"In the hope that you will lend a favourable ear to my request, I am "Your Majesty's most humble servant, "MADAME M. "P. S.--In gratitude, with Your Majesty's permission, I would place a sign representing Your Majesty over the shop-front." "_Sire_,-- "The feeling that prompts me to write to you, O noble King, is the love which I feel for your country. I will come straight to the point: I will ask you, O Majesty, if I, a plain French subject, may have a post of some kind in your ideal kingdom. "Dentist I am; a dentist I would remain, in Your Majesty's service. All my life long, you would be assured of my complete devotion. "A future Persian dentist to his future King. "P. J. L. "Pray, Sire, address the reply to the _poste restante_ at Post-office No. 54." "_Great Shah_,-- "This missive which I have the honour of addressing to Your Majesty is to tell you that I and my friends, Messieurs Jules Brunel and Abel Chenet, have the honour of offering you four bottles of champagne and two bottles of claret. "In exchange, may we beg for the Order of the Lion and Sun, which it would give us great pleasure to receive and which we hope that Your Majesty will confer upon us? We are French citizens and old soldiers. "We wish you constant good health and prosperity for your country, Persia. You can send your servant to fetch the bottles. "We have the honour to greet you and we remain your very humble servants, crying: "'Long live H. M. Muzaffr-ed-Din and long live Persia!' "A. W." "THORIGNY (ON MY WAY HOME), "27 August, 1902. "_Your Majesty_,-- "Yesterday, Tuesday, I was in Paris, waiting to have the pleasure of seeing you leave your hotel. That pleasure was not vouchsafed me. "But, on the other hand, a ring set with a diamond, which I was taking to be repaired, was stolen from me by a pickpocket. "This ring was the only diamond which my wife possessed. In consequence of the theft, she now possesses none. "I put myself the question whether I could not indict you before a French court, as being the direct cause of the theft. "I find nothing in our French law-books likely to decide in my favour. "And so I prefer to come and beseech you to redress the involuntary injury which you have done me. "A choice stone, which I could have set as a ring, would make good all the damage which I have suffered. "I am well aware that you must have numerous and various requests for assistance. This is not one of them. "But I should be infinitely grateful to you if you would understand that, but for your coming to Paris, I should not have been robbed and if you would kindly send me a choice stone to replace the one stolen from me.