22 Mae Darling 



There was nothing to indicate whether the orders were to meet 

 separately or in one hall, but evidently it was clearly understood 

 by the deputies of the upper orders, at least, that they were not to 

 meet in the large hall with the third estate, for when the deputies 

 of the third estate assembled that morning, the two upper orders 

 were absent. The commons could not have been greatly surprised 

 at this, considering the attitude of the government as shown in 

 the session of May 5.^ However, if the deputies of the third 

 estate were not surprised at the absence of the upper orders, this 

 did not make them any more willing to accept the situation as 

 they found it.* 



The third estate met about nine o'clock in the hall that had been 

 used the previous day for the opening session.^ Biauazt says 

 that for nearly an hour after the time set for the opening of the 

 session, there were workmen in the hall clearing away the 

 material that had been used in the ceremonies of the previous 

 day, and yet the government had announced that the hall would 

 be ready at nine o'clock." The confusion incident to the first 

 session was great enough, without being added to by the noise 

 of the workmen. In a letter which is found in Mirabeau's 

 journal, the writer pictures the scene as follows: "Imagine more 

 than five hundred persons thrown into one hall, without knowing 

 each other, coming from different places, without a head, without 

 organization, all free, all ecjual, none having the right to com- 



2 Rabaut, Precis, 74. The statement is made by this writer that the com- 

 mons had assembled by provinces on the evening of May 5 and had agreed 

 to unite in the hall of the estates general, which they regarded as the hall 

 of the national assembly, and there wait for the other orders to join them 

 and deliberate in common. Since no other contemporary writer mentions 

 such a meeting as this, it seems probable that Rabaut was referring to 

 a meeting of the deputies of a certain province only, probably those of 

 Bretagne. 



^ Recit des seances des deputes des communes, 6; Lettres du Comte de 

 Mirabeau, No. 2, 10. The Recit says that there was a general murmur of 

 disapproval because of the absence of the third estate; Mirabeau says that 

 they waited until two o'clock for the deputies of the upper orders to join 

 them. 



5 Biauzat, II, 31 ; Lettres du Comte de Mirabeau, No. i, 10. 



6 Biauzat, II, 31. 



224 



