From every bench the cry arose: “At last!”
Silence ensued.
Ledru-Rollin’s speech had a physical effect as it were; it was coarse,
but powerful. Garnier-Pages had pointed out the General’s political
shortcomings; Ledru-Rollin pointed out his military shortcomings. With
the vehemence of the tribune he mingled all the skill of the advocate.
He concluded with an appeal for mercy for the offender. He shook
Cavaignac’s position.
When he resumed his seat between Pierre Leroux and de Lamennais, a man
with long grey hair, and attired in a white frock-coat, crossed the
Chamber and shook Ledru-Rollin’s hand. He was Lagrange.
Cavaignac for the fourth time ascended the tribune. It was half past
10 o’clock at night. The noise of the crowd and the evolutions of the
cavalry on the Place de la Concorde could be heard. The aspect of the
Assembly was becoming sinister.
Cavaignac, who was tired, had decided to assume a haughty attitude. He
addressed the Mountain and defied it, declaring to the mountaineers,
amid the cheers of the majority and of the reactionaries, that he at
all times preferred “their abuse to their praise.” This appeared to
be violent and was clever; Cavaignac lost the Rue Taitbout, which
represented the Socialists, and won the Rue de Poitiers, which
represented the Conservatives.
After this apostrophe he remained a few moments motionless, then passed
his hand over his brow.
The Assembly shouted to him:
“Enough! Enough!”
He turned towards Ledru-Rollin and exclaimed:
“You said that you had done with me. It is I who have done with you. You
said: ‘For some time.’ I say to you: ‘For ever!’”
It was all over. The Assembly wanted to close the debate.
Lagrange ascended the tribune and gesticulated amid hoots and hisses.
Lagrange was at once a popular and chivalrous declaimer, who expressed
true sentiments in a forced voice.
“Representatives,” said he, “all this amuses you; well, it doesn’t amuse
me!”
The Assembly roared with laughter, and the roar of laughter continued
throughout the remainder of his discourse. He called M. Landrin M.
Flandrin, and the gaiety became delirious.
I was among those whom this gaiety made heavy at heart, for I seemed to
hear the sobs of the people above these bursts of hilarity.
During this uproar a list which was being covered with signatures and
which bore an order of the day proposed by M. Dupont de l’Eure, was
passed round the benches.
Dupont de l’Eure, bent and tottering, read from the tribune, with the
authority of his eighty years, his own order of the day, amid a deep
silence that was broken at intervals by cheers.
The order of the day, which was purely and simply a reiteration of
the declaration of June 28: “General Cavaignac has merited well of the
fatherland,” was adopted by 503 votes to 34.
Mine was among the thirty-four. While the votes were being counted,
Napoleon Bonaparte, son of Jerome, came up to me and said:
“I suppose you abstained?”
“From speaking, yes; from voting, no,” I replied.
“Ah!” he went on. “We ourselves abstained from voting. The Rue de
Poitiers also abstained.”