"Of course I am." "Then that is all right," and I raised my glass. "My friends! to-morrow evening, meet again here! Cartier, a dinner for twenty, on condition that it is eaten whether we are dead or alive. Here are two hundred francs for the dinner!" "You shall pay for it to-morrow." "What if I am shot?" "Then I will pay for it myself." "Hurrah for old Cartier!" And I swallowed off the contents of my glass. They all took up the chorus, "Vive Cartier!" and as we had finished supper and it was eleven o'clock and the horses were in the trap, we got up to go. "Ah! confound it, one moment," I said, reflecting; "we may have to deal with rougher adversaries to-morrow than old Levasseur, therefore let us really load our pistols this time. What gentlemen among you have bullets of the right calibre?" My pistols took twenty-four size, and it would be a chance, indeed, to find bullets of that calibre. "Wait a bit," said Cartier, "I can manage that. Have you any bullets in your pocket?" "Yes, but only size twenty." "Give me four of them, or rather eight; it is best to have a re-load...." I gave him eight bullets. Five minutes later, he brought me them back, elongated into slug shot, so that they fitted into the pistols. They were cleaned out, loaded and primed with the greatest care; just as though preparations were being made for a duel. Then for the last time we drank to the success of the enterprise; embraced each other several times and got into the trap, Hutin, Bard and myself; the postillion mounted his horses, and we set off at full gallop along the road to Soissons in the midst of cries of farewell and cheers of encouragement from my dear good friends. Two hours after we had left Villers-Cotterets the gate of Soissons opened at the voice and name of Hutin, and the gatekeeper let us in to the town, little knowing he was giving entrance to the Revolution. CHAPTER V Arrival at Soissons--Strategic preparations--Reconnaissance round the magazine--Hutin and Bard plant the tricolour flag upon the cathedral--I climb the wall of the powder magazine--Captain Mollard--Sergeant Ragon--Lieutenant-Colonel d'Orcourt--Parleys with them--They promise me neutrality After twenty-two years have passed, we almost hesitate to write the ensuing narrative, which now seems incredible even to ourselves; but we would refer any who doubt the story to _le Moniteur_ of 9 August, containing the official report which General La Fayette inserted, so that those who were interested might either protest or deny as occasion required. Nobody protested, nobody denied. At midnight, we were knocking loudly at the door of Hutin's mother's house, who welcomed us with cries of delight, no more I suspicious than was the gatekeeper, concerning the contents of the trap _à la Congrève_ that she ordered to be put up in her stable yard.