Buonarotti, still at the harpsichord, was now playing the hymn to the Supreme Being, by Gossec. The air fell on Robespierre's ears and brought back the previous day's _fête_ to his memory: the procession from the gardens of the Tuileries; the affectation of the deputies in keeping so far behind him to make it appear that he had already assumed the role of Dictator; the whole plot which he felt was undermining the popular rejoicings; and the untoward scene of that final insult. All this and more was suggested by that hymn composed to celebrate his apotheosis, but reminding him to-day of his defeat. His defeat! yes, nothing less than defeat! These anonymous letters, inspired by hatred and envy, proved it only too plainly, and it was emphasised by the reports of his police agents, in whose obsequious language a certain embarrassment could be detected. Just then Didier, the chief agent, entered, bringing the latest news, and when Robespierre asked him his impression of the _fête_, he declared it to have been perfect. "You are lying!" said Robespierre. Brought to bay by the Incorruptible's questions, the police agent owned the truth. The affair bad been a disastrous failure. It was the fault of the organisers, of Didier's own scouts. Every one, in fact, was to blame. The men hired to applaud had been imprudently paid in advance. They had drunk hard, lingered in the taverns, and only arrived on the scene when the _fête_ was already compromised. Didier gave him other details, corroborating the reports which had just reached him, and opened his eyes to things ignored before. Robespierre was dumfounded on hearing of the audacious conduct of his enemies. He called Duplay, who was still at the window, to seek counsel with him. But Didier, emboldened by the interest which the Incorruptible took in his disclosures, ventured himself to proffer advice. "Between ourselves," he said, "the guillotine is becoming unpopular." And he confessed that the young fanatic's cry of "Down with the scaffold!" at the _fête_, seemed to have been trembling on the lips of a considerable number of the spectators, who were more than half inclined to protect the insulter from the violence of the crowd. "They are heartily sick of it," he continued. "Another proof of this is the protest the inhabitants near the Bastille have been making against its erection there. The Committee of Public Safety had to see into the affair to-day in your absence, and have decided that the guillotine should be transported to the Barrière du Trône."