant," cried the sentinel, "itisTison's daughter, who asks to see her mother."
" Let her pass, since the Council of the Temple per-
mit it," said Louis, who did not wish to leave for a
moment, for fear Simon should avail himself of his ab-
sence and again beat the child.
The sentinel passed the two women ; but hardly had
they ascended four steps on the dark staircase, when
thoy encountered Maurice Liudey, who at that moment
was descending into the court. It was almost dark, so
that he was unable to distinguish their features.
Maurice stopped.
" Who are you, citizens ? " said he, " and what do you want ? "
" I am Sophie Tison," said one of the women ; " I obtained permission to visit my mother, and have come to
see her/'
" Yes," said Maurice ; " but this permission was for yourself only, citoyenne."
" I brought my friend, that there might be two of us
in the midst of the soldiers, at least."
80 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.
" Very good ; but your friend cannot go up."
" As you please, citizen," said Sophie Tison, pressing the hand of her friend, who, close against the wall,
seemed paralyzed with surprise and terror.
" Citizen Sentinels," said Maurice, raising his voice, and addressing the sentinels who were stationed on every
landing, "allow the Citoyenne Tison to pass, but do not permit her friend to pass ; she will remain on the staircase ; see that "he is treated with all due respect."
" Yes, citizen," replied the sentinels.
" Go up, then," said Maurice.
The two women then passed on, and Maurice, leaping
over the remaining five or six stairs, advanced rapidly
into the court.
" What is
The child rose, and shook his head, in token of refusal.
" Ah ! this is it, is it ? " said the same voice. " Wait, you shall see."
And the shoemaker, Simon, rushed into his hut as a
wild beast to its den.
" Halloo ! halloo ! " said Louis, frowning. " Where are you going so fast, Master Simon ? "
" To chastise this little wolf's cub," said the shoemaker.
" To chastise him, for what ? "
" For what ? "
"Yes."
" Because the little beggar will neither sing like a
good patriot, nor work like a good citizen."
" Well, what have you to do with that ?" said Louis.
" Did the nation confide Capet to you that you might
teach him to sing ? "
" And what business have you to interfere, I should
like to know, Citizen Sergeant ?"said Simon, astonished.
" I interfere, as it becomes every man of feeling to do.
It is unworthy of a man to see a child beaten, and to
suffer him to be beaten."
" Bali ! the son of a tyrant."
" He is a child ; and the child has not participated in the crimes of the father. The child is not culpable, and,
consequently, ought not to be punished."
" And I tell you he was placed with me to do what I
choose with him. I choose him to sing Madame Veto,'
and he shall sing it."
"Contemptible wretch!" said Louis. "'Madame
Veto ' is mother to this child. Would you yourself like
your child to be made to sing that you were one of the
canaille?"
" Me ! " cried Simon. " Vile aristocrat of a sergeant ! "
THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 79
" No names," said Louis. " I am not Capet ; and they will not make me sing by force."
" I will have you arrested, vile ci-devant ! "
"You! "said Louis, "you have me arrested ? You had better try to arrest a Thermopyle."
" Good, good ! He laughs best who laughs last. And
now, Capet, pick up my last, and come and finish your
shoe, or, mille tonnerres ! "
" And I," said Louis, turning deathly pale, and advancing a few steps forward, his hands clinched and his
teeth set " I tell you he shall not pick up your last, he shall not make shoes ; do you hear, idiot ? "
"Ah, yes; you talk very largely, but that will not
make me fear you any the more. "Ah, massacre ! "
roared Simon, turning pale with rage.
At this moment two women entered the court. One
held a paper in her hand. She addressed herself to the
sentinel.
"Sergeant," cried the sentinel, "itisTison's daughter, who asks to see her mother."
" Let her pass, since the Council of the Temple per-
mit it," said Louis, who did not wish to leave for a
moment, for fear Simon should avail himself of his ab-
sence and again beat the child.
The sentinel passed the two women ; but hardly had
they ascended four steps on the dark staircase, when
thoy encountered Maurice Liudey, who at that moment
was descending into the court. It was almost dark, so
that he was unable to distinguish their features.
Maurice stopped.
" Who are you, citizens ? " said he, " and what do you want ? "
" I am Sophie Tison," said one of the women ; " I obtained permission to visit my mother, and have come to
see her/'
" Yes," said Maurice ; " but this permission was for yourself only, citoyenne."
" I brought my friend, that there might be two of us
in the midst of the soldiers, at least."
80 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.
" Very good ; but your friend cannot go up."
" As you please, citizen," said Sophie Tison, pressing the hand of her friend, who, close against the wall,
seemed paralyzed with surprise and terror.
" Citizen Sentinels," said Maurice, raising his voice, and addressing the sentinels who were stationed on every
landing, "allow the Citoyenne Tison to pass, but do not permit her friend to pass ; she will remain on the staircase ; see that "he is treated with all due respect."
" Yes, citizen," replied the sentinels.
" Go up, then," said Maurice.
The two women then passed on, and Maurice, leaping
over the remaining five or six stairs, advanced rapidly
into the court.
" What is
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