Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 206: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

( 6) ) CHAPTER XXII. THE PUBLIC ACCUSER.—A TALE. MARGUERITE D ERMANVILLE.—THE RENDEZ-VOUS.—THE RVENT. I wAvE not selected the anecdote that will be developed in the pro- greas of this tale, for the purpose of making a pedantic display of my extensive acquaintance with French history, but merely to furnish an interesting specimen of “‘ the deeds that were done”’ by the principal agents of the Revolution in the Reign of Terror. Fouguier-Tinville was seated in his private cabinet, busily em- loyed in the examination of certain documents that lay spread ont ore him upon the table. His countenance wore an expression of austerity that rendered his appearance terrible m the eyes of thoee who sought his presence for the usually fruitless purpose of supplicating a favour on the part of some accused friend. Seldom was it that Fou- ier-Tinville mingled sentiments of benevolence and mercy with the etails of the proces-verbal it was his duty to present to the Revolu- tionary Tribunal. His eloquence was invariably directed against the life of him whom he indicted; and his arguments were deemed more persuasive in ensuring a fellow-creature’s doom, than the memorable words of the Roman senator who concluded every P raph of his oration with the terrible injunction—“‘Delenda est Curthago J’ Fouquier-Tinville, the Public Accuser, had been employed about an hour in the careful scrutiny of the various papers that lay before him, when a low knock at the door of the cabsnet for a moment diverted his attention from the study in which he had been absorbed. He desired the individual, who thus disturbed him, to enter; and when Lafleur, his faithful page, presented himself, the republican said sternly, ‘‘ What, Lafleur! despite of my strict orders, my privacy is thus invaded! Am I never to enjoy a moment’s tranquillity?” ‘¢ ay it please Citizen Fouquier-Tinville,” replied the page sub- missively, “a young person, who refuses to deliver her name, insists upon being indulged with a private audience—”’ ** Admit her,” cried the Public Accuser, hastily cutting short Lafleur’s story, and waving his hand impatiently. The command was immediately obeyed, and a lovely young female, of about eighteen, was ushered into the room. Lafleur retired as soon as this ceremony was performed, and Fouquier-Tinville desired his beautiful visitor to be seated and explain the nature of her business. The stranger hesi- tated as if she were at a loss how to reply; and probably over-awed at finding herself in the presence of the dreaded functionary of the Revolutionary Tribunal, as well as instinctively to place herself in an attitude befitting one who has a boon to solicit, she sank upon her knees at the republican’s feet, and suffered her head to repose upon her breast. Her long luxuriant hair fell in graceful ringlets over shoulders and a neck of dazzling whiteness ; and the position of the lovely girl enabled the licentious glance of Fouquier-Tinville to catch “ short glim of a breast of snow.” Her figure was modelled in the most faultless symmetry ; her f lasped hands were diminutive and COL (a) DGe (c@