Page:Englishmen in the French Revolution.djvu/332

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312
APPENDIX.

in the Town House; next morning they were removed to the Bishop's seminary, which formerly belonged to the Jesuits, but it was at that time become what they termed a maison de détention.

There they remained till the 20th of November 1793, deprived of the most common necessaries, and were one day and a half without any other food than a bit of bread. They wrote to different innkeepers in the town, and assured them of immediate pay for the scanty subsistence they asked, but so offensive was the name of a religious person to the greater part of Cambray, and the few well-disposed so terrified at the cruelty and wickedness of the times, that no answer was ever returned, nor could they ever prevail on a barber to attend them for any reward. At last a good woman who had lived with us in quality of servant, hearing by chance of the pressing distress of these gentlemen, had the courage, notwithstanding every difficulty and danger, to wait on them, and procure for them the best victuals in her power, Mr. Walker frequently said she had by her charitable assistance saved him from starving. To return to the community. From the moment the commissioners of the district entered our house on the preceding Sunday, we found ourselves strictly guarded, but were still made to hope we might remain in our convent, as we had been assured by members of the district in the most solemn manner there was neither danger nor probability of our being sent out. That this was all treachery we were afterwards convinced, for the next day, Friday the 18th, we were suddenly seized upon by a body of light guards, part of whom surrounded the street door, whilst the rest entered the convent, with a rabble crowd attending. A very brutal man sent by the district headed them. When he came to the enclosure door, his first question was, "Have you laid in provisions for six