The person who summoned him was the editor of the “Cocarde,” the Boulangist newspaper, who had been sounded that afternoon by an agent of the Comte de Paris to know if it were probable that Boulanger would join the Monarchists to defeat the chances of Jules Ferry.  The party of the Comte de Paris had recently gathered strength both by the death of the Comte de Chambord and that of the Prince Imperial.  But it was also divided.  There were those who called themselves of the old school, who held to the high-minded traditions which had caused M. Thiers to say to one of them in 1871, “You are of all parties the most honest,—­I do not say the most intelligent, but the most honest;” and the men of the new school,—­men of the close of the century, as they called themselves,—­who thought all means good that led to a good end, and were for energetic action.  To this party belonged the Comtesse de Paris, daughter of the Duc de Montpensier and of the Infanta Luisa of Spain.  She had been known to say emphatically:  “I don’t like people who are always going to do something to-morrow,—­like the Comte de Chambord; such princes die in exile.”

The Duc d’Aumale, on the contrary, despised crooked ways; and the hope of an intrigue or alliance with General Boulanger was not named to him by his nephew, especially as there was good reason to think he would never have consented to make a useful instrument of the man who had so ill-treated him when Minister of War.

The idea, however, had suddenly presented itself to the agents of the Comte de Paris (if it had not been previously suggested to him) that General Boulanger might be won over to play the part of General Monk, or failing this, that he might not be unwilling to ally himself with the Monarchists to defeat the election of M. Ferry.

It was to hold an interview with the gentleman who represented the cause of the Comte de Paris that Boulanger was summoned from the conference going on at M. Laguerre’s.

The Royalist agent proposed that M. Grevy should be retained as president, and promised that his party in the Chamber would support any ministry which should include General Boulanger, and of which he should be virtually the head.  In return, Boulanger was to give his support to an appeal to the people, to see what form of government France would prefer.  It was added that if Boulanger were Minister of War, he could do what he pleased with the army; and thus France, well managed, might change from a republic to a monarchy by the will of the people and without civil war.

The general listened quietly to these suggestions.  “There is nothing you could ask that would be too much to reward the services you would render to our country,” said the agent of the Royalists; “and remember that the highest fortunes under a Republic are the most unstable.  Give us your word to do what we ask, and then at least M. Ferry will never be president.”  “I give you my word,” said Boulanger.  But the other