ed Joigneaux.

Twelve copies were made at the same time in a few minutes. Schoelcher,
Rey, Xavier Durrieu, and Milliere each took one, and set out in search of
a printing office.

As they went out a man whom I did not know, but who was greeted by
several Representatives, entered and said, "Citizens, this house is
marked. Troops are on the way to surround you. You have not a second to
lose."

Numerous voices were raised,--

"Very well! Let them arrest us!"

"What does it matter to us?"

"Let them complete their crime."

"Colleagues," said I, "let us not allow ourselves to be arrested. After
the struggle, as God pleases; but before the combat,--No! It is from us
that the people are awaiting the initiative. If we are taken, all is at
an end. Our duty is to bring on the battle, our right is to cross swords
with the _coup d'etat_. It must not be allowed to capture us, it must
seek us and not find us. We must deceive the arm which it stretches out
against us, we must remain concealed from Bonaparte, we must harass him,
weary him, astonish him, exhaust him, disappear and reappear unceasingly,
change our hiding-place, and always fight him, be always before him, and
never beneath his hand. Let us not leave the field. We have not numbers,
let us have daring."

They approved of this. "It is right," said they, "but where shall we go?"

Labrousse said,--

"Our former colleague of the Constituent Assembly, Beslay, offers us his
house."

"Where does he live?"

"No. 33, Rue de la Cerisaie, in the Marais."

"Very well," answered I, "let us separate. We will meet again in two
hours at Beslay's, No. 33, Rue de la Cerisaie."

All left; one after another, and in different directions. I begged
Charamaule to go to my house and wait for me there, and I walked out with
Noel Parfait and Lafon.

We reached the then still uninhabited district which skirts the ramparts.
As we came to the corner of the Rue Pigalle, we saw at a hundred paces
from us, in the deserted streets which cross it, soldiers gliding all
along the houses, bending their steps towards the Rue Blanche.

At three o'clock the members of the Left rejoined each other in the Rue
de la Cerisaie. But the alarm had been given, and the inhabitants of
these lonely streets stationed themselves at the windows to see the
Representatives pass. The place of meeting, situated and hemmed in at the
bottom of a back yard, was badly chosen in the event of being surrounded:
all t