The Companions of Jehu

onditions in which we left them, need inspire no anxiety, while we direct our attention seriously to a personage

le d'h?te at Avignon to return Jean Picot the two hundred louis which had bee

in the pontifical and royalist town as his master; he found it again at the horse post, unfastened its bridle, sprang into the saddle, rode through the Porte d'Oulle, skirting the walls, and disappeared at a gallop along

r own eyes, had they met him on the road between Avignon and Bédarides, whether the bandit's appearance was as terrifying as his renown. We do not hesitate to assert th

riod, eyebrows, eyes and lashes were black as ebony. The rest of the face was, as we have said, almost feminine. There were two little ears of which only the tips could be seen beneath the tufts of hair to which the Incroyables of the day had given the name of "dog's-ears"; a straight, perfectly proportioned nose, a rather large mouth, rosy and always smiling, and which, when smiling, revealed a double row of brilliant teeth; a delicate

at pulled low over his eyes, the rider resumed his rapid pace, checked for an instant, passed through Bédarides at a gallop, and reaching the first

here?" he aske

away last night, but he left word that if Monsieur should ask f

hat tired. Rub him down with wine, and give him for two or three days barley instea

Baron was sati

sfied. Is the c

ostilion is drinking with Julien. Monsieur recommended that he sh

e is to take

the direction of Bordeaux with Monsieur the Baron's passport, and as Monsieur the Baron goes toward Geneva with my master

on the croup of my saddle,

hands. "Ah!" said he laughing, "Monsieur the Baron did not warn me

waste all my time, I at least lost a good deal, so

the Baron wi

a bite, bu

o, and breakfast has been ready since ten t

did the honors of the house to the visitor

; let it be close to the house with the door wide open when I come out, so tha

te had addressed as Baron ha

ant, "you have given me enough

that I want to sleep, and keep the rest

e valise in the

do so

een that it weighed heavily, he turned toward the dining-room, while Ba

legantly served. A cold fowl, two partridges, a ham, several kinds of cheese, a dessert of magnificent fruit, and two decanters, the one containing a ruby-colored wine, and th

cket; after which he went to a porcelain basin with a reservoir above it, took a towel which was there for the purpose, and bathed his face and hands. Not until th

however, given magnificent proportions; and when Baptiste came in to inform the

tiste had taken pains to lower the carriage-steps as close as possible to the door, he sprang into the post-chaise

Valence, isn't it, rela

t a receipt?" replied t

de Ribier, don't want to be dis

, hoop-la!" And he started his horses, and cracked his whip with that noisy eloquence which says to neighbors and

, put his valise in the hollow, sat down on it, wrapped himself in his cloak, and, certain of not being dis

d the little suburb of Paillasse. It was dark, so he struck his repeater and found it was eleven at night. Thinking it useless to go to sleep again, he adde

ded from Orange, and, as he pays twenty sous fe

the other; "he shall

ime had come to intervene.

this to the health of the Republic." And he handed a hundred-franc assignat to the postilion who had recommended him to his comrade. Seeing the other

the postilion; "there'll be but

luding the double post of entrance in advance. I

oon. While the horses were being changed, a man clad like a porter, sitting with his stretcher beside him on a stone post, rose,

sure?" he ask

w him with my own eye

news to our friends

n. Only

een notified

a horse ready betw

last glance with the porter, who walked away as i

tizen?" asked

ervas by nine this evenin

ours! That's tough. Well,

you

can

ull gallop. Nine o'clock was s

to Sue without stopping here to change horses!" cri

eplied th

hed past the post ho

the window, made a trumpet of his hands, and gave the hoot of a screech-owl. T

are," cri

saying: "If we're there

opened the door, jumped out a

the prom

e, as a fop of our day holds his eye-glasses. Morg

ked, "what do

, "that, do what I will, I can't

young man, laughing; "and

shan't see

e blind than see with one eye! Well

stuck it up to his other eye, wheeled the ca

ess. Then putting the hollow of a key to his lips, he drew

horseman came out of the woods at full gallop.

der, whose face, hidden as it was beneath t

het Elisha," replied the

om I am waiting for

et or disciple

replied th

is your

im at the Chartr

ny Companions are t

elv

u meet any others

f the saddle, and respectfully held the bit while the young man mounted. Without even waiting to thrust his other fo

wind. Half a mile beyond Sue the rider turned his horse across country toward the forest, which, as he rode on, seemed to advance tow

chitecture, shaded by five or six venerable trees. The horseman paused before the portal, over which were placed three statu

bstituted for the old building; vestiges of its ruins can be seen to this day. These ruins consist externally of the above-mentioned portal with the three statues, before which our mysterious

he name of Seillon. But at Bourg, a royalist and, above all, religious town, no one dared risk his soul by purchasing property belonging to the worthy monks whom all revered. The result was that the convent, the park and the forest had become, under the tit

rush in the forest, which, except for one road and two or three paths that crossed it, had become almost impenetrable. The Correrie, a species of pavilion belonging to the monastery and distant from it about th

f the courtyards. The strong-minded denied these things; but two very opposite classes opposed the unbelievers, confirming the rumors, attributing these terrifying noises and nocturnal lights to two different causes according to their beliefs. The patriots declared that they were the ghosts of the poor monks buried alive by cloister tyranny in the In-pace, who were now returned to earth, dragging after them their fetters to call down the vengeance of Heaven upon their persecutors. The royalists said that they were the imps of the devil, who,

al of the deserted monastery, and, without dismounting, drew a pistol from his holster, striking three measured blows with the butt on the gate, after the manner of the Freemasons. Then he listened. For an instant he doubted if the meeting were really there

s?" demand

om Elisha," repl

o the sons o

eh

are they to

of A

rophet or

oph

he House of the Lo

grated in their sockets, half of the gate opened silently, and the horse and

se, was attired in the long white robe of a Chartreuse monk, of whic