agitation of the thirty-first of
October. He was again tried for this conduct and acquitted, together
with Vermorel, Ribaldi, Lefrancais and others. Eudes' name figures in
the first decrees of the Commune, and on the last of those of the
Committee of Public Safety. On the second of April he was appointed
Delegate for War, and, conjointly with Cluseret, organised ten corps of
the Enfants Perdus of Belleville. He promised to each of his volunteers
an annuity of 300 francs and a decoration. Eudes was an atheist of the
most violent type, and sayings are attributed to him which make one
shudder.]

XXXIX.

Where is Bergeret? What have they done with Bergeret? We miss Bergeret.
They have no right to suppress Bergeret, who, according to the official
document, was "himself" at Neuilly; Bergeret, who drove to battle in an
open carriage; who enlivened our ennui with a little fun. They were
perfectly at liberty to take away his command and give it to whomsoever
they chose; I am quite agreeable to that, but they had no right to take
him away and prevent him amusing us. Alas! we do not have the chance so
often![48]

Rumours are afloat that he has been taken to the Conciergerie. Poor
Bergeret! and why is he so treated? Because he got the Federals beaten
in trying to lead them to Versailles?

[Illustration: CORPS LEGISLATIF.--THE HEAD-QUARTERS OF GENERAL
BERGERET.]

Citizens, if you will allow me to express my humble opinion on the
subject, I shall take the opportunity of insinuating that the plan of
Citizen Bergeret--which has, I acknowledge, been completely
unsuccessful--was the only possible one capable of transforming into a
triumphant revolution, the emeute of Montmartre, now the Commune of
Paris.

Let us look at it from a logical point of view, if you please. Does it
seem possible to you, that Paris can hold its own against the whole of
the rest of France? No, most certainly not. Today, especially, after the
disasters that have occurred to the communal insurrectionists of
Marseilles, Lyons, and Toulouse--disasters which your lying official
reports have in vain tried to transform into successes; today, I say,
you cannot possibly nourish any delusive hopes of help from the
provinces. In a few days, you will have the whole country in array in
front of your ramparts and your ruined fortresses, and then you are
lost; yes, lost, in spite of all the blinded heroism of those whom you
have beguiled to the slaughter. The o