After this the men of the coup d’etat met together in M. Bonaparte’s room, and held council.  Matters were visibly going badly; it was probable that the battle would end by assuming formidable proportions.  Up to that time they had desired this, now they did not feel sure that they did not fear it.  They pushed forward towards it, but they mistrusted it.  There were alarming symptoms in the steadfastness of the resistance, and others not less serious in the cowardice of adherents.  Not one of the new Ministers appointed during the morning had taken possession of his Ministry—­a significant timidity on the part of people ordinarily so prompt to throw themselves upon such things.  M. Roulier, in particular, had disappeared, no one knew where—­a sign of tempest.  Putting Louis Bonaparte on one side, the coup d’etat continued to rest solely upon three names, Morny, St. Arnaud, and Maupas.  St. Arnaud answered for Magnan.  Morny laughed and said in a whisper, “But does Magnan answer for St. Arnaud?” These men adopted energetic measures, they sent for new regiments; an order to the garrisons to march upon Paris was despatched in the one direction as far as Cherbourg, and on the other as far as Maubeuge.  These criminals, in the main deeply uneasy, sought to deceive each other.  They assumed a cheerful countenance; all spoke of victory; each in the background arranged for flight; in secret, and saying nothing, in order not to give the alarm to his compromised colleagues, so as, in case of failure, to leave the people some men to devour.  For this little school of Machiavellian apes the hopes of a successful escape lie in the abandonment of their friends.  During their flight they throw their accomplices behind them.

[12] A popular nickname for Louis Bonaparte.  Faustin Soulouque was the negro Emperor of Hayti, who, when President of the Republic, had carried out a somewhat similar coup d’etat in 1848, being subsequently elected Emperor.  He treated the Republicans with great cruelty, putting most of them to death.

CHAPTER X.

WHAT FLEURY WENT TO DO AT MAZAS

During the same night towards four o’clock the approaches of the Northern Railway Station were silently invested by two regiments; one of Chasseurs de Vincennes, the other of Gendarmerie Mobile.  Numerous squads of sergents de ville installed themselves in the terminus.  The station-master was ordered to prepare a special train and to have an engine ready.  A certain number of stokers and engineers for night service were retained.  No explanation however was vouchsafed to any one, and absolute secrecy was maintained.  A little before six o’clock a movement was apparent in the troops.  Some sergents de ville came running up, and a few minutes afterwards a squadron of Lancers emerged at a sharp trot from the Rue du Nord.  In the centre of the squadron and between the two lines of horse-soldiers could be seen two police-vans drawn by post-horses, behind each vehicle came a little open barouche, in which there sat one man.  At the head of the Lancers galloped the aide-de-camp Fleury.