Page:Englishmen in the French Revolution.djvu/336

316 Troops, whose brutality can hardly be described; nothing can be conceived more disagreeably offensive than their language and behaviour. A woman who appeared to belong to one of them molested us by every means she could study; still amidst all their cruel treatment we had the comfort to meet with some few friends. A female, whose father in better times had been employed by us, had the courage to make her way into our prison; she and her husband procured for us bread, small beer, and a few boiled eggs, which were really a great treat, as some had not tasted anything for two days. We also found in this place a few bedsteads with dirty straw, which the soldiers had apparently slept on for some months; we did not at first choose to lie down on them, but excessive weariness in the end overcame that difficulty. Still no rest was to be had in this scene of horror; the soldiers were passing to and fro the greater part of the night, even through the room we occupied. Next morning, by means of a lady who was there in arrestation, we procured one cup of tea each before the guards came to summon us away in order to proceed on our dismal journey. On Sunday evening we rested at Ham; here was as usual a great stir among the people crying out "Aristocrats to the guillotine," but this language had now become too familiar to have quite its former effect upon us. The prison we were lodged in being situated in the environs of the town, we experienced less inconvenience from the rabble than usual, for not to be insulted in a great degree seemed an extraordinary favour. The governor of this place proved a very quiet man; he gave orders that we should have a commodious room to ourselves, allowed clean straw spread over the floor, and we felt happy to lie down upon it. That night passed without noise or interruption; next morning the governor paid us a civil visit. The woman