w, among
the black, quivering mass of insurgents, the guns and scythes glittered
in the moonlight.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" cried the mayor in a loud voice.

Thereupon a man in a greatcoat, a landowner of La Palud, stepped
forward.

"Open the doors," he said, without replying to Monsieur Garconnet's
question. "Avoid a fratricidal conflict."

"I call upon you to withdraw," the mayor continued. "I protest in the
name of the law."

These words provoked deafening shouts from the crowd. When the tumult
had somewhat abated, vehement calls ascended to the balcony. Voices
shouted: "It is in the name of the law that we have come here!"

"Your duty as a functionary is to secure respect for the fundamental
law of the land, the constitution, which has just been outrageously
violated."

"Long live the constitution! Long live the Republic!"

Then as Monsieur Garconnet endeavoured to make himself heard, and
continued to invoke his official dignity, the land-owner of La
Palud, who was standing under the balcony, interrupted him with
great vehemence: "You are now nothing but the functionary of a fallen
functionary; we have come to dismiss you from your office."

Hitherto, Commander Sicardot had been ragefully biting his moustache,
and muttering insulting words. The sight of the cudgels and scythes
exasperated him; and he made desperate efforts to restrain himself
from treating these twopenny-halfpenny soldiers, who had not even a
gun apiece, as they deserved. But when he heard a gentleman in a mere
greatcoat speak of deposing a mayor girded with his scarf, he could no
longer contain himself and shouted: "You pack of rascals! If I only had
four men and a corporal, I'd come down and pull your ears for you, and
make you behave yourselves!"

Less than this was needed to raise a serious disturbance. A long shout
rose from the mob as it made a rush for the doors. Monsieur Garconnet,
in consternation, hastily quitted the balcony, entreating Sicardot to be
reasonable unless he wished to have them massacred. But in two minutes
the doors gave way, the people invaded the building and disarmed the
national guards. The mayor and the other functionaries present were
arrested. Sicardot, who declined to surrender his sword, had to
be protected from the fury of some insurgents by the chief of the
contingent from Les Tulettes, a man of great self-possession. When the
town-hall was in the hands of the Republicans, they led their