Jacques Bonneval; Or, The Days of the Dragonnades

o him,-"Uncle, the bishop has gone away in great w

aunt, indignantly, "he called me a bad name, and

e; he'd be glad enough to have a wife of his own, and seeing me so much better off than he is, makes him captio

es' feet was heard, together with the jin

he bed to the window, and pulling back the little

ds them, shouting and throwing up their caps; but when I looked at the ferocious faces of these men, seamed with many an ugly scar-their lowering brows, their terrible eyes, their sour aspect-I felt they might be as dreadful to face in peace as in war. I watch

a faint cry of terror from my aunt, and a brawling and trampling impossible to describe. I looked down from the stair-head and counted forty-two dragoons, trampling in one after another, till, the house being of moderate size, there was hardl

nce, and you shall be waited

said one, taking it up hot in his hands, and bawling because they were burnt; "

are of that po

es of a cherry? He has gnawn off all the best mouthfuls already.

good sirs," said the

ham! here are two hams! Ha! ha! ham is g

too long to boil. Bread!-where's the bread? Where's the

ve I found here!

e!" shouted tw

e bag was snatched from the finder, and the money scattered on the floor; then they scrambled for it, as many as could get near it, l

to catch the poultry, in which the dragoons alternately helped and hindered her, roaring with laughter when a hen flew shrieking over their heads, and then abusing my aunt. They were quickly caught and plucked, and set, some to roast, some to broil, according to t

so many, I know not, except that they were brought for the special purpose of tormenting; bu

he tour of

But no, his breath came and went, though inaudibly, and had he been a

for my voice to be heard, they simultaneously beat their drums with a clangor that might have waked the dead. No wonder, therefore, that my poor uncle started from his sleep bewildered, terrified, and looking as if he believed himself in some horrid dream. In vain he moved his lips, in vain he raised his clasped hands to one and another, as if in supplication; the more distress he showed the more noise they made, till it seemed to me as if my eardrums would split. In the mid

The dragoons were furious: they gathered about my aunt, pulling her hair, threatening her with their fists, threatening to boil her in her own copper, and set fire to the house, with her sick husband in it, if she did not procure

d her heart to God in earnest prayer, and there came to her the comforting remembrance of these words

husband!" Another shrieked from a window, 'Help, help, they are killing my father!' Children ran about the streets, crying, "Oh, my father!-oh, my mother!" It seemed a heartless task to be going

not bringing them better cheer, yet I pacified them by smiling like my aunt, and echoing her "Attendez, messieurs, s'i

is rate? If their orders were to eat my uncle out of house and home, and drive him and my aunt

k it was nearly dark, and the house was all in a blaze with lights, for the dragoons had lighted candles all over the house; and some of them were stupid with drink, and lying in heaps; others were rendered quarrelsome by it, and fighting and abusing one another; but as for the drummers, they never ceased. They were at it when I set forth, they were at it while I was away, they were at it when I came back again, and stared at the good things I spread out before them without once staying their drumsticks. I was so sick of it by this time, and so unable to disguise my disgust and anger, that I persuaded myself I might as well return home, for that I could do no good where I was, and things could get no worse without me. So I went up to my aunt, who was then sitting like a stone image, without seeming able to hear or see anything, a

feeling, the daylight was faintly making its way into the room, which had no one in it but my uncle, my aunt, and me. She seemed to have crawled with difficulty to the foot of his bed, and there sunk and fallen asleep I went out on the landing-candles were burning in their sockets with a vile smell-the house was full of vile smells and of confusion and disorder-the house-door stood ajar-one or two dragoons lay sleeping heavily

d shut the door. On returning I saw my uncle was not dead. Their thinking him so was a mercy, since it gave him a little respite. He was too weak to be moved, but he begge