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And thus four days passed away in their new home, which, dreary as it was, with its slanting roof and bare whitewashed walls, began to look cheerful under Cécile's care and arrangements. There Louis, released from his arrest, was not long He looked bright and happy now, before he found them out.

for a weight was off his mind, as Cécile was safe in Paris. Father and daughter could not find words to express their gratitude to their brave young deliverer. Nero, too, was rejoiced to see him, barking, wagging his tail, and licking the hands of the young Louis was as delighted as he was National Guardsman. astonished, to find that the dog had found his way into Paris. Their lack of employment, which must, in the end, bring them to poverty and distress, greatly troubled Meunier and Cécile. The former, at Louis' suggustion, at once enrolled himself in the battalion of National Guards, of the Quartier, the same to which Louis belonged. Cécile determined to get some employment in one of the hospitals or ambulances; for this purpose, she and her father set out next morning to find their old friend, the Abbé Desilles, who had formerly been so kind to them. It was such a long time since Meunier had heard anything about him, that he doubted whether he might still be in the capital.

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CHAPTER XIV.

TROUBLES WITHOUT AND TROUBLES WITHIN THE CITY.

"The air of death breathes through our souls,

The dead all round us lie;

By day and night the death-bell tolls,

And says, 'Prepare to die!"

J. WILSON.

A FEW days after the events recorded in our last chapter, late on the evening of 30th October, Louis burst into his mother's lodging, and throwing his képi down on the table and his sword and belt into a corner, he exclaimed in a voice which quivered with anger and excitement,

"We are always betrayed, always sold into the hands of our enemies; it is a shame, a disgrace!"

"What is the matter, Louis?" interrupted Josephine, "what bad news do you bring us now?"

"Not heard the bad news that all Paris is talking of!" he said, "that Metz has surrendered, and that Bazaine with all his troops will have to follow the rest of our army, as prisoners to Germany!"

"Metz capitulated!" exclaimed Madame Laforce in astonishment; "who would have thought it?"

"Ah! who indeed ?" cried Louis; "but we have traitors everywhere among us! Paris swarms with Prussian spies, we are betrayed and sold on all sides."

"But in your opinion the Republic was to do such great things for us, Louis," said Josephine; "it appears now that there is as much treason under the Republic, as there was under the Empire."

"As to that, Bazaine is an Imperialist, and probably capitulated at the instigation of the ex-emperor. Never was there a

country so unfortunate as ours. Metz was the key to the situation. Those 80,000 men who garrisoned it, and are now prisoners, were the best troops in France; on them all our hopes depended, and this is not the end of our misfortunes. The night before last, a company of our brave franc-tireurs made a most successful sortie, overcame the Prussian guard, and took possession of the village of Le Bourget; they had a desperate battle with the enemy in the middle of the night, but defeated them at all points, obliging them to retire. Next morning the Prussians returned with reinforcements, but so resolute were our men, that they were again driven back. We remained masters of the village, and should have kept it, had General Trochu sent reinforcements and artillery to our brave fellows; but no, they were shamefully abandoned. Our soldiers, who had been fighting for a whole night and day, kept there positions without any shelter under a pelting rain, up to their ankles in mud, exhausted by fatigue and half dead with cold. At dawn this morning, the Prussians of course returned with a whole division, and excellent artillery. Our men, blinded by the infernal grapeshot, were at last obliged to abandon the hardly won ground, while those who persisted in fighting either fell, or were taken prisoners. Here was a grand position won, and then all lost by the carelessness, or the treason perhaps, of our incapable government."

"You are right when you say treason," said Camille, who had entered the room while Louis was speaking; "however, this pretended Republic will come to an end before long; we are determined to have the Commune."

"That is all we require to complete our humiliation," sighed Madame Laforce ; "that Commune will be the utter ruin of our country."

"Really, mother, I don't think it can be worse than our present rulers," said Louis.

"You know I am no republican, my son, I would rather see

any despot on the throne than be ruled by the mob, but the present government is better than what Camille and his friends want to establish."

"We shall see, my mother-in-law," said Camille; "only give us a chance and we will drive out the Prussians and the aristocrats too."

"Yes, and abolish religion and establish the guillotine!" said Madame Laforce in indignation; "already in some districts where mayors of your principles are in office, we have seen how they practise liberty and tolerance. The Christian brothers and sisters of mercy have been banished from one quarter, by the municipal authorities of the city who have removed the Crucifix and all the religious pictures out of the schools, and forbidden the Catechism and Scripture history to be taught in them. The children are not to be allowed to go to church, nor to receive their First Communion."

"Quite right too," said Camille: "I should like to see all the lazy, idle priests and the sisters of charity, who instil aristocratic ideas into the minds of ignorant people, turned outside the walls, that they might fall into the hands of the Prussians."

"Are you not ashamed, Camille," said Madame Laforce, "to talk in that way? You are getting worse and worse; beware whither these seditious sentiments will lead you. Ah! should you ever be in a hospital, sick or wounded, you will think differently then, of sisters of charity."

"I hope one will never approach me, wherever I am," said Camille angrily.

"You are wrong there, Camille," remarked Louis; "for my part I greatly respect the sisters of charity."

"You are thoroughly priest-ridden, Louis," remarked Camille contemptuously; "you have too much intercourse with the Bretons now."

"I will have nothing said against the Bretons here," said Josephine proudly. "I think, Camille, if you only come here

to talk sedition, to rail against religion, to abuse our friends and relations, and to make my mother angry and unhappy, you had better cease your visits."

“Well, sister, I have no time to stay longer; but don't be vexed, we all have our peculiar political opinions; you know what mine are, I never conceal them," said Camille. "Good night," and he left the room.

"It is natural you should stand up for the Bretons, Josephine," said Louis, "because of Pierre."

"It is not only because of Pierre," she replied, "but also on account of what I see and hear of their conduct in Paris. I go sometimes into a church and see the side aisles full of Breton troops, not standing or sitting, but all devoutly kneeling on the cold stones, their chassepots resting against their breasts, their books of devotion in their hands. How reverent they all look! how devoutly they seem to pray! The other day, too, at the combat at Chatillon, when General Ducrot told the Breton Mobiles to advance. 'Pardon, general,' said their chaplain, who accompanied them, 'one moment!' then all the Mobiles knelt on the ground and received their chaplain's blessing; after making the sign of the cross, they arose from their knees, and rushed on like lions, advancing their bayonets into the thick of the fire against the foe."

"There are many good points about the Bretons, I grant you," said Louis; "still they are rather superstitious. Come, mother, I must have some supper and be off, for I am on duty to-night."

The next day, 31st October, was one of the most disgraceful in the annals of France. Early on that cold, dull, drizzling morning, the rappel sounded in all the quarters of Paris, and about 11 a.m. numerous battalions of the National Guard proceeded in the direction of the Hôtel de Ville. It was known that the members of the government were assembled in deliberation in that building. An imposing manifestation of the power of