Glancing at her, he scratched his grey head in a plebeian
way, and gave a little laugh.
"Yes," he said, pointing to the spot where D'Arragon had stood.
"That was a man, that you fetched to help us--a man. It makes a
difference when such as that goes out of the room--eh?"
He busied himself in the kitchen, setting in order that which
remained of the mise en scene of his violent reception of the secret
police. Suddenly he turned in his emphatic manner, and threw out
his rugged forefinger to hold her attention.
"If there had been some like that in Paris, there would have been no
Revolution. Za-za, za-za!" he concluded, imitating effectively the
buzz of many voices in an assembly. "Words and not deeds," Barlasch
protested. Whereas to-night, he clearly showed by two gestures,
they had met a man of deeds.
CHAPTER X. IN DEEP WATER.
Le coeur humain est un abime qui trompe tous les calculs.
It is to be presumed that Colonel de Casimir met friends at the
reception given by Governor Rapp in the great rooms of the Rathhaus.
For there were many Poles present, and not a few officers of other
nationalities.
The army indeed that set forth to conquer Russia was not a French-
speaking army. Less than half of the regiments were of that
nationality, while Italians, Bavarians, Saxons, Wurtembergers,
Westphalians, Prussians, Swiss, and Portuguese went gaily forward on
the great venture. There were soldiers from the numerous petty
states of the German Confederation which acknowledged Napoleon as
their protector, for the good reason that they could not protect
themselves against him.
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