Alfred de Rosann by G.W.M. Reynolds — page 103: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

82 Alfred de Rusann. «¢ Speak out like a man,” cried Claude, who remarked his son's timidity: ‘* these gentlemen are travellers—” ‘“ From China too,” interrupted Jeannette with a good-humoured smile upon her countenance. ‘¢ And they have condescended to accept our poor hospitality,” con- tinued Claude, not heeding the girl’s jocularity: “ so speak boldly, and tell us all you have seen or heard.” ‘¢ There have been dreadful riots in the prisons of the galley-slaves,” began Jacques, who was just returned from Brest, whither his grand- mother had sent him on some errand: “and three convicts have escaped !” , ‘‘ Three convicts!” exclaimed Belle-Rose coolly, while De Rosann played with his spoon, and held down his head, for he felt the colou mounting to his cheeks. _ ‘“‘ Yes—three convicts have escaped,” resumed the boy : “ another has been executed, and a fifth murdered.”’ An exclamation of mingled horror and curiosity on the part of Jeannette, Claude, and the old woman, interrupted this recital; but Belle-Rose, pretending to feel a considerable degree of interest in the tale, begged the boy to proceed. Jacques accordingly related, with a thousand exaggerations, those particulars, relative to the decapitation of Francois, the massacre of Edouard, and the commotion amongst the forgats, of which the reader is already aware; adding that, during the riot, three convicts had succeeded in breaking off their chams, and in effecting their escape, but that the gendarmes were on the alert, and that the recapture of the deserters was hourly expected. «¢ And how did the revolt terminate?” inquired Claude. “ Oh! the soldiers were obliged to use their bayonets,” answered the boy; ‘and then the affair was soon finished. Several of the convicts broke their fetters in the skirmish, to use as weapons of defence; but only three escaped.” ‘“‘ What are their names?” asked Jeannette. “ Just a3 if I troubled my head about a parcel of names!” cried the boy, thrusting large spoonfuls of soup into his mouth with a peculiar relish. “ No—that’s true,” remarked Belle-Rose: “ never bother yourself with idle appellations.” ‘s It is extraordinary, said Claude, after a pause, “ how well those fellows manage to escape: for my part, I cannot fancy in what manner they do it.” ‘ Nor I,” added Belle-Rose, with the most ineffable coolness, as he kicked De Rosann’s foot beneath the table: then turning to Claude, he said, ‘“‘ But I wonder the fugitives never seek a momentary refuge in this cottage, at least till the fervour of the first search be past; methinks your hut is admirably contrived for such a shelter.” | “QO no! the gendarmes know it well,” cried Jeannette. : ‘¢ Yes—and for that very reason they never visit it,” added Claude, in a tone of voice intended to rebuke the hasty remark which his daughter had made: “they are aware that, although we be poor, we are honest, and would not for the world harbour a man whose crimes had rendered him deserving of punishment; for, according to my ideas,” continued the ECONlNCOOOlKS.CO