found an
austere Republic, the only one that has or can have reason for its
existence.

"I appeal to the good sense of my fellow-citizens: let us have no more
tags and lace, no more glitter, no more frippery which costs so little
at the shops yet is so dear to our responsibility.

"In future, anyone who cannot deduce proof of his right to wear the
insignia of his nominal rank, or, who shall add to the regular uniform
of the National Guard, tags, lace, or other vain distinctions, will be
liable to be punished.

"I profit by this occasion to remind each of you of the necessity of
absolute obedience to the authorities, for in obeying those whom you
have elected you are only obeying yourselves.

"The Delegate of War,

"Paris, April 7th, 1871,

(Signed) "E. CLUSERET."]

LXXII.

Suppose that a man in disguise goes into the opera ball intoxicated,
rushes hither and thither, gesticulating, insulting the women, mocking
the men, turns off the gas, then sets light to some curtains, until such
a hue and cry is raised that he is turned out of the place. Whereupon
our mask runs off to the nearest costumier's, changes his clown's dress
for that of a pantaloon, and returns to the opera to recommence his old
tricks, saying, "I have changed my dress, no one will recognise me." But
he is wrong, there is no mistaking his way of doing business.

The crowd surrounds him and cries, "We recognise you, _beau masque!_"
and if he has had the imprudence to secure the doors, they throw him out
of window.

We recognise you, Executive Commission;[77] it is in vain that you
disguise yourself in the bloody rags of the Committee of Public Safety,
your are still yourself, you are still Felix Pyat, you are still
Ranvier, you have never ceased to be Gerardin; you hope to make
yourself obeyed more readily under this lugubrious costume, but you
mistake. Command us to go and fight, and we will not budge; pursue us,
and we will hardly run away; put us in prison, and we will only laugh.
You are no more a Terror, than Gil-Perez the actor is Talma; the knocks
you receive have pushed aside your false nose; it is in vain that you
decree, that you rob, that you incarcerate; you are too grotesque to be
terrible. Even if you carried the parody out to the end, and thought
fit to erect a guillotine and sharpen the knife, we should even then
decline to look seriously upon you, and were we to see one by one five
hundred heads fell into the basket, w