He arrives unexpectedly， meets the steward， Bambinet， enters the mayor's house， who keeps an inn， and drinks copiously， which gives Bambinet time to warn M. Dufort de Cheverney and have the suspicious registers concealed. - This done， "Velu is obliged to leave his bottle and march to the chateau. - He assumed haughtiness and aimed at familiarity； he would put his hand on his breast and， taking yours， address you： "Good day， brother." - He came there at nine o'clock in the morning， advanced， took my hand and said： "Good-day， brother， how are you？" "Very well， citizen， and how are you？" "You do not tutoyer -you are not up to the Revolution？ "We'll see - will you step in the parlor？" "Yes， brother， I'll follow you." - We enter； he sees my wife who， I may say， has an imposing air. He boldly embraces her and， repeating his gesture on the breast， takes her hand and says： "Good-day， sister." "Come，" I interpose， "let us take breakfast， and， if you please， you shall dine with me." "Yes， but on one condition， that tu me tutoie." "I will try， but I am not in the habit of it." After warming up his intellect and heart with a bottle of wine， we get rid of him by sending him to inspect the archives-room， along with my son and Bambinet. It is amusing， for he can only read print. . .
Bambinet， and the procureur， read the titles aloud， and pass over the feudalisms. Velu does not notice this and always tells them to go on.
- After an hour， tired out， he comes back： "All right，" he says， "now let me see your chateau， which is a fine one." He had heard about a room where there were fantocini， in the attic. He goes up， opens some play-books， and， seeing on the lists of characters the name of King and Prince， he， says to me： "You must scratch those out， and play only republican pieces." The descent is by a back-stairs. On the way down he encounters a maid of my wife's， who is very pretty； he stops and， regarding my son， says： "You must as a good Republican， sleep with that girl and marry her." I look at him and reply： " Monsieur Velu， listen； we are well behaved here， and such language cannot be allowed.
You must respect the young people in my house." A little disconcerted， he tames down and is quite deferential to Madame de Cheverney. - "You have pen and ink on your table，" he says， "bring them here." "What for，" I ask， "to take my inventory？" "No， but I must make a procès-verbal. You help me； it will be better for you， as you can fix it to suit you" This was not badly done， to conceal his want of knowledge.
- We go in to dinner. My servants waited on the table； I had not yielded to the system of a general table for all of us， which would not have pleased my servants any more than myself. Curiosity led them all to come in and see us dining together. - "Brother，" says Velu to me， "don't these people eat with you？" (He saw the table set for only four persons.) I reply： " Brother， that would not be any more agreeable to them than to myself. Ask them." - He ate little， drank like an ogre， and was talkative about his amours； getting carried away he got so close to being naughty that he upset my wife， without actually going to far. Apropos of the Revolution， and the danger we incurred， he said innocently： "Don't I run as much risk as anybody？ It is my opinion that， in three months， I shall have my head off！ But we must all take our chance！" - Now and then， he indulged in sans-culottisms. He seized the servant's hand， who changed his plate ：
"Brother， I beg you to take my place， and let me wait on you in my turn " - He drank the cordials， and finally left， pleased with his reception. - Returning to the inn， he stays until nine o'clock at night and stuffs himself， but is not intoxicated. One bottle had no effect on him； he could empty a cask and show no signs of it.
[110] Moniteur， XXII.， 425. (Session of Brumaire 13， year III.)Cambon， in relation to the revolutionary committees， says： "I would observe to the Assembly that they were never paid." A member replies：
"They took their pay themselves." ("Yes， yes." - Applause.)[111] Moniteu， XXII.， 711. (Report by Cambon， Frimaire 6， year III.)- Cambon stated， indeed， Frimaire 26， year II.， (Moniteur， XVIII.， 680)， concerning these taxes "Not one word， not one sou has yet reached the Treasury； they want to override the Convention which made the Revolution."[112] Ibid.， 720. "The balances reported， of which the largest portion is already paid into the vaults of the National Treasury， amount to twenty millions one hundred and sixty-six thousand three hundred and thirty livres." - At Paris， Marseilles， and Bordeaux， in the3 large towns where tens of millions were raised in three-quarters of the districts， Cambon， three months after Thermidor， could not yet obtain， I will not say the returns， but a statement of the sums raised. The national agents either did not reply to him， or did it vaguely， or stated that in their districts there was neither civic donation nor revolutionary tax， and particularly at Marseilles， where a forced loan had been made of four millions. - Cf. De Martel， "Fouché，" P.245. (Memorial of the central administration of Nièvre， Prairial 19， year III.) "The account returned by the city of Nevers amounts to eighty thousand francs， the use of which has never been verified. . . . This tax， in part payment of the war subsidy， was simply a trap laid by the political actors in order to levy a contribution on honest， credulous citizens." - Ibid.， 217. On voluntary gifts and forced taxation cf. at Nantes， the use made of revolutionary taxes， brought out on the trial of the revolutionary committee.
[113] Ludovic Sciout， IV.， 19. Report of Representative Becker.