and
weighing all the various opinions concerning Nathan's book; and while
he was in the humor, he hit off another of his short sketches
for Lousteau's newspaper. Inexperienced journalists, in the first
effervescence of youth, make a labor of love of ephemeral work, and
lavish their best thought unthriftily thereon.

The manager of the Panorama-Dramatique gave a first performance of a
vaudeville that night, so that Florine and Coralie might be free for
the evening. There were to be cards before supper. Lousteau came for the
short notice of the vaudeville; it had been written beforehand after the
general rehearsal, for Etienne wished to have the paper off his mind.
Lucien read over one of the charming sketches of Parisian whimsicalities
which made the fortune of the paper, and Lousteau kissed him on both
eyelids, and called him the providence of journalism.

"Then why do you amuse yourself by turning my article inside out?" asked
Lucien. He had written his brilliant sketch simply and solely to give
emphasis to his grievance.

"_I_?" exclaimed Lousteau.

"Well, who else can have altered my article?"

"You do not know all the ins and outs yet, dear fellow. The Ambigu
pays for thirty copies, and only takes nine for the manager and box
office-keeper and their mistresses, and for the three lessees of the
theatre. Every one of the Boulevard theatres pays eight hundred francs
in this way to the paper; and there is quite as much again in boxes and
orders for Finot, to say nothing of the contributions of the company.
And if the minor theatres do this, you may imagine what the big ones do!
Now you understand? We are bound to show a good deal of indulgence."

"I understand this, that I am not at liberty to write as I think----"

"Eh! what does that matter, so long as you turn an honest penny?" cried
Lousteau. "Besides, my boy, what grudge had you against the theatre? You
must have had some reason for it, or you would not have cut up the play
as you did. If you slash for the sake of slashing, the paper will get
into trouble, and when there is good reason for hitting hard it will not
tell. Did the manager leave you out in the cold?"

"He had not kept a place for me."

"Good," said Lousteau. "I shall let him see your article, and tell him
that I softened it down; you will find it serves you better than if it
had appeared in print. Go and ask him for tickets to-morrow, and he will
sign forty blank orders every month. I know a