Almoner, he made no difficulty. He took pains to insert it in a
conspicuous place. I should never have thought of that; but this young

journalist has a wide-awake mind. The defenders of religion can enter
the lists against impiety without disadvantage at the present moment,

for there is a great deal of talent in the royalist press. I have
every reason to believe that success will crown your hopes. But you

must remember, my dear Baudoyer, to promote Monsieur Colleville; he is
an object of great interest to his Eminence; in fact, I am desired to

mention him to you."
"If I am head of the division, I will make him head of one of my

bureaus, if you want me to," said Baudoyer.
The matter thus referred to was explained after dinner, when the

ministerial organ (bought and sent up by the porter) proved to contain
among its Paris news the following articles, called items:--

"Monsieur le Baron de la Billardiere died this morning, after a
long and painfulillness. The king loses a devoted servant, the

Church a most pious son. Monsieur de la Billardiere's end has
fitly crowned a noble life, consecrated in dark and troublesome

times to perilous missions, and of late years to arduous civic
duties. Monsieur de la Billardiere was provost of a department,

where his force of character triumphed over all the obstacles that
rebellion arrayed against him. He subsequently accepted the

difficult post of director of a division (in which his great
acquirements were not less useful than the truly French affability

of his manners) for the express purpose of conciliating the
serious interests that arise under its administration. No rewards

have ever been more truly deserved than those by which the King,
Louis XVIII., and his present Majesty took pleasure in crowning a

loyalty which never faltered under the usurper. This old family
still survives in the person of a single heir to the excellent man

whose death now afflicts so many warm friends. His Majesty has
already graciously made known that Monsieur Benjamin de la

Billardiere will be included among the gentlemen-in-ordinary of
the Bedchamber.

"The numerous friends who have not already received their
notification of this sad event are hereby informed that the

funeral will take place to-morrow at four o'clock, in the church
of Saint-Roch. The memorial address will be delivered by Monsieur

l'Abbe Fontanon."
----

"Monsieur Isidore-Charles-Thomas Baudoyer, representing one of the
oldest bourgeois families of Paris, and head of a bureau in the

late Monsieur de la Billardiere's division, has lately recalled
the old traditions of piety and devotion which formerly

distinguished these great families, so jealous for the honor and
glory of religion, and so faithful in preserving its monuments.

The church of Saint-Paul has long needed a monstrance in keeping
with the magnificence of that basilica, itself due to the Company

of Jesus. Neither the vestry nor the curate were rich enough to
decorate the altar. Monsieur Baudoyer has bestowed upon the parish

a monstrance that many persons have seen and admired at Monsieur
Gohier's, the king's jeweller. Thanks to the piety of this

gentleman, who did not shrink from the immensity of the price, the
church of Saint-Paul possesses to-day a masterpiece of the

jeweller's art designed by Monsieur de Sommervieux. It gives us
pleasure to make known this fact, which proves how powerless the

declamations of liberals have been on the mind of the Parisian
bourgeoisie. The upper ranks of that body have at all times been

royalist and they prove it when occasion offers."
"The price was five thousand francs," said the Abbe Gaudron; "but as

the payment was in cash, the court jeweller reduced the amount."
"Representing one of the oldest bourgeois families in Paris!" Saillard

was saying to himself; "there it is printed,--in the official paper,
too!"

"Dear Monsieur Gaudron," said Madame Baudoyer, "please help my father
to compose a little speech that he could slip into the countess's ear

when he takes her the monthly stipend,--a single sentence that would
cover all! I must leave you. I am obliged to go out with my uncle

Mitral. Would you believe it? I was unable to find my uncle Bidault at
home this afternoon. Oh, what a dog-kennel he lives in! But Monsieur

Mitral, who knows his ways, says he does all his business between
eight o'clock in the morning and midday, and that after that hour he

can be found only at a certain cafe called the Cafe Themis,--a
singular name."

"Is justice done there?" said the abbe, laughing.
"Do you ask why he goes to a cafe at the corner of the rue Dauphine

and the quai des Augustins? They say he plays dominoes there every
night with his friend Monsieur Gobseck. I don't wish to go to such a

place alone; my uncle Mitral will take me there and bring me back."
At this instant Mitral showed his yellow face, surmounted by a wig

which looked as though it might be made of hay, and made a sign to his
niece to come at once, and not keep a carriagewaiting at two francs

an hour. Madame Baudoyer rose and went away without giving any
explanation to her husband or father.

"Heaven has given you in that woman," said Monsieur Gaudron to
Baudoyer when Elisabeth had disappeared, "a perfect treasure of

prudence and virtue, a model of wisdom, a Christian who gives sure
signs of possessing the Divine spirit. Religion alone is able to form

such perfect characters. To-morrow I shall say a mass for the success
of your good cause. It is all-important, for the sake of the monarchy

and of religion itself that you should receive this appointment.
Monsieur Rabourdin is a liberal; he subscribes to the 'Journal des

Debats,' a dangerous newspaper, which made war on Monsieur le Comte de
Villele to please the wounded vanity of Monsieur de Chateaubriand. His

Eminence will read the newspaper to-night, if only to see what is said
of his poor friend Monsieur de la Billardiere; and Monseigneur the

coadjutor will speak of you to the King. When I think of what you have
now done for his dear church, I feel sure he will not forget you in

his prayers; more than that, he is dining at this moment with the
coadjutor at the house of the curate of Saint-Roch."

These words made Saillard and Baudoyer begin to perceive that
Elisabeth had not been idle ever since Godard had informed her of

Monsieur de la Billardiere's decease.
"Isn't she clever, that Elisabeth of mine?" cried Saillard,

comprehending more clearly than Monsieur l'abbe the rapid undermining,
like the path of a mole, which his daughter had undertaken.

"She sent Godard to Rabourdin's door to find out what newspaper he
takes," said Gaudron; "and I mentioned the name to the secretary of

his Eminence,--for we live at a crisis when the Church and Throne must
keep themselves informed as to who are their friends and who their

enemies."
"For the last five days I have been trying to find the right thing to

say to his Excellency's wife," said Saillard.
"All Paris will read that," cried Baudoyer, whose eyes were still

riveted on the paper.
"Your eulogy costs us four thousand eight hundred francs, son-in-law!"

exclaimed Madame Saillard.
"You have adorned the house of God," said the Abbe Gaudron.

"We might have got salvation without doing that," she returned. "But
if Baudoyer gets the place, which is worth eight thousand more, the

sacrifice is not so great. If he doesn't get it! hey, papa," she
added, looking at her husband, "how we shall have bled!--"

"Well, never mind," said Saillard, enthusiastically, "we can always
make it up through Falleix, who is going to extend his business and

use his brother, whom he has made a stockbroker on purpose. Elisabeth
might have told us, I think, why Falleix went off in such a hurry. But

let's invent my little speech. This is what I thought of: 'Madame, if
you would say a word to his Excellency--'"