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Le Chapelier reared his elegantly dressed head, which had been bowed in thought, and it was seen that his countenance was pale. Nervously he fingered a gold spy-glass. "My friends," he said, slowly, "I am deeply sensible of the honour that you do me. But in accepting it I should be usurping an honour that rightly belongs elsewhere.
"No, no." Le Chapelier was conciliatory, seeking to provide an antidote to the irritant administered by his companion. "We require your help, Andre. Danton here thinks that you are the very man for us. Listen now..." "That's it. You tell him," Danton agreed. "You both talk the same mincing sort of French. He'll probably understand you." Le Chapelier went on without heeding the interruption.
"Have they had enough?" he wondered, addressing the question to Le Chapelier. "They have had enough of you, I should think," was the answer. "They will prefer to turn their attention to some one less able to take care of himself." Now this was disappointing. Andre-Louis had lent himself to this business with a very definite object in view.
And they were vibrant with the passions he had aroused, and the high note of hope on which he had brought his symphony to a close. A dozen students caught him as he leapt down, and swung him to their shoulders, where again he came within view of all the acclaiming crowd. The delicate Le Chapelier pressed alongside of him with flushed face and shining eyes.
Above all, let them pack like the wolves, and to ensure this uniformity of action in the people of all Brittany, let a delegate at once be sent to Nantes, which had already proved itself the real seat of Brittany's power. It but remained to appoint that delegate, and Le Chapelier invited them to elect him.
The Friday of that very busy week in the life of this young man who even thereafter is to persist in reminding us that he is not in any sense a man of action, found the vestibule of the Manege empty of swordsmen when he made his leisurely and expectant egress between Le Chapelier and Kersain. So surprised was he that he checked in his stride.
So now Le Chapelier suspected mockery in that invitation, suspected it even when he failed to find traces of it on Andre-Louis' face, for he had learnt by experience that it was a face not often to be trusted for an indication of the real thoughts that moved behind it. "Your notions and mine on that score can hardly coincide," said he. "Can there be two opinions?" quoth Andre-Louis.
"There will probably be some difficulty in finding a suppleant for this poor Lagron," he said. "Our fellow-countrymen will be none so eager to offer themselves to the swords of Privilege." "True enough," said Le Chapelier gloomily; and then, as if suddenly leaping to the thing in Andre-Louis' mind: "Andre!" he cried. "Would you..." "It is what I was considering.
"What do you mean?" wondered Le Chapelier. "That in this business I must relinquish all hope of recommencing." M. de La Tour d'Azyr was seen no more in the Manege or indeed in Paris at all throughout all the months that the National Assembly remained in session to complete its work of providing France with a constitution.
Bourges and Thuillier being the physicians, and Tranchet and Meri the surgeons, who declared that after due and careful examination they had found no defect which could hinder generation. Their report is dated Paris, Aug. 13, 1703. M. Chapelier ordered, in consequence, both parties, viz., the Sieur De Bret and the said Buchères to acknowledge each other for man and wife.
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