We must recollect that nearly the whole of the members present were

members of the Right.

The first moment was a serious one. Berryer came out to advantage.

Berryer, like all those extemporizers without style, will only be

remembered as a name, and a much disputed name, Berryer having been

rather a special pleader than an orator who believed what he said. On

that day Berryer was to the point, logical and earnest. They began by

this cry, "What shall we do?" "Draw up a declaration," said M. de

Falloux. "A protest," said M. de Flavigny. "A decree," said Berryer.

In truth a declaration was empty air, a protest was noise, a decree was

action. They cried out, "What decree?" "Deposition," said Berryer.

Deposition was the extreme limit of the energy of the Right. Beyond

deposition, there was outlawry; deposition was practicable for the Right,

outlawry was only possible for the Left. In fact it was the Left who

outlawed Louis Bonaparte. They did it at their first meeting in the Rue

Blanche. We shall see this later on. At deposition, Legality came to an

end; at outlawry, the Revolution began. The recurrence of Revolutions are

the logical consequences of coups d'état. The deposition having been

voted, a man who later on turned traitor, Quentin Bauchart, exclaimed,

Let us all sign it." All signed it. Odilon Barrot came in and signed it.

Antony Thouret came in and signed it. Suddenly M. Piscatory announced

that the Mayor was refusing to allow Representatives who had arrived to

enter the Hall. "Order him to do so by decree," said Berryer. And the

decree was voted. Thanks to this decree, MM. Favreau and Monet entered;

they came from the Legislative Palace; they related the cowardice of

Dupin. M. Dahirel, one of the leaders of the Right, was exasperated, and

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The History of a Crime