“At these terrible words nothing could hold me back.   I set off for
Marseilles.   M______ who would not consent to let me return alone,
accompanied me.   In passing through the village of Saint-Just we
encountered a crowd of armed peasants in the main street who appeared to
belong to the free companies.   Although this circumstance was rather
alarming, it would have been dangerous to turn back, so we continued our
way as if we were not in the least uneasy.   They examined our bearing and
our dress narrowly, and then exchanged some sentences in a low, voice, of
which we only caught the word austaniers.   This was the name by which the
Bonapartists were called by the peasants, and means ’eaters of
chestnuts,’ this article of food being brought from Corsica to France. 
However, we were not molested in any way, for as we were going towards
the city they did not think we could be fugitives.   A hundred yards
beyond the village we came up with a crowd of peasants, who were, like
us, on the way to Marseilles.   It was plain to see that they had just
been pillaging some country house, for they were laden with rich stuffs,
chandeliers and jewels.   It proved to be that of M. R____, inspector of
reviews.  Several carried muskets.   I pointed out to my companion a stain
of blood on the trousers of one of the men, who began to laugh when he
saw what we were looking at.   Two hundred yards outside the city I met a
woman who had formerly been a servant in my house.   She was very much
astonished to see me, and said, ’Go away at once; the massacre is
horrible, much worse than yesterday.’

“‘But my wife,’ I cried, ‘do you know anything about her?’

“‘No, sir,’ she replied; ’I was going to knock at the door, but some people asked me in a threatening manner if I could tell them where the friend of that rascal Brine was, as they were going to take away his appetite for bread.  So take my advice,’ she continued, ’and go back to where you came from.’

“This advice was the last I could make up my mind to follow, so we went on, but found a strong guard at the gate, and saw that it would be impossible to get through without being recognised.  At the same time, the cries and the reports of firearms from within were coming nearer; it would therefore have been to court certain death to advance, so we retraced our steps.  In passing again through the village of Saint-Just we met once more our armed peasants.  But this time they burst out into threats on seeing us, shouting, ‘Let us kill them!  Let us kill them!’ Instead of running away, we approached them, assuring them that we were Royalists.  Our coolness was so convincing that we got through safe and sound.

“On getting back to the captain’s I threw myself on the sofa, quite overcome by the thought that only that morning my wife had been beside me under my protection, and that I had let her go back to the town to a cruel and inevitable death.  I felt as if my heart would break, and nothing that our host and my friend could say gave me the slightest comfort.  I was like a madman, unconscious of everything round me.