Poiret.  “Dear me!”

Fleury.  “True! when one refuses to pay one’s debts, that’s recognizing them.”

Thuillier.  “You would make famous lawyers.”

Poiret.  “I am as curious as Monsieur Phellion to know what grounds
Monsieur Bixiou has for—­”

Bixiou [shouting across the office].  “Du Bruel!  Will you bet?”

Du Bruel [appearing at the door].  “Heavens and earth, gentlemen, I’m very busy; I have something very difficult to do; I’ve got to write an obituary notice of Monsieur de la Billardiere.  I do beg you to be quiet; you can laugh and bet afterwards.”

Bixiou.  “That’s true, du Bruel; the praise of an honest man is a very difficult thing to write.  I’d rather any day draw a caricature of him.”

Du Bruel.  “Do come and help me, Bixiou.”

Bixiou [following him].  “I’m willing; though I can do such things much better when eating.”

Du Bruel.  “Well, we will go and dine together afterwards.  But listen, this is what I have written” [reads] “’The Church and the Monarchy are daily losing many of those who fought for them in Revolutionary times.’”

Bixiou.  “Bad, very bad; why don’t you say, ’Death carries on its ravages amongst the few surviving defenders of the monarchy and the old and faithful servants of the King, whose heart bleeds under these reiterated blows?’” [Du Bruel writes rapidly.] “’Monsieur le Baron Flamet de la Billardiere died this morning of dropsy, caused by heart disease.’  You see, it is just as well to show there are hearts in government offices; and you ought to slip in a little flummery about the emotions of the Royalists during the Terror,—­might be useful, hey!  But stay,—­no! the petty papers would be sure to say the emotions came more from the stomach than the heart.  Better leave that out.  What are you writing now?”

Du Bruel [reading]. “’Issuing from an old parliamentary stock in which devotion to the throne was hereditary, as was also attachment to the faith of our fathers, Monsieur de la Billardiere—­’”

Bixiou.  “Better say Monsieur le Baron de la Billardiere.”

Du Bruel.  “But he wasn’t baron in 1793.”

Bixiou.  “No matter.  Don’t you remember that under the Empire Fouche was telling an anecdote about the Convention, in which he had to quote Robespierre, and he said, ’Robespierre called out to me, “Duc d’Otrante, go to the Hotel de Ville."’ There’s a precedent for you!”

Du Bruel.  “Let me just write that down; I can use it in a vaudeville.  —­But to go back to what we were saying.  I don’t want to put ’Monsieur le baron,’ because I am reserving his honors till the last, when they rained upon him.”

Bixiou.  “Oh! very good; that’s theatrical,—­the finale of the article.”

Du Bruel [continuing]. “’In appointing Monsieur de la Billardiere gentleman-in-ordinary—­’”

Bixiou.  “Very ordinary!”

Du Bruel. “’—­of the Bedchamber, the King rewarded not only the services rendered by the Provost, who knew how to harmonize the severity of his functions with the customary urbanity of the Bourbons, but the bravery of the Vendean hero, who never bent the knee to the imperial idol.  He leaves a son, who inherits his loyalty and his talents.’”