moment we were afraid
that some mischief was being contemplated, the more that we had noticed
several leaders of the revolutionary party--or, to speak by the card, of
the Blanqui party--hovering near the Cafe Riche. But the demonstration
was not a hostile one; on the contrary, it had a friendly tendency, and
showed a tacit acknowledgment that, whosoever else might hide the truth
from them, M. de Cassagnac would not do so. "What about rifles, M.
Paul?" was the cry; "are there sufficient for us all?" It must be
remembered that the _levee en masse_ had been decreed. M. de Cassagnac
could not tell the truth, and would not tell a lie. He frankly said, "I
don't know." We noticed also that at his approach the Blanquists slunk
away. The Empire had been tottering on its base until then; after
Beaumont it was virtually doomed.

CHAPTER XXI.

The 4th of September -- A comic, not a tragic revolution -- A
burlesque Harold and a burlesque Boadicea -- The news of Sedan
only known publicly on the 3rd of September -- Grief and
consternation, but no rage -- The latter feeling imported by the
bands of Delescluze, Blanqui, and Felix Pyat -- Blanqui, Pyat, &
Co. _versus_ Favre, Gambetta, & Co. -- The former want their
share of the spoil, and only get it some years afterwards --
Ramail goes to the Palais-Bourbon -- His report -- Paris spends
the night outdoors -- Thiers a second-rate Talleyrand -- His
journey to the different courts of Europe -- His interview with
Lord Granville -- The 4th of September -- The Imperial eagles
disappear -- The joyousness of the crowd -- The Place de la
Concorde -- The gardens of the Tuileries -- The crowds in the Rue
de Rivoli scarcely pay attention to the Tuileries -- The soldiers
fraternizing with the people, and proclaiming the republic from
the barracks' windows -- A serious procession -- Sampierro Gavini
gives his opinion -- The "heroic struggles" of an Empress, and
the crownless coronation of "le Roi Petaud" -- Ramail at the
Tuileries -- How M. Sardou saved the palace from being burned and
sacked -- The republic proclaimed -- Illuminations as after a
victory.

Only those who were at a distance from Paris on the 4th of September,
1870, can be deluded into the belief that the scenes enacted there on
that day partook of a dramatic character. Carefully and scrupulously
dovetailed, they consti