It is distracting to a man of honour to fail in his word. What would M. de Talleyrand think of a man who had promised so much and performed so little? Twice during the day he wrote to Maubreuil: his second note was as pressing as time was. This is what he said-- "Why have you not come? I have expected you all day. You are driving me to desperation!" Maubreuil returned to change his dress at six o'clock that evening. He found the note: he ran off to Roux-Laborie. "What is it?" "You can make your fortune." "I am your man, then!" "Come with me." They entered a carriage and went to M. Anglès'. M. Anglès was at the house in the rue Saint-Florentin. They rushed to the house in the rue Saint-Florentin; M. Anglès had just gone out. They asked to see the prince. "Impossible! the prince is very busy: he is in the act of betraying. True, he is betraying in good company,--he is betraying along with the Senate." The Senate was next day going to declare that the emperor had forfeited his throne. Be it remembered that it was this same Senate--_Sénat conservateur_--which, on the return from the disastrous Russian campaign, fifteen months earlier, had said to the emperor-- "Sire, the Senate is established for the purpose of preserving the fourth dynasty; France and posterity will find it faithful to this _sacred duty_, and every one of its members will be ever ready to perish in defence of this _palladium_ of the national prosperity." We must admit that it was drawn up in very bad French. It is also true that it was drawn up by very poor specimens of Frenchmen. The next day, Maubreuil and Roux-Laborie returned. The prince was no more visible than on the previous evening; the prince was at the Luxembourg. But it did not matter: they could be introduced into his cabinet presently, which was occupied at the moment. Besides, perhaps he might return. "We will wait," said Roux-Laborie. And they waited a short while in the green salon,--that green salon which became so famous, you will remember, in history,--they waited, reading the papers. The newspapers were very amusing. The _Journal des Débats_ and the _Journal de Paris_ above all vied with each other in being facetious and witty. "To-day," said the old _Journal de l'Empire_, which since the previous evening had donned a new cassock and now called itself the _Journal des Débats_,--"to-day _His Majesty_ passed in front of the colonne Vendôme ..." Forgive me if I pause a moment: I am anxious that there should not be any confusion. _His Majesty_! You would imagine that this meant the Emperor Napoleon, to whom a week before the _Journal de l'Empire_ had published these beautiful lines:-- I