"He cuts off heads," she said, lowering her voice. Charles trembled. "He--cuts--off--heads?" he repeated. "Didn't you know that he is the public prosecutor? Ah! my poor child, your father has selected a strange master for you." The boy remained thoughtful for an instant. Then he asked: "Was it he who cut off Mother Raisin's head to-day?" "No, that was the Propagande." "What is the Propagande?" "A society for the propagation of revolutionary ideas. Each one cuts off heads on his own account: Citizen Schneider as public prosecutor, Saint-Just as the people's representative, and Tétrell as the leader of the Propagande." "One guillotine is not much for so many people," observed the boy, with a smile which was beyond his years. "But each one has his own!" "Surely, my father did not know that when he sent me here," murmured the boy. He reflected an instant; then, with a firmness that indicated precocious courage, he added: "Well! since I am here I shall remain." Then, passing to another train of thought, he said: "You remarked, Madame Teutch, that you had given me No. 14 because it was a small room, and the bed had curtains, and the chimney did not smoke." "And for still another reason, my pretty boy." "What is it?" "Because you will find a young companion in No. 15, just a trifle older than you, whom you may be able to divert." "Is he sad?" "Oh! very sad. He is only fifteen, but he is already a little man. He is here on a sorrowful errand. His father, who was general-in-chief of the army of the Rhine before Pichegru, has been accused of treason. Just think, he lodged here, the poor dear man! From all that I can gather he is no more guilty than you or I; but he is a ci-devant, and you know they don't trust them. Well, as I was saying, this young man is here for the purpose of copying documents which may prove his father's innocence. He is a good son, as you see, and he works at his task from morning till night." "Then I can help him," said Charles; "I write a good hand." "Now, that's what I call a good friend," and in her enthusiasm, Madame Teutch embraced her guest. "What is his name?" asked Charles. "Citizen Eugene." "But Eugene is only his first name." "Why, of course, and he has another name, a very funny name. Wait, his father was Marquis--wait--" "I am waiting, Madame Teutch, I am waiting," said the boy with a laugh. "That's only a manner of speaking: you know very well what I mean--a name like what they put on the backs of horses. Harness--Beauharnais; that's it! Eugene de Beauharnais. But I guess that it's on account of that _de_ that they call him plain citizen Eugene." This conversation reminded the boy of what Tétrell had told him. "By the way, Madame Teutch," he said, "you must have two commissioners from Besançon in your house." "Yes, they came to reclaim your compatriot, the adjutant-general Perrin." "Will they give him to them?" "Oh! he has done better than wait for the decision of Saint-Just."