THE STANDARD-BEARER 79

talked to himself going up the Rue de
Faubourg :

‘Take away my flag indeed! We'll
see. Itcan’t be. Who's got the right
to do it. Let him give the Prussians
his own things, his golden carriages,
and his grand plates and dishes from
Mexico. But this, it is mine... it
belongs to my honour. I dare them
to touch it.’

The fragmentary phrases came out
broken by his haste and his stammer-
ing tongue ; but at the bottom of all he
had his own idea, the old fellow, a plan
quite clear and ordered, to seize the
flag and take it back into the midst of
his regiment, and then pass right into
the middle of the Prussians with all
who would follow him.

When he reached the quarters they
would not even let him enter. The
colonel, furious as himself, would not
see anybody ; but Hornus was not to
be put off thus. He swore, he shouted,
he shook the palings. ‘My flag, I