part the Mediterranean and the Black Sea ought
to be made to play in the future, the road to Asia through Egypt or by
the Euphrates, made feasible by recent discoveries, will kill England,
as in former times the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope killed
Venice."

"Not one word of God's providence in all this!" cried the rector.
"Monsieur Clousier and Monsieur Roubaud are oblivious of religion. How
is it with you, monsieur?" he added, turning to Gerard.

"Protestant," put in Grossetete.

"You guessed it," cried Veronique, looking at the rector as she took
Clousier's arm to return to the salon.

The prejudice Gerard's appearance excited against him had been quickly
dispelled, and the three notables congratulated themselves on so good an
acquisition.

"Unfortunately," said Monsieur Bonnet, "there is a cause of
antagonism between Russia and the Catholic countries which border the
Mediterranean, in the very unimportant schism which separates the Greek
religion from the Latin religion; and it is a great misfortune for
humanity."

"We all preach our own saint," said Madame Graslin. "Monsieur Grossetete
thinks of the lost millions; Monsieur Clousier, of the overthrow
of rights; the doctor here regards legislation as a question of
temperaments; and the rector sees an obstacle to the good understanding
of France and Russia in religion."

"Add to that, madame," said Gerard, "that I see, in the hoarding of
capital by the peasant and the small burgher, the postponement of the
building of railroads in France."

"Then what is it you all want?" she asked.

"We want the wise State councillors who, under the Emperor, reflected
on the laws, and a legislative body elected by the intelligence of the
country as well as by the land-owners, whose only function would be to
oppose bad legislation and capricious wars. The Chamber, as constituted
to-day, will proceed, as you will soon see, to govern, and that is the
first step to legal anarchy."

"Good God!" cried the rector, in a flush of sacred patriotism, "how can
such enlightened minds as these," and he motioned to Clousier, Roubaud,
and Gerard, "how can they see evil so clearly and suggest remedies
without first looking within and applying a remedy to themselves? All of
you, who represent the attacked classes, recognize the necessity of
the passive obedience of the masses of the State, like that of soldiers
during a war; you want the unity of power, and you desire that it
shall