‘My wife had commented on this to me,’ said he, ‘and also that there seemed too many people coming to call at a household where the mistress was absent. I thought I should put my enquiries to her one day when I met her in the courtyard. She was a haughty bitch. I might have known from her manner that she was a royalist.’

‘What reply did she make to you upon your enquiries?’

He snorted.

‘She said to me her mistress was an Englishwoman who made many demands upon her. I thought this curious indeed, for I had seen this lady once in the six months we had taken the lodgings.’

‘And what was the occasion upon which you saw the accused, citizen?’

‘It was in August past. On the day that followed the taking of the Tuileries Palace. Citizeness Lightfoot arrived and went up the stairs in a haste. I had never before beheld this woman and thought it curious she should arrive on such a day. As the guards had instructed all citizens to remain vigilant for irregularities, I lingered in the courtyard and observed her apartments. Shortly after Citizeness Lightfoot’s arrival there came a cabriolet. A lady, modestly though well attired and with the air of an aristocrat, stepped from it and went above to the accused’s apartments. She remained there for but a short time before emerging again. On this occasion she took her leave by the servants’ stair where she stood part hidden with the traitoress Thérèse Bertrand for a moment. It was then that I spied Citizeness Bertrand hand the lady some letter or document which the recipient placed immediately into her pocket and departed.’

‘And what of Citizeness Lightfoot? Pray tell us when you saw her next?’

‘It was shortly after I witnessed this exchange. She then took her leave by a grand coach belonging, I believe, to some nobleman. I did not see or hear of her again until January.’

‘What occurred upon that occasion, Citizen Colbert?’

‘It was a day or so before the King was taken to the scaffold. When I returned for my dinner, there was a good deal of noise and commotion in the courtyard. A great cart of boxes and goods had arrived and was being portered to the apartments belonging to Citizeness Lightfoot. I enquired of the carters what this was about and learned of the gossip. They replied that Citizeness Lightfoot was returned from the Palais-Royal where Citizen Égalité had had enough of her for befriending royalists! It was then I knew I must make my denouncement to the section.’ The fat barber Colbert puffed out his chest. His rosette seemed to grow larger with each wheeze of breath he took.