With a glance he remarked everything; the governor's calm and menacing attitude; the Swiss ranked in the guardhouses; the Veterans on the platforms, and the silent bustle of the artillerists loading up their caissons with ammunition.
The sentinels had their muskets on their shoulders and their officers carried drawn swords.
As the commander stood still, Billet was obliged to go to him. The grating closed behind the people's parliamentarian with an ugly grinding of metal on metal which made him shudder to the marrow, brave though he was.
"What do you want again?" challenged Launay.
"Again?" took up Billet. "It seems to me that this is the first time you have seen me, so that you cannot be very tired of me."
"I was told you come from the City Hall and I have just had a deputation from there to get me to promise not to open fire. I promised that much and so I had the guns drawn in."
"I was on the square as you did so, and I----"
"You thought I was giving way to the calls of the crowd?"
"It looked that way," replied the farmer.
"Did I not tell you that they would believe me just such a coward?" said Launay, turning round to his officers. "Who do you come from then?" he demanded of Billet.
"I come on behalf of the people," rejoined the visitor proudly.
"That is all very well," sneered Launay, smiling; "but you must have shown some other warrant, for otherwise you would not have passed the first dead-line of sentries."
"True, I have a pass from your friend Flesselles."
"Flesselles? why do you dub him my friend?" exclaimed the prison warden, looking at the speaker to read to the bottom of his mind. "How do you conclude that he is a friend of mine?"
"Is that all? never mind. Let us see your safe-conduct."
Billet presented the paper which Launay read more than once in order to catch a hidden meaning or concealed lines; he even held it up to the light to see if there was secret writing.
"Is that all? are you perfectly sure? nothing by word of mouth in addition?"
"Strange!" said Launay, plunging his glance by a loophole on Bastile Square. "Then tell me your want and be quick."
"The people want you to give up the Bastile."
"What do you say?" cried Launay, turning quickly as if he must be mistaken in his hearing.