The Elusive Pimpernel · Chapter
XXVIII: The Midnight Watch explained
Boulogne, initially indifferent to the Revolution, is violently awakened by the execution of fisherman Jean-Marie for refusing to wear a tricolour cockade.
What happens
Boulogne, initially indifferent to the Revolution, is violently awakened by the execution of fisherman Jean-Marie for refusing to wear a tricolour cockade. The town becomes polarized between reactionaries and royalists. After a mysterious woman is imprisoned in Fort Gayole, a proclamation threatens that if she escapes, one breadwinner from every family will be guillotined. The terrified populace, recalling tales of massacres in La Vendée, gathers outside the prison to stand watch all night, ensuring the hostage does not flee. They hear laughter and English voices from a lighted window, while the proclamation flutters in the lantern light like a death sentence.
Themes in this chapter
Revolution and Terror
The chapter vividly depicts the Terror's arrival in Boulogne: arbitrary arrests, the guillotine, and the threat of collective punishment against the entire populace.
Class and Aristocracy
The burghers and fisher folk are divided by ancient lineage and revolutionary sympathies, with the poor bearing the brunt of the hostage policy.
Sacrifice for the Greater Good
The community's silent vigil and acceptance of the threat reflect a grim sacrifice of individual safety for the collective, though under duress.
Characters to notice
- André Lemoine
A veteran soldier wounded at Tours, he recounts the horrors of La Vendée to the frightened crowd, warning them that the government would dare anything.
- Jean Baptiste Marie Foucquet
Referenced as 'Jean-Marie,' the fisherman whose execution for refusing a cockade sparked the revolutionary fervor in Boulogne.
- François-Auguste
Mentioned as a young boot-maker who supports his mother; his life is threatened by the proclamation's hostage policy.
- Marie Lebon
A net-mender who cares for her blind father; she is cited as one of the breadwinners whose execution is threatened.
- Pierre Maxime
Referenced as 'Pierre,' a man known for spitting on priests, yet still vulnerable to the proclamation's threat.
- Désiré Melun
Mentioned as 'Désiré François,' a fisherman whose identity is questioned by Paris officials, symbolizing the intrusion of revolutionary authority.
Key passages
“Thus gradually the anti-revolutionaries had been weeded out of the city: some by death and imprisonment, others by flight. Boulogne became the hotbed of anarchism.”
Over time, those opposed to the revolution were removed from Boulogne through execution, jail, or escape, leaving the city dominated by anarchists.
Summarizes the shift in Boulogne's political landscape after the execution of Jean-Marie.
“The breadwinner in every family and all those dependent on him for daily sustenance were trembling for their lives.”
Every household's primary earner and their dependents were terrified for their survival.
Captures the universal fear caused by the proclamation's threat.
“All night the men stood and watched. Sentinels from the town guard were stationed at the gates, but these might prove inattentive or insufficient, they had not the same price at stake, so the entire able-bodied population of Boulogne watched the gloomy prison that night, lest anyone escaped by wall or window.”
Throughout the night, the men of Boulogne kept vigil outside the prison, distrusting the guards because the townspeople had far more to lose if the hostage escaped.
Highlights the collective, desperate watchfulness of the community.
