"Why did you leave it?" "To try for work."

The brigadier turned to his gendarme, and said, in the angry voice of a
man who is exasperated at last by the same trick: "They all say that,
these scamps. I know all about it." And then he continued: "Have you any
papers?" "Yes, I have some." "Give them to me."

Randel took his papers out of his pockets; his certificates, those poor
worn-out, dirty papers which were falling to pieces, and gave them to
the soldier, who spelled them through, hemming and hawing and then
having seen that they were all in order, he gave them back to Randel
with the dissatisfied look of a man whom someone cleverer than himself
has tricked.

After a few moments' further reflection, he asked him: "Have you any
money on you?" "No." "None whatever?" "None." "Not even a sou?" "Not
even a sou!" "How do you live then?" "On what people give me." "Then you
beg?" And Randel answered resolutely: "Yes, when I can."

Then the gendarme said: "I have caught you on the highroad in the act of
vagabondage and begging, without any resources or trade, and so I
command you to come with me." The carpenter got up and said: "Wherever
you please." And placing himself between the two soldiers, even before
he had received the order to do so, he added: "Come, lock me up; that
will at any rate put a roof over my head when it rains."

And they set off towards the village, whose red tiles could be seen
through the leafless trees a quarter of a league off. Service was just
going to begin when they went through the village. The square was full
of people, who immediately formed two hedges to see the criminal, who