As Coster de Saint-Victor had announced, Barras had been appointed about one o'clock in the morning commander of the forces within and without Paris, and all civil and military authorities were placed under his orders.
This choice did not deserve Coster de Saint-Victor's derision. Barras was brave, cool, and devoted1 to the cause of liberty, and at Toulon he had given irrefutable proofs of his bravery and patriotism2. He did not deceive himself in regard to the danger of the situation, and the terrible responsibility which rested upon his shoulders. Nevertheless, he remained perfectly3 calm. Even while pushing his appointment with all his might, he had known of an auxiliary4, unknown to all others, upon whom he could rely.
He therefore left the Tuileries immediately after his nomination5, attired6 in a long dark overcoat, and hesitated a moment whether to take a carriage or not; but thinking that a carriage would attract notice and might be stopped, he drew a large pair of pistols from his pocket, and contented7 himself with securing them in his deputy's sash beneath his overcoat. Then he set off on foot through the Echelle wicket. He went along the Rue8 Traversière, passed the Palais Royal, followed the Rue Neuve-des-Petits-Champs[Pg 307] for a few steps, and found himself opposite the Rue des Fosses-Montmartre. It had been pouring in torrents9 during all this time.
Everything was in frightful10 confusion, a fact of which Barras was well aware. He knew that the artillery11 was still in the camp at Sablons, and that it was guarded by one hundred and fifty men only. He also knew that there were only eighty thousand cartridges12 in the magazine, and that there were no provisions and no brandy. He knew that all communication with the staff, who had their headquarters on the Boulevard des Capucines, was cut off by the Sectionists of the Club Le Peletier, who had extended their line of sentinels from the Rue des Filles de Saint-Thomas as far as the Rue Saint-Pierre-Montmartre and the Place Vend13?me. He was aware of the exasperated14 pride of the Sectionists, who, as we have seen, had raised the standard of revolt; he knew of the expedition of the preceding day, so shamefully16 conducted by Menou, and so vigorously received by Morgan, which had doubled their actual strength and quadrupled their moral strength.
On all sides the report was rife17 that this Section, hemmed18 in by thirty thousand Conventionals, had overawed them by their courage, and had repulsed19 them, and forced them to shameful15 retreat by the skilful20 disposition21 of their troops.
Every one spoke22 of the audacity23 which Morgan had displayed in placing himself between the two troops, of his lofty air, and that hauteur24 with which he had addressed General Menou and Representative Laporte. It was whispered, but whispered with the greatest precautions, that he was a great personage, a very great personage, who had only returned to Paris some three or four days before, bearing letters of the highest recommendation to the royalist committees in Paris from the royalist committees in London.
The Convention was already no longer hated; it was despised. And, in truth, what had the Sections to fear from it, spared because of its weakness? They had united during the night of the 11th, and on the 12th had sent de[Pg 308]tachments to support the Mother Section. They therefore felt that the National Convention would be annihilated25, and were prepared to sing the De Profundis over its corpse26.
Thus, on his way across Paris, Barras was constantly confronted by one or another of those Sections which had come to the assistance of the Mother Section, and who accosted27 him thus: "Who goes there?"
To which he replied: "A Sectionist."
At every few steps he met a drummer beating a mournful recall or general on his relaxed drum, the lugubrious28 and sinister29 sound of his mournful performance being better suited to a funeral procession than to their actual purpose. Furthermore, men were seen gliding30 through the streets like shadows, knocking at doors, and calling upon other men to arm and repair to the Sections to defend their wives and children, whose throats the Terrorists had sworn to cut. Perhaps these attempts would have been less successful in broad daylight; but the mystery which clings to deeds of the night, entreaties31 in low tones, as if in fear lest assassins should overhear the whispered communication, the mournful and incessant32 beating of the drums and the ringing of the bells—all this caused anxiety and trepidation33 throughout the city, and foretold34 something indefinite but terrible that was impending35.
Barras saw and heard all that. He was no longer judging of the city from mere36 reports; he was feeling its pulse with his own finger. Thus when he left the Rue Neuve-des-Petits-Champs, he hastened his steps almost to a run as he fled across the Place des Victoires; then gliding along the Rue Fosses-Montmartre, keeping in the shadow of the houses, he finally reached the door of the little hotel of "The Rights of Man." Having gone thus far, he stopped and took a few steps backward, in order to read the sign which he sought by the fitful light of the lamp; after which, approaching the door, he rapped vigorously with the knocker.
A man-servant was in attendance, and he, probably[Pg 309] judging from the vigorous knocking that some one of importance was without, did not keep him waiting long. The door opened cautiously.
Barras slipped through the opening and shut the door behind him. Then, without waiting to enlighten the servant as to the cause of all these precautions, he asked: "Citizen Bonaparte lodges37 here, does he not?"
"Yes, citizen."
"Is he at home?"
"He returned about an hour ago."
"Where is his room?"
"No. 47, on the fourth floor at the end of the corridor."
"Right or left?"
"Left."
"Thanks."
Barras hastened up the stairs, soon reaching the top of the four flights, took the corridor to the left, and stopped before the door of No. 47. Once there, he knocked three times.
Barras turned the handle and entered. He found himself in a room furnished with a curtainless bed, two tables, one large and the other small, four chairs and a globe. A sword and a pair of pistols hung on the wall. A young man, completely dressed, except for his uniform, was seated at the smaller of the two tables, studying a plan of Paris by the light of the lamp.
At the sound of the opening door, the occupant of the room turned half-way around in his chair to see who the unexpected visitor, who came at such an hour, could be. As he sat thus the lamp lighted three-quarters of his face, leaving the rest in shade.
He was about twenty-three or four, with an olive complexion39, somewhat lighter40 at the temples and forehead. His straight black hair was parted in the middle and fell down below his ears. His eagle eye, straight nose and[Pg 310] strong chin and lower jaw41, increasing in size as it approached his ears, left no doubt as to the trend of his abilities. He was a man of war, belonging to the race of conquerors42. Seen thus, and lighted in this way, his face looked like a bronze medallion. He was so thin that all the bones in his face were plainly discernible.
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1
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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3
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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4
auxiliary
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| adj.辅助的，备用的 | |
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nomination
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| n.提名，任命，提名权 | |
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attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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8
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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9
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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10
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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11
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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12
cartridges
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| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
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13
vend
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| v.公开表明观点，出售，贩卖 | |
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14
exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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16
shamefully
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| 可耻地； 丢脸地； 不体面地； 羞耻地 | |
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17
rife
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| adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的 | |
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18
hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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19
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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20
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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22
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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23
audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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24
hauteur
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| n.傲慢 | |
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25
annihilated
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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26
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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27
accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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28
lugubrious
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| adj.悲哀的，忧郁的 | |
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29
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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30
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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31
entreaties
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| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
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32
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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33
trepidation
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| n.惊恐，惶恐 | |
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34
foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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36
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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37
lodges
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| v.存放( lodge的第三人称单数 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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38
curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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39
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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40
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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41
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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42
conquerors
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| 征服者，占领者( conqueror的名词复数 ) | |
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