ch pressing he resumed, with sudden
energy--'Yes--I know I shall never feel peace and happiness more, for
although I have done many a hard and cruel deed, I never, till now, had
the dreadful duty to order a Bishop to be shot! This is what is breaking
my heart--this is my secret misery.'

"It is scarcely necessary to say, that he was speedily recovered from
so dreadful an embarrassment, for the Bishop was too good a Christian to
see a devout soldier reduced to such extremity. The money was paid, and
the Bishop ransomed."

Our celebrity of to-night was of less mark--indeed, nominally, of
none--but he has but to escape "rope and gun." and he will make a name
for himself.

He is a young Frenchman, one who, beginning at the lowest rung of
the ladder, may still climb high. Strange paths are open to eminence
nowadays, and there is no reason why a man may not begin life as a
"Vaudevilliste," and end it "Pair de France."

Jules de Russigny--whence the "de" came from we must not inquire--like
most of the smart men of the day, is a Provencal; he was educated at a
_Seminaire_, and destined for the priesthood. Some slight irregularity
caused his dismissal, and he came to Paris on foot to seek his fortune.
When toiling up a steep ascent of the road at St Maurice, he saw before
him on the way a heavily laden travelling carriage, which, with the
aid of his struggling post-horses, was also labouring up the hill; an
elderly gentleman had descended to walk, and was plodding wearily after
his lumbering equipage. As Jules reached the crest of the ridge, all
were gone, and nothing but a deep column of dust announced the course
of the departed carriage: at his feet, however, he discovered a paper,
which, closely written, and, by its numerous corrections, appeared as
closely studied, must have fallen from the pocket of the traveller.

Jules sat down to inspect it, and found to his surprise it was a species
of memorandum on the subject of the educationary establishments of
France, with much statistic detail, and a great amount of information,
evidently the result of considerable labour and research. There were
many points, of course, perfectly new to him, but there were others with
which he was well acquainted, and some on which he was so well informed
as to be able to detect mistakes and fallacies in the memorandum.
Conning the theme over, he reached a little way-side inn, and inquiring
who the traveller was that passed, he heard, to his