106 BRITANNY AND THE CHASE. 



flung him down stairs into the street. The man then 

 declared himself an agent de police; but M. Dornout said 

 he would not believe him, for that no agent of the police 

 would be guilty of such an act. In half an hour he was 

 arrested, and taken before the Sous-prefet. Sous-prefet: 

 "You are charged with violentlj assaulting one of mv 

 agents ; is it true ? " Dornout : " I found a man with his 

 ear at the key-hole of ray door, and I threw him down 

 the stairs; but he could not have been an agent, for no 

 agent would have done such a dirty trick, and I am sure. 

 Monsieur Sous-prefet, you would not authorize any such 

 means." Sous-prefet to the agent : " How is this ? you said 

 nothing of this ; is this true ? " The agent could not deny 

 it, and therefore the Sous-prefet aflPected a great deal of 

 virtuous indignation, and dismissed the charge — doubtless 

 knowing all about it, and denouncing the agent for his 

 stupidity in allowing himself to be caught. Monsieur 

 Dornout said that after this he never found any one at his 

 door again, but that wherever he went he was dogged by 

 an agent to his great annoyance, without being able to get 

 redress. One fact which he told me I thought very 

 illustrative of the frail nature of the supports on which 

 the government rested at that time. The Garde Mobile 

 and the Garde Republicaine (which resembled the other in 

 composition) were always placed at the head of the column 

 of attack, and, as thei/ believed, because it was the place 

 of honour ; but not having eyes in their rear, they could 

 not see behind them. Had they done so, they would have 

 seen the following arrangement of the remainder of the 

 column. Immediately behind the Garde Mobile a regi- 



