Moreau and Gillot foresaw that
there would be trouble when Clerambault went to the Palais, and they
had come to beg him to stay in the house. Knowing his timidity, they
thought that there would be no difficulty in persuading him to this,
but just as it had been the day Moreau had found him disputing in the
street, he did not now seem to grasp the situation.
"Stay at home, why? I am perfectly well."
"We think it would be more prudent."
"On the contrary, it would do me good to go out for a little while."
"You don't know what might happen."
"As to that one never knows; it will be time enough to worry when it
comes."
"To be perfectly frank then, you are in danger; the feeling has been
worked up against you for a long time, till now you are so hated that
people's eyes almost start out of their heads at the sound of your
name;--idiots! they know nothing about you but what they see in the
papers; but their leaders want a row, they have been so stupid that
your articles have had much more publicity than they intended; they
are afraid that your ideas will spread, and they want to make an
example of you that will discourage anyone who might be disposed to
follow you."
"If that is true," said Clerambault, "and I really have
followers,--something I did not know before,--this is not the moment
to keep out of the way; if they want to make an example of me, I
cannot balk them.
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