I felt my blood grow suddenly hot with rage and a glance at M. le Comte’s white face told me the agony he was suffering at the thought that his wife had been profaned by even the glances of this scoundrel.
“Go on,” he said hoarsely. “And then?”
“Perhaps something in my face betrayed me,” Pasdeloup continued. “At any rate, Goujon suddenly looked at me, then straightened back in his chair.
“‘I have been talking nonsense, Pasdeloup,’ he said. ‘I have taken too much wine. I am always saying absurd things when I am drunk. You must forget that foolishness.’
“He said it so naturally that I believed him, more especially since at the moment his head was wobbling so that he could scarcely keep it off the table. But when I reached the château again I found that my zeal for the Revolution had vanished, since, even drunk, one of its leaders could propose such horrible things. Last night I remained at my post at the gate; but to-night an uneasiness seized me. I fancied that I detected some sort of understanding among the other servants. At the first moment I slipped away to Dange to learn the truth. There I found that a detachment of the Blues had just come in by post and had been ordered forward at once to surround the château. All of that rabble yonder had gathered in the square and Goujon was addressing them. The terrible things he was saying made me tremble. But I listened only for a moment. Then I hastened back to give you warning and found that I was already too late. That is all, M. le Comte.”
His master laid a friendly hand upon his shoulder.
“I thank thee, Pasdeloup,” he said. “Whatever the event, thou hast done thy best. Thou hast paid thy debt a hundred fold.”
A sudden frenzied outburst of yells interrupted him. We looked down again and saw a procession emerging from the house upon the terrace. Before them they were rolling five or six casks of wine and spirits.
“We shall see now,” said Pasdeloup grimly, “how many of them will shout, ‘God and the King!’”