“He must have spent and sold everything, and his creditors had him arrested!—Ah! if I were rich, brother, how happy I would be to be of some use to you! But fate has willed it otherwise.—No matter; I can at least prove to you that you still have a friend.—Sans-Souci, I am going to Paris.”
“So am I; morbleu! I will go with you; I don’t propose to leave you.”
“Very well. We won’t say anything to the peasants about my brother’s imprisonment; those excellent people would be quite capable of insisting upon doing still more to assist us, and we must not accept it; they have done enough for us already.”
“You are always right. I agree with you; let us go and say good-bye to them; forward!”
Jacques and Sans-Souci embraced the peasants and told them that they were going to look for Adeline; then they started for Paris, where they arrived that afternoon.
“You know the way,” said Jacques to his comrade; “take me to the prison. I will ask to speak to the commander, the captain, the governor; in fact, to speak to everybody, if necessary; this honorable decoration will serve as my safe-conduct.”
“Look you, I don’t know the prison any better than you do, but I’ll take you to my old friend, who is the messenger to the prisoners; he will tell us how we must go to work to see your brother.”
“Very well, let us speak to your friend; I trust that we may find him.”
“Yes,” said Sans-Souci; “I see him now, over yonder.”
They quickened their pace and accosted the messenger, who recognized his friend, and shook hands with him, asking him what brought him to Paris.