"Oh!" said Le Corbier. "Wasn't it guarded?"
"Yes, but the troops were overborne by the crowd."
"Next?"
"Germany is mobilizing all her frontier army-corps."
"But in Paris? What about Paris?"
"Nothing but riots.... The boulevards are overrun.... At this moment, the municipal guards are charging the mob to clear the approaches to the Palais-Bourbon."
"But what do they want, when all is said?"
"War."
The word rang out like a death-knell. After a few seconds, Le Corbier asked:
"Is that all?"