position of great influence,
received a private visit from Madame Bazaine, who prayed him to agitate
that her husband might be appointed as the commander-in-chief of the
armies. Gambetta was too sincerely patriotic to feel any partisan
satisfaction at the reverse which Napoleon III.'s armies had suffered;
and in stirring up the Republicans in the Chamber and in the press to
clamor for the appointment of Bazaine, he believed he was urging the
claims of a competent soldier who was being kept from the chief command
solely by dynastic jealousies. He was to learn, a couple of months
later, how much he had been mistaken in his estimate of Bazaine's
talents and rectitude of purpose; and, indeed, Bazaine's conduct toward
Gambetta and the Republicans from first to last was the more
inexplicable, as it was unquestionably owing to their agitation that he
was placed in the high position which he had coveted.

During the three weeks between Forbach and Sedan, Gambetta had to take
rather exciting precautions to insure his own safety. He was aware that
the Empress-Regent's advisers were urging her to have the leaders of the
opposition arrested, and he felt pretty certain that this course would
be adopted if the news of a victory arrived. He used to sleep in a
different house every night, and never ventured abroad unattended or
without firearms. His position was one of great difficulty, for agents
of the Internationale made overtures to him with a view to promote an
insurrection in Paris, and he forfeited the confidence of these fanatics
by declining to abet their plans. Gambetta was so little desirous of
establishing a republic by revolution that, even when the tidings
arrived on the night of September 3d of the emperor's surrender at
Sedan, his chief concern was as to how he could get the deposition of
Napoleon III. and the Empress-Regent effected by lawful methods. He
hastened to M. Thiers's house, and asked him whether he would accept the
presidency of a provisional government? Thiers, sitting up in bed, said
he was willing, provided that this office was conferred upon him by the
Corps Legislatif.

Accordingly, Gambetta spent all the morning of Sunday, September 4th,
whipping up members of the majority, and trying to persuade them to go
down to the Palais Bourbon and elect a new government. But he found most
of these gentlemen anxious to get off to the different railway stations
as soon as possible in cabs. Going to the Chamber h