When danger draws near he pays to obtain or renew his certificate of civism, not to be declared "suspect," not to be denounced as a conspirator.

After being denounced, he pays to be allowed imprisonment at home rather than in the jail, to be allowed imprisonment in the jail rather than in the general prison, to be well treated if he gets into this, to have time to get together his proofs in evidence, to have his record (dossier) placed and kept at the bottom of the file among the clerk's registers, to avoid being inscribed on the next batch of cases in the revolutionary Tribunal.

There is not one of these favors that is not precious; consequently, ransoms without number are tendered, while the rascals[33114] who swarm on the revolutionary committees, need but open their hands to fill their pockets.

They run very little risk, for they are held in check only by their own kind, or are not checked at all.

In any large town, two of them suffice for the issue of a warrant of arrest save a reference to the Committee within twenty-four hours, with the certainty that their colleagues will kindly return the favor.[33115] Moreover, the clever ones know how to protect themselves beforehand.