His eyes began to sparkle, but he quickly changed his tone. “Let us eat our last meal together, but in love like fellow-men; let us talk of the past, and then part in peace. This evening we are still brothers, but to-morrow you are the lord and I am the servant.” “You are right. To-day I am an emigrant, tomorrow I am a count.” The old man brought out a cold fowl, a cheese, and a bottle of wine, and both took their places at the table. “This wine, sire, was bottled in ‘89. It has a history, and therefore....” “Have you no white wine? I do not like red.” “Is it the colour you dislike?” “Yes, it looks like blood! You have lost a wife and four sons.” “Why should I weep for them? They fell on the field of honour.” “The scaffold!” “I call the scaffold the field of honour! But you want white wine! Good! You shall have it. You prefer the colour of tears; I prefer that of blood!” He opened a bottle of white wine: “_Suum cuique!_ Tastes differ. We can now breathe again, and sleep quietly at night. That was the hardest thing to bear during this last decade--the loss of sleep at night. The fear of death was worse than death itself.” “The worst for us--pardon the expression--was to see the State and society turned topsyturvy, and brutality enthroned.” “Wait a little! Louis XIV paid two gentlemen of the chamber twenty thousand livres yearly to examine and carry away his night stool every morning. The Sansculottes could not be coarser than that. Marie Antoinette used to go and spend the night drinking with her boon-companions, so that she returned home about eleven o’clock the next morning exhausted; that was coarse conduct for such a fine lady.” “You may draw the long bow to-night, Jaques; but to-morrow take care of your head! You ought not to speak so of these high personages who have suffered a martyr’s death.” “Stop! stop! The King was what they call ‘a fine fellow,’ but the Queen was a wretch. But both were justly condemned to death--both! Look you! if Turgot could have remained at his post, the Revolution would not have broken out. All the reforms in the State, Church, and Society, which we--pardon the expression--have carried through could have been carried through then, if Turgot had been allowed to put his plans into operation. The Queen would not endure the Minister’s retrenchment of her revenue, and plotted for his removal, and the King supported her. That was a great crime. The second was the overthrow of Necker. Then the Queen and her Court minxes ruled. Both King and Queen sought to stir up foreign countries against their own; their correspondence relating to this was discovered, and then the betrayers of their country were condemned to death. Don’t talk of Martyrs, or I shall be angry. For I am angry when I hear lies, and cannot control myself.” The Count laid his hand on his sword. “Put your sword in its sheath, young man, or otherwise....” They sat down on opposite sides of the table, and darted angry glances at each other.