men," said M. Daru, "the President has failed us, the Hall is
closed against us. I am the Vice-President; my house is the Palace of
the Assembly."

He opened a large room, and there the Representatives of the Right
installed themselves. At first the discussions were somewhat noisy. M.
Daru, however, observed that the moments were precious, and silence was
restored.

The first measure to be taken was evidently the deposition of the
President of the Republic by virtue of Article 68 of the Constitution.
Some Representatives of the party which was called _Burgraves_ sat round
a table and prepared the deed of deposition.

As they were about to read it aloud a Representative who came in from
out of doors appeared at the door of the room, and announced to the
Assembly that the Rue de Lille was becoming filled with troops, and that
the house was being surrounded.

There was not a moment to lose.

M. Benoist-d'Azy said, "Gentlemen, let us go to the Mairie of the tenth
arrondissement; there we shall be able to deliberate under the protection
of the tenth legion, of which our colleague, General Lauriston, is the
colonel."

M. Daru's house had a back entrance by a little door which was at the
bottom of the garden. Most of the Representatives went out that way.

M. Daru was about to follow them. Only himself, M. Odilon Barrot, and
two or three others remained in the room, when the door opened. A
captain entered, and said to M. Daru,--

"Sir, you are my prisoner."

"Where am I to follow you?" asked M. Daru.

"I have orders to watch over you in your own house."

The house, in truth, was militarily occupied, and it was thus that M.
Daru was prevented from taking part in the sitting at the Mairie of the
tenth arrondissement.

The officer allowed M. Odilon Barrot to go out.

CHAPTER XI.

THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE

While all this was taking place on the left bank of the river, towards
noon a man was noticed walking up and down the great Salles des Pas
Perdus of the Palace of Justice. This man, carefully buttoned up in an
overcoat, appeared to be attended at a distance by several possible
supporters--for certain police enterprises employ assistants whose
dubious appearance renders the passers-by uneasy, so much so that they
wonder whether they are magistrates or thieves. The man in the
buttoned-up overcoat loitered from door to door, from lobby to lobby,
exchanging signs of intelligence with the myrmidons who fo