. M. Delapalme had been Advocate-General, and had taken a prominent
part in the Press trials under the Restoration; M. Pataille had been
Deputy of the Centre under the Monarchy of July; M. Moreau (de la Seine)
was noteworthy, inasmuch he had been nicknamed "de la Seine" to
distinguish him from M. Moreau (de la Meurthe), who on his side was
noteworthy, inasmuch as he had been nicknamed "de la Meurthe" to
distinguish him from M. Moreau (de la Seine). The first Assistant, M.
Grandet, had been President of the Chamber at Paris. I have read this
panegyric of him: "He is known to possess no individuality or opinion of
his own whatsoever." The second Assistant, M. Quesnault, a Liberal, a
Deputy, a Public Functionary, Advocate-General, a Conservative, learned,
obedient, had attained by making a stepping-stone of each of these
attributes, to the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation, where he
was known as one of the most severe members. 1848 had shocked his notion
of Right, he had resigned after the 24th of February; he did not resign
after the 2d December.

M. Hardouin, who presided over the High Court, was an ex-President of
Assizes, a religious man, a rigid Jansenist, noted amongst his colleagues
as a "scrupulous magistrate," living in Port Royal, a diligent reader of
Nicolle, belonging to the race of the old Parliamentarians of the Marais,
who used to go to the Palais de Justice mounted on a mule; the mule had
now gone out of fashion, and whoever visited President Hardouin would
have found no more obstinacy in his stable than in his conscience.

On the morning of the 2d December, at nine o'clock, two men mounted the
stairs of M. Hardouin's house, No. 10, Rue de Conde, and met together at
his door. One was M. Pataille; the other, one of the most prominent
members of the bar of the Court of Cassation, was the ex-Constituent
Martin (of Strasbourg). M. Pataille had just placed himself at M.
Hardouin's disposal.

Martin's first thought, while reading the placards of the _coup d'etat_,
had been for the High Court. M. Hardouin ushered M. Pataille into a room
adjoining his study, and received Martin (of Strasbourg) as a man to
whom he did not wish to speak before witnesses. Being formally requested
by Martin (of Strasbourg) to convene the High Court, he begged that he
would leave him alone, declared that the High Court would "do its duty,"
but that first he must "confer with his colleagues," concluding with
this expression, "