As is usual in theatrical matters, the production was postponed from day to day but at last it was fixed to take place on 11 February. A grave anxiety, however, hovered over everybody and myself in particular, like a black cloud. The Censor had not yet given his final decision upon the play. A wretched creature occupied the office at that time, who lived on scandal, making capital of others' self-esteem or their weakness, beside whom Geoffroi was honesty itself and a conscientious critic. The following lines on the _Folliculaire_ by Laville might have been written about him:-- "Un vase de vermeil, une bague de prix, Du vin surtout, voilà ses cadeaux favoris. On assure--je crois que, sur ce fait probable, Pour le vrai, la chronique a pris le vraisemblable-- Qu'au jour où nos amis viennent du vieux Nestor Nous souhaiter les ans, et bien d'autres encor; Au jour où les filleuls aiment tant leurs marraines; Jour de munificence où, sous le nom d'étrennes, Chacun de son voisin attend quelques tributs, Et d'une honnête aumône accroît ses revenus, Il revend au rabais, ou plutôt à l'enchère, Le superflu des vins et de la bonne chère Dont l'accable le zèle ou l'effroi des acteurs; Et que Follicula, pour qui les directeurs De schalls et de chapeaux renouvellent l'emplette, Se fait, pendant deux mois, marchande à la toilette!" The entire theatrical world paid tribute to this man. Mademoiselle Mars gave him a pension; he received subsidies from the Théâtre-Français, the Odéon, the Opéra and the Opéra-Comique. They came to him as to the open market: he sold eulogy to one, calumny to others; he sold everything, even his silence. Mademoiselle Mars, Firmin, the company of the Comédie-Française, and even Taylor himself had urged me to pay this man a call; but I had obstinately refused. So, one morning, someone brought me his paper, which contained the following lines:--