Publisher's Synopsis
The honor of the name is written by Emile Gaboriau who has a story that revolves around the High Mass at Sairmeuse which was celebrated on the first Sunday in August 1815. The church was already more than half full, and little groups of peasants were hurrying into the churchyard. Few of the men entered the church; instead, they stood outside talking in the shade under the elm trees. The Sairmeuse peasantry quavered in anger and terror. This king, who the friends had brought back, was just as terrifying as the allies themselves. The majority of them gathered around a young man who had just returned from the army two days prior. "The old rascal has probably stolen the horse he is riding," one neighbor said. "He seems to be in a terrible hurry," observed another. Father Chupin pretended to be a day laborer but spent all his time sleeping and idling about his hovel.
