fast, was spied by the various
groups of people, as soon as he reached the place Misere. Happily for
him, a couple of gendarmes arrived on a run in time to snatch him from
the inhabitants of the faubourg de Rome, who had already pinioned him by
the arms and were threatening him with death.

"Give way! give way!" cried the gendarmes, calling to some of their
comrades to help them, and putting themselves one before and the other
behind Bridau.

"You see, monsieur," said the one who held the painter, "it concerns
our skin as well as yours at this moment. Innocent or guilty, we must
protect you against the tumult raised by the murder of Captain Gilet.
And the crowd is not satisfied with suspecting you; they declare, hard
as iron, that you are the murderer. Monsieur Gilet is adored by all the
people, who--look at them!--want to take justice into their own
hands. Ah! didn't we see them, in 1830, dusting the jackets of the
tax-gatherers? whose life isn't a bed of roses, anyway!"

Joseph Bridau grew pale as death, and collected all his strength to walk
onward.

"After all," he said, "I am innocent. Go on!"

Poor artist! he was forced to bear his cross. Amid the hooting and
insults and threats from the mob, he made the dreadful transit from the
place Misere to the place Saint-Jean. The gendarmes were obliged to draw
their sabres on the furious mob, which pelted them with stones. One of
the officers was wounded, and Joseph received several of the missiles on
his legs, and shoulders, and hat.

"Here we are!" said one of the gendarmes, as they entered Monsieur
Hochon's hall, "and not without difficulty, lieutenant."

"We must now manage to disperse the crowd; and I see but one way,
gentlemen," said the lieutenant to the magistrates. "We must take
Monsieur Bridau to the Palais accompanied by all of you; I and my
gendarmes will make a circle round you. One can't answer for anything in
presence of a furious crowd of six thousand--"

"You are right," said Monsieur Hochon, who was trembling all the while
for his gold.

"If that's your only way to protect innocence in Issoudun," said Joseph,
"I congratulate you. I came near being stoned--"

"Do you wish your friend's house to be taken by assault and pillaged?"
asked the lieutenant. "Could we beat back with our sabres a crowd
of people who are pushed from behind by an angry populace that knows
nothing of the forms of justice?"

"That will do, gentlemen, let us go; we can com