Peter Berrier felt that he was ill-used after all
that he had gone through for his King and his country;
he sat apart for the rest of the evening, and meditated
whether he would go over to the republicans, and bring
an army down upon Durbelliere, or whether he would
more nobly revenge himself by turning out a more enterprising
royalist than even the postillion himself.
De Lescure.
De Lescure with his sister returned on the following
morning to Clisson; for so was his chateau called.
Clisson is about two leagues south of the town of
Brassiere, in the province of Poitou, and is situated
in the southern part of the Bocage. M. de Lescure
owned the chateau and a considerable territory around
it. He was a man of large property in that country
where the properties were all comparatively small,
and was in other respects also by far the most influential
person in the neighbourhood. He had married a
lady with a large fortune, which gave him more means
of assisting the poor than most of the gentlemen resident
in the Bocage possessed. He took a deep interest
in the welfare of those around him; he shared their
joys, and sympathized with their grief, and he was
consequently beloved, and almost adored.
He had now undertaken to join with his whole heart
the insurgents against the Republic, and he was fully
determined to do so; he had made up his mind that
it was his duty to oppose measures which he thought
destructive to the happiness of his countrymen, and
to make an effort to re-establish the throne; but
he did not bring to the work the sanguine hope of
success, the absolute pleasure in the task which animated
Larochejaquelin; nor yet the sacred enthusiastic chivalry
of Cathelineau, who was firmly convinced of the truth
of his cause, and believed that the justice of God
would not allow the murderers of a King, and the blasphemers
of his name to prevail against the arms of people
who were both loyal and faithful.
De Lescure had studied and thought much; he was older
than Larochejaquelin, much better educated than Cathelineau.
He was as ardent in the cause as they were; why else
had he undertaken it? but he understood better than
they did the fearful chances which were against them:
the odds against which they had to fight, the almost
insuperable difficulties in their way. He knew
that the peasantry around them would be brave and
enthusiastic followers, but he also knew that it would
be long before they were disciplined soldiers.
He was sure that they would fight stoutly round their
homes and their families; but he felt that it would
be almost impossible to lead any body of them to a
distance from their own fields. He foresaw also
all the horrors into which they were about to plunge;
horrors, of which an honourable death on the field
of battle would be the least. The Republic had
already shown the bitterness of their malice towards
those who opposed them, and de Lescure knew what mercy
it would shew to those of his party who fell into its
power.
