"I am going to speak to the Sergeant of the Week," I said.
"No you don't," he replied; "you just walk back with me."
"I am going to the Sergeant of the Week," I repeated.
"You refuse to obey orders then?" asked the Corporal.
"No, but I am going to the Sergeant of the Week."
"By God," he said, "if you don't follow me to the room at once I will go straight to the Captain of the Week and report you for having refused to obey orders."
Of course I had no alternative but to follow the Corporal, and I had to dress anyhow in order to be ready in time for the parade of the guard. The leather tops of my trousers were not properly polished, my sword and carbine were not spick and span as they ought to have been for parade, and the brass work of my helmet was a trifle tarnished, for it had not been cleaned since the previous afternoon. As it was, I had to run to join the other troopers on parade, and when I got there the command "Attention" had already been given. Captain des Tourelles was Captain of the Week, and the moment he caught sight of me he ordered me to come to him.
"You are late," he said.
"Captain," I replied, "the reason of it is——"
"Shut up!" he interrupted; "don't answer me—you are filthy, you dirty beast!" He then began to examine my buttons, my sword, my helmet, my carbine, muttering the whole time, "Swine, swine. You are a Volontaire, I think, and you come here late, and as filthy as a pig! You shall have four days' Salle de Police."