money-changer's window, but that he
was entitled to be looked upon as one of the chosen exponents of the
national will, his good-natured, mobile face assumed an expression of
ponderous gravity suited to the occasion, his mind was filled with plans
for the future, for reform, and the longing to profit by the lessons he
had lately learned from destiny. Already, mindful of the promise he had
made de Gery, he exhibited a certain contemptuous coldness for the
hungry herd that fawned servilely about his heels, and seemed to have
adopted deliberately a system of peremptory contradiction. He called the
Marquis de Bois-l'Hery "my good fellow," sharply imposed silence on the
Governor, whose enthusiasm was becoming scandalous, and was inwardly
making a solemn vow that he would rid himself as speedily as possible of
all that begging, compromising horde of bohemians, when an excellent
opportunity presented itself for him to begin to put his purpose in
execution. Moessard, the handsome Moessard, in a sky-blue cravat, pale
and puffed-up like a white abscess, his bust confined in a tight frock
coat, seeing that the Nabob, after making the circuit of the hall of
sculpture a score of times, was walking toward the exit, forced his way
through the crowd, sprang to his side and said, as he passed his arm
through Jansoulet's:

"You are to take me with you, you know--"

Of late, especially during the period of the election, he had assumed an
authority on Place Vendome almost equal to Monpavon's, but more
impudent; for, in respect of impudence, the queen's lover had not his
equal on the sidewalk that extends from Rue Drouot to the Madeleine. But
on this occasion he had a bad fall. The muscular arm that he grasped
violently shook itself free, and the Nabob answered him very shortly:

"I am very sorry, my dear fellow, but I have no seat to offer you."

No seat, in a carriage as big as a house, which had often held five of
them!

Moessard gazed at him in utter stupefaction.

"But I had something very urgent to say to you. On the subject of my
little note. You received it, did you not?"

"To be sure, and Monsieur de Gery should have answered it this morning.
What you ask is impossible. Twenty thousand francs!--_tonnerre de Dieu!_
how fast you go."

"It seems to me, however, that my services--" stammered the fop.

"Have been handsomely paid. So it seems to me too. Two hundred thousand
francs in five months! We will stop at that, if you p