Jean held up his hand sharply. "Yes, it is I, Citizen Gallon, from Vallet. It is not often that I stir so far from home, but I had business here." "Well, well, I will see what I can do for you, comrade; but as you know, I don't profess to take in horses. My clients come from the waterside, and generally my stable is full of their baskets and ropes. However, I will see what I can do. I will tie them up in that shed, for the present, and then clear out a stall for them afterwards." The horses were led to a shed, encumbered with fishing gear of all sorts. "What madness has seized you, mon capitaine, to put your head into this lion's den?" "I will tell you presently, Brenon, when we get inside. I am glad that you are able to take the horses in. We don't want to be stared at, or talked about. We have come along the river bank and, so far, we have been quite unnoticed." "All the better, all the better; to be noticed here means to have one's head cut off. Now, I will take you to a little room upstairs, where there is no chance of anyone seeing you." "Get us up, if you can, without our being noticed by your servants, Brenon. We shall be differently dressed when we come down again." The man nodded. "The boy is in the front room," he said. "There are three or four fishermen there, having their morning glass. I have no other servants. My wife does what is needful, for I was obliged to discharge the girl we had, everything has been so slack of late." He led them up to a chamber looking on to the quay. Jean was puzzled at the man's manner, for he spoke in a confused and hesitating way. When he closed the door behind him, he stood rubbing his hands together nervously. "Have you heard lately from Nantes, Monsieur Jean?" "No, it is five weeks since I had any news; except, of course, what was known about the troops that were here. What is it, old friend? Is there bad news?" "There is terrible news," Brenon said, "so bad that I don't know how to tell you." "Speak out, old friend. I have had one blow so heavy that I can scarcely be hurt more than I am." "Well, then, monsieur, your father has been arrested and is in the prison; and you know what that means!" "Father arrested!" Jean exclaimed; "on what grounds? He never expressed an opinion as to public affairs. That at heart he hated what has been going on, I know; but he never spoke strongly, even to me, and when I have heard his opinion asked, he has always replied that he was a trader, and that a man could not give his attention to business if he worried himself over politics. He attended to his trade, and left it to those who liked, to manage the government of the country. "What of my mother and sister?" "They are safe, monsieur. He sent them off a fortnight before, in disguise, to La Rochelle; at least, so I have heard from the fishermen. And as the Henriette was lying there at the time, and sailed two days after, there is not much doubt but that they sailed in her for England.