Tom Burke Of "Ours" Volume I Part 36

"Unhappily my judgment is of little value. Do you forget that the diet roll of the Polytechnique is a bad school for gastronomy?"

"But a glorious preparation for it," interrupted he. "How delightful must be the enjoyment to the unsophisticated palate of those first impressions which a _carpe la Chambord_, a pheasant _truff_, a dish of _ortolans la Provengale_, inspire! But here we are. Our party is a small one,--an old prfet of the South, an abb, a secretary of the Russian emba.s.sy, and ourselves."

This information he gave me as we mounted a narrow and winding stair, dimly lighted by a single lamp. On reaching the landing, however, a waiter stood in readiness to usher us into a small apartment decorated with all the luxury of gold and plate gla.s.s, so profusely employed in the interior of all cafs. The guests already mentioned were there, and evidently awaiting our arrival with no small impatience.

"As usual, Henri," said the old man, whom I guessed to be the prfet,--"as usual, an hour behind your appointment."

"Forgive him. Monsieur," said abb, with a simper. "The fascinations of a Court--"

The grimace the old man made at this last word threw the whole party into a roar of laughter, which only ceased by the marquis presenting me in all form to each of his friends.

" table, table, for Heaven's sake!" cried the prfet, ringing the bell, and bustling about the room with a fidgety impatience.

This was, however, unneeded; for in less than five minutes the supper made its appearance, and we took our places at the board.

The encomiums p.r.o.nounced as each dish came and went satisfied me that the feast was unexceptionable. As for myself, I ate away, only conscious that I had never been so regaled before, and wondering within me how far ingenuity had been exercised to produce the endless variety that appeared at table. The wine, too, circulated freely; and Champagne, Bordeaux, and Chambertin followed one another in succession, as the different meats indicated the peculiar vintage. In the conversation I could take no part,--it was entirely gastronomic; and no man ever existed more ignorant of the seasons that promised well for truffles, or the state of the atmosphere that threatened acidity to the vines.

"Well, Henri," said the prfet, when the dessert made its appearance, and the time for concluding the gourmand dissertation seemed arrived,--"well! and what news from the Tuileries?"

"Nothing--absolutely nothing," said he, carelessly,--"the same people; the same topics; the eternal game of tric-trac with old Madame d'Angerton; Denon tormenting some new victim with a mummy or a map of Egypt; Madame Lefebvre relating camp anecdotes--"

"Ah, she is delightful!" interrupted the prefet.

"So thinks your chief, at least, Askoff," said De Beauvais, turning to the Russian. "He sat on the sofa beside her for a good hour and a half."

"Who sat near him on the other side?" slyly asked the other.

"On the other side? I forget: no, I remember it was Monsieur de Talleyrand and Madame Bonaparte. And, now I think of it, he must have overheard what they said."

"Is it true, then, that Bonaparte insulted the English amba.s.sador at the reception? Askoff heard it as he left the Rue St. Honor."

"Perfectly true. The scene was a most outrageous one; and Lord Whitworth retired, declaring to Talleyrand--at least, so they say--that without an apology being made, he would abstain from any future visits at the Tuileries."

"But what is to come of it?--tell me that. What is to be the result?"

"_Pardieu!_ I know not. A reconciliation to-morrow; an article in the 'Moniteur;' a dinner at the Court; and then another rupture, and another article."

"Or a war," said the Russian, looking cautiously about, to see if his opinion met any advocacy.

"What say you to that, mon ami?" said De Beauvais, turning to me. "Glad enough, I suppose, you 'll be to win your epaulettes as colonel."

"That, too, is on the cards," said the abb, sipping his gla.s.s quietly.

"One can credit anything these times."

"Even the Catholic religion, Abb," said De Beauvais, laughing.

"Or the Restoration," replied the abb, with a half-malicious look at the prfet, which seemed greatly to amuse the Russian.

"Or the Restoration!" repeated the prfet, solemnly, after him,--"or the Restoration!" And then filling his gla.s.s to the brim, he drained it to the bottom.

"It is a hussar corps you are appointed to?" said De Beauvais, hastily turning towards me, as if anxious to engage my attention.

"Yes; the huitieme," said I: "do you know them?"

"No; I have few acquaintances in the army."

"His father, sir," said the prfet, with a voice of considerable emphasis, "was an old garde du corps in those times when the sword was only worn by gentlemen."

"So much the worse for the army," whispered the abb, in an undertone, that was sufficiently audible to the rest to cause an outbreak of laughter.

"And when," continued the prfet, undisturbed by the interruption, "birth had its privileges."

"Among the rest, that of being the first beheaded," murmured the inexorable abb.

"Were truffles dear before the Revolution, prfet?" said De Beauvais, with a half-impertinent air of simplicity.

"No, sir; nothing was dear save the King's favor."

"Which could also be had for paying for," quoth the abb.

"The 'Moniteur' of this evening, gentlemen," said the waiter, entering with the paper, whose publication had been delayed some two hours beyond the usual period.

"Ah, let us see what we have here," said De Beauvais, opening the journal and reading aloud: "'Greneral Espina.s.se is appointed to the command of the fourth corps, stationed at Lille; and Major-General Lannes to the fortress of Montreil, vacant by--' No matter,--here it is.

'Does the English government suppose that France is one of her Indian possessions, without the means to declare her wrongs or the power to avenge them? Can they believe that rights are not reciprocal, and that the observance of one contracting party involves nothing on the part of the other?'"

"There, there, De Beauvais; don't worry us with that tiresome nonsense."

"'Or,' continued the marquis, still reading aloud, 'do they presume to say that we shall issue no commercial instructions to our agents abroad lest English susceptibility should be wounded by any prospect of increased advantages to our trade?'"

"Our trade!" echoed the prfet, with a most contemptuous intonation on the word.

"Ah, for those good old times, when there was none!" said the abb, with such a semblance of honest sincerity as drew an approving smile from the old man.

"Hear this, Prfet," said De Beauvais: "'From the times of Colbert to the present'--what think you? the allusion right royal, is it not?--'From the times of Colbert our negotiations have been always conducted in this manner.'"

"Sir, I beseech you read no more of that intolerable nonsense."

"And here," continued the marquis, "follows a special invocation of the benediction of Heaven on the just efforts which France is called on to make, to repress the insolent aggression of England. Abb, this concerns you."

"Of course," said he, meekly. "I am quite prepared to pray for the party in power; if Heaven but leaves them there, I must conclude they deserve it."

A doubtful look, as if he but half understood him, was the only reply the old prfet made to this speech; at which the laughter of the others could no longer be repressed, and burst forth most heartily.

"But let us read on. Whose style is this, think you? 'France possessed within her dominion every nation from the North Sea to the Adriatic. And how did she employ her power?--in restoring to Batavia self-government; in giving liberty to Switzerland; and in ceding Venice to Austria, while the troops at the very gates of Vienna are halted and repa.s.s the Rhine once more. Are these the evidences of ambition? Are these the signs of that overweening l.u.s.t of territory with which England dares to reproach us? And if such pa.s.sions prevailed, what was easier than to have indulged them? Was not Italy our own? Were not Batavia, Switzerland, Portugal, all ours? But no, peace was the desire of the nation; peace at any cost. The colony of St. Domingo, that immense territory, was not conceived a sacrifice too great to secure such a blessing.'"

"Pardieu! De Beauvais, I can bear it no longer."

"You must let me give you the reverse of the medal. Hear now what England has done."