"Oh! no, no," said Talma quickly; "but when I am better he shall be the first on whom I will call. I remember once he was good enough to send an ecclesiastic to me to tell me that he had nothing to do with the insult put on my children in the matter of the distribution of prizes and that the whole blame should fall on the headmaster of the school." I will give the story of what had happened: the event wounded Talma to the quick, for he adored his two children. The Archbishop of Paris was asked to preside at a prize distribution at the College Morin. Now it seems that the authorities did not dare to ask the ecclesiastic to reward the two sons of the great actor, so the names of the two lads were omitted, and it was not until after M. de Quélen's departure that the prizes they had earned were handed to them privately. Talma instantly caused his two children to renounce the Catholic faith, and from that time they belonged to the Reformed religion. The doctors withdrew, and, as they were leaving, M. Dupuytren said to Amédée-- "I am going to the château: if I meet the archbishop what shall I say to him?" "Why, monsieur," the young man replied, "I do not think you can do better than tell him what we have just heard and my uncle's answer to what I said; if, later, my uncle asks for him, I shall have much pleasure in sending for him at once." But, instead of following out these instructions, M. Dupuytren, who did not meet the archbishop, took upon himself to write to him and tell him he could go and see Talma. The archbishop made haste to attend to the request, which he had no idea came only from M. Dupuytren; but, as on previous occasions, he was received by Amédée Talma. On 18 October M. Charles Jeannin was obliged to leave his uncle and return to keep an engagement in Brussels for the 20th. On 19 October, at six in the morning, seeing Amédée by his bedside, Talma said-- "What, my dear boy, have you not gone yet?" "There was only one vacant seat in the diligence, uncle, and I gave it up to Charles, who was urgently wanted in Brussels." "When do you go?" "To-morrow morning." "At what time?" "Six o'clock ... if I can get a seat." Talma gently shook his head. "You are deceiving me," he said; "you have not been able to save me, and you wish to stay with me to the end.... If I had been a peasant from Brunoy, I could have been cured; but they have bungled over me.... However, my death will enable them to learn how they ought to treat someone else. So much for doctoring! Now go and fetch MM. Nicod and Jacquet." These were his lawyers. The gardener was called and sent on this errand. Talma recognised him. "Ah! is that you, Louette?" he said. Then, turning to his nephew, he added-- "I have not paid him for the last two months; you must tell Madame it is most essential.... But, by the bye, where is Caroline?" "She is asleep." "Which means she is crying." Madame Talma heard, and she came up to the bedside.