e agitation!" and he turned his back
upon M. Blanqui.
While we were talking Vivien exclaimed: "Listen! I fancy I can hear
firing!"
A young staff officer, addressing General d'Houdetot with a smile,
asked: "Are we going to stay here long?"
"Why?" said Franc d'Houdetot.
"Well, I am invited out to dinner," said the officer.
At this moment a group of women in mourning and children dressed in
black passed rapidly along the other pavement of the bridge. A man held
the eldest child by the hand. I looked at him and recognized the Duke de
Montebello.
"Hello!" exclaimed d'Houdetot, "the Minister of Marine!" and he ran over
and conversed for a moment with M. de Montebello. The Duchess had become
frightened, and the whole family was taking refuge on the left bank of
the river.
Vivien and I returned to the Palace of the Chamber. D'Houdetot quitted
us. In an instant we were surrounded. Said Boissy to me:
"You were not at the Luxembourg? I tried to speak upon the situation
in Paris. I was hooted. At the _mot_, 'the capital in danger,' I was
interrupted, and the Chancellor, who had come to preside expressly for
that purpose, called me to order. And do you know what General Gourgaud
said to me? 'Monsieur de Boissy, I have sixty guns with their caissons
filled with grape-shot. I filled them myself.' I replied: 'General, I
am delighted to know what is really thought at the Chateau about the
situation.'"
At this moment Durvergier de Hauranne, hatless, his hair dishevelled,
and looking pale but pleased, passed by and stopped to shake hands with
me.
I left Duvergier and entered the Chamber. A bill relative to the
privileges of the Bank of Bordeaux was being debated. A man who was
talking through his nose occupied the tribune, and M. Sauzet was reading
the articles of the bill with a sleepy air. M. de Belleyme, who was
coming out, shook hands with me and exclaimed: "Alas!"
Several deputies came up to me, among them M. Marie, M. Roger (of
Loiret), M. de Remusat, and M. Chambolle. I related to them the incident
of the tearing down of the flag, which was serious in view of the
audacity of the attack.
"What is even more serious," said one of them, "is that there is
something very bad behind all this. During the night the doors of more
than fifteen mansions were marked with a cross, among the marked houses
being those of the Princess de Lieven, in the Rue Saint Florentin, and
of Mme. de Talhouet."
"Are you sure of t
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