ull dress," in black coats
girded with their sash-girdles and their black corded hats. One was an
old man, the other a young man. The first was named Lemoine-Tacherat, and
not Bacherel, as has been wrongly printed: the second was named Barlet.
These names should be noted. The unprecedented assurance of this Barlet
was remarked. Nothing was wanting in him,--cynical speech, provoking
gesture, sardonic intonation. It was with an inexpressible air of
insolence that Barlet, when summoning the meeting to dissolve itself,
added, "Rightly or Wrongly." They murmured on the benches of the
Assembly, "Who is this scoundrel?" The other, compared to him, seemed
moderate and inoffensive. Emile Pean exclaimed, "The old man is simply
working in his profession, but the young man is working out his
promotion."

Before this Tacherat and this Barlet entered, before the butts of the
muskets had been heard ringing on the stones of the staircase, this
Assembly had talked of resistance. Of what kind of resistance? We have
just stated. The majority could only listen to a regular organized
resistance, a military resistance in uniform and in epaulets. Such a
resistance was easy to decree, but it was difficult to organize. The
Generals on whom the Assembly were accustomed to rely having been
arrested, there only remained two possible Generals, Oudinot and
Lauriston. General Marquis de Lauriston, ex-peer of France, and at the
same time Colonel of the Tenth Legion and Representative of the People,
drew a distinction between his duty as Representative and his duty as
Colonel. Summoned by some of his friends of the Right to beat to arms and
call together the Tenth Legion, he answered, "As Representative of the
People I ought to indict the Executive Power, but as Colonel I ought to
obey it." It appears that he obstinately shut himself up in this singular
reasoning, and that it was impossible to draw him out of it.

"How stupid he is!" said Piscatory.

"How sharp he is!" said Falloux.

The first officer of the National Guard who appeared in uniform, seemed
to be recognized by two members of the Right, who said, "It is M. de
Perigord!" They made a mistake, it was M. Guilbot, major of the third
battalion of the Tenth Legion. He declared that he was ready to march on
the first order from his Colonel, General Lauriston. General Lauriston
went down into the courtyard, and came up a moment afterwards, saying,
"They do not recognize my authority. I have jus