Page:Englishmen in the French Revolution.djvu/331

Rh all effects belonging to us should be seized, and confiscated to the nation.

Mr. Walker began to expostulate, but their brutality soon silenced and astonished him; they then proceeded to fix the seals upon all the books, papers, &c., belonging to the superior and dame procuratrix, threatening them all the while how severely they should be punished in case they concealed even the smallest article of their property.

Having secured everything, they told us we were now to consider ourselves prisoners, and then wrote a long account of their own proceedings, at the close of which they added, by desire of the community, that the religious wished to remain prisoners in their own convent, under a guard, rather than be removed to any other place of confinement; this paper our superior and procuratrix signed. They left the convent about eleven o'clock at night to put the seals on everything in the out-buildings, an apartment in which was appointed for the use of the chaplain; this they performed with the most exact scrutiny. They arrested the Rev. Messrs. Walker and Higginson (the latter was a priest who, in consideration of the age and declining health of the former, had some months before been appointed to assist him).

To prevent these gentlemen from conversing with us, they immediately deprived us of all solace from them, by removing them the same night, though it was near twelve o'clock when they were hurried away. Mr. Walker was quite broken with grief, age, and infirmity. We had the affliction of seeing how very roughly and inhumanly he was treated, from our adjoining convent, and feared they were dragging him away for immediate execution, but Providence kindly reserved him to be our support and consolation in a future place of suffering. What we felt on this occasion may be more easily imagined than expressed. That night the above gentlemen were confined