shoulder-belt sprinkled with fleur-de-lis across his breast, his
halberd erect, glistening like a plate of silver; the young girls,
ladies, and thousands of country people in their Sunday clothes,
praying in concert with the old people at their head, from each
village, who kept repeating incessantly, "pray for us, pray for us."
With the streets full of leaves and garlands and the white flags in the
windows, the Jews and the Lutherans looking out from their closed
blinds and the sun lighting up the grand sight below. This continued
from 1814 to 1830, except during the hundred days, not to speak of the
missions, the bishop's visits, and other extraordinary ceremonies. I
like best to tell you all this at once, for if I should undertake to
describe one procession after another the story would be too long.
Well! this commenced the 19th of May, and the same day that Harmentier
announced the grand atonement, there arrived five preachers from Nancy,
young men, who preached during the whole week, from morning until
midnight. This was to prepare for the atonement; nothing else was
talked about in the town, the people were converted, and all the women
and girls went to confession. It was rumored also that the national
property was to be restored, and that the poor men would be separated
from the respectable people by the procession, because the beggars
would not dare to show themselves. You may imagine my chagrin at being
obliged, in spite of myself, to remain among the poor people; but,
thank God! I had nothing to reproach myself with in regard to the
death of Louis XVI., and I had none of the national property, and all I
wanted was permission to marry Catherine. I thought with Aunt Gredel
that Father Goulden was very obstinate, but I never dared to say a word
to him about that. I was very unhappy, the more so, because the people
who came to us to have their watches repaired, respectable citizens,
mayors, foresters, etc., approved of all these sermons, and said that
the like had never been heard. Mr. Goulden always kept on his work
while listening to them, and when it was done he would turn to them and
say, "Here is your watch, Mr. Christopher or Mr. Nicholas; it is so and
so much." He did not seem to be interested in these matters, and it
was only when one and another would speak of the national property, of
the rebellion of twenty-five years, and of expiating past crimes, that
he would take off his spectacles and raise his head to listen, and
would say with an air of surprise, "Pshaw! well! well! that is fine!
that is, Mr. Claude! indeed you astonish me. These young men preach so
well then? Well, if the work were not so pressing, I would go and hear
them. I need instruction also."
I always kept thinking that he would change his mind, and the next
evening as we were finishing our supper I was happy enough to hear him
say good-humoredly:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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