On the night of January 6, the commandant of the fortress, in full uniform, accompanied by a Government agent, entered the sleeping-room of each prisoner, and ordered him to rise and dress, as he was to be sent immediately into exile under charge of two agents of police detailed to accompany him over the frontier. Nor was he to travel under his own name, a travelling _alias_ having been provided for him. At the railroad station at Creil, Colonel Charras met Changarnier. "_Tiens, Général!_" he cried, "is that you? I am travelling under the name of Vincent." "And I," replied Changarnier, "am called Leblanc." Each was placed with his two police agents in a separate carriage. The latter were armed. Their orders were to treat their prisoners with respect, but in case of necessity to shoot them. The journey was made without incident until they reached Valenciennes, a place very near the frontier line between France and Belgium. There, as the _coup d'état_ had proved a success, official zeal was in the ascendency. The police commissioner of Valenciennes examined the passports. As he was taking Leblanc's into his hand, he recognized the man before him. He started, and cried out: "You are General Changarnier!" "That is no affair of mine at present," said the general. At once the police agents interposed, and assured the commissioner that the passports were all in order. Nothing they could say would convince him of the fact. The prefect and town authorities, proud of their own sagacity in capturing State prisoners who were endeavoring to escape from France, held them in custody while they sent word of their exploit to Paris. They at once received orders to put all the party on the train for Belgium. Charras was liberated at Brussels, Changarnier at Mons, Lamoricière was carried to Cologne, M. Baze to Aix-la-Chapelle. They were not released at the same place nor at the same time, Louis Napoleon having said that safety required that a space should be put between the generals. [Illustration: _EUGÉNIE._] CHAPTER IX. THE EMPEROR'S MARRIAGE. A plébiscite--Louis Napoleon's political panacea--was ordered Dec. 20, 1851, two weeks after the _coup d'état_, to say if the people of France approved or disapproved the usurpation of the prince president. The national approval as expressed in this _plébiscite_ was overwhelming. Each peasant and artisan seemed to fancy he was voting to revive the past glories of France, when expressing his approval of a Prince Napoleon. The more thoughtful voters, like M. de Montalembert, considered that the _coup d'état_ was a crushing blow struck at Red Republicanism, Communism, the International Society, and disorder generally.