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Duputz, a few hours later, received from our hands a duplicate of the
decree, with the charge to take it himself to the Concièrgerie as soon
as the surprise which we premeditated upon the Prefecture of Police and
the Hôtel de Ville should have succeeded. Unhappily this surprise
failed.
Landrin came in. His duties in Paris in 1848 had enabled him to know the
whole body of the political and municipal police. He warned us that he
had seen suspicious figures roving about the neighborhood. We were in the
Rue Richelieu, almost opposite the Théâtre Français, one of the points
where passers-by are most numerous, and in consequence one of the points
most carefully watched. The goings and comings of the Representatives
who were communicating with the Committee, and who came in and out
unceasingly, would be inevitably noticed, and would bring about a visit
from the Police. The porters and the neighbors already manifested an
evil-boding surprise. We ran, so Landrin declared and assured us, the
greatest danger. "You will be taken and shot," said he to us.
He entreated us to go elsewhere. M. Grévy's brother, consulted by us,
stated that he could not answer for the people of his house.
But what was to be done? Hunted now for two days, we had exhausted the
goodwill of nearly everybody, one refuge had been refused on the
preceding evening, and at this moment no house was offered to us. Since
the night of the 2d we had changed our refuge seventeen times, at times
going from one extremity of Paris to the other. We began to experience
some weariness. Besides, as I have already said, the house where we were
had this signal advantage--a back outlet upon the Rue Fontaine-Molière.
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