mes, it is like the battening down of the hatches in dirty
weather. There is mischief brewing." When I got to the Place du Caire, I
was virtually in the thick of it. With the exception of my friend and I,
there was not a man in mufti. Even the proprietor had donned his
uniform. Our fillet of beef was brought to us by a corporal, and our
coffee poured out by a sergeant. Whether these warrior-waiters meant to
strike one blow for freedom and to leave the place to take care of
itself, we were unable to make out; but their patrons were no longer
"messieurs," but had already become "citoyens." I was tempted to say, in
the words of Dupin--the one who was President of the Chamber on the day
of the Coup d'Etat, and who was Louis-Philippe's personal friend,
"Soyons citoyens, mais restons messieurs," but I thought it better not.
My friend had given up all idea of attending to business. "It will not
be of the least use," he said. "If I had ribbons to sell instead of
cottons, I might make a lot of money, though; for I am open to wager
that some of our patriotic neighbours, while they are going to bell the
cat outside, have given orders to their workpeople to manufacture
tricolour cockades and rosettes with the magic R. F. (Republique
Francaise) in the centre."

"You do not mean that they would think of such a thing at such a
critical moment, even if the republic were a greater probability than it
appears to be?" I remonstrated.

"I do mean to say so," he replied, beckoning at the same time to a
sleek, corpulent lieutenant, standing a few paces away. "Can you do with
a nice lot of narrow silk ribbon?" he asked, as the individual walked up
to our table.

"What colour?" inquired the lieutenant.

My friend gave me a significant look, and named all the hues of the
rainbow except white, red, and blue.

"Won't do," said the lieutenant, shaking his head. "If it had been red,
white, and blue I would have bought as much as you like, because I am
manufacturing rosettes for the good cause." After this he walked away.

On the Thursday afternoon the Boulevards and principal thoroughfares
swarmed with peripatetic vendors of the republican insignia, and some
of my friends expressed their surprise as to where they had come from in
so short a time. Seeing that they were Frenchmen, I held my tongue, even
when one professed to explain, "They have come from England; they are
always speculating upon our misfortunes, though they do it cleverly
enou