"No, but I remember what M. le Duc d'Orléans condescended to write, by the side of my name, in his own handwriting, a month ago: 'Suppress his bonuses,' etc. etc." "Come, I will tell you something that will restore the prince in your estimation." "Ah! my dear Oudard, I am indeed far too insignificant an individual to lay claim to the right of quarrelling with him." "Well, then, I fancy he would accept the dedication of your drama." "The dedication of my play, my dear Oudard, belongs to the man who got it acted; my drama _Henri III._ will be dedicated to Taylor." "You are making a mistake, my dear friend." "No, I am repaying a debt." "All right, we will not continue the subject; so, a librarian like Casimir Delavigne...." "Or like Vatout, if the comparison seems to you to be simpler." "Are you aware how epigrammatic you have become since your success?" "No; it is only that I can now say aloud what I formerly thought unspoken." "Well, I see clearly that you mean to have the last word." "Of course; try and find a word to which I cannot fit an answer. _Au revoir!_" "Adieu!" Two days later, Oudard called me in again; he had discovered a post that would suit me much better than being librarian: namely, to be reader to Madame la Duchesse d'Orléans. I thanked Oudard; but I assured him that I still held to my first idea of being librarian or nothing at all. We parted rather more coldly than at first. Two days later, I received a third letter; this time, he had found something that would suit me best of all. They would make me _chevalier d'honneur_ to Madame Adélaïde! I persisted obstinately that I wanted to be librarian. Finally, I received a fourth invitation, and I paid a fourth visit. They had decided to grant my request, and I was appointed assistant librarian, at a salary of 1200 francs. As I had announced beforehand that the question of money was not of any consequence, they had taken advantage of it to suggest to monseigneur to pay me 300 francs less as librarian than they had paid me as a clerk. That didn't matter; but listen, and may Harpagon and Grandet hang themselves for not having invented what the people devised who arranged the affairs of M. le Duc d'Orléans and myself. As they had not paid me any salary for six months, they antedated my nomination by six months. Consequently, as I had a salary of 1500 francs as clerk and 1200 francs as librarian, they saved, by paying me for these six months as a librarian, the sum of 150 francs, which, added to my unpaid up bonuses of 1829, saved them 350 francs; and the 350 francs, added to the 50 francs cut off my bonus of 1828, amounted to a net total of 400 francs more into the princely coffers. It will be admitted, will it not? that the Duc d'Orléans was surrounded by men of large views! Unfortunately, these were the very same men who, later, surrounded the king.