"No!" thundered Tournay.
"Then in the name of the Republic I suspend you from your command, and arrest you as a traitor. Lay hands upon him!"
Gardin himself, remembering his previous encounter with Tournay in which he had come off so poorly, merely gave the command, leaving the others to execute it. Two of them stepped forward with alacrity, one upon each side of Tournay, and grasped him by the arms.
He offered no resistance, but raising his voice a little called out:—
"Officers of the guard!"
Half a dozen of his Hussars who were in the adjoining tent hastened in at his call.
"Arrest these four men!" commanded Tournay quietly.
"Stop!" cried Gardin; "arrest us at your peril. We are the authorized emissaries of the Committee of Public Safety," and he flourished his commission in the soldiers' faces. "We are but carrying out our strict orders. To lay hands upon us will be to bring down upon your heads the vengeance of Robespierre."
The Hussars stood still. The name of the man who governed France under the cloak of the Republic made them hesitate.
"Conduct the prisoner away with as much dispatch as possible," said Gardin in a quick, low tone to his companions.