Fresh trials of newspaper editors--The _Mouton-enragé_--Fontan--Harel's witticism concerning him--The _Fils de l'Homme_ before the Police Court--The author pleads his cause in verse--M. Guillebert's prose--Prison charges at Sainte-Pélagie--Embarrassment of the Duc d'Orléans about a historical portrait--The two usurpations. CHAPTER V The things that are the greatest enemies to the success of a play--The honesty of Mademoiselle Mars as an actress--Her dressing-room--The habitués at her supper-parties--Vatout--Denniée--Becquet--Mornay--Mademoiselle Mars in her own home--Her last days on the stage--Material result of the success of _Henri III._--My first speculation--The recasting of _Christine_--Where I looked for my inspiration--Two other ideas. CHAPTER VI Victor Hugo--His birth--His mother--Les Chassebœuf and les Cornet--Captain Hugo--The signification of his name--Victor's godfather--The Hugo family in Corsica--M. Hugo is called to Naples by Joseph Bonaparte--He is appointed colonel and governor of the province of Avellino--Recollections of the poet's early childhood--Fra Diavolo--Joseph, King of Spain--Colonel Hugo is made a general, count, marquis and major-domo--The Archbishop of Tarragona--Madame Hugo and her children in Paris--The convent of Feuillantines. CHAPTER VII Departure for Spain--Journey from Paris to Bayonne--The treasure--Order of march of the convoy--M. du Saillant--M. de Cotadilla--Irun--Ernani--Salinas--The battalion of _écloppés_ (cripples)--Madame Hugo's supplies of provisions--The forty Dutch grenadiers--Mondragon--The precipice--Burgos--Celadas--Alerte--The queen's review. CHAPTER VIII Segovia--M. de Tilly--The Alcazar--The doubloons--The castle of M. de la Calprenède and that of a Spanish grandee--The _bourdaloue_--Otero--The Dutchmen again--The Guadarrama--Arrival at Madrid--The palace of Masserano--The comet--The College--Don Manoël and Don Bazilio--Tacitus and Plautus--Lillo--The winter of 1812 to 1813--The Empecinado--The glass of _eau sucrée_--The army of merinoes--Return to Paris. CHAPTER IX The college and the garden of the Feuillantines--Grenadier or general--Victor Hugo's first appearance in public--He obtains honourable mention at the Academy examination--He carries off three prizes in the Jeux Floraux--_Han d'Islande_--The poet and the bodyguard--Hugo's marriage--The _Odes et Ballades_--Proposition made by cousin Cornet. CHAPTER X