enter upon it, honor is lost. I would
rather lose the battle than honor."

He remained silent for a moment, then he took my hand.

"Be it so," continued he, "but listen to me. You run, you yourself
personally, great dancer. Of all the men in the Assembly you are the one
whom the President hates the most. You have from the height of the
Tribune nicknamed him, 'Napoleon the Little.' You understand that will
never be forgotten. Besides, it was you who dictated the appeal to arms,
and that is known. If you are taken, you are lost. You will be shot on
the spot, or at least transported. Have you a safe place where you can
sleep to-night?"

I had not as yet thought of this. "In truth, no," answered I.

He continued, "Well, then, come to my house. There is perhaps only one
house in Paris where you would be in safety. That is mine. They will not
come to look for you there. Come, day or night, at what hour you please,
I will await you, and I will open the door to you myself. I live at No.
5, Rue d'Alger."

I thanked him. It was a noble and cordial offer. I was touched by it. I
did not make use of it, but I have not forgotten it.

They cried out anew, "Read the decree! Sit down! sit down!"

There was a round table before the fire place; a lamp, pens,
blotting-books, and paper were brought there; the members of the
Committee sat down at this table, the Representatives took their places
around them on sofas, on arm-chairs, and on all the chairs which could
be found in the adjoining rooms. Some looked about for Napoleon
Bonaparte. He had withdrawn.

A member requested that in the first place the meeting should declare
itself to be the National Assembly, and constitute itself by immediately
appointing a President and Secretaries. I remarked that there was no
need to declare ourselves the Assembly, that we were the Assembly by
right as well as in fact, and the whole Assembly, our absent colleagues
being detained by force; that the National Assembly, although mutilated
by the _coup d'etat_, ought to preserve its entity and remain constituted
afterwards in the same manner as before; that to appoint another
President and another staff of Secretaries would be to give Louis
Bonaparte an advantage over us, and to acknowledge in some manner the
Dissolution; that we ought to do nothing of the sort; that our decrees
should be published, not with the signature of a President, whoever he
might be, but with the signature of all the member