. It is a few steps from here straight
before us."

And he added,--

"Baudin is killed."

The smoke rolled away from the end of the street.

"Look," said Alexander Rey to me.

I saw, a hundred steps before us, at the junction of the Rue de Cotte
and the Rue Ste. Marguerite, a low barricade which the soldiers were
pulling down. A corpse was being borne away.

It was Baudin.

CHAPTER III.

THE ST. ANTOINE BARRICADE

This is what had happened.

During that same night, and as early as four o'clock in the morning, De
Flotte was in the Faubourg St. Antoine. He was anxious, in case any
movement took place before daylight, that a Representative of the People
should be present, and he was one of those who, when the glorious
insurrection of Right should burst forth, wished to unearth the
paving-stones for the first barricade.

But nothing was stirring. De Flotte, alone in the midst of this deserted
and sleeping Faubourg, wandered from street to street throughout the
night.

Day breaks late in December. Before the first streaks of dawn De Flotte
was at the rendezvous opposite the Lenoir Market.

This spot was only weakly guarded. The only troops in the neighborhood
were the post itself of the Lenoir Market, and another post at a short
distance which occupied the guard-house at the corner of the Faubourg and
the Rue de Montreuil, close to the old Tree of Liberty planted in 1793 by
Santerre. Neither of these posts were commanded by officers.

De Flotte reconnoitred the position. He walked some time up and down the
pavement, and then seeing no one coming as yet, and fearing to excite
attention, he went away, and returned to the side-streets of the
Faubourg.

For his part Aubry (du Nord) got up at five o'clock. Having gone home in
the middle of the night, on his return from the Rue Popincourt, he had
only taken three hours' rest. His porter told him that some suspicious
persons had inquired for him during the evening of the 2d, and that they
had been to the house opposite, No. 12 of the same street, Rue Racine,
to arrest Huguenin. This determined Aubry to leave his house before
daylight.

He walked to the Faubourg St. Antoine. As he reached the place of
rendezvous he met Cournet and the others from the Rue Popincourt. They
were almost immediately joined by Malardier.

It was dawn. The Faubourg was solitary. They walked along wrapt in
thought and speaking in a low voice. Suddenly an impetuous and singula