My dramatic faith wavers--Bocage and Dorval reconcile me with myself--A political trial wherein I deserved to figure--Downfall of the Laffitte Ministry--Austria and the Duc de Modena--Maréchal Maison is Ambassador at Vienna--The story of one of his dispatches--Casimir Périer Prime Minister--His reception at the Palais-Royal--They make him the _amende honorable_ We saw what small success _Antony_ obtained at the reading before M. Crosnier. The consequence was that just as they had not scrupled to pass my play over for the drama of _Don Carlos ou l'Inquisition_, at the Théâtre-Français, they did not scruple, at the Porte-Saint-Martin, to put on all or any sort of piece that came to their hands before they looked at mine. Poor _Antony!_ It had already been in existence for close upon two years; but this delay, it must be admitted, instead of injuring it in any way, was, on the contrary, to turn to very profitable account. During those two years, events had progressed and had brought about in France one of those feverish situations wherein the explosions of eccentric individuals cause immense noise. There was something sickly and degenerate in the times, which answered to the monomania of my hero. Meanwhile, as I have said, I had no settled opinion about my drama; my youthful faith in myself had only held out for _Henri III._ and _Christine_; but the horrible concert of hootings which had deafened me at the representation of the latter piece had shattered that faith to its very foundations. Then the Revolution had come, which had thrown me into quite another order of ideas, and had made me believe I was destined to become what in politics is called a man of action, a belief which had succumbed yet more rapidly than my literary belief.