chief clerk of an office, but one who might be called into the presence of a prince or princess at any moment. "Come in, Monsieur Dumas," he said. I went up to him and bowed. "You have been very especially commended to me by two persons, one of whom I greatly respect and the other of whom I love dearly." "Is not General Foy one of these, monsieur?" "Yes, he is the man I respect. But how is it you do not guess the name of the other?" "I confess, monsieur, I should be puzzled to name anyone else in whom I can have inspired sufficient interest to cause him to take the trouble to recommend me to you." "It was M. Deviolaine." "M. Deviolaine?" I repeated, in considerable surprise. "Yes, M. Deviolaine.... Is he not related to you?" "Certainly, monsieur; but when my mother begged M. Deviolaine to have the goodness to recommend me to Monseigneur le Duc d'Orléans, M. Deviolaine met the request so coldly...." "Oh, you know, brusqueness is almost the leading trait in the character of our worthy Conservator.... You must not pay any heed to that." "I fear, monsieur, that if my good cousin spoke much of me to you, in recommending me to you, he has not flattered me." "That would not be bad for you, since it would but give you a chance to surprise me agreeably." "He has probably told you I was idle?" "He told me you had never done much work; but you are young, and you can make up for lost time." "He told you I cared for nothing but shooting?" "He confessed you were something of a poacher." "He told you I was wayward and changeable in my ideas and fancies?" "He said you had been under all the solicitors in Villers-Cotterets and Crespy and had not been able to stop with any of them." "He exaggerated somewhat.... But if I did not remain with either of the two solicitors under whom I worked, it was on account of my unalterable, intense desire to come to Paris." "Very well, here you are, and your desire is fulfilled." "Was that all M. Deviolaine told you about me?" "Well, no; ... he said, too, that you were a good son, and that, although you constantly made your mother miserable, you adored her; that you had never really wished to learn anything, but more from over-quickness, than from want of intelligence; he told me, besides, that you had certainly a poor head, but that he also believed you were good-hearted.... Go and thank him, go and thank him." "Where shall I find him?" "One of the office-boys will take you to him." He rang. "Take M. Dumas to M. Deviolaine's rooms," he said. Then, addressing me-- "You have already met Lassagne?" he said. "Yes, I have just had five minutes' talk with him." "He is a very good fellow with but one failing: he will be too weak with you; luckily I shall be at hand. Lassagne and Ernest Basset will tell you what your work will be." "And M. de Broval?" I asked. M. de Broval was the general manager.