had been seen, between five and seven o'clock,
walking up and down before the cafe of the Place Saint-Michel; he had
been joined by two of the Commissaries of the Police who had effected
the arrests of the 2d of December, and had talked to them for a long
time. This man was Carlier. Was he about to supplant Maupas?

The Representative Labrousse, seated at a table of the cafe, had
witnessed this conspirators' parley.

Each of the two Commissaries was followed by that species of police
agent which is called "the Commissary's dog."

At the same time strange warnings reached the Committee; the following
letter[18] was brought to our knowledge.

"3d December.

"MY DEAR BOCAGE,

"To-day at six o'clock, 25,000 francs has been offered to any one who
arrests or kills Hugo.

"You know where he is. He must not go out under any pretext whatever.

"Yours ever,

"AL. DUMAS."

At the back was written, "Bocage, 18, Rue Cassette." It was necessary
that the minutest details should be considered. In the different places
of combat a diversity of passwords prevailed, which might cause danger.
For the password on the day before we had given the name of "Baudin." In
imitation of this the names of other Representatives had been adopted as
passwords on barricades. In the Rue Rambuteau the password was "Eugene
Sue and Michel de Bourges;" in the Rue Beaubourg, "Victor Hugo;" at the
Saint Denis chapel, "Esquiros and De Flotte." We thought it necessary to
put a stop to this confusion, and to suppress the proper names, which
are always easy to guess. The password settled upon was, "What is Joseph
doing?"

At every moment items of news and information came to us from all
sides, that barricades were everywhere being raised, and that firing
was beginning in the central streets. Michel de Bourges exclaimed,
"Construct a square of four barricades, and we will go and deliberate
in the centre."

We received news from Mont Valerien. Two prisoners the more. Rigal and
Belle had just been committed. Both of the Left. Dr. Rigal was the
Representative of Gaillac, and Belle of Lavaur. Rigal was ill; they had
arrested him in bed. In prison he lay upon a pallet, and could not
dress himself. His colleague Belle acted as his _valet de chambre_.

Towards nine o'clock an ex-Captain of the 8th Legion of the National
Guard of 1848, named Jourdan, came to place himself at our service. He
was a bold man, one of those who had carried out, on