volume one

BIOGllAPlllCAL ISOTICE. XIU
who were directed not to spare him, aud if fatigue relaxed
his speed, they were to refresh him with the flat sides of
their sabres. As he entered Paris in this forlorn condition,
he was met by his zealous friend, Giguet, whose sorrow only
set his fertile brain to work to devise means for his escape.
As Michaud was, diu"ing many days, conducted from hisprison
to the Tuileries, to undergo examination, Giguet at
first thought that the best way would be to blow out the
brains of the two gendarmes that escorted him ; but this he
rejected as unworthy of a man of genius. Choosing a point
in Michaud' s passage that would answer his purpose, he
stopped the party, and aftecting to know nothing of the
matter, and not to have seen his friend since his arrival in
Paris, was eager in his inquiries as to how his health was,
what he was doing, where he was going, and insisted upon
his breakfasting with him. "No, no," answered Michaud,
"I have a little afiair yonder, at the Tuderies, just a few
words of explanation to give— only the business of a minute
or two.—Begin breakfast without me, I shall be back presently."
" That won't do ; that won't do ; they do not
despatch people so quickly as all that. Perhaps they won't
begin with you ; let us have our breakfast first. I dare say
these gentlemen (pointing to the gendarmes) have not
breakfasted, and will have no objection to a cutlet and a
glass of Bourdeaux wine ! and here's the best house in Paris,
close at hand." The gendarmes, after a little faint hesitation,
sufiered themselves to be seduced; and prisoner, guards,
and friends were soon comfortably seated at table. They
eat, they drink, they pass bumper toasts, and talk a little
about everything ; but most particularly about Bresse and
the good cheer that was there always to be met with—but
the pullets of Bresse ! never was such eating as the pullets
of Bresse ! The mouths of the gendarmes watered at the
bare description of them. " Parbleu, gentlemen," cried
Giguet, " since you have never partaken of our country pullets,
I will undertake to convince you that there are none
such in the eighty-three departments. We have plenty of
you can eat a little bit more, and appetite comes with
time ;
drinking (and he filled the glasses) . Waiter, here ! a
Bresse pullet ! no tricks, mind ; it must be from Bresse—
not from Mans. But, stop ; Michaud, you understand these
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