The Yale expositor., 1896-02-14
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<.aHlA STORY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION ~
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over the armament Of France.
What was Revolt five years ago is
Revolution now-revolution which has
engulfed thrones and principalities and
powers; which has set up crownless,
inhereditary kings and counselors Of
Its own, and has bloodily torn them
down again by dozens; which has ragged
and ragged on unrestrainedly in fierce
earnest, until but one king can still
govern and control it for a little while.
That King is named Terror, and sew
enteen hundred and ninety-four Is the
year of his reign.
Monsieur Lomaque, land-steward no
longer, sits alone in an official-looking
room in one of the official buildings Of
Paris. 1t is another July evening, as
fine as that evening when he and Tru
dame sat talking together on the bench
overlooking the Seine. The window of
the room Is partly open, and a faint,
pleasant breeze is beginning to flow
through 1t now. Lomaque breaths un-
easily. as If still oppressed by the sui
try midsummer heat; and there are
signs of perplexity and trouble in his
face as he looks down absently now and
then into the street.
The times he lives in are enough of
themselves to sadden his face. In the
Reign Of Terror no living being in all
the city of Paris can rise in the morning
and be certain of escaping the spy, the
arrest, or the guillotine, before night.
Such times are trying enough to op-
press any mans spirits; but Lomaque is
not thinking of them now. Out of
mass Of papers which lie before him
on his old writing table, he has just
taken up and read one, which has car
ried his thoughts back to the past, and
to the changes which have taken place
since he stood alone on the doorstep Of
Trudaine's house, bordering on what
might happen.
More rapidly even than he had fore
BODIED, those changes had occurred. In
less time even than he had anticipated,
the sad emergency for which Roses
brother had prepared, as for barely
possible calamity, overlook Trudaine,
and called for all the patience, the cour-
cge, the self-sacrifice, which he had to
give for his sisters sake. BY slow
gradations downward, from bad to
worse, her husbands character mani
tested itself less and less disgusedly
almost day, bGa Jay. Occasional Sights
ending in habitual neglect; careless es-
arrangement turning 10 cool enmity;
small insults which ripened evilly to
great injuries-these were the pitiless
signs which showed her that she had
risked all and lost all while still a
young woman-these were the unmer-
tied Affections which found her help
less, and would have left her helpless,
but for the ever-present comfort and
support of her brothers self-denying
love. From the first, Trudaine had de-
voted himself to meet such trials as
now assailed him; and like a man he
met them, in defiance alike of persecu-
ton from the mother and Of insult from
the son.
The hard task was only lightened
when, as time advanced, public trouble
began to mingle itself with private
grief. Then absorbing political neces-
stiles came as relief 10 domestic mis-
cry Then it grew to be the one pur-
pose and pursuit of Danville's life cum
ningly to shape his course so that he
might move safely onward with the ad-
vancing revolutionary tide-he cared
not whittier, as long as he kept his pos
sessions safe and his life out of danger.
His mother, infiexibly true to her old
world convictions through all peril,
might entreat and upbraid, might talk
Of honor, and courage, and sincerity
he needed her not, or needed only TO
laugh. AS he had taken the false way
with his wife, so he was now bent on
taking 1t with the world.
The years passed on; destroying
changes swept hurricane-like over the
old governing system Of France; and
still Danville shifted successfully with
the shifting times. The first days of
the Terror approached; in public and in
private-in high places and in low
each man now suspected his brother.
Crafty as Danville was, even he fell
under suspicion at last, at headquar-
ters in Paris, principally on his moth
er's account. This was his first politi-
cal failure, and in moment OF thought
less rage and disappointment, he
wreaked the irritation caused by it on
Lomaque. Suspected himself, he in
turn suspected the land steward. His
mother fomented the suspicion--Loma-
que was dismissed
In the old times the victim would
have been ruined-in the new times he
was simply rendered eligible for po-
litical vocation in life. Lomaque was
poor, quick witted, secret, not scrupu-
lous. He was a good patriot, he had
good patriot friends, plenty Of ambi-
ton, a subtle, cat-like courage, moth
ing to dread-and he went to Paris.
There were plenty of small chances
there for men of his calibre. He waited
for one of them. 1t came; he made the
most Of it.; attracted favorably the no
fioa Of Tho tarr;l,lo E,n,,ou;ar a