ave spoken here in a quarter where you are
known and loved. At the Bastille your audience will be the revolutionary
people of the faubourg, who will perhaps harm you."

"I will go," I say, "I promised Odilon Barrot that I would."

"I have changed my hat," the Mayor goes on, "but remember my hat of this
morning."

"This morning the army and the people were face to face, and there was
danger of a conflict; now, however, the people are alone, the people are
the masters."

"Masters--and hostile; have a care!"

"No matter, I have promised, and I will keep my promise."

I tell the Mayor that his place is at the Mairie and that he ought
to stay there. But several National Guard officers present themselves
spontaneously and offer to accompany me, among them the excellent M.
Launaye, my former captain. I accept their friendly offer, and we form
a little procession and proceed by the Rue du Pas de la Mule and the
Boulevard Beaumarchais towards the Place de la Bastille.

Here are a restless, eager crowd in which workingmen predominate, many
of them armed with rifles taken from the barracks or given up to them
by the soldiers; shouts and the song of the Girondins: "Die for the
fatherland!" numerous groups debating and disputing passionately. They
turn round, they look at us, they interrogate us:

"What's the news? What is going on?" And they follow us. I hear my name
mentioned coupled with various sentiments: "Victor Hugo! It's Victor
Hugo!" A few salute me. When we reach the Column of July we are
surrounded by a considerable gathering. In order that I may be heard I
mount upon the base of the column.

I will only repeat the words which it was possible for me to make my
turbulent audience hear. It was much less a speech than a dialogue, but
the dialogue of one voice with ten, twenty, a hundred voices more or
less hostile.

I began by announcing at once the abdication of Louis Philippe, and, as
in the Place Royale, applause that was practically unanimous greeted the
news. There were also, however, cries of "No! no abdication, deposition!
deposition!" Decidedly, I was going to have my hands full.

When I announced the Regency violent protests arose:

"No! no! No Regency! Down with the Bourbons! Neither King nor Queen! No
masters!"

I repeated: "No masters! I don't want them any more than you do. I have
defended liberty all my life."

"Then why do you proclaim the Regency?"

"Because a Queen-Regent is not a mast