e legion of National Guards go out in arms, and the Elysee was lost.
For this a decisive blow must be struck--the heart of the middle classes
must be reached--the "bourgeois" must be inspired by a grand spectacle
which should not be a terrifying spectacle.

It was then that this thought came to this workman, "Write to the
Archbishop of Paris."

The workman took a pen, and from his humble garret he wrote to the
Archbishop of Paris an enthusiastic and earnest letter in which he, a
man of the people and a believer, said this to his Bishop; we give the
substance of his letter:--

"This is a solemn hour, Civil War sets by the ears the Army and People,
blood is being shed. When blood flows the Bishop goes forth. M. Sibour
should follow in the path of M. Affre. The example is great, the
opportunity is still greater.

"Let the Archbishop of Paris, followed by all his clergy, the Pontifical
cross before him, his mitre on his head, go forth in procession through
the streets. Let him summon to him the National Assembly and the High
Court, the Legislators in their sashes, the Judges in their scarlet
robes; let him summon to him the citizens, let him summon to him the
soldiers, let him go straight to the Elysee. Let him raise his hand in
the name of Justice against the man who is violating the laws, and in
the name of Jesus against the man who is shedding blood. Simply with
his raised hand he will crush the _coup d'etat_.

"And he will place his statue by the side of M. Affre, and it will be
said that twice two Archbishops of Paris have trampled Civil War beneath
their feet."

"The Church is holy, but the Country is sacred. There are times when the
Church should succor the Country."

The letter being finished, he signed it with his workman's signature.

But now a difficulty arose; how should it be conveyed to its destination?

Take it himself!

But would he, a mere workman in a blouse, be allowed to penetrate to the
Archbishop!

And then, in order to reach the Archiepiscopal Palace, he would have to
cross those very quarters in insurrection, and where, perhaps, the
resistance was still active. He would have to pass through streets
obstructed by troops, he would be arrested and searched; his hands smelt
of powder, he would be shot; and the letter would not reach its
destination.

What was to be done?

At the moment when he had almost despaired of a solution, the name of
Arnauld de l'Ariege came to his mind.

Arnaul