Fortunately they were not far from the village, whose church-tower
they had discerned through the gray mists of morning.
Soon the fugitives could distinguish the houses on the outskirts of the
town. The corporal suddenly stopped short with an oath.
"_Mille tonnerres_!" he exclaimed; "and my uniform! To enter the village
in this rig would excite suspicion at once; before we had a chance to
sit down, the Piedmontese gendarmes would arrest us."
He reflected for a moment, twirling his mustache furiously; then, in a
tone that would have made a passerby tremble, he said:
"All things are fair in love and war. The next peasant who passes--"
"But I have money," interrupted Maurice, unbuckling a belt filled with
gold, which he had put on under his clothing on the night of the revolt.
"Eh! we are fortunate!" cried Bavois. "Give me some, and I will
soon find some shop in the suburbs where I can purchase a change of
clothing." He departed; but it was not long before he reappeared,
transformed by a peasant's costume, which fitted him perfectly.
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