The Hero of the People: A Historical Romance of Love, Liberty and Loyalty
By Dumas, Alexandre
Classic work by Dumas, Alexandre.
Table of Contents
LOCKSMITH AND GUNSMITH. The French Revolution had begun by the Taking of the Bastile by the people of Paris on the Fourteenth of July, 1789, but it seemed to have reached the high...
THE THREE ODDITIES. The locksmith lifted his tumbler to his eye’s level, admired the liquor with pleasure, and said after sipping it with gratification: “Bless you, yes, plenty o...
THE UNDYING MAN. It was the more easy for the pretended gunsmith to blend with the crowd as it was numerous. It was the advance guard of the procession around the King, Queen and...
FATALITY. Gilbert followed his guide half-way up the slope where stood a handsome house. The foregoer pulled out a key and opened a side door intended for the master to go in or c...
THE CANDLE OMEN. In the meantime the Royal Family had continued their road to Paris. The pace was so slow and delayed that it was six o’clock before the carriage containing so muc...
THE REVOLUTION IN THE COUNTRY. Our intention being to temporarily abandon the fortunes of our high and mighty characters to follow those of more humble but perhaps no less engagin...
THE ABDICATION IN A FARMHOUSE. After having appeased the duties of obedience, Pitou wished to satisfy the cravings of his heart. It is sweet to obey when the order chimes in with ...
ANOTHER BLOW. As everybody in his village would be abed by ten o’clock, Pitou was glad to find accommodation at the inn, where he slept till seven in the morning. At that hour eve...
PITOU BECOMES A TACTICIAN. Our hero’s fall was deep. How could he go back to his friends without the arms? How, after having had so much confidence shown in him, tell them that th...
THE LOVER’S PARTING. Many times after drill, and that followed nights spent in learning the tactics, Pitou would wander in the skirts of Boursonne Wood to see how faithful Catheri...
THE ROAD TO PARIS. On this same evening, a no less grave event set the college of Father Fortier in an uproar. Sebastian Gilbert had disappeared about six o’clock and had not been...
THE SPIRIT MATERIALIZED. At five next afternoon, Viscount Charny and Sebastian reached the Tuileries Palace gates. The name of his brother passed Isidore and his companion into th...
HUSBAND AND WIFE. Count Charny was clad in black, mourning for his brother slain two days before. This mourning was not solely in his habit, but in the recesses of his heart, and...
IN SEARCH OF THEIR SON. It was Dr. Gilbert who was closeted with the King when the usher inquired after him on the order of Isidore and the entreaty of Sebastian. The upright hea...
THE MAN WITH THE MODEL. With no need to be spurred in his quest, Gilbert darted through the rooms and as it would have taken too long to climb the walls, he made for the front doo...
THE PORTRAIT OF CHARLES FIRST. A week has passed since the events related. Everybody was saying: The Revolution is finished; the King is delivered from Versailles, and his courtie...
THE KING ATTENDS TO PRIVATE MATTERS. Louis the King displayed the usual irresolution in dealing with Favras’ proposition, approved by the Queen, to make a rush out of the kingdom....
THE KING ATTENDS TO PUBLIC MATTERS. Though the King had been only a fortnight in the Tuileries he had two places fitted out completely for him. The forge was one, the study the ot...
A LOVING QUEEN. Charny left the King with his heart full of opposing feelings. The primary one, mounting to the surface over the tumultuous waves of turbulent thoughts, was deep ...
WITHOUT HUSBAND--WITHOUT LOVER. The Queen was wrong for Charny did not go to his wife’s house. He went to the Royal Post to have horses put to his own carriage. But while waiting,...
WHAT A CUT-OFF HEAD MAY COUNSEL. When Gilbert appeared before the Queen, she uttered a scream, for his ruffles and part of his coat were torn and drops of blood stained his shirt....
THE SMILE AND THE NOD. As Cagliostro had said and Mirabeau surmised, the King had upset the scheme. Without much regret the Queen saw the constitutional platform fall which had w...
THE ROYAL LOCKSMITH. As the King had undertaken a very important piece of locksmith work, he sent his valet Hue to beg General Lafayette to come into his smithy. It was on the se...
HAPPY FAMILY. On the evening of this same day, about five, a scene passed in the third and top flat of a dirty old tumbledown house in Juiverie Street which we would like our read...
DOWN AMONG THE DEAD It was nearly midnight when a man hesitatingly walked up to the iron gateway of St. Jean’s burying-ground, in Croix Blanche Street. As midnight boomed, he saw...
GAMAIN PROVES HE IS THE MASTER. The reader will not be much surprised, after the permission Lafayette gave for the King to have his locksmith call to relieve him of a trouble in l...
THE FRIEND OF THE FALLEN. At eight that same evening, a workingman, holding his hand to his waistcoat pocket as though it contained money in larger quantity than usual, staggered ...
THE FIRST GUILLOTINE. On Christmas Eve, a party was given at the Princess Lamballe’s, which the Queen’s presiding over made it really her own reception. Isidore Charny had return...
UNDER THE WINDOW. On the surface all was calm and almost smiling on the Billet Farm. As before, Billet, on his strong horse, trotted all over the land keeping his hands up to the...