returned this unprecedented answer, "I do not see any urgency."

Almost at the same time as M. Panat, the Representative Jerôme Bonaparte

had hastened thither. He had summoned M. Dupin to place himself at the

head of the Assembly. M. Dupin had answered, "I cannot, I am guarded."

Jerôme Bonaparte burst out laughing. In fact, no one had deigned to

place a sentinel at M. Dupin's door; they knew that it was guarded by

his meanness.

It was only later on, towards noon, that they took pity on him. They

felt that the contempt was too great, and allotted him two sentinels.

At half-past seven, fifteen or twenty Representatives, among whom were

MM. Eugène Sue, Joret, de Rességuier, and de Talhouet, met together in

M. Dupin's room. They also had vainly argued with M. Dupin. In the

recess of a window a clever member of the Majority, M. Desmousseaux de

Givré, who was a little deaf and exceedingly exasperated, almost

quarrelled with a Representative of the Right like himself whom he

wrongly supposed to be favorable to the coup d'état.

M. Dupin, apart from the group of Representatives, alone dressed in

black, his hands behind his back, his head sunk on his breast, walked up

and down before the fire-place, where a large fire was burning. In his

own room, and in his very presence, they were talking loudly about

himself, yet he seemed not to hear.

Two members of the Left came in, Benoît (du Rhône), and Crestin. Crestin

entered the room, went straight up to M. Dupin, and said to him,

The History of a Crime