The others listened to him quite charmed by his conversation, but full of anguish at the thought that this perpetual prisoner or exile must again rise and take his staff to sally forth, driven from his native land once more.
Pierre did not speak out until they were partaking of dessert.

Then he related how the Minister had written to him, and how in a brief interview he had stated that Barthes must cross the frontier within forty-eight hours if he did not wish to be arrested.

Thereupon the old man gravely rose, with his white fleece, his eagle beak and his bright eyes still sparkling with the fire of youth.

And he wished to go off at once.
"What!" said he, "you have known all this since yesterday, and have still kept me here at the risk of my compromising you even more than I had done already! You must forgive me, I did not think of the worry I might cause you, I thought that everything would be satisfactorily arranged.

I must thank you both--yourself and Guillaume--for the few days of quietude that you have procured to an old vagabond and madman like myself." Then, as they tried to prevail on him to remain until the following morning, he would not listen to them.