despot fell upon that guillotine
where he had already caused so many thousands to perish. The day before
Josephine was to have been executed, he was led, mangled and bleeding,
to the scaffold. He had attempted to commit suicide. The ball missed its
aim, but shattered his jaw. The wretched man ascended the ladder, and
stood upon the platform of the guillotine. The executioners tore the
bandage from his mangled face, that the linen might not impede the blow
of the ax. Their rude treatment of the inflamed wound extorted a cry of
agony, which thrilled upon the ear of the assembled crowd, and produced
a silence as of the grave. The next moment the slide fell, and the
mutilated head was severed from the body. Then the very heavens seemed
rent by one long, loud, exulting shout, which proclaimed that
Robespierre was no more!

The death of Robespierre arrested the ax which was just about to fall
upon the head of Josephine. The first intimation of his overthrow was
communicated to her in the following singular manner. Madame d'Aiguillon
was weeping bitterly, and sinking down with faintness in view of the
bloody death to which her friend was to be led on the morrow. Josephine,
whose fortitude had not forsaken her, drew her almost senseless
companion to the window, that she might be revived by the fresh air.
Her attention was arrested by a woman of the lower orders in the street,
who was continually looking up to the window, beckoning to Josephine,
and making many very singular gestures. She seemed to desire to call
her attention particularly to the _robe_ which she wore, holding it
up, and pointing to it again and again. Josephine, through the iron
grating, cried out _Robe_. The woman eagerly gave signs of assent, and
immediately took up a stone, which in French is _Pierre_. Josephine
again cried out _pierre_. The woman appeared overjoyed on perceiving
that her pantomime began to be understood. She then put the two
together, pointing alternately to the one and to the other. Josephine
cried out _Robespierre_. The woman then began to dance and shout with
delight, and made signs of cutting off a head.

[Illustration: THE PANTOMIME.]

This pantomime excited emotions in the bosom of Josephine which cannot
be described. She hardly dared to believe that the tyrant had actually
fallen, and yet she knew not how else to account for the singular
conduct of the woman. But a few moments elapsed before a great noise
was heard in the corrido