Bailly, gentle, and unfit for such a position, descended to the square to entreat the mob to respect the Hôtel de Ville and the accused; but his voice was scarcely heard, and no attention was paid to his remonstrances. The crowd forced the few guards before the door from their places, and followed the mayor up the stairs into the great hall, where they bellowed incessantly for Foulon. After some hesitation, the electors produced him. The old gentleman was perfectly composed. Observing a female in the crowd before him, he detached one of the nettles from his bouquet; and, with a courteous bow, offered it her, saying, 'I am sorry to be unable to offer you a choicer flower, mademoiselle, but pray accept the wish, and overlook the insignificance of the herb; and I will thank you to remind those around you that certain plants cannot be touched with impunity.' 'You are very calm, monsieur,' said one of the guards. 'Sir,' replied Foulon at once, 'crime alone can be disconcerted. Take a pinch of snuff.' 'Why did you want us to eat hay?' shouted some of the crowd. 'Because I eat it myself,' replied Foulon, 'in the shape of beef. Cows eat hay--and I eat cows. Can I wish you anything better?' M. de Poizc, one of the electors, then addressed the people, urging upon them the illegality of precipitately condemning the accused, without giving him an opportunity of summoning witnesses to prove his innocence. 'Let everything be done in order.' 'Yes, in order,' the mob shouted. 'Every culprit must be first judged,' continued the elector. 'Yes, judged first and hung after,' was answered. 'That comes in order, does it not?' some one cried, and there rose a laugh. 'Gentlemen,' said a M. Osselin, 'in order that a man should be judged, he must have judges. Let us send M. Foulon before the proper tribunal.' This proposal was met with cries of dissatisfaction. 'We will have him judged at once.' 'We will not let him go before tribunals which are sure to acquit him.' 'The judges are his friends.' Such were some of the cries that rose upon the proposition of M. Osselin. That gentleman, without losing his presence of mind, replied, 'Well, if you do not like the ordinary judges, it is indispensable that you should nominate others.' This suggestion did not meet the end proposed by its author. The mass of the people called repeatedly, 'Do you judge him, you electors!' 'No,' answered M. Osselin; 'we have no authority either to judge or to make judges. Name them yourselves.' Again M. Osselin was mistaken. He had calculated on the people hesitating to form a criminal tribunal; but with one voice they proposed the curés of S. Étienne du Mont and of S. André des Arcs. 'Two judges are insufficient!' cried M. Osselin; 'there must be seven.' Then, after a little difficulty, the people agreed upon five more.