“Shall I lose my eye?” asked Messer Pancrace. 
  “Not at all, my friend, I hold it in my hand.”

In this quasi Council of State there were a goodly number of men of the Police, a race of beings then held in esteem, Carlier, Pietri, Maupas, etc.

Shortly after the 2d of December under the title of Mixed Commissions, the police substituted itself for justice, drew up judgments, pronounced sentences, violated every law judicially without the regular magistracy interposing the slightest obstacle to this irregular magistracy:  Justice allowed the police to do what it liked with the satisfied look of a team of horses which had just been relieved.

Some of the men inscribed on the list of this commission refused:  Leon Faucher Goulard, Mortemart, Frederic Granier, Marchand, Maillard Paravay, Beugnot.  The newspapers received orders not to publish these refusals.

M. Beugnot inscribed on his card:  “Count Beugnot, who does not belong to the Consultative Committee.”

M. Joseph Perier went from corner to corner of the streets, pencil in hand, scratching out his name from all the placards, saying, “I shall take back my name wherever I find it.”

General Baraguay d’Hilliers did not refuse.  A brave soldier nevertheless; he had lost an arm in the Russian war.  Later on, he has been Marshall of France; he deserved better than to have been created a Marshal by Louis Bonaparte.  It did not appear likely that he would have come to this.  During the last days of November General Baraguay d’Hilliers, seated in a large arm-chair before the high fireplace of the Conference Hall of the National Assembly, was warming himself; some one, one of his colleagues, he who is writing these lines, sat down near him on the other side of the fireplace.  They did not speak to each other, one belonging to the Right, the other to the Left; but M. Piscatory came in, who belonged a little to the Right and a little to the Left.  He addressed himself to Baraguay d’Hilliers:  “Well, general, do you know what they are saying?”

“What?”

“That one of these days the President will shut the door in our faces.”

General Baraguay d’Hilliers answered, and I heard the answer,—­“If M. Bonaparte should close the door of the Assembly against us, France will fling it wide open again.”

Louis Bonaparte at one moment thought of entitling this committee the “Executive Commission.”  “No,” said Morny to him, “that would be to credit them with courage.  They will willingly be supporters; they will not be proscribers.”

General Rulhiere was dismissed for having blamed the passive obedience of the army.

Let us here mention an incident.  Some days after the 4th of December, Emmanuel Arago met M. Dupin, who was going up the Faubourg Saint Honore.

“What!” said Arago, “are you going to the Elysee?”

M. Dupin answered, “I never go to disreputable houses.”