“Sir, you are a Marquis; that is all very well; but you have on such a
nice great-coat, which will not be of much use to you. The Executioner
will take it. Give it to me, and I will sell it for tobacco.”
I took off my great-coat, and gave it to him. He began to clap his hands
with childish joy; then looking at my shirt-sleeves, and seeing that I
shivered, he added, “You are cold, Sir; put on this; it rains, and you
will be wet through; besides, you ought to go decently on the wagon!”
While saying this, he took off his coarse, grey woollen jacket, and put
my arms into it, which I allowed him to do unconsciously. I then leaned
against the wall, and I cannot describe the effect this man had on me.
He was examining the coat which I had given him, and uttered each moment
an exclamation of delight. “The pockets are quite new! The collar is not
in the least worn! It will bring me at least fifteen francs. What luck!
I shall have tobacco during all my six weeks.”
The door opened again. They were come to conduct me to the room where
the condemned finally await their execution; and the guard was also
come to take the other prisoner to the Bicêtre. He placed himself,
laughingly, amongst them, and said to the gendarmes,--
“I say, don’t make a mistake! We have changed skins, the gentleman and
I; but don’t take me in his place. That won’t suit me at all, now that I
can have tobacco for six weeks!”