But Hulot's astonishment and Mademoiselle de Verneuil's close
observation had something too dangerously serious about them to be
ignored.
"What is it, citizen?" said the young man, abruptly; "do you know me?"
"Perhaps I do," replied the Republican.
"You are right; I remember you at the School."
"I never went to any school," said the soldier, roughly. "What school
do you mean?"
"The Polytechnique."
"Ha, ha, those barracks where they expect to make soldiers in
dormitories," said the veteran, whose aversion for officers trained in
that nursery was insurmountable. "To what arm do you belong?"
"I am in the navy."
"Ha!" cried Hulot, smiling vindictively, "how many of your
fellow-students are in the navy? Don't you know," he added in a
serious tone, "that none but the artillery and the engineers graduate
from there?"
The young man was not disconcerted.
"An exception was made in my favor, on account of the name I bear," he
answered. "We are all naval men in our family."
"What is the name of your family, citizen?" asked Hulot.
"Du Gua Saint-Cyr."
"Then you were not killed at Mortagne?"
"He came very near being killed," said Madame du Gua, quickly; "my son
received two balls in--"
"Where are your papers?" asked Hulot, not listening to the mother.
"Do you propose to read them?" said the young man, cavalierly; his
blue eye, keen with suspicion, studied alternately the gloomy face of
the commandant and that of Mademoiselle de Verneuil.
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