“Yes, a diligence was stopped at ten in the morning, between Châtillon and Bar-sur-Seine.”
“General, it was ours.”
“Yours?”
“Yes.”
“You were in the diligence that was stopped?”
“I was.”
“Ah! now I shall get the exact details! Excuse me, but you understand my desire for correct information, don’t you? In a civilized country which has General Bonaparte for its chief magistrate, diligences can’t be stopped in broad daylight on the highroads with impunity, or—”
“General, I can tell you nothing, except that those who stopped it were on horseback and masked.”
“How many were there?”
“Four.”