the king and the law together in one single toast? O great statesmen, you who dig graves for kings and who bury monarchies, when, indeed, will the people, tired of your sham science, rub your faces, once for all, in the history which you are making, and which you do not see? Thus, on 24 July, Charles X. called together a Council in absolute confidence. At this Council the fate of the Monarchy was again weighed in the balance, and it was decided to sign the Ordinances. But M. d'Haussez ventured to observe to the President of the Council that M. de Bourmont had extracted a promise from him to risk nothing during his absence. "Bah!" the Prince de Polignac remarked, "what need have we of him? Am I not the War Minister during his absence?" "But," M. d'Haussez asked, "how many men can you rely on in Paris? Have you, at the lowest computation, even as many as twenty-eight or thirty thousand?" "Oh, more than that; I have forty-two thousand." M. d'Haussez shook his head dubiously. "Look, then, for yourself," the President of the Council said, and threw him a rolled document across the table. M. d'Haussez unrolled it and added up the figures. "But I can only find here thirteen thousand men, and that number on paper will mean scarcely seven to eight thousand men actually fit for war. Where do you get your missing twenty-nine thousand to complete your total of forty-two thousand?" "Make yourself easy about the matter," M. de Polignac replied; "they are scattered round Paris and, in a few hours' time, if needed, could be all collected on the Place de la Concorde." The Ordinances were signed the following day. When signing, the king had the dauphin on his right hand and M. de Polignac on his left; the other ministers completed the circle round the green table. Each one signed in turn. M. d'Haussez again raised his objections. "Monsieur," Charles X. said to him, "do you refuse to co-operate with your colleagues?" "Sire," responded M. d'Haussez, "may I be allowed to put a question to the king?" "What is it, monsieur?" "Does the king intend to proceed, supposing one or more of his ministers should resign?" "Yes," Charles replied with decision. "Then, in that case," said the Naval Minister, "I will sign." And he did so. Five minutes later, they all stood up and, as Charles X. passed by M. d'Haussez, he noticed that the minister's attentive gaze was fixed on the walls, and he asked-- "What are you looking at so attentively, Monsieur d'Haussez?" "Sire, I was looking to see if by any chance I could find a picture of the Earl of Strafford."[1] The king smiled and passed on.