Read "The Queen's Necklace" by Alexandre Dumas online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
The ladies were free from the crowd for the present, but there was some danger that they might be followed and recognized, when the same tumult would doubtless be renewed and escape a second time be more difficult. The young officer knew this, and therefore hastened to awaken one of the half-frozen and sleepy men. So stupefied, however, did they seem, that he had great difficulty in rousing one of them. At last he took him by the collar and shook him roughly.
"Gently, gently!" cried the man, sitting up.