such a cry as “A la porte les rieurs,” had never been heard.  At the Opera House, however, there was no occupation for laughers; in the score of an opera, or in the plot of a ballet, appeal was never made to a sense of the mirthful.  Then the opera public was of a susceptible, and even irritable nature; it might be led, but it could scarcely be driven; it could be influenced by polite and gentle means; it would resent active interference, and “a scene” might ensue—­even something of a disturbance.  But M. Auguste implored his manager to be easy on that score.  Nothing of the kind should happen; he would prove himself deserving, worthy of his employer’s confidence.  “Only,” said M. Auguste, “those fools, the paying public, certainly give us a great deal of trouble!”

The chef de la claque was, of course, supplied with admission tickets by the management, and these were issued according to an established scale.  If the success of a work, already represented many times, showed signs of flagging, and needed to be sustained, Auguste received some forty or fifty pit tickets; but in the case of a work highly approved by the public, and still attracting good houses, twenty, or even ten, tickets were held to be sufficient.  But on the first production of an entirely new entertainment, at least a hundred tickets were handed to Auguste.  There was then a meeting of the claqueurs at some appointed place—­usually a wine-shop in the neighbourhood of the theatre—­and the plan of action was arranged, the army of applauders organised and marshalled.  Intelligent lieutenants, about ten in number, each in command of a detachment of the forces, were instructed how to deal with opponents, and to keep watchful eyes upon the proceedings of their chief.  In addition to a money payment and their own entrance tickets, they were accorded other tickets to be given only to friends upon whose fidelity they could rely.  Certain of the claqueurs accepted outpost duty, as it were, and acted in isolated positions; others, and these the majority, took close order, and fought, so to speak, in column.  In addition to his regular forces, Auguste engaged supernumerary and irregular troops, known to him as sous-claqueurs, upon whose discipline and docility he could not wholly rely, though he could make them useful by enclosing them in the ranks of his seasoned soldiers.  The sous-claqueurs were usually well-clothed frequenters and well-wishers of the Opera House, anxious to attend the first representation of the new work to be produced, and willing to pay half-price for their tickets, upon the condition that they placed their applause at the disposal of M. Auguste.