tailor who never disappoints you; with the opera, the jockey-club, and
the Varieties, can you not amuse yourself? Well, I will amuse you."
"How?"
"By introducing to you a new acquaintance."
"A man or a woman?"
"A man."
"I know so many already."
"But you do not know this man."
"Where does he come from the end of the world?"
"Farther still, perhaps."
"The devil! I hope he does not bring our breakfast with him."
"Oh, no; our breakfast comes from my mother's kitchen. Are you hungry?"
"Humiliating as such a confession is, I am. But I dined yesterday at M. de Villef ort's, and lawyers always give you very bad dinners. You would think they felt some remorse; did you ever remark that!"
"Ah! depreciate other persons' dinners; you ministers give such splendid ones."
"Yes; but we do not invite people of fashion. If we were not forced to entertain a parcel of country boobies because they think and vote with us, we should never dream of dining at home, I assure you."
"Well, take another glass of sherry and another biscuit."
"Willingly. Your Spanish wine is excellent. You see we were quite right to pacify that country."
"Yes; but Don Carlos?"
"Well, Don Carlos will drink Bordeaux, and in ten years we will marry his son to the little queen."
"You will then obtain the Golden Fleece, if you are still in the ministry."
"I think, Albert, you have adopted the system of feeding me on smoke this morning."
"Well, you must allow it is the best thing for the stomach; but I hear Beauchamp in the next room. You can dispute together, and that will pass away the time."
"About what?"
"About the papers."
"My dear friend," said Lucien, with an air of sovereign contempt, "do I ever read the papers?"
"Then you will dispute the more."
"M. Beauchamp," announced the servant.
"Enter, enter," said Albert, rising and advancing to meet the young man. "Here is Debray, who detests you without reading you, so he says."
