The fathers，in despair，attacked the exempts.
In that case，the parliament intervened and had some one hung.
Who？
The exempts？
No，the fathers.
BOOK FIRST.——PARIS STUDIED IN ITS ATOM
Ⅶ THE GAMIN SHOULD HAVE HIS PLACE IN THE CLASSIFICATIONS OF INDIA
The body of street Arabs in Paris almost constitutes a caste.One might almost say：
Not every one who wishes to belong to it can do so.
This word gamin was printed for the first time，and reached popular speech through the literary tongue，in 1834.
It is in a little work entitled Claude Gueux that this word made its appearance.The horror was lively.
The word passed into circulation.
The elements which constitute the consideration of the gamins for each other are very various.
We have known and associated with one who was greatly respected and vastly admired because he had seen a man fall from the top of the tower of Notre-Dame；another，because he had succeeded in ****** his way into the rear courtyard where the statues of the dome of the Invalides had been temporarily deposited，and had'prigged'some lead from them；a third，because he had seen a diligence tip over；still another，because he'knew'a soldier who came near putting out the eye of a citizen.
This explains that famous exclamation of a Parisian gamin，a profound epiphonema，which the vulgar herd laughs at without comprehending，——Dieu de Dieu！
What ill-luck I do have！to think that I have never yet seen anybody tumble from a fifth-story window！（I have pronounced I'ave and fifth pronounced fift'.）
Surely，this saying of a peasant is a fine one：
'Father So-and-So，your wife has died of her malady；why did you not send for the doctor？''What would you have，sir，we poor folks die of ourselves.'But if the peasant's whole passivity lies in this saying，the whole of the free-thinking anarchy of the brat of the faubourgs is，assuredly，contained in this other saying.
A man condemned to death is listening to his confessor in the tumbrel.
The child of Paris exclaims：'He is talking to his black cap！
Oh，the sneak！'
A certain audacity on matters of religion sets off the gamin.To be strong-minded is an important item.
To be present at executions constitutes a duty.
He shows himself at the guillotine，and he laughs.
He calls it by all sorts of pet names：The End of the Soup，The Growler，The Mother in the Blue（the sky），The Mouthful，etc.，etc.
In order not to lose anything of the affair，he scales the walls，he hoists himself to balconies，he ascends trees，he suspends himself to gratings，he clings fast to chimneys.
The gamin is born a tiler as he is born a mariner.A roof inspires him with no more fear than a mast.
There is no festival which comes up to an execution on the Place de Greve.Samson and the Abbe Montes are the truly popular names.
They hoot at the victim in order to encourage him.
They sometimes admire him.Lacenaire，when a gamin，on seeing the hideous Dautin die bravely，uttered these words which contain a future：
'I was jealous of him.'In the brotherhood of gamins Voltaire is not known，but Papavoine is.'Politicians'are confused with assassins in the same legend.They have a tradition as to everybody's last garment.
It is known that Tolleron had a fireman's cap，Avril an otter cap，Losvel a round hat，that old Delaporte was bald and bare-headed，that Castaing was all ruddy and very handsome，that Bories had a romantic small beard，that Jean Martin kept on his suspenders，that Lecouffe and his mother quarrelled.
'Don't reproach each other for your basket，'shouted a gamin to them.
Another，in order to get a look at Debacker as he passed，and being too small in the crowd，caught sight of the lantern on the quay and climbed it.
A gendarme stationed opposite frowned.
'Let me climb up，m'sieu le gendarme，'said the gamin.
And，to soften the heart of the authorities he added：'I will not fall.'
'I don't care if you do，'retorted the gendarme.
In the brotherhood of gamins，a memorable accident counts for a great deal.
One reaches the height of consideration if one chances to cut one's self very deeply，'to the very bone.'
The fist is no mediocre element of respect.
One of the things that the gamin is fondest of saying is：
'I am fine and strong，come now！'
To be left-handed renders you very enviable.
A squint is highly esteemed.
BOOK FIRST.——PARIS STUDIED IN ITS ATOM
Ⅷ IN WHICH THE READER WILL FIND A CHARMING SAYING OF THE LAST KING
In summer，he metamorphoses himself into a frog；and in the evening，when night is falling，in front of the bridges of Austerlitz and Jena，from the tops of coal wagons，and the washerwomen's boats，he hurls himself headlong into the Seine，and into all possible infractions of the laws of modesty and of the police.
Nevertheless the police keep an eye on him，and the result is a highly dramatic situation which once gave rise to a fraternal and memorable cry；that cry which was celebrated about 1830，is a strategic warning from gamin to gamin；it scans like a verse from Homer，with a notation as inexpressible as the eleusiac chant of the Panathenaea，and in it one encounters again the ancient Evohe.
Here it is：'Ohe，Titi，oheee！
Here comes the bobby，here comes the p'lice，pick up your duds and be off，through the sewer with you！'
Sometimes this gnat——that is what he calls himself——knows how to read；sometimes he knows how to write；he always knows how to daub.He does not hesitate to acquire，by no one knows what mysterious mutual instruction，all the talents which can be of use to the public；from 1815 to 1830，he imitated the cry of the turkey；from 1830 to 1848，he scrawled pears on the walls.
One summer evening，when Louis Philippe was returning home on foot，he saw a little fellow，no higher than his knee，perspiring and climbing up to draw a gigantic pear in charcoal on one of the pillars of the gate of Neuilly；the King，with that good-nature which came to him from Henry IV.，helped the gamin，finished the pear，and gave the child a louis，saying：
