Mauguin took the pen from the solitary scribe, who, being interrupted from his everlasting scribbling for a moment, got up and went to investigate, one after another, the thirty bottles that littered the table. His exploration was all in vain! He might as well have been looking for the Provisional Government. Meanwhile Mauguin wrote, while Charras read over his shoulder, shaking his head as he did so. "What is wrong?" inquired Odilon Barrot. "Oh!" said Charras, low enough so as not to be overheard by Mauguin, "that isn't the way to write to military men ... dear, dear!" Mauguin had come to the same conclusion himself, for he suddenly flung down his pen and exclaimed-- "Devil take me, I don't know what to say to them!" "Oh, hang it all," said Odilon Barrot, "let the gentlemen write their own letter--and let us be content with getting it signed--they will understand it better than we do." And the pen was passed to Charras. In a moment the proclamation was drawn up. Charras was writing the last line when General Lobau came in; he, too, no doubt, was looking for the Provisional Government. "Hullo!" exclaimed Charras, "this exactly suits our book! Here we have a real general under our thumb, and he shall sign our proclamation." They addressed themselves to General Lobau, explained the situation, and read him the letter, but the general turned his head away. "Oh! dear me no! I am not such a fool as to sign that." And he went away. "Eh?" said Charras. "I'm not surprised," said Mauguin. "A little while ago they refused to put their signatures to an order to go and fetch powder from Soissons." "That was my order." "Then, he shrinks back?" "No doubt of it." "But, my goodness, in a revolution the man who does that is a traitor.... I will go and have him shot down," cried Charras. Odilon Barrot and Mauguin leapt to their feet. "Have him shot! What are you thinking of?" ... Have General Lobau, a member of the Provisional Government, shot! Who will you get to do the job?" "Oh! you need not be anxious on that score!" said Charras. And, drawing Mauguin away towards the window, he said, pointing out to his hundred and fifty men, "Do you see those fine fellows down there round a tricolour standard? Well, they have taken the barracks of Babylon under me; they recognise and obey me only, and if the Eternal Father Himself were to betray the cause of liberty--which He is quite incapable of doing--and I were to tell them to go and shoot Him, they would do it!" Mauguin bent his head down. He was terrified at what such men as these might do. It was these men, these Republicans, as he called them, who had done such injury to poor Hippolyte Bonnelier. An hour later, Charras and Lothon departed for La Fère provided with a letter signed by Mauguin and a proclamation by La Fayette. It differed but little from mine, which, as we have seen, had been of little use to me, as it had been in the hands of M. Missa[3] the whole time of my stay in Soissons.