young man nor tell us his name.  We never knew who he was.  Since I have been a Frenchwoman (devant la loi)—­I think all Americans remain American no matter where they marry,—­I have interested myself three or four times in made marriages, which have generally turned out well.  There were very few Americans married in France all those years, now there are legions of all kinds.  I don’t remember any in the official parliamentary world I lived in the first years of my marriage—­nor English either.  It was absolutely French, and rather borne French.  Very few of the people, the women especially, had any knowledge or experience of foreign countries, and didn’t care to have,—­France was enough for them.

W. was very happy at the Ministry of Public Instruction,—­all the educational questions interested him so much and the tournees en province and visits to the big schools and universities,—­some of them, in the south of France particularly, singularly wanting in the most elementary details of hygiene and cleanliness, and it was very difficult to make the necessary changes, giving more light, air, and space.  Routine is a powerful factor in this very conservative country, where so many things exist simply because they have always existed.  Some of his letters from Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Montpellier were most interesting.  As a rule he was very well received and got on very well, strangely enough, with the clergy, particularly the haut clerge, bishops and cardinals.  His being a Protestant was rather a help to him; he could take an impartial view of things.

At Bordeaux he stayed at the Prefecture, where he was very comfortable, but the days were fatiguing.  He said he hadn’t worked so hard for years.  He started at nine in the morning, visiting schools and universities, came home to breakfast at twelve, and immediately after had a small reception, rectors, professors, and people connected with the schools he wanted to talk to, at three started again seeing more schools and going conscientiously over the buildings from basement to garret,—­then visits to the cardinal, archbishop, general commanding, etc.—­a big dinner and reception in the evening, the cardinal present in his red robes, his coadjutor in purple, the officers in uniform, and all the people connected in any way with the university, who were pleased to see their chief.  There was a total absence of Bonapartist senators and deputies (which was not surprising, as W. had always been in violent opposition to the Empire), who were rather numerous in these parts.  W. was really quite exhausted when he got back to Paris—­said it was absolute luxury to sit quietly and read in his library, and not talk.  It wasn’t a luxury that he enjoyed very much, for whenever he was in the house there was always some one talking to him in his study and others waiting in the drawing-room.  Every minute of the day he was occupied.  People were always coming to ask for something for themselves or some members of