I am wrong and ungrateful to say that. I had one—my uncle, my mother’s brother, who had the post of keeper in the Forest of Argonne. His wife, on my mother’s death, supplied her place; and he, on the death of my father, found me bread.
My father died so poor, that all had to be sold to pay his little debts, with the exception of his box of carpenter’s tools, which had been taken to Father Descharmes (that was my uncle’s name), and placed out of sight in a little room belonging to me.
The Forest of Argonne was Government property, and was preserved for the pleasure of the nobles attendant on the Court; but that did not hinder the young people of the environs from coming secretly with the keepers, to enjoy a little sport with the deer and the hares.
There was one, who took part in these hunting parties, whom I knew well—Jean Baptiste Drouet, son of a postmaster at St. Menehould; also William, a friend of his; and one Billaut, who afterwards took the name of his native place, and called himself Billaut Varennes.
All three were to acquire a certain celebrity in the middle of those revolutionary movements, still hidden in the future.
Certain young noblemen, by very special favor received privileges of game denied to the outer world.
Amongst the number of those young nobles, was M. de Dampierre, the Count de Mannes, and the Viscount de Malmy.
The former was at this time a man of about forty-five years, the latter not over twenty.
I select these out of the number, because they will play leading parts in the events I am about to describe.
Even when I was quite a child, I learned the difference that subsisted in their characters.