“ ‘A soldier of the usurper, then?’
“ ‘A soldier of the French army.’
“ ‘Well,’ replied he, ‘he has smitten with the sword, and he has perished by the sword.’
“ ‘You are mistaken, monsieur,’ I replied; ‘he has perished by the poniard.’
“ ‘What do you want me to do?’ asked the magistrate.
“ ‘I have already told you—avenge him.’
“ ‘On whom?’
“ ‘On his murderers.’
“ ‘How should I know who they are?’
“ ‘Order them to be sought for.’
“ ‘Why, your brother has been involved in a quarrel, and killed in a duel. All these old soldiers commit excesses which were tolerated in the time of the emperor, but which are not suffered now, for the people here do not like soldiers of such disorderly conduct.’
“ ‘Monsieur,’ I replied, ‘it is not for myself that I entreat your interference—I should grieve for him or avenge him, but my poor brother had a wife, and were anything to happen to me, the poor creature would perish from want, for my brother’s pay alone kept her. Pray, try and obtain a small government pension for her.’
“ ‘Every revolution has its catastrophes,’ returned M. de Villefort; ‘your brother has been the victim of this. It is a misfortune, and government owes nothing to his family. If we are to judge by all the vengeance that