"She looked amazed; it may be that she had reason to. It was such a chance as does not often come the way of the daughter of a sergent de ville. But I appealed to her curiosity.
"'Listen!' I said. 'You hear that noise?'
"She nodded.
"'Well, sweetheart,' I continued, 'whenever I hear that noise in Paris, I can turn it into a revolution in ten minutes.'
"'How wonderful!' she once more repeated.
"'Come and see,' I answered, and her curiosity prevailed over her years. We ran down the hill together, and in a few minutes were in the stormy streets of Paris.
"It was as I thought. The people of Paris were angry because the pinch of hunger was making itself felt. They were gathering in little knots, and someone was already haranguing them from a café table; but he was unworthy of the occasion, being drunk, so I pushed him down gently, amid applause, and took his place.
"'Why do we talk,' I cried, 'when the hour for action has arrived? The Government does nothing. Instead of driving away the Prussians, it deliberates. It is in no hurry, because it possesses secret stores of food; but we, in the meantime, what have we to eat?'
"'Rats! En voilà un!' one of my audience shouted, tossing a choice specimen across to me.
"I caught it dexterously and put it in my pocket. Then I went on—