338 LIFE OF HORACE BENEDICT DE SAUSSURE 



the hostages, and mother-in-law of M. PreVost-Lullin, the Syndic. 

 M. Lullin presented himself at the wicket, and as a magistrate sum- 

 moned the master of the house to open to him. He was refused. He 

 insisted that, as a son-in-law, and a Syndic, it was essential that he 

 should be allowed to talk to his mother-in-law. He had no better 

 success. Loath to give up his attempt, he sat down near the house 

 to write a note, and then presenting himself once more, demanded the 

 delivery of his mother-in-law, with her servants and property. The 

 venerable lady was brought downstairs, and we heard her sobs and her 

 feeble, cracked voice telling her son-in-law she would not leave the 

 house in which she had lived for so many years. M. Lullin insisted, 

 " Madame, in God's name, do this for me, for your son-in-law ; it is 

 your duty do not refuse me. If the house were on fire would you not 

 leave it ? Well, it is worse. How can I leave you exposed to all these 

 dangers ? Madame, you refuse me ! In God's name, you will be as 

 much at home with me as here ! " All the reply we could hear was 

 the sobs and broken voice of this courageous and resolute woman. 

 At last M. de Saussure was appealed to. " Monsieur, force her to come 

 out ! Drag her out ! " The answer was, " She is in her own house 

 and free : we cannot compel her." M. Lullin got nothing except the 

 squeeze of one of the old lady's fingers through the wicket. " I leave 

 you, then, Madame, with tears in my eyes and distressed by your 

 refusal. But you have still till four o'clock to decide." 



' Then there came to our house a poor mother whose daughter was 

 a housemaid at M. de Saussure's. She called out from the fourth 

 floor: "My daughter, come out if you can come out, I pray you. 

 In God's name, don't stop." When the officials cruelly silenced her, 

 she came down in despair, crying, " my daughter, my poor daughter, 

 I shall see her no more. I want to get away. Who knows what may 

 happen to her. They say they have so many engines for blowing up 

 the house ! " [There had, in fact, been talk of a mine.] "My God, 

 take me away." And despite all we could do or say to her, she had 

 to be taken home.' 



At last, after a siege of six days, terms were agreed on, and a 

 formal capitulation, in no less than seven articles, duly signed, 

 under which the house was allowed to be visited, but no arrests 

 were to be made or arms confiscated. The result of the visit was 

 to prove that the garrison of the fortress that had given cause to 

 BO much emotion consisted of eighteen men and twenty guns. 

 De Saussure clearly secured all the honours of war. His wife 

 wrote to their daughter, ' All is ended in the happiest way possible ; 



