Then he forgot to abuse me and suddenly whined:
_"Ne frappez pas, monsieur!"_ mounted his box, and drove very tamely
away. In my exasperation I called the hotel waiters together and poured
scorn on them for their cowardice.
In spite of the season, it was uncomfortable weather, and the temper of
the town was as uncomfortable as the weather. As time went on, few
people were to be seen about the streets, but there was a run on the
gunmakers' and sword-smiths'. By day no cheerful shouts or songs rang
out, but children of six or seven years of age would go hand in hand in
rows down the street in the evenings, singing _"Mourir pour la
patrie,"_ to its own beautiful, affecting melody. But these were the
only gentle sounds one heard. Gradually, the very air seemed to be
reeking with terror and frenzy. Exasperation rolled up once more, like a
thick, black stream, against the Emperor, against the ministers and
generals, and against the Prussians, whom people thought they saw
everywhere.
XXX.
Foreigners were requested to leave Paris, so that, in the event of a
siege, the city might have no unnecessary mouths to feed.
Simultaneously, in Trochu's proclamation, it was announced that the
enemy might be outside the walls in three days. Under such
circumstances, the town was no longer a place for anyone who did not
wish to be shut up in it.
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