in the
darkness, and is little noticeable. I have detained all the
Representatives who have come in, and have placed them in the larger
room and in the ante-chamber, whichever they have wished. A species of
crowd has thus been formed. If the police and the troops arrive, I shall
say to them, 'Here we are.' They will take us. They will not perceive
the door of the inner room, and they will not reach you. We shall pay
for you. If there is any one to be killed, they will content themselves
with us."

And without imagining that he had just uttered the words of a hero,
Durand-Savoyat went back to the antechamber.

We resumed our deliberation on the subject of a decree. We were
unanimously agreed upon the advantage of an immediate convocation of a
New Assembly. But for what date? Louis Bonaparte had appointed the 20th
of December for his Plebiscitum; we chose the 21st. Then, what should we
call this Assembly? Michel de Bourges strongly advocated the title of
"National Convention," Jules Favre that its name should be "Constituent
Assembly," Carnot proposed the title of "Sovereign Assembly," which,
awakening no remembrances, would leave the field free to all hopes. The
name of "Sovereign Assembly" was adopted.

The decree, the preamble of which Carnot insisted upon writing from my
dictation, was drawn up in these terms. It is one of those which has
been printed and placarded.

"DECREE.

"The crime of Louis Bonaparte imposes great duties upon the
Representatives of the People remaining at liberty.

"Brute force seeks to render the fulfilment of these duties impossible.

"Hunted, wandering from refuge to refuge, assassinated in the streets,
the Republican Representatives deliberate and act, notwithstanding the
infamous police of the _coup d'etat_.

"The outrage of Louis Napoleon, in overturning all the Public Powers,
has only left one authority standing,--the supreme authority,--the
authority of the people: Universal Suffrage.

"It is the duty of the Sovereign People to recapture and reconstitute
all the social forces which to-day are dispersed.

"Consequently, the Representatives of the People decree:--

"ARTICLE I.--The People are convoked on the 21st December, 1851, for
the election of a Sovereign Assembly.

"ARTICLE II.--The election will take place by Universal Suffrage,
according to the formalities determined by the decree of the
Provisional Government of March 5, 1848.