"Moses! Wilt thou come, Moses? Ah, see him! He is the old guard! Look now, how he is built! Thou shalt be ensign, Moses! Thou shalt lead us on to victory!" And the fools laughed, nudging each others' elbows. I passed on, without answering or even looking at them. In the room at the farther end, where the names were drawn at conscriptions, Governor Moulin, Commandant Petitgenet, the mayor, Frichard, secretary of the mayoralty, Rollin, captain of apparel, and six or seven other superannuated men, crippled with rheumatism, brought from all parts of the world, were met in council, some sitting, the rest standing. These old ones began to laugh as they saw me come in. I heard them say to one another: "He is strong yet! Yes, he is all right." So they talked, one after another. I thought to myself: "Say what you like, you will not make me think that you are twenty years old, or that you are handsome." But I kept silence. Suddenly the governor, who was talking with the mayor in a corner, turned around, with his great chapeau awry, and looking at me, said: "What do you intend to do with such a patriarch? You see very well that he can hardly stand." I was pleased, in spite of it all, and began to cough. "Good, good!" said he, "you may go home; take care of your cold!" I had taken four steps toward the door, when Frichard, the secretary of the mayoralty, called out: "It is Moses! The Jew Moses, colonel, who has sent his two boys off to America! The oldest should be in the service." This wretch of a Frichard had a grudge against me, because we had the same business of selling old clothes under the market, and the country people almost always preferred buying of me; he had a mortal grudge against me, and that is why he began to inform against me. The governor exclaimed at once: "Stop a minute! Ah ha, old fox! You send your boys to America to escape conscription! Very well! Give him his musket, cartridge-box, and sabre." Indignation against Frichard choked me. I would have spoken, but the wretch laughed and kept on writing at the desk; so I followed the gendarme Werner to a side room, which was filled with muskets, sabres, and cartridge-boxes. Werner himself hung a cartridge-box crosswise on my back, and gave me a musket, saying: "Go, Moses, and try always to answer to the call." I went down through the crowd so indignant that I heard no longer the shouts of laughter from the rabble. On reaching home I told Sorlé what had happened. She was very pale as she listened. After a moment, she said: "This Frichard is the enemy of our race; he is an enemy of Israel. I know it; he detests us! But just now, Moses, do not say a word; do not let him see that you are angry; it would please him too much. By and by you can have your revenge! You will have a chance. And if not yourself, your children, your grandchildren; they shall all know what this wretch has done to their grandfather--they shall know it!"